kvmb Chapter 73 Beauty's Pass
Chapter 73 Beauty's Pass
Princess Yuanzhen's Residence
Under the fragrant curtains and in front of the dressing table, the imperial son-in-law Liu Shao bent over to draw Yuanzhen's eyebrows.
Liu Shao finished writing with satisfaction, and Yuan Zhen looked at himself in the mirror, "The prince consort's hand is truly skillful."
"Your Highness is naturally beautiful; I am merely the icing on the cake."
"You're so glib," Yuan Zhen scolded, a hint of worry flashing between her brows.
Liu Shao had always been attentive to Yuan Zhen and could detect even the slightest changes in him. "Why is Your Highness troubled?"
Yuan Zhen looked up at him: "I don't want you to go to Jing Kingdom."
Liu Shao thought that Yuan Zhen was reluctant to part with him, so he comforted him, saying, "How could I be reluctant to part with Your Highness? It's just that this is the first task the Crown Prince is to take charge of government affairs, and the Crown Prince has taken good care of Your Highness, so I can't refuse."
Yuan Zhen frowned. "How about I go and ask my brother to replace her with someone else?"
“Your Highness, although I am the heir of the Marquis of Yongning, the Marquis’s mansion has declined, and I am now only holding a sinecure. I also want to make some contributions so that Your Highness can live a better life.”
Yuanzhen nestled into Liu Shao's arms, "These are the best days we've ever had. I never even dared to dream of them before."
Liu Shao knew that Yuanzhen's mother, Wu Cairen, was originally a palace maid serving Consort Liang. When Emperor Yu slept with her, she became pregnant with Yuanzhen. Consort Liang was not a kind person. She suppressed Wu Cairen's rank and made her continue to serve in Fengming Palace, living the life of a palace maid. Wu Cairen humbled herself and was extremely obedient in order to ensure that Yuanzhen was born safely. However, due to Consort Liang's torment, she still died when Yuanzhen was five years old.
Although Yuanzhen was of royal blood, no one in the palace treated her as a princess. Consort Liang was narrow-minded, and it was not easy for her to make a living in her palace. Fortunately, she was able to grow up safely thanks to the care and protection of Xiao Chen, who was then the second prince.
When Yuanzhen was sixteen, Emperor Yu suddenly had a change of heart, granted her a fiefdom, and arranged a marriage between them.
He and Yuanzhen did not know each other before, and their marriage was purely arranged. However, they were compatible and lived in harmony after marriage, cherishing their blessed union.
Liu Shao put his arm around Yuan Zhen and said gently, "There's still a long way to go, things will only get better from here on out."
"By the way, I've heard that Kyungkyong is rich in fluorescent stones. Would it be alright if I found a few more and brought them back for Your Highness to use for nighttime illumination?"
Yuanzhen knew Liu Shao was teasing her, so she played along and said, "Then I want one this big."
Yuanzhen made a circle with both hands.
"Ah... I will do my best!"
Yuan Zhen chuckled, amused by Liu Shao's funny expression.
East Palace —
Crown Prince Xiao Chen and Liang Yan, the heir of the Duke of Liang, played chess, their black and white pieces locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.
"Snap—" Liang Yan placed a white piece. "Is the Crown Prince just going to let this go? What if he's faking it?"
Xiao Chen twirled the black stone with a mocking expression. "What does it matter if he's stupid or not? He's completely useless anyway. I already verified that when I visited him the other day. Let him stay; it'll be a source of amusement. Besides, he's Father Emperor's most beloved son."
Liang Yan felt a chill run down his spine. Heaven knows how Xiao Chen verified it; all he knew was that he went there once, and the Crown Prince's Consort committed suicide.
According to Liang Yan, it would be best to eliminate future troubles as soon as possible, but Xiao Chen clearly did not intend to let Xiao Yuan off so easily. Their grudges had a long history, but they did not originate from themselves.
Emperor Xiao Huai of Yu Dynasty, in order to seize the throne by taking advantage of the military power of the Liang family, tricked his aunt Liang Qiwu, who was still a young girl at the time. Although her grandfather strongly opposed it, the deed was done and she was his only daughter. He couldn't very well kill her, so she had no choice but to get on Xiao Huai's side.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Xiao Huai ascended the throne, it was revealed that his first wife, Meng, was already nine months pregnant. A few days later, she gave birth to a son. The Taoist priest Tianyi prophesied that the son was the reincarnation of the Ziwei Star. Xiao Huai was overjoyed and said that it was an auspicious omen from heaven. He then made the eldest prince, who was not yet a month old, the crown prince. Because of her son, Meng naturally became the empress.
My aunt was only granted the title of Imperial Concubine and given the residence of Fengming Palace, a place where phoenixes perch on parasol trees. Those three words felt incredibly ironic; her love was nothing but a deception!
Love turned to hate, and the aunt's personality changed drastically. She hated Xiao Huai and her own son. Every time she saw Xiao Chen, who was only four months younger than Xiao Yuan, she would remember how she had been foolish and ridiculed in the past.
The proud and arrogant aunt and Madam Qiao were two extremes. One didn't care about the children at all, while the other was overly strict and constantly compared Xiao Yuan and Xiao Chen.
Unfortunately, Xiao Yuan truly lived up to his prophecy. He could compose poetry at the age of three, write prose at the age of five, and began to participate in government affairs at the age of twelve. How could ordinary people compare to such extraordinary talent?
It is easy to imagine how miserable Xiao Chen's childhood was. Even with ten times the effort, he could not catch up with Xiao Yuan and was bound to be discouraged. But his aunt did not care about these things. As long as he was not dead or crippled, she would do everything she could to force him to improve. Her methods were so cruel that his grandfather and father could not stand it. However, their repeated persuasion was useless, and their hands could not reach into the inner palace.
Suffering always needs an outlet. Since Xiao Chen couldn't hate his mother, he could only hate Xiao Yuan.
Liang Yan always felt that the oppression from his aunt would warp Xiao Chen's character, and sure enough, Xiao Chen remained aloof from women even as he grew older.
Liang Yan was concerned about his cousin's physical and mental health, so he took him to the brothel for drinks. It was only after Xiao Chen said something inappropriate while drunk that Liang Yan realized something was wrong.
"How could I dare to love it? I fear my parents and the gossip of others."
Liang Yan broke out in a cold sweat. During his audience with the emperor, he casually mentioned the Marquis of Yongning, which reminded Emperor Yu of past events and stirred up some guilt. Afterward, Emperor Yu granted Princess Yuanzhen a fief and betrothed her to Liu Shao, the heir of the Marquis of Yongning.
After Yuanzhen got married, Xiao Chen also took concubines as usual. As long as he was healthy, that was good. Liang Yan thought so. He thought the matter would just pass, but recently he discovered that Xiao Chen had only been forbearing before. Now that he had become the crown prince, he was starting to settle accounts one by one. Liu Shao was really an innocent victim.
Sigh~ Liang Yan often feels mentally exhausted. To put it bluntly, there isn't a single normal person in the Liang family except for him!
"Have you found out anything about Shen Sanlang?"
Upon hearing Xiao Chen's question, Liang Yan snapped out of his reverie and said, "We can only confirm that he was a guard for the Xuan Kingdom delegation. We didn't send anyone to keep an eye on him at the time, so we can't be sure if he did it."
"Why don't we just ask him directly?"
"This……"
Xiao Chen placed a black piece, "From Lu Yuanzhi to Yu Jue, he has repeatedly saved women from danger, which shows that he is a man who cherishes women."
"Does Your Highness mean to use a honey trap?" Liang Yan realized. "But Minister Shen has always been upright and honest in saving people, never taking advantage of them. He shouldn't be a lecherous person."
"Even heroes have found it hard to resist the charms of a beautiful woman, and ordinary beauties certainly won't do," Xiao Chen said with a half-smile as he looked at Liang Yan. "I've heard that my cousin has recently taken a concubine, who is said to be stunningly beautiful. I wonder if my cousin is willing to part with her?"
Liang Yan felt a chill run down his spine, but he forced a smile and said, "What's there to be reluctant about a mere woman?"