Chapter 10, "A Harmonious Union Between Husband and Wife."...
Chapter 10: Harmonious Union==
Inside the Zixia Palace, the Seventh Princess smiled and tucked the peach blossom petal hairpin she had bought into her hair, asking Su Wanyue if it looked good.
Su Wanyue praised her with a smile, and the Seventh Princess laughed heartily. Just then, the sound of a maid bowing came from the doorway, "Your Highness."
A beautiful woman is like a flower, capable of both joy and anger.
The seventh princess was the first to stand up, her expression clearly showing her excitement, "Brother is back."
Xiao Yu's eyebrows were like ink paintings, his features were distinct. He stepped lightly across the doorway and walked in.
The Seventh Princess was the kind of person who would chatter away. With her around, the main room was never quiet. Most of the time, she was talking and laughing with Su Wanyue, and Su Wanyue was very cooperative. However, after the meal, the Seventh Princess suddenly giggled and said, "Brother, today my sister-in-law told me that she thinks you are a very good person and that she likes you very much."
Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow and looked at Su Wanyue with a half-smile.
Su Wanyue, the person involved, almost choked on her tea. Her throat was dry and itchy, and she coughed violently.
Qin'er quickly stepped forward and gently patted Su Wanyue's back, "Your Highness."
Xiao Yu stood up at the right moment, placed his broad hand on Su Wanyue's jade shoulder, and brought the gilded teacup to her lips with his other hand. "I know in my heart what the princess is thinking of me. There is no need for the princess to be in a hurry."
The Seventh Princess's eyes gleamed with cunning. Seeing this, she did not linger in the room. Instead, she bid farewell to Xiao Yu and Su Wanyue, and the other maids followed her out.
Xia Tang respectfully saw the Seventh Princess off at the Prince Cheng's residence, saying, "Take care, Seventh Princess."
The Seventh Princess lifted the curtain and entered the carriage. Before leaving, she glanced at the "Chengwang Mansion" plaque that shone brightly in the twilight.
Su Wanyue was almost completely trapped in Xiao Yu's arms. She tried to ignore the strange feeling coming from deep within her body and said, "Today, when the princess and I were having tea at the teahouse, we saw His Highness the Crown Prince and a group of people coming out of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. However, the princess and I were far away at the time and did not hear what they were saying."
The matter had already been reported to Xiao Yu by his secret guards. Xiao Yu replied in a calm and unhurried tone, "The Crown Prince is a man of deep thoughts. Princess Consort, please remember to stay away from him."
Su Wanyue: "..."
"As Your Highness's wife, I naturally would not get too close to other men."
When she spoke, her voice was gentle, and her eyes were bright with affection; she truly seemed to have deep feelings for Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu released her limp body and abruptly asked, "When Your Highness was in Nanqiong, did you have a lover you longed for?"
Su Wanyue's heart skipped a beat. Meeting Xiao Yu's deep, auspicious phoenix eyes, she said in a steady tone that there was no man in Nanqiong who could match His Highness's unparalleled beauty and outstanding abilities. How could she possibly have a man she longed for in Nanqiong?
Xiao Yu casually toyed with the red pigeon ring on his finger, a slight smile playing on his lips. “But I remember there was a second young master of the Prime Minister’s mansion named Lu Qingchen on the list of brides sent from Nanqiong. I heard that he is both a scholar and a warrior, and his appearance is the best in the capital. He is the most outstanding young master among the noble families of Nanqiong.”
Whether the person asked casually, knew something, or was testing her, Su Wanyue felt a chill run down her spine, and her fingers curled up uncontrollably. She smiled faintly and said, "Young Master Lu and my cousin are childhood sweethearts. I have no interaction with him, but I have heard my cousin mention him a few times."
Even after Xiao Yu left, Su Wanyue was still somewhat dazed. Qin'er came in and touched her palm, which was as cold as an ice pick. "Your Highness, did His Highness just say something to you?"
Su Wanyue recalled the tone and expression of the man when he asked her questions. Every question he asked seemed casual, and Su Wanyue could feel that every word he said was a test. She should not have given anything away.
Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly.[1] Su Wanyue held Qin'er's hand and asked her if there was anything she had done wrong. After thinking it over carefully, Qin'er realized that the princess had done nothing wrong, whether it was treating His Highness or handling all the affairs of the inner quarters. The only thing that was not quite right was that the princess was not very close to His Highness.
Previously in Nanqiong, the princess was not so distant towards the second young master. In spring, she would invite him to go boating, in summer she would ask him to accompany her to play the flying flower game, in autumn she would ask him to accompany her to the horse race in the suburbs of the capital, and in winter when she practiced swordsmanship, if the second young master let her have a move, she might ignore him for several days. However, the princess would not treat Prince Cheng like that.
Qin'er carefully considered her words, "Didn't the Princess buy a lot of trinkets with the Princess today? I think the Princess could give His Highness a gift, as if the Princess bought them for him."
Xiao Yu led his servant to the study, where Qingyi respectfully presented Zhu Bing's list of crimes to the desk. "Your Highness, this is the list of crimes presented by Lord Zhu. Lord Zhu claims that the mastermind behind them is... the Eighth Prince."
Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes, skimming through the text, his gaze finally settling on the place where the signature and seal were placed, remaining noncommittal.
"He is indeed loyal."
That wasn't loyalty. Even though Zhu Bing already guessed that His Highness knew everything, he still chose to protect His Highness the Crown Prince.
If the mastermind is the Eighth Prince, he will be completely eliminated from the race to become the crown prince. However, he and the Zheng family of Xingyang behind him will do their best to assist the crown prince in ascending the throne. But if the mastermind is the crown prince, then his position as crown prince will definitely be in jeopardy.
Qingyi gestured, "Your Highness, should we..."
Xiao Yuyu tapped the table lightly with his fingers, instructing someone to hand over the statement of guilt and the witnesses to the Dali Temple, and to make a copy to be sent to the Left Censor-in-Chief's Office.
"Your Highness, Qin'er, the princess's maid, has arrived."
After Qin'er finished her greetings, she presented the jade-green peace buckle on the tray, along with a bamboo slip with two lines of text. "This peace buckle was specially bought for Your Highness by the Princess Consort when she went shopping with the Seventh Princess today. The Princess Consort instructed me to make sure that this peace buckle is delivered to Your Highness."
“I only wish your heart were like mine, then I would never betray your love.[2]”
Xiao Yu's eyes showed a hint of surprise, and the corners of his lips turned up slightly, but it was fleeting.
"Your Highness is very kind."
The guards withdrew and carefully closed the study door. The two men looked at each other, and one of the guards whispered, "Did Your Highness just smile?"
Another guard scoffed, "Nonsense, how could the things sent by the Princess Consort be the same?"
***
In the summer of the fourth year of the Dingyuan era, a case of smuggling salt occurred in Fuzhou. After a joint trial by the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate, all the evidence pointed to the Eighth Prince. The Emperor reprimanded the Eighth Prince severely in the morning court, punished him with caning, deducted his salary for one year, and ordered him to reflect on his mistakes in his residence for half a year. The Prefect of Fuzhou and other officials were dismissed from their posts and exiled to Lingnan, never to serve as officials again.
Crown Prince Xiao Ruofei's face was so dark it was impossible to look directly at him. Xiao Ruofei's appearance was somewhat effeminate, but his temperament was as graceful as the wind. He was respectful to scholars and always treated the princes with courtesy, regardless of what they thought in their hearts. Therefore, on the surface, they got along very well. However, today Xiao Ruofei could not suppress his anger. As soon as he left the palace gate, he stopped Xiao Yu and gave him a barrage of sarcastic remarks, "Third brother really played his cards well. Even I am ashamed of myself for what happened today."
His subordinates were so secretive in their actions, yet Xiao Yu so easily found a handle against them. Xiao Yu is not as simple as he appears on the surface; there might even be spies planted around him. Upon returning, Xiao Ruofei will definitely have to deal with these spies.
Xiao Yu: "Second brother is too kind. Second brother is respectful to the virtuous and talented, and his virtue and ability are truly admirable."
His nonchalant attitude made Xiao Ruofei look ridiculous. Xiao Ruofei couldn't openly break ties with Xiao Yu, so he could only smile and say, "Not at all, I underestimated my third brother in the past."
That smile lasted until they reached the Eastern Palace. Xiao Ruofei swept his long arm, knocking all the memorials and official documents on the table to the ground. Xiao Ruofei was so angry that his nostrils were practically spitting fire. "That Xiao Yu, all he does is find fault with me and oppose me all day long. Isn't he afraid that if I ascend the throne, I will deal with him first?"
Among all the princes, besides him, the crown prince, Xiao Yu is the only one with a title and rank. Xiao Ruofei has disliked Xiao Yu for a long time, especially now that Xiao Yu has married Princess Nanqiong Weiyang as his principal wife, he is even more delighted.
The Southern Qiong Kingdom never mentioned marriage alliances earlier or later, but it just so happens to provide Xiao Yu with such great assistance at this critical juncture.
"Your Highness, please calm down." The strategist picked up the memorials and official documents one by one, appearing much calmer than Xiao Yu. "The reason why Prince Cheng can be so arrogant is because his mother, the Imperial Concubine, is favored. If the Imperial Concubine were gone, Prince Cheng would definitely not be so arrogant. Why should Your Highness bother with him?"
"You make it sound so easy. Consort Qin is the most favored concubine in the palace. How could she fall from power so easily?"
Not only was Consort Qin favored, but the Marquis of Yiyong's family was also highly valued by the Emperor in the previous dynasty.
"The reason why Consort Qin is the most favored concubine in the palace is because of her beautiful face. But the Emperor must be tired of seeing her face all day long. If a younger and more beautiful woman were to enter the palace at this time, the Emperor would probably not dote on Consort Qin so much."
"At the very least, there are countless women in this world with similar features. If you look carefully, you can always find one who looks alike. Right now, Your Highness should be most wary of Prince Cheng. As long as Prince Cheng is alive, Your Highness's position as Crown Prince, and even the throne, will not be secure."
Xiao Ruofei scoffed, "Xiao Yu is a man of deep thoughts. He dares to capture even local officials so easily. How am I supposed to defend against him?"
As the heir apparent, the Crown Prince cannot afford to make any mistakes in his actions. Therefore, he would carefully consider and weigh the pros and cons before doing anything. Xiao Yu, on the other hand, acted without any restraint. He captured the Prefect of Fuzhou without hesitation and was even rewarded by his father afterward. How could the Crown Prince be content with this?
The strategist said, "His Highness Prince Cheng recently married Princess Nanqiong Weiyang. They say even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman. Perhaps the Crown Prince could start by getting close to Princess Cheng."
Xiao Ruofei belatedly realized, "You mean..."
===
On the second day of the fifth month, the Crown Princess sent out invitations to all the noble ladies of the capital to come to the Crown Palace to admire the flowers. In addition, the Prince Cheng's residence, the Princess's residence, and the Duke Xie's residence also received invitations from the Crown Princess.
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