Las bellezas de la dinastía Song

Capítulo 79

Chapter 161: I am free

As she spoke, a sentence suddenly echoed in her mind—

"I know you like to play, so I won't stop you. Just remember what you can and cannot do."

That fox really saw right through me. Yes, I am playful. The most important thing in my heart is simply to have fun playing a game in this time and space. However, whether I will break his taboos while playing this game is something I don't even know myself. For example, I wonder what kind of expression he would have if he knew how I am behaving towards his crown prince right now?

In my imagination...

"Why?" Yuwen Ke asked with difficulty, his eyes filled with sorrow and sadness, which brought me back to my senses and made me feel a little guilty.

Actually, no matter how you look at it, Yuwen Ke treated me quite well.

Even the first few times he almost killed me were just misunderstandings. Given the situation, I couldn't blame him. So after I figured it out, I couldn't stay angry.

“Because,” I softened my voice, “I am who I am, free, and cannot be controlled by anyone or anything. If you think that if I were given the high position of prime minister, second only to the emperor and above millions of people, I would submit to something for this position, then you are mistaken.”

I took out the Left Prime Minister's token that I had just received a few days ago from my sleeve, grabbed Yuwen Ke's large hand, gently placed it in his palm, clapped my hands, and smiled sweetly at him, "Alright, everything is back to normal. Now, I'm leaving, bye-bye."

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Yuwen Ke gripped the ancient-patterned jade pendant tightly in his palm, his heart filled with bitterness. He watched as Lin Ran casually tossed aside the Left Prime Minister's token that so many people dreamed of, and then gracefully departed. The light green robe specially made by Jinxi Hall, simple yet not monotonous in style, wrapped around Lin Ran's slender and supple body, making his figure appear elegant and graceful. His light and quick steps were as leisurely and free as if he were walking among the clouds.

It was as if this wasn't the grand palace of a great nation he could never easily return to once he left; as if this was merely an unfamiliar address he had once visited, something he would never remember again; as if it were taking away all traces of his existence, erasing all the past, so that they would never cross paths again.

The boy laughing and joking by the mountain stream... Water droplets splashed in the air, sparkling in the sunlight... His hair was disheveled, but his smile was joyful and bright...

The boy who fell asleep on the lush green grass, oblivious to everything... The murmur of "Dark Night" in a uniquely languid voice... The beautiful, jade-like toes...

That person, who had slowly entered her heart and whom she would think of constantly—"the man."

Gone, gone. The faint green shadow ahead has already rounded the artificial hill, past the soaring phoenix eaves, and will soon disappear behind the palace walls.

No!

Yuwen Ke suddenly shivered, his palms suddenly feeling icy cold. He involuntarily clenched his fists tightly, and the next second, he pounced out like a madman, so urgently and quickly embracing the departing figure from behind, tightly, tightly, as if trying to meld him into the depths of his own body.

Ignoring everything, disregarding everything, ignoring everything, looking away, not wanting to think, and not allowing him to struggle... Burying his head tightly in his neck, Yuwen Ke felt the warmth and softness in his arms, and only then did his fearful heart gradually calm down.

Chapter 165: The Frail Wei Yun

Consort Wan forced a smile and said to Wei Yun, "Princess, you don't need to miss home. Now that you're here, this is your home. In the future, as the Empress, you will have to assist the Crown Prince in managing the harem and support him."

Wei Yun blushed, lowered her head, and gave a barely audible reply.

Consort Xian took a few quick steps and suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear, Princess, come quickly! The King of Peonies has actually bloomed today! I sent my maid to come and see it yesterday, but she hadn't seen it yet. I didn't expect it to bloom today. It's so happy to see the Princess here!"

Consort Xian chuckled as she spoke, then turned and waved to Wei Yun.

Wei Yun and the other women hurried a few steps and sure enough, they saw a flower garden where large peonies were blooming with elegant and luxurious stamens, swaying gently in the breeze, and exuding a faint fragrance.

A delighted smile appeared on Wei Yun's face. She exchanged a glance with her personal maid, Huan'er, their eyes filled with boundless joy.

The peonies of Tianxing are the most famous, and Wei Yun, who has lived in the Dawei Palace since childhood, has always longed to see them. Her father, the Emperor, dotes on her, and peonies are planted throughout the palace. However, there is one type of peony that is most noble, growing only in Tianxing Palace. It requires the utmost care from the palace craftsmen to keep it alive, and it only blooms once every few years, with a very short flowering period. That is the "Peony King" before her. Wei Yun often dreams of seeing it and becoming engaged to the Crown Prince of Tianxing. Along the way, what she thinks about most is not the Crown Prince of Tianxing, but rather this "Peony King."

Unexpectedly, on her first invitation to a banquet at the palace from the imperial concubines, she encountered the blooming of the "King of Peonies," filling her with a mixture of joy and surprise. Wei Yun, her eyes brimming with smiles, knelt before the King of Peonies, gently inhaling its fragrance. The flower and the person complemented each other perfectly; the flower appeared even more beautiful, and she seemed even more delicate. The imperial concubines watching were almost mesmerized.

Suddenly, a heavy, cold snort shattered the pleasant atmosphere.

Behind the swaying flowering trees, figures danced as several women in palace attire emerged.

The person in the lead was dressed in luxurious and beautiful clothes, with light makeup and a beautiful rhinestone between her eyebrows. A light yellow veil draped her exquisite figure, and her gaze, as sharp as the cold wind of early spring, swept across the flower bushes and shot towards Wei Yun.

"Hehehe, who is it? It's the Seventh Princess!" Consort Xian laughed, beckoning with her hand. "Seventh Princess, come quickly! The Peony King has bloomed! This is the first one of the year."

"The Peony King? Hmph, what is the Peony King worth? I've seen people staring at the Peony King without spacing out, but staring blankly at some outsider who came from who-knows-where," the Seventh Princess sneered.

Although everyone knew that the Seventh Princess had always been arrogant, they never expected that she would start attacking Princess Dawei without any regard for the consequences. They were all a little embarrassed.

Wei Yun was also startled and stood up from the flowerbed, somewhat at a loss. Huan'er was taken aback, then anger appeared on her face. She stepped forward, protecting her princess, and glared angrily at the Seventh Princess of Tianxing who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Consort Wan was startled. She glanced at Wei Yun and hurriedly said to the Seventh Princess, "Seventh Princess, this is Princess Da Wei, the Crown Princess that your brother is going to marry. You probably haven't seen her before and don't recognize her, right? Come, come and greet Princess Wei Yun."

Consort Wan's tone was gentle, yet her words carried a hint of reminder and warning. It was one thing to be domineering at home, but this was Princess Dawei, the future Queen Mother, and the current Crown Princess. The King of Dawei doted on this princess immensely. If she were to suffer mistreatment in Tianxing before her marriage, the engagement might be in jeopardy. This marriage was something Tianxing had fought hard for; no matter how favored the Seventh Princess was, she couldn't afford to be so presumptuous.

The Seventh Princess understood Consort Wan's meaning, and also the significance of her emphasis on "Royal Brother." She wasn't afraid of her father, nor did she care about the diplomatic turmoil between the two countries, but she was terrified of her Crown Prince brother. She was extremely afraid; a single glance from him would silence her. Hearing Consort Wan mention the Crown Prince, she finally dared not be too presumptuous. She glared at Consort Wan, reluctantly took a few steps forward, gave a hasty sideways bow, and mumbled something indistinctly, which no one could hear.

Wei Yun hurriedly reached out to help, but the Seventh Princess avoided her with a look of disgust. Wei Yun's hand hung in the air, feeling somewhat helpless and flustered. She withdrew her hand, and her eyes suddenly reddened.

Chapter 166: The Proud Princess

Huan'er stood to one side, trembling with anger.

The princess was gentle and kind, possessing unparalleled beauty. Raised in the palace of Dawei, one of the most powerful kingdoms in the land, she was exceptionally favored by the king and had never suffered the slightest hardship since childhood. Even her marriage to Tianxing was carefully chosen by the king, who was certain that among all the princes, Yuwen Ke was the most promising, ambitious, and destined for greatness. Furthermore, Yuwen Ke's harem was currently empty, and the princess's arrival offered her a chance to enjoy exclusive favor. Only then did the king agree to the marriage. To ensure the princess's support and importance after marriage, the king even dispatched the highly respected Marshal Cheng Jue to personally escort her, and presented the kingdom's most precious treasure, the Jade Linglong, as part of her dowry. If the king and queen had known that the princess would be treated so poorly even before her marriage, they would have been filled with worry.

She had been by the princess's side since childhood and regarded her as a celestial being. How could she tolerate this spoiled Seventh Princess of Tianxing bullying her princess like this?

Huan'er stepped forward, pointing angrily at the Seventh Princess, "You..."

"What about me?" The Seventh Princess turned around proudly and asked in return.

She didn't mean it at all. She didn't hold any grudge against Wei Yun; she was just angry that Wei Yun's reputation as the most beautiful woman in the world overshadowed her. Her earlier harassment was simply because when she first saw Wei Yun, her beauty had stunned her, causing her to feel a mixture of anger and resentment.

The Seventh Princess has always been willful, extremely arrogant, and self-centered. Her temperament, fueled by her father's excessive pampering and her mother's indulgence, has become incredibly overbearing. If it weren't for her fear of her elder brother, the Crown Prince, she would have long ago driven away this eyesore, Princess Weiyun. How could she tolerate a mere maidservant acting so presumptuously before her? If her mistress couldn't handle it, she would show no mercy to the little maidservant. After all, this was still Tianxing, her territory as the Seventh Princess. So what if she was the most beautiful woman in the world? Her elder brother had never valued beauty, and might not necessarily dote on her. She'd better be prepared.

"What about me? What do you think I am?" The Seventh Princess stepped forward, staring intently at Huan'er.