Chapter 10 Chapter 10 If you don't take advantage of an opportunity, you're a bastard

marry?

Lin Zhuo's fingers slowly retracted for a moment, and he remembered the comments made by the court and the public about this arrogant and domineering prince.

They say she loves power as well as sex, and that she is fickle and easily bored with the old.

It turns out to be true.

Just meeting once is already to the point of discussing marriage?

He looked into those extremely seductive eyes but there was a hint of embarrassment in his eyes.

Lin Zhuo smiled lightly, clutching his frayed sleeves, and suddenly looked down at the pearl on the round, smooth hand that was particularly dazzling.

There was clearly a huge gap between them. His Highness was young and was just in a momentary mood, but he was afraid that if he really fell in love, it would end up being more trouble than it was worth.

What's more... the honor and disgrace of a family are carried on his back. How can a scholar with a clear and honest heart bow to the powerful and wealthy?

He closed his eyes and knelt down suddenly. He didn't dare to raise his eyes but just stared at the eldest princess's Shu brocade shoes inlaid with oriental pearls.

"Your Highness is a daughter of heaven, shining like a pearl. I, a humble servant, know that I am just an ant in the dust and never dare to have any illusions about Your Highness."

Yuan Susu suddenly felt relieved. She wanted Lin Zhuo to agree, but she was unwilling to accept that he was a man who would break her pride for wealth and power.

But she felt inexplicably upset and said, "Lin Zhuo, I covet you..."

Lin Zhuo still didn't raise his eyes, his whole body was cold and indifferent, and his gentle eyebrows were covered with a layer of frost.

It is the coldness that keeps people away from you.

Yuan Susu bit her lip and said, "I know... you're different from those who admire power and nobility. You have your own pride in your heart, and I won't let you agree just yet. I've already told His Majesty today that I'm breaking off the engagement with Xie Heng, so you don't have to worry about anything. I can wait for you... until you're willing."

"Your Highness and I have only met once." He raised his eyes slightly and looked at the face that could easily make people's heart beat. His ears turned slightly red and he lowered his eyes hurriedly.

Susu really wants to say, but I have liked you for many years...

She felt something strange in her heart, as if something was strange between the two of them.

Before I was looking up at him, now he is looking up at me.

After the carriage stabilized, Yuan Susu looked out the window at the ordinary Lin family mansion, and a feeling of sadness welled up in her heart: "I am serious about what I said today. You should think it over carefully."

Lin Zhuo nodded and kowtowed to Yuan Susu in accordance with the old rules before leaving.

When he returned home, he saw the small yard filled with gifts and his mother, who was checking the gifts one by one with a smile on her face.

"Huai Xu is back?" Aunt Lin happily showed Lin Zhuo her hands full of pearls and jade, wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes and she smiled from ear to ear, "My son has finally made it big."

Lin Zhuo's face turned grim. He looked at the gifts, each of which had a seal with the name and official position clearly written on it.

He caught a glimpse of Aunt Lin's joyful expression and suddenly felt a burning pain on his face: "Mother, we can't have these."

Aunt Lin frowned, protecting the gold and jade pendant at her waist and said, "Don't think I don't know. You will be the eldest princess's consort in the future. These are all gifts they should give to you as a filial duty. Why can't you accept them?"

"Mom..." Lin Zhuo felt more and more tired.

"When you become a prince consort, you must serve the princess well!" Aunt Lin's smile revealed her mercenary nature in her wrinkles, and she could not hear Lin Zhuo's helplessness at all.

"Being able to climb this high branch is a blessing bestowed upon our Lin family by our ancestors' graves! From now on, your brother's imperial examination and your sister's marriage will all depend on you, the prince consort."

"Mom!" Lin Zhuo called her.

Aunt Lin's hands, covered with calluses from being worn out, now covered her chest with her jeweled hands, and she said angrily, "You scared me!"

"I never promised her." Lin Zhuo looked at the corner that was out of place in this barren courtyard.

The corners of his lips curled up in self-mockery.

"What!" Aunt Lin's pupils widened. She suddenly pulled Lin Zhuo back and said, "Let's go."

Lin Zhuo was pulled by his mother: "Mom, what are you doing?"

Aunt Lin's face was filled with anxiety, fearing she would miss out. Her already rough voice became hoarse with anger: "Go to the Princess's residence and kowtow to His Highness to admit your mistake before you agree to this marriage!"

"Mom! Have you forgotten what you said to me when I first entered the officialdom?" Lin Zhuo shook her hand away, looking at his mother who was dressed simply and even had oil stains on her chest from work, but now was wearing gold and silver but looked like... stolen.

Lin Zhuo saw his own sorrow through these pearls and jade.

"You said that you wanted me, Lian Zhen, to live for the people of the Great Zhou and to save them."

The mother and son looked at each other in silence for a long time.

His mother's dry lips trembled: "Son, but Lian Zhen has brought those high-ranking officials with him. They can end our lives with just a flick of their fingers!"

The resolve in Lin Zhuo's eyes wavered. Suddenly, he clenched his fists and said, "My father always told me since I was a child that scholars must maintain a clear mind. Tomorrow, I will return all these things one by one."

…

The next day, the late summer afternoon was still beautiful, and His Majesty ordered people to select ten men of appropriate age from the court to hold a banquet in the Nangong Garden for the eldest princess to find a prince consort.

Susu originally thought that this matter would be forgotten by A-di who was busy with all kinds of things, but who would have thought that it would be prepared so quickly?

She didn't want to go at first, but she asked someone to give Lin Zhuo an invitation. If he had thought it through and couldn't bear to lose face, he could come to the banquet.

Su Su would definitely choose him without hesitation.

Everyone had been waiting for a long time when they heard the eunuch's shrill voice: "Her Royal Highness the Princess has arrived."

Su Su came walking on the ground covered with fallen flowers. She was wearing a soft gauze skirt in a cloud-like color. The hem of the skirt was outlined with blooming lotus buds in gold thread, and the hem gradually faded into a faint light lotus color that swayed gently.

The whole garden was silent, and everyone's eyes were cast on Yuan Susu, who had a face like a peach blossom, bright white teeth, and was softer and less aggressive than before.

"Your humble servant greets the Princess."

Su Su didn't bother looking at them, but only saw that the last seat was vacant. She felt unhappy and said, "Hmm."

Does he dislike me that much?

Su Su lowered her eyes and twisted her skirt with her fingers.

"Please introduce yourselves to His Highness first, gentlemen."

The man in the lead wasn't particularly good-looking, but he was well-dressed. He spoke in a resounding voice, "I, Xu Ke, the legitimate son of the Jiangling Xu family, pay my respects to the Princess..."

The man looked young but put his hands behind his back and said, "I heard that Master Shen has been teaching Your Highness the 'Salt and Iron Theory'?"

Su Su frowned, and the man continued, "As the Instructions for Women says, 'being quiet and chaste, observing chastity and keeping order' is the ideal for a boudoir. A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent..."

Such a strong daddy flavor!

Su Su looked at the flowers and a pile of sachets on the table and suddenly thought of the popular "Legend of Huan Huan". He was too lazy to listen to it and glanced at the flowers beside him. He asked Cuicui to pass them to him and said, "Enjoy the flowers and put down the sign."

Everyone felt a chill down their spine when they heard this. The eldest princess was really treating this as a joke!

Suddenly, a palace maid came to announce: "Your Highness, the master has arrived."

Su Su's eyes lit up. She knew that Lin Zhuo was just away on official business. How could he not come?

Yuan Susu stood up and couldn't stop smiling. Her pretty face made people feel lovable.

She kept looking into the distance, and a blush rose on her face.

The man was wearing a crescent-white robe with auspicious cloud totems outlined by silver lines on the cuffs. Every move he made was sparkling under the refraction of the sunlight.

Su Su opened her lips and said impatiently: "I knew you would come!"

The man used his slender fingers to push aside the lush vines in front of the moon cave door, bent his head slightly, and his pair of cold eyes undoubtedly poured a basin of cold water on Yuan Susu.

Shen Rang?

Susu's smile froze. Why was he here?

If he had not suggested this bad plan to His Majesty yesterday, why would she have to go through so much trouble to deal with these people today?

Everyone stood up and said, "Greetings, Master Shen."

Yuan Susu's tone was very stiff, and her shyness was completely gone: "Young Master, what are you doing here?"

"As the princess's tutor, it is my duty to advise Your Highness on the selection of a consort." Chen Rang walked to the table beside Yuan Susu and sat down. He glanced at Yuan Susu coldly and sneered, "Why? Your Highness is so disappointed. Who do you think this person is?"

Su Su's face was full of black lines. She secretly rolled her eyes at him and muttered, "You live by the sea, why do you care so much?"

Chen Rang's face darkened slightly as he pretended not to hear. He picked up the teacup and said nonchalantly, "Continue."

The second male guest was the son of the Minister of Rites and he was quite handsome. Su Su looked at the unique hairpin on his chest and said with some interest, "Why do you have a hairpin on your chest? It's quite unique."

The man lowered his head to look at the flower on his chest and said, "This is what my mother put on my hair. My mother said that the hairpin will hopefully be appreciated by His Highness... My mother also said..."

Turns out he's a mama's boy.

Su Su lost interest and was about to give the flowers when she heard someone beside her put down the teacup and said coldly:

"How old is the Minister now? He looks like he hasn't been weaned yet."

Yuan Susu wanted to laugh but held it back, and glanced at Shen Rang.

You have a very sharp tongue, don't poison yourself to death.

Another person stood up and was not even as tall as her. Shen Rang said bluntly, "Your Highness will have to lower your head more often in the future, which will inevitably hurt your neck."

Seeing that the man was still trying to recommend himself, Shen Rang tapped the table impatiently with his fingertips, and the man retreated in shame.

The people who came after her were indeed not in Susu's eyes, and she hadn't even waited for her to say anything.

Shen Rang then criticized him with a cold face and pointed out the problem.

After looking through them once, Shen Rang picked up his teacup, glanced at the flowers on the tables, and then asked knowingly, "Who has your Highness taken a fancy to?"

Yuan Susu was inexplicably sulking: "What do you think?"

Shen Rang's sharp eyes relaxed for a moment, and he lowered his eyes: "Since Your Highness does not like it, then I will return to the palace to report to Your Majesty."

"If Master Shen hadn't interfered, maybe I would have been selected today." Su Su was very dissatisfied.

He must have come here with bad intentions today. Shen Rang still wanted to restrain her and refused to let her leave Beijing.

Su Su, who was originally angry, was frightened when she saw Shen Rang's terrifying dark eyes and was ready to get up and leave.

After taking a few steps, a koi fish jumped out of the lake and scared Su Su. She then stepped on the hem of her complicated skirt and lost her balance.

Cuicui failed to hold her back and let her fall.

But the expected fall did not happen, and she fell directly into Shen Rang's arms.

When she raised her eyes, she met those inky pupils, which concealed complex emotions.

Yuan Susu was about to stand up when she accidentally supported herself on Shen Rang's abdomen...

She paused. This touch, this firmness, this warmth that she could feel even through a layer of clothing...

Su Su, the little yellow girl, thought, if you don't take advantage of the opportunity, you're a bastard~

She did hate Shen Rang, but she equally wanted to give every handsome guy with abs a home!

It's a pity that he has such a good figure but is impotent.

"Yuan Jiyin." Shen Rang suppressed his anger, his eyes filled with a layer of cold murderous intent.

She raised her head and looked at Shen Rang's handsome face, and her ears turned red.

Chen Rangxu narrowed his eyes, deliberately suppressing an inexplicable anger. His jawline was still stained with the lip balm that Su Su had just applied. He tightly grasped Su Su's delicate white wrist: "How long are you going to touch me?! Hmm?"

She felt that Shen Rang would kill her in the next second, but she heard in her mind...

[Ding Dong, Favorability +10]