Chapter 16
The autumn air was crisp and clear, and bright sunlight streamed down from the clouds, illuminating the lush greenery and vibrant colors of the princess's mansion with a splendid brilliance. A long corridor, carved with four stone animals, stretched from the side door to the central hall. Its black-tiled roof, passing through four or five pale gray brackets, led to the main courtyard. A high wall separated the left courtyard of the princess's mansion from the right courtyard of the residence of Prince Gong Yuchen of Western Yi.
In the princess's mansion, the maids usually have to finish cleaning around noon every day. Ever since Yi Luoyue returned to Princess Yidu's mansion, the guards in the mansion have been replaced by her guards in the palace, and they will never give any outsiders the chance to appear here.
She'd been sleeping late these past few days, waking up just in time for lunch. Even though she was eating alone, as a princess, she naturally had plenty of people to serve her. A circle of attendants surrounded her, offering hot towels and moving dishes around the table according to the order in which the guests ate. She could ignore these etiquette when away from the palace, but back at Princess Yidu's residence, she was a restless, money-loving princess. Initially, she felt a little uneasy, and it took her a few days to get used to it. After lunch, she brewed a pot of fresh tea. Bai Die raised her familiar wave, and the servants in the room immediately cleared out.
Today, Yi Luoyue was wearing a silk scarf and a lake-colored pleated skirt. Although she had restrained the jewels she wore, she still wore a lot of them. Her outfit was a bit tacky at first, but her face was brighter than a spring peach, making the tacky outfit look luxurious.
She stretched her stiff neck and pinched her sore arms. She was so tired... The money-loving persona was truly exhausting. The gold on her head seemed to be shortening her neck. She'd been checking the palace's accounts for the past few days, but thankfully, the people she'd hired were veterans who knew her well, and since the accounting department was such an important place, she had someone she trusted to manage it. Although it took several days, everything was sorted out. Who would have guessed that the person behind Yi Country's largest charity would be her, Yi Country's legitimate princess, Yi Luoyue?
"Princess, His Highness Gongyu went out last night and has not returned yet." The advantage of living close is that you can monitor him without spending too much effort.
"Did Gong Yuxian of Xiyi arrive yesterday? Did he go to see Gong Yuxian?"
"No, according to the spies, he went outside the city."
"Outside the city?" What was he going to do outside the city?
"Did you find someone to follow you?"
"No, they were too fast for our men to keep up. Furthermore, His Highness Gong Yu was quite skilled, so we were worried about being discovered, so we didn't follow him. However, according to our people at the Second Prince's residence, his personal guard, Liefeng, appeared, but we don't know what he did specifically."
"The Second Prince's Mansion..." Compared to her two brothers, she knew that the Xian Prince had always targeted Gong Yuchen, so they were basically on hostile terms. However, he and the Cheng Prince were close friends, so of course their relationship was relatively harmonious, and he was supporting the Cheng Prince openly and covertly. Through their last contact, she knew that although Gong Yuchen seemed rough, he was actually very thoughtful, and that his advice to the Second Prince was a good thing for the Yi Kingdom, which outweighed the disadvantages. Although she felt a little biased towards the Second Prince, she had never been close to the First Prince since she was a child. For some reason, he always regarded her as a thorn in his side. Apart from these, the rumors about the First Prince outside the palace were not good for many years, and these bad rumors had not reached the palace for various reasons.
"Is Xiaoyue'er in the mansion? She misses that child a little bit." Although they had only been in contact for a short time, she would often think of her. Apart from the people closest to her, Xiaoyue'er was an exception.
"Miss Yue'er should have gone out."
I had nothing to do and wanted to go over there to see her. Never mind, I'll find another opportunity next time. But Gong Yuchen wasn't there, so who did she go out with?
"Going out? With whom?"
"It seems to be the cousin of His Highness Gongyu."
Gong Yuchen's cousin? Gong Mingxue? She knew Gong Mingxue, having met her once before, but she didn't have much impression of her.
"Does she have a good relationship with Gong Yuchen?"
"It is said that it is true, Gong Che. Lord Gong has always hoped that His Highness Gong Yu could marry Gong Mingxue as the Crown Princess."
"Let Gong Yuchen marry Gong Mingxue? How old is Gong Mingxue this year?"
"Looks like seventeen or eighteen."
It's time to get married.
"What does Gong Yuchen mean? Is he planning to marry Gong Mingxue as his Crown Princess?" I heard that Gong Yuchen will be returning to Xiyi in a few days, so will he take Xiaoyue'er with him as well?
"I'm not sure, but Lord Gong seems to have mentioned this matter for a few years. If His Highness Gong Yu agreed, he should have agreed long ago."
"You mean they are not engaged?" It was strange. When she heard that they were not engaged, she felt a little strange in her heart. She changed her posture uncomfortably. Forget it, since Xiaoyue'er was not here, she might as well go out for a walk.
"Bai Die, change your clothes and let's go out for a walk."
"Yes, Princess."
"Feng Lai Yi" Teahouse in Yidu.
As soon as she entered the shop, Yi Luoyue sensed an unusual atmosphere. The teahouse was packed with people. She glanced around calmly. Today, she was dressed as a scholar, wearing Confucian robes and holding a folding fan, looking like a graceful and elegant young man.
"Waiter, find us a table." Bai Die, who was also dressed in men's clothes, instructed the waiter in the store.
"Alright, please come this way, gentlemen."
The good seats in the store are basically all occupied, with only one empty table near the stairs.
"Gentlemen, this is the only empty seat in the store. Could you two take a look?"
"It's okay, let's stay here." Although the downstairs was not as quiet as the private room upstairs, they were not here to drink tea.
"Every word I said is true. If you don't believe me, you can ask the neighbors. If there is anything happening in this area that I, Zhao Si, don't know about," Zhao Si patted his chest to guarantee the reliability of his information.
"What's going on? What happened?" Seeing the two of them talking excitedly, the people who were confused about the situation also joined in out of loneliness.
Before Zhao Si could answer, Wang Mazi started talking first.
"I heard that the prince of Xiyi also came to Yidu yesterday. It is said that he also came for Princess Yue."
"Crown Prince? Isn't the Crown Prince of Xiyi still a hostage here? Why isn't it the Crown Prince who is asking to marry the Princess?"
"You probably don't know this, but it's said that the Crown Prince of Xiyi will be returning in a few days."
"What? Can't we marry the princess when we go back?" Everyone interrupted.
"You're stupid!" When the Western Yi Crown Prince returns, he will be the crown prince and will inherit the throne. Our princess is a legitimate princess and will stay in Yidu, so the only option is to recruit a prince consort."
"Hearing what you said, there's nothing wrong with it. His Majesty the Emperor has always loved the princess, and I think he wants her to stay by his side."
"So, this Xiyi Crown Prince has a chance. After all, she's a legitimate princess. Being her consort is better than being a Crown Prince in a place like Xiyi."
"Hey, you're generalizing. So many young men from aristocratic families have come to the capital this time, so why would the prince consort be the prince of the Western Yi? I think the second son of Li Wucheng's family is a good choice, right? Putting aside family background, just being the princess's cousin is already a close relationship."
"Second Master Li? I don't think it's possible."
"How do you say that?"
"Don't you know?"
"Know what?"
"Come closer and listen." Everyone heard this and gathered their heads together.
"I heard that Mr. Li has fallen in love with someone else."
"Puff." A mouthful of tea spurted out of Yi Luoyue's mouth.
Yi Luoyue was also impressed. Her main purpose for coming out today was to gather the latest news from the city, but she hadn't expected to end up eating the melon herself. The people of Yidu were more concerned about her marriage than she was. It seemed that in the eyes of the world, she and Li Fei had nothing but noble status. After all, one was a playboy, the other a money-grubber. They were truly a perfect match. Seeing everyone's relish, should she charge a fee for being the topic of conversation?
But Li Fei has a crush on someone? When did that happen? He didn't even mention it the last time they met?
Two handsome and tall men sitting at the upper seats in the teahouse looked down from above, observing everything in the teahouse with their eyes and ears.
One of them was a sturdy man in a blue shirt. His cold eyes swept over the group of people downstairs who were excited, spitting, talking loudly and in high spirits.
"Do you think Gong Yuxian came here just for the position of the son-in-law?" The thin man in purple clothes who was drinking tea spoke first.
The two men were Gong Yuchen and Yi Luohui. After they finished dealing with the matters in the Imperial Garden, they returned to Yidu early. As it was inconvenient for them to show their true identities, they chose to go upstairs.
"The princess is only one of his goals. His ambitions go far beyond that." Based on his understanding of Gong Yuxian, the throne of Xiyi is his goal.
"I'm surprised. Hasn't Li Fei liked your royal sister for many years? How come there are rumors today that he has fallen in love with someone else? What do you think about this?" He asked after listening.
"I am optimistic about it." Yi Luohui said with a smile.
"Are you optimistic about it?
"From what I know, Li Fei is not someone who is easily moved by others' feelings. Besides, his affair with the imperial sister has always been a rumor and cannot be counted. I don't think it's a big deal. Although my father prefers Li Fei, I think the relationship between him and Luo Yue is more about family affection than mutual love." He secretly said in his heart, if possible, I am optimistic about you, but when it comes to matters of the heart, the parties involved have the final say.
"Do you know your sister well?"
"I can't say I know much about her. My father didn't have many women in his harem, and the Empress was his true love. The eldest prince's mother and my mother were both concubines before he married the Empress. But compared to Shu Fei, my mother's family was not high, so life in the palace was even more difficult. Thanks to the Empress's care, we were able to live a stable life, so I had relatively more contact with Luo Yue. Later, she went to the detached palace, and we became estranged. Although she was spoiled when she was young, she was not a bad person at heart, with a pure mind. Although she loved jewelry, she was a kind person."
"Hasn't Princess Yue returned? You two haven't met yet?" After six years of not seeing her, she should have grown a lot. She is nineteen years old now.
"When she came back, I had already gone to the Imperial Garden, so I didn't get to see her. I guess she's a grown-up girl now."
Suddenly, Gong Yuchen caught a glimpse of a white figure sitting in the most inconspicuous corner downstairs, and the corners of his cold mouth raised a thoughtful arc.
Why is "she" here?
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