Chapter 366
“The eunuch that was sent over said that Yan Huaijing mentioned Jing Wenyan’s name.” The Third Prince said meaningfully.
Wen Tianyao frowned. “Didn’t they say that the two families wanted to arrange the marriage for the two of them but it was canceled because Yan Huaijing didn’t agree to it at that time?”
“Maybe he changed his mind.” The Third Prince’s eyes gleamed as he spoke in a steady voice.
The Third Prince said so because back then, the State of Yan had intended to attack and conquer the State of Jing, so the Yan Family was not keen on the marriage between Yan Huaijing and Jing Wenyan. If they had gotten married and then the State of Yan invaded the State of Jing, it would have discredited the Yan Family.
“So, are you saying that Yan Huaijing has taken a fancy to Jing Wenyan?” Wen Tianyao mouthed slowly, but his expression suddenly turned stern. “Jing Wenyan will not marry him!”
“Why not? Eldest Brother, if he wants to marry Jing Wenyan, just marry them off so that we can prevent him from stirring up more trouble.” The Third Prince faltered in confusion and looked at Wen Tianyao hesitantly. “Eldest Brother, do you like her too?”
Jing Wenyan, who was the most beautiful woman in the State of Jing or maybe even the country, was very attractive and charming. It was understandable for the Third Prince to think this way.
“Third Younger Brother, what kind of person do you think Eldest Miss Jing is?” Wen Tianyao shook his head, his lips curling into a mocking smile.
It was such an abrupt question that the Third Prince could not comprehend what Wen Tianyao meant. But they were close since they were young, so after pondering for a moment, the Third Prince answered bluntly, “She’s quite ambitious!”
The reason why he said that was that after the State of Jing perished, Eldest Miss Jing entered the imperial palace almost every day after she came to the capital, and she was much liked by the Empress Dowager, Empress, the other imperial concubines, the Third Princess, and the Fourth Princess. It could be said that from the Empress Dowager to palace maids, every woman in the imperial palace praised her for her dignified and gentle demeanor.
A woman who could achieve this would not be simple-minded.
The Empress Dowager and the Empress had always been at odds with each other. In the Crown Prince’s and the Third Prince’s opinion, it was almost impossible to be able to satisfy both women.
The Third Princess and the Fourth Princess were also on bad terms with each other. They had no mutual connections or friends except Jing Wenyan.
This kind of unlikely thing happened right in front of their eyes. In fact, everyone in the harem praised Jing Wenyan.
“If we let her go to the State of Yan with either Third Younger Sister or Fourth Younger Sister, do you think our sisters will be able to give birth to the State of Yan’s future heir-apparent safely?”
Wen Tianyao sneered.
These words reminded the Third Prince. He frowned and nodded with a serious face. From the looks of it, they couldn’t give Eldest Miss Jing to Yan Huaijing.
“But, Eldest Brother, Yan Huaijing said that he has taken a fancy to Jing Wenyan, and he disdained the portraits we sent over. Does this mean that he insists on marrying Jing Wenyan?” The Third Prince asked.
Wen Tianyao suddenly laughed and patted the Third Prince on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Jing Wenyan is not the only one he has taken a fancy to. Isn’t his childhood sweetheart a young lady of an aristocratic family? From the looks of it, he cares a lot about this woman. If this woman knows that Yan Huaijing wants to marry Jing Wenyan…”
Master Fenghe also said that if he couldn’t figure out her identity, then she really was Yan Huaijing’s childhood sweetheart.
The Third Prince’s eyes lit up. “There will definitely be a commotion! That woman even barged all the way to the capital. This shows that this woman is not a simple person!”
This woman must be extraordinary since she even wanted to get involved in the State of Yan’s marriage with the princess. In fact, she must be on par with Jing Wenyan.
If they placed such a woman together with Jing Wenyan, it would definitely cause a great stir. If Yan Huaijing wanted to marry the two beauties, he must be able to withstand such pressure.
“But he is very protective of that courtyard. No one in the mansion can even get close to it. There is also a woman bodyguard inside serving the woman, and even the food is delivered by his own bodyguards!”
The Third Prince showed a hint of concern on his handsome face when he thought of Yan Huaijing’s strict protection.
Since the first time that woman showed up in the Palace, Yan Huaijing had installed layers after layers of protection in the courtyard. It was impossible for anyone to go in and see the young lady. Thus, even the Crown Prince and he did not know what the woman looked like.
“So what if he protects the place? Women always like to go out for a stroll. Moreover, the customs and culture here must be very different from the State of Yan.” Wen Tianyao sneered. Since they could not enter that courtyard, they could lure the woman out.
Yan Huaijing could guard other people against entering, but he could not extinguish the young lady’s curiosity.
“Alright. Our people will stay close to Duke of Yan State Mansion. As long as we find any suspicious woman, we will keep an eye on her immediately!” The Third Prince nodded. It seemed that the best plan was to lay low and wait.
“Eldest Brother, the selection will begin soon. Is there really such a woman?” The Third Prince suddenly thought of something and asked in surprise.
“Let’s see how it goes. Since you said so, I have to select my bride.” Wen Tianyao said indifferently.
“If Master Fenghe can’t find a suitable person, what should we do then?” The Third Prince was very worried about this. The matter seemed like a small problem, but the implication could be serious. If the Crown Prince could not pick that woman, others would say that the Crown Prince was not the successor chosen by the heavens. By then, it might cause chaos in the country.
“I’ll pick her!” Wen Tianyao smirked. “No matter who she is, I’ll definitely select her!”
The matter about the so-called phoenix-fate woman and the selection based on the palm print had already been secretly circulated in the capital. Then, no matter who was chosen in the end, his Crown Princess would definitely be the phoenix-fate woman.
“But Master Fenghe…” The Third Prince asked hesitantly. Master Fenghe had always been known for being fair and strict. This was also the reason why everyone would believe his result.
“So what? He has the blood of the royal family after all. Even though he has now become a monk, he is still part of the royal family. Besides, his position as Prefectural Prince has also been granted to his younger sister’s son according to his request. The royal family has not mistreated him!” Wen Tianyao snapped coldly.
These words made the Third Prince silent for a while, and a flash of sadness flashed through his eyes. Indeed, because of the bloodline of the royal family, he had to serve the royal family no matter what. Even if he knew that something was wrong, he had to do it. If he could choose, he would rather be born into an ordinary family.
It was easier to be an ordinary mortal. The burden of the royal family was too heavy, so heavy that he almost couldn’t bear it.
Sensing the Third Prince’s sadness, Wen Tianyao relaxed and said, “Don’t worry, I’ve always taken your matter to heart. I will definitely investigate it for you.”
“Thank you, Eldest Brother!” Feeling the lump in his throat, the Third Prince lowered his head to hide the pain in his eyes and bowed deeply to Wen Tianyao.
“You don’t have to thank me. We are brothers. How can I not take your matter seriously?” Wen Tianyao reached out to support the Third Prince and shook his head.
Even though he never said anything, it didn’t mean that he didn’t know. Wen Tianyao had already known that his Third Younger Brother was different from the others since a long time ago, so he would definitely help him find his family.
Wen Tianyao inexplicably thought of Wei Qiufu and frowned, feeling irritated. But when he saw the Third Prince’s grateful face, he felt that everything he had done was worth it.
This time, regardless of whether it was Wei Qiufu who did it or not, she had already suffered a big loss. For the sake of his Third Younger Brother, he had to help her, or she would definitely be very miserable when she returned to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang.
When he thought of Wei Qiufu, another beautiful face with a hint of childishness flashed past his eyes. It seemed that from the moment Sixth Miss Wei entered the capital, she was so different from everyone else. For some reason, his heart became a bit more upset.
“Let’s go, Third Younger Brother!” He patted the Third Prince’s shoulder. This time, he did not say anything else, turned around, and walked down the steps. The Third Prince followed behind him.
The brothers were chatting enthusiastically. Meanwhile, the atmosphere between Wei Yuewu and Wei Qiufu was not that intimate.
Wei Qiufu and Wei Yuewu almost didn’t say anything to each other since they went back to their rooms to pack up their things and followed all of the young ladies of aristocratic families to leave the Palace. Wei Qiufu wanted to chat with Wei Yuewu several times, but Wei Yuewu avoided her coldly every time, and Wei Qiufu gritted her teeth indignantly as she couldn’t find a chance to talk to Wei Yuewu.
When they finally returned to Chu Xiu Palace, the ladies parted ways to return to their respective rooms. Wei Yuewu took Jin Ling and walked away quickly. Wei Qiufu wanted to chase after them, but it was inappropriate for her to run in the Palace. She had no choice but to watch as Wei Yuewu and Jin Ling got further and further away from her.
When they arrived at their rooms, Wei Qiufu thought about it and decided not to knock on Wei Yuewu’s door.
There were two palace maids standing outside the door of their rooms, and the palace maids were looking at her with burning eyes as if they were the anti-theft monitors. Wei Qiufu was indignant and frustrated upon seeing this, but there was nothing she could do!
When she entered her room, she found that the things in the room were neat. There was no trace of being flipped over before. Her things were placed separately, which was still the same as when she left earlier.
“Miss, what should we do now?” Ming Yan followed her with a bitter face.
Wei Qiufu turned around and slapped Ming Yan hard on the face, causing Ming Yan to fall to the side and almost hit the screen.
“Bitch! Bitch!” Wei Qiufu cursed fiercely.
“Miss, I…” Ming Yan covered her face and trembled in fear. Her eyes also reddened.
“What the hell are you crying for? Check and see if the note from that day is still there. If it is gone, I will kill you!” Wei Qiufu scolded with a sinister face.
“Yes, Miss. I will go and check it immediately!” Ming Yan was startled for a moment and immediately understood. She covered her face and timidly went to the writing desk in the outer room.