Chapter 80 "First Meeting".
==Chapter 80: First Encounter==
In the spring of the second year of the Dingyuan era, all flowers were in full bloom and willows were swaying gently.
A discreetly luxurious carriage was parked in front of an inn in Nanqiong. A guard bowed and approached the carriage, saying softly, "Your Highness, we have arrived."
The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a man's jade-like and picturesque face, truly breathtaking. Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, "Let's go."
"Your Highness, please." The guards quickly stepped aside. This was their prince's first visit to Nanqiong. The reason for this was that a minister in the court proposed a marriage alliance with Nanqiong, and the emperor of Nanqiong happened to have the same idea. So, the question arose of who to marry into, which is why the prince came here. Of course, behind this was the encouragement of the emperors of the two countries, the empress of Nanqiong, and Consort Qin.
The innkeeper, judging from the man's demeanor and the people he brought, knew that his status was not to be underestimated. He arranged a private room for him with a respectful attitude. He stayed alone on the third floor, while the other guards stayed on the second floor. Mo Yu followed him to the third floor to report, "Your Highness, I have heard that in this marriage alliance between the two countries, the Emperor of Nanqiong seems to be most satisfied with Princess Zilu of the Nanwang Mansion."
Princess Zilu raised her eyebrows slightly, toying with a jade cup in one hand.
“Yes.” Mo Yu nodded. “Princess Ziluo, Su Wanyue, is the only daughter of the Prince of Nan and his wife, and also the current emperor’s niece. She has been Princess Weiyang’s companion since childhood and often enters the palace for the first time. She is highly praised in the capital of Nanqiong. She is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and songs. She can be called ‘talented and beautiful’.”
Xiao Yu listened with little interest, though a slight smile played on his lips. The guards scratched their heads at the sight. Their master had always been very discerning. Although Princess Zilu of the Southern Prince's Mansion was exceptionally talented and beautiful, His Highness had never met her before. It was impossible for him to marry her and make her his princess just because he heard her name.
Fortunately, the master will be staying in Nanqiong for more than a month this time, so there's no rush. Mo Yu asked, "When does Your Highness plan to pay your respects to the Emperor of Nanqiong?"
They traveled by water this time, so what should have been a journey of more than half a month became ten days. They arrived ahead of schedule, but the Emperor of Nanqiong was unaware of it.
Xiao Yu's lips twitched slightly, and he said indifferently, "In a few days."
"Yes, Your Highness." Mo Yu cupped his hands in greeting and quietly withdrew.
***
At that time in the Nanqiong Imperial Palace, the slow, deliberate tone of the Grand Tutor was so enticing that it made people drowsy. The entire study room was filled with about a dozen young men and women of distinguished backgrounds. Only the girl sitting on the right side of the first row had a serious expression on her face, her eyes lowered as she was taking notes. The Grand Tutor stroked his beard with satisfaction. Finally, the class ended. Princess Weiyang lazily yawned and came to the first row to find Su Wanyue. She originally thought that Su Wanyue had written down all the content of the Grand Tutor's lecture on her Xuan paper, but when she looked closely, she found that Su Wanyue was painting a picture of a beautiful lady.
Princess Weiyang couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Wanwan, if the Grand Tutor knew about this, he would definitely be angry."
Everyone knows that among all the people in the Imperial Study, the Grand Tutor's favorites are Crown Prince Qin Jue and Princess Ziluo Su Wanyue. It can be said that the two of them are the Grand Tutor's prized students. Because of their status, others sometimes "would not" give the Grand Tutor face, but Qin Jue and Su Wanyue would not.
Su Wanyue had red lips and white teeth, and a beautiful face. She rubbed her ears helplessly. She didn't like slow tunes, as they were easy to make people drowsy.
The others laughed upon hearing this. Princess Weiyang glanced at Su Wanyue and said, "By the way, Wanwan, I need to pay my respects to Father Emperor and Mother Empress. You can come with me."
Su Wanyue was taken aback, then shook her head. She said she had other things to do later and would pay her respects to the Emperor and Empress another day.
Princess Weiyang asked meaningfully, "Are you going to see Lu Qingchen?"
For some reason, Lu Qingchen suddenly caught a cold the day before yesterday and has been resting in bed at home ever since, not even coming to the study for several days.
Su Wanyue gently shook her head, her voice soft and gentle, "I ordered a set of jewelry from Yunzhu Pavilion, and I'm going to pick it up today."
In a few days it will be the birthday of Madam Lu of the Prime Minister's residence. Su Wanyue ordered a set of green jade jewelry for Madam Lu at Yunzhu Pavilion three months in advance. Today is the appointed time, so she has to go.
If Su Wanyue hadn't mentioned it, Princess Weiyang would have almost forgotten that it was Madam Lu's birthday in a few days. She privately thought that Wanwan was so concerned about Madam Lu's birthday because of Lu's second son, Lu Qingchen. Princess Weiyang hurriedly urged, "Lu Qingchen is really lucky. Wanwan, you should go now."
So Su Wanyue left the palace with her maid Qin'er, while Princess Weiyang went to pay her respects to the Emperor and Empress with her maids. Eunuch Fu, who was by Emperor Nanqiong's side, came out to greet Princess Weiyang.
Princess Weiyang: "Your daughter greets Father Emperor and Mother Empress."
"The Imperial Uncle is here too."
"Your subject greets Princess Weiyang." Although the Prince of Nan was over thirty, his handsome appearance still showed signs of his youth. He was usually gentle and refined, but today, for some reason, his complexion was particularly bad. "If Your Majesty and Your Majesty have nothing else to say, Your subject will take his leave."
The Emperor and Empress of Nanqiong looked slightly embarrassed and nodded.
Princess Weiyang was still wondering, "What's wrong with my royal uncle? He doesn't seem to be in a good mood."
It should be said that the Emperor, the Empress, and the eldest brother all looked rather unwell in the hall, while the second brother's expression was inscrutable.
"Why did Weiyang come today?" Empress Nanqiong forced herself to stay awake and asked her daughter.
Princess Weiyang took the Empress's arm and said, "I just wanted to come and pay my respects to Father and Mother."
"Wei Yang is very thoughtful, but what about Wan Wan?" Emperor Nan Qiong coughed and spoke in a deep voice.
Princess Weiyang: "Madam Lu's birthday is in a few days. Wanwan ordered a set of jade green jewelry for Madam Lu in advance. We're going to pick it up today."
The Emperor and Empress of Nanqiong exchanged a glance. "I see."
When Princess Weiyang left, she didn't know why her father and mother were in a bad mood. When Eunuch Fu came out to see her off, Princess Weiyang asked him what was going on and why her father and mother looked so unhappy. Because of Princess Weiyang's noble status, Eunuch Fu couldn't hide it from her. Eunuch Fu whispered, "Nanqiong and Beili are probably going to get married. The other party is Prince Cheng of Beili, Xiao Yu."
"Father and Mother wouldn't want to marry Wanwan off to them, would they?" Princess Weiyang suddenly exclaimed.
"Princess, please keep your voice down. This matter is still undecided, but if it's a marriage alliance, Princess Zilu is definitely the best choice." Eunuch Fu looked around anxiously, trying to get Princess Weiyang to lower her voice.
Wanwan is indeed a woman of both beauty and talent; none of the noble ladies in the capital can compare to her. But if it were a marriage alliance…
Princess Weiyang frowned, "But Wanwan and Lu Qingchen..."
“But our Princess Zilu is at the age where she is just beginning to experience love, so she may not really understand true love and affection.” Eunuch Fu also had a cryptic expression.
Thinking of how the young masters would fawn over Wanwan whenever she came to the study, and how the gifts on her birthdays were so plentiful that the entire main hall of the Prince of Nan's mansion couldn't hold them all, Princess Weiyang's expression suddenly turned strange. There were indeed many suitors in the capital who admired Wanwan, but it seemed that Wanwan was closer to Lu Qingchen. As for what kind of feelings Wanwan had for Lu Qingchen, Princess Weiyang didn't seem to know.
Princess Weiyang sighed, "What kind of person is Prince Cheng of Bei Li?"
"It is said that he is as beautiful as jade and as talented as a painting, with superb martial arts skills and no shortage of ability and strategy." Eunuch Fu said with a smile, "His Highness Prince Cheng should be coming to Nanqiong soon, and then the princess will be able to meet him."
Eunuch Fu saw Princess Weiyang off before going inside.
***
Yunzhu Pavilion was located on the busiest street in Nanqiong, bustling with activity and filled with the shouts of vendors. Su Wanyue was engrossed in playing chess, and just as she placed a white piece, the carriage suddenly stopped. Su Wanyue asked gently, "Qin'er, what's wrong?"
"Princess, it seems something has happened ahead. There are several carriages ahead of us that can't pass. Princess, should we take a detour?" Qin'er peeked out. The carriage in front of them belonged to the Minister of Rites. She spoke to her princess through the curtain.
Su Wanyue thought for a moment and nodded gently.
Unfortunately, another carriage was following closely behind them. It had no markings, but it was very understated and luxurious. Qin'er felt that the people in this carriage were not to be underestimated. They could neither go forward nor backward. Qin'er had no choice but to go and check what was going on at the front. What she found out was terrible. It turned out that Chu Yao, the heir of the Pingyang Prince's Mansion, was harassing a commoner in public, attracting a crowd of onlookers. Qin'er frowned slightly and hurried back to find Su Wanyue. Before she could finish speaking, a snow-white wrist reached out and Qin'er rushed over to help her.
Because of the carriage, no one noticed Su Wanyue. In the very center of the market, a handsome young man in a purple brocade robe stood arrogantly. A woman kneeling before him tugged at his brocade sleeve, her eyes pleading, "Young master, please let me go! I have younger siblings at home who need my care. I can't go with you."
"Pah!" Before Chu Yao could speak, the lackey next to him had already spoken up, "Do you know who our young master is? Don't be so ungrateful for the respect we give you. Do you think you can become our young master's wife just because of your looks?"
The Southern Qiong royal family has only three princes in total. Besides the Emperor's younger brother, the Prince of Nan, there are the Prince of Pingyang and the Prince of Chu. Their son is the heir of the Prince of Pingyang, whose status is extremely noble. There are countless people in the capital who want to marry their heir.
Chu Yao gave a sarcastic laugh and was about to reach out and pull over the woman whose looks and figure suited his taste. The woman had her eyes closed and her face was ashen. Just then, a voice that Chu Yao knew but hated came over.
"stop."
Everyone looked up and saw a slender young woman in a light green Suzhou embroidered dress walk up to Chu Yao. Her face was covered by a white veil, so no one could see her face. But how could Chu Yao, who was also of noble birth, not recognize the identity of the young woman in front of him? His face turned red and he stared at Su Wanyue fiercely, "What right do you have to tell me to stop?"
What he hated most was the girl in front of him. They were both members of the royal family, but just because she was a woman, everyone doted on her. Su Wanyue looked at him with clear and cold eyes behind her veil, "Just because she doesn't want to, I can make you stop."
Chu Yao scoffed, finding it absurd. He thought she would say that because she was the only daughter of the Prince of Nan and a princess of the current dynasty, her status was equal to his, and she could order him to stop. He never expected her to give such a ridiculous reason. The princess of the Prince of Nan's mansion really was out of touch with reality.
"What if I don't let her go?" After laughing, Chu Yao was about to help the woman on the ground up, but before he could move, Su Wanyue flicked her slender wrist and punched him hard on the shoulder before he could react. Chu Yao felt a cold wind blow past his ear and was forced into an apologetic posture, his body hunched over. Before he could get angry, Su Wanyue spoke in a voice that could only be heard by two people: "Chu Yao, if you don't let her go, come with me to the East Palace to see my brother, the Crown Prince, and let him judge this for us."
"Also, apologize to this young lady."
Chu Yao froze, his face drained of color. Crown Prince Qin Jue was a man even more ruthless than the current emperor.
At the same time, Mo Yu, who had come to scout ahead, returned to the carriage and whispered, "Your Highness, the girl in the carriage in front of us just now is Princess Zilu of the Nanwang Mansion."
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