The Empress's expression softened somewhat, and she was about to reprimand him when Chu Youran suddenly knelt down, her clear and elegant voice echoing slowly through the banquet hall:
“Your Highness, I know that I am of lowly status and not worthy of you. Your Highness need not force yourself to marry me. I am willing to go and be the daughter of the governor.”
The governor's daughter becoming the concubine of the Prince of Zhan is a blessing from her past life. Chu Youran actually wants to step down. Under normal circumstances, everyone would definitely accuse her of being ungrateful, and the emperor would be furious and punish her parents and relatives.
But just now, in front of everyone, Dongfang Zhan pushed Chu Youran away in every way. Although he finally agreed to marry her, it seemed like he was forced to marry her. Chu Youran's voluntary invitation was not because she abandoned Prince Zhan, but because Prince Zhan looked down on her. Her considerate departure preserved the royal family's face and did not cause Dongfang Zhan any trouble.
People will only admire her kindness, and will not blame or reprimand her.
"Miss Chu is intelligent, beautiful, and exceptionally talented. I admire her greatly. Miss Chu, please come. Do you not like me?" Dongfang Zhan still needed to use Chu Youran to deal with Shen Lixue, so of course he wouldn't let her leave. He used his status to pressure her and make her give up the idea of going.
“Your Highness is too kind. You are the Prince of Qingyan. What woman wouldn’t want to marry you? You are of noble birth and have the right to abandon someone you don’t like. It is my own misfortune that I cannot marry you as your concubine. I will not blame Your Highness. You don’t need to force yourself.” Chu Youran’s beautiful eyes were full of tears, and her words were sincere.
Dongfang Heng's expression darkened slightly: "I like you, and I married you willingly, not by force." This ignorant woman actually thought she could escape his grasp; she overestimated herself.
Chu Youran's beautiful eyes flickered: "Forgive my bluntness, but if you truly love me, why did you push me to Prince An?" He was speechless after being refuted by Shen Lixue, and only then did he think of marrying her. He was clearly forced into it.
"I wish to train a female strategist for Qingyan to protect our country." Dongfang Zhan said perfunctorily. He and Shen Lixue made a deal. When he crossed out Chu Youran's name, he suddenly thought of turning the tables on Shen Lixue and pushed her to Dongfang Heng, hoping to ruin their relationship. Hehe, these are all secrets that cannot be told.
“Your Highness, I have only read a few military books and have no great expertise in military strategy. Your suggestion that I go to the border to lead troops is somewhat inappropriate.”
"I know you are gentle by nature and do not like me. You did not want to hurt my feelings, so you pushed me to Prince An. Prince An is excellent, but he is not my good match. You had no choice but to prepare to marry me. I am not fortunate enough to be Prince Zhan's concubine. I really do not blame Prince Zhan." Chu Youran's voice was soft and weak, and coupled with her pitiful appearance, it made people feel sorry for her.
Dongfang Zhan looked coldly at Chu Youran. After hearing what she said, it seemed that what the emperor, empress, and ministers had just witnessed was that he had heard the list, disliked Chu Youran, and used all his skills to push the blame onto Dongfang Heng.
Applying the idea of studying military strategy to protect one's home and country to a weak woman is indeed inappropriate; it's simply an excuse.
Even if he said he liked Chu Youran and wanted to marry her, everyone would only think that he was doing it to save her face and not make her sad.
Yesterday, Chu Youran was rather naive and her thoughts were rather ordinary. How did she suddenly become so eloquent and persuasive overnight? Could it be...?
Dongfang Zhan's gaze sharpened, and he turned to look at Shen Lixue.
She was holding a teacup, sipping the tea lightly, the steam rising gently. Her face was slightly hazy, but her eyes and brows were sharp. Suddenly, she raised her eyes to look at him, a cold smile flashing in her clear pupils.
Dongfang Zhan instantly understood that Shen Lixue had long anticipated his counter-strategy, and thus set a trap, waiting for his plan to unfold before launching theirs. Their plan cleverly freed Chu Youran from his predicament, outsmarting him without him even realizing it!
How clever!
The Empress glanced at the Emperor and saw that his expression was calm, but his brows were slightly furrowed, as if he was somewhat dissatisfied with this big incident. She said loudly, "Prince Zhan, Miss Chu has no interest in the other party. Miss Chu has volunteered to go. The position of Prince Zhan's concubine will remain vacant for the time being. I will select another concubine to fill the vacancy tomorrow."
With just a few words, Dongfang Zhan and Chu Youran drew a clear line between themselves. From then on, he was the Azure Flame King, and she was the daughter of the governor. There was no longer any relationship between them.
Although the Empress claimed that Chu Youran had volunteered to attend, with so many important officials, their families, and young men and women sitting in the banquet hall, the truth would be known to everyone within half a day at the latest.
Prince Zhan disliked his concubine and wanted to give her to someone else. When the other person refused, he reluctantly married her. The concubine, who was about to be married, kindly asked to leave on her own. Chu Youran was disliked, and her reputation might be affected to some extent, but the one most affected was Dongfang Zhan.
The gentle and refined Prince Qingyan Zhan, who never wanted to see a woman heartbroken, actually hurt her heart without any mercy, and in such a cruel and heartless way. The matter will surely spread like wildfire, and his reputation will at least be tarnished.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, and Prince Zhan for your kindness." Chu Youran curtsied gracefully, then slowly stood up. The heavy weight on her heart instantly lifted, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the matter was finally resolved.
She glanced at Shen Lixue, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a grateful smile. Luckily, Lixue had helped her.
Shen Lixue returned her a cautious smile, reminding her that this was a banquet hall and she shouldn't show too much relaxed joy, otherwise it would definitely arouse suspicion.
Chu Youran understood, her expression darkening slightly. She gracefully sat down, lowered her eyelids, and stared at the food on the table like an invisible man, without uttering a word.
"Which young ladies in the capital are suitable to be the concubine of Prince Zhan?" The emperor's voice was indifferent and authoritative. Today's banquet was to determine the Crown Prince's principal and concubine consorts, but unexpectedly this happened, leaving the position of Prince Zhan's concubine vacant. It must be filled as soon as possible.
"Your Majesty, there are several daughters who are suitable for this position. Here is a list; please take a look." The Emperor smiled and handed a small booklet to the eunuch.
When selecting the Crown Prince, and the principal and secondary consorts of Prince Zhan, twenty or thirty daughters from noble families were chosen. They were all daughters of high-ranking officials and each woman was outstanding. The Empress carefully selected again and again before finally deciding on the specific women.
Chu Youran, please go. It's alright. There are plenty of women who can take your place.
The emperor took the booklet and carefully flipped through it. His slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed. The governor's daughter was of ordinary status. Any of the young ladies in the booklet were of higher status than her, and any one of them would be qualified to be a concubine.
"Prince An, Princess An is pregnant and will gradually become less mobile. You should also choose a concubine. Why don't we take advantage of the Empress's selection of concubines for me and choose one for you as well?"
Dongfang Zhan's gentle smile was tinged with an indescribable chill. Chu Youran had escaped using a scheme, and he had lost his bargaining chip against Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue. He would then have to create another one. Since they wanted to be together for life, he would have to give Dongfang Heng a concubine to separate them.
Dongfang Heng lightly pinched the wine glass with his white jade fingers, his obsidian-like eyes as deep as a pool: "Thank you for your kindness, Prince Zhan. It would be disrespectful for me to take another concubine after only three months of marriage to Li Xue. My marriage to her was arranged by my father and the Duke of Wu. If I do not respect her, I am disrespecting my father and the Duke of Wu."
Filial piety is the most important virtue. Children who do not respect their parents will be despised. He did not want to be scorned by the world, so he naturally could not take a concubine.
Dongfang Zhan glanced at the slender Shen Lixue and smiled, "The Princess Consort is pregnant. The baby is small now, so she can't feel anything. But gradually, as the pregnancy becomes more prominent, her movements will become very inconvenient, and she won't be able to take care of you anymore. If you take a concubine, outsiders won't say much. Even if the Holy King and the Duke of Wu were standing here, they wouldn't blame you."
Neither the Holy King nor the Duke of Wu can be his shield.
“The daughters of prominent families in the capital are beautiful and talented, not much less so than the Princess Consort of the Prince. Prince An can enjoy the blessing of having two wives.”
The concubine was personally chosen by the Empress, and Dongfang Heng had no choice but to accept her. Otherwise, he would be disobeying the imperial decree. Even if he married her and then banished her to the Cold Palace without ever looking at her, the sweet relationship between him and Shen Lixue would still be fractured.
Dongfang Heng held Shen Lixue's fair hand tightly and displayed it to everyone: "I once promised Lixue that I would only love her in this life, and I would not elevate her to the rank of concubine, nor would I take any secondary wives or maids. Qingyan has many people enjoying the blessing of having multiple wives, so I won't make a difference."
Shen Lixue smiled knowingly; she knew he would say that! Coming from the 21st century, she would not share her husband with other women. She had loving parents who would be with her for life, and he would not have multiple wives and concubines.
The crowd erupted in uproar. The mighty God of War of Azure Flame, not taking a concubine, not taking a mistress, not taking a maidservant—is that really true? He could spend his entire life with only one woman and not find it boring?
Dongfang Zhan's expression stiffened for a moment, then returned to normal: "Is Prince An joking? Let alone noble men of Qingyan Kingdom, even commoners and wealthy families will take concubines. How can Prince An only marry one princess in his life?"
Dongfang Heng glanced at Dongfang Zhan: "Qingyan doesn't have any laws stipulating that men must take concubines, right?"
Dongfang Zhan frowned slightly: "Of course not, but..."
“My father and mother were a couple who were devoted to each other for life, why can’t I be?” Dongfang Heng interrupted Dongfang Zhan’s words coldly, his sharp eyes flashing with a cold light.
Yes, the Holy Prince only married the Holy Princess, and they lived a very happy life! Many noble ladies looked on with envy. Prince An inherited the Holy Prince's temperament and also planned to marry only one woman in his life.