Chapter 30:急欲返鄉

ng outside, it might also be spreading within our mansion and the other major mansions in the capital city," Cai Lian saw Cloud Shallow Moon’s expression darken more and lowered her voice towards the...Chapter 30 Yearning for Home

The weather was clear today, though it was winter. The sunset painted the sky with red clouds.

The light of the setting sun bathed Nan Lingrui and Yun Qianyue from head to toe, adding a touch of splendor to their already handsome and elegant appearances.

Yun Qianyue had slept for two days and was now well-rested. The affable and humorous demeanor of her uncle, Prince Wei of the Southern Liang Kingdom, made her feel even more at ease.

"Little miss, it's still early today. Would you like to go out to play" Nan Lingrui asked Yun Qianyue as he turned his head towards her. "Suzanne, the first lady of Jade Beauty River, is unmatched in the Southern Liang Kingdom for her songs and ballads. Do you want to listen to one"

"Sure!" Yun Qianyue answered enthusiastically.

Nan Lingrui led her out of the palace.

Just as they had walked a short distance, an old nanny hurried over and stopped them. "I pay my respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"It's Nanny He! No need for formalities," Nan Lingrui waved his hand.

Nanny He straightened up, glanced at Yun Qianyue, and respectfully said, "Is this Miss Chu The Empress knows that it was Miss Chu who cured the Emperor’s illness. She wishes to have a chat with her."

"She has been talking with my father in his palace for half a day. It's getting late now; I'm afraid of disturbing my mother's rest. I'll take her there tomorrow morning," Nan Lingrui said.

Nanny He was very meticulous and didn't insist when she heard this, nodding and saying, "Then I will inform the Empress accordingly. Your Highness can bring Miss Chu to see Her Majesty in the morning!"

"Alright," Nan Lingrui responded.

Nanny He performed a backward bow and stepped back.

Nan Lingrui continued walking, with Yun Qianyue following behind. Once Nanny He had walked away, she softly asked, "How does the Empress treat you"

"Very well," Nan Lingrui replied simply with a single word.

Yun Qianyue blinked her eyes and said, "In what way"

"She treats me extremely well," Nan Lingrui smiled.

"Doesn't she know that you're not her biological son" Yun Qianyue raised an eyebrow.

Nan Lingrui rapped lightly on Yun Qianyue's head, saying, "Little miss, do mothers ever fail to recognize their own sons"

"There are some who might," Yun Qianyue nodded.

“Perhaps there are such cases, but not the Empress. Father has thousands of concubines in his harem, and the Empress holds a position of power and respect as the queen dowager. Though she has been fasting and praying for years and no longer requires her ladies-in-waiting to attend on her morning and evening, nobody dares to show disrespect or speak ill of her behind her back. Do you know why"

“Is it because her personal charm surpasses the Emperor's favor” Yun Qianyue raised an eyebrow.

Nan Lingrui put his arm around Yun Qianyue’s shoulder, completely disregarding her slender shoulders and the gazes of passersby in the palace. He smiled and said, "She is a truly intelligent woman who would never throw you into the harem to compete with others; that's something you wouldn't be able to do."

Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes and pushed Nan Lingrui away, saying, “Why should I compete with others”

Nan Lingrui’s almond-shaped eyes flickered as he said with a chuckle, "Right, why would my little sister compete"

Yun Qianyue remained silent.

Nan Lingrui continued to stroll forward leisurely.

The two of them arrived at the palace gate, where there were two carriages parked there. One hung with the plaque of the Crown Prince's Mansion and the other with that of Princess Mansion. In front of the Crown Prince’s carriage stood a guard, while its curtains were tightly shut; in front of the Princess’s carriage sat a young eunuch steadily, and her carriage curtain was lifted up, revealing a delicate beauty who looked like spring water peering out from inside. She shouted as soon as she saw Nan Lingrui and Yun Qianyue coming out, "Brother Crown Prince!"

"It's you, Cuiwei," Nan Lingrui smiled as he raised his brows a little, "My dear younger sister looks even prettier now."

“You’re mocking me. The beauties by your side are the ones who look pretty,” Princess Cuiwei’s gaze fell on Yun Qianyue and she sized her up from head to toe, before asking him, “This is Miss Chu Your younger sister of righteousness”

“Yeah!” Nan Lingrui nodded.

"Brother Crown Prince treats her better than he does his own sisters. It’s said that the princesses and I had to break our feet yesterday and the day before in trying to visit Lingshoutang but were stopped by your men outside. Brother Crown Prince really has hidden this person well. Today, since I guessed you’d take her out of the palace, so I specially waited here for you, otherwise we wouldn’t have met." Princess Cuiwei glared at Nan Lingrui.

"Oh My dear younger sister was waiting deliberately," Nan Lingrui’s peach blossom eyes flashed a bit. "I thought you were at General Gu's house taking care of him who I beat up."

Princess Cuiwei harrumphed, with some sourness, “He doesn't need me to take care of him. He would be glad if I didn’t.”

"There are plenty of good men out there; my dear younger sister is talented and beautiful, what kind can you not get Gu Shaqing is just an ordinary guy," Nan Lingrui said in a big brotherly tone as he walked toward his carriage.

"If you had said this to me before, I wouldn’t have listened. But now that I’ve figured it out, there are plenty of good men out there, so why should I be hanging on him Humph, from now on, if he wants to talk to me, I won't even acknowledge him. Brother Crown Prince beat him up well," Princess Cuiwei pursed her lips as she looked at Yun Qianyue who was following Nan Lingrui toward the carriage. “Brother Crown Prince, are you going back to your mansion or somewhere else”

“To Jade Maiden River!” Nan Lingrui replied.

Princess Cuiwei’s eyes lit up, "Can Brother Crown Prince take me along I haven’t been out of the city for a long time. Although I live outside the palace, my mother looks after me strictly and my brothers don’t take me with them when they leave the city because they’re afraid I might cause trouble."

"Sure, if you behave yourself and don’t run around, I’ll take you," Nan Lingrui agreed readily.

Princess Cuiwei’s whole face lit up as she hurriedly promised, “I definitely won't run around.”

Nan Lingrui got into the carriage, Yun Qianyue lightly jumped in too. The curtains were pulled down and the carriage immediately started moving.

Princess Cuiwei didn’t request to ride with Nan Lingrui but instead instructed the young eunuch to follow behind his carriage.

The two carriages left the palace gates.

Nan Lingrui lazily leaned against the carriage wall, winked at Yun Qianyue and whispered softly, "Little girlie, were you surprised that Cuiwei didn’t cry"

Yun Qianyue smiled. “She's a cute little girl; does she live outside the palace”

"Yeah! Last year, she begged Grandpa to move out of the palace and is now the only princess in South Liang who has established her residence outside before getting married. Her house is next to Gu Shaqing’s," Nan Lingrui said.

Yun Qianyue nodded; she wasn’t particularly interested in probing into such a young girl's heart or love life, and even less so for biting him, Gu Shaqing. "She’s the one most favored by Grandpa among all the princesses, without any airs of a princess and is kind to her servants as well. Though she’s still very young, her talent surpasses those of other princesses. Yet unfortunately, she has fallen in love with that stubborn bonehead, Gu Shaqing, so people have been laughing at her privately for years but she persists." Nan Lingrui said with a smile.

"If you like someone, you should like them wholeheartedly. This Cuiwei is much better than the Sixth Princess of Heavenly Peace," Yun Qianyue commented.

Nan Lingrui suddenly chuckled, "She’s indeed better than the Sixth Princess; she's not just a little bit better." Finished speaking, he patted Yun Qianyue’s head. “Little girlie, later on I’ll show you how bustling South Liang is.”

Yun Qianyue raised her brows. "Are there more programs waiting for me"

Nan Lingrui glanced at her with a clear understanding.

"I’m not interested in dealing with scheming and intrigue; I came to South Liang on a visit, so relax for two days. Nan Lingrui, I warn you, stay far away from all kinds of nonsense matters for me. Got it" Yun Qianyue frowned.

"Little girlie, call me brother!" Nan Lingrui tapped Yun Qianyue’s head once. "Just to have some fun and enjoy ourselves a bit; wouldn’t just the two of us be rather boring"

Yun Qianyue harrumphed.

Nan Lingrui sprawled out on the carriage seat, closed his eyes and hummed a tune, actually crooning with eyebrows upturned.

Yun Qianyue kicked him with her foot and said, "What kind of tune is this A grown man shouldn’t sing such feminine songs!"

"Soon Shan Shan will perform something even more flirtatious. Let you prepare yourself." After saying that, Nanying Rui continued to hum.

Yun Qianyue shivered as she tried her best to listen.

The city of Nan Liang was naturally livelier compared to when Yun Qianyue came at night. The streets were bustling and crowded with people. Nanying Rui’s tune was drowned in the noise of the crowd.

The carriage arrived smoothly at the city gate.

Outside the city, it was even livelier than inside. From afar, they could hear the sounds of music and singing coming from Jade Maiden River.

Yun Qianyue lifted the curtain to look outside and saw that numerous boats were docked at Jade Maiden River. The scene was a hundred times more lively compared to her previous visit. It seemed like news of Nan Liang’s King waking up had spread far and wide, as people who had been locked indoors for over ten days came out to relax. Not only men but also women could be seen setting off lanterns everywhere, which made the scene even more beautiful.

Yun Qianyue thought that it was indeed a place blessed with spring all year round. If this happened in Tianning, people would have already shut their doors and stayed indoors around their warm furnaces by now. They wouldn’t be able to see such a lively scene.

"Nan Liang has remained the same after so many years!" Yun Qianyue sighed.

"Why don’t you stay here instead of leaving, little girl" Nanying Rui sat up and hugged her with affection. "I can pamper you and protect you by my side. Isn’t that better than going back to see Xiao Jing’s cold face"

Yun Qianyue glanced at him and said, "Do you think it's possible"

Nanying Rui snorted and pushed her away. He muttered, “I don’t know what poison that brat has given you!”

Yun Qianyue rubbed her forehead and smiled. She didn’t know what kind of poison she had been given. After being gone for a dozen days, she missed him so much it was like a bone-deep ache. Before, when she still received letters from him, she didn't feel this empty inside.

The carriage stopped by the side of Jade Maiden River.

Nanying Rui hit Yun Qianyue’s head and said unhappily, "Get out!"

Seeing Nanying Rui get off the carriage, she also jumped down. The horse-drawn carriage that followed behind them stopped as well, with Cuiwei being helped to get off by a maidservant.

"Prince Brother, Jade Maiden River is so lively today!" Cuiwei walked up and looked at the river while exclaiming in surprise, "Oh! Isn’t that Six Brother and Ten Brother"

“Yeah.” Nanying Rui nodded with a smile.

Cuiwei exclaimed excitedly, “Ah, I remember now. Today is Ten Brother’s birthday!”

"Yes, Father has been ill these days. After he woke up, he said that the Imperial Household Office was going to arrange his birthday celebration for him, but he refused it and said there wasn’t much meaning in having a celebration inside the palace. He decided that celebrating with his brothers outside would be enough. They’ve chosen the largest boat on Jade Maiden River today, and they should have arrived by now," Nanying Rui explained.

Cuiwei was immediately overjoyed and grabbed Yun Qianyue’s hand while saying affectionately, “Chu Senior Sister, you haven’t met my brothers yet. Since it is Ten Brother's birthday today, I’m sure they will all be here.” She then glared at Nanying Rui reproachfully, "I almost forgot about this. Prince Brother certainly didn't tell you that today was his birthday either! No wonder he brought you out of the city to play. If I hadn’t been waiting for you by the palace gate, I would have missed it."

Yun Qianyue looked at Cuiwei’s small hand wrapped around hers and smiled without speaking.

"Apart from celebrating Ten Brother’s birthday, of course, this is also to hear Shan Shan sing," Nanying Rui said as he walked towards the wooden bridge that was being built.

"I think Shan Shan’s song isn’t as good as Lian Lian’s music." Cuiwei tugged Yun Qianyue’s hand and followed behind him excitedly.

“Men look at women, but women naturally prefer to see men,” Nanying Rui agreed. "Today the two boats are side by side playing music and singing songs. Apart from Nan Liang's number one courtesan Shan Shan, there should also be Nan Liang’s first male performer Lian Lian. You all have good fortune for your eyes and ears."

“Brothers don't even let their sisters look at the courtesans and male performers because they are afraid of being corrupted. But you’re actually encouraging me to perform with Chu Senior Sister You’re really too incompetent!” Cuiwei glared at Nanying Rui. She then asked Yun Qianyue, “Chu Senior Sister, how did you meet Prince Brother”

Yun Qianyue smiled and was about to speak when a man's voice came from the boat, "Prince King finally arrived!" He then exclaimed in surprise, "Chu Younger Sister and Seventh Younger Sister are here too!"

"Six Brother, your tone sounds like you don’t welcome us," Cuiwei pouted.

"No way! They might be very happy to see you, brothers. Especially Sister Chu; I only saw her briefly today and didn’t have the chance to talk to her before Crown Prince Eldest Brother dragged me away. Just now, Birthday Brother Ten was wondering if he would bring her."

Qian Yue looked over and saw a young man who was two years younger than Nan Lingrui. As Empress Consort's son, Nan Lingrui ranked fourth among the princes; Nan Licheng ranked sixth and Nan Lingo ranked tenth. So this person calling him "Six Brother" must be the Sixth Prince. Meeting so many princes in the palace today made them seem brotherly to each other, but she couldn't see any sign of rivalry between the brothers of the South Liang Dynasty; it probably all happened behind closed doors.

"Brother Six, you’re calling Sister Chu so affectionately! Anyone would think that you know her very well!" Cuiwei playfully winked at Sixth Prince. "But Sister Chu is already married. She’s the main wife of Lord Chu’s family; don’t have any inappropriate thoughts."

"Crown Prince Eldest Brother’s sister by marriage is also our brothers’ sister or younger sister by marriage." Sixth Prince glanced at Qian Yue, who was smiling faintly. He quickly changed his tone. "Cuiwei, everyone in the palace says General Gu fell in love with Sister Chu at first sight. They say that you should be crying your eyes out, but you don’t look like someone who’s been crying. When did you become so magnanimous"

Cuiwei blushed and immediately retorted. "Six Brother, you’re deliberately making fun of me! I hate the wooden-headed Gu Shaoqing from now on!" After finishing her sentence, she continued. "Crown Prince Eldest Brother treats Sister Chu like a treasure; even Luo Yao from the East Sea Kingdom ran off in a fit of pique. Whether or not she is married to someone else doesn’t matter; if I don’t respect her magnanimity, Crown Prince Eldest Brother wouldn’t like me anymore."

"You little girl always keeps quiet, but now you’re talking so much." Sixth Prince laughed and lightly rapped Cuiwei on the head. "Don’t talk nonsense, though! Shaoqing is on board; he can hear everything you say very clearly."

Cuiwei’s eyes widened in surprise. “He's here”

"Not only him—Brother Ten invited two pleasure boats and everyone who should come has arrived. But they are all men, except for you and Sister Chu." Sixth Prince glanced at Qian Yue; she was still smiling faintly as usual. He looked at Cuiwei with ill intent. "Cuiwei, didn’t you say just now that you hate her Look at your expression! Even if you were to claim that you don’t like her, nobody would believe it."

"I really don’t like him, Six Brother. Stop ruining my fun!" Cuiwei glared at Sixth Prince.

"You won't be able to stop yourself from going over there once we’re in the boat!" Sixth Prince laughed heartily.

Cuiwei harrumphed but glanced at the pleasure boats instead.

As they were talking, Nan Lingrui led a group of people onto one of the boats. Qian Yue watched as more and more people boarded the boat; she could see several princes in front who were either young or grown up. In the back, there was a line of men dressed in exquisite clothing, which indicated that today’s guests also included high-ranking officials’ children from noble families, in addition to the princes. Gu Shaoqing stood out among them; his appearance and the bruise on his forehead made him very noticeable. It seemed that Nan Lingrui had not been exaggerating about beating him badly. This gathering must have gathered all of the young influential people in Jing City today. Qian Yue looked at Nan Lingrui with a frown, wondering what he was planning by bringing her here.

"Little girl, since you’ve come to South Liang, I intend to make full use of your talents and not let you leave without fulfilling some purpose!" Nan Lingrui leaned over to Qian Yue and whispered in her ear, "I know how eager you are to go back. So if you act along with me today, I’ll set you free."

Qian Yue raised an eyebrow. "Today"

"Why Don’t tell me that you were planning on sneaking off today" Nan Lingrui looked at her.

Qian Yue rolled her eyes; she couldn’t hide anything from him. She had not received any news from Rong Jing, and with all the rumors spreading around outside, she could only imagine how angry he must be at home. As soon as she had seen her uncle, she felt unable to stay anymore. "I’m very eager to go back," she thought, “so I’ll have to return.” Even though her hand was still bruised from biting him, it didn’t matter; she would just rest when she got home.

"Pathetic! You’re going to be tied to that man for life now. Be careful not to see his cold face upon your return!" Nan Lingrui felt frustrated with her again.

"As long as I’m close to him by treading on the soil of Heavenly Saint City, it will make me feel at ease," Qian Yue harrumphed. "What kind of play are you asking me to perform Uncle tricked me last time, and now you’re planning another scheme for me; you guys really are good uncles and brothers."

"Ah, circumstances dictate that I suffer this!" Nan Lingrui pretended to be sorrowful.

Qian Yue glared at him. He was the same as when he played king of South Liang—acting exactly like his father. After ten years of living with him, she had become more and more like him. If someone said that Nan Lingrui wasn’t the son of King Nan Liang, it would be hard to find people who believed them.

"You’ll know soon enough!" Nan Lingrui gave her a secret look before smiling at everyone on board. "Today’s gathering is quite complete."

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!" Seeing that Nan Lingrui and Qian Yue looked very close, the people in the boat all glanced at Gu Shaoqing; he was still frowning with no expression on his face. They were guessing about the inner turmoil among them while bowing to Nan Lingrui.

"Since Brother Ten is today’s birthday boy, we don’t need any formalities outside the palace. Relax and enjoy!" Nan Lingrui waved his hand; although he didn’t look like a crown prince, nobody could match this kind of confidence. As soon as he arrived, everyone else paled in comparison.

Qian Yue finally understood what he meant—nobody among these princes could compare with him. The only one who might have been his equal went south to become a princess’s husband.

"Sister Chu and Seven Sister are here too; I feel honored!" A prince around Gu Shaoqing’s age grinned widely, showing no nose in between his eyes. "Crown Prince Eldest Brother, why don’t we sit inside Today, your humble brother invited Ssan and Lian."

Qian Yue looked at him and thought that he must be the Tenth Prince; he seemed somewhat delicate.

"Great! I came for Ssan. These two sisters came for Lian." Nan Lingrui laughed loudly and led the way inside. After a couple of steps, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Gu Shaoqing. "General Gu, can you walk now"

"Thanks to the Crown Prince's blessing!" Gu Shaoqing replied coldly.

Nan Lingrui snorted and walked in, "It wasn't easy for me to fall in love with your sister at first sight. If it happens again next time, I'll beat you until your teeth are scattered on the ground."

Gu Shaoqing's expression darkened but he didn’t say anything.

The people behind exchanged glances and each had their own thoughts. The Sixth Prince walked over and patted Gu Shaoqing’s shoulder, "General Gu, although Miss Chu is good, she is a married woman. No matter which of the top ten aristocratic families it is, or even Red Pavilion, these things don’t matter much. But since Crown Prince Your Highness protects her so zealously, it won’t be easy to snatch her away from him. You should put aside your thoughts. There are many beauties in this world! Cuiwei has been missing you for a long time."

“The Sixth Prince is overthinking! I don't have any feelings for Lady Chu,” Gu Shaoqing removed the Sixth Prince's hand and replied stiffly before stepping inside.

The Sixth Prince wasn’t bothered by him not buying into his words and followed in. Cuiwei gave Gu Shaoqing’s back a glance, pursed her lips, then walked in too. The others filed in one after another.

This pleasure boat was extremely large with luxurious decoration inside and more than ten tables of banquets set up.

Nan Lingrui naturally took the seat of honor, Cloud Qianyue sat beside him, Cuiwei walked over and sat next to her. The rest of the people settled down in order of their status. Gu Shaoqing’s identity was exceptional; he had command over 300 thousand troops and his position was only second to Nan Lingrui. Although they were outside where courtesy didn’t matter, it was still evident.

Once everyone sat down, the birthday wishes for the person of honor began with pleasantries. Then Nan Lingrui loudly called for Ssangsan.

The Sixth Prince suggested, “Ssangsan’s music is excellent and Leanian’s lute playing is also top-notch. Why not have them perform together Let us listen to Ssangsan's music accompanied by Leanian’s lute, how interesting.”

Everyone naturally applauded this suggestion.

The princes and nobles were naturally accustomed to luxury, especially in South Liang where even the flora and fauna exuded charm. Even if there were Cloud Qianyue and Cuiwei two women present, everyone quickly loosened up after their initial restraint.

Soon, Ssangsan and Leanian came on stage one after another.

The first one was like a fairy covered in gossamer veil, graceful; the second one had steps that were pitiable to behold, with his slender eyebrows, he seemed self-pitying. It truly matched their names. The former was a woman named Ssangsan and the latter a man called Leanian. As soon as they came out, they stood out.

Cloud Qianyue wasn’t someone who hadn’t seen beauties before but these two still dazzled her momentarily.

"How is it Beautiful" Nan Lingrui tilted his head to ask Cloud Qianyue with a pleased smile.

Cloud Qianyue lifted the wine pot and poured herself a cup of wine, bringing it to her lips but then she nodded sincerely. Before she could drink, a hand stopped her. She withdrew her gaze following the arm to see its owner—Gu Shaoqing—and raised an eyebrow.

"Your wound isn't suitable for drinking alcohol! Otherwise your injury will heal slowly," Gu Shaoqing said.

“One cup won’t matter!” Cloud Qianyue dodged his hand.

Gu Shaoqing stared at her, lips moving silently to say "Rong Jing!"

The moment Cloud Qianyue’s hand paused, she deflated and glared at him before obediently placing the wine cup on the table.

Gu Shaoqing seemed to have smiled and withdrew his hand.

This small action was still noticed by many. They had originally not believed that Gu Shaoqing had fallen in love with Cloud Qianyue at first sight, but now they were forced to believe it. The Sixth Prince blinked, while the other princes’ expressions changed involuntarily. Cuiwei seemed oblivious and stared at Leanian.

The place fell silent for a moment.

Ssangsan and Leanian came on stage each carrying a lute and guqin respectively, paying respects to everyone before sitting down. Soon, the melody of the "Spring River Moonlit Night" started playing.

Cloud Qianyue was momentarily stunned when she heard this tune but quickly regained her composure.

"Miss Chu, did you know This music is called 'Spring River Moonlit Night'. It’s said to be written by Lady Shallow Moon from the Cloud Imperial Household for the Seventh Prince of Heavenly Saint—the current Regent," Cuiwei told Cloud Qianyue. "Unfortunately, it's said that Miss Shallow Moon fell in love with another and later developed feelings for Young Master Rong Jing. What was originally a match made in heaven has now led to their separation, and Miss Shallow Moon even defied the imperial decree and broke off the engagement."

Cloud Qianyue frowned and looked at Cuiwei, "Is it really like that"

Cuiwei nodded, "That's what everyone outside is saying."

Yun Qianyue thought that she had become the object of infatuation. She smiled and said in a light tone, "But the version I heard isn't like that!" After speaking, she continued, "The version I heard was that Yun Qianyue and Rong Jing were lovers for ten years. Unfortunately, the Yong王府 and Cloud王府 could not be allied by marriage, and the old emperor interfered in the middle. The two of them fought for their love, but unfortunately, they were still bound by a will."

"Is that so Then what about the Regent Prince" Cuiwei seemed somewhat surprised.

"The Regent Prince was once the Seventh Crown Prince and valued the Northern Frontier. Now he is the Regent Prince and values the whole world," Yun Qianyue said.

Cuiwei seemed to understand as she nodded, "Ah, I see. So that means Young Master Jing and Miss Qianyue are indeed soulmates."

"Hmm, so rumors can't be trusted." Yun Qianyue implied something with her words.

Her gaze flickered slightly; she glanced at Gu Shaqing and didn't speak further.

Yun Qianyue had just finished eating when she came out from the Southern Liang Prince's place, so naturally, she no longer felt like eating now. She also couldn’t drink alcohol, so all she could do was sit quietly and listen to music. However, this guqin playing and singing were quite interesting. Even though it was 'Spring River Flower Moon Night', a familiar tune to her, the melody they produced conveyed a unique sentiment.

The young men at the banquet clinked their cups together, talking back and forth as the music played on, gradually making the atmosphere lively.

Although Crown Prince Ten was the birthday celebrant, Nan Lingrui was the most important person here. It couldn't be helped that someone came to offer a toast.

The crowd initially cautiously observed Yun Qianyue, secretly watching this renowned Heavenly Empress Consort Chu and Red Pavilion Pavilion Mistress known throughout the land. Gradually, they discovered she was indeed different from ordinary women—not just in her appearance, but even her demeanor wasn't like that of common ladies. Princess Cuiwei was already a unique woman among the imperial family and even in Jing City, yet compared to her, be it in looks or aura, especially the faintly discernible sharpness and composure refined by life's trials within her body, she couldn't help but attract people. As such, gradually, some bold individuals started approaching her for toasts.

Southern Liang was renowned for its free-spirited customs; although it didn’t match the literary elegance of Donghai Kingdom, it had a unique charm that wasn’t bound by strict conventions and was more open compared to Tian Sheng's youth.

Yun Qianyue followed local customs. Since she couldn't drink alcohol, she answered them with tea instead.

The focus of the banquet seemed to have shifted from Crown Prince Ten and Gu Shaqing, the mighty general, onto her. Some bolder individuals began chatting up with her about her identity and her relationship with Chu Rong, the head of the Chu Family.

Yun Qianyue answered what she could and smiled faintly when she couldn't answer.

Nan Lingrui sat beside her all along. When he thought it was time, he patted Yun Qianyue's shoulder and stood up, slurring his words as if drunk: "Brother me to go relieve myself for a bit, I’ll be right back."

Yun Qianyue’s eyes flickered slightly in response, nodding, “Mm.”

"Mr. Gu, are you coming" Nan Lingrui asked Gu Shaqing.

Gu Shaqing replied tersely, "No."

Nan Lingrui said as he staggered out of the pavilion, “Don’t try anything funny while I’m gone.”

The moment Nan Lingrui stepped outside the cabin, Yun Qianyue felt the shipboard beneath her move slightly. She sat quietly without a change in demeanor; Gu Shaqing frowned but appeared to be unaware of it as well. Suddenly, there was a loud bang from below, and just where Yun Qianyue sat, a large hole was punctured through, water immediately flooding in as if hitting a huge wave. Yun Qianyue seemed startled by this sudden change, trying to dodge yet too late, her body falling into the hole.

"Ah! Miss Chu!" Cuiwei shouted in alarm.

The crowd was also stunned by this unexpected event as they watched Yun Qianyue drop. Soon after, they saw Gu Shaqing leap up from his seat and follow where she had fallen.

Cuiwei's expression changed, shouting again, "Gu Shaqing!" She tried to jump in after him.

The Sixth Prince quickly caught Cuiwei.

Nan Lingrui heard the commotion and rushed back inside without using the toilet. He shouted loudly, "What’s going on"

Everyone looked at him as water rapidly flooded into the boat; it was sinking fast. Crown Prince Ten hurriedly said, “Prince Wang Brother, the ship somehow got a hole in it, Miss Chu and General Gu fell…”

"No, Miss Chu fell first, then Gu Shaqing jumped after her!" Cuiwei corrected with pale face urgently, "Brother Prince, quickly order someone to rescue them!Zi Luo are twins. Three vassal kings of different genders: Lingyang Wang, Qi County Wang, Min'an Wang, all loyal to the king and country," Jade Zishu smiled in reply."Zi Luo" Yun Qianyue said this nam...