Chapter 78: Request
Xu Weiran"s arrangement was disrupted by Xiao Susu due to her exceptional talent.
The flower crown would definitely go to the Xiao family. Hua Qianzi wasn"t able to gain attention in the last compet.i.tion and lost to Xiao Susu because the verse Xiao Susu chose was something that others would not be able to respond to even if they racked their brains like crazy.
The flower crown for the men also went to the Xiao family, obtained by Xiao En.
The Xiao family once again became the focal point of Cloud City.
Just as Xiao Mi had once done, this generation once again stunned the public.
Xiao Mi had made her name through her exceptional talent in martial arts, but Xiao En and Xiao Susu had made their names through their display of cultural talent.
Lei Yufeng was the most taciturn one today. He looked towards the stage at Xiao Susu who was wearing the flower crown, his eyes filled with determined light.
He didn"t view anyone present as a threat.
Actually, every time he saw Xiao Susu, he couldn"t help but recall a different woman.
Su Qiqi—who had died under Mo Wenchen"s blade. Back then, his heart had ached when he saw her resolutely jump down into the abyss.
Even now when he recalled it, his heart would still ache slightly.
Xiao Susu was shining brightly. She was aloof and remote, but her smile contained traces of loneliness and her eyes were also a little dim.
Although she was doing her best to cover it up, these little things didn"t escape Lei Yufeng"s eyes.
It was those aspects that made him recall Su Qiqi.
He was thinking that Su Qiqi was also probably this talented. It was just a pity that she was born in the Su residence and became Su Mengru"s younger sister.
Otherwise, she probably would"ve also been this dazzling.
At the very least, her talents were gradually revealed in the Marquis of Nord"s residence. Mo Wenchen had also appreciated her talents a lot.
Sometimes he would wonder if he had been wrong in making that bet with Mo Wenchen back then.
“Guess what Xu Weiran would do?” Hua Ruxue was currently smiling charmingly towards Lei Yufeng. Although their talk hadn"t ended on a good note that day, there was no way Hua Ruxue would become cold towards Lei Yufeng just because of that.
She had also given him a reply. If your methods were strong enough, then she would cupped her fist politely and let go of Xiao Susu.
Originally, she wanted to bind Lei Yufeng with Hua Qianzi, but she could see things clearly. This master of the Lei Clan Stronghold hadn"t even bothered to glance at Hua Qianzi since her appearance yesterday.
Even if she was an extremely beautiful woman, Lei Yufeng had no interest in her.
Hua Ruxue was very disappointed when she saw this.
However, there was still Xiao Susu. She didn"t actually plan to have Xiao Susu do anything. It was enough if her existence would cause a conflict between Unyielding Clouds Nation and Serene Chaste Nation.
She also knew that due to Xiao Mi"s current strength, she still could not be without the Xiao family.
The reason she had agreed to Baili Mo breaking off the marriage was because Xiao Susu truly had been a fool back then. She knew that the Xiao family wouldn"t do anything in response to this matter.
However, things were different now. Xiao Susu had actually managed to become a talented n.o.blewoman that won the admiration of thousands.
Had she known earlier that Xiao Susu was this talented, she might"ve canceled the engagement a long time ago.
Back then, Hua Ruxue had almost been secretly killed by her sisters. The reason why she had sent her own daughter to great Yan was because she was making efficient use of everything and everyone by her side.
That included Xiao Susu.
From the first day of Jasper Flower Banquet, she had been trying to figure out how she"d be able to use this girl.
Although Xiao Susu"s delicate figure and looks weren"t admired in Hundred Flowers Nation, she would count as a top quality beauty in great Yan, Unyielding Clouds Nation, and Serene Chaste Nation.
It only took one night for Hua Ruxue"s hopes towards the Xiao family to reignite.
She knew what Xiao Susu needed.
And who was Lei Yufeng? He naturally knew what this crafty woman was planning after their conversation yesterday night. That was why he didn"t make any moves today.
Otherwise, if he actually decided to go with force, the entire south boundary would tremble.
Hua Ruxue only dared to be this unbridled due to the fact that she had a good relationship with Mo Wenchen.
However, Lei Yufeng felt that Hua Ruxue"s move was also pretty good. At the very least, Xiao Susu wouldn"t be allowed to affect anything. At the very least, she wouldn"t affect him or Mo Wenchen, or great Yan.
Although he was the middleman between great Yan and the south boundary, his loyalty belonged completely to Mo Wenchen. Great Yan would fall into Mo Wenchen"s hands sooner or later, so he had to keep this defensive line strong.
When the time came, they"ll swallow the south boundary as well.
Although Lei Yufeng always seemed unconcerned about everything and always smiled so harmlessly, his ambition was extremely large. As long as it was something related to Mo Wenchen, he would spare no effort in making it happen.
“The crown prince of Serene Chaste Nation?” Lei Yufeng turned to look towards Hua Ruxue. “Of course he"s here to stop the prince from Unyielding Clouds Nation.”
Hua Ruxue nodded. “Say… who would Xiao Susu choose?”
“She won"t choose anyone.” Lei Yufeng replied calmly. “Isn"t there still Prince Hua Qianye?”
This remark caused Hua Ruxue"s face to turn purple then white. For a moment, she couldn"t get any words out.
Since ancient times, beauty has caused destruction.
This Xiao Susu may really bring a calamity to the south boundary.
It just depended on whether this woman was smart enough.
The people that won the flower crowns had the privilege of making a request of the emperor.
Xiao Susu was currently walking towards Hua Ruxue slowly. When she got near, she knelt respectfully but her att.i.tude wasn"t too humble or overbearing. That aura of quiet pride seemed to come from her bones.
It didn"t make people dislike her. On the contrary, for some reason, they felt that only a temperament like this suited this girl.
“Xiao Susu, you can make one request.” Hua Ruxue"s expression had returned to normal. Although she was annoyed with what Lei Yufeng said earlier, she didn"t express it since the reality was right there.
“Many thanks, Your Majesty.” Xiao Susu"s voice wasn"t loud, but it was perfectly audible. “This commoner asks for freedom in marriage.”
She was the descendant of a minister, so her marriage would definitely be decided by the imperial household.
Although Baili Mo had broken off the marriage and allowed her to be free once again, she was aware that with a single sentence from Hua Ruxue, she"d still have to marry Baili Mo.
She had seen that man"s unwilling expression.
She had no intention of marrying an arrogant and self-righteous person like this.
It wasn"t just Baili Mo though, she wasn"t willing to become anyone"s bride. She didn"t want to become a chess piece like in her past lifetime.
Although she might not have to face the same treatment in this lifetime, she still didn"t want to follow the same road.
Her one sentence caused the crowd to go wild.
Meanwhile, Xu Weiran and Baili Mo"s facial colors turned very unsightly.
However, Xu Weiran still had a smile on his face and his gaze filled with even more admiration.
She truly wasn"t a normal girl. She actually knew what she needed to do in order to allow herself to stay out of this mess.
The ministers were also shocked by this request. Since ancient times, the daughters of the ministers had their fates decided by the imperial household. There had never been freedom in marriage for them.
Yet this woman had made this request…
This way of thinking was too unprecedented. No one was able to wrap their heads around it for a moment.
Lei Yufeng narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the kneeling woman again. This woman had once again changed his impression of her.
This one request was enough to allow her to protect herself and everything.
Wasn"t it precisely what Hua Ruxue had been hoping for?
Could it be…
Lei Yufeng then shook his head. Based on how proud Hua Ruxue was, there was no way she"d discuss this matter ahead of time with the Xiao family.
It seemed that Xiao Susu turned out to be intelligent enough.
Hua Ruxue was also stunned, to the point she could barely conceal her emotions.
She also narrowed her eyes slightly now.
What kind of person would be able to see the situation so clearly and know precisely what to do in order to stay out of the mess?
Even the people from the Xiao family were stunned, and this included Old Madame Xiao…
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Credits: Translated by Chiyomira
[Chiyomira"s Corner]
Enjoy~