Chapter 163

Chapter 163 – Princess Jing Or Crown Princess? A Dilemma!

Chapter 163 Princess Jing or Crown Princess? A Dilemma!

“It’s good not to marry!” Qu Moying smiled shyly, a hint of ridicule appearing on her lips. “I heard that when my mother got married, she was full of expectations. But in the end, she ended up like this. Not only did she fail to protect herself, but even her own child was chased out of the house.”

The so-called title of Second Madam Qu had been taken by Yu ever since then.

Her mother’s expectations had long become riddled with holes.

Moreover, if she dared to find the Crown Prince for revenge, she might end up with a horrible death. She didn’t even know what could possibly happen in the future, so she had no intention of getting married.

“Maybe you will meet a good man one day.” Pei Yuanjun curved his thin lips and pulled his wide sleeves gracefully.

“Someone like Young Master Yongning?” Qu Moying tossed the question back at him, sounding unconcerned.

Young Master Yongning, Xu Lipeng, had been keeping the secret for many years. At that time, everyone would say something good about him when he was mentioned in a conversation, but the truth was that he had already hooked up with Yu Qingmeng long ago.

If Qu Moying hadn’t found out the truth, she might have only known the truth after marrying him. She would have the same fate as her mother’s and end up in tragedy. In the end, Yu Qingmeng would take the position of the first wife, and after she died, she would have nothing left behind.

Xu Lipeng and Qu Zhizhen were similar cases.

Hearing that, Pei Yuanjun was in a good mood. “Don’t worry, I will marry you in the future.”

The corners of Qu Moying’s lips curled up. She then replied indifferently, “Lord Yun, you should ask your Princess Consort later. It’s too early to say that now.”

She heard that Lord Yun had always been unwilling to get married. Who knew when he would marry a Princess Consort?

Those words made Pei Yuanjun burst into laughter. He stood up and walked towards Qu Moying. Qu Moying wasn’t tall enough. Standing in front of him, she appeared shorter. She had to raise her head to look at his face.

Pei Yuanjun reached out and patted her head. Looking at her face in a good mood, he uttered, “If you need anything in the future, send Yu Dong to me.”

“Thank you, Lord Yun!” Qu Moying breathed a sigh of relief.

She had pondered over it before she answered decisively just now. In fact, she had no say in this matter at all. It was all up to Pei Yuanjun. Qu Moying knew clearly that as long as Pei Yuanjun agreed, the Emperor would issue a decree for their marriage immediately.

Since he had specifically informed her of it, she should express her attitude and leave a good impression on Pei Yuanjun.

Right now, the most powerful person she could rely on was Pei Yuanjun.

If Pei Luo’an ascended the throne, he would not accept Pei Yuanjun. In this case, she shared the same purpose with Pei Yuanjun. Even if she had to fight to death, she would still take revenge.

Pei Yuanjun smiled. His long lashes on his enchanting, beautiful eyes fluttered a few times. His smile reached his eyes, and he was increasingly interested in what this young lady had up her sleeves.

He could tell that she had a goal, and it was becoming more and more interesting. Giving her the title of a Princess didn’t seem like a bad idea, and he could even let her go up higher.

Ji Hai glanced at the handsome face of Lord Yun, who walked past him. He breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. After bowing to Qu Moying, Ji Hai hurriedly followed Lord Yun out. There was also a hint of a smile in his eyes. He knew that Lord Yun treated Fourth Lady Qu differently. Otherwise, Lord Yun would not have come over to ask her personally.

It sounded like his Master could let Fourth Lady Qu make the decision, but Ji Hai knew his Master’s character all too well. Usually, if it was beneficial to him, his Master would not care about how the other party would think and feel.

But this time, his Master had personally made a trip. When he was outside just now, the door was left ajar, so Ji Hai had been listening to their conversation with his ears pricked up.

Narrowing his eyes, Ji Hai followed behind his Master. The latter was in a good mood. To be frank, what was most important was that his Master was in high spirits!

There was a big-scale gold jewelry shop opposite them. Ji Hai took a step forward and smiled, “Sir, do you want to go and take a look?”

“What for?” Pei Yuanjun questioned indifferently.

“Fourth Lady Qu might like those,” Ji Hai hinted. His Master never had any other woman by his side. Even Lady Liu could not get close to him. Therefore, he must not know what women liked.

Pei Yuanjun raised his beautiful eyes and looked at the gold jewelry shop. However, he only glanced at it briefly. He then glanced sideways at Ji Hai, who was smiling from ear to ear, and snorted coldly, “What does it have to do with me?”

After he finished speaking, he sauntered towards the carriage that was parked at the side.

The huge carriage didn’t blend in at all. With a single glance, one could instantly tell that its owner was rich and powerful. The guards standing around were seething maliciously. The passers-by practically didn’t dare to approach the path they were on, and they all avoided it from a distance. When they saw Lord Yun coming over with his cold gaze sweeping over them, everyone felt cold sweat on their backs as they scurried far away.

Only those who were far away couldn’t sense the malicious aura surrounding the area. They thought that this Master was incomparably handsome, and there was a trace of dignity in his enchanting charm. He was truly the best candidate for a husband.

Far away, there was a pavilion, and on the pavilion, there was a table of fruits and snacks. Liu Jingyu was sitting on a chair by the window, watching the scene.

The lady sitting opposite Liu Jingyu had a charming appearance. She was Junior Prime Minister’s second daughter, Chen Hailan. Right now, she was of marriageable age.

Seeing County Lady Jingyu look up, she followed the former’s line of sight and turned to see the carriage in the distance. When she saw Pei Yuanjun’s handsome face, she couldn’t help but be stunned. As she watched him getting on the extremely luxurious carriage, she felt a surge of heat gushing through her body, and her face flushed a little. She couldn’t help it, and her heartbeat was thumping rapidly.

Which family was this young master from? He was as beautiful as pearl and jade. He was incredibly good-looking!

She had also seen many young masters of aristocratic families, but none of them had moved her so much like this man in front of her.

“Which… Which family is this young master from?” Chen Hailan asked subconsciously. Her gaze carried a hint of reluctance to part with him as she looked down at the carriage below. She had seen many young masters from aristocratic families in the capital, but she had never seen one as outstanding as him. Even the other Princes could not be compared with him in terms of appearance.

County Lady Jingyu withdrew her gaze and looked at Chen Hailan, who was sitting opposite her. Her face revealed a gentle smile, “It seems to be Lord Yun!”

She said uncertainly, “The guards by the carriage are not from ordinary families. They are royal guards.”

Was it Lord Yun? The blush on Chen Hailan’s face faded a little. Her gaze once again fell on the guards on both sides of the carriage. It was not that she was ignorant. It was just that she had been distracted by Pei Yuanjun just now. That was why she did not notice such details for a moment.

“Is it really Lord Yun?” Chen Hailan bit her lips and asked again.

Of course, she knew about Lord Yun’s bad reputation. She heard that he had killed countless people at the borders. Even the bed he slept on was built up by human skulls. Though he had such a fiendish reputation, he actually had a gorgeous appearance. He was as beautiful as jade, and there was no one in this world who outshone him!

“I’m not sure either. It should be!” County Lady Jingyu’s gaze also fell on the carriage below, but she was not as expectant as Chen Hailan.

She knew better than Chen Hailan what kind of person Lord Yun was. There were some things which she had not only heard of but also seen. No matter how beautiful a woman was, he would not feel any affection for her. She was self-aware of that. A man like him was not someone she could hope for. Moreover, she was more interested in Lord Jing.

As for Crown Prince, he also had great power. At least for now, that was how it was seen on the surface. When the Empress called her over that day, she attended as promised. She knew that the Empress was scouting the next Crown Princess, but the Empress was not favored in the palace, and her power wasn’t strong. The Imperial Noble Consort had won the Emperor’s heart, and the Emperor had doted on her for many years. It was rumored that the Emperor even wanted to promote the Imperial Noble Consort to the Empress.

This rumor was not groundless. It was also related to the earliest Empress Yuan. If the Empress was dethroned, the Crown Prince would also be likely to lose his position. In this case, when the Crown Prince lost his power, then the Crown Princess’ position would be even more unreliable.

However, as of right now, the Empress was still the Empress, and the Crown Prince was still the Crown Prince. From this, it seemed that the Crown Prince still had power.

County Lady Jingyu had always wanted to marry Lord Jing. At that time, Crown Prince had Ji Hanyue, and it could be seen that the Crown Prince treated Ji Hanyue very well. She was treated differently from ordinary women. Even if County Lady Jingyu was married to him, she would only be a Princess. Moreover, she might not be able to compete with Ji Hanyue. Compared to others, Ji Hanyue made County Lady Jingyu more vigilant.

She was the type of woman who was arrogant but very capable. Her appearance was outstanding, her behavior was appropriate, and every word and action of hers was a model for the rest of the noble ladies. Even if they confronted each other, County Lady Jingyu might not stand a chance to win.

Compared to the Crown Prince at that time, County Lady Jingyu thought marrying Lord Jing was a better choice.

But now, she was hesitant. That day, the Empress held her hand, sounded so friendly, and showed a hint of satisfaction through words and actions, but County Lady Jingyu did not dare to answer too much.

At that time, the Empress did not only take a fancy to her. The Second Lady of Prime Minister Chen’s Mansion in front of her now was also one of the candidates that Empress took a fancy to.

“How can Lord Yun look like… I have never heard how gorgeous Lord Yun looked.” Chen Hailan didn’t know that County Lady Jingyu had been thinking a lot just as she said these few words. She looked at the back of the carriage with eyes full of attachment. She still thought that this was not true.

“Who dares to talk about Lord Yun’s appearance?” County Lady Jingyu replied indifferently.

These words made Chen Hailan silent for a while. She lowered her head and the blush on her face faded a little. Everyone in the capital knew that he did not like women. The women sent by the palace were all rejected by him. When he was unhappy, he would even find an excuse to beat them up before sending them back.

When had those dainty palace maids ever suffered in this way? After they were caned without pity and thrown back half-dead, no one dared to approach Lord Yun anymore.

Because of that, Lord Yun’s notoriety was spread far and wide.

“I heard that this time, the Empress is choosing a lady for Lord Yun.” After a moment of silence, a slight blush appeared again on Chen Hailan’s face as she said with hope.

“The Empress didn’t say anything,” Jingyu reminded her in a neutral tone.

The Empress only called them over to meet once, but she didn’t mention anything else. Just now, she had sent them back early and didn’t even have them stay for lunch. They didn’t meet any men either, including Crown Prince and Lord Yun. According to the Empress’ previous words, someone would come over to their houses.

As for the details, County Lady Jingyu didn’t know, either. Her gaze fell outside the window again. There was a figure in white. Even though that figure was far away, County Lady Jingyu recognized who the lady was, and her eyes narrowed. She suddenly remembered what her mother said to her in private, and there was a trace of disgust in her eyes…