Chapter 9, "My Husband in Name Only".
Chapter Nine: The Seventh Princess
"Seventh Princess".
The Seventh Princess emerged from the brocade screen embroidered with peony patterns, beaming as she grasped Su Wanyue's wrist. She pouted and complained, "Sister-in-law, you have no idea! Recently, Mother Consort has been trying to choose a husband for me, keeping me in the palace every day looking at portraits of those noble young men. I'm so bored! Luckily, last night I came up with a brilliant plan: to come to Prince Cheng's residence to find you, Sister-in-law. Finally, Mother Consort let me out of the palace."
The Seventh Young Master was frank and straightforward, and Su Wanyue felt an immediate connection with him upon their first meeting. She smiled and asked, "Has the Princess taken a liking to anyone?"
"Sister-in-law, you're just like Mother. The most outstanding people in the capital are my brother and the Crown Prince. Among the young masters of noble families, the most outstanding is Xie Cheng, the eldest son of the Duke of Xie's family. You can't tell how good the others are just by looking at their portraits."
When Su Wanyue first arrived in the capital, Prince Xiang told her that the Xie State Duke's Mansion and the Zhenguo General's Mansion were the leaders in the Beili court. The eldest daughter of the Zhenguo General's Mansion, Lin Ruohan, was betrothed to the eldest son of the Xie State Duke's Mansion since childhood, waiting for her to come of age to marry into the Xie State Duke's Mansion. However, in the second year of Dingyuan, the Zhenguo General died on the battlefield. In the same year, the two sons of the Zhenguo General died on the battlefield one after another. As a result, the eldest daughter of the Zhenguo General's Mansion "by a twist of fate" became the Crown Prince's principal wife, and the eldest son of the Xie State Duke's Mansion became a hot commodity among the candidates for fiancés in the capital.
"The princess can take her time choosing."
The Seventh Princess playfully stuck out her tongue. In April, the weather in the capital was gradually getting warmer. Dappled sunlight streamed in through the windows, making it feel cozy. "Thank you for your kind words, sister-in-law. You've been in Beili for so long, you probably haven't strolled through the capital's streets yet, have you? The weather is so nice today, how about I accompany you for a walk around the capital?"
Su Wanyue thought for a moment, then nodded with a slight smile, "Alright."
When the princess and the seventh princess were about to leave the mansion, the steward immediately arranged for a carriage and guards, and also instructed someone to inform His Highness.
The carriage was made of pine wood and had a beautiful appearance. It was decorated with sachets on both sides. The steward brought over a stool, and the Seventh Princess stepped onto it first, then pulled Su Wanyue up.
As soon as the curtain fell, only Su Wanyue and the Seventh Princess were inside the carriage. On the table were several exquisite pastries and tea snacks, colorful and crystal clear. On the tea table were a set of zithers, chess pieces, calligraphy, paintings, and other antiques.
The Seventh Princess glanced at Su Wanyue furtively, then suddenly dropped her charming smile and asked seriously, "Sister-in-law, what do you think of my brother?"
Su Wanyue's heart tightened. Although she didn't understand why the Seventh Princess asked such a question, her smile remained unchanged. "Your Highness is a good person."
Honestly, Xiao Yu was indeed exceptionally capable and had a deep and unassuming mind. Su Wanyue only saw a small part of him. Even though Xiao Yu appeared very gentle and considerate in front of her.
"Oh, sister-in-law, you know that's not what I meant. I wanted to ask if you're satisfied with your brother as a husband."
Just as Su Wanyue felt a strong connection with the Seventh Princess, the Seventh Princess also felt a strong connection with her sister-in-law. Therefore, she hoped that her sister-in-law and brother could live in harmony and love each other until old age.
Su Wanyue lowered her eyes slightly, mentally preparing herself for a long time, before a gentle smile appeared on her lips, and she said "Satisfied".
Although the Seventh Princess was charming, it didn't mean she was stupid. Her sister-in-law's expression clearly showed that she wasn't too satisfied. But then again, her brother and sister-in-law's marriage was for the sake of friendship between the two countries. Before the marriage, her sister-in-law and brother were strangers. It seemed that the relationship between her brother and sister-in-law still needed to be cultivated. The Seventh Princess sighed inwardly.
The carriage of Prince Cheng's Mansion stopped under the shade of a pawnshop, which was owned by Prince Cheng's Mansion. The pawnshop was packed with people; this was Su Wanyue's first time visiting the streets of Beili Capital.
However, the Seventh Princess did not intend to take Su Wanyue to the pawnshop. Instead, she led her to the teahouse next to the pawnshop. When the waiter saw the two girls arrive, he nodded and called out, bending down to lead them up to the third floor, "Distinguished guests have arrived! Please serve tea."
The Seventh Princess was a regular at this teahouse and knew which area had the best view. Their private room was elegant and quiet, with sandalwood incense burning. Pushing open the window, one could see the largest brothel in the capital, the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. The owner of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was a member of the royal family, but who exactly he was was unknown.
The second and third floors of the teahouse are where guests drink tea and rest. The first floor is the main hall, which includes a huge open stage where storytellers perform. Many people gather around the stage, enjoying their tea while listening to the storyteller's eloquent and detailed accounts of interesting events in the capital. It's a very pleasant experience.
This year is the fourth year of the Dingyuan era. If we were to talk about the biggest event in the capital this year, it would be His Highness Prince Cheng marrying Princess Weiyang of Nanqiong as his principal wife. The storyteller, dressed in a gray cloth robe, stroked his beard and kept everyone in suspense, saying, "Nowadays, among the nine provinces of the world, the situation in Nanqiong and Beili is the most stable, and their military strength... how could we possibly achieve such a good marriage between His Highness Prince Cheng and Princess Weiyang of Nanqiong?"
Upon hearing the words "Princess Weiyang," Su Wanyue was taken aback. When the Seventh Princess lived outside the palace, her favorite thing to do was to come to the teahouse to listen to storytelling, and she was listening with great interest today as well.
The common people below loved hearing such secrets about the royal family, and they began to jeer, "We've heard that Princess Weiyang is incredibly beautiful; is it true?"
"Of course, of course. Princess Weiyang and His Highness Prince Cheng are a perfect match. I heard that after Princess Weiyang and His Highness Prince Cheng got married, His Highness was so engrossed in the romance that he did not attend court for three days. This shows that His Highness's feelings for Princess Weiyang are extraordinary."
Su Wanyue's brows furrowed with a hint of helplessness, probably because she hadn't expected the storyteller to say that, since the man had clearly gone to court the next day.
The conversation became increasingly "excessive" and "explicit," as if the King and Princess Weiyang were the male and female protagonists of a storybook. Su Wanyue gently rubbed her ears and stopped listening.
The Seventh Princess subtly moved an inch closer to Su Wanyue, half-covering her mouth with her hand, "I also feel that my brother's feelings for my sister-in-law are extraordinary."
"Princess, please have some tea, or it will get cold."
The Seventh Princess had been listening intently and was now thirsty. She held her teacup and sipped her tea slowly. A gentle breeze blew open the sliding window, and the little maid behind the Seventh Princess pointed outside, "Hey, Princess, look, isn't that His Highness the Crown Prince?"
The Seventh Princess and Su Wanyue followed her gaze and saw that it was indeed His Highness the Crown Prince who came out of the Wanhua Pavilion. The Seventh Princess recognized the people accompanying him: Zheng Zilin, the third son of the Zheng family of Xingyang; Yan Wushuang, the eldest son of the Left Prime Minister's Mansion; and the last one, whom the Seventh Princess did not recognize, but guessed that he was the strategist of the Eastern Palace.
The maidservant asked in bewilderment, "Is His Highness here to visit a brothel or to discuss business?"
The Seventh Princess scoffed. Whether she came to visit a brothel or to discuss business, her father would be displeased if he found out.
Su Wanyue was a newcomer to the palace. She had only met the Emperor and Empress, as well as Consort Qin and the Seventh Princess, on the second day after her wedding. She had not met the other members of the royal family. Therefore, she carefully looked at the people below her, trying to remember their characteristics.
Just then, Crown Prince Xiao Ruofei suddenly stopped and glanced in their direction. Su Wanyue quickly lowered her head.
The strategist was still discussing matters with Xiao Ruofei when, halfway through their conversation, Xiao Ruofei suddenly stopped. The strategist also stopped, sensing something was amiss. Could there be an assassin? The strategist looked around, "Your Highness, is something wrong around here?"
Xiao Ruofei withdrew his gaze. She was just a beautiful woman, probably the daughter of some powerful family in the capital. She was nothing to be afraid of. "Let's go."
Those above could see the expressions and intentions of those below clearly. The Seventh Princess was a little afraid that Xiao Ruofei would see through something, so she ignored the storyteller in the main hall who was still talking eloquently, took Su Wanyue's delicate hand, and said, "Sister-in-law, why don't we go too?"
Afterwards, they visited a clothing store, a pearl shop, and an antique shop, and bought two candied hawthorns. They waited until it was almost dark before boarding the carriage.
***
The rotten, damp dungeon reeked of blood. A middle-aged man, barely thirty, was bound to shackles, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, his head bowed in a pathetic state.
It wasn't until there was some movement coming from the dungeon that Zhu Bing looked up. When he saw the person who had come, Zhu Bing's pupils shrank slightly and his hands clenched into fists. In contrast, the person who came was calm and composed, and greeted Zhu Bing in a leisurely tone, "Lord Zhu, it's been a long time."
Zhu Bing finally realized why he had been arrested. He glared at Xiao Yu with hatred, "Your Highness, you have privately captured a local official with the intention of torturing me to extract a confession. Does such behavior comply with the laws of this dynasty? Are you not afraid of the Emperor's wrath?"
"What's there to be afraid of when I'm interrogating the mastermind behind the salt smuggling?" Xiao Yu walked to the instruments of torture, picked up a dagger nearby, and toyed with it. "He's already confessed. Is Lord Zhu sure he won't confess?"
Zhu Bing felt a surge of panic. He had been careful enough and had even found a scapegoat. How could Prince Cheng possibly know? Absolutely not.
Perhaps this "he confessed" was just a ploy to trick him. Zhu Bing was, after all, the Prefect of Fuzhou. He silently told himself not to panic, his neck stiff, but he still dared not meet Xiao Yu's gaze. His eyes darted around to look at the surroundings of the dungeon. "I don't understand what Your Highness means."
He wasn't afraid of death, but he was afraid of...
Xiao Yu didn't even look at him, and asked slowly, "Does Lord Zhu conclude that the Crown Prince will become the emperor in the future?"
Zhu Bing clenched his fists tightly. He finally understood why the Prince Cheng was the one in the court who could rival the Crown Prince. However, Zhu Bing had already made up his mind not to confess.
"I don't like to force things. Since Lord Zhu is unwilling to speak, why don't you look at something first and then decide?"
Following behind Xiao Yu, Mo Yu presented Zhu Bing with a letter and a longevity lock. Zhu Bing's hand holding the longevity lock trembled uncontrollably, and a tear fell onto his arm without warning. His eyes were bloodshot, and he wished he could die with the person in front of him. "Xiao Yu, you are despicable."
Xiao Yu remained calm. At this moment, another guard entered and whispered, "Your Highness, the Princess Consort and the Seventh Princess have returned."
"Take good care of Lord Zhu." Xiao Yu left with the guard, leaving Zhu Bing with only his elegant and outstanding back view.
The dungeon door opened a crack, letting in a little light. Zhu Bing stared intently at the elegant and graceful figure from behind, then sighed, "I'll talk."
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