Chapter 371 The First Wife Given Away by Her Husband (9)

He walked to Ning Yan's side, took her hand, and said, "Calm down. She has nothing to do with me. She is Xuan'er's aunt and has been living in the manor because Xuan'er can't live without her."

Now that Xuan'er is all grown up, it's time for her to return to the Qu family.

Ning Yan silently shed tears, "Your Highness, there's no need to explain. She is, after all, the little princess's own aunt. How can you just send her away like that? People who don't know the situation might think that I, as her stepmother, am unkind."

The King of Yue was heartbroken. What did it mean to be tolerant of others? He wished he could strangle Xiang Zizi for upsetting his queen.

He clumsily took out a handkerchief and wiped away the princess's tears, then lifted her chin and told her, "Your Highness, you don't need to care about anyone else's thoughts. The only person you need to care about is me."

Ning Yan raised her eyes, her eyelids trembling slightly like fluttering butterfly wings. When her watery eyes looked at the King of Yue, the King of Yue's breath caught in his throat. How could his queen be so beautiful!

Dressed in her new wedding gown, she was as radiant as the sunset and as beautiful as a blooming flower. Just one glance from her was enough to send a surge of heat through his body.

Suppressing his own thoughts, the King of Yue and Ning Yan drank the nuptial wine together, and then he ate some food with her.

The maids were clever; they tidied the room and then left. The Prince of Yue pulled her into his arms and kissed her on her fair face. Ning Yan quickly pushed them away, saying, "There are still guests ahead."

"It's alright, the steward will take care of them. Your Highness, let's rest."

"But I haven't taken a shower yet."

"Your Highness smells wonderful, you can take a shower later."

Reaching out to remove the phoenix crown from the princess's head, the King of Yue stripped the woman of her clothes piece by piece. Ning Yan felt that his gaze was strange, as if he were worshipping a god or Buddha who had descended to earth to undergo tribulation, yet he was also eager to pull the god or Buddha down from the altar and do all the things of the world with him.

From within the tent came the devout question of a believer: "Buddha, would you be willing to accompany me through this mortal life?"

The Buddha stroked the believer's head and said, "May all sentient beings be saved."

The believer was initially delighted, but then became displeased, saying, "Now that you are my wife, all other people are at peace, but I am not."

Buddha smiled and said, "If you want to be the most special one, then it depends on how devout you are."

The believer understood and bowed his head to serve the Buddha, hoping to be different from her.

...

After being sent back, Madam Qu sensed something was wrong and secretly went to the young princess to complain. The young princess had been pampered since childhood and no one had ever wronged her in the slightest, not even the princesses and princes in the palace.

How can anyone tolerate someone bullying the aunt who raised them?

Sure enough, after Father married his second wife, he never saw anyone else again.

He immediately wanted to lead his men to the main courtyard to cause trouble, but the maids around him couldn't stop him.

But when they got to the gate of the courtyard, they realized that they couldn't get out at all.

Looking at the row of guards at the courtyard gate, Pang Xuan'er gritted her teeth and said, "Father really is wary of me. Good, very good!"

After saying that, she turned around, flicked her sleeves, and went back.

Shu Ming, who had arranged for guards: ...

I've never seen anyone so clueless. Today is the prince's joyous occasion. If the little princess really barges into the main courtyard, what good will she get?

...

King Yue nestled in the Buddha's embrace, his head resting on the waves, savoring the Buddha's presence—a taste he hadn't experienced in decades.

The Buddha truly lives up to his name; he is indeed different from ordinary people.

I'd like to try it again.

As they ate, dawn broke.

The King of Yue rose to attend to his queen's bath and happened to see the Buddhist prayer beads that he had taken off the night before.

This string of Buddhist prayer beads has been worn ever since the master of Xiangguo Temple said that he had committed too many sins and would never have any children. It is now lying quietly on the ground.

He could have easily picked it up by bending down, but the King of Yue, carrying the person in his arms, stepped over it and headed towards the bathroom.

"Ugh, don't bother me, I'm so sleepy."

The King of Yue's hand froze. "I didn't do it. We're going to the palace to serve tea to my brother and sister-in-law later. You can go to sleep."

"Um."

The King of Yue looked at the woman sleeping soundly with her eyes closed in his arms and let out a soft chuckle.

Ning Yan was carried out of the bath by the Prince of Yue. The maids rushed forward to help her change clothes and put on makeup, but the maids' faces grew increasingly red.

The princess's skin is too good, it's so white and dazzling, and it feels as smooth as jade to the touch. No wonder the prince called for water six times in one night. Who could resist that?

After finally getting everything ready, Ning Yan was carried to the table to eat breakfast.

Ning Yan couldn't sleep either; the food smelled so good and was incredibly tempting.

After breakfast, the two boarded a carriage to the palace.

Neither the Emperor nor the Empress would make things difficult for anyone, and the tea ceremony went very smoothly. Ning Yan also met many princes and noblemen.

The Prince of Yue held a high position, and even though his position as Crown Prince was secure, some princes were still ambitious and wanted to try and compete for it. The Prince of Yue commanded hundreds of thousands of troops, and the princes and princesses all wanted to get close to him, so they became increasingly friendly towards Ning Yan, their aunt.

Ning Yan's face was frozen from smiling.

After sending away the princes and princesses, the King of Yue then sought help from his sister-in-law, the Queen.

“Your Majesty, Xuan’er is not young anymore. I would like to trouble you to help her choose a suitable marriage. After all, I am a man and I am not as thoughtful as you are in some matters.”

The Empress glanced at her new sister-in-law. Logically speaking, this younger brother-in-law was tactless. He had already married the principal wife, so how could he so directly hand over his daughter's marriage to her?

Unexpectedly, the new sister-in-law spoke up, "Her Majesty has discerning eyes. The consort she chose for the Eldest Princess is exceptionally outstanding, far beyond our reach. So, this matter really requires the Empress's sister-in-law to put in more effort."

Is she crazy that a stepmother would interfere in a princess's marriage?

Smart people don't act as matchmakers for others, because marriage is never smooth sailing. No matter how good or bad the man you choose is, you'll only end up with a lot of complaints.

The Empress, aware of her sister-in-law's concerns, said, "That's simple. In the next few days, I will hold a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet and invite all the unmarried men and women in the capital. There are also several eligible princes and princesses in the palace. If any of them take a liking to each other, we can bestow a marriage upon them together."

The Emperor nodded in agreement. The Ninth and Tenth Princes were both seventeen; it was time to find them suitable partners.

See, everyone's smart enough. The Empress's meaning is clear: a marriage is possible, but only if they're compatible.

The Prince of Yue was quite satisfied. After all, he didn't know many of the young people in the capital. With his sister-in-law hosting a banquet, he could meet them and help his daughter choose a husband. She was, after all, his only daughter, and he cared about her very much.

When the two left the palace, the Emperor and Empress bestowed many gifts upon them. They were in a good mood, but upon returning home, they encountered a great traitor!

"Father, why did you send Aunt back to the Qu family? And why did you seal off my courtyard last night?"

Ning Yan watched as the Yue King's originally curved lips slowly turned down, and she saw her stepdaughter for the first time.

A fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, haha, in modern times, thirty is the most dazzling age for a woman, but in ancient times, thirty was already an old woman.

But it doesn't matter, she will live so long that people will forget her age and only remember her beauty.