The scenery along the way was beautiful. After leaving the market and heading towards Yangmingshan, the population gradually became sparse.
Xiahou An'er lifted the curtain of the carriage and stared at the scenery outside with a happy expression, occasionally uttering an exclamation of admiration, which made Yun Qianmeng shake her head and smile frequently. It seemed that she had been bored for a long time. Look at how happy this girl is.
"Alright, sit down quickly. We'll be entering the mountain roads soon, and the carriage will get bumpy and it's easy to fall!" Yun Qianmeng took out the cakes she had prepared and ate them slowly with her tea. After all, things were different now. The Sea King's ambitions were gradually coming to light, so they had to be cautious when visiting him.
After hearing Yun Qianmeng's instructions, Xiahou An'er lowered the curtain, sat up straight, picked up the teacup in front of her, sipped the tea, and ate the cakes in the food box in small bites.
After they had eaten for a while, they felt the carriage shaking slightly. Fortunately, the carriage of Prime Minister Chu's mansion was extremely sturdy, and there were only slight vibrations on the rugged road. Otherwise, Yun Qianmeng and Xiahou An'er would have been splashed with tea and made a mess.
"Really? The capital is so big, is there no place for the Sea King's Palace to settle down? Why does it have to be built on Yangming Mountain?" The tea spilled a little on Xiahou An'er's hands due to the bumpy ride. She took out a handkerchief to wipe the water stains on her hands while complaining softly.
Yun Qianmeng smiled as she took the teacup from her hand and placed it on the small table. She then closed the lid of the lunch box, but remained silent. Yangmingshan is not only beautiful, but also contains countless rare treasures. Its location is also excellent. Haiquan had likely already made all necessary preparations when he chose Yangmingshan. Furthermore, Haiquan had risked his life for Western Chu, so the ancestral emperor naturally wanted to honor him. Furthermore, it was merely a matter of building a royal palace on this mountain. Little did he know that a moment of carelessness would lead to such serious consequences today.
The carriage drove for a while before entering flat land. Not long after, Xi Lin in front of them asked the driver to slow down slowly until the carriage came to a complete stop. Then Xi Lin's voice came in, "Princess, we have arrived at the Sea King's Palace!"
As he spoke, Mu Chun lifted the carriage curtain, and several maids helped Yun Qianmeng and Xiahou An'er out of the carriage one by one.
At this time, Xi Lin had already handed the invitation to the steward of the Sea Palace. The steward came forward with a smile on his face and bowed to Yun Qianmeng, saying, "Your servant greets the Princess of Chu and Princess Xiahou!"
"Get up!" Yun Qianmeng smiled faintly, as usual gentle and polite, but there was a subtle glimmer of wisdom in her sparkling eyes.
Xiahou An'er stood behind Yun Qianmeng and glanced at the gate of the Sea Palace. She found nothing special, and the steward before her looked much like the stewards of other palaces. However, Xiahou An'er remembered Yun Qianmeng's previous instructions and naturally took an extra precaution in the Sea Palace, following closely behind Yun Qianmeng.
"Mu Chun!" At this time, Yun Qianmeng spoke and asked Mu Chun to deliver the generous gift prepared by Prime Minister Chu's Mansion.
"Thank you, Princess Chu, for your trouble!" The butler personally took the gift handed over by Mu Chun, and then carefully handed it to the servant behind him. He then led Yun Qianmeng and Xiahou An'er into the gate of the Sea Palace.
Seeing that the rules of the Sea Prince's Mansion truly hadn't changed, Yun Qianmeng's eyes flickered with a sneer. Hai Quan was truly scheming, refusing to let them in even with a maid. Was he afraid of spies sneaking in?
However, only such a person could survive for so long under the emperor's nose. It can be seen that Hai Quan is really as cunning as a fox.
Compared with the calmness shown by Yun Qianmeng who had already witnessed the power of the Sea Palace, Xiahou An'er had deep confusion and shock in his eyes after seeing the building in front of him that looked very much like a palace. However, this was the Sea Palace, and even though Xiahou An'er was full of doubts in his heart, he could only hide them in his heart.
"An'er, please follow me closely!" Yun Qianmeng turned sideways at this moment, smiling gently. Noticing the surprise in Xiahou An'er's eyes, she reached out and gently patted the back of her hand, signaling her to relax and not worry about what was happening.
"The relationship between the princess and the prince consort is truly wonderful!" At this moment, Concubine Zhou, who had once met Yun Qianmeng, approached from a distance.
She walked over quickly, waved the housekeeper away, and then bowed slightly to Yun Qianmeng, "My concubine greets the Princess of Chu!"
Then he stood up and nodded to Xiahou An'er, "Greetings, Princess Xiahou!"
"Concubine Zhou, you are too polite! After not seeing you for a year, you have become even younger and more beautiful!" Yun Qianmeng was now the Princess of Chu, so she did not need to perform any formalities for the Concubine of the Sea King. She just stood there and praised Concubine Zhou with a smile.
"Princess, you are joking! In my opinion, you are the one who is graceful and dignified! The eldest daughter of the Duke of Fuguo's Mansion has already arrived, and just now she asked me whether the Princess of Chu has arrived! Princess, please come in!" After chatting for a while, Concubine Zhou led Yun Qianmeng and Xiahou An'er to the backyard.
But before she had taken two steps, she saw Hai Yue leading several young men towards her. When Concubine Zhou saw them, the smile in her eyes faded a little, but she still walked over and bowed slightly to Hai Yue, saying, "Greetings, Prince!"
Hai Yue's gaze indeed passed over Concubine Zhou and landed on Xiahou An'er. His eyes were smiling, as gentle as a spring breeze. His soft brown pupils glanced at Xiahou An'er, but this made her feel a little unhappy. However, he just looked at her and didn't say anything rude. Even if Xiahou An'er was angry, she couldn't express it in public.
Yun Qianmeng was so astute that she could see Hai Yue's expression and Xiahou An'er's displeasure. She said calmly, "Today is a good day for the Crown Prince. Congratulations!"
Hearing Yun Qianmeng's voice, Hai Yue turned to look at the Princess of Chu who had caused his sister to suffer. A smile suddenly appeared on his lips, and he said loudly, "Thank you, Princess Chu! Your Highness and Princess have come from afar. You two must have worked so hard!"
As he spoke, Hai Yue took a few steps forward, getting closer to Yun Qianmeng and Xiahou An'er. He always had a polite smile on his face. When he was about to speak, Yun Qianmeng quietly blocked Xiahou An'er's way and said to Concubine Zhou with a smile, "Concubine Zhou, I'm worried that Miss Qu has been waiting for too long. Let's go over there as soon as possible!"
After Yun Qianmeng reminded her, Concubine Zhou immediately turned around and came to Hai Yue, saying to Yun Qianmeng with a smile, "Princess, please come this way!"
As he spoke, he led the two of them around a corner and walked towards the garden of the Sea King's Palace.
"Brother, is that the princess of the Xiahou clan?" Seeing Xiahou An'er leave, the men who had been walking with Hai Yue immediately stepped forward, their eyes ablaze with wonder as they stared at her back as she disappeared before their eyes, their minds aroused. This Xiahou An'er might seem like a princess of a foreign race, but she had the King of Chu as her cousin, and the King of Chu was truly kind to the Xiahou clan. If he could marry Xiahou An'er, not only would he have a beautiful woman in his arms, but his status within the Sea Prince's Palace would also be greatly elevated.
"This princess is so beautiful, no wonder King Rui fell in love with her at first sight! What a pity that it turned out to be such a joke! Hahaha!" Another man couldn't help laughing when he thought of the frustrated King Rui.
When he laughed, the others also laughed.
"Second brother, third brother, fourth brother!" Hai Yue heard their arrogant laughter and immediately scolded them in a deep voice, "Don't forget what day it is today. You are so unscrupulous on ordinary days, but today there are so many young men and women from aristocratic families. If this word gets out, do you still want to lose your lives? Do you want that person to reap the benefits?"
A fierce look suddenly shot towards the three laughing men. Hai Yue suddenly showed a coldness, and the gentleness in his eyes had long faded away, replaced by a terrifying sinisterness.
The three men immediately shut their mouths, but a hint of unwillingness flashed in their lowered eyes.
Hai Yue could see the discontent in the three men's hearts. He sneered and said, "As for Xiahou An'er, you don't have to think about it! The Princess of Chu was able to reject Prince Rui on Xiahou An'er's behalf in the Golden Palace, so she certainly wouldn't marry the Prince of Chu's cousin to you! Don't you see how ignorant you three are? You're not as likely to have a chance as Hai Chenxi!"
"Oh, I didn't expect that the prince would think so highly of me!" Little did Hai Yue know that as soon as he finished speaking, he heard Hai Chenxi's low voice coming from behind him.
The four of them immediately looked up and saw that Hai Chenxi was dressed in a black brocade robe, his dark hair tied in a golden crown. He had a faint smile on his face, which was half cold and half sarcastic. Hai Yue's face darkened again and he said unhappily, "Is this the etiquette you learned? The title of Prince of a County was given to the wrong person!"
Hai Chenxi shrugged nonchalantly, glanced in the direction Xiahou An'er had disappeared, and then said coldly, "Are you accusing my father of having poor taste, my prince? I wonder how my father would react if he knew this?"
"You!" Hai Yue's face gradually turned red with anger. He was thinking of refuting Hai Chenxi's words when he saw a maid running towards the backyard. Seeing Hai Yue's figure, the maid's face lit up with joy. She immediately came to Hai Yue and saluted, saying, "Prince, the Crown Princess asks you to go back!"
"Can't you see that I'm busy? Is there something that requires me to run back and forth? Then what's the use of you?" It was obvious that Hai Yue was in a very bad mood at this time, especially after meeting Hai Chenxi's obviously disdainful look, Hai Yue's good mood just now fell all the way to the bottom, and he angrily scolded the maid.
Hai Chenxi glanced at Hai Yue who was taking the opportunity to attack, sneered, and turned to walk towards the backyard.
"Princess, Miss Qu is over there!" Concubine Zhou led Yun Qianmeng and Xiahou An'er into Suiyi Garden. They saw that many young ladies and gentlemen had already come to the garden. Concubine Qu chose a quiet corner to sit and chat with a few young ladies she was on good terms with.
"Thank you, Concubine Zhou! If you have something to do, we won't disturb you!" Yun Qianmeng glanced at everyone in Suiyi Garden. Seeing that Princess Haiwang was still putting on airs and hadn't come out to receive the guests, she knew that Concubine Zhou must have other guests to entertain, so she spoke with a smile.
"Then I'll take my leave first!" Concubine Zhou was also considerate. Besides, her task was only to lead the people to this Suiyi Garden. If she did something that exceeded her status, I'm afraid the prince would be unhappy.
After saying this, Concubine Zhou bowed to Yun Qianmeng, then led the maids and left Suiyi Garden.
"An'er!" After watching Concubine Zhou leave, Yun Qianmeng didn't immediately go to Concubine Qu. Instead, she turned to look at Xiahou An'er and said soothingly with a smile, "What are you thinking about?"
In front of Yun Qianmeng, Xiahou An'er always let down her guard. Thinking of Hai Yue's indifferent glance just now, she felt very unhappy. She frowned slightly and whispered, "This Sea King's Mansion is really magnificent, but the people here are so annoying!"
Hearing this, Yun Qianmeng nodded slightly, and took in everything in Suiyi Garden. Every blade of grass and every tree was meticulously crafted. It seemed that the Sea King had fully utilized Feng Shui. "Yangming Mountain is truly a place of rare and exotic plants, dazzling the eyes! As for the people, just look at them, don't take them to heart!"
Seeing Yun Qianmeng comforting herself like this, Xiahou An'er smiled shrewdly, nodded, and pointed at Qu Feiqing in the distance and said, "Let's go find Sister Feiqing!"
Qu Feiqing had already noticed the two of them, but since Yun Qianmeng seemed to have something to say to Xiahou An'er, she hadn't come over to interrupt them. Seeing the two of them approaching together, Qu Feiqing smiled and stood up. The people at her table also stood up and saluted Yun Qianmeng, "Greetings to the Princess of Chu and Princess Xiahou!"
"We are all guests, there is no need to be so formal!" Yun Qianmeng smiled faintly at Qu Feiqing, and everyone sat down immediately.
"I heard that the King of the Sea plans to let everyone meet the young master today!" After everyone sat down, they heard Guan Sirou, the daughter of Mr. Guan, the president of the Hanlin Academy, speak.
"I saw Prince Hai and Princess Qian at the dinner at Prince Duan's Mansion last time. I think the little prince must be very cute!" Chen Congyan, the daughter of another Minister of Rites, also spoke up.
Yun Qianmeng listened to their idle chatter while carefully observing the guests who had already arrived. She saw that many of the young ladies who were once so active were missing from this year's banquet, and some of them had already married. She couldn't help but sigh at the impermanence of life.
Just as Yun Qianmeng was about to look away, she caught sight of Qu Jingqing and Wu Qinqin. A subtle frown crossed her face as she calmly withdrew her gaze, her mind heavy with worry. How could the Sea King not know that Qu Yan was a member of the Chen King's faction? He had actually sent a message to Qu Jingqing. What were his intentions? Was he trying to win Qu Yan over to his side? But Yangming Mountain was a mountain of gold, and Haiquan had no shortage of it. Why would he bother trying to win over someone who wasn't particularly bright and belonged to the enemy? And Wu Qinqin, on the other hand, was even more so. Her marriage to Yuan Qingzhou had already signaled to the world the alliance between the Duke of Wu and the Duke of Han. Naturally, both families would fully support the Chen King.
For a moment, Yun Qianmeng was confused and didn't understand what Hai Quan's intention was.
However, there is one thing Yun Qianmeng is certain of, and that is that today's banquet will definitely be very lively.
At this time, Qu Jingqing obviously saw Yun Qianmeng. She was wearing the court dress of a princess, which made her look extremely noble. This made Qu Jingqing secretly hate her. She couldn't understand why the eldest daughter of Prime Minister Yun, who had been bullied in the past, would have a day of turning things around. Her current status made her dare not step forward to provoke her. If Yun Qianmeng got angry, she was afraid that the King of Chu, who was eager to protect his wife, would not even give face to the Qu family.
Thinking of this, Qu Jingqing felt annoyed again. She was even older than Qu Feiqing, but Prince Chen never revealed a word, leaving her waiting foolishly. How could she not be anxious? The imperial edict from Emperor Yugan a while ago had made her even more terrified. Although Concubine Yuande had rejected Emperor Yugan's kindness, if such things happened again and again, wouldn't her position as concubine be in jeopardy?
"Why do you look so unhappy, Miss Qu? Are you feeling unwell?" At this time, Wu Qinqin, who was sitting at the same table with Qu Jingqing, spoke in a cold voice, with a lot of disdain in her words. She secretly cursed Qu Jingqing in her heart for not knowing etiquette. A daughter of a bastard was actually sitting with her own daughter, the legitimate daughter of Duke Wu. If it weren't for the fact that Qu Yan was from Prince Chen's camp, she would have left long ago.
Putting his thoughts aside, Qu Jingqing looked at Wu Qinqin beside him, his heart filled with contempt for her. Not only had Su Qianyue snatched her husband from her on their wedding day, but he and her mother had beaten Su Qianyue nearly to death, yet still failed to stop her from marrying into the Duke of Han's mansion. This showed that Wu Qinqin was not a smart person. If the Su family had not fallen, Wu Qinqin would probably not have been so arrogant.
"Thank you for your concern, Madam Yuan. I'm fine!" Qu Jingqing said with a faint smile. Looking at Yuan Qingzhou, who was sitting with the male guests but staring at the female guests, he felt full of contempt for Wu Qinqin.
"Miss Qu, why don't you say hello to the eldest daughter of the Prince of Han's Mansion?" Seeing Qu Jingqing's fake smile, Wu Qinqin felt annoyed. She glanced away and saw Qu Feiqing sitting nearby, deliberately provoking Qu Jingqing. But when she looked away, she saw Yun Qianmeng sitting next to Qu Feiqing. Her pale purple court dress immediately blinded Wu Qinqin, reminding her of how she joined the Duke of Han's Mansion. She twisted her handkerchief in anger.
How could Qu Jingqing miss Wu Qinqin's little gesture? He followed her gaze and saw Yun Qianmeng chatting and laughing with the other ladies at the same table. He said calmly, "We should also go and pay our respects to the Princess of Chu! Alas, with Madam's background, even if she becomes a king..."
Qu Jingqing stopped talking halfway, with a hint of timidity in his eyes, as if he had said something wrong.
How could Wu Qinqin not know Qu Jingqing's little thoughts? However, her words touched Wu Qinqin's heart. Seeing a faint smile on Wu Qinqin's delicate face, she pulled Qu Jingqing to stand up and said with a sweet smile: "We should indeed go and pay our respects to the Princess of Chu!"
After saying that, they both left their seats, smiling faintly as they walked towards Yun Qianmeng and the others...
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