Chapter 5: What to Do
(The word that was blocked in the previous chapter was: "Do you know where you | went | wrong." As for why, who the hell knows~)
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Before going to study at Nanxi Zhai, Xu Yourong had already left many famous stories in the capital. She was very young back then. She once jumped into the Luo River, claiming there was a moon in it. She often climbed the stone pillars in front of the Detached Palace, saying she wanted to see the stars. Another time, she nearly jumped into the abandoned well at Beixin Bridge when no one was watching.
It was said that when she was about to jump into that abandoned well at Beixin Bridge, the Holy Empress saved her.
At that time, Xu Yourong was not yet five years old.
The commoners of the capital could recite these tales backward and forward. In their own eyes, Xu Yourong was someone they had watched grow up. She was the most beloved daughter of this capital. That was why, after the Qingteng Banquet revealed the marriage contract, the city had been so furious at Chen Changsheng, and the National Academy had come under such immense pressure.
The Little Black Dragon thought of the Holy Empress Tianhai and instinctively felt a flicker of fear. It took her a moment to come to her senses, and she said, "So it seems your life really was changed by her."
Xu Yourong smiled faintly and said, "Perhaps."
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Whether or not the Holy Empress Tianhai existed, Xu Yourong, with her Heavenly Phoenix bloodline, might still have achieved what she had today.
But no one could deny that the woman who once dominated the continent had indeed changed many people's lives.
Mo Yu was the most typical example of this.
Without the Holy Empress Tianhai, how could that orphan, whose entire family had been executed, have become the formidable Miss Mo, wielding power that swayed the court?
Standing before the courtyard gate, looking at the dozen or so orange lanterns hanging there, emitting a warm glow, Chen Changsheng thought about the changes over the years and couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.
It had been years since he came from Xining Town to the capital. He had known Mo Yu for a long time, yet tonight was his first time visiting the legendary Orange Garden.
He could sense the powerful formation within the Orange Garden, and he could also feel the watchers or guards hidden in the surrounding night.
Clearly, even though she was about to marry that prince, there were still many people unwilling to let Mo Yu return to the capital, maintaining a strong vigilance and hostility toward her.
Chen Changsheng had no intention of hiding his whereabouts. Holding his yellow paper umbrella, he walked to the door.
The gate of the Orange Garden opened, and then closed again. Two creaks, a few flakes of falling snow.
As the garden gate shut, a sudden commotion stirred in the night. Over a dozen figures broke through the wind and snow, speeding off in all directions across the capital.
The Pope had left the Eastern Divine General's Mansion and gone to the Orange Garden.
This news spread throughout the entire capital in a very short time, naturally reaching the princely mansions on both sides of Taiping Street.
In the shabbiest-looking princely mansion, with the worst location, Prince Louyang was pacing in circles like an ant on a hot pan. The study window was wide open, snowflakes occasionally blowing in, yet they still couldn't reduce the sweat on his chubby round face.
He suddenly stopped and looked at a woman, his face bitter as he said, "What do we do? What do we do?"
The woman was very puzzled and said, "Your Highness, this shows that His Holiness the Pope values the Princess Consort. This is a wonderful thing."
Prince Louyang gave her a resentful look and said, "You know she's the Princess Consort..."
"Oh my heavens." The woman finally understood his meaning, her face filled with shock. "Could it be that Your Highness is jealous?"
Prince Louyang hemmed and hawed for a long time, but in the end, he didn't dare to say it outright. Still, his meaning was very clear.
If this woman weren't his own aunt, who had come all the way from Ruzhou to manage his wedding, he wouldn't have dared to reveal even these hints.
Everyone said that the Chen princes were back in power, but he was the most useless among them. And the other party... was His Holiness the Pope.
The woman said impatiently, "Everyone knows the relationship between His Holiness the Pope and the Saintess. What are you overthinking? If it weren't for the Princess Consort's influence, how could His Holiness have agreed to return and officiate the wedding? If it weren't for this connection, would His Majesty have placed you in such an important position as the Court of Imperial Sacrifices?"
Hearing this, Prince Louyang momentarily forgot his jealousy, but the sweat he had just stopped started pouring out again. He said with a sobbing tone, "The Tianhai family and a few commandery princes are all eyeing that position. I never imagined His Majesty would give it to me. I've offended so many people. What am I going to do?"
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Chen Changsheng glanced out the window. It was still snowing.
He was very particular about cleanliness, but he still didn't understand why women were willing to bathe in such cold weather.
True to her reputation as the most famous beauty of the Tianhai Dynasty, Mo Yu had just come out of her bath. Her face bore no trace of makeup, yet her brows and eyes were still like a painting, beautiful and moving.
Speaking of the most famous events in the capital over the past two years, Mo Yu's return was probably at the top of the list.
The Chen princes, who hated the Holy Empress Tianhai to the bone, had refrained from attacking her for several reasons.
The Mo family's tragic fate during the previous dynasty had earned the sympathy of many old-court civil officials.
More importantly, she had been personally summoned back to the palace by His Majesty.
And Shang Xingzhou, out of respect for her deceased grandfather—the famous Grand Scholar—had tacitly approved.
Another important reason was that she was about to marry a Chen prince, and specifically the most spineless, useless, and least threatening one.
"I still can't figure out why you're marrying him."
Chen Changsheng's question was also the question on every citizen of the capital's mind.
Regardless of how one felt about Mo Yu—whether love or hate—she was still Miss Mo.
Everyone felt that prince wasn't worthy of her.
"What's wrong with him? He's honest, steady, has no ambition. I've known him since I was a child. And most importantly, he's willing to trust me unconditionally."
Mo Yu sat on the edge of the bed, using a soft cotton towel to dry her slightly damp hair, and answered casually, "Back when the capital was in chaos, he brought those subordinates his brothers had foisted on him and came straight to the Orange Garden. He said he wanted to seek my protection, but really, he wanted to protect me. I have to repay that kindness."
Chen Changsheng knew about this. Everyone in the capital knew about it.
On the night of the Heavenly Book Mausoleum incident, over a dozen princes entered the capital, taking great risks to attack various key government offices. Only Prince Louyang, leading a group of experts, ran all over the capital in a panic, not daring to do anything, not daring to kill anyone, just trying to find his way to the Orange Garden. In the end, he got lost.
This wasn't a beautiful story. It was a joke, even a laughingstock.
In many people's eyes, Prince Louyang was a joke.
Chen Changsheng also felt this prince was too mediocre and spineless, hardly a good match.
"What does 'worthy' mean? As long as he's good to me, that's enough."
Mo Yu suddenly remembered something and said, "Be nicer to him in the future. Don't be so rude."
Chen Changsheng said, "I was just reminding you as a friend. Since you disagree, I won't bring it up again."
Mo Yu shot him a glare and said, "I'm talking about what happened at Luling Prince's mansion. Look how scared you made him. You know he's timid."
Chen Changsheng himself didn't understand why he had been so harsh to Prince Louyang that day at Luling Prince's mansion.
"He was just delivering messages for you and your master, and he didn't even get any thanks for it. He's really unlucky."
Mo Yu said, "That was your fault."
Chen Changsheng said, "I won't do it again."
Seeing him agree so readily, Mo Yu instead became a little displeased. She said, "Come here."
Chen Changsheng was slightly startled and asked, "What for?"
Mo Yu said, "I want to hold you and sleep." (To be continued.)