Quand l'amour approche, c'est comme la neige

Chapitre 113

"After the 49th, the Emperor's enthronement ceremony and the empress's establishment ceremony should be held at the same time. However, Minister Chen of the Ministry of Rites is still anxious about the selection of the new empress."

Tianyou turned around and his gaze met that of Prince Duan. Before Prince Duan could look away, his expression darkened, and he said softly, "I heard that Yongye has returned to the manor safely, is that right?"

Prince Duan's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a little flustered, but he couldn't not answer, so he had to bite the bullet and say, "I just heard from someone in the manor that he has returned safely."

Tianyou was silent for a while before saying, "My father arranged a marriage for me long ago, keeping it a secret from my uncle. Apart from my uncle, I originally had no power to resist the deposed crown prince. However, just in case, my father hopes that I will form a marriage alliance to consolidate the balance of power."

Prince Duan asked cautiously, "Is it Princess Yuxiu or Princess Luoyu of Qi?"

“Uncle, you guessed correctly. It is indeed Princess Luoyu of Qi.” Tianyou turned around and smiled slightly. “My third brother and I married women from Qi at the same time. Father Emperor was thinking of allying with Qi to resist Chen. Perhaps in the future, after breaking the three-way division of the world, we can then compete with Qi for supremacy.”

Upon hearing this, Prince Duan understood. Tianyou marrying the princess of Qi naturally meant forming an alliance with Qi. As for the An family, they were the richest family in the land, and the Third Prince Tianxiang marrying the fourth young lady of the An family was a precaution to win over the An family and deliver a fatal blow to Qi if they were to turn against Qi in the future.

"Uncle, do you understand? Actually, the force that secretly helped me after I left the palace came from the State of Qi. The great hero Feng Yangxi is the disciple of the number one expert in Qi. His master owed the King of Qi a favor, so he has been helping me all these years. Otherwise, given his character and reputation as a chivalrous person, he would not have associated with people in the government."

Prince Duan suddenly realized, and upon hearing that Princess Qi had been made empress, his heart finally settled down, and his smile deepened: "The late emperor's foresight was far beyond our reach."

Looking through the window lattice, Tianyou's smile held a hint of bitterness. Years ago, after leaving the palace to establish his own government, Emperor Yujia privately told him all his plans. He had never married, waiting to make Princess Qi his empress after ascending the throne. News of marrying a princess would alert the enemy. But why did he have to meet Yongye? And why did he have to know she was a woman? Tianyou closed his eyes, and Yongye's unparalleled beauty reappeared before him.

"Your Majesty, Yongye is already eighteen. Now that she has returned..."

Tianyou paused for a moment before speaking: "After being granted the title of Princess Yong'an, I said that she was in poor health and that the fortune teller said she had to be raised as a boy until she was eighteen."

Prince Duan was overjoyed, as Yongye's identity was now clear. He bowed deeply in thanks and asked with a smile, "Princess Luoyu will be coming to the capital with the Qi envoy?"

Tianyou nodded: "The procession has already set off. Crown Prince Yan personally escorted the princess and Miss An Si to their wedding."

Prince Duan breathed a sigh of relief and bowed, saying, "I will inform the Ministry of Rites to make arrangements as soon as possible."

Gazing at Prince Duan's retreating figure, Tianyou felt a pang of sadness in his eyes. How could he not understand Prince Duan's intentions? He did not wish for him to marry Yongye.

Li Tianyou smiled calmly. He was already the emperor; could there be a woman he couldn't have? Marrying Luo Yu as empress was something the two countries had agreed upon beforehand, but it didn't say he could only marry Luo Yu for the rest of his life. Besides, during the Eternal Night Martial Arts Tournament, he had already guessed that she was the assassin Xinghun. His uncle probably hadn't considered this possibility!

If his uncle refused, he had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure: threatening Yongye's life.

Yongye was granted the title of Princess; what would she look like in women's clothing? Tianyou, now certain, was also somewhat impatient to visit the Prince Duan's residence. Looking back at the pile of memorials on his desk, he secretly reminded himself that the remnants of the Eastern Palace had not been completely eradicated, Li Yannian was still at large, and all the officials were watching his every move. The new Emperor Youqing of Anguo secretly met with a beauty during his mourning period; the historians would record this. Tianyou shook his head and sighed, returning to his desk to bury himself in his writings.

It's none of my business

After finishing his palace affairs, it was already late. Prince Duan thought of Yongye and then of his princess. Before the palace gates were locked, he happily left the palace to return home. However, he was turned away when he arrived at the inner courtyard.

Yongye, remembering that Prince Duan hadn't told her the truth about his mission to Chen, resentfully pestered the princess to sleep with her. The princess readily agreed and sent Prince Duan to sleep in the study.

Left with no other choice, Prince Duan went to sleep alone in his study. Less than two hours later, he rushed back to the palace, but he didn't even get to see the Queen and Yongye.

Unexpectedly, this situation lasted for two days. If it weren't for the fear of making too much noise by breaking down the door and causing a spectacle for the inner court servants, Prince Duan would have kicked the door open long ago. Zizai Kaibao Temple knew that it was Yongye who had saved the princess, but instead of returning home, she sent a message saying that she was secretly investigating the news of Youli Valley. He thought that this girl might know something.

Prince Duan felt a little uneasy, but then he thought, "I'm her father, a few words of explanation will suffice." But Yongye refused to open the door, clinging to the princess. He thought helplessly, "Twenty years ago I suffered at the hands of my wife, eighteen years later I suffer at the hands of my daughter. My reputation is completely ruined by these two women. Fighting with my daughter for my wife—what kind of nonsense is this!"

The princess noticed something amiss and questioned Yongye in detail. At first, she remained silent, but later the princess said, "Your father has been so busy these days, he looks much thinner. Why make him sleep in the study even when he's home?"

Yongye knew he was being stubborn, but he just couldn't swallow his anger. When the princess pressed him, he said, "He told me to go and die without my knowledge, and I almost didn't make it back!"

Princess Duan turned pale with fright and grabbed Yongye's hand, shaking it repeatedly: "No, Yongye, your father loves you dearly, how could he send you to your death?"

After holding back her tears for a long time, Princess Duan finally coaxed them out, and she recounted everything that had happened during her mission to the State of Chen. Princess Duan listened with trepidation and gritted her teeth in hatred.

As the two were talking, they heard an announcement outside that the Prince had returned to the manor. Princess Duan, still angry, dragged Yongye out of the house. Yongye and Prince Duan bumped into each other in the moonlit courtyard.

"Eternal Night!"

Prince Duan's eyes lit up with surprise, but he had only taken two steps forward when the Princess grabbed Yongye from behind and roared, "So you're willing to abandon your own daughter for the sake of your Li family!"

Prince Duan glanced at her, and the inner court servants vanished in an instant. He smiled, stepped forward, and gently embraced the princess, coaxing her softly, "Don't listen to that little brat's nonsense."

"Yi Zhongtian burned down the Misty Rain Pavilion, and all the Leopard Cavalry were killed. Yi Hong and Commandant Lin are still missing. If I hadn't acted quickly, I would have been killed by him long ago! Do you really think Feng Yangxi did it?" Yongye snorted.

Despite being exposed, Prince Duan remained unfazed, his gaze shifting as he tried to change the subject: "Finally decided to come back? You even knew to hide on the sidelines and watch the show when your mother was poisoned!"

Yongye ignored her and clung to the princess, pleading, "He kept it from me and sent me there, making Chen think they could capture me as a hostage. I almost didn't make it back!"

The princess glared at the prince: "If anything happens to Yongye, I..." Her voice choked up again.

Yongye realized something was wrong. If she cried, wouldn't that old cunning man just coax her into it and be done with it?

Prince Duan was not about to let this opportunity slip by. He put his arm around the princess and coaxed her, "No, she's so clever, how could anything happen to her? Look, Yongye is perfectly fine, isn't she? Sigh, I'm exhausted today. I had to keep vigil all day and deal with so many things. My back is killing me." He turned his head and leaned against the princess.

Prince Duan tilted his head and glared at Yongye. The princess, who had been about to cry a moment ago, felt sorry for him after bearing the weight of the prince: "The emperor is so capable, why do you have to shoulder everything?"

"We can't let the Emperor keep asking the Ministry of Rites how the wedding preparations are going, can we? As his uncle, how can I possibly be idle while I'm getting married to my two nephews?"

Yongye was also drawn in and asked, "Who wants to get married?"

"The late emperor decreed that the princes should marry during the hundred-day mourning period. One is the Third Prince, the mighty General Wang, marrying the fourth young lady of the An family of Qi Kingdom, and the other is, of course, the current emperor." Prince Duan complained of having too many things to do and a headache, successfully half-leaning and half-pulling the princess into the bedchamber. As soon as the door closed, Yongye was still standing blankly in the courtyard.

She suddenly shivered. She and Li Tianyou were cousins, and the people here didn't care about such things; she couldn't stand it. She ran to the outside of the bedchamber and knocked on the door: "Father, explain yourself! Who is Li Tianyou going to marry?!"

Her loud shout forced Prince Duan out again. He looked at Yongye and smiled, "You can't call the Emperor by his name directly, or you'll be punished."

Yongye sighed: "Alright. Tell me, who does the Emperor want to marry?"

Prince Duan yawned: "Are you still angry with me?"

"One thing at a time, you speak first!"

"Actually, it was only after you left that my father learned that the Chen Kingdom had colluded with Youli Valley to capture you as a hostage. At that time, the late emperor was ill, but not yet terminally ill. Why would I need to hide it from you?" Prince Duan explained with a smile.

Yongye hummed in agreement, staring at him expectantly, hoping to find out who Li Tianyou would marry.