Chu Wang Fei

by Ning er

  Xiahou An, on the other hand, could not figure out why Hai Chen Xi, who was so deep in thought and had a cold expression on his face, would pull her when he bumped into her!

  Based on what she had observed from beside the La Mei Tree, Hai Chen Xi was definitely not a nosy person, nor a person who followed the rules. Judging from his expression when he smiled at Rui Wang, it was clear that he was arrogant. Even a noble prince wouldn't look at him, and wouldn't kindly help her!

  "Royal brother, your brother has something to ask of you!" When the song and dance was over, Rui Wang stood up and shouted as the dancers prepared for the next song and dance!

  Emperor Yu was currently stroking Princess Yao's hair. Seeing Rui Wang had something to say, he ordered the old mama to lead the princess away. With a faint smile, he looked at Rui Wang and asked, "What's the matter?"

  However, Rui Wang's gaze swept past Xiahou An first. His face could not help but blush slightly, but he did not hesitate to say, "Just now when royal brother mentioned the imperial concubine, I have taken a fancy to the young lady!"

  This might be the third time the royal court had made such a ruckus tonight!

  At this moment, Eunuch Yu didn't dare to let the dancers in. He immediately gestured to the eunuchs at the door, blocking all the idle people outside. There was even silence in the hall!

  At this moment, the ones who were the most alarmed were the ladies sitting at the table. How could they have expected that the Rui King would choose Princess Consort Rui so quickly? The Princess Consort did sound good, but if she married Rui Wang, they wouldn't be willing even if they were beaten to death!

  The maidens lowered their heads, seemingly bashful, but actually hoping that the King of Rui's gaze would not fall on them. The hands that were placed under the table rubbed the handkerchief in their hands with all their might, wishing that the handkerchief could be used as the King of Rui to vent the hatred in their hearts!

  "Oh?" "Who's the lady?" As for Emperor Yu Gan, he appeared to be overjoyed. He looked at Rui Wang with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes!

  However, compared to Emperor Yu Gan's happiness, most of the people in the hall had ugly looks on their faces. Even the empress dowager's expression was a little nervous. She couldn't help but turn to look at the outstanding Qu Fei Qing before shooting a sharp glare at Rui Wang!

  "In reply to Your Majesty, I asks the imperial edict to bestow a marriage to Xiahou An!" After saying that, Rui Wang kneeled down and begged Emperor Yu Gan to agree to his request!

  Silence filled the hall. Everyone sighed in relief as they looked at the beautiful Xiahou An with pity in their eyes!

  Even Xiahou An's hands froze as she lifted her gaze to look at Rui Wang in disbelief. Her eyes were filled with shock and she was about to stand up and object …

  Yun Qian Meng frowned after Rui Wang's words, but she was currently following Xiahou An's movements. Seeing that she was about to stand up recklessly, she immediately suppressed her body and said in an extremely low voice, "Don't be afraid, grandfather and husband are here!"

  Xiahou An felt her heart skip a beat, and all of her unwillingness welled up in her heart. However, she knew that she couldn't act rashly right now, or else the Xiahou Family would be implicated. Moreover, with her two grandfathers and older cousins present, she believed that these relatives would protect her!

  When the empress dowager heard the king's words, she couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. Her expression became more relaxed as well. Her shrewd eyes looked at Emperor Yu Gan, only to find a cold glint in his eyes. She smiled and said, "Your majesty, it's rare for the king to be enlightened!"

  Hearing the empress dowager's words, Emperor Yu Gan smiled faintly and said coldly, "Fourth brother, you get up first!" Xiahou An were princess of the Xiahou Family! "I have to say that you have good eyes, but …"

  However, Emperor Yu Gan didn't expect that the one that Rui Wang had set his eyes on was Xiahou An. If Rui Wang married Xiahou An, then the Xiahou Family would definitely come to live in the capital!

  "Your majesty, An'er is still young, and hasn't even reached the age of marriage. I'm afraid she's harbouring ill intentions from the Rui King!" At this moment, the Xiahou Family's patriarch stood up from his seat and spoke. In his heart, he was regretting bringing his granddaughter to the capital!

  Especially when he thought of his little girl, he was even more unwilling to involve his granddaughter in the political struggles of the imperial court. He would rather An'er marry an ordinary clan member than let her enter Hou Men again!

  "Your majesty, although marriage has always been an order of parents and a matchmaker since ancient times, love and love can last forever!" An'er had never seen Rui Wang before, so how could she know him? "Besides, An'er has just arrived in the capital, so everything is still in the right state. If prince truly has the heart to cherish flowers, please wait for a few more days!" Seeing that Rui Wang's expression had changed due to the patriarch's rejection, Yun Qian Meng was afraid that he would use his power to suppress him. She immediately stood up to speak, allowing Rui Wang to have some time to recover from the humiliation and buy some time for Xiahou An to recover.

  Although very few of the ladies that were targeted by the prince dared to propose marriage, if they rejected the auspicious Prince today, the officials and nobles who feared imperial power wouldn't dare to make a move against Xiahou An!

  Since things had already come to this, she might as well use the first step as her strategy. It was still better than having the Xiahou Clan fall into a trap!

  When Rui Wang heard Yun Qian Meng's words, his complexion slightly improved. However, he had already kneeled down in order to ask for the decree. If he was allowed to stand up now, he would lose all face!

  Xiahou An looked at Yun Qian Meng, who stood up and spoke for her, and couldn't help but feel grateful to her cousin. The panic in her heart disappeared, replaced by Princess Xiahou's dignified calmness.

  At this moment, everyone was looking at Xiahou An. Even though she was sitting quietly, her beautiful face could instantly illuminate the entire hall. Not only was Rui Wang staring at her, even the empress dowager and the others were looking at her. It had to be said that this Xiahou An was a peerless beauty!

  Chapter 146 | Chu Wang Fei

  Although Emperor Yu was surprised too, he maintained his calm compared to his shocked subordinates. He didn’t immediately speak upon his decision. The hand resting on the table slowly turned the marvelously constructed goblet in his hand, as if considering whether or not the Chu King’s words were true or not.

  Without waiting for him, the rest of the crowd was already starting to discuss among themselves. Everyone gazed at the Chu King, their eyes full of confusion, inquiry, wonderment, like they were trying to read his thoughts.

  Disappointingly enough, Chu Nanshan maintained his calm demeanor. He didn’t seem unhappy at all at the prospect of handing over his riches. In fact, the depth of his tranquility hid everything. Before them, this unmoving silhouette blocked the rest of their vision, disguising everything from their wandering eyes and scheming thoughts.

  Despite encountering a dead end in trying to read the Chu King, the crowd wasn’t going to give up just there. Instead they turned their eyes to the two people most likely to succeed the king’s position.

  Chu Pei’s indifferent expression and serene gaze pushed back against everyone’s curious eyes. All they could see was him staring ahead without blinking, not allowing anyone to see through him in the slightest.

  As for Chu Feiyang, everyone was more than familiar with him already.

  A general whose mere name was enough to lose their courage, a counselor willing to stand out against the rest of the court and debate any other official to argue for Qu Zhangqing’s innocence, a man who headed the court in his mere twenties. Such a man would never lose his nerve before the public, nor would he allow the officials below him to catch a glimpse into his true thoughts.

  Right now h
e looked as if he hadn’t heard Chu Nanshan’s words at all. In a practiced motion, he picked up the jade kettle and poured himself a glass of wine. His slender yet powerful fingers only exerted a bit of force, and he was able to pick up his goblet, swallowing the transparent liquid inside, eyes narrowing in enjoyment in a perfectly natural expression.

  The women were even more chaotic. Jealous eyes fixed on Yun Qianmeng, as if wondering what kind of capability this woman who was rejected by the Chen King could have: to not only marry Major Chu, whom everyone had their eye on, but also gain the opportunity to become the Princess (Wangfei) of Chu!

  After the rumor that Chu Pei’s second wife was heavily injured after saving someone yesterday and the fact that Chu Pei hadn’t stepped into the capital for twenty odd years, everyone knew who the position of Chu King would fall to.

  These thoughts were enough to inspire a moment of fresh fear in the crowd. How could it be that the Chu King announced his intention to renounce his position today, right after the attempted assassination of Second Madame Chu? Wasn’t this coincidence a little too contrived?

  No matter whether they looked at her with jealousy, admiration, or even the accusatory glare of an attempted murderer, Yun Qianmeng matched her husband’s expression. An elegant smile graced her lips, no sign of a temperamental reaction to Chu Nanshan’s sudden announcement. Her excellent manners were clear to everyone in the moment, standing out from the crowd, with her confident, laidback aura enough to make the other impatient women in the room realize how lacking their own manners were. Quickly enough they retracted their intense curiosity, organizing their expressions before looking up into the court once more.

  Although Yun Qianmeng didn’t acknowledge the stares, her natural quickness allowed her to analyze them one by one, holding onto the most important one and greeting it: that cold, calculating gaze, which turned away the moment she looked back, so that all she really saw was Princess Duan’s cold profile.

  “King Chu, what’s on your mind? On the contrary, I think that you have the potential to live into a healthy old age. It’s too early to think about these things!” The queen dowager had already taken a good, long look at everyone present before opening her mouth slowly.

  “I agree with my mother. I also think that you are too healthy to consider these matters.” Following his mother’s words, the Emperor Yu advised as well. His sharp gaze spun from Chu Feiyang to Chu Pei, yet was unable to find anything unusual in their expressions.

  Seeing that the emperor and queen dowager had both expressed their thoughts on the manner, most of the others present couldn’t help but relax. Only Chu Pei and Chu Feiyang stuck to their original expressions, without a trace of excitement or disappointment toward the possibility of winning the throne or losing it to Emperor Yu’s advisal. Their indifference was enough to disappoint everyone else.

  Qu Jingqing also let out a sigh of relief, like she was nervous to hear the Chu King’s plans to pass his position on.

  Even before marriage, Yun Qianmeng had experience in suppressing the admired Su Qing, and framing Su Qianyue. It was clear to anyone that she was a venomous woman. Now that she was married to Chu Feiyang, she was the target of everyone’s fawning attention. If she manages to become Princess Chu, then no one would be able to stand in her way. Who knew how many more would die at her hands?

  A smiling but cold look shot at Qu Jingqing while she was staring ahead, forcing her to become nervous and gather up her thoughts. That was when she realized that she was looking at Yun Qianmeng with a look of schadenfreude without realizing it, a look that had drawn Yun Qianmeng’s attention and forced her to look away. Right now Yun Qianmeng’s position was far from what it was. She would never have imagined that an idiot like Su Qianyue would dare engage directly with Yun Qianmeng!

  “What’s wrong with her?” Seeing Yun Qianmeng turn her head slowly, Qu Feiqian hurriedly glanced at Qu Jingqing. Qu Jingqing had already withdrawn her gaze, letting Qu Feiqing see nothing but her lowered profile. “She must’ve been having a moment of schadenfreude.”

  Yun Qianmeng only smiled gently. Grasping a handkerchief, she raised her right hand to wipe the tea stains from her lips, her eyes looking at Chu Pei. Seeing how calm he was, she couldn’t help but exclaim in her heart: the men of the Chu family really did share the same blood. Even if he wasn’t as stunning as Chu Nanshan or Chu Feiyang, he was still an expert at playing through politics. At a tense moment like this he still sat amidst a group of nervous officials with absolute calm. It was nothing short of impressive.

  Chapter 147 | Chu Wang Fei

  “Thank you for your concern, your majesty and your highness. It’s just that the years have not been kind to me. Each year I gain in age, and the topic of succession becomes inevitable. I just wanted to take advantage of the lantern festival to report to your majesty and ask for consideration of appropriate candidates!” Of course he’d expected the emperor and queen dowager to disagree, yet his words were still as uncertain as ripples in a pond. Since he’d already brought up the topic of succession, why in the world would he ask the emperor for a decision on specific candidates? The Chu King was really impossible to pin down.

  Not only the officials were confused this time. Even Emperor Yu made a pained expression.

  When he spoke these words, however, Yun Qianmeng lowered her head and raised her hand to her lips, a smile gracing her face. She couldn’t help but think to herself that this group in the court had been in politics so long that their thoughts were going in loops!

  With the Chu King’s position, Emperor Yu had no reason not to respond positively to his requests.

  But right now he was only asking after the matter of succession as bait!

  It must be that the unrest in the Chu families had roused Grandfather. He was here today purposefully to erase the triumphant smiles on their faces.

  Such a simple intention was torturing the minds of every official in the room, producing thousands of possibilities.

  “And you’re still smiling? This will decide your future destiny as Princess Chu!” Other people couldn’t see Yun Qianmeng’s face, but Qu Feiqing could see her as clear as day. Seeing how indifferent she was, she couldn’t help but panic, even reaching out to remind her with a pinch to be careful!

  “Please don’t worry! How could something so important as the succession be determined so quickly? Plus, everyone present is only officials of third grade and above. With how important the position of Chu King is, the emperor would never just blurt out a decision. If something in the world belongs to you, it’ll never escape. If it doesn’t, you won’t even be able to steal it. Everything Grandfather and my husband are doing today is part of a larger plan, so please don’t worry!” Those final words were enough to explain to Qu Feiqing that Chu Feiyang was a participant in everything happening today.

  Handing the matter of succession over to the emperor to decide meant turning the assassin’s eyes away and making the Chu palace safer.

  To Qu Feiqing, it was absolutely admirable that Yun Qianmeng could treat the position of Chu Princess so lightly. The people who thought she wanted to be princess or queen could never imagine that Yun Qianmeng never had any designs on the role!

  “If that’s the case, then I will be sure to keep my eye out for your sake. Please, seat yourself!” Seeing that the Chu King wasn’t intent on deciding immediately, the emperor smiled and gestured to Chu Nanshan to sit. After that he glanced toward the Rui King, standing in the wings, and issued a few words to Yu Gonggong standing behind him, before finally speaking to him again. “My fourth brother, why don’t you follow Yu Gonggong to change your clothes?”

  “Thank you, Royal Brother!” Bowing, the Rui King followed Yu Gonggong out of the court.

  Everyone who was still fixated on the Chu King didn’t notice old lady Gu and Ji Shuyu exchanging a communicative glance.

  Perhaps the two of them were just overthinking things. But it seemed that when Emperor Yu was looking over the ladies of the court
, his gaze had lingered on Qu Feiqing.

  If the Chu King hadn’t jumped up to speak, the Emperor Yu would probably have chosen Qu Feiqing as the Rui King’s bride. Whether it was coincidence or on purpose, both of them were thankful to the Chu King.

  After sitting down again, Chu Nanshan recovered his original state of sickliness. Every once in a while he coughed and instructed Chu Feiyang to pour him water and tea. Yun Qianmeng wanted to laugh but had to stifle it.

  Once again the dancing and music resumed. Underneath the sound and lights was a dark tide moving, covered by the apparent luxury of surface level entertainment.

  “Cousin-in-law, the man in amber garb must be the Duke Hai from the Hai King’s palace!” Xiahou Aner leaned toward Yun Qianmeng, gazing at Hai Chenxi’s cold smile.

  “You’re right.” Seeing that Xiahou Aner had guessed his identity, Yun Qianmeng nodded. She was curious why Xiahou Aner was fixated on Chenxi with all the other nobles at court, so she asked, “Do you know him, Aner?”

  Xiahou Aner couldn’t help but seem a little irritated. Watching him depart and walk out of the court, she looked down and spoke angrily, “Who’d know him!”

  Seeing her anger, Yun Qianmeng shook her head and smiled to herself for overthinking everything. They’d only met once, so it seemed too quick for her to fall for Hai Chenxi. Plus, she had grown so used to Chu Feiyang that even if Hai Chenxi were outstanding, she wouldn’t have lost her composure so easily before him.

  Just then, the Rui King reentered the court. This time he was dressed and groomed neatly, with the handsome nobility only a royal could have. He followed Rui Gonggong, stepping into the court with an air of majesty, his eyes scanning the ladies of each family, pausing slightly upon Xiahou Aner’s lovely face.

  Xiahou Aner was too busy thinking about embarrassing herself in front of Hai Chenxi to notice, but Yun Qianmeng had caught his gaze.