Chapter 1008 The Princess from Xu State Wants to Get Married
“Shao Jing prevented Yan Xi from going to the capital city, for he wanted to keep his track that day a secret. He must have racked his brain!” Shao Wanru suddenly calmed down, but her cold and gloomy eyes looked piercing.
Therefore, Shao Jing was the ultimate reason for the previous tragic lives of Yan Xi and her.
In this life, since Shao Wanru barely had any connections with Yan Xi, Shao Jing couldn’t implicate her when dealing with Yan Xi. Unlucky for Shao Jing, she even ruined his complete and thorough plan.
Only when Shao Wanru and Yan Xi dug into the past together did they discover the truth…
Finally, she found out the facts that had been covered up for two lives!
“Qing’er, can you find Shao Jing’s track more than ten years ago?” Taking a deep breath, she suppressed the rage building up inside her. All the coldness in her blood slowly flowed from her limbs and bones to her heart. At this moment, her heart was also ice-cold. As if being rubbed by lots of ice chips, her heart was frozen hard and in great pain.
In fact, it was just a part of the truth. In the past, she investigated in the wrong direction, so she failed to crack the hard nut. It never entered her mind that Shao Jing was the key to solving the mystery.
Qing’er lowered her head and said, “My Lady, before Prince Chen left, he told me to look into anything that you wanted to check!”
Shao Wanru narrowed her eyes and nodded seriously. “Okay, check out one thing for me. More than a decade ago, when my father had an accident, Shao Jing was there. Did he happen to be nearby?”
Shao Jing must have something to do with her father’s death.
At present, she had no evidence, but she had a reason to believe that. For the hereditary t.i.tle of n.o.bility, he could heartlessly kill her brother.
When her father had the accident, the first branch almost lost its descendant. However, the second branch gradually rose by stepping on the first branch’s flesh and blood. Since they earned the t.i.tle of n.o.bility by dishonesty, Madam Jiang must remove the source of trouble. Again and again, she made repeated attempts to kill Shao Wanru and Hao’er. Every evil thing she had done was for the t.i.tle of n.o.bility.
“The t.i.tle of Duke Xing, or the t.i.tle of Marquis Xing at present?” There was a cold smile on her silent lips, and her eyes were deep with no sign of warmth but a beam of bloodthirsty glow.
Shao Wanru swore to collect the huge blood debt they owed her in her two lives, sooner or later.
Even until now, Old Madam was busy scheming against her together with Madam Jiang. Zhao Xiran unexpectedly interrupted them, who lost the baby in her belly.
An opportunity, a nice one, was right before her. She would not be softhearted towards the Marquis Xing’s Mansion…
“Your Highness, an urgent letter!” A guard rushed in, knelt on one knee, and reported loudly, upraising the letter in his hand.
“Show it to me!” Chu Liuchen said sluggishly, opening his beautiful eyes slowly. He lived in the best courtyard of this courier station, which was several times larger than the other courtyards. It was specially prepared to entertain people with high status from the royal family like him.
Darkness just settled in. A lot of lamps had been lit, making the inside of the house as bright as day. Prince Chen was in poor health, so he could not get tired. Each day along the way, they would stop hurrying on with their journey early at this time, for fear that Prince Chen would feel tired. This was the first business trip for this delicate descendant of the royal family.
When the guard presented the letter, Xiao Xuanzi took it and handed it over to Chu Liuchen, who raced through it. After that, he called out to Xiao Xuanzi. “Since this matter is also related to the Marquis Xing’s Mansion, I have to let Imperial Grandmother know it. If she learns about the story in advance, she won’t be misled by others!”
“Your Highness, what do you mean?” Xiao Xuanzi bent down and asked.
“Go and inform the Empress Dowager and Uncle the Emperor!” Chu Liuchen said in a leisurely manner, his pretty eyes deep and crafty.
“Your Highness… it’s not a big deal. Her Highness can handle it!” Xiao Xuanzi reminded him. He accompanied Prince Chen as his master got close to Fifth Miss Shao and married her. Fifth Miss Shao, who was now Princess Chen, was slow in achieving her purpose, but she could advance gradually and entrench herself at every step. Even Xiao Xuanzi admired her secretly.
Princess Chen looked delicate and tender, but was not as weak as she appeared. She played her cards well, not those mollycoddled women who couldn’t handle things when they went wrong.
“I won’t allow anyone to bully my wife!” Chu Liuchen said sinisterly and ruthlessly, “It happens that I’ll write to Imperial Grandmother, and I’ll ask her about it in the letter!”
He could tell or ask her about it. Either way, the result he got appeared to be the same. However, telling Imperial Grandmother the matter meant they were the active party while asking her proved that they were dragged into the dispute.
The active party would arouse people’s suspicion, but if they were pushed into a defensive position, they would appear sincere.
“Yes, I got it.” Xiao Xuanzi understood tacitly. “Princess Chen is indeed the person His Highness cares about the most. He knows that she would be fine, but he is still worried. When back in the mansion, I must show enough respect for Princess Chen with apparent sincerity because she is the most favored one.”
“Your Highness, Commandery Prince Qing is here!” Another guard came in and reported.
Xiao Xuanzi waved his hand, and the guard who came in before bowed and retreated.
Recently, Commandery Prince Qing often came to talk to Prince Chen whenever he got a chance. Sometimes, when Prince Chen ignored him, he could even talk to himself for a long time.
“Tell him I’m asleep!” Chu Liuchen said casually, folding the letter in his hand and putting it into the pocket inside his sleeve.
The guard answered and left. After a while, he came back and reported, “General Qin also comes. They have something important to tell you!”
It had never happened before that the two of them came together—Ningyuan Army General, considering himself a high-ranking official, seldom got together with them.
“Let them in!” Chu Liuchen said after thinking it over.
Qin Huaiyong and Chu Qing came in together. After greeting Chu Liuchen, they sat down, and their faces didn’t look good.
Qin Huaiyong frowned tightly, and Chu Qing’s face was pale.
After Xiao Xuanzi ordered the servant to serve tea, he stood behind Chu Liuchen, glanced at Qin Huaiyong and Chu Qing quickly, and then lowered his head politely.
“Your Highness, we will arrive soon. You’d better come up with a plan as soon as possible!” Qin Huaiyong said first. It had been a few days. Prince Chen was not in a hurry, but he couldn’t wait any longer.
The Emperor emphasized that Prince Chen was in charge of this trip.
Qin Huaiyong got defensive before Prince Chen, one of the princes nursed in luxury in the capital city. Deep down, he even looked down upon him. As a general in the border area, he had a practical way of getting along with others.
“It’s no good to be impatient. If the Xu State wants to get the princess married, Commandery Prince Qing is a good choice!” Chu Liuchen knew what Qin Huaiyong meant. In fact, he had been putting off this matter deliberately.
“Prince Chen, I can’t do that!” Hearing this, Chu Qing shook his hands wildly and said hurriedly, “His Majesty knows I have been engaged, and now I even have a concubine. How can I get engaged again?”
He didn’t want to marry a woman from the Xu State. The blood of the legitimate son he gave birth to had to be pure without the blood from a different nation. Only in this way could he gain an advantage.
“So what? Just marry a secondary legal wife. Do you want me to do that?” Chu Liuchen said with a faint smile. His beautiful and deep eyes rolled and fell on Chu Qing’s face, which faded the smile on it.
Of course, Chu Liuchen’s secondary legal wife would enjoy a much higher status than Chu Qing’s, indicating that no one could casually interfere in Chu Liuchen’s marriage. Moreover, Chu Liuchen had always been feeble and sick. According to the rumors from the Palace, both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager originally wanted to marry a few more women to him. But if he really married them, he might die much earlier with his poor health.
There was only one legal wife in Prince Chen’s Mansion, which was agreed by both the Empress Dowager and the Emperor after discussion.
“It’s not a good idea. I’ve already been engaged. Although a secondary legal wife also enjoys the wife’s honor, she is always inferior to the princ.i.p.al legal wife. So, if the Xu State’s princess wants to marry someone, she’d better choose someone without an engagement!” Chu Qing carefully explained. Anyway, he couldn’t accept this princess.
There was no such request when they left the capital. But on the way, they got the news that the Xu State intended to marry their princess to the envoy. Although Prince Chen did not serve as an envoy, he came with two amba.s.sadors and had exalted status. Later on, he sent troops along the border.
The Xu State certainly thought that the more distinguished their princess’s future husband, the better. As for Prince Chen’s poor physical health, it was not so important. As long as their princess got the n.o.ble t.i.tle as his wife, it didn’t matter if Prince Chen was in poor health and might die young.
As soon as he got the messages from Xu State, Qin Huaiyong reported them to Chu Liuchen, who said he would think about it. After such a long time, Qin Huaiyong couldn’t wait any longer because they were about to arrive at the border. Chu Liuchen had to be the one to make the final decision.
“Do you mean it should be Prince Xin who is not married?” Chu Liuchen raised his eyebrows.
Chu Qing lowered her head, and there was a strong killing intent and jealousy flashed across his eyes. “We’re both the Emperor’s nephews. Why can Chu Liuchen be the favored one, but I can’t?
“This sick man made advantage of his sick body to win the care and attention of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. I have been in good health, but they seldom notice me. At the moment, they even want me to accept this marriage.”
He clenched his fists under the sleeves and then slowly relaxed. “We can’t make the decision on this. We’d better report it to His Majesty!”
As early as Chu Liuchen said he had to think about it for a few days, Chu Qing secretly sent out a confidential letter to the Emperor. He wanted the Emperor to know that Chu Liuchen, the nephew he cared about the most, was incapable of handling things. He even dared to hide such a thing from the Emperor. If the Xu State was going to marry the princess, then Chu Liuchen had to accept it for peace between the two countries.
Chu Liuchen was in no position to decide who was going to marry the princess.
“Doesn’t he want to marry the Xu State’s princess? When it comes to choosing a secondary legal wife, I’m a suitable candidate, but Chu Liuchen is better. Even Princess Chen can’t oppose the Emperor’s will.”
“Report to His Majesty?” Chu Liuchen suddenly smiled, and it was more and more difficult for others to know his true intentions from his intelligent and penetrating eyes.
Qin Huaiyong looked up at him, his heart racing. As a general who had been to the battlefield, he should be a sober and steady type. But when he saw Chu Liuchen at this time, his face changed slightly. Prince Chen before him looked cold and mysterious, with a sense of bloodthirstiness that tensed him up.
It wasn’t completely wrong. Although Prince Chen looked gentle, he faintly exuded a ruthless aura that people got from a life-and-death battlefield. Only generals who had fought on a battlefield could capture the feeling. After all, Prince Chen, who had a delicate and gentle appearance, sometimes looked even amiable. But now, it seemed that he was going to put his tenderness away.
“Is it what he is really like?”
Qin Huaiyong’s hands and feet suddenly trembled as his blood ran cold. He got a bad feeling…