Chapter 194 – Choosing The Princess Consort Depends On The First-Sight Attraction
Chapter 194 Choosing the Princess Consort Depends on the First-sight Attraction
Outside of the Empress’ Pepper House Hall, Lord Yun slowly walked over.
“My lord, this way, please. The Empress has been waiting for you for a long time.” Pepper House Hall’s manager eunuch had been waiting there for a long time. He smiled and said.
“Other than me, who else has come?” Pei Yuanjun said unhurriedly.
He came to the Empress’ Pepper House Hall because of the Emperor’s order, and he naturally knew the purpose.
“Lord Jing, Lord Wei, and Lord Yan have also come.” The manager eunuch smiled. “They have arrived early and are waiting for you.”
“Oh, are you blaming me for coming late?” Pei Yuanjun raised his eyebrows, curling up the corner of his mouth.
The manager eunuch was shocked. He hurriedly shook his head. “It’s not that. The Empress is not ready yet. It’s just that those Lords came early, but you are not late, my lord.”
No matter how late Lord Yun was, the manager eunuch did not dare to say anything. Even the Empress could only wait. Even though the eunuch had some dignity in front of the Empress, he was only a servant in front of Lord Yun Pei Yuanjun. This was something that the manager eunuch understood very clearly. The Emperor considered this Lord Yun as his own son, didn’t he?
No, not a son. Compared to his son, the Emperor favored this younger brother way more. He was not someone that the few Princes and Lords could compare with.
In the main hall, there were indeed a few Princes waiting.
Seeing Pei Yuanjun come in, Lord Jing stood up and bowed first. Then, it was Lord Yan. Lord Wei’s body was not very agile. He came over in a wheelchair.
When he saw the wheelchair, Pei Yuanjun looked at it a few more times, and then his eyes turned away.
“Uncle Yun.”
“Uncle Yun!”
“Uncle Yun!” The three Lords were one generation younger, and they were all very respectful when they saw Pei Yuanjun.
“Have a seat.” Pei Yuanjun waved his hand and directly sat down in the front seat. It could be seen that it was especially left for him by his nephews.
The seat above was still empty. The Empress had not come out yet.
“Uncle Yun, I heard that the Empress called us here today just for you,” Lord Jing said with a smile. It could be seen that he was in a good mood.
“What do you mean?” Pei Yuanjun picked up the tea that the palace servant served to him and elegantly lifted the lid. He skimmed the bubbles and took a sip.
“Uncle Yun, don’t you know the Empress had prepared many beautiful ladies for you? Only after you have chosen a wife will it be our turn. We have to wait for you to pick one before we pick the remaining ones. How pitiful!” Lord Yan was the most outgoing and had a close relationship with Pei Yuanjun. Whenever he wanted to say something, he would just say it. When he finished speaking, he saw his two brothers’ awkward expressions.
He hurriedly said, “I didn’t mean that. It’s not picking the remaining ones. Naturally, Uncle Yun, you will be the first to pick the lady you are attracted to. After that, it’s our turn to pick the ones we are attracted to at first sight. If you don’t marry, we won’t be able to marry either.”
“I am not old. You guys can pick first,” Pei Yuanjun said indifferently. In terms of age, he was indeed the youngest among them. Even the youngest Prince Lord Yan was slightly older than him.
However, no matter how young he was, his seniority was higher. The royals usually marry late, and now it was already very late.
“Uncle Yun, if you don’t marry, then Father won’t allow us to marry. You don’t want to hear rumors that the royals are all single, do you?” Lord Yan spread out his hands.
“The Crown Prince has already married. It’s your turn now. I am not in a hurry,” Pei Yuanjun said lazily. He leaned back and put one hand on the table. He looked at his nephews with a bit of ease and elegance. His pair of beautiful eyes swept over them with a hint of ridicule.
Naturally, the Crown Prince was older than Pei Yuanjun. Originally, it should have been Pei Yuanjun who married first, but the Crown Prince’s engagement had been made early. Moreover, the engagement had been pushed back because of Ji Hanyue. After that, Pei Yuanjun had not decided on his marriage, so the Emperor allowed the Crown Prince to get married first.
“The Crown Prince is different from us. Of course, he has to marry first, but the few of us…” Lord Yan made a gesture and pointed at everyone, including Lord Jing and Lord Wei. “We are all waiting for you, Uncle Yun. Father’s meaning is very clear. Uncle Yun, please don’t be stubborn!”
If he did not stop being stubborn, they would not be able to get married at all. Lord Yan felt that it was actually time for him to get married.
“Are you guys really in such a hurry to get married?” Pei Yuanjun raised his eyebrows. His gaze swept across the faces of his three nephews. He was smiling while he talked. At this time, no one would think that this Lord Yun in front of them was so malicious and terrifying.
It was as if he was just a handsome and elegant young master of a noble family. His voice was gentle and his tone was light.
“I’m not in a hurry. My health is not good.” Lord Wei coughed in a low voice. He turned his head and gently wiped the corner of his lips with a handkerchief. His pale face also showed a bit of ridicule. “Yanxun is in a hurry. Let him get married first.”
“Even though I’m in a hurry, I will wait until Third Brother gets married. After Uncle Yun gets married, it will be Second Brother, and then Third Brother. Only then will it be me, and maybe even the Crown Prince. No matter how you look at it, my turn will be a few years later. Third Brother, it is better for you to think about what kind of beauty to choose first.”
Seeing that Lord Wei also teased him, Lord Yan blushed in an instant and hurriedly retorted.
“Look, Yanxun is really anxious.” Pei Yuanjun smiled. He reached out and patted the corner of the table. His movements were very wanton, as if he did not know that this was the Empress’ Pepper House Hall.
The few people present having an exciting conversation were of noble status, so no one was surprised. Immediately, the others also laughed.
The Empress, who had just walked over, stopped in her tracks. She suppressed the annoyance between her eyebrows. She really did not like Pei Yuanjun, and even disliked these Princes being impudent in her Pepper House Hall. However, no matter how much she disliked them, she could not show it on her face. The Emperor had repeatedly expressed that Old Lord Yun had been very kind to him and had asked her to respect Lord Yun Mansion.
The Emperor also said that the eldest sister-in-law was like a mother. Old Consort Yun was dead long ago. Now, the only one who should be in charge of the marriage for Lord Yun was the Empress. So, he hoped that she would put more effort into this matter.
However, was it useful to put in so much effort for someone like Pei Yuanjun? Looking at the portraits in the palace servant’s hand behind her, the Empress felt depressed in her heart, and her eyebrows twitched. For this matter, how much effort had she put? Now, there were no benefits, and her help was even rejected each time, making others take her as a joke.
As the dignified Empress of a country, her help actually was rejected by a Lord, and it was not just once.
This time, she even called the other Princes over to create momentum together. What made the Empress angry the most was that she implicitly said that the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace could not be without a hostess. The position of the Crown Princess had to be settled first. However, the Emperor said that the position of Consort Yun had to be settled first. The marriages should be settled in order according to their seniority. She could not mess up the rules.
It had to be in order? In terms of age, the Crown Prince was the oldest. Why would a Lord get married earlier than the Crown Prince?
The Empress was very unconvinced, but she had no choice but to agree. She even said that she would definitely choose a Princess Consort that Lord Yun was satisfied with. The present was different from the past. Lord Yun did not insist on not getting married now, so what else couldn’t be done?
Taking a deep breath, the Empress led a group of people out.
A eunuch shrieked, “The Empress has arrived.”
Palace maids, who lined up in two rows, walked out from behind neatly, followed by two rows of eunuchs, and finally, it was the Empress.
The Empress sat down on the top. The Princes and Lords came forward to greet her, and then sat down again.
“The Emperor mentioned you to me before, Lord Yun. You are an elder, and you really can’t delay your marriage any longer. If you do, the Emperor will say that I don’t put in enough effort for you.” The Empress smiled and looked at Pei Yuanjun. Her face was full of kindness and concern. She didn’t beat around the bush but get straight to the point, but it made people feel a little intimate.
If she didn’t treat Pei Yuanjun as her family, how could she say such words?
Lord Jing looked at the lazy Pei Yuanjun and then looked at the gentle Empress who was sitting above. His eyes darkened. He heard that the beauties that the Empress sent to Lord Yun Mansion didn’t end up well. Was what he heard fake?
“Thank you, Your Grace. However, I haven’t met a suitable candidate yet. If I do, I will tell you, Your Grace.” Pei Yuanjun gently pushed away the tea set in front of him. His smile was elegant but a little cold.
“Well… you haven’t met your love yet? How about asking the Emperor to hold a selection for you to directly choose from them?” The Empress suggested with a smile.
“If the Princes want to choose, it is a good idea; but when it comes to me, I’ll have to choose on the basis of first-sight attraction.” Pei Yuanjun leaned back and said lazily. He reached out and gracefully tapped the teacup, his voice soft as if he was not disobeying the Empress.
These words sounded polite, but the meaning of rejection in his words was very obvious.
If this were said by any of the Princes present, the Empress would definitely be furious, and she would not be able to control her anger. Even her own son should not go against her wishes in front of so many people.
However, the person in front of her was Pei Yuanjun. The Empress had no choice but to suppress her anger. Others might not know, but she clearly knew the Emperor really raised this Lord Yun in front of her as his son.
The Emperor clearly had many sons, but he raised his uncle’s son, his younger brother, as his son. Moreover, he especially doted on Pei Yuanjun. For this, the Empress had been jealous, but even so, Pei Yuanjun was still doted on by the Emperor. Her gaze swept past his ear. There was a small earring. It was specifically asked from the temple when he was young to bless him for fear that he would suffer from diseases and disasters.
There was a rumor among the folks that if one was worried that boys would not grow up properly, one should treat them as girls. That was why there was an earring on Pei Yuanjun’s ear. The Empress had also heard a rumor that the Emperor personally asked for this earring and then sent it to Lord Yun Mansion to let Pei Yuanjun, who he liked at first sight, wear it.
Even a Prince, who was born in the palace, did not receive this kind of treatment. Why could Pei Yuanjun receive it?
First-sight attraction? The Empress hated hearing this phrase the most. If Pei Yuanjun were the Emperor’s biological son, then wouldn’t the Empress’ own son lose favor? As long as she thought of this, the Empress couldn’t control the anger in her heart.
“First-sight attraction is the most uncontrollable and the most intangible thing. What the Emperor means is to let you choose a Princess Consort as well as a Princess first, Lord Yun. If there is anyone else you fancy, then let’s decide on the basis of first-sight attraction!” The smile on the Empress’ face faded, and the corners of her mouth slightly drooped down.
There was a different meaning in her words.
