"Someone like you?" From afar, Liu Qingmei saw the two standing at the entrance of the county princess's mansion. Upon hearing Gu Zhan's words, her face twisted with jealousy. "General Gu is a young and talented man, the object of affection for countless noble ladies in the capital. How could you possibly be worthy of marrying him?"
She was helped out of the carriage by her maid, and tried to put her arms around Gu Zhan's shoulders, but he dodged her.
Her expression froze for a moment, then she vented her anger on Xu Nian, "Although the county princess is of noble birth, she is still a commoner. She has no family or brothers. In the capital, someone of her status would be considered to be marrying a vice minister's son."
"I advise the county princess not to indulge in wishful thinking about someone like General Gu. She'll only make herself a laughingstock!"
"you!"
Xu Nian stood there, her expression remaining indifferent ever since Liu Qingmei appeared. Judging from their intimate demeanor, she couldn't tell whether Gu Zhan's earlier remark was a joke or genuine.
A general like him rarely allowed anyone to get close. Even his fiancée, Su Wanting, had to speak to him from three steps away.
Liu Qingmei was now standing no more than half a step away from him, shoulder to shoulder. It was a perfect match, almost too perfect for Xu Nian, but he had to admit that Liu Qingmei was telling the truth.
She smiled slightly and said, "General Gu is too kind. I have always regarded General Gu as a close friend. It's best not to say such things in the future, lest Wanting hears them, which would not be good for either of us."
The Prime Minister's carriage slowly approached, and seeing Su Mu peeking out to look in their direction, Xu Nian smiled and nodded, greeted the Prime Minister and his wife, and then, with the help of a maid, boarded Su Wanting's carriage.
The carriage curtain slowly closed, and Gu Zhan never turned his head from beginning to end.
As the carriage drove further and further away until the person could no longer be seen, the perfect smile that had been on Xu Nian's lips finally faded.
His eyes were downcast, and he looked sad and heartbroken.
"Brother Zhan, let's go too, we're going to be late." Liu Qingmei, who had driven Xu Nian away, was very smug, seemingly oblivious to Gu Zhan's dark expression, and tugged at his sleeve in a coquettish manner.
General Gu shook off her hand. “Miss Liu, please have some self-respect. The title of Princess of Fu’an was bestowed by the Emperor himself, and she is a second-rank official. In Miss Liu’s eyes, such a status is only worthy of a vice minister’s son. Lord Liu is merely a minister, so it is best not to get too close to me, lest it arouse suspicion and ruin Miss Liu’s reputation.”
He rarely spoke so harshly, and to outsiders, it sounded abrupt and excessive for him to talk to a woman like that.
Xiao Hong couldn't stand it anymore and said angrily, "General, do you have any gentlemanly manners left when you speak to my young lady like this?"
“Gu Zhan has never been a gentleman.” The general strode forward, untied the horse, and sat down. “Miss Liu, you should not have too many expectations of me.”
The palace was brightly lit at night.
Given Xu Nian's status, she should have been sitting with the young ladies from the princes' families.
Jiang Mingyun, considering that she had just been promoted and was not very familiar with people, specially arranged for her to sit next to the Prime Minister's residence.
The Empress paused in her arranging, turning back to look at him. "His Majesty seems to be paying particular attention to this Princess Fu'an?"
Jiang Mingyun closed his eyes, sitting on the dragon throne with his eyes closed. "This little girl is a wonderful person, and she even saved my life. So I took extra care of her. Mainly, I think she is like our Anqing, lively and clever."
In this palace, besides a Noble Consort and a Virtuous Consort who is out of favor and spends her days in the Buddhist temple, there is a son in each of them.
The other adult children, such as the Fourth Prince, the Crown Prince, and even Princess Anqing, were all born to the Empress. The remaining children of the concubines are either still infants or just learning to speak.
There is also the fifth prince, whose mother died in childbirth at a young age, and he is now being raised by the empress.
"That girl Anqing often mentions her to me; I must meet her today." Upon hearing this, the Empress's smile widened. She specifically instructed the palace servants to light the candles near Xu Nian brighter.
And so, here we are, with Xu Nian and the people from the Prime Minister's residence seated amidst the light and shadow. The two, dressed in their finest attire, shone brightly, like gods descended from heaven.
Compared to the ladies and young women seated below, she paled in comparison, utterly lacking in luster.
Gu Zhan sat there, his gaze fixed on that direction. His face was expressionless, and he seemed to be experiencing a complex mix of emotions.
After several rounds of drinks, at the emperor's behest, officials and noble ladies began to visit each other, offering toasts and congratulations. The Second Prince was also present, bathed in light, his face almost translucent with paleness.
Yet she remained steadfast as a pine tree, slowly walking towards Xu Nian. "I have long heard of the renowned Princess of Fu'an County, and now that I see her, she is indeed beautiful with bright eyes and white teeth, as lovely as jade."
Even though he was not highly regarded, the fact that a prince took the initiative to talk to her still attracted a lot of attention.
Everyone's just watching the show.
This second prince is quite handsome.
Did ancient royal families have requirements regarding appearance?
"I don't know if there are any appearance requirements," Xu Niansi said to the comments with a pained expression. "I only know that the more beautiful something is, the more dangerous it is."
Just by looking at the man before him, one could tell that no one in the royal family was simple. His sickly appearance was nothing like the confident and spirited young man who had previously appeared behind the water curtain.
A little wary in her heart, but Xu Nian smiled calmly and said, "Your Highness is too kind. I have heard people mention you before. You are handsome and refined."
The second prince, named Jiang Yuanqing, was said to be frail and sickly from birth. His mother, Consort Xian, was out of favor and had the lowest profile in the capital.
He rarely saw anyone, and even when he did, very few people were as courteous and respectful as he was, both inside and out.
She couldn't help but be slightly taken aback, but then she realized what was happening. The two of them started chatting back and forth, and the young ladies from wealthy families looked over and all pouted.
"Look at her, every man would want to seduce her. Since it didn't work out with General Gu, she came to the Second Prince."
The illegitimate daughter of the Prefect of Jingzhou scoffed. She shouldn't have been there, but her elder sister, who was of good character, couldn't persuade her to come, so she asked her father, the Prefect, to come.
He had hoped that at the palace banquet, with so many sons of noble families, he could perhaps secure a concubine or a secondary wife.
Now that Xu Nian doesn't have to do anything, just because she's a county princess, princes come up to talk to her, how can she not be green with envy?
Sitting next to her, the eldest daughter of the main wife, Chen Lingwei gently patted her, "I've heard that the title of Princess Fu'an is due to her kind and benevolent nature, as well as her extraordinary abilities. I imagine everyone is quite curious about it. Xuan'er, you mustn't say anything more, lest you give others something to gossip about."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com