Chapter 405: Chapter 321 Absolutely No Personal Feelings! (Seeking Monthly Pass)
"Mother sees that Chen Qianhu is quite an outstanding man. Wei Ying, since you haven’t found a Dao companion yet, why not consider him? A match with someone from the Prince Mansion would make a good son-in-law."
After the birthday celebration, the Princess entered Yin Weiyin’s boudoir and softly inquired.
While the Princess was speaking, her maidservant Qing Lan was tidying up the belongings of the royal daughter.
The boudoir of the royal daughter was orderly, but that didn’t mean it required no maintenance. Every month, the maidservant Qing Lan would clean up the dust in every corner and wipe down the drawers.
The drawers were filled with hairpins—carved cranes, carved phoenixes, gold inlaid with jade—gifts from the Princess for her daughter’s birthdays year after year. But since the royal daughter began practicing Taoism, she often wore a hair crown, leaving these hairpins to collect dust inside.
Facing her mother’s expression of heartfelt concern, Yin Weiyin’s face remained calm as she softly replied:
"The matter of finding a Dao companion involves the path to immortality and cannot be taken lightly. Besides, didn’t that Chen Qianhu have longstanding enmity with the Prince Mansion?"
"Sigh, you can’t say it like that. The Prince Mansion and he have long been at peace. Today, he personally came to offer birthday wishes, which suggests a desire to resolve old grudges. Furthermore, Mother finds him passable in looks, skilled in martial arts, and likely to be ennobled soon. Truly, he would make a fine husband."
The Princess’s tone was full of veiled praise. Yin Weiyin heard this, though her gaze flickered up briefly before dropping back down.
She remained silent.
The Princess sighed and shook her head, saying:
"Opportunities like this don’t come often. Today, your father is in high spirits, and with one smile, grudges could disperse into nothingness."
Yin Weiyin’s expression shifted slightly.
Could her mother truly favor Chen Yi? And could her father truly let bygones be bygones with one laugh?
For this matter, Yin Weiyin had been troubled for who knows how long. But upon hearing her mother’s words, the taut strings in her heart slightly loosened.
And her emotions started to ripple faintly.
Now seeing that this Wu Ming seemed to have some affection for her, taking advantage of this momentum to prompt him into agreeing to the marriage seemed... not impossible.
By then, she would become the legitimate wife through proper channels and stand above his current lover.
In this way, her position would rise, and if she sought immortality, Wu Ming would no longer dare to obstruct her...
As these thoughts floated across her mind, Yin Weiyin couldn’t help but imagine herself dressed in a bright red wedding gown, while the groom Chen Yi slowly lifted her red veil...
At that vision, Yin Weiyin’s fingertips trembled slightly.
She couldn’t help but think—would she truly spend her life by Wu Ming’s side, as his wife?
The more the female crown dwelled on this, the more her fingers shook uncontrollably, and fear swept through her Heart Lake.
After a while, she calmed herself, saying, "Mother, finding a Dao companion depends on fate and must not go against the will of Heaven. If forced, how is it different from choosing a mere cauldron? Were I to choose him, it would be like selecting a cauldron."
Her words were calm and measured, leaving the Princess momentarily stunned.
However the Princess tried to think about it, she could hardly believe her daughter would utter such words. Chen Qianhu, a dignified Zige Bureau Minister, a West Factory Thousand Households officer with significant achievements in rescuing the Emperor—how could anyone not admire him? Yet Yin Weiyin clearly viewed him as beneath her, even comparing him to a mere cauldron. Such boldness...
Since taking up the path of cultivation, her daughter’s perspective had grown vastly broader.
Unlike ordinary mortals like them, who could easily be blinded by a single leaf.
The Princess felt both pride and a touch of melancholy in her heart.
The Prince, having greeted the birthday guests, had temporarily retired to a side room, pacing restlessly.
This matter wasn’t something that should have caused him such anxiety, yet ever since Chen Yi arrived at the Prince Mansion, an unease had been gnawing at him.
"Could it be... that girl Weiyin truly has some secret connection with this man?"
The thought flashed through his mind, but the Prince quickly dismissed it himself.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Just as the Prince grew more agitated, the Princess entered, relaying Yin Weiyin’s earlier remarks. The Prince slapped his thigh and declared:
"As expected, she’s my daughter! Ordinary families, if given the chance to marry their daughter into a Marquis’s family, would treat it like an earth-shattering blessing. But Weiyin is different. Truly different. Such pride! If we were to force her to marry that man, it wouldn’t just humiliate her—it would be elevating Chen Qianhu!"
Not to mention, Yin Weiyin wasn’t just any ordinary woman—she was the Taichua Goddess, with even some estrangement between her and her parents, let alone Chen Qianhu, who bore past grudges?
The Prince, invigorated, walked a circle before coldly declaring, "She cannot marry him. Absolutely cannot. And if she does marry him, we’ll have to make sure she divorces him!"
The Princess, witnessing this scene, furrowed her brows. She herself found Chen Yi quite satisfactory, so she said:
"Let’s not decide yet. We should first test his musical skills."
The Prince nodded heavily at her suggestion, and the Princess exited.
Though Yin Weiyin had spoken with pride, ultimately there was a need to dispel these rumors. Therefore, the Princess suggested a feigned matchmaking attempt, which the Prince agreed to. It wasn’t just a simple test; it would come from three angles.
The first was musical skill.
In the Taoist traditions, music held great importance, and Yin Weiyin had been fond of it since childhood. If she could favor Chen Yi, then it was likely he had notable talent in music.
The second was poetry.
Although Yin Weiyin now wrote primarily Buddhist verses and Taoist hymns after beginning cultivation, she still had deep skills in poetry. If she could favor Chen Yi, then he was likely to excel in poetry as well, standing out above others.
As for the third, it was martial arts.
The third test was essentially a formality, or perhaps a final confirmation. Everyone knew that Chen Qianhu’s martial achievements were already documented in the annals of history. The test held little meaning, but it aimed at drawing out the truth. If Chen Yi passed the first two but Yin Weiyin still denied him, the final martial arts test could reveal everything. If he passed all three tests, he would certainly be full of confidence—how could he not then propose to the royal daughter?
But if this man was truly exceptional in both literature and warfare and had private feelings for Yin Weiyin...
The Prince...
He would throw himself on Chen Zunming’s blade and die!
A surge of decisive resolve rose in the Prince’s heart. He almost wanted to rush out and make Chen Yi put his knife away first.
Not long after, footsteps sounded from outside the room.
The Prince hastened to greet them and saw the Princess entering.
"How did it go?" The Prince eagerly inquired.
"This Qianhu knows nothing of music," the Princess replied, shaking her head and relaying the results. "The zither girls played several wrong notes and almost smashed their instruments, but the man didn’t even flinch."
The Prince snorted coldly, saying, "As I thought, he’s just a wine-sack and a rice-bag. With such meager talent, how could he hope to match Weiyin? Set aside his future noble titles—he’s nothing but a rustic oaf."
The Princess shook her head, saying, "You can’t put it that way. He may be deliberately hiding his skills. Someone overheard him conversing with other scholars, and this man spoke fluently about Tang and Song poetry, not appearing rustic in the least. As for the glaring mistakes in the music, his lack of reaction could indicate that he knows how to conceal his abilities. Moreover..."
"Moreover what?" the Prince pressed.
The Princess lowered her voice, saying, "Moreover, his maidservant kept glancing around constantly, even reacting to minute errors. Think about it—if he weren’t skilled in music, how could his maid be so vigilant? He’s hiding too deeply."
The Prince’s expression darkened. He knew the Princess’s argument wasn’t without merit. Chen Yi had been under the Lin Party’s command and was known for concealing himself well. A minor bit of evasion in music now seemed insignificant.
"Then keep testing him. If he truly earns Weiyin’s favor, I will immediately throw myself onto his blade and die! I absolutely will not live in shame," the Prince vowed, adding extra emphasis as if to prove his resolve.
Smiling faintly, the Princess exited the room.
...............
Chen Yi, on the other hand, had no idea he had just undergone a round of musical testing.
For him, nothing had happened at all.
He was situated in a side room of the Prince Mansion, being personally entertained by household staff. Initially wary of potential dangers, Chen Yi discovered there was none—only a maid who kept playing a zither.
"She plays terribly," Yin Tingxue whispered after the maid left.
Scratching his head, Chen Yi replied, "Really?"
Yin Tingxue blinked, aware that while her husband knew much poetry and had read many books, he neither understood music nor excelled at poetry. She wanted to roll her eyes at him but lacked the courage to show her disdain.
In a soft, roundabout tone, she quoted, "If the tune falters, Zhou Yu would notice."
Hearing this, Chen Yi smiled and asked, "Are you complimenting me?"
Yin Tingxue, realizing her teasing had gone undetected, pointed to herself and retorted, "I’m complimenting myself, of course."
Before Chen Yi could tease her back, the sound of knocking came from outside the room.
A maid asked them to proceed to the next event: a poetry contest. Yin Tingxue seemed eager, having waited in anticipation.
Not wanting to disappoint her, Chen Yi stood and escorted her to the venue.
With so many guests in attendance, the poetry contest was split into three venues. Chen Yi and Yin Tingxue were taken to the main venue. Upon arrival, they saw the Prince and Princess seated at the host seats with the young crown prince by their side. As for Yin Weiyin...
Chen Yi glanced over and saw her seated alone on the other side, attired in a fire-patterned green robe. She sipped tea leisurely, her every movement exuding an otherworldly elegance, like an Immortal descending to earth untainted by the mundane.
When he noticed Yin Weiyin, she naturally noticed him as well. She merely gave him a faint, indifferent glance before turning her gaze away.
Observing this interaction, the Prince found no irregularities and nodded in satisfaction.
The Princess, however, pondered for a moment before rising and walking over to her eldest daughter. She casually inquired:
"What do you think of the young men here?"
"All mere mortals. Few are worth noticing."
Holding a tea bowl with one hand and slightly raising it, Yin Weiyin appeared as if even the glaze on her tea bowl was more captivating than the assembled young men.
The Princess, hearing this, pointed toward Chen Yi and probed further:
"Then... what do you think of that one?"
Raising an eyebrow, Yin Weiyin asked back, "Who is that? He looks somewhat familiar..."
"He’s... that Chen Qianhu. You’ve met him before, surely," the Princess replied.
"Oh, so it’s him." Yin Weiyin’s expression showed a flicker of recollection. She smiled faintly and said, "It’s been too long. We aren’t close, so I don’t remember his face."
With that, she resumed sipping her tea with an air of detachment.
The Princess, taking in this scene, nodded slightly and returned to her seat.
Lowering his voice, the Prince remarked while gripping his knee:
"I told you—it’s impossible for that man to have any illicit ties with Weiyin."