The Journey of Wei Ying

Chapter 22: Talk with Wen Ning

Wei Ying's POV

"Wen Ning!" I called him immediately and he entered my bedroom with no delay. As if he stood in front of it the whole time. I stared at him in shock.

"Wen Ning, did you change my sheets?"

Maybe that question came out harsher than I thought as Wen Ning fell to his knees instantly.

"Y-yes, your Highness." He answered and I felt two things at the same time.

I was embarrassed that he had to clean up the mess I left behind. It might be true that he did so every morning already when I had those dreams but that doesn't mean it would get less embarrassing every time. Moreover, this time it wasn't just my mess. Wang Ji was part of it too.

I also felt shocked. Shocked that he found out about Wang Ji and me on our first day. What did he think of me now? He must have been disappointed as I was no different than Lan Huan.

"I-" What? What could I possibly say now? There was no excuse and to be honest, I didn't want there to be any other truth than what Wen Ning witnessed. Yes, Wang Ji and I got together. It's wrong. It's a crime. But what could we do when we loved each other? What could we do when we wanted each other so much that no one could have stopped us? Even if someone did, our longing for each other would only grow.

"Your Highness, you are wrong." Wen Ning said and I closed my eyes. Of course, he wouldn't agree with my feelings. He was my friend after all. Friends are honest and protect each other.

"You and the crown prince are different." He continued and I opened my eyes and looked at him in shock and confusion.

"What?" Did he just say what I thought he said?

"The crown prince cheated on you out of nowhere, your Highness. He betrayed your love, betrayed your relationship of almost 20 years. He chose Wen Qing not because he loved her but because he wanted to make his father as well as himself happy. He chose to betray you only for the sake of an heir which was wrong. He could have waited with that. No matter how much he wanted a son, he could have waited a few more years. Your Highness, you are different." Wen Ning said.

He agreed with me. All he said was my opinion as well. He understood me. But...

"Why is what I have done differently?"

"Everyone knows what happened between you and the crown prince and everyone heard your announcement at the emperor's birthday banquet. The crown prince heard it too. You announced the end of your relationship. You explained to him the obvious reason and you explained to him why you couldn't leave him."

Wen Ning looked up at me a little unsure. "Cheating is wrong. Despite your announcement, you and the crown prince are still married. So... what you are doing does count as cheating, your Highness.... but your case is different. You did it after ending your relationship with the crown prince. Your feelings for him are no more and he should know that by now. The crown prince betrayed you while being in a relationship, while he still loved you."

Despite this difficult topic I had to smile. It was a sad smile. "Cheating is cheating, Wen Ning. It doesn't matter who loves who. So no matter what everyone is saying, I am in the wrong. I know that but I can't help it. What happened has happened. I can't change that nor do I want to. I am happy right now. While cheating is a crime, being happy is not so I hope the gods will have mercy on me."

"Your Highness....." Wen Ning looked sadder than I felt right but I guessed that was only because I was with Wang Ji not long ago so this topic doesn't make me as sad as it should.