Chapter 476: 476
The grand consort selection banquet soon ended .
It turned out that n.o.body was eligible . Many ladies went there hopefully but left disappointedly . It was said that some of them even cried so badly that they couldn’t walk out their mansion .
Hearing that no lady was selected, Empress Dowager and the Queen made a decision that they would hold the selection again in the next few years, which meant that no lady of the right age from those aristocratic families was chosen this time .
The result of not being selected meant that these ladies would miss the chance of marrying princes . Even though one or two ladies might be able to stay here, the majority had lost the final chance and had to rearrange their marriages . Several ladies who were from those grand and high-ranking families had not accepted any engagement before this banquet was held just because they attempted to marry these princes .
Since most ladies had to marry other men, there had emerged an engaged boom after the consort selection . As these ladies knew they had lost the chance, they couldn’t wait any more . As a result, many of them had decided to marry others, while those who were unwilling to marry were forced to get married by their family . Those who had not been engaged were still very young .
Some still decided to wait around as the imperial examination in the spring was around the corner . Moreover, it was popular for those wealthy and influential families all over the country went out to choose those who pa.s.sed the exam as their sons-in-law when the result was released . Thus, these mansions thought they still had time .
The examination this time had become many mansions’ focus .
Soon, the examination which had been expected by many people started and then came the result . Those who pa.s.sed the exam were in great excitement while those who failed were downhearted and were bemoaning their fate .
The best and the third scholars were acquaintances .
The result was exactly the same as Shao Wanru’s memory that Qi Tianyu ranked third . She was informed this message when she was parading the street on a horse that day, which made her anxious and she looked spiritless .
Walking into the yard and heading to Shao Yanru’s silence room with Yujie, she suddenly hesitated when her hand just touched the door .
“Come in . ” A refined voice sounded inside .
Pressing her hand silently on the door and pus.h.i.+ng it after a pause, she beckoned to Yujie not to follow her into the room .
When Yujie knew who was in the silence room, she felt rea.s.sured . Then, finding Xiao Xuanzi appeared at the corner, she walked to him consciously and stood outside the room with him together .
Chu Liuchen was sitting on a mat close to the window lazily, leaning against a little table on the mat . He said without looking back, “Come here . ”
On the table was a pot and two steaming cups of tea . A haze of smoke coming from the cups made his handsome face look much more mature . The person who was in front of her seemed a little bit different!
They had not seen each other for a long time . Although Mingqiu Nun was in charge of Chu Liuchen’s body conditioning, she had to always go to Prince Chen’s Mansion . There was a saying that Prince Chen’s health was not good and he seldom left his mansion now while he had used to visiting Empress Dowager in the imperial palace in the past .
However, now Empress Dowager would go through the side entrance of the imperial palace to visit him in Prince Chen’s Mansion when she missed him so much .
There were even rumors telling that this Prince Chen’s time was running out as he was badly ill and was unable to get up, which meant that he would die soon .
However, the rumored Prince Chen, who should be gravely ill and unable to get up, was leaning against a table near the mat in a leisurely manner which looked perfectly well .
Checking his countenance, Shao Wanru found he was good even though he still looked a bit sick and his lips were pale, making him look like the Adonis who looked elegant and refined in the ink wash painting .
But he looked gloomy, seeming that somebody offended him .
Walking to the other side of the table near the mat, Shao Wanru took a seat . She picked up the cup and sipped gently, raising her eyes and saying, “Shouldn’t you be in recovery in your mansion?”
No matter who was the one he wanted to puzzle, he should be inconvenient to move since he had done so . However, if some people saw this, some plans would be made snakingly .
Looking at Shao Wanru, Chu Liuchen answered gently with a smile and his bright eyes, “My health condition today changes abruptly so I asked people to bring me here to see Mingqiu Nun . ”
Shao Wanru was in a black robe which she had worn since she arrived at Yuhui Nunnery . Her unfitted dress, her face without any makeup, her hair without ornament and her look, which seemed that she felt at ease as if she were at home, made her fair face tenderer as curd while her s.h.i.+mmery eyes were as clear as a crystal-like pool .
There was another charm beyond this simple but elegant appearance while a seductive appearance and attractive manner were discovered in her s.h.i.+ning eyes .
He had not seen her for just a few months but Shao Wanru did surprise him .
“Why are you here then?” Shao Wanru asked impatiently as she now was depressed when knowing Qi Tianyu ranked third in the exam . She picked up the cup and played it for a moment with a bitter look .
Couldn’t she change her fate? Qi Tianyu ranked third, which was exactly the same as the result in her last life . Was she doomed to face the tragedy in her last life? Would the result always be the same however she tried?
“Shao Wanru, do you know what does a woman value most?” Chu Liuchen asked in a leisurely manner while shaking his sleeves .
Staring at Chu Liuchen, not understanding his words, Shao Wanru blankly repeated, “What does woman value most?”
“The female virtues . You know you are now with me, don’t you?” Chu Liuchen said with a smile . Although he put the cup down the table gently, it seemed that he made a thunder-like sound .
“I don’t understand . ” Shao Wanru had no idea about the reason why he said those words to her and it seemed that he was interrogating her .
“I mean, you must end your relations.h.i.+p with Qi Tianyu no matter what relations.h.i.+p did you two have in the past! You are my woman . I don’t allow you to have anything to do with any other man!”
Chu Liuchen’s face suddenly got livid . The gentle smile on his face immediately vanished and was replaced with a sullen and cold look .
Shao Wanru was dumbfounded by the sudden change of his countenance and totally forgot what he just said .
The next instant she felt Chu Liuchen kicked away the stool with great force . After that, Chu Liuchen hurriedly grabbed her hands and pushed her over suddenly .
Shao Wanru was shocked by his sudden move . When she tried to reach out and get up, she found Chu Liuchen grabbing her wrists with a great force which she couldn’t get away with . Then she was forced to lean back and lay on the mat because of his strength . Sleeves brandis.h.i.+ng, Chu Liuchen pinned her down with his extremely handsome face toward hers .
His slightly slanted eyes squinted at her . Shao Wanru couldn’t discern what his expression was now and couldn’t understand what he meant .
“Prince Chen, I don’t understand! I don’t know Qi Tianyu well!” With her eyelashes fluttering, she finally figured out what Chu Liuchen was talking about . Her face immediately reddened because of anger and embarra.s.sment . She struggled to push him away when she answered .
Qi Tianyu was the last person Shao Wanru wanted to have anything to do with in the world .
Thinking of the fact that Qi Tianyu colluded with Qin Yuru and persecuted her together, she became furious .
Her hand strength was no match for Chu Liuchen’s . Chu Liuchen pinned her down and towered over her without any other move . He stared at Shao Wanru who was of very small stature with an inexplicable look .
“If you were not familiar with him, then why would you have been so restless today because he just ranks third in the exam? Or do you want to see him parade the street on a horse?” Chu Liuchen sneered, reaching out and pus.h.i.+ng her hands controlled by him above her head .
Shao Wanru felt hurt in her hands which were grabbed heavily by Chu Liuchen . She suddenly got mad when she failed to get away with his control . Glaring at Chu Liuchen, she said, “How can you make such a ridiculous conclusion? Given the event in Jiangzhou, the war between Qi Tianyu and me would end unless one of us dies! Thus, why would I feel happy because he ranked third in the exam and would even want to see him? Your Highness, don’t you feel that I want to take his life now?”
She didn’t lie but was telling her true thoughts . Her s.h.i.+mmery eyes were covered by her hatred toward Qi Tianyu . She stretched out her leg and tried to kick Chu Liuchen away .
The feeling of being suppressed and being unable to move was the same as her last life in which she was pushed into the abyss and was controlled by others .
She had been very tired today because of Qi Tianyu and she had always been thinking whether she would be cut in half and die with her body disa.s.sembled in this life .
With her hands grabbed and her legs suppressed by Chu Liuchen, the nervous tension finally wore her out . The thought that it was her fate that was pinned down occupied her mind and she only knew that she could finally get free after she got away with her fate .
She struggled to escape from this constraint with her arms waving and legs kicking, trying to kick Chu Liuchen away . She now was totally frantic . There were countless pieces of memory blooming like fireworks in her mind . She felt like her memory was smashed into pieces in which she could see herself painfully struggling .
“Are you okay?” Noticing Shao Wanru’s abnormal behavior, Chu Liuchen asked when he reached out and pressed Shao Wanru’s lips .
The instant he put his finger on her lips, Shao Wanru opened her mouth and gave him a hard bite .
Chu Liuchen felt hurt and frowned . He used his thumb and the middle finger to flip Shao Wanru’s mandible . Feeling hurt, Shao Wanru opened her mouth subconsciously but she still was staring at Chu Liuchen in a frenzied way .
Chu Liuchen’s gaze fell upon Shao Wanru’s face . She looked so pale that it was obvious that there was something wrong with her . His slender fingers moved slowly from her chin to her slim neck .
It was so slim that he could snap her neck like a twig .
He grabbed her neck fiercely . The sense of choking made Shao Wanru start to struggle for air with her body slackening . She gradually lapsed into unconsciousness .
The moment Chu Liuchen stopped holding her neck, Shao Wanru finally felt revived . At the very beginning, she could see nothing but gradually, Chu Liuchen’s appearance became clear . This time, there was no piece of memory but only Chu Liuchen .
Shao Wanru began to cough severely . When feeling the constraint on her arms disappeared, she hurried to pull her hand back and covered her chest, started to cough heavily and gulped fresh air . She could tell that Chu Liuchen did want to suffocate her .
This thought sobered her up . The man in front of her was Prince Chen, the man who was moody and the one who drowned the imperial palace with blood!
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