Dongfang Zhan looked away, refusing to see her pleading eyes and bitter smile. It was all her own doing, nothing to do with him, and he didn't need to care.
"What are you standing there for? Qianmei isn't feeling well, quickly help her into the carriage." Qin Junhao roared, and the maids trembled, quickly agreeing and grabbing Ye Qianmei's arm as they hurried towards the carriage.
Ye Qianmei's beautiful face moved further and further away from him, her extremely bitter smile lingering in his mind. Dongfang Zhan turned to look at her mechanical steps. She had been acupunctured and silenced, unable to speak or move, completely powerless to resist, and her body was naturally not comfortable.
"Your Highness Zhan, until we meet again." Qin Junhao bowed to Dongfang Zhan to bid him farewell. "If you ever come to the Southern Frontier, I will certainly entertain you with the finest wine and the most beautiful women."
Emperor Qingyan issued an order to expel him. The streets in front of the post station were lined with imperial guards, ostensibly for protection, but in reality, they wanted to forcibly drive him out of Qingyan. Falling out with the emperor would do him no good at all, so he should be sensible and leave on his own. He could always find a reason to come back later.
"Take care!" Dongfang Zhan said politely, watching Qin Junhao and Ye Qianmei get into the same carriage, and the Southern Xinjiang caravan slowly set off.
The people of Qingyan stood on both sides, watching the carriages filled with all sorts of valuables drive past, one after another, praising, "His Majesty is so generous, sending so many valuable items to the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang."
They clearly remembered that when the Southern Border Prince came to Qingyan, there were at most five carriages, but now there are fifteen.
"I heard that the carriages were mostly filled with Princess Qianmei's dowry." When Ye Qianmei came to Qingyan for the marriage alliance, the people saw with their own eyes that there were ten carriages full of dowry!
"Wasn't Princess Qianmei supposed to marry Prince Zhan? How come she's married to Crown Prince Qin now?" A passerby scratched his head in confusion.
"You're so out of touch! Ye Qianmei had an affair with the Crown Prince Qin and remarried him..."
"Princess Qianmei must be blind to marry the ugly Crown Prince Qin instead of the handsome and dashing Prince Zhan." Qin Junhao's appearance was very ordinary, not ugly, but compared to the handsome and dashing Dongfang Zhan, he was an ugly monster.
"Who knows what she's thinking? Perhaps this princess of Xiliang has a unique sense of aesthetics..."
Passersby criticized him, feeling indignant on Dongfang Zhan's behalf, which could be seen as a form of indirect affection for him. Normally, he would have smiled to himself, but today, for some reason, as he watched the carriage carrying Qin Junhao and Ye Qianmei gradually disappear into the distance, he felt inexplicably agitated, as if something very important in his life was slipping away.
A guard captain stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness, I am here to escort Crown Prince Qin out of the city."
"Alright." Dongfang Zhan agreed calmly. The emperor was determined to get Qin Junhao out of the city, and these imperial guards were there to monitor him as he left.
The convoy from the southern border turned the corner and disappeared. The Imperial Guards, who had been escorting them all the way, also turned the corner. After watching the excitement, the people whispered among themselves and dispersed in twos and threes, leaving only Dongfang Zhan standing alone at the entrance of the post station, feeling inexplicably agitated and unable to concentrate.
I've probably been too busy lately, which is why I'm feeling so agitated. Having a few drinks will calm me down and I'll feel better.
Dongfang Zhan comforted himself and walked slowly along the street, looking for a restaurant to drink at.
Every so often along the bustling street, there was a restaurant. Dongfang Zhan looked at those restaurants but couldn't muster any interest and continued walking forward.
Around the corner, a slender figure, looking lost and dejected, approached. Upon seeing Dongfang Zhan, her beautiful eyes lit up, and she hurried over, blocking his path: "Prince Zhan, may I speak with you in private?"
"What is it?" The appearance of this beautiful woman in front of him proved that his plan had been successful, and he should have been secretly happy, but for some reason, he felt no joy at all.
"It's a very important matter, and I hope Prince Zhan can spare some time to listen to me." The woman's expression was solemn, and deep in her eyes was a strong sense of hope.
With a deep gaze, Dongfang Zhan suppressed the turmoil in his heart and said coldly, "I am going to the Wine Immortal Pavilion."
"Okay." The woman nodded repeatedly, her beautiful eyes filled with increasing joy. It was good that Prince Zhan was willing to listen to her.
In a private room at Zuixianlou, Shen Lixue stood by the window, basking in the warm sun and feeling the gentle breeze, watching the Southern Xinjiang convoy shuttle back and forth on the bustling street, gradually disappearing into the distance: "I hope Qin Junhao has truly left Qingyan."
Qin Junhao is treacherous and cunning. If he stays in Qingyan, he will definitely cause them trouble. Although they can handle it, they don't want to scheme against each other every day because Shen Lixue is pregnant and needs a quiet environment to nurture the baby for its healthy growth.
Looking at the heavily guarded Imperial Guards lining both sides of the street, Dongfang Heng smiled and said, "With so many Imperial Guards seeing him off, he has no choice but to leave." Emperor Qingyan is forcibly sending Qin Junhao away; how could he possibly refuse?
A gentle breeze blew by, carrying a faint aroma of food. Dongfang Heng closed the window and led Shen Lixue to the table, saying, "Let's eat quickly, it's getting cold."
The meal was plentiful and light, which suited Shen Lixue's taste perfectly. She also liked to drink lotus seed porridge and eight-treasure porridge, which are good for beauty and health and can also help with pregnancy. After eating sour plums and drinking lotus seed porridge, even her breathing became fresher.
"Heng, Your Highness, how is the selection of Dongfang Zhan's principal and secondary consorts progressing?"
Shen Lixue remained secluded at home, but news from the capital and the imperial court kept pouring into Fengsong Courtyard of the Holy Prince's Mansion. A few days ago, the emperor had already ordered the selection of consorts for the two of them.
The Crown Prince and Prince Zhan have only a handful of principal and secondary consorts, so the selection process isn't particularly grand. However, with ministers each having their own agendas, submitting their clever and beautiful daughters, there's bound to be some minor turmoil in the court.
"The Empress is busy selecting consorts for the Crown Prince and Dongfang Zhan. The preliminary selection has been completed, and a general list has been finalized. It is only waiting for the Emperor's final decision." The selection of consorts for the princes is actually a selection of powerful in-laws. All the ministers in the court are paying attention, and Dongfang Heng has also paid some attention to it.
Shen Lixue blinked: "Aren't the selected daughters of high-ranking noble families like the Prime Minister and the Grand Commandant?" The Crown Prince and the Prince of Zhan's principal and concubines are related to the royal family, so they not only need to be talented and beautiful, but also have a noble status.
“That’s right.” Dongfang Heng nodded, then, seeing Shen Lixue frown, asked in confusion, “Is there something wrong?”
Shen Lixue smiled mysteriously: "The Empress is the Crown Prince's mother, and Prince Zhan is their enemy. She must have put a lot of effort into choosing concubines for Prince Zhan." She must have carefully investigated which young ladies, though seemingly powerful, were actually less well-connected than the Crown Prince's principal and secondary consorts.
The Empress wholeheartedly hoped that her son would ascend the throne and would never allow the talented and accomplished Dongfang Zhan to surpass her son in terms of marriage.
"Clever." Dongfang Heng picked up a sour plum and popped it into Shen Lixue's mouth. "However, Your Majesty, Dongfang Zhan is not easily fooled. Dongfang Zhan will review the list of principal and concubines beforehand, and then let Your Majesty make the final decision. The initially chosen principal wife of Prince Zhan is..."
"Your Highness Zhan, your private room is Room 3, this way please." The waiter greeted him warmly, followed by Dongfang Zhan's voice: "Miss Chu, do you mind sharing a private room with me?"
"It's alright, You Ran believes that Prince Zhan is a gentleman." The woman's voice was clear and gentle, and very familiar. Shen Lixue was stunned. How could Chu You Ran be with Dongfang Zhan?
"Miss Chu, this way please." Dongfang Zhan said in a gentle and refined manner.
"Thank you, Prince Zhan." Chu Youran smiled politely and slowly walked towards the No. 3 private room in the Heavenly Division.
Dongfang Heng's jade-like fingers gently caressed Chen Lixue's delicate, porcelain-like skin, smoothing her furrowed brows: "Do you want to know what they were doing in the private room of Zuixianlou?"
Shen Lixue stared wide-eyed at Dongfang Heng: "You have a way of finding out?"
"The Drunken Immortal Pavilion is where I gather information. Each private room has been secretly equipped with special features. If you want to know the situation in a particular private room, you can find out just by listening."
As he spoke, Dongfang Heng took out a small, round bamboo tube from somewhere, with a thick white thread attached to one side, and held it to Shen Lixue's ear. The sounds coming from room number three of the Heavenly tier could be clearly heard.
"Your Highness, please remove my name from the list." A clear and elegant voice pleaded earnestly; it was Chu Youran speaking.
"Miss Chu doesn't want to be a prince's consort? Then why did you submit your name and portrait?" Dongfang Zhan's gentle voice carried a hint of surprise.
"Your Highness, my father clearly did not submit my name. I do not know why my name appears on the list of concubines." Chu Youran looked bewildered, her clear eyes filled with pleading.