Chapter 67 "Could it be that Wanwan did something bad..."

Chapter Sixty-Seven: A Report from the Capital

The sunset glowed like smoke, hazy like mist. A young palace maid reached out a hand and carefully helped Princess Weiyang down. The young palace maid really couldn't understand why His Majesty and the Empress had sent Princess Weiyang to the Prince of Nan's residence. Wasn't this making everyone feel awkward?

Princess Weiyang didn't really want to come, but she couldn't be as willful as before. Since her father and mother had asked her to come, she should listen to them and come.

The steward was startled to see Princess Weiyang and hurriedly went in to report, "Your Highness, Your Highness, Princess Weiyang has come to visit His Highness the Crown Prince of Beili on the orders of His Majesty and the Empress."

The Prince of Nan paused in his act of picking up food, his refined expression turning slightly stern. He truly couldn't understand what the Emperor and Empress were up to. If it came to visiting, couldn't either Crown Prince Qin Jue or Prince Xiang come? Princess Weiyang was still unmarried; it probably wasn't appropriate. Besides, Princess Weiyang had openly run away from her wedding before the ceremony. Although the matter had been settled, it didn't mean everyone had forgotten about it. However, despite these thoughts, the Prince of Nan didn't show any of them on his face. "Please invite Princess Weiyang in."

Since it is the Emperor and Empress's order, if Princess Weiyang is not allowed to enter today, the Emperor and Empress may think that they have disloyal intentions.

"Yes, Your Highness." The servant left respectfully. Su Wanyue heard that her cousin had arrived and subconsciously looked up at Xiao Yu. Her eyes seemed to speak volumes; they contained no other emotions, only a hint of worry. Xiao Yu felt a sudden urge; if the timing weren't wrong, he might have pressed his wife into his arms and kissed her fiercely. Su Wanyue was initially worried about him, but when she saw his gaze growing increasingly strange, like a wolf in sheep's clothing, as if he wanted to devour her alive, Su Wanyue's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly looked away.

Xiao Yu's lips curled up slightly, and his phoenix eyes revealed a smile.

Princess Weiyang happened to see this scene when she entered. She was stunned for a moment, and suddenly a strange feeling arose in her heart. It was a feeling that seemed to be envy. The Crown Prince of Beili was extremely handsome, with a face like jade and eyebrows like ink paintings. When he smiled, the corners of his lips were slightly raised, and he was peerless. His gaze seemed to be only on Wanwan. When he saw her enter, he did not even glance at her, as if she were a stranger. This reminded Princess Weiyang of the beginning of the marriage alliance between the two countries. She had heard that he was very capable and had a cold personality. He was not the kind of person who would cherish women. Princess Weiyang immediately gave up her idea. Because she wanted to be a husband who loved her in return and would be considerate in everything he did, she would rather die than marry him. But tonight, Princess Weiyang clearly had other ideas.

Just as Princess Weiyang was staring blankly at the couple, the Prince of Nan had already stood up and called out to her several times. Why was Princess Weiyang suddenly lost in thought? The little maid beside Princess Weiyang was a little anxious and quickly tugged at her sleeve. Princess Weiyang then came to her senses and hurriedly explained, "Uncle, Father and Mother heard that Crown Prince Xiao of Beili had come, so they specially asked Weiyang to come and visit him."

The Prince of the South nodded slightly, his tone still quite amiable, "The princess probably hasn't eaten yet, why don't you sit down and have some?"

It was mealtime, and the Prince of Nan's attitude made Princess Weiyang feel less awkward. She sat down, and a servant brought her a clean bowl and chopsticks.

The atmosphere did not change because of Princess Weiyang's arrival. Because of Xiao Yu's arrival, the dinner prepared at the Nanwang Mansion was very lavish. The Nanwang originally planned to have a few drinks with Xiao Yu and his son-in-law tonight, but he had to give up because of Princess Weiyang's arrival.

At this moment, the servants brought over several stew pots, and as they were opened one by one, a fragrant aroma wafted out. However, the soup and vegetables inside the stew pots were extremely bland. This was a medicinal meal prepared by Imperial Physician Zhang for Su Wanyue.

Upon seeing the stew in front of her, Su Wanyue wilted like a begonia flower; she clearly had no desire to eat it.

Xiao Yu forcefully placed the stew pot in front of her, gesturing for her to eat with his eyes. Su Wanyue pursed her lips and whispered that she didn't want to eat it because she had already eaten it many times. Princess Weiyang, who was nearby, blurted out, "Was Wanwan and Crown Prince Xiao always like this before?"

In my memory, Lu Qingchen treated Wanwan very well, but in front of others, he still maintained a proper distance from her, unlike the Crown Prince of Beili, who did not care at all that there were other people present and whose mind was entirely on Wanwan.

There weren't many people in the main hall to begin with, and everyone heard what Princess Weiyang said. Xiao Yuru frowned slightly and said calmly, "How my husband and I get along should be none of Princess Weiyang's business, right?"

Princess Weiyang was agitated by his words, and since he didn't even glance at her and spoke in a cold tone, she felt even more ashamed. She said, "I was just a little curious."

She was indeed curious about Wanwan's relationship with the Crown Prince of Beili, but after her curiosity subsided, she felt complicated. It was hard for her to connect the man who patiently coaxed Wanwan to eat with the cold, ruthless, and woman-averse prince that the servants had heard about two years ago.

After finishing their meal, the group went to the flower hall, where servants served fresh tangerines and flower tea. Princess Weiyang wanted to speak with Su Wanyue alone, but couldn't find an opportunity. It wasn't until Su Wanyue and Xiao Yu and his wife returned to the Peony Garden twice that Princess Weiyang decided to leave.

Princess Weiyang arrived at the Prince of Nan's residence when it was still bright outside, but by the time she finished her dinner and returned home, the sky was pitch black.

She boarded the bridal sedan chair with her maid and remained in a daze. The maid seemed to sense her bad mood and said, "Princess Zilu and the princess are very close. She was able to marry into Beili because of the princess. If she is not doing well, the princess must be very upset right now. Now Princess Zilu is doing very well and is in a loving relationship with the Crown Prince of Beili. The princess should be happy for her."

Princess Weiyang didn't feel anything else, but she felt that when Wanwan was still in Nanqiong, Princess Weiyang, as the youngest princess of the royal family, was always the center of attention and everyone cared about her feelings. Who would have thought that after she impulsively ran away from her marriage, apart from her mother and second brother, everyone else was blaming her. Her father was extremely disappointed in her, and her eldest brother didn't even want to see her. Her eldest brother had always been very good to Wanwan, and now he treated Wanwan like his own sister. Meanwhile, Lu Qingchen and his sister, who had studied together in the Imperial Study, and Xu Lingyun, the daughter of the Grand Tutor, had all unknowingly distanced themselves from Princess Weiyang. Coupled with what she saw tonight, Princess Weiyang suddenly felt that Wanwan was lucky.

Although she married into Beili in her place and lost the person she loved in her youth, she gained many things: the status of a princess, an older brother who treated her like a younger sister, and a gentle and considerate husband. On the contrary, she now has nothing but the status of a princess.

As the carriage moved along, Princess Weiyang suddenly tasted a sense of regret. This regret was not because Wanwan was living too well, nor was it because she envied Wanwan for having such a good husband. She felt that she was too impulsive and always hesitated in her actions. This was true in the past and it was true now, which is why she was always losing things.

After her brother found her, everyone's attitude towards her changed. Only Wang Chen was willing to risk his life to protect her. However, because Wang Chen was a eunuch, she still distanced herself from him. It was all her own choice, and now she didn't want it to be like this. Princess Weiyang bit her lip. She really knew she regretted it. She had let down those who were good to her.

As soon as Su Wanyue and Xiao Yu stepped out of the flower hall, Xiao Yu scooped his wife up in his arms. Caught off guard, Su Wanyue glanced around furtively. Seeing her acting like a thief, Xiao Yu chuckled and patted her back, saying, "Nobody's here."

Xiao Yu had a photographic memory. He had been to the Peony Garden once during the day. Without needing anyone to lead the way, he carried Su Wanyue to the Peony Garden safely. As they passed the flower corridor, Su Wanyue called out, "Husband."

"Why are you suddenly calling me 'husband'? Did Wanwan do something bad?" Xiao Yu's temples twitched slightly when she called him "husband" out of the blue. He smiled and looked down at her.

Su Wanyue: "I just think my husband is very good."

Xiao Yu smiled slightly. If his wife hadn't not drunk alcohol that night, he would have thought she was drunk. He touched his wife's flushed cheeks and said gently, "Wanwan is even better."

It was his good fortune to marry her.

Upon learning that Princess Weiyang had gone to the Southern Prince's residence, Qin Jue's gaze darkened. He placed the memorial in his hand on the table and asked, "Has anything happened at the Southern Prince's residence?"

"I heard nothing happened, but Princess Weiyang seemed to be in a bad mood when she came out," the eunuch said, shaking his head.

Qin Jue stopped getting up and said, "Come with me to the Prince of Nan's residence tomorrow."

"Yes, Your Highness."

When Xiao Yu arrived at the Prince of Nan's residence, the place became even more lively. The Prince of Nan was clearly satisfied with Xiao Yu; he was capable, resourceful, and gentle and considerate. That was just the Prince of Nan's personality; he would be good to whoever was good to his daughter.

Xiao Yu had been in the capital for many days without paying his respects to the Emperor and Empress. Because of his status, the Emperor and Empress could not do anything to him. Qin Jue, on the other hand, went to the Prince of Nan's residence every two days.

In early April, the peach blossoms in the capital of Nanqiong were in full bloom. Su Wanyue had the idea of ​​making peach blossom wine. She thought that Xiao Yu would naturally accompany her. Qin Jue happened to be at the Nanwang Mansion, so he went along with her. Thus, the peach blossom wine made by the Crown Prince and Princess of Beili and the Crown Prince of Nanqiong was buried in the cellar.

As the servant buried the wine, he remarked that this peach blossom wine was priceless and hard to come by.

Just a few days later, Xiao Yu received a letter with the royal seal on it.