Chapter 1033 The So-called Dream Lover
“Does Princess Yutao want to marry me?” Chu Liuchen also got the news. He narrowed his eyes and asked meaningfully.
“Yes. It was the idea of Princess Yutao and the Xu State’s royal family. That was why the Xu State sent a national letter to the capital city. Our guards were watching, but they only kept an eye on the letters of Commandery Prince Qing and Ningyuan Army General and didn’t dare to intercept the national letter from the Xu State!” Xiao Xuanzi explained carefully.
Speaking of this matter, he did have a headache. How could they intercept any national letters at will, especially at such a critical period?
However, something bad happened when the Emperor read the national letter that couldn’t be intercepted. As soon as the Emperor and the Empress Dowager learned the Xu State’s intention, their interest was aroused.
“Are they going to plot against my master?” Xiao Xuanzi felt a chill on his back. “But it’s never easy to scheme against my master. Why is Princess Yutao so eager to marry him? She is courting death.”!!
“Among the three princesses of the Xu State, Princess Yutao is the eldest. There is Princess Yuyan about Princess Yutao’s age and a princess who is still a child!” Chu Liuchen said lazily with a casual tone.
Xiao Xuanzi hurriedly said, “Master, there are three princesses, but only Princess Yutao and Princess Yuyan are of the appropriate age for marriage. This time, it is Princess Yutao who wants to marry into our state. Princess Yuyan and Commandery Prince Qing are on pretty good terms. I heard she would visit Commandery Prince Qing from time to time, and some people had seen them go out to have fun together.”
“Who are their birth mothers?” Chu Liuchen seemed interested in them and began making detailed inquiries.
“Princess Yutao’s mother is from the Xu State, the legitimate daughter of a large tribe in the Xu State. As the Queen of the Xu State. She enjoys an honorable status. In contrast, it is said that Princess Yuyan’s birth mother is devastatingly beautiful, and the King of the Xu State values her. This beloved consort seems to have come from our country. But as for who exactly she is, the Xu State has been closely guarded the truth as a secret.”
Xiao Xuanzi thought for a while and said.
“Does this favorite concubine have only one daughter?” Chu Liuchen asked.
“She has more than a daughter and gave birth to the First Prince of the Xu State. The current Xu State Queen has a much younger prince who is still a baby. He certainly has no ability to compete for the throne with the First Prince. It is said that many people in the Xu State want their First Prince to be the crown prince. If it weren’t for the powerful tribe of the Xu State Queen, the favored consort would have become the Queen long ago!”
Xiao Xuanzi sorted out the information he had heard and reported.
From these aspects, Chu Liuchen knew the current situation in the Xu State was quite similar to that of his country. There was no crown prince, and people were fighting for this position, open and secret.
“I remember that women in the Xu State can also inherit the throne!” Chu Liuchen said slouchingly. His smile looked mild, but Xiao Xuanzi could perceive a bit of cold and almost substantial light in his eyes, which greatly panicked him. In whatever way he looked at his smiling eyes, he felt as if something gorgeous and evil was slowly sliding over his nervous heart.
“Yes, I’ve also heard about it. That’s why a small number of people in Xu State support Princess Yutao. But there are too few of them. After all, Princess Yutao has an elder brother. If she marries far away, she will lose all her power in Xu State. If so, how can she inherit the throne? If she chooses to be the Imperial Great Daughter, she must promise before the throne that she will never marry into any other people’s family in her lifetime. But she can pick up a husband within the state and let him live in her Palace.”
Xiao Xuanzi said. This was the custom of the Xu State.
The Princess also had the right to inherit the throne. However, the Princess who got the throne could not marry anyone outside her state. More than that, her future husband had to marry into the royal family, and their children would have to use the same surname as the Princess.
It was impossible for her to marry into another family.
“Get in touch with Princess Yutao and tell her I want to see her!” Chu Liuchen stretched out his slender fingers, gently tapping twice on the table, and said.
He wanted to see if Princess Yutao was a woman of strong will, but he would not accept her no matter how determined she was to marry him. Nevertheless, he could help her marry anyone else, even if it was Chu Liuzhou in the capital city.
But if Princess Yutao was also forced to consider the marriage and had no intention of marrying him, it would be perfect.
“Yes, master, I will arrange it right away!” Xiao Xuanzi nodded and left with a big smile. He already had an idea in his mind.
The news quickly came from Princess Yutao. As soon as Chu Liuchen revealed the message, she replied in no time. That night, Princess Yutao left the Xu State and sneaked into the city.
The city was now under Chu Liuchen’s control. Although Princess Yutao came here in disguise, he knew her arrival immediately.
“Princess, could it be a plot deliberately set by First Prince?” A servant girl dressed up as a maid uneasily pulled the clothes of Princess Yutao, who was walking before her.
To avoid being recognized by others, Princess Yutao put on a simple Han ethnic dress, wearing a veil that covered all but her pair of bright eyes. Her long bangs above covered the bright color in her eyes. From her present appearance, she was just an ordinary Miss from a Han family.
The two maids also dressed up like Han people, and they just wore clothes for servant girls.
This city was near the dusty and windy border. They used the veils not to hide their faces but to shield themselves from the wind and dust. On such a windy day, many women in the city dressed like this.
“No, it couldn’t be!” Princess Yutao shook her head. She was a beauty, but not a delicate one. Taller than most girls her age, she looked strong and vigorous.
“Why not? Think about it. Before the messenger came, no one had thought of this marriage. Unexpectedly, just as the messenger arrived, it was rumored you fell in love with Prince Chen and said that you had a strong admiration for him. But you haven’t seen Prince Chen before, so how can you lose your heart to him?”
The maid said indignantly.
Her master had never thought of being a humble wife to anyone, let alone marrying someone from another country. Princess Yutao was a woman of driving ambition.
But the news spread like wildfire, and many people believed it. Even the King had come to ask Princess Yutao about this. In the past, she had repeatedly told him that she would not get married.
“Wasn’t there a painting? I’ve seen it, so the rumors came out.” Princess Yutao sneered.
By all means, her eldest brother and second younger sister made others believe she had taken a fancy to Prince Chen. They even urged the King to write a national letter to the Kingdom of Dongcang’s Emperor, hinting that the two royal families should contract a lifelong alliance by marriage. From then on, the two families could live peacefully and deal with tricky issues together.
When Princess Yutao thought of the portrait, her face grew increasingly darker. Back then, she had been curious, so she took another look at it. But on second glance, she was a little stunned, and Yuyan caught her reaction and quickly told others she liked the man in the portrait. Also, many ministers had witnessed this scene. After hearing what Yuyan had said, most of them nodded in approval.
Some saw that she was absent-minded for a moment, while others were originally on Yuyan’s side. Of course, their purpose was to make her marry somewhere far away and give up the throne of the Xu State.
But how was she willing to give up? Whenever she saw her mother crying, Princess Yutao vowed to herself that she would never give up.
Her father’s beloved consort was merely a refugee fleeing from the land of Han nationality. After taking almost everything from her mother, she cast her covetous eyes on the throne belonging to her mother’s children! How dare she? What made her think she could do that?
She promised her mother that she would never marry and wouldn’t consider her marriage before her little brother grew up because she would not hand over the throne to the First Prince.
Her mother said that she had the eldest brother in her branch, but that bitch caused the miscarriage and made her son First Prince instead. However, neither Princess Yutao nor her mother would admit his status as First Prince. Even if her father wanted to push him to the throne, he would have to see whether she agreed or not.
After those people knew that she chose not to marry, for the time being, they brought Prince Chen’s portrait to her and made the romantic news on purpose.
Prince Chen was the type of man that Princess Yutao liked the most.
She was born as the eldest Princess. When she was a child, her father liked her so much that he specially invited some Han tutors to teach her and cultivated her as a little prince. She was treated the same as First Prince.
Princess Yutao always had a great affection toward those refined and elegant scholars from the Kingdom of Dongcang.
From the well-known Four Books and Five Classics, she had encountered many beautiful sentences describing those perfect handsome gentlemen. However, she just yearned for them in her heart. After all, she had her ambitions. If she had a chance in the future after the throne was settled, she could choose a Han man as her husband. It would be the best choice if her future husband were as graceful and good-looking as Prince Chen.
Prince Chen from the Kingdom of Dongcang perfectly fitted the image of her ideal husband, a man with the most satisfactory appearance in her dream. Thus, she was stunned at that time.
Her startled expression at that brief moment brought her a series of troubles. She became flustered in a great bustle for a while and hadn’t yet calmed down. This matter left some hidden problems. If the Kingdom of Dongcang’s Emperor agreed to this marriage, then she would be the most likely person to marry him.
If she married far away, she wouldn’t be able to protect her mother and little brother.
Her mother had always been at a disadvantage in the imperial harem. Though she appeared overwhelming, she didn’t know what her husband was thinking about. As for her younger brother, it was uncertain whether he could grow up or not. No one knew what the vicious woman would do to harm him. Princess Yutao was worried so much about them. So even if Prince Chen was the best man she had ever imagined, she could not marry him.
Today, she came to see Prince Chen, hoping he would think the same way as her. Otherwise, she could only return with disappointment.
Following the person leading the way, they arrived in front of an ordinary courtyard. This kind of courtyard was the most common one in the city on the border. It was simple in style adjoining to no other courtyards. There was a small lane on the side. The door was open, and a young servant was waiting by the door, looking at Princess Yutao and others with a genial and welcoming expression.
Princess Yutao and the others stepped forward.
Xiao Xuanzi came over with a smile and saluted. Then he stepped aside, waved his hand backward, and said, beaming with smiles, “Your Excellency, please come with me. His Highness has been waiting inside for a long time!”