PaiPai-Romane

Kapitel 127

Tang Leyan thought it over and over, and decided that now that she was in Danning, there shouldn't be any more assassins attacking her, and she wouldn't need to take action. Once she was settled, she would find a quiet place, quietly practice her internal energy, and try to release the killing intent within her. That would be fine.

Having made up his mind to endure, he simply accompanied the carriage on the road, occasionally glancing at Chu Gexing's gaze with a smile and a nod, remaining completely composed.

But she never imagined that this delay would lead to a huge and sudden danger in the days to come.

After several days of travel without incident, the carriage finally arrived safely at Fengcheng, the capital of Daning Kingdom.

Looking from afar, colorful flags fluttered in the wind above Fengcheng, while a long welcoming procession stood solemnly outside the city gate.

Tang Leyan had excellent eyesight. Looking over, she immediately saw a fair-skinned young master sitting on a white horse under a pale yellow flag outside the city. He had a handsome face and bright eyes, and wore a light yellow robe with dragon patterns. He was smiling and looking over in this direction. His demeanor was extraordinary.

She smiled slightly, recognizing him as the Crown Prince of Danning, who would ascend the throne in a year.

He couldn't resist pulling on the reins, and moved closer to Princess Yinyue's carriage.

Just then, the curtain of the carriage window fluttered, and a palace maid peeked out, asking, "Your Excellency, the Princess asked what's that commotion up ahead?" Tang Leyan replied with a smile, "Tell the Princess I know, we're just ahead at Fengcheng. The handsome prince of Fengcheng is outside the city welcoming his bride."

Her voice was loud enough for everyone around to hear, and the two Daning officers leading the way turned around and glanced at her with unfriendly looks, as if she had said something wrong.

Princess Yinyue, inside the carriage, exclaimed in surprise. Then, the curtain was gently lifted, and the palace maid was pushed aside. Princess Yinyue glared at Tang Leyan with her almond-shaped eyes: "Is what you said true? Why can't I see it?"

Tang Leyan coughed and said, "Princess, it's quite far from here, so we'll have to wait a while. But I would never lie to you."

"If you lie to me, I'll make you regret it." Princess Yinyue glared at her, then strained to look ahead. Her eyesight was naturally not as good as Tang Leyan's, and she couldn't see anything, so she reluctantly lowered the curtain and turned around.

Chapter 157 of Yanshui Road in Jiangnan: Entering Fengcheng

As expected, the eldest prince of Fengcheng lived up to his name, being a handsome and talented man. Princess Yinyue peeked out from the corner of the carriage window and saw that the man was leaning against his horse, looking as elegant as a jade tree standing in the wind. He was indeed a man of exceptional talent and superior character.

When she first heard about the marriage alliance, she was afraid of marrying an old, ugly, and vulgar man, far away from her hometown. She was unhappy about it no matter what. Later, when things were beyond repair, her crying and fussing were to no avail. Leyan said that her future husband was handsome and talented, which gave her a glimmer of hope from her despair. After seeing him today, her anxious heart was calmed down by more than half.

"Your Highness!" Feng Feisheng rode forward, dismounted, and bowed.

The Crown Prince smiled slightly on horseback and gestured to the horse, saying, "Feisheng, there's no need for such formalities. You must be tired from your journey. Please rise."

He speaks clearly and gently.

Hearing this from inside the carriage, Yin Yue was secretly delighted.

The Crown Prince rode forward and, with Feng Feisheng's introduction, greeted Tang Leyan and Chu Gexing.

Tang Leyan looked at the Crown Prince and felt that he had a noble and refined temperament and was indeed no ordinary person. She couldn't help but feel relieved and happy for Yin Yue.

Chu Gexing looked at the distinguished man in front of her, her peach blossom face still expressionless.

After the Crown Prince and the envoys who had bestowed the marriage gifts exchanged greetings, the Crown Prince invited everyone into the city. In an instant, drums and music resounded, and countless fragrant flowers drifted down from the city walls, as if celestial maidens were scattering flowers from the sky, all celebrating this joyous moment.

Unable to contain herself any longer, Yin Yue finally ordered a maid to lift the curtain. She looked out from behind the curtain.

She happened to meet Tang Leyan's smiling gaze by the car window and couldn't help but blush.

Tang Leyan looked at the princess's slightly shy eyes and knew what she meant, so she held the reins with one hand and secretly pointed forward with the other.

Princess Yinyue hurriedly looked ahead.

At that moment, Tang Leyan called out loudly, "Your Highness the Crown Prince..."

The Crown Prince of Fengcheng suddenly turned around to look.

Against the backdrop of falling blossoms, this person seemed to have stepped out of a painting. His golden crown gleamed, his eyes sparkled, and he looked at Tang Leyan as if questioning her, only to find Tang Leyan staring at the person in the carriage beside her. The Crown Prince turned his gaze, and just as he turned back, his eyes met those of Yin Yue in the carriage. Their eyes met, both momentarily stunned, then blushing. Yin Yue stared blankly for a moment, then blushed deeply and hid in the carriage. The Crown Prince also lowered his eyes, slowly turning away.

But Tang Leyan saw someone else.

Just as she called out to the Crown Prince, Chu Gexing also turned around at the same time.

However, unlike the Crown Prince of Fengcheng, the Crown Prince was adorned with flowers, which made him even more outstanding, extraordinary, and noble, captivating the world.

Chu Gexing turned to look at Tang Leyan. After their eyes met, Leyan looked at him and suddenly felt that all the fluttering flowers were merely a backdrop, all pale in comparison to his sudden turn, turning black and white. In the entire world, only his breathtaking beauty shone through. Vibrant and captivating, he could bewitch all without lifting a finger.

Seeing her dazed expression, Chu Gexing couldn't help but smile faintly and turn back to her.

And so, the group filed into Fengcheng.

The city itself, however, presents a different kind of charm.

The ground was covered with yellow sand, and flowers were still fluttering overhead. Although it was almost December in Shundu, a time of ice and snow, the climate in Fengcheng was still warm as spring. Every household had flowers displayed at their door, creating a beautiful and pleasant scene. There was also a stream every ten steps and a small bridge every hundred steps, making it a true paradise on earth.

Tang Leyan kept clicking her tongue in amazement. Princess Yinyue, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn't resist and secretly covered half of her face with her veil, still peeking out from behind the carriage curtain. She also got a good look at the scene. She thought to herself, "No wonder the Crown Prince is such an outstanding person in this environment. I never thought that our marriage would be so wonderful." She had a slight doubt about the Crown Prince's personality, but this worry quickly disappeared as they drew closer to the capital.

The pleasure of sightseeing was eventually dispelled by the tension of entering the imperial city.

For Tang Leyan, her previous visits to Fengcheng were merely cursory, and the feeling of revisiting the place today was far better.

Little did she expect that, in this vibrant and distinguished city of Fengcheng, she would encounter another old friend who could not be ignored.

Just as the princess's imperial carriage was about to enter the imperial city, a troop of iron cavalry came from afar along the palace road on the outskirts of the city.

Chu Gexing spurred his horse forward, secretly on guard.

Tang Leyan understood immediately, took out a fan from her waist, and stood next to Princess Yinyue.

Chu Ge walked ahead and heard the Crown Prince of Fengcheng say to Feng Feisheng beside him, "The Regent has arrived."

Feng Feisheng nodded and said with a smile, "Hmm, it's quite rare that the usually decisive Regent is late."

Chu Gexing watched coldly. His eyes were sharp, and in an instant, he saw a cold look flash across Feng Feisheng's face. However, when this man looked at the Crown Prince and said those words, he still had a smile on his face.

As they were talking, the "Regent" mentioned by the Crown Prince arrived with his men. Upon reaching them, he suddenly jumped down, bowed, and said, "Your subject is late. Please punish me, Your Highness."

Upon seeing this, the Crown Prince hurriedly dismounted and stepped forward to help the man up, saying with a smile, "Not at all, Your Highness is busy with official duties. What's wrong with being a little late? How could Zixiang dare to blame Your Highness?"

The man, supported by the Crown Prince, raised his head. Chu Gexing looked up and saw the Regent Prince of Danning. His face was stern and frosty, with distinct features, sword-like eyebrows, and bright eyes. Beneath his composure lay boundless heroic spirit, like a fine sword, its edge hidden deep within its sheath. Yet everyone felt that awe-inspiring presence. Unassailable.

The Regent Prince stood up: "Thank you, Your Highness."

His voice was respectful, yet carried an air of nonchalant indifference.

Feng Feisheng, who was standing next to him, laughed and said, "Uncle Regent, you don't need to be so modest. It wouldn't be good if you delayed the Crown Prince and made the auspicious time for the newlyweds."

The Regent glanced at him and said, "The Crown Prince is right." He then turned to the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, please mount your horse and enter the palace."

The Crown Prince offered him a few more words of comfort before he turned and mounted his horse again.

The regent stood to the side, watching the group of people slowly enter the imperial city.

His stern gaze swept over Feng Feisheng and Chu Gexing in turn, and finally, as the princess's carriage entered, the regent's cool, clear eyes suddenly fell on Tang Leyan, who was walking alongside the carriage.

Tang Leyan was looking into the open gates of the imperial city when she suddenly noticed a cold gaze coming from the side, and she immediately turned her head.

The regent stood to the side, his body upright like a sword held aloft.

Those two gazes were fixed on her face without blinking, deep, steady, and hurtful.

Tang Leyan was slightly taken aback.

She has always been fearless, but after entering Shundu and meeting Chu Zhen, she fell in love at first sight and developed feelings for him upon seeing him again, which is why she was willing to listen to him in everything.

Suddenly she noticed someone seemed to be hostile towards her.

A thought crossed his mind, but he didn't care at all. Instead, he stretched out his hands, gently cupped them in front of his chest, and bowed to the other person.

The regent stood motionless, as if his feet were nailed to the ground.

His eyes, however, carefully examined her entire body, starting from her eyes and moving downwards.

Tang Leyan felt as if the other person's gaze was trying to burn two holes in her body.

She was naturally a free spirit; she smiled, then looked away again, and calmly followed the others into the imperial city.

As the regent watched the flamboyant figure on horseback depart, he stepped forward.

Someone nearby asked, "Your Highness, should we investigate that person?"

“No need.” The Regent frowned. “Red clothes, a fan, but the eyes… aren’t blue.”

Suddenly, he flicked his sleeve and strode forward with the air of a dragon and the stride of a tiger.

Can you guess who the regent is?

Chapter 158 of Yanshui Road in Jiangnan: Counting Camellias

Because Emperor Danning died young, the Crown Prince was still a child under three years old at the time. Fortunately, the regent returned from his travels and entrusted the young prince to the emperor before his death, ordering that the regent, who was still a young prince at the time, assist in governing the country until the Crown Prince turned eighteen.

When the late emperor issued his edict, the court officials were in an uproar. Later, the Empress Dowager, accompanied by the three-year-old crown prince, appeared and read the late emperor's edict again in the Golden Hall, which calmed the commotion among the officials.

The regent was exceptionally capable, and within a few years he had appeased most of the court officials. Some others still felt that the late emperor's actions were somewhat dangerous, but seeing the regent's good performance and that the empress dowager and the crown prince were doing well, they all remained silent.

The Regent's original surname was Qiu, and he was the son of the Duke of Dingguo. When the late emperor entrusted his son to the emperor, he specially bestowed upon him the imperial surname "Feng". Therefore, the Regent's current name is Feng Jiansheng.

Tang Leyan nodded repeatedly, sipping the emerald green Yunwu tea beside her. When she smelled it, a cloud of white mist rose from the teacup, like clouds rising among the mountains, and she could smell a faint fragrance. This was a specialty of Banruo Mountain in Danning. It was said that an ounce of tea was worth an ounce of silver, and it was usually only affordable to wealthy families. It was truly precious beyond words.

The inn was quite nice. Tang Leyan enjoyed the tea and kept ordering people to buy more so that she could bring some back to Shundu for Chu Zhen to try.

Later, someone pointed out that if this kind of tea is not stored properly, it will lose its original aroma and beautiful appearance after brewing within half a month at the latest. This made her very distressed. She thought that she would have to leave in about half a month, by which time the tea would have spoiled. Although she had bought it generously at someone else's expense, she didn't want to waste it. So she drank it voraciously every day.

Unexpectedly, after drinking so much Yunwu tea, her love of sleepiness decreased considerably. She could only fall asleep around midnight every day, and was full of energy all day long with nothing to do. She first thoroughly explored the post station, and later, bored, she asked someone to take her to wander around the entire city of Fengcheng, looking around aimlessly. She was indeed in good spirits.

Chu Gexing watched from the sidelines, sneering repeatedly, wondering when she would cause trouble again. On the other side, he watched her sighing all day about the Cloud Mist Tea that couldn't reach Chu Zhen, rolling her eyes and walking away each time.

When Tang Leyan saw him, she enthusiastically came up to promote her Yunwu tea, actually wanting to make use of the tea before it expired. Chu Gexing naturally knew her intentions, but didn't expose her. He simply said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep at night if I drink too much," and then left.

Tang Leyan could only watch his retreating figure and curse him for being stingy.

After staying for a few days, Tang Leyan gradually became quite familiar with the Danning servants at the post station. From the post station officials to the cleaning boys, everyone treated her like family, some even addressing her as a brother—this was naturally among the men. As for the women… according to Chu Gexing's personal knowledge, it seemed that several maids from Fengcheng had already shown interest in Tang Leyan, making him both amused and exasperated.

The atmosphere in Danning is different from that in Shun. The people here are more open-minded; boys and girls as young as thirteen or fourteen can walk hand-in-hand in the street, and if their personalities clash, they can separate at any time. If a girl has a crush on a boy, she will usually give him a camellia. If her admiration is extreme, she will give him a more expensive red camellia. If the boy also likes it, he will accept it and return the same flower to her another day, signifying that their relationship is established.

So far, Chu Gexing has received one flower, while Tang Leyan has received three, demonstrating her extraordinary charm.

However, Chu Gexing overestimated Tang Leyan. In the eyes of the maids, this "young master" was elegant and interesting in his speech, and had no airs of a high-ranking official. He was gentle and considerate to everyone. In fact, Chu Gexing knew that it was just someone's habitual way of taking advantage of others. If they were to marry in the future, he would definitely be a good husband. Chu Gexing was naturally more attractive. However, he was the kind of beauty that made people unable to approach him, like a snow lotus on an iceberg. He was beautiful, but impossible to get close to, or he would freeze to death. So far, only one girl who admired him was brave enough to give him a camellia.

Chu Gexing didn't understand what it meant at the time. He stared at the flower for a long time, not knowing what it meant. Then he looked at the girl coldly and didn't reach out to take it. It wasn't until the girl looked like she was about to cry that Tang Leyan came over, reached out and grabbed his hand and said, "Go ahead, go ahead. I say, Vice Envoy, are you stunned by your surprise?"

She forcibly grabbed his hand and took the flower from him, at least saving the girl's face.

But from then on, no one dared to be the second warrior.

Tang Leyan felt sorry for the girl who had suffered such a blow, and she went to comfort her every time. After a long time, the girl finally smiled again, but not to Chu Gexing, but to Tang Leyan.

Tang Leyan was smug and the first thing she did every morning when she woke up was to count the camellias on the table, which made Chu Gexing scold her for being "childish." She retorted that he was jealous.

However, getting along well with everyone has one advantage: it makes it easier to gather information. For example, finding out gossip about the Regent of Fengcheng is one of Tang Leyan's favorite pastimes in her spare time.

"So his original surname was Qiu Di, Qiu Jiansheng?" Rolling her eyes, Tang Leyan slowly read aloud, "That's a very peculiar name."

"It is said that when the Regent Prince was a young nobleman, he traveled extensively and was a famous young swordsman in the martial arts world," said a maid with her hair in double buns.

"A famous young swordsman?" Tang Leyan slowly sat up straight from her chair, her eyes darting around.