Dritte Ehe

Kapitel 4

"Come here, sweetie."

Yan Niang, who had already gotten up from Zhu Yu's embrace, reached out and took their hands.

"What an adorable and beautiful pair of twin sisters!"

Looking at their innocent and naive eyes, and those two pairs of eyes filled with fear and confusion, Yan Niang smiled at them.

"Pingfei, do you think those two are the most suitable people to be my maids?"

"Whether they are suitable or not depends on Your Highness, the Third Prince, to bestow them upon them."

Zhu Yu leaned forward and gazed at them. He saw two childlike faces with wide eyes, looking at him timidly.

"Smile at me, and I'll keep you by my side if you've won my favor." His handsome face blossomed into an even brighter smile, yet his words held no room for argument. "Everyone has their use; otherwise, what's the point of being born? After all, trouble is trouble, and keeping them around is just superfluous."

Although they didn't necessarily fully understand the meaning behind his words, they could feel the terrifying gaze emanating from the person in front of them, making them even more afraid to breathe.

Yan Niang, who was standing to the side, smiled and patted them.

"Look at your rosy cheeks. Has no one ever told you that you're even cuter when you smile?" Yan Niang coaxed, "Come here, this is your future master. Call him the Third Prince. With a master, you'll have beautiful clothes and delicious food for every meal."

"Will...will there be steamed buns?"

"Is there... any water left?"

The two sisters asked in a low voice, because their older brother had just given them these two things to eat, and they were delicious.

"Steamed buns, boil water!"

Yan Niang couldn't help but laugh at their innocent questions.

"I think the Third Prince's residence probably doesn't have these two things." With three meals a day consisting of sumptuous delicacies from land and sea, there shouldn't be such coarse food.

"No!" The two sisters were clearly disappointed.

"Two little girls, with voices as sweet and melodious as nightingales!" Zhu Yu beckoned with his index finger, beginning to tease his playthings. "Come, call out 'Your Majesty,' and you can eat as many buns, soup, and chicken as you like."

Upon hearing that they could eat their fill, the sisters' eyes lit up and they smiled happily.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty."

The two sisters obediently called out, and seeing that the man's eyes were not as frightening as before, they couldn't help but fawn over him, saying, "Your Majesty, my name is Xiao Ma (Xiao Fan)."

"It seems I will have two little orioles by my side from now on. Your smiles and voices please me. From now on, you shall be named Worry-Free and Sorrow-Free!"

Chapter Two

Snowflakes blanketed the ground, creating a misty, frost-like scene. The majestic imperial city, shrouded in a silvery haze, appeared even more magnificent and splendid.

The golden roof tiles of the palace had long since turned bright white, and the pine and cypress trees were covered with frost and snow like a snow curtain, hanging down in layers. Along the huge stone steps leading down from the palace pillars, the guards on both sides stood tall and proud, fearless of the biting frost, with the spears in their hands held straight and upright.

On a flower-lined walkway within the imperial city, snowdrifts piled up on both sides, with only the central stone path passable. An old palace maid carrying a red-painted wooden box saw a figure in front of her and called out in surprise, as she had not seen this familiar figure in the palace for more than half a month.

"Fourth Young Master, it's been quite a while since I've seen you. Why didn't you attend that banquet half a month ago?" Didn't you say you were going to attend?

Su Shaochu, the fourth young master of the four great families, is elegant and witty, especially gentle towards women. Occasionally, he wears a serious face with playful little gestures, and is frank and unrestrained. He has always been the handsome young man admired by the daughters of royal relatives and nobles and the young ladies in the palace. Everyone was quite disappointed when they didn't see him at the palace banquet.

"Fourth Young Master?"

A figure in a snow-white robe stopped and turned around. The old palace maid who had called out to him was startled by the look in his eyes.

The person in front of him was almost one with the ice and snow, and the feeling he exuded was extremely faint, completely unlike the usual Su Shaochu, whose warm smile seemed to infect people.

"Shaochu, that's the palace maid Dong who takes great care of you. You always like to call her Sister Dong. You haven't forgotten her after being sick for a few days, have you?" said Su Dongling, the eldest son of the Su family, who was standing next to Su Shaochu.

"Sister Dong." She whispered with a frown, then her expression turned serious, and she replied with a detached politeness, "I was recently sick from a cold and have only just recovered. My apologies."

His brows were prominent, his face handsome, and he didn't look sickly, only calm and composed. This was completely different from his usual serious demeanor, which always had a gentle smile playing on his lips. Was it because of the winter clothes? Even his figure seemed taller than usual. It was clearly the same person!

"Oh, what are you saying? I didn't know you were just recovering from your illness, Fourth Young Master. It was my presumption." For a moment, the old palace maid was speechless and slightly taken aback.

"Shaochu, you have other matters to attend to, you should go now!" Su Dongling said.

Su Shaochu bowed slightly, then turned and walked forward, his indifference so cold and detached that even the usual playful tone in his eyes was gone.

"Palace maid Dong, you've just fallen ill and are facing many troubles. Sometimes you even lose track of where you are. Please don't take offense," Su Dongling said with a gentle smile to the old palace maid.

"Poor Fourth Young Master, he has only recently suffered a breakup, is now beset by many troubles and has fallen ill. No wonder he seems like a completely different person."

Thinking back to more than half a month ago, Su Shaochu had become haggard because of his lover Yu Ziyan, who stole the Zifei Twin Moons at night. Now he is so ill that the old palace maid is truly heartbroken to hear this.

"Is Lady Dong heading to the Princess's residence?" I've heard that she was recently assigned to serve in the Princess's palace.

"Yes! We were just about to take these medicinal herbs over. The imperial physician instructed that drinking them daily would help improve the princess's chronic illness."

"I also need to visit an old friend who recently joined the palace as a guard. Why don't we go together?"

"Didn't Young Master Su just visit the Princess?" Seeing them standing outside the Princess's courtyard, he assumed they had just finished their visit.

Su Dongling smiled, his hands behind his back. "After Shao Chu finished paying his respects to the Eldest Princess, I came from the Crown Prince's place and was thinking of visiting some old friends from the martial arts world."

"It's Fu Yaofeng, the newly recruited martial arts guard in the Princess's residence, a renowned swordsman in the martial arts world."

At the suggestion of the Crown Prince, the Princess's personal bodyguards were to be increased by a martial arts expert. The Emperor strongly opposed this, fearing that the complexity of martial arts experts would affect the Princess's safety. However, the Third Prince, who was in charge of the Princess's safety, actually agreed, which made the Emperor nod in approval.

"Are Young Master Su and Fu Wuwei old acquaintances?"

It is said that the Crown Prince made this suggestion to hire the famous swordsman Fu Yaofeng as his personal bodyguard. This suggestion was made by the second daughter of the Su family, who married the Crown Prince as a concubine.

"We've all been in the same boat, so we've developed some kind of relationship."

The four great families have one foot in the imperial court and the other in the martial arts world, so how could the Su family be an exception?

"Fu Wuwei is an honest and loyal man, and he has rendered meritorious service in killing Zi Fei Shuangyue. Although the Emperor initially did not agree to let a Jianghu person serve as the Princess's bodyguard, after visiting the Princess a few times, he not only appreciates him but also wants to give him important positions on several important ceremonies. This is because Fu Wuwei's swordsmanship is superb, and the Emperor also said that the Crown Prince and the Third Prince have a great ability to judge people!"

"Oh! This is really good news." With Fu Yaofeng protecting the princess, they can proceed with their next steps with peace of mind.

"It's quite surprising that the Third Prince would agree to allow martial arts practitioners to enter the palace!"

Inside the palace, there are strict rules, some of which were later established by the Third Prince. Among them, the prohibition against people from the martial arts world entering the palace to serve as any servants or guards is a particularly strict rule he set.

"I've also heard that the Third Prince has recently been lobbying the Emperor to appoint Fu Wuwei as a tutor to the royal guards, teaching them sword techniques and formations to surround the enemy. Fu Wuwei has been quite busy lately."

"Perhaps Fu Yaofeng's superior martial arts skills have changed the Third Prince's mind." Su Dongling's steady expression vanished, replaced by a calm smile. He understood Zhu Yu's plan: to do the Crown Prince a favor, and at the same time, to keep Fu Yaofeng too busy to do anything else, thus depriving them of a helpful person in their endeavors.

"Young Master Su, you must take care of yourself. The weather has been freezing lately, and many people have caught a cold. Even the Third Prince, who is usually healthy, has fallen ill and hasn't been to the palace for quite some time. I only saw him a few days ago."

The Third Prince and Su Shaochu have always been the two most popular people in the palace. Their absence for the past half month has left everyone feeling disappointed.

"Did the Third Prince go to the palace a few days ago?"

The palace maid nodded.

"The Third Prince hadn't entered the palace for quite some time, and the Emperor and Empress were so worried that they repeatedly sent imperial physicians to see him, but none of them managed to find him. The Emperor and Empress were extremely concerned. Finally, the Crown Prince personally went to the Third Prince's residence before allowing him to enter the palace."

"I'm sure everyone can breathe a sigh of relief now that they've seen the Third Prince safe and sound." The Third Prince's arrogant demeanor, stemming from his power, was partly due to the Emperor and Empress's doting affection.

"She was not only relieved, but the Empress also grabbed the Third Prince and treated him like a child, scolding him for not taking care of himself, saying that he looked haggard, and kept calling the imperial physician, insisting that the Third Prince stay in the palace for her care and not let him leave the palace again."

"Your Majesty the Empress is a gentle and loving person, as you can imagine." The Empress has always doted on this prince, who, although not her own son, was raised by her personally, and always treated him as if he were still a child.

"Finally, the Third Prince promised that he would not stay away from the palace for so many days again, which put the Empress at ease."

Palace maid Dong smiled. She had seen it before. The Third Prince, who always seemed indifferent and unpredictable, would always show a helpless expression when faced with the Empress's care, but mostly he would accept it with a bitter smile.

"The third prince later went to visit the eldest princess, but the eldest princess declined to see him, citing illness."

"Even the Third Prince didn't receive her. It seems the Eldest Princess wants to calm down and recuperate properly."

The palace maid nodded, completely unaware of the implications behind Su Dongling's words and his thoughtful, narrowed expression.

"However, Young Master Su should remind Fourth Young Master that if he has a woman he likes, he should not get too close to the Third Prince. After all, two men... it's not good for rumors to spread. Outsiders don't understand and may misunderstand Fourth Young Master as a crazy person," the old palace maid said cautiously.

"What do you mean by that?"

"This..." Dong Gongnu hesitated, unsure of what to say.

"Please, Lady Dong, speak frankly, so that I, your elder brother, may know how to help my younger brother who is used to being carefree," Su Dongling said with the concern of an elder brother.

"Actually, this matter has already caused quite a stir in the palace, but no one dares to tell the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the Empress yet. Half a month ago, on the hillside in the palace's back garden, several passing eunuchs and palace maids witnessed the Third Prince hugging the Fourth Prince tightly and kissing him forcefully!"

***Exclusively produced by Fengmingxuan*** ***

At the summit, a tall and imposing figure stands proudly, overlooking the capital city shrouded in a silvery world.

In the biting wind, his deep blue cloak fluttered, the wind lifting the moon-white robe beneath it, the sleeves flowing smoothly. On his handsome face, he merely lowered his brows and pursed his lips, showing no sign of fear even in the chilling wind, his expression remaining calm and composed.

Gazing at the snowflakes dancing in the sky, his brows furrowed slightly, his thoughts drifting back to the past, to Meixiu Mountain in Nanyuan, where the same cold winter snow was falling...

The sword light cleaved through the air, creating a streak of light that pierced three inches into the snow. Its power was as swift as lightning as it swept across the trees ahead. The resounding clang echoed from the ground, and the trees swayed and collapsed, their solid trunks beginning to crack!

"Oh dear! Are you practicing your swordsmanship, or are you just relentlessly destroying forests?" A light sigh came from the nearby pavilion. "Why don't you shovel the snow under this pavilion, so your dear brother and sister have a good way down the steps?"

Upon hearing this, he looked at the figure who always sat leisurely whenever he practiced swordsmanship, leisurely enjoying tea, wine, or even reciting poems or playing the zither. He loved watching him finish practicing swordsmanship, and he had grown accustomed to this companionship.

That face was exactly the same as his; only when they stood together could one discern the difference in appearance.

The person who likes to smile lightly while holding a folding fan has a more elegant figure compared to others, with delicate and clear features, and lively and expressive eyes, as if conveying a message with their gaze.

Knowing his brother's habits—joking and teasing as he pleased, and not liking to respond—he would always stop what he was doing for every word he said, looking into those bright, intelligent eyes that sparkled with wit.

Although he didn't know whether the person inside the pavilion was serious or joking, as soon as he saw Yingxiao's smiling eyes looking at him, he took another breath and leaped up into the air, his momentum soaring to the heavens. His inner force burst forth from his sword, the blade a deep red, unleashing a crimson sword aura that rained down on him as he tumbled and attacked, sparks flying, instantly melting the frost and snow in front of the platform, revealing the dark ground.

Upon seeing this, the person inside the pavilion smiled broadly, put down their folding fan, took a warm handkerchief from the side to wipe their hands, and took their seven-stringed zither as they descended the steps.

"My dear little brother, show me the Soul Hunter Sword technique again."

He didn't respond, but the sword light flashed again. His figure, like a dragon soaring through the clouds, rode the rainbow-like sword shadows on the snow, performing an astonishing sword technique.

"Dance a song, and your splendor will be revealed; dance a song, and the winds of change will surge."

As the zither music began, the steady strings sounded like a melody unfolding, carrying a budding charm. The elegant voice rang out amidst the sword light and snowflakes.

"Sword held horizontally in the air, slicing through the falling frost. Picking up the remaining snow, turning it into a thousand frosts; breaking through the swift wind, transforming it into a sharp glint—"

The music once again brought forth another magnetic rhythm, calm yet imbued with a sense of grandeur, like the wind returning to the earth, sweeping across the snow-covered plains, leaving behind ripples and imprints of wind across the landscape.

"Sword light is like a raging tide, sword shadows are like thunder, light spews rainbow blades, shadows hunt swift souls; frost bursts forth as flying knives travel a thousand miles, rainbow light is as sharp as a knife and shakes the soul."