Lin Chang felt that it was one thing for Prince Chen to be so clueless about romance, but why say something so offensive and thankless? He said, “Prince Chen, Mei Ju is a beautiful courtesan. If you say such things, aren’t you damaging Mei Ju’s reputation? How will she ever get married in the future?”
Baili Chen said with a half-smile, while Leng Sha coldly replied, "Can a woman who shows her face in public like this still get married? She plays the zither and sings every day to please others. Is Lord Lin referring to which family this Miss Meiju will marry as a concubine? When did our Great Zhou change its rules? Does taking a concubine now require a formal marriage?"
"You've gone too far!" Upon hearing this, Meiju glared angrily, tears immediately welling up in her eyes. She was truly a pitiful sight. Unfortunately, she was facing two women who already had someone they loved. Comparing Meiju to her beloved woman, the difference in their status was immediately apparent.
Baili Chen thought to himself, "My Yue'er is breathtakingly beautiful no matter how she's laughing, crying, or yelling. This woman's crying is so fake, it's awful."
Leng Sha thought to himself, "That little maid Chuncao is still the cutest. This woman is so hypocritical. She came here to be a prostitute and yet she talks about being pure and innocent. She even threw out some sour poems earlier. She really doesn't know anything."
Seeing the two men cursing at her and looking disgusted, Meiju trembled with anger. She let out a sob and whispered, "That's too much." Then she covered her face with her sleeve and ran away.
Lin Chang was stunned for a moment, then said anxiously, "Oh, Miss Meiju..." Lin Chang was extremely anxious, "Your Highness, aren't you going a bit too far? She is a woman after all. How can you make people lose face like this?"
"Why should I save face for a prostitute? Besides, what I said is true. If she can't compare, she can't compare. Does she really think that just because she's considered a beauty in this tiny place like Lin City, she's the most beautiful woman in the world? How dare she compare herself to my queen! I'm already being lenient by not punishing her." Faced with Baili Chen's self-righteousness, Lin Chang was speechless. After all, he was Prince Chen, and even if he was wrong, he wouldn't dare to say it.
Lin Chang hesitated for a moment: "Your Highness, I have an urgent need to relieve myself... um..."
"Go!" Baili Chen waved his hand, and Lin Chang immediately ran over, heading in the direction Mei Ju had left in.
Baili Chen said to Leng Sha, "Let's go back."
"Yes, Master."
Baili Chen and Leng Sha did not greet each other and took a sedan chair to Baiyun Temple. It was already mid-afternoon. If they did not leave the city before mid-afternoon, they might have to stay in Lin City for the night. However, after leaving the city gate and traveling about a mile, Leng Sha suddenly shouted: "Protect the master!"
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" Just then, a hail of arrows came flying at high speed. There were about fifteen people escorting Baili Chen today, each of them skilled in martial arts. They held their weapons to protect themselves and deflected the arrows with the recoil. However, the arrows seemed endless. Baili Chen's voice came from the sedan chair: "Abandon the horse and the sedan chair, retreat!"
Then he leaped out of the sedan chair, and Leng Sha and the others deflected the arrows and followed Baili Chen backward.
"Chase them, leave no one alive!" Just then, a hoarse voice rang out from the darkness, followed by the sound of heavy shadows of trees all around and a series of whooshing sounds as they chased after Baili Chen and the others.
"Master, these people are ruthless and not ordinary people," Leng Sha said as he fled.
Baili Chen sneered: "I'm afraid all of this today is a trap."
"Master, what should we do now?"
"What to do? Run!" Baili Chen ran through the night with a strange smile on his face.
"Men, surround them!" someone shouted from behind. Just as Baili Chen and his group had run about several dozen meters and were in a dense forest ahead, a group of people suddenly rushed out from within. These people were also dressed in black. With the shout, the group rushed out and surrounded Baili Chen and his group.
Baili Chen squinted and suddenly said, "If we can fight our way out, we will. Don't look back. After we shake off these people, we'll meet at Baiyun Temple." Baiyun Temple is a grand temple and a famous sacred place in Linzhou. The Linzhou soldiers usually keep a close watch on it, so basically no one dares to cause trouble there, nor does anyone foolishly kill anyone there.
"Yes, Master," Leng Sha and the others replied hastily.
"kill!"
In an instant, the momentum of both sides surged. With a loud "bang," as if a fuse had been lit, the two sides immediately started fighting, their weapons clashing together with a crackling sound.
"A group of people surround Baili Chen!" the man in black said coldly.
"How dare you!" Leng Sha roared and rushed over, simultaneously sending a short dagger flying.
"Ugh!" One of the men in black was struck head-on, his throat slit open, and he died on the spot. However, there were simply too many of them. Not to mention the group that rushed out later, there were also more than twenty people who had fired arrows earlier. At this moment, these people surrounded them. Even Leng Sha and the many secret guards protecting Baili Chen, who were highly skilled in martial arts, were now surrounded and unable to escape.
No matter how brave Leng Sha and his group were, they couldn't match the sheer number of people on this side. At least a dozen people were separately attacking Baili Chen. These people were armed with swords, short arrows, and daggers, and they all used extremely fierce and ruthless attacks on Baili Chen. Even though Baili Chen was highly skilled in martial arts, he gradually lost ground under the relentless attacks of these people.
"Master! Charge! Protect Master and break through the encirclement!" Leng Sha roared angrily upon seeing this, and immediately kicked out fiercely, directly knocking away the arm and leg of the black-clad man who was thrusting his sword at him. However, another black-clad man had already thrust his sword at him. "Swoosh!" Leng Sha couldn't pull his leg back in time and was cut. However, Leng Sha didn't care at all. He just roared "Ah!" and directly punched the black-clad man hard. The fist was so powerful that it hit the black-clad man's chest. The black-clad man was sent flying with a "thud" and fell heavily to the ground, never to get up again.
At this moment, Leng Sha flew over to Baili Chen's side. The two stood back to back and immediately engaged in a fierce battle with the people, using two black-clad weapons.
"This can't go on, we have to launch a surprise attack!" Baili Chen said urgently.
Leng Sha immediately understood and suddenly kicked out. The men in black were still wondering what Baili Chen meant by the so-called surprise attack when they saw Leng Sha kicking. They dodged, but just as the flying shield was in the air, they suddenly felt a cold sensation in their throats with a "poof", and then their bodies fell to the ground.
"Watch out for their hidden weapons! Surround them and hack them to death!" the leader of the men in black shouted.
Baili Chen suddenly looked up, his face tense, as the group of men in black suddenly pounced on him.
"puff!"
"Puff puff puff..."
"ah!"
Suddenly, screams and cries of pain rang out from the crowd, followed by a mass of people falling to the ground. Each person had a bloody wound on their neck, their eyes unfocused, clearly dead.
Two figures shot out and rushed into the dense forest.
"Damn it, they've escaped! After them!" the black-clad leader shouted. "Bai Lichen and his men are all injured. Follow the trail of blood! Hurry! We can't let them get away!"
Baili Chen clutched his arm, while Leng Sha's legs were still a bit unsteady. The two of them had only been running forward for a short while when their faces turned pale. Baili Chen and Leng Sha had already stopped the bleeding by applying pressure to their acupoints. At this moment, they each stuffed a pill into their mouths and, while running, pulled up some scraps of cloth to tightly wrap their wounds and stop the bleeding.
"Master, you run first, I'll go cover you."
"No, get out of this forest, quick!" Baili Chen grabbed Leng Sha and the two of them flew away.
"Quick, they're ahead! Chase them!" The pursuers were already rushing in. Just then, Baili Chen suddenly turned around, moved his fingers, and with a few "whoosh" sounds, the three men in black who were close behind fell to the ground.
"Their hidden weapons are incredibly powerful!" The leader in black had dark eyes and became even more cautious as he chased after them, which slowed him down. However, just as he was chasing Baili Chen and Leng Sha out of a dense forest, the road in front of him suddenly opened up, but the people were gone.
The leader in black realized something was wrong: "You two teams split up and go after them in two different directions. You come back with me to report, quick!" The group of men in black immediately split into three groups and flew away. Just as the forest returned to calm, two heads suddenly emerged from an inconspicuous patch of black grass.
"Go!" The two dark figures quickly dispersed, but they didn't head back to Baiyun Temple at all...
In a house in Lincheng, Lin Chang was lying on the bed, with two beautiful women massaging his legs and shoulders. Suddenly, a dark figure flashed in, startling the two women. Lin Chang patted the woman's shoulder and told her to get off.
"Is the person dead or not?" Lin Chang was silent at this moment, a far cry from his obsequious demeanor during the day.
“We’ve lost track of them, but both of them are injured. The two most likely paths are that they escape back to the capital, or they return to Baiyun Temple and the surrounding area,” the black-clad leader replied coldly.
"What? We lost him? What are you all doing?!" Lin Chang sat up abruptly upon hearing this, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He had hesitated to kill Baili Chen, but he had no choice. Once he decided to kill him, he had to make sure he was completely dealt with and no survivors were left, or he would be in big trouble.
Lin Chang got off the ground and paced back and forth: "Xue Heng will be back soon. If we can't kill Baili Chen before then, it won't be easy to kill him later. Do you understand?"
"I understand. I will definitely find Baili Chen and kill them all." The black-clad leader's voice was utterly cold.
"Alright, then let's do it. We need to see the person alive or dead."
"Understood!" After saying that, the man in black turned and flew away. Lin Chang was in a state of great anxiety. He was just a member of a collateral branch of the Lin family. When he received this mission, he was so scared that he couldn't sleep for several nights. But if he didn't kill Baili Chen, she would be the one to lose her life. She didn't have the ability to oppose the Lin family. Even her position as the Prefect of Zhongzhou was arranged by the Lin family. They, as collateral branches, were born to serve the main family of the Lin family. Otherwise, they would be in a worse situation than if they had fallen into Baili Chen's hands. So this time, Baili Chen had to die. For his own sake, Baili Chen had to die.
In the capital, Ouyang Yue was lying in bed at the Prince Chen's residence when she suddenly sat up abruptly. Dongxue immediately came over and asked, "Your Highness, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
Ouyang Yue gently touched her chest, wondering what was causing this sudden heart-pounding fear: "I'm fine. I managed to deliver the message I asked you to give to the Prince."
Dongxue nodded and said, "They should have arrived two or three days earlier."
"That's alright." Ouyang Yue sighed, but she still couldn't let go of her tension. "It's all right now, you should go and rest too."
"yes."
However, for some reason, Ouyang Yue sat on the edge of the bed and couldn't fall asleep all night.
The next day, Ouyang Yue Zhao got up as usual, took Baili Su for a walk, and then had breakfast together. Just as the food was set out, Chun Cao came over with a bad expression: "What happened?"
Chuncao said somewhat discontentedly, "Princess Jiang Xuan's carriage is outside. She didn't send an invitation beforehand, but now the carriage is blocking the door, and she's insisting on seeing the princess with a very strong attitude."
"Jiang Xuan? What's she doing here again? Is she better now?" Jiang Xuan had caused quite a stir back then, and ended up vomiting blood from anger. She had to go back to bed to rest. Just a few days ago, news that Jiang Qi had sent to Da Gan came back. The Da Gan emperor thought Sun Quan was an excellent husband candidate and issued an imperial edict to bestow marriage upon the two of them. Thus, Jiang Xuan's marriage was settled.
Unlike previous princess marriages, this time the Da Gan Association will send people directly to deliver the dowry, so Jiang Xuan won't need to return to Da Gan again. She can get married directly at the post station. During this time, Jiang Xuan should be busy preparing her dowry and getting ready for marriage, and she should also be adjusting to the difference between marrying Sun Quan and not being married. What is she looking for at this time?
Chuncao said angrily, "How can someone be like this, blocking someone's door so early in the morning and demanding to see them? This is disrespectful to the princess. They have no manners at all. Did the princess ask me to send them away?"
Ouyang Yue scooped a spoonful of milk paste for Baili Su and said, "No need, let Princess Jiang Xuan in. I want to see what kind of trouble she's up to this time."
Chuncao hesitated for a moment, then turned and left. A short while later, she returned with Jiang Xuan and two maids. Today, Jiang Xuan was wearing a light purple embroidered bamboo-patterned long gown, which made her look mysterious and beautiful. Her makeup was also quite heavy, which made her face even more stunning. Two phoenix-patterned hairpins were tied in her hair, and the tassels at the bottom of the gown swayed with her movements, giving off a dazzling luster and a swaying feel.
As soon as Jiang Xuan stepped into the room, she saw Ouyang Yue and smiled meaningfully, her eyes filled with a mocking tone.
Ouyang Yue smiled faintly: "It is a great honor for Princess Jiang Xuan to grace the Chen Prince's residence with her presence so early. Princess Jiang Xuan, have you had your meal? Would you like some?"
Ouyang Yue's breakfast wasn't particularly lavish: a beauty-enhancing porridge, four plates of refreshing side dishes, a bowl of stomach-cleansing soup, and two kinds of pastries. Normally, Jiang Xuan would have looked down on these things, but today, after looking at them, she smiled and said, "That's great! I haven't even tried them yet, so I'll condescend to have some today."
Baili Su's big eyes immediately turned to look at Jiang Xuan. He saw her sit down without any ceremony, with an arrogant expression on her face. Ouyang Yue didn't care and waved to Chuncao, who looked displeased, to have someone prepare a bowl and chopsticks for Jiang Xuan.
"Princess Jiang Xuan, the bowls and chopsticks are here." Soon, Chuncao personally set the dishes for Jiang Xuan. Jiang Xuan smiled faintly, and the maid beside her immediately stepped forward, using silver needles and other items to test each dish for poison. After testing them, Jiang Xuan smiled and said, "Princess Consort Chen and Prince Chen seem to have a good appetite."
Jiang Xuan looked around and simply pointed to the beauty porridge. Without needing any servants from the Prince Chen's mansion, her maidservant took a bowl and spoon that had been inspected and ladled out a bowl. Jiang Xuan didn't rush to eat it; she just stirred it slightly with the spoon and looked up at Ouyang Yue.
Ouyang Yue didn't change anything because of her words. She just continued to feed Baili Su milk porridge. Jiang Xuan waited for a long time and saw that Ouyang Yue didn't react. She smiled, took a sip of porridge, and tasted it. It tasted pretty good. "Hmm, this beauty porridge seems to taste a little different from the normal one."
Ouyang Yue said, "It is indeed different. I added another flower to the original recipe, which made the porridge even sweeter."
"Princess Consort Chen is the behind-the-scenes owner of the Beauty Pavilion. She has quite a few beauty recipes. I am very fortunate to have such a good taste."
"If Princess Jiang Xuan likes it, this princess consort will naturally not be stingy. I will then have someone send the recipe to Princess Jiang Xuan." Ouyang Yue smiled faintly, showing no concern whatsoever about the recipe leaking out.
Jiang Xuan stirred the beauty porridge: "Princess Consort Chen is truly generous. But I wonder if she would be just as generous with material possessions.
Ouyang Yue raised an eyebrow and smiled. Could Jiang Xuan still be trying to pester her about the jade pendant? After saying that, Jiang Xuan stopped talking and quietly ate her porridge, occasionally picking up a small piece of side dish with her chopsticks. She ate with relish. However, after finishing her meal, Jiang Xuan left. Even Ouyang Yue couldn't figure out why she did that. Was it just for breakfast? She didn't think the Princess of Da Gan could be that poor.
For the next three days, Jiang Xuan consistently arrived at the manor during breakfast, chatted casually with Ouyang Yue, took a few things, and left. This made the servants of the Prince Chen's residence extremely nervous, fearing that Jiang Xuan had ulterior motives and was trying to cause trouble. Each time she left, they would thoroughly check the manor, but the result was always the same: Jiang Xuan seemed genuinely there for Ouyang Yue's beauty porridge, even though the recipe had clearly been given to her long ago.
On the fourth day, Jiang Xuan appeared at the same time again. However, this time the smile on Jiang Xuan's face was obviously more enthusiastic than the previous three days, as if she had encountered something happy. Ouyang Yue casually asked, "Princess Jiang Xuan is smiling so happily. Did you hear something good?"
"Yes, this princess has indeed heard something very interesting. I've heard that Prince Chen went to Baiyun Temple to ask for medicine for the Empress Dowager on the orders of the Emperor of Great Zhou. Is that true?" Jiang Xuan asked with a smile.
“Of course it’s true, why do you ask that, Princess Jiang Xuan?”
Jiang Xuan shook her head and said, "To be honest, Prince Chen really knows how to enjoy life. I heard that he has found a soulmate in Lin City, and the two of them are now very much in love. Prince Chen has already made a solemn promise that he will bring his soulmate back to the capital together in a few days!"
Jiang Xuan sneered, her eyes filled with malice: "This princess is here to congratulate Princess Chen. Soon you will have another sister in your household to help you serve Prince Chen. This will make things much easier for you. Isn't this something to celebrate!"
Upon hearing this, Baili Su's eyes widened immediately, while Ouyang Yue's eyes gradually narrowed, a dark vortex appearing in her depths as she gazed intently at Jiang Xuan!
☆、273、Shameless woman!
Jiang Xuan felt a sudden tightness in her heart as she looked at Ouyang Yue, yet a joy also welled up inside her. Wasn't Ouyang Yue always so successful? Yet she had caused her such a miserable situation. The dignified princess of Da Gan could only marry a young master from a noble family in another country. Ouyang Yue still wanted to live a happier life than her? That was a dream!
After a moment of cold indifference, Ouyang Yue said calmly, "Oh, how did Princess Jiang Xuan find out about this?"
"Hehehe." Upon hearing Ouyang Yue's words, Jiang Xuan covered her mouth and giggled, "Oh dear, what's going on? Princess Consort Chen, you don't know yet, do you? This is my fault! Princess Consort Chen doesn't know that Prince Chen is going to take a concubine? Look how fast I've been talking! How could I tell Princess Consort Chen just because I was happy to hear the news? This caught Princess Consort Chen completely off guard. This is really bad." Jiang Xuan even pretended to look regretful.
Baili Su put down his spoon in the morning, his eyes already squinting. He now regarded Jiang Xuan as a quacking duck, wondering whether to make an incision in her mouth first, or to pluck all her feathers and then roast her like a duck.
"Then I really have to trouble Princess Jiang Xuan. I also thank you for your enthusiasm and concern for the affairs of Prince Chen's residence. You came to tell me as soon as you heard about it. I really have no way to repay you," Ouyang Yue said with a half-smile.
"Oh, it's nothing, it's what I should do. Sharing happiness is worse than keeping it to yourself, and besides, this concerns Princess Chen, how could I not come to spread this good news?" Jiang Xuan smiled at Ouyang Yue, thinking to herself, "Keep pretending, let's see how long you can keep up this act." She must be seething with hatred inside, but she's pretending to be indifferent. She finally got this news and she's definitely not going to let it go. "Princess Consort Chen doesn't seem to be in a good mood. What's wrong? Aren't you happy that Prince Chen has a new lover? That won't do. As a royal princess consort, you have to be magnanimous and virtuous. Princess Consort Chen comes from a prestigious family, so she shouldn't be unaware of this. You know, throughout history, those who have been labeled as jealous women almost always ended up being divorced, either self-harming or living a life of quiet desperation. Princess Consort Chen shouldn't do anything bad just because of a little jealousy, right? To be honest, since Princess Consort Chen married Prince Chen, there hasn't been anyone in the household who can truly take care of her. The reputation of being a jealous woman is quite widespread. I'm only reminding you for your own good."
"If this person is brought by Prince Chen, I think Princess Chen should not only not be angry, but should also be very warm and welcoming, taking good care of him with good food and drink. If that person serves Prince Chen well in the future, wouldn't that be your achievement, Princess Chen? You'll also gain a reputation for benevolence. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Isn't a person's life all about reputation? Princess Chen, do you think I'm right?" Although Jiang Xuan smiled, her face was full of mockery and malice.
There's no such thing as a magnanimous woman in this world who would allow another woman, or even two or three, to share the same man. That's simply impossible, unless the woman doesn't love the man at all and has no other desires for him. Otherwise, even without love, there's no such thing as a harem without competition for benefits. For women, the biggest challenge is having other women eyeing their men. The saying goes, "A woman pursuing a man is like piercing a thin veil," and there are almost no men in this world who aren't lustful. In the end, nine times out of ten, they'll succeed. This time is a perfect example; no matter how closely Ouyang Yue watched Baili Chen, he's already in the arms of a woman.
Previously, Baili Chen had been very attentive and respectful to Ouyang Yue, for whatever reason. However, this man wasn't indifferent to women; he just appeared to be at home. Clearly, Baili Chen had forgotten this restraint once he went out. If Baili Chen were to bring a woman back, Ouyang Yue would cause trouble, and her reputation as a jealous woman would spread. And which member of the royal family didn't have multiple wives and concubines? Not only would Baili Chen object, but even Emperor Mingxian, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress would object to Ouyang Yue. Even if they didn't immediately challenge her position as Princess Chen, would they allow her to have it in the future? If they wanted to torment her, they had plenty of ways to do so. Besides, since this woman could captivate Baili Chen, she must possess some ability and cunning. Jiang Xuan was eagerly anticipating their future life-or-death struggle, and she coldly watched Ouyang Yue's tragic end.