Chapter 81 "Could it be that Master fell in love at first sight..."
Chapter 81: First Love Awakens ==
The man inside the carriage, who had been feigning sleep with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. His narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes narrowed slightly. Mo Yu, who was slightly bowing, assumed that his master was not interested in such matters since he had not spoken. Just as he was about to step aside, the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing his master's fair and jade-like face. Then, his master stepped down from the carriage with an elegant and refined demeanor.
Mo Yu was startled and hurriedly followed.
By this time, a large crowd had gathered in the market. Seeing that Chu Yao, a seven-foot-tall man, had been "beaten" to the ground by a graceful young woman, the crowd couldn't help but point and whisper. The people couldn't stand seeing a young master from a high-ranking family bully a defenseless woman, but they didn't dare to stop him because he was the heir of the Prince of Pingyang's mansion.
Being pointed at and whispered about by so many people, Chu Yao's face flushed crimson. His temples throbbed. How come Su Wanyue had become even more arrogant in such a short time? Who gave her the audacity to lay a hand on him? He was the heir of the Pingyang Prince's Mansion, a man, while she was just a girl. In the instant he lost his focus, Su Wanyue struck him on the shoulder, causing Chu Yao to wince in pain. He could only lower his head, looking utterly aggrieved, and pleaded, "I apologize, isn't an apology enough?"
Su Wanyue finally released him. Luckily, one of his guards caught him, otherwise Chu Yao would have fallen. He glared fiercely at Su Wanyue. Was it really necessary for a young lady to use so much force? While he was glaring at Su Wanyue, she didn't even look at him. Instead, she went to help the seemingly delicate commoner girl. She helped the girl up and then stared intently at Chu Yao. Under the intimidation of her gaze, Chu Yao had no choice but to take a deep breath and earnestly clasp his hands in a fist salute to Liu Yue, the commoner girl he had just teased, and humbly apologize. His lackeys didn't dare to say a word. Liu Yue didn't want to provoke these high-ranking officials and hurriedly nodded. At this point, Chu Yao didn't want to confront Su Wanyue directly. He forced a smile and said, "Princess Zilu, may I leave now?"
Princess Zilu...
The crowd was somewhat surprised to hear this, and Liu Yue, who was being supported by her, was also a little reserved. She did not expect that the person who saved her from the Prince of Pingyang's son would be Princess Zilu of the Prince of Nan's mansion. No wonder the Prince of Pingyang's son did not dare to speak loudly after she arrived.
Su Wanyue completely ignored Chu Yao and instead asked Liu Yue if she was alright. Liu Yue gratefully shook her head. Finally, Su Wanyue asked Qin'er to give her some silver, and Liu Yue thanked her profusely once again.
Completely ignored, Chu Yao's face darkened. He angrily flicked his gold-trimmed sleeve and turned to leave.
The girl was alright, and the surrounding crowd gradually dispersed. Qin'er came over with a smile to help Su Wanyue up, "Princess, let's go."
"Let's go." Su Wanyue smiled gently, her eyes sparkling with tenderness.
Before she could take two steps, she saw the young man standing in front of her. He was dressed in a dark brocade robe with cloud patterns, with a tall and slender figure, excellent bone structure, and eyebrows as fine as ink paintings. There was almost no flaw in his appearance. His demeanor was clearly that of an extraordinary person. However, Su Wanyue had never seen him before. She blinked slightly and walked past him with Qin'er.
Perhaps because the other party's aura was too strong, Su Wanyue felt a little nervous. Qin'er was even more nervous, and she helped her princess into the carriage with trepidation.
Mo Yu had assumed His Highness would greet Princess Zilu of the Southern Prince's Mansion, but to his surprise, His Highness hadn't. Confused about His Highness's intentions, he scratched his head. "Your Highness, perhaps we should..."
"To the palace," Xiao Yu said casually, his hands behind his back.
This startled Mo Yu. Could it be that his master had already fallen in love with Princess Zilu at first sight...?
As for the coachman from the Southern Prince's residence, he gave a "whoosh" and drove the carriage to Yunzhu Pavilion. Inside the spacious carriage, Qin'er poured Su Wanyue a cup of tea. "Princess, we've never seen that young master before."
Logically speaking, they should recognize such a young man, because his aura is comparable to that of their Crown Prince. Su Wanyue held the glass teacup in both hands and said with a smile, "He should be Prince Cheng of Beili."
"What?!" Qin'er's eyes widened as she stared at her princess in astonishment. "How did the princess know?"
If we're talking about Prince Cheng of Beili, he's a figure known throughout the world. His beautiful face is rare in this era, and his literary and martial talents, temperament, and abilities are all beyond the reach of ordinary people. Qin'er suddenly remembered that when the princess was dining with the prince and princess earlier, the prince mentioned that Nanqiong and Beili might be going to form a marriage alliance. So it's not surprising that Prince Cheng appeared in the capital of Nanqiong. Qin'er was just very curious about how the princess could recognize his identity at a glance.
Su Wanyue smiled and told her that when she passed by him just now, she caught a glimpse of the white dragon jade pendant on his waist. It was obviously a royal item. However, the Southern Qiong royal family only had two princes. In addition, her elder brother, the Crown Prince, had mentioned to her earlier that the Prince of Northern Li liked to wear a black robe, and his demeanor was subtly more imposing than that of the Emperor in the court.
"I see. Then His Highness Prince Cheng must also know the princess's identity." Qin'er suddenly realized that their princess was indeed very thoughtful.
“I have no grudge against His Highness Prince Bei Li, so what if he knows my identity?” Su Wanyue smiled and asked her in return.
"What the princess says is true." Qin'er tapped her head; she had indeed been overthinking things.
At that time, in the magnificent Hall of Mental Cultivation, upon hearing that Prince Cheng of Beili had arrived, Emperor Nanqiong immediately put down his wolf-hair brush, coughed, and said, "Then why don't you quickly invite His Highness Prince Cheng in?"
Originally, it was thought that the Prince of Beili would not arrive in Nanqiong for several more days, but unexpectedly he arrived ahead of schedule. It seems that the marriage alliance needs to be put on the agenda. The Emperor of Nanqiong sat upright, having already thought of his words. If the Prince of Beili brought up the marriage alliance later, he would tell him that Nanqiong was willing to marry Princess Zilu to him. He did not believe that the Prince of Beili would not like such a good girl as Wanwan.
"King Cheng, please sit down."
As Xiao Yu took his seat, the palace servants of Yangxin Hall immediately came forward to serve tea. The Emperor of Nanqiong smiled and said, "I thought Prince Cheng would arrive in Nanqiong in a few days, but I did not expect him to arrive a few days earlier. I did not send anyone to the city gate to welcome Prince Cheng. It was my oversight."
Xiao Yu naturally exchanged pleasantries with the Emperor of Nanqiong. The Emperor of Nanqiong always had a smile on his face. "Nanqiong's capital has always been prosperous and bustling. Prince Cheng, you may stay in the capital for a while longer, and return to Beili after things have settled down."
The so-called "dust has settled" obviously refers to "waiting for the marriage candidates to be determined before returning to Beili." Anyone with a brain would understand what the Emperor of Nanqiong meant. Xiao Yu's lips curled up slightly, and he nodded slightly.
Seeing this, the Emperor of Nanqiong's smile became even more genuine. Everyone knew that Prince Cheng of Beili was arrogant and didn't even have a concubine. It was said that he was extremely indifferent to women. Since he had agreed, this marriage alliance would definitely go smoothly. The Emperor of Nanqiong couldn't wait to let Wanwan meet this Prince Cheng, but he couldn't make the arrangement too obvious, lest it backfire.
After thinking it over, the Emperor of Nanqiong kindly told Xiao Yu that he would host a welcome banquet for him at the Qianqing Palace the following evening, and hoped that Xiao Yu would definitely come. Xiao Yu did not refuse.
A banquet was held in the palace, and all members of the royal family, noble families, and officials from the capital were required to attend. Su Wanyue accompanied the Princess Consort of the Southern Kingdom to the banquet. Before going to the Qianqing Palace, the Princess Consort of the Southern Kingdom took her to the Kunning Palace to pay her respects to the Empress. Princess Weiyang happened to be in the Kunning Palace. Since they were of similar age, the Empress asked them to go to the Qianqing Palace first.
Each palace maid carried a lantern and led the way. Princess Weiyang smiled and said to Su Wanyue, "I've heard that His Highness Prince Cheng of Beili is incredibly handsome. I wonder if it's true?"
As they were talking, Crown Prince Nanqiong came over from the other side of the Imperial Garden. His handsome face was beaming with a smile, clearly indicating that he was in a very good mood. Princess Weiyang was wondering why her brother was in such a good mood tonight when she noticed that there was another person standing to his right. This person had a face like jade and a tall, slender figure, whose appearance even seemed to surpass that of her brother. Before Princess Weiyang and Su Wanyue could speak, Qin Jue had already greeted them with a smile, "Weiyang, Wanwan, this is His Highness Prince Cheng of Beili, Xiao Yu."
With an expression as if she had never met Xiao Yu before, Su Wanyue gracefully bowed to him, saying, "This humble woman greets Your Highness Prince Cheng."
"You're too kind, Princess." Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow and gestured to help her up with his fan.
Seeing that he recognized Wanwan's identity so quickly, Qin Jue was quite surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Has Your Highness Prince Cheng met Wanwan before?"
Because he hadn't had a chance to introduce Wanwan's identity to His Highness Prince Cheng.
Xiao Yu spoke slowly and deliberately, "I have met Princess Zilu once before."
"What a coincidence." Qin Jue concealed his surprise and teased his younger sister with a smile, "Wanwan seems to be in a good mood today."
"No way," the girl said coquettishly, her delicate features shining brightly in the moonlight.
Qin Jue's smile deepened as he stretched out his arm. "Your Highness Prince Cheng, this way please."
"Your Highness, please."
"It seems the rumors are true; this Prince Cheng is indeed astonishingly handsome." After they left, Princess Weiyang said to Su Wanyue with admiration.
Su Wanyue nodded.
A banquet was held in the Qianqing Palace. The Emperor and Empress of Nanqiong sat at the head of the table, with Qin Jue and Xiao Yu in the front rows on the left and right, followed by Princess Weiyang, Princess Zilu, Prince Xiang, and then the princes and Prime Minister Lu. Seeing Su Wanyue's position so close to the front, Chu Yao was unhappy. The Emperor and Empress were being far too biased. However, the others did not think so. They felt that His Majesty must have had ulterior motives. Didn't they see that with this arrangement, Princess Zilu could see Prince Cheng of Beili's stunning appearance whenever she looked up, and Prince Cheng could see Princess Zilu out of the corner of his eye every time he picked up his wine cup?
The palace food was extremely exquisite, and several dishes suited Su Wanyue's taste. However, she felt as if someone was watching her, and after thinking about it, she decided to go out for some fresh air. To her surprise, she saw a figure standing in a pavilion not far from the Qianqing Palace. Who else could it be but Lu Qingchen?
Su Wanyue called out softly, "Second Brother."
Xiao Yu paused. The Crown Prince of Nanqiong and the Prince of Xiang were still at the banquet. Could this "brother" be her childhood sweetheart's brother?
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