Princess Caifeng was very annoyed because King Yan, who had just been released, was so clingy as if he had been clinging to her hand. As soon as they left the main hall, he invited her elder brother and her to be a guest in King Yan’s Manor, claiming that he would thank her well. However, no matter how she winked at her elder brother, his smart elder brother did not seem to see her and just nodded at King Yan in agreement.
Her elder brother was the Crown Prince of a country, so his words naturally counted. Even if Princess Caifeng was full of anger, she had to listen to him. So, when Crown Prince Xieyue took Princess Caifeng to King Yan’s Manor, both King Yan and Consort Yan were hospitable to their guests, and they gave them a load of presents.
However, her mind was not on this. Seeing that her elder brother and King Yan were talking happily, she got up out of boredom and said that she was going to take a walk in the yard. At this time, Consort Yan had been off to change her clothes inside, so she was not there. Under the orders of King Yan, a maidservant led her to the quiet yard. Princess Caifeng did not go far, and simply went to an octagonal pavilion to rest.
She drove the people around her outside the pavilion and asked them to play by themselves. She covered her face with a round fan, feeling bored and depressed.
Her maidservant had told her that King Xuan had long left the palace and had already returned to his own manor. However, she did not know when she would be able to go back. King Yan and her elder brother acted so warmly to each other as if they were good friends that had not seen in many years. They seemed to have a million topics to share.
“Elder Brother has always been indifferent to others. What’s wrong with him today? He acts as if he and King Yan were old friends at first sight. Why do they have so many things to talk about?”
“Hu Qianyue is still in King Xuan’s Manor now, and she should have seen King Xuan. Oh, by the way, I heard that Consort Xuan also entered the palace today. Why didn’t I see her? At that time, there was no one but the Sixth Princess, the Seventh Princess, and Consort Yan sitting beside me. With Consort Xuan’s status, she was supposed to sit beside me…”
Princess Caifeng closed her eyes and thought about it with the round fan covering her face. The longer she thought, the eagerer she was to go back as soon as possible so she could try to fight against Consort Xuan.
As she heard gentle footsteps coming, she thought that it was a palace maid. So she still leaned against the rails and closed her eyes to rest, without moving.
“Your Highness, are you asleep?” A gentle male voice came from her side with a faint smile.
King Yan?
Princess Caifeng took off the round fan on her face and looked at the smiling Feng Yulei in surprise. She blinked and asked curiously, “Your Highness, aren’t you talking to Elder Brother? Why did you come here?”
“Crown Princess has to take a break. He feels a little dizzy. So I came here specifically to see you.” Feng Yulei sat down on the railings by Princess Caifeng’s side. There was only a column between the two of them. He spoke in a casual manner. The servants around them did not say anything and still stood outside the pavilion.
“Many thanks, King Yan. I’m okay here. If Elder Brother really wants to rest, I will take him back to King Xuan’s Manor,” said Princess Caifeng with a smile, who suddenly sat up straight with her face brightened up. If her elder brother wanted to rest, why didn’t he inform her to return earlier?
“This… might not be good. Crown Prince has just fallen asleep. It would be bad for his health if he is woken up at this time,” Feng Yulei uttered in a reserved manner.
His words made Princess Caifeng fall silent. Crown Prince Xieyue’s health really couldn’t be neglected. Since he had just turned in, waking him up now might damage his health. Princess Caifeng couldn’t bear the responsibility. She leaned back feebly and asked gloomily, “When will Elder Brother wake up?”
“Seeing how tired Crown Prince looked, he might sleep for quite a while. Crown Prince and Your Highness might as well have dinner here before returning. I will get someone to make more delicious food for you.” Feng Yulei smiled and invited her politely.
“Thank you, but no need. We’d better go back to King Xuan’s Manor for dinner.” Princess Caifeng waved her hand and said impatiently.
“Now that you prefer so, let’s make the decision when Crown Prince wakes up. It is still early. May I accompany you to take a walk in the garden?” Feng Yulei did not show any displeasure to Princess Caifeng’s refusal. He pointed at the path in the garden and said with a smile, “Go from there, the scenery is good. Princess Caifeng, would you like to go and take a look?”
“What is there to see?” Princess Caifeng looked up lazily.
“There are some rare animals from the Southern Barbarian Lands. Some of them are even alien to me. I heard that Princess Caifeng has reared some rare animals. Please go and take a look at them with me.” Feng Yulei smiled and stood up. He reached out to hold Princess Caifeng’s hand. It was as if he was determined to take her there and did not realize how abrupt his actions were.
“There are rare animals from the Southern Barbarian Lands here?” Princess Caifeng was intrigued at once. When she saw Feng Yulei reaching out, she also reached out subconsciously and stood up forcefully with Feng Yulei’s help. However, Feng Yulei had used too much of his strength and as she stood up, she lost her balance. She fell forward and bumped into Feng Yulei’s embrace.
From a distance, this was a standard posture that Princess Caifeng threw herself into King Yan’s arms.
Feng Yulei held her waist politely. When she stood still, he took two steps back and said politely, “Your Highness, please be careful.” He looked like a gentleman.
Princess Caifeng blushed, lowered her head, and anxiously replied, “Many thanks, King Yan.” When she saw that King Yan did not intend to take advantage of her, she started to take a liking to him.
“Your Highness, please.” Feng Yulei tactfully stopped talking and pointed at the path. Unwilling to bring up the topic again, Princess Caifeng took a few hurried steps forward and then felt that she was too anxious. She stopped and said to Feng Yulei, “King Yan, please.”
“Your Highness, you don’t have to be so polite. Let’s go together!” Feng Yulei smiled and took a few steps forward. He was walking side by side with Princess Caifeng this time. The two chatted and laughed as they walked into the depths of the trees. From afar, one could see that the man was tall and handsome and the woman was petite and exquisite. They were very well-matched. The two spoke with each other every now and then and seemed even more harmonious.
“Younger Sister, are… are you just going to stand by and watch?” In a distant pavilion, You Yue’e looked at the two figures who slowly disappeared from her sight. She could not hide the pain in her eyes. She bit her lips, but there was no other way. King Yan needed the help of Princess Caifeng and the Southern Barbarian Lands. She could only give way to him.
“Smack!” There was a loud thump on the table. Ling Mingyan, who was sitting beside her, had long been angry. She had always been arrogant and had never suffered such a grievance. She said, “Younger Sister, you should go down and slap that slut. She has just met King Yan but she’s already seducing him. If she really enters the manor in the future, she won’t let you live.”
Ling Mingyan looked indignant as well as sorry for her younger sister. She stood up, grabbed You Yue’e’s hand, and tried to drag her out. “Let’s go. I’ll help you vent your anger.”
“Elder Sister-in-law, don’t do that. It’s okay. His Highness has promised me that he won’t let me give up my position as the first consort. I am still Consort Yan, she… she is at most a co-wife.” You Yue’e struggled hard, but since she was not as strong as Ling Mingyan, she was dragged straight to the door and had to shout with tears in her eyes.
Ling Mingyan’s anger didn’t drain, but when she saw that You Yue’e was unwilling to go with her, she could not drag her on any longer. She let her go and said hatefully, “How dare he ask you to give up the position of the first consort?”
“His Highness did not. He truly loves me and the baby in my belly, and truly cares for me and the baby,” You Yue’e explained, but two teardrops fell down from the corners of her eyes. If they were okay, who would want another woman to enter the manor? Furthermore, the woman was obviously not easy to get along with and was of equal status with her. She did not know what would happen in the future. You Yue’e felt her heart twinge with pain when she saw the two of them hugged each other even though that was their plan.
But she did not dare to ruin Feng Yulei’s plans!
“He truly cares for you? He has just been released, but he is hooking up with the slut from the Southern Barbarian Lands. You can tell with a glance that it’s not good. Younger Sister, you have to make plans early. Don’t let her push you away. With King Yan’s one word, her son could inherit his position. Where are you going to cry then?”
With a dark expression, Ling Mingyan looked at You Yue’e who sat back in the chair and cried and said angrily. She really liked this younger sister of You Yuecheng’s. Hearing that You Yue’e was pregnant, she hurried over to visit her. Unexpectedly, she saw this scene, which made her so vexed that her face darkened.
“Sister-in-law, that won’t happen. His Highness has promised me,” You Yue’e uttered in a low voice as she wiped her tears with her handkerchief.
“What’s the use of his promise? When you married him, didn’t he promise you that he would never get a high-ranking concubine? What are all these concubines then? He has two second consorts before, and now he is even going to have a co-wife. The co-wife’s son will also be the legitimate son. How can you make your child the legal heir by right and title in the future? Besides, she is so seductive that she dares to flirt with King Yan in the main hall. It is obvious that she is a restless woman. What are you going to do in the future?”
Ling Mingyan held You Yue’e’s hand and sincerely persuaded her.
These words actually spoke You Yue’e’s mind. In the main hall today, she had been thinking about this question over and over again. If Feng Yulei really ascended the throne one day and Princess Caifeng also had a son with him, would he pass the thron to her son or to Princess Caifeng’s son? If he again said that he had no choice then, would she have to give her position to that woman and her son’s position to that woman’s son?
Thinking of this, she was suddenly overwhelmed by sorrow. She covered her mouth with the handkerchief and sobbed with grievance.
Ling Mingyan sighed and advised, “So, you have to drive her away when there’s nothing else happening yet, instead of helping them.”
“I… I can’t do this… His Highness, His Highness has no choice!” You Yue’e cried helplessly and shook her head. If she had a way, she would not give her man to another woman.
“You…” Ling Mingyan was so furious. Even at this point, You Yue’e was still thinking for Feng Yulei. Ling Mingyan turned livid with rage. “Younger Sister, have you thought it through? Something will happen in the future. You can think about it first. You can come to me after you figure out what to do. I’ll go back.”
She had always been straightforward and would do whatever she wanted. What You Yue’e did had obviously pissed her off. Without another word for You Yue’e, she took her maidservant downstairs, ignoring the call of You Yue’e from behind her. As soon as she reached the first floor, she made her way to the front door, ready to return to her manor. She was suffocated by anger.
That woman was just a princess from a small country. As You Yue’e had the support of Duke Ding and Mingguo Manor, how could she not be comparable to a princess from a small country?
She had wanted to back You Yue’e up. However, she was cross with her hesitation. In a fit of rage, she took her people and went back to the manor in her carriage. You Yue’e called after her a few times, but as Ling Mingyan did not stop, she gave up.
