"It's not good to be fancied by the Princess of Xiliang. Such a wife cannot be neglected, yet getting too close is also not advisable. It's truly troublesome."
After a pause, Feng Jin suddenly remembered something and said to Ling Mohan, "Right, you must quickly go tell Chu Chenyi about this and have him find a way to avoid the Princess of Xiliang. Don't let her take a liking to him."
"Once that prince becomes the驸马 of Xiliang, he will have to bid farewell to the throne. How could Emperor Xuanwen allow a princess of another country to become the Empress of Dongchu?"
"I'll inform him right away. You rest, I'll be back soon." As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Mohan hurried out.
...
In the study of the Prince of Jing's mansion, Chu Chenyi looked at the tense game of chess before him with a rare expression. He held a black stone, hesitating for a long time before speaking: "I'm not playing anymore."
He dropped the chess piece in his hand onto the board, disrupting all the formations. As expected, he still couldn't win against Ling Mohan at chess.
"Your chess skills are as bad as ever," Ling Mohan said without mercy.
"Can't you speak more tactfully?"
If Chu Chenyi hadn't been accustomed to Ling Mohan for so long, he would have been deeply hurt.
"The envoy from Xiliang will arrive in the capital the day after tomorrow. What's your plan?"
"I have no plan. I am already married. The Princess of Xiliang cannot force me to marry her."
A princess of a kingdom marrying a married man, moreover, Chu Chenyi didn't think he possessed such charm to make a woman insistent on marrying him.
On the other hand, Ling Mohan had a face that attracted bees and butterflies. Perhaps the fifth princess of Xiliang might fancy him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Ling Mohan noticed Chu Chenyi's strange gaze and asked with a frown, displeased.
"Nothing, I just think you look quite good."
Upon hearing this, Ling Mohan's heart suddenly jolted. He looked at Chu Chenyi with disgust and said seriously, "I'm not interested in men."
"Pah, what are you thinking? I'm not interested in men either. I'm just wondering if the Princess of Xiliang might take a liking to you. If she does, will you marry her?"
"I will not!" Ling Mohan stated directly, "I will only marry Feng Jin in this lifetime and never remarry. You should worry about yourself. Don't really get taken away and become the驸马 of Xiliang."
"I am merely a prince of leisure. Even if the Princess of Xiliang wishes to marry me, the Emperor of Xiliang would never agree."
As Chu Chenyi finished speaking, the study door was suddenly pushed open from the outside. Turning his head, he saw Lin Yuwei standing at the door with an angry expression, her eyes glaring at Chu Chenyi as if she could devour him.
"Why are you here?" Chu Chenyi asked with some guilt in his voice.
Lin Yuwei took two steps forward and placed the plate of pastries she was holding on the table with a slam.
With a 'crack,' perhaps due to excessive force, the plate instantly shattered into two halves.
"The plates in the Prince of Jing's mansion are really not sturdy. It's time to replace them. What do you say, Your Highness?" Lin Yuwei's gaze, filled with chilling coldness, fell upon Chu Chenyi.
Chu Chenyi felt a chill down his spine under her gaze, and goosebumps erupted all over him. "You are the Princess of Jing, the mistress of the mansion. Since you want to replace them, just have the servants go and buy new ones."
Then, he heard Lin Yuwei's sarcastic words: "Mistress, Hmph... I'm afraid the Princess of Jing will soon be replaced. I've heard that the fifth princess of Xiliang is beautiful, the most beautiful woman in Xiliang. His Highness will surely be smitten when he sees her..."
Ling Mohan, who had been enjoying the show, suddenly sensed killing intent. He quickly got up and said, "I have something to do, so I won't bother you. I'll take my leave."
If he stayed any longer, he would be caught in the crossfire. Ling Mohan hurried away.
"You..." Before Chu Chenyi could finish speaking, Ling Mohan was long gone. Only Lin Yuwei's menacing gaze was fixed on him.
"That... I suddenly remembered I have something to attend to outside."
"Stop right there!"
With a stern shout from Lin Yuwei, Chu Chenyi froze in place.
"Have you been wanting to marry the Princess of Xiliang for a long time? If not, let's divorce right now, so I can make way for you to remarry."
Lin Yuwei spoke through gritted teeth, her eyes burning with a rage that could incinerate Chu Chenyi.
"I have never thought of marrying the Princess of Xiliang. Don't spout nonsense and tarnish my reputation."
He had always been a man of clean conduct, having only Lin Yuwei as his woman from beginning to end. He didn't even have any concubines, and even the side consort Wang Qin was forcefully arranged for him by the Empress, and it was Lin Yuwei who approved her staying.
"Clean conduct? If the gods and Buddhas in heaven heard that, they would have to descend with heavenly lightning to smite you!"
Lin Yuwei shouted angrily, "If I hadn't discovered it in time a few days ago, you would have already been in bed with Wang Qin."
Thinking of this made her furious. He ate her food, drank her provisions, used her money to support a concubine, and now he wanted to marry a Princess of Xiliang. Before long, she would have to abdicate.
If she could still tolerate this, then she truly had no bottom line.
"If you hadn't gone to find Wang Qin, you wouldn't have been drugged by her. It's all your own doing, you brought it upon yourself!"
Lin Yuwei didn't want to listen to his nonsensical excuses. At this point, any more words were useless.
"I don't want to hear you speak anymore. Starting today, I'm returning to my maiden home. You fend for yourself."
After speaking, Lin Yuwei turned and left directly, leaving Chu Chenyi standing there in a daze.
He didn't understand why Lin Yuwei was angry. He didn't seem to have done anything wrong. A woman's heart is as deep and unfathomable as the needle in the sea.
In the Empress's palace, Chu Yanxi entered the palace late at night, standing there with a somber expression, hesitating to speak.
"Don't worry too much. Who knows who the Princess of Xiliang will choose? That Imperial Consort is quite fond of showing off, isn't she? I'll ask your father to have her son marry the Princess of Xiliang."
The Empress was a little worried that the Princess of Xiliang might take a liking to Chu Yanxi. She didn't want a daughter-in-law of such noble status, as she wouldn't be able to control her.
"Mother, you say it so simply. Do you really think the Princess of Xiliang is someone you can control? What are you thinking?"
Chu Yanxi truly admired his mother's thoughts. All day long, she said useless things. That was the Princess of Xiliang, not just any daughter of a common minister.