Qu Qingxi had been observing the two of them, and of course she also noticed the fleeting regret in Zhou Wenli's eyes.
She doesn't know what kind of person Zhou Wenli is, but being sent to Lingchao by the Zhou Dynasty emperor, he must be no ordinary person.
If Zhou Wenli takes a fancy to Ren Nuanyun and insists on taking her away, who knows if the story will get messed up?
After asking about Ren Nuanyun's dance, Zhou Wenli turned to look at the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, I came here on orders, and I brought someone back with me." Zhou Wenli said, then gestured to his subordinates.
Zhou Wenli's subordinates slowly walked over with a woman. The woman had a beautiful face, her hair was styled in a simple bun, and she wore a green jade hairpin and a light green long dress.
She looked extremely gentle, with a hint of aloofness and detachment in her eyes, like a fairy who didn't eat the food of this world. It was clear that her aloof temperament was ingrained in her bones, unlike Ren Nuanyun's, which was forced and looked awkward.
When everyone saw the woman's face clearly, they were all surprised, but some people who didn't recognize her looked at her with curiosity.
"Xu Yanyan greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress." The person who came was Xu Yanyan, the eldest daughter of Grand Tutor Xu, Princess Anping, who was sent to marry a foreign ruler five years ago.
When Madam Xu and Xu Yingying saw Xu Yanyan appear, tears welled up in their eyes. Xu Yanyan was five years older than Xu Yingying. When Xu Yanyan was sent to marry a foreign ruler, Xu Yingying was only a ten-year-old girl.
Seeing her older sister again now brings her joy, but also sadness.
When Qu Qingxi finally saw Xu Yanyan's face clearly, she couldn't help but sigh in her heart, "What a cool and aloof beauty!"
After sighing, Qu Qingxi subconsciously turned to look at He Liufeng beside her. What kind of expression would He Liufeng have when he saw Xu Yanyan appear?
Unexpectedly, when Qu Qingxi looked over, He Liufeng was staring at her.
Qu Qingxi was taken aback. Why was he staring at her instead of his beloved?
Everyone was watching Xu Yanyan quietly. Qu Qingxi didn't dare to ask He Liufeng, so she could only look away and continue looking at Xu Yanyan.
"Anping, get up quickly." Xu Yanyan referred to herself by her name, but the Emperor addressed her by her princess title.
When Xu Yanyan, who was kneeling on the ground, heard the title, she did not have any special reaction. She simply said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Emperor was also taken aback when he saw Xu Yanyan. Of course he recognized the person in front of him. He was the one who wrote the imperial decree for the marriage alliance. But why would Xu Yanyan come back?
The emperor was filled with questions, but in front of so many people, he couldn't very well ask them.
Zhou Wenli was very satisfied to have successfully observed the changes in the expressions of those present.
She glanced at Xu Yanyan, then looked at the Emperor who was full of questions, before explaining, "Your Majesty, five years ago, Princess Anping was chosen by my eldest brother and was given the title of Princess Anping. She was sent to our Zhou Dynasty for a marriage alliance to strengthen the friendship between our two countries."
Now, the eldest prince has passed away due to illness, leaving Princess Anping alone. Princess Anping and the eldest prince had a very good relationship, so before the eldest prince passed away, he specially left a letter, earnestly requesting that the emperor allow Princess Anping to return home after his death.
The Emperor felt sorry for his eldest brother and was also grateful that Princess Anping had been away from home for a long time, so he made a special exception for his eldest brother.
I happened to be here, so I brought her back with me.
But Your Majesty can rest assured that although Princess Anping has returned, the friendship between our two countries will not be affected in any way. Please grant my eldest brother's final wish.
"I see. The Crown Prince is truly devoted to his country. Since this is the Crown Prince's last wish, how can I not grant it?" The Emperor nodded thoughtfully.
Upon seeing Xu Yanyan, Zhou Wenli said he would send her back. The emperor was worried that the Zhou emperor wanted to break the peace agreement between the two countries, but he never expected that there was such a story behind this matter.
Since Zhou Wenli said today that it would not affect the friendship between the two countries, he would certainly make proper arrangements for Xu Yanyan.
"Princess Anping's title will be retained, and she will be granted a princess's residence, with all her food, clothing, and daily necessities arranged according to the standards for a legitimate princess." Xu Yanyan ultimately became a victim of the politics between the two countries.
Although she was a princess sent for a political marriage, she had already been married before. Now that she had returned to her hometown, it was impossible for her to remarry. Her return here meant that she was destined to be alone from now on.
For the sake of his reputation, the Emperor would certainly treat Xu Yanyan well, just as if she were another princess without royal blood. For the Emperor, this would be almost no loss, and he could even gain a good reputation.
"Anping thanks Your Majesty." Xu Yanyan knelt down again to thank the Emperor for his grace, and breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the Emperor was willing to let her stay, that was enough.
She had originally thought that the emperor would send her to a nunnery to end her life, but she never expected that she could still retain the title of princess and live according to the regulations for princesses.
However, Xu Yanyan also knew that this was how her life would be, and she would always be Princess Anping. She could never marry like a real princess. Fortunately, she remained in the capital, preserving the honor of the Xu family and being able to meet with her family from time to time.
No one noticed that the Crown Prince's expression changed drastically the moment Xu Yanyan appeared.
She... she actually came back?
She actually managed to come back?
The Crown Prince slumped into his chair as if all his strength had been drained in an instant, his eyes fixed on Xu Yanyan. Five years had passed, and she seemed to have changed nothing; her temperament was still aloof, and her appearance was still beautiful.
After Xu Yanyan's interlude, Zhou Wenli returned to his seat and began drinking.
Sitting there upright for a while, Qu Qingxi got a little bored. She turned her head and glanced at the person diagonally opposite her, only to find that Qu Qingran had also come here today.
Compared to her previous arrogant demeanor, Qu Qingran now appears more composed.
Noticing someone was looking at her, Qu Qingran followed the gaze and found that it was Qu Qingxi staring at her with a half-smile.
Qu Qingran, who was already in a bad mood, immediately felt resentment when she saw Qu Qingxi's elegant demeanor and luxurious clothes.
It's all because of Qu Qingxi. If it weren't for Qu Qingxi, the prince would definitely have married her. I have a good family background and good looks. Why does that lowly girl Qu Qingxi have a better life than me?
She had such a miserable life back in the Prime Minister's mansion, she couldn't do anything and she was so ugly, but now everything is different.
If she had married the prince back then, she would be the one sitting next to him now. How could Qu Qingxi be worthy of a celestial being like the prince?
Qu Qingxi actually dares to provoke me in public now, it's really despicable.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com