by Ning er
After the Tenth Prince and the Crown Prince kept associating Yuan Qing Zhou with Wu Qin Qin, no matter how well Wu furen's manners were, she still felt extremely angry. She ignored Jiang mama's urging and went back to her seat. She looked at Yuan de taifei coldly and said, "Taifei, what has happened to Qin Qin? I hope that taifei could explain it directly to prevent Wu Guo Gongfu's reputation from being harmed."
It seems like this Wu furen was also very clever. She only mentioned Wu Guo Gongfu but made no mention of Wu Qin Qin. This way, she not only prevented her daughter's reputation from being harmed, but also made it clear to everyone who wanted to laugh at Wu Qin Qin that although she was just a xiaojie, she has Wu Guo Gongfu behind her. And not everyone could afford to offend Wu Guo Gongfu.
Yuan de taifei was somewhat annoyed at Wu furen rejecting her kindness. It now seemed that if she did not settle this matter in front of everyone today, even the people from Northern Qi would be unwilling to let go of this matter. If these talkative gongzi and xiaojie spread this incident, it could also harm Chen'er's reputation.
Moreover, now that Wu furen was brave enough to ask for the truth, Yuan de taifei no longer sought to hide anything. She had Jiang mama come back and slowly said, "It actually wasn't a huge issue. It was just a joke among the children."
Yuan de taifei glanced coldly at Qi Jing Han, then resumed her usual calmness and said to Wu furen more pleasantly, "It was exaggerated by people who have no good intentions which is causing you to worry for no reason. Furen, please relax, don't scare yourself."
Suddenly being glared at by Yuan de taifei with her calm yet cold eyes, Qi Jing Han felt that this taifei was really as difficult to deal with, just as rumored. No wonder she was able to compete with Western Chu's Empress Dowager her whole life. She really could not be underestimated.
But Chen wang was currently the total opposite of Yuan de taifei.
He just sat there, leaving all matters of the house to Yuan de taifei and did even not attempt to get involved in the discussion.
But the more Chen wang acted as such, the more people believed Yuan de taifei's words, that it had only been a joke among the children and was not something worth noticing.
If they really attempted to press the matter, it might not be household matter anymore, but a disagreement between the different factions in the Imperial Court.
Wu furen felt more relieved at Yuan de taifei's words, and Chen wang's non-involvement. But Qi Jing Han spoke again, "Taifei, since it is just a small matter, I suppose it wouldn't affect anything. Why don't you tell Wu furen, so that she won't be so worried?"
His words were rather reasonable. Since Yuan de taifei herself said that it was only a small matter, then even if she said it in public, people would treat it as a joke. There was no need to be so mysterious and refuse to even tell the person's mother. If she kept quiet then that would meant that her words had been a lie to cover up the fact that the seriousness of the matter exceed what she had stated.
But right as Qi Jing Han finished speaking, he immediately felt rays of an intimidating glare from Chen wang, the ice cold look made Qi Jing Han feel as if it was winter. Before he was able to react, he already heard Qi Jing Yuan's voice, "I suppose wangye is also very curious of the incident. Why not take this opportunity to totally clear this incident and clear up Wu xiaojie's situation?"
Yuan de taifei furiously looked at the two brothers. She felt that today's incident was really strange. If the people from Northern Qi were joining up about this matter, could it be that the jade pendant and the handkerchief were really plotted by Northern Qi?
But Chen wang only coldly retorted, "Crown Prince, please don't forget yourself. When did the matter of Chen wangfu need people from Northern Qi to handle? Crown Prince and Tenth Prince shouldn't supersede the host and forget who the owners of Chen wangfu are."
Most people in the garden were threatened by Chen wang's words and cold tone, and their mood for making fun of others also gradually dimmed. After all, compared to laughing at others, their safety was still more important. Moreover, Wu Qin Qin's reputation was already ruined, there was not much more she could do. They naturally did not need to offend powerful people in the Imperial Court for a xiaojie who was not no longer a threat to them.
"Wangye is mistaken. The Crown Prince was merely concerned for wangye's reputation. Although he spoke out of turn, he did it with good intentions." Chu Fei Yang calmly said.
Chu Fei Yang was rather cunning. He had not spoken for either side, but was still able to shut both sides up at the same time. Chen wang unable to reject Qi Jing Yuan's good intentions, but Qi Jing Yuan had been reminded of his position. Just because he was an honored guest, he should not be so arrogant and unruly in the land of Western Chu.
In reality, Chu Fei Yang remembered what these two people had done to Yun Qian Meng and he made use of this opportunity to suppress both of them.
Chu Fei Yang's statement received admiring stares from the other xiaojie. Although Yun Qian Meng already occupied the position as the legal wife, if they had equal family backgrounds and asked the Emperor to grant them a marriage, they might still be able to obtain an equal position. Thus, everyone exerted more effort and threw glances at Chu Fei Yang more frequently. Unfortunately, Chu Fei Yang did not say anything else and just picked up the cup of wine and tasted it, seemingly cutting himself off from the rest.
"Would taifei please give a true account of what happened." Wu furen said with a cold demeanor.
As matters stood, more clues pointed to Yuan de taifei's evading the issue in every possible way. Today, there were so many pairs of eyes that saw what had happened, if the matter could not be settled in front of everyone, she was afraid that both Wu Guo Gongfu and Wu Qin Qin's reputation would be affected.
Wu furen had once again forfeited her good intentions, and with the aggressiveness of the people from Northern Qi, Yuan de taifei was already rather displeased so she uttered coldly, "Jiang mama, bring the evidence."
"Taifei, this…" Unexpectedly, Jiang mama was hesitant to bring the matter forward. She secretly sent Yuan de taifei meaningful glances, but was noticed by Wu furen, who felt even more infuriated. She had not expected that after things had already reached this state, this pair of master and servant were still being so secretive. "I would like to trouble mama to please bring out the evidence."
Jiang mama did not have any choice but to bring out the two items that she had wrapped up in a handkerchief from her sleeve. Then she opened the handkerchief and presented the items to Yuan de taifei and Wu furen as she explained, "A while ago, when Wu xiaojie took out her pouch in the osmanthus forest, this broken hetian jade pendant fell out. It was proven that it had not originally belonged to Wu xiaojie's. Then…"
When she reached this point, Jiang mama hesitated and slightly raised her head to look at Yuan de taifei. Seeing that her expression was cold and had no traces of panic, she continued, "Then, everyone saw that Yuan gongzi had Wu xiaojie's handkerchief in his possession."
"You're lying!" before Jiang mama had even fully closed her mouth, Wu furen stood up from her seat, face blanched. She finally understood why Yuan de taifei had been preventing anyone from revealing this incident at every turn.
The accusation of a man and a woman privately exchanging personal belongings was not something anyone could bear. Moreover, Yuan fu and Wu Guo Gongfu were both large high-ranking clans. If this kind of disgrace were to spread, the whole family would surely suffer dishonor. There was even chances that the directly involved parties would be criticized for rest of their life.
Since Wu furen already recognized that the handkerchief did indeed belong to Wu Qin Qin, it made her tremble in anger. The hand holding a handkerchief tightened into fist and she could feel her neatly trimmed nails slowly piercing through her palm. In moments, the handkerchief already had hints of blood. Evidently, Wu furen was really extremely angry right now. If she was not in Chen wangfu and if Jiang mama was not Yuan de taifei's mama, she might have al
ready told the servants to stuff Jiang mama's mouth and beat her to death.
Currently, Yuan de taifei's expression was not any better than Wu furen's, but compared to how Wu furen was losing control, Yuan de taifei's composure towards the chaotic situation was rather impressive.
She took the piece of broken jade and examined it carefully in her hand, still maintaining her proud and cold expression, not showing any traces of bewilderment. Yun Qian Meng, who was staring at her, become confused, wondering if perhaps Jiang mama had changed the jade pendant.
But from the osmanthus forest to the garden, Jiang mama had not disappeared from her sight for even a moment. How could she have had the time to find a similar jade?
"Wangye's belt today is rather unique. Benxiang remembers that Wangye was wearing a belt mounted with Hetian jade before. Why did Wangye change it?" Chu Fei Yang smiled as if he was oblivious to the heavy atmosphere. Even ignoring the panic-stricken expression on Wu furen's face, he talked about Chen wang's accessories as if they were close friends.
But Chu Fei Yang's statement left a mark in everyone's hearts.
Everyone started to feel curious about Chen wang, who was sitting silently. Why would Chen wang change his belt for no reason? Could it be that he gave the other half of the jade from his belt to Wu Qin Qin, then changed into another belt to prevent other people from realizing it?
But why was Wu Qin Qin's handkerchief discovered in the hands of Yuan Qing Zhou instead of Chen wang?
Oh god! What was happening? Could it be that the Yuan Family cousins fell in love with the same person?
But if that Wu Qin Qin had already accepted Chen wang's jade pendant, why did she still give her handkerchief to Yuan Qing Zhou? Did Wu Qin Qin want to have both of them at the same time? If that was the case, then Wu Guo Gongfu actually raised a fickle lady! This was really too horrifying and outrageous!
At once, everyone's eyes were fixed on Chen wang, Yuan de taifei, and Wu furen.
Hearing Chu Fei Yang's words, Wu furen rushed to Jiang mama, forgetting her manners, and took the piece of jade. She examined it carefully, her eyes seemed to shoot flames that would readily burn the jade in her hand. But though she had regularly kept contact with Yuan de taifei, she seldom saw Chen wang, and would naturally be able to recognize whether or not this jade piece was really Chen wang's property. She was suddenly puzzled. How could Wu furen have anticipated that this kind of spectacle would happen in such an ordinary gathering?
Chen wang was currently glaring at Yun Qian Meng and Chu Fei Yang with hostility. His hands tightly grasped at the armrest as he could not help but feel outraged. It was so obvious now that this had all been plotted by Yun Qian Meng and Chu Fei Yang.
First was to have Yun Qian Meng go to the rock garden, then look for an opportunity to steal something of his and make everyone think that he had exchanged personal belongings with Wu Qin Qin. Yuan Qing Zhou being added to the situation might have been Yun Qian Meng making use of Yuan Qing Zhou's feelings for her to frame all three of them.
Humph! He would let it continue and see if Yun Qian Meng's plan would succeed. Did she think she really can do anything to him using this kind of clumsy trick?
Yun Qian Meng felt the outraged look from Chen wang and naturally knew that for such a small matter, if Chen wang did not admit to owning the jade pendant, even if other people were suspicious, they still could not do anything to him.
But even so, Yun Qian Meng was in good mood right now as she enjoyed the changes in Wu furen's expression and her light smile made Chen wang unable to continue with his questioning look.
Having received Chu Fei Yang's hint, Wu furen immediately looked at Chen wang hopefully and said, "Wangye, this…"
Chapter 104: Part 1 | Chu Wang Fei
Yun Qian Meng had not anticipated that Chu Fei Yang would make such a move, and was somewhat out of it for a moment, only feeling soft yet cool lips against hers. She was shy in her heart, yet her eyes showed dull fury.
She had agreed to believe in Chu Fei Yang, and she would also be willing to try to accept him, but was he not moving too fast? Were they progressing with their relationship too fast? Do other ladies from different family discuss passion and talk of love straight to the point like the two of them had? Were others like Chu Fei Yang who would speak so bluntly?
Yun Qian Meng's eyes stared directly at Chu Fei Yang, his dark eyes slightly constricted, those long and curly eyelashes obscured the dazzling light of his eyes. Yun Qian Meng sensed the potential danger Chu Fei Yang posed at this moment, her mind quickly thought through how she should react, but Chu Fei Yang's gentle sigh echoed in her ear.
"Meng'er, you are not concentrating." Chu Fei Yang said in an accusing tone, and Yun Qian Meng's focus quickly shifted towards him.
She saw his dejected gaze as his lips withdrew from the side of her face, but his hands were still grabbing her shoulders. They did not seem to give the slightest indication of releasing her, so Yun Qian Meng only stared at him discontentedly.
Her brows raised up slightly at Chu Fei Yang's change of expression. The weak fury in his eyes moments ago had already dissipated and was replaced by a helpless expression. Her heart was completely well aware that the real Chu Fei Yang was not someone who could be easily defeated. He would not commit to something without any assurance.
The admonition made Yun Qian Meng unsure whether she should respond or remain silent. In the end she could only gaze at Chu Fei Yang, so the both of them were now staring at each other.
"Are you tired?" Yun Qian Meng's eyes were unblinking, while Chu Fei Yang's concealed a smile, yet he seemed to regret having spoken out.
"Yes." Yun Qian Meng responded truthfully.
Since she had already agreed to give him a change, she need not hide her feelings in front of him. In fact, when the opposite party was Chu Fei Yang, concealment was indeed very tiring to do.
People lacking in determination and patience would definitely not be able to remain calm and composed under Chu Fei Yang's scrutinizing gaze.
When Chu Fei Yang heard Yun Qian Meng's truthful response, his lips curved into a smile and his dark eyes flickered with endless joy, while his words appeared to be fully content when he said, "Since you are already tired, why don't you hurry and look away then?"
Such stubborn girl, even if she was tired, she would not easily concede.
Yun Qian Meng's expression was somewhat embarrassed. Her lips immediately curled into a frown and she muttered, "How dare you ask me to look away first."
Chu Fei Yang's heart stirred at her rare femininity so he immediately surrendered and said, "Since that is the case, then I lose this time."
Finished speaking, Chu Fei Yang then released his hold on her and immediately leaned against the carriage wall, closing his eyes to meditate.
Seeing him like this, Yun Qian Meng also leaned against the carriage wall and slowly closed her eyes to rest.
Who would have thought that once she relaxed, a strong wind with a distinctive male musk fluttered across. Before Yun Qian Meng had the time to open her eyes, her lips were again occupied by another, slightly cooler ones...
But unlike the previous one, the execution was filled with determination and would not allow Yun Qian Meng to shrink back. The thin lips tightly stuck onto hers as Yun Qian Meng felt something tightened around her waist, her whole body was then being drawn into Chu Fei Yang's firm and warm embrace. The masculine air immediately surrounded Yun Qian Meng, filling the tip of her nose with Chu Fei Yang's distinctive scent...
Feeling two glowing eyes staring at her face, Yun Qian Meng opened her eyes, permitting Chu Fei Yang to pour his full attention onto her. His lips were still tightly attached to hers, but he had not made any further actions, which allowed Yun Qian Meng to slightly relax. As Yun Qian Meng's eyes were clearly staring at Chu Fei Yang, the two of them just stared at each other in silence.
Chu Fei Yang then laughed. He then freed her, only to bring her closer into his arms as he quietly mumbled, "St
aying a couple for the rest of our lives. Can you guess my decision, Meng'er?"
Upon hearing these words, Yun Qian Meng's ears immediately perked up. Chu Fei Yang had not responded to her last time, so she thought that he paid the matter no attention, yet this man had actually clearly remembered her words; a smile bloomed on her face.
But, hearing the latter words, Yun Qian Meng's brows slightly knitted for he had asked her to guess.
If Chu Fei Yang's thoughts were that easy to guess, then he would not have assumed such a highly respected position as one of the prime ministers.
His thoughts were deep like the ocean, and one simply could not completely fathom them. Yet here he was, willing to waste his time on somebody of little value like her, this fact alone gave Yun Qian Meng's mind some assurance.
Yun Qian Meng lifted her eyes and saw Chu Fei Yang's staring fixedly right at her. Concealed deep within his dark orbs was fierce determination. Yun Qian Meng smiled, gently opening her red lips and slowly remarked with confidence, "Xiangye, have you agreed to my request already?"
Chu Fei Yang had not expected that Yun Qian Meng would easily guess his intention. Even though he was surprised, he was not the slightest bit upset and the faint smile in his eyes slowly transformed into a deeper one, following which he said jokingly, "Seriously, no man would stand a chance."
Being intelligent and self-confident was so distinctly Yun Qian Meng, no wonder Jiang Mu Chen was regretting it now. Fortunately, he had taken the initiative to grab her, or else the one who would be upset, beating at his chest and stamping their feet would be him.
When Yun Qian Meng heard Chu Fei Yang's words, she gave him a disapproving expression and almost instantly blurted out, "Who said women were not as good as men?"
Chu Fei Yang watched her delicate face that was full of confidence, her response had echoed in his ears without any hint of hesitation. The smile in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a pondering expression, after a long moment he replied, "Even though that is the case, you are still not allowed to run into danger. If you do the next time around, I will not allow you to get away with it so easily like today."
