Chapter 14: Candidate for Crown Princess

Chapter 14: The Crown Princess Candidate

The siblings fell silent for a long time—or more precisely, Xiao Hang was the only one being silent.

At this moment, he seemed no longer the arrogant, haughty Crown Prince, but had become a stone, a block of wood.

After a long while, he finally stirred, his eyes flickering, a hint of awkwardness he couldn't hide on his face.

"When did you figure it out, Sister?"

Clearly, there was no point in hiding it anymore. Xiao Hang didn't want to make a futile struggle.

Besides, it was his sister—if she knew, she knew.

Once he came to terms with it, Xiao Hang shed his earlier unease, crossed his legs, and regained his composure.

As if he hadn't been the one whose ears were about to catch fire moments ago.

Princess Changyang was somewhat impressed by her younger brother's nerve, and drawled, "I actually noticed it two years ago. I just knew you had someone in your heart, but I didn't know who. It wasn't until this year that I was certain it was Liu Jiayunniang of the Liu family."

As May approached, the weather grew hotter and more stifling. Especially for Xiao Hang, whose secret had just been exposed, a fire burned even hotter in his heart.

He picked up the chilled wine beside him and downed it in one go, asking, "How did you figure it out, Sister?"

Princess Changyang looked at the lovely young woman not far away, and answered with a smile, "Wasn't it obvious on the day of the spring outing?"

"You gave away something you carried with you. I refuse to believe my brother is that careless."

"For her sake, you even gave Rong'an a good scolding. But it was well done—she was sorely in need of discipline."

"As for that pair of jade bracelets, you moved too fast, brother—you left me no chance."

Now that she'd finally caught her brother in a moment of embarrassment, Princess Changyang couldn't resist teasing him a bit.

Xiao Hang lowered his eyes, said nothing, and admitted to it all.

"But when do you plan to discuss marriage with her, brother?"

This was what Changyang cared about most. She also wanted to drink a toast at her brother's wedding.

Asked about this, Xiao Hang leaned to the right, propping his head up with his right hand so he could get a better view—his gaze naturally falling on that charming figure in pink.

"Not yet."

Without revealing his full intentions, Xiao Hang said vaguely.

But who was Princess Changyang? How could she not guess his secret little thoughts?

She leaned in closer and said slyly, "Wait for what? Are you trying to find out if she's willing to be your wife?"

For the first time, Xiao Hang hated his sister's sharpness. He pursed his lips and let out a vague grunt.

On this matter, he'd been muddled for two years, and only now was he seeing things more clearly.

"But what if she's not willing?"

Princess Changyang said with a mischievous smile, her face showing undisguised mockery.

Xiao Hang probably had never considered that possibility. He was stunned for a moment before denying it with a sharp expression, "Impossible."

In this world, there was no more outstanding husband-to-be than him.

Xiao Hang thought this with unabashed arrogance, not believing for a moment that anything could go wrong.

Seeing her brother's confident stance, Princess Changyang smiled enigmatically.

"May it be as you wish, brother."

What if she's unwilling? With his temperament, she'd have to be willing whether she liked it or not!

He really was her own dear brother, born of the same mother!

Thinking back to her own past with her consort, Song Lan, Princess Changyang smiled softly.

Once his feelings were exposed, Xiao Hang became even bolder, no longer hiding from his sister, Princess Changyang, which amused her to no end.

"What's the point of just looking from afar? Why not call her over?"

Xiao Hang's lips moved, and he asked stiffly, "How do I call her over?"

He could never seem to find a proper excuse.

Shaking her head with a sigh, Princess Changyang felt as if she were meeting her brother for the first time.

"Remember your sister's kindness."

……

Under the willow tree, as they chatted, Chen Wei pulled out a bag of warm chestnuts and said cheerfully, "They just came out of the pot—come on, let's eat together."

Liu Yun was delighted at first, but then said with a frown, "But the chestnuts have shells—isn't it hard to eat them now?"

Chen Wei opened the bag to show her, explaining, "They're already shelled—just eat up!"

"Great!"

The two young women happily ate chestnuts in front of a cluster of Yao Huang peonies, while whispering to each other.

"Miss Qin's zither playing is truly beautiful, and she's so elegant and refined—no wonder she's the top noble lady of Yanjing!"

"Miss Fan's painting is also wonderful—so lifelike, the peony looks like it's pasted on."

"And Miss Du—no wonder she's Yanjing's talented woman; she won first place in poetry again. Who knows how her mind works to come up with such gorgeous prose."

……

Today's peony banquet reached its peak of excitement with the Crown Prince's arrival, making it livelier than usual.

Any young woman with a talent to show didn't hold back, seizing this perfect opportunity to showcase themselves to the world.

Even if they couldn't win the Crown Prince's favor, with so many young men of Yanjing around, they could still secure a good marriage for themselves.

Rather than letting their parents arrange a match with a man they barely knew, it was better to carefully seek out one they liked themselves.

The young men, meanwhile, weren't idle either. Those skilled in letters showed off their learning, those skilled in martial arts showed off their strength. And those who were good at neither played amusing games to win the ladies' favor.

Take Young Marquis Ye, for example—his mastery of the pitch-pot game was nothing short of miraculous, earning thunderous applause from the crowd.

Liu Yun unconsciously looked over. A young man in a light yellow brocade robe was surrounded at the center, his arrows hitting the mark every time, drawing waves of cheers and applause.

Liu Yun's gaze suddenly froze, staring blankly over there.

But it wasn't Young Marquis Ye that caught her eye—rather, she suddenly remembered something important she'd been neglecting.

Her new book!

Things had been coming at her one after another, keeping Liu Yun so busy she hadn't had time to think about her new book.

Good thing it came back to her now, and Liu Yun decided to start on it as soon as she got home today!

Her mind cleared, and a smile broke across Liu Yun's face.

Just then, Young Marquis Ye, as if sensing something, looked up and glanced her way.

Recognizing who it was, he let out a hearty laugh, as bright as the morning sun.

Caught off guard by Young Marquis Ye's handsome, smiling face, Liu Yun blushed for a split second.

She quickly ducked her head, acting like nothing had happened, and fiddled with the pendant at her waist.

The fleeting change lasted only a second, but Xiao Hang caught it all.

His face changed in an instant, and his look at Young Marquis Ye seemed to have thorns in it.

Soon, a maid in green made her way through the crowd to Liu Yun, who was idly tugging at willow branches.

"Greetings, Miss Liu. Her Highness invites you over. Would you be willing to come?"

Liu Yun, who had only just started to relax, tensed right back up.

"Of course, I'd be happy to."

Forcing herself to stay calm, Liu Yun mustered a smile and said softly.

As if she'd dare refuse!

The maid in green respectfully motioned for Liu Yun to follow.

At that moment, Liu Yun felt like every eye in the garden was on her, and it was suffocating.

Steeling herself, she pushed through the crowd until she stood before Princess Changyang.

Oh, and the Crown Prince was right there too.

Liu Yun's unease only grew.

"Greetings, Princess. May I ask why you've called me here?"

That was what Liu Yun couldn't wrap her head around.

What could she possibly have that would catch Princess Changyang's attention?

Or had she done something wrong?

At that thought, Liu Yun's heart started to churn with unease, and the easy, lighthearted mood she'd had with Zhen Zhen vanished.

The siblings watched as the young lady, who'd been smiling sweetly just moments ago, now had a pale, tight face, looking like a little bitter melon.

Afraid of scaring her, Princess Changyang glanced at her brother beside her and said with a smile, "Miss Liu, don't be nervous. I just noticed the pretty, unique color of your lip balm and wanted to ask where you bought it."

Not just Liu Yun—plenty of people around who'd been eavesdropping also broke into knowing smiles.

It was just one of those girly things about looking pretty.

Liu Yun let out a sigh of relief, her eyes lighting up as she said cheerfully, "To answer the Princess, I made this myself in my free time just for fun. It's nothing fancy or refined."

Hearing this, Princess Changyang silently praised her cleverness and was about to speak again when a voice as crisp as silver bells cut in.

"Sorry, cousin, I'm late today. Please forgive me~"

The voice was bright and cheerful, with a natural sparkle and pride that instantly grabbed everyone's attention.

Liu Yun turned with everyone else to look, and once she recognized the newcomer, a knowing look crossed her face.

The newcomer was a girl of seventeen or eighteen, in a purple top and yellow skirt, as dazzling as a Yao Huang peony, swept into the princess's estate by the wind.

She was pretty, charming and lively, with that air of aristocratic pride and haughtiness you'd expect from a noble girl.

If there were two girls in the capital most likely to become the Crown Princess, it was these two.

One was Qin Wan, Secretary Qin's second daughter—elegant, refined, with both beauty and virtue, the very model of a proper lady.

The other was the girl right in front of them—Wen Yuzhu, Duke Wen's fifth daughter, from Empress Wen's family line.

The legitimate daughter of a first-rank duke, niece of the late Empress Wen, and the Crown Prince's cousin.

Others had the looks and talent for the role, but they didn't hold a candle to these two.

Every year, people placed bets on who'd become the Crown Princess, and these two were the favorites.

One year, Liu Yun had made a little bet herself, putting her money on Miss Qin the Second.

She figured the Crown Princess ought to be someone like Qin Wan.

Author's note:

None