At the entrance of the Princess Manor, everyone was stunned by this scene!
Zi Yue, the goddess in their hearts, was actually acting like this in front of this man.
“Dude, aren’t you just a little handsome?”
“We are all seven-foot men, with height to match our looks, and as for height… uh, though our looks are a bit lacking, we’re still people!”
“We all came to attend the literary gathering, so why do you get special treatment?!”
Everyone felt indignant and extremely unconvinced!
“Why are you at the entrance?”
Xia Chen asked, looking at Zi Yue with some surprise.
“Naturally, I came specifically to welcome the Consort! This is the Princess Manor, and when the Consort arrives, he naturally cannot be treated like an ordinary guest!”
Zi Yue stood beside Xia Chen and answered respectfully. Indeed, Xia Chen today was a notch handsomer than the Xia Chen wearing the Lantern Bearers uniform in the carriage that day.
That day, Xia Chen had a cynical wickedness about him, appearing somewhat sharp and showy.
But today, dressed in luxurious clothes and meticulously groomed, Xia Chen exuded the aura of a noble Young Master, radiating nobility yet being incredibly restrained.
Hearing Zi Yue’s reply, Xia Chen glanced at her, then swept his gaze over the scholars and Young Masters gathered at the entrance, all looking his way, and decided not to say anything more at the entrance.
Xia Chen suspected that if this weren’t at the Emperor’s feet, at the entrance of the Princess Manor, these people, whose eyes were already spitting fire with intense jealousy, would probably rush forward and beat him up.
At that time, should he call the Imperial Guards or the Lantern Bearers to let them gang up on him!
Alas, it’s difficult, people’s jealousy is too terrifying!
Thinking of this, Xia Chen nodded faintly at Zi Yue.
“Let’s go in first!”
Zi Yue led Xia Chen and Xia Qian, bypassing the crowd blocking the Princess Manor’s entrance.
It wasn’t until Xia Chen’s back disappeared that everyone began to discuss loudly.
“Who exactly is this person? Zi Yue personally came to greet him, he’s so impressive?”
“The key is, why is he so handsome? With him here, is there still a place for us?”
“What are you afraid of? The literary gathering competes on literature, not on looks. I think this person is just a pretty face, all show and no substance!”
…
A Young Master in a brocade robe looked disdainful. He despised people who relied on their looks for a living, unlike him, who relied on his Family for a living!
“Coming to a literary gathering looking this handsome, this is probably not about the wine, but about the Princess Yaoguang, right? He clearly wants to live off a woman!
Hmph, although I’m not as handsome as him, I’m supported by my parents and never live off a woman. I’m proud!”
Yang Wei thought of this, straightened his back, stiffened his body, and looked proud!
But soon his back slumped.
“Hmm! It seems I need to rest well; being so stiff all the time is quite tiring!”
Yang Wei had a smile on his face, spread open the folding fan in his hand, and just as he was about to display his elegant and dashing perfect temperament, he heard someone’s voice.
“Shh! Keep your voice down, do you know who that person just now was?”
“Who else could it be? He looks like a pretty boy, someone who came to be kept! Bah, I despise such people the most!”
Before the person could finish speaking, Yang Wei interjected.
The person speaking’s face changed when he heard Yang Wei’s words, and he nervously looked around, then quickly covered Yang Wei’s mouth.
“Brother Wei, you can’t just say that. That person has a big background, be careful his people hear it!”
“Who is it? Why are you so nervous? It couldn’t be some prince, could it!”
His companion was curious, and some people were dissatisfied with him being so secretive.
“That person is Xia Chen, the legitimate eldest son of Lord Antong, and Princess Yaoguang’s Consort. Didn’t the news about him cause a stir yesterday? I heard he moved out of the Zhendong Marquis Manor!”
“What? He’s Xia Chen? No wonder Zi Yue personally came out to greet him!”
Everyone’s faces changed, then they suddenly realized. This was the Princess Manor. Although the two were not yet married, this was an imperial decree, and the marriage had been announced to the world. Their marriage was a certainty.
So, in this Princess Manor, Xia Chen naturally counted as half an owner.
“Keep your voices down, do you know that Xia Chen now controls the Eagle Eye Division, one of the Nine Divisions of the Lantern Bearers? Each Division has different powers and jurisdictions, and the Eagle Eye Division mainly governs the capital area. Today’s literary gathering, most of the scholars and noble Young Masters from the entire capital are here, and the Eagle Eye Division must have arranged personnel to infiltrate. Perhaps every word we say is being recorded by the Eagle Eye Division…”
Wu Bai looked around, his voice extremely cautious, afraid that his conversation would be overheard by others.
Everyone’s expressions changed, especially Yang Wei’s. The Lantern Bearers were omnipresent. In recent years, the Lantern Bearers had not stopped raiding and exterminating Families in the capital. What these children of large Families feared most were the Lantern Bearers.
“Brother Wei, Brother Wei! Are you alright? Why is your body so soft? You need to harden up!”
As everyone’s expressions shifted, Yang Wei, who was beside them, felt his head spin, his eyes roll back, and his body go limp. He couldn’t stand straight and began to fall to the ground.
“Ah, ah, ah! I can’t do it, I’m dizzy and my eyes are blurry. I’m afraid I can’t attend this literary gathering. I’ll go back and rest first!”
Yang Wei was terrified. He had just spoken ill of Xia Chen, and his voice was incredibly loud.
Would Xia Chen bring the Lantern Bearers to trouble him?
“Quick, quick, quick, help Brother Wei back!”
“Brother Wei, I heard that goji berries can cure dizziness and blurry vision. I have a prescription here, with goji berries as the main ingredient. I tried it last time, and the effect was excellent. After the evening party ends, I’ll personally deliver it to your door!”
A brother patted his chest and promised Yang Wei with a smile.
…
The entire entrance was in chaos, while at this moment, Xia Chen had already entered the interior of the Princess Manor.
“This isn’t going to the front hall for the literary gathering, is it?”
Xia Chen, behind Zi Yue, walked along the winding but uniquely scenic path, admiring the view while asking.
“The front is the inner courtyard!”
“It’s not quite appropriate for me to go to the inner courtyard, is it!”
Xia Chen didn’t even lift his eyes, casually remarking as he gazed at the splendid fountain in the beautiful garden in the distance.
“The Consort is not an outsider, so even if he enters the inner courtyard, outsiders will not say much. There is still some time before the literary gathering begins, and the Consort is Family, so he naturally needs to rest first!”
Zi Yue stopped, turned around, and answered earnestly, looking at Xia Chen’s handsome face.
Xia Chen nodded and said nothing more.
Zi Yue led Xia Chen through layers of courtyards, finally arriving at a gracefully scenic courtyard that exuded a sense of history.
“Tian Feng Pavilion!”
On the plaque of the courtyard, there were only three simple characters, with no inscription, but these three characters revealed something extraordinary.
Zi Yue looked back at Xia Chen, who stood at the courtyard entrance staring at the three characters, and then smiled gracefully.
“These three characters were personally written by the Princess. The Princess’s calligraphy has even been praised by the Grand Tutor!”
Xia Chen nodded. The calligraphy was indeed excellent, but the reason Xia Chen paused was not the characters themselves, but the two characters “Tian Feng.”
After Yaoguang ascended the throne, her reign title was Tian Feng!
Now, from these three characters of Tian Feng Pavilion, Xia Chen could see that Yaoguang had long harbored ambitions for the world, with lofty aspirations!
“Does the Consort find something amiss with these three characters?”
Zi Yue was incredibly intelligent; from Xia Chen’s expression, she saw that he seemed to have an unusual emotion.
“The characters themselves are excellent, but the two characters ‘Tian Feng’ are a bit too grand. A Phoenix is already capable of soaring through the Nine Heavens, yet she still has lofty aspirations and wants to soar even higher, which is a bit too showy!”
Xia Chen’s gaze and tone were incredibly calm, commenting indifferently, but it was precisely this indifferent tone that made Zi Yue’s eyes change.
“The Consort is joking, this is just an ordinary courtyard name!”
Zi Yue smiled charmingly, quickly masking the unusualness in her eyes.
“Haha, I just said it casually, but if I were to name it, I think this courtyard only needs two simple characters!”
“Oh, does the Consort have a better name?”
Zi Yue stared at Xia Chen, who was standing at the courtyard entrance, with a peculiar look in her eyes. Intelligent as she was, she couldn’t quite figure out if Xia Chen’s words just now were a casual remark or had an underlying meaning.
The morning sunlight gently fell on Xia Chen, illuminating half of his exquisitely beautiful face. He was bathed in sunlight, like a deity, shining brightly.
“How about calling it Jade Pond!”
Xia Chen’s smile was brilliant and incredibly warm, making him seem as gentle as jade, like a spring breeze.
After saying this, he stepped forward and entered the courtyard, no longer looking at the three characters “Tian Feng Pavilion” on the plaque.
“Jade Pond?”
Zi Yue stood at the entrance, repeating these two characters. For a moment, she didn’t understand, yet she felt that these two characters were profoundly grand and sacred, as if they carried great Karma and a significant origin…
The more she repeated them, the more she felt that these two characters were full of profound meaning, yet she couldn’t grasp that subtle nuance.
This world did not have the mythical stories of the Jade Pond or the Queen Mother of the West, so she was destined to not understand the meaning these two characters represented.
When Zi Yue came back to her senses, she saw that Xia Chen had already opened the door and entered the main hall.
“Consort, wait for me!”
Zi Yue held up her skirt and jogged, but her movements remained incredibly elegant and beautiful.
When Zi Yue entered, she saw that Xia Chen was already seated in the main hall.
“Consort, please come this way. The Princess is currently bathing and will need to wait a while. The Imperial Kitchen has already prepared breakfast for the Princess and the Consort, and it will be ready soon!”
Zi Yue led Xia Chen into a dining area within the palace and then spoke with a smile.
Xia Chen raised an eyebrow. Was he about to meet the future empress?
So impatient?
And they were going to eat breakfast together?
Were their relations that intimate already?
Anyone who didn’t know would think they were already an old married couple!