"Uncle Wang?"
In Lige City, the weather was always gloomy in winter. But today was different. The warm sunlight seemed to break free from the shackles of the dark clouds and rarely shone down on this ancient city with a history of a hundred years.
Xia Chuli was dressed in a red - and - black magnificent robe. The golden embroidered python on the corner of his robe sparkled in the sunlight. Just looking at his attire, one could tell he was of noble and luxurious status.
It was a pity that although his clothes were expensive and he seemed to have a high status, his face was as innocent as that of a carefree playboy. If Lu Yan didn't know that he was the crown prince, he would even think that Xia Chuli was the young master of some noble family.
Everyone knew that once a person was from the royal family, innocent and naive looks should never appear on their face. After all, the competition among the royal family often ended up with one side's death.
Just thinking that Shen Qingfeng actually liked such a brainless crown prince, Lu Yan felt a sudden surge of anger welling up inside him.
Shen Qingfeng was the young master of the Shen Mansion. He was well - known for his intelligence at a young age and was respected as the Ruwei Gentleman in Lige City. However, even such an outstanding person was whole - heartedly following a useless crown prince.
Lu Yan clenched his fists tightly in his wide sleeves. His face was gloomy as he strode up to Xia Chuli.
When Lu Yan looked unhappy, he looked like he was going to eat someone. Xia Chuli was so scared by Lu Yan's fierce look that he took a step back and looked at him fearfully, his lips trembling.
Lu Yan was in a bad mood and deliberately wanted to pick on Xia Chuli. He said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince doesn't go to court. How come you have time to sneak out of the palace?"
Although Xia Chuli was the crown prince and had already come of age, King Xia Jie still didn't allow him to interfere in court affairs. The reason was that Xia Chuli's mother had died early. King Xia Jie doted on the step - queen, Queen Qi, and loved her two sons very much. Although Xia Chuli was the eldest legitimate son, the rumor of him being a "useless crown prince" had already spread secretly.
As a feudal lord of Lixia and King Xia Jie's cousin, Lu Yan never wanted to interfere in the palace struggles. Moreover, since King Xia Jie took good care of him, he had even less interest in it. But there were so many rumors that he had heard them. Now it was just perfect to use this to provoke Xia Chuli.
Xia Chuli gritted his teeth secretly, but his brows remained gentle. He bowed slightly to Lu Yan and said, "Chuli never attends the morning court. Uncle Wang might have forgotten. By the way, I didn't expect to meet Uncle Wang here. I left in a hurry today and didn't bring any gifts to pay my respects. Uncle Wang, please forgive me. I will definitely make it up next time."
Lu Yan snorted and said, "Make it up next time? With your meager monthly allowance, it's already good enough for you to spend in the Bian Palace. There's no need for you to scrimp and save to curry favor with me."
Xia Chuli's face turned pale. A flash of unwillingness crossed his eyes where Lu Yan couldn't see. Then he nodded and bowed, saying, "Uncle Wang is right. It was my rudeness."
"What are you doing here?" Lu Yan finally asked the question he most wanted to know. But actually, he knew he was asking knowingly. Besides seeing Shen Qingfeng, what else could Xia Chuli do when he came to the Shen Mansion?
"I had a fight with Qingfeng a few days ago. He was angry with me and moved out of the palace. I came here specifically to apologize and see him." Xia Chuli scratched his head and said.
Calling him "Qingfeng" so smoothly?
"If an apology is useful, what's the law for?" Lu Yan roared at Xia Chuli, making him stand still on the spot. "Since he has moved back home, it means he doesn't want to see you. Why are you still bothering him?"
Xia Chuli was stunned. A look of surprise flashed in his eyes. "What does Uncle Wang mean by this?"
Few people knew that Lu Yan liked Shen Qingfeng. He coughed to cover his embarrassment and said, "Anyway, he is my future wife. As the crown prince, if you meet him privately for such unreasonable reasons, aren't you slapping me, the Marquis of Dingbei, in the face?"
This was a very serious accusation, which shocked Xia Chuli. In fact, this matter wasn't that serious. If Shen Qingfeng were a woman, what Xia Chuli did would be wrong. But since Shen Qingfeng was a man, it was understandable for two men to meet privately. However, since Lu Yan deliberately added the prefix of "future wife", this matter could be either big or small. Xia Chuli seemed to be in a daze for a while before he came to his senses. He quickly waved his hands and defended himself, "No, Uncle. Please listen to my explanation. I really just came to apologize to Qingfeng..."
"Can you just meet my future wife by apologizing? Have you learned nothing about etiquette and shame?" Lu Yan got more and more excited as he scolded. Just then, the big door of the Shen Mansion suddenly creaked open.
The two people in front of the door froze on the spot instantly. Especially Lu Yan. He suddenly turned his head. When he saw Shen Qingfeng standing faintly behind the door, cold sweat broke out on his back immediately.
He had shouted loudly just now. Did Shen Qingfeng hear it?
Xia Chuli beside him reacted quickly. When he saw Shen Qingfeng open the door, he quickly stepped forward and naturally and habitually took Shen Qingfeng's hand. "Qingfeng, you're finally willing to see me."
Shen Qingfeng was expressionless. He glanced at Xia Chuli and pretended to comb his hair, subtly pulling his hand back.
"Why has Your Highness the Crown Prince come?" Shen Qingfeng looked up at Xia Chuli. There was no trace of surprise in his eyes. But when his eyes glanced at Lu Yan, he paused slightly.
"Why has the Marquis also come?" Shen Qingfeng bowed respectfully according to the etiquette of a subject.
"You don't need to bow so deeply. I... I..." At the first sight of Shen Qingfeng, Lu Yan seemed to deflate. The arrogant look he had when scolding Xia Chuli just now disappeared instantly. Instead, he looked like a Tibetan mastiff with drooping ears and couldn't even speak properly.
It was no wonder. After all, he had scolded the person Shen Qingfeng liked very much in front of Shen Qingfeng. Now Lu Yan regretted it so much that he just wanted to slap himself.
He was actually very afraid that Shen Qingfeng would hate him because of this.
"Qingfeng, I was wrong. Come back to the palace with me, okay? Didn't you say the pear blossom cakes in the palace are delicious? I've asked them to make a lot. They're all in your bedroom. Let's go back now, shall we?" Xia Chuli grabbed Shen Qingfeng's hand again. His big eyes were watery as he got closer to look at Shen Qingfeng, with a pleading look in his eyes.
If it were the Shen Qingfeng of the previous life, he would probably have gone back to pack his things and run away with Xia Chuli before Xia Chuli even finished speaking. But now Shen Qingfeng was expressionless. After hearing Xia Chuli's pleading words, his pale face remained calm. He just said softly, "Father specifically told me to wait for him at home before he went to court. There must be something important. Qingfeng can't leave now."
"When can you leave then?" Xia Chuli asked anxiously, completely unaware of Lu Yan's gaze behind him, which seemed to want to devour him alive.
"After some time." Shen Qingfeng sighed and slowly stretched out his hand. Instead of hugging Xia Chuli like they did at the beginning, he just pulled his long sleeves and said, "It's almost time for the court to end. Your Highness the Crown Prince sneaked out of the palace, right? If you don't go back soon, King Jie will find out."
Xia Chuli held on to Shen Qingfeng's hand stubbornly, his voice even with a sob. "Qingfeng, are you really angry? I won't marry Qi Mengmeng. She's just here as a maid. I won't have any improper thoughts about her."
"I'm not angry. I believe you." Shen Qingfeng lowered his eyes. He really believed him at that time, but he didn't expect Xia Chuli to break his promise soon. He married Qi Mengmeng in front of him and hugged Shen Qingfeng late at night on their wedding day, explaining desperately, "Qingfeng, believe me. I won't touch her... If I don't marry her, Queen Qi won't let me go, let alone us. I have to do this, Qingfeng. Look at me..."
Once a person makes a mistake for the first time, there will be a second time. The second time, Qi Mengmeng was pregnant with Xia Chuli's child. The third time, after Xia Chuli ascended the throne in the future, in Shen Qingfeng's painful days, he made Qi Mengmeng the queen.
Then, he killed the whole family of Queen Qi and imprisoned Qi Mengmeng in the cold palace, which finally led to her going crazy and dying.
This was what the seemingly harmless Xia Chuli in front of him could do.
And he had actually been so stupid as to believe this guy in sheep's clothing back then and then fallen into endless torture in the future.
In this life, he would never repeat the same mistakes.
"If King Jie finds out, you'll be in big trouble." Shen Qingfeng patted his back. "Go back quickly."
"Qingfeng..."
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" In the distance on Sansheng Mountain, the ancient bell was rung by a young monk in the temple.
"There's no time left." Shen Qingfeng gently pushed him. He whispered, "Don't you remember how King Jie punished you last time? Go back quickly, A Li."
Xia Chuli trembled all over. A look of fear flashed in his eyes. He suddenly took a few steps back, biting his lips. He looked at Shen Qingfeng pale - faced and reluctantly got on the carriage.
"Then I'm leaving." Xia Chuli lifted the curtain of the carriage and said softly, his eyes fixed on Shen Qingfeng.
"Okay." Shen Qingfeng nodded.
A trace of pain flashed in Xia Chuli's eyes. Then he turned around and told the servant to whip the horse away.
Until the shadow of the carriage disappeared at the end of the long street, Shen Qingfeng still stood at the threshold, looking into the distance. There was an indescribable look in his eyes.
During the whole process, Lu Yan stood silently on one side, like an outsider, watching the two people in front of him being affectionate, but he didn't have any reason or courage to step forward.
He was redundant between them.
What a ridiculous arranged marriage.
His hands in his sleeves were clenched so tightly that they were shaking. Lu Yan's face was as cold as frost. When he saw Xia Chuli's carriage slowly disappearing, he finally came to his senses.
He felt a pain in his palm. It turned out that his nails had dug deeply into his flesh, making a cut. Blood was flowing out. Lu Yan quickly wrapped it with his sleeve several times. It was hard to notice if one didn't look carefully.
He had seen Shen Qingfeng. It was time for him to leave.
A voice in his head told him so. Lu Yan gritted his teeth. He didn't even dare to say goodbye for fear that he might do something impulsive. He just suddenly took his stiff steps and turned around to leave.
Unexpectedly, just as he took a few steps, a call suddenly came from behind.
It was Shen Qingfeng's voice. He called out, "Marquis."
Lu Yan suddenly stopped in his tracks. He stood there, his back straight, stunned and motionless.
Shen Qingfeng walked a few steps forward, looked down, and then frowned. "Why are you leaving in such a hurry?"
Lu Yan's lips trembled. Just as he was about to say something, Shen Qingfeng walked around in front of him, lifted his injured palm with both hands, and lifted his sleeve to check carefully.
Something in Lu Yan's heart suddenly stirred. He stared at Shen Qingfeng standing in front of him with wide eyes. A warm current with a slight electric shock instantly swept through his whole body!
"How did you get hurt?" Shen Qingfeng frowned. Lu Yan looked at Shen Qingfeng's face and for the first time thought that someone could look so beautiful even when frowning.
His lips trembled. He wanted to say something, but in the end, only a few inaudible syllables came out.
"Hmm?" Shen Qingfeng was a little confused and looked up at him.
This was the first time Lu Yan had looked into Shen Qingfeng's eyes at such a close distance.
At that moment, the world seemed to change its color. The thin snow was slowly melting in the sunlight, and the north wind was gently blowing through thousands of households.
The subtlest sounds in the world were infinitely magnified and rushed into Lu Yan's ears like a torrent. After the sudden noise, Lu Yan's world suddenly became quiet. In a daze, all was silent. In the vast world, he only heard the sound of Shen Qingfeng's lips slowly curving.
"What are you in a daze for? You're bleeding." Shen Qingfeng was amused by Lu Yan's dull look. His thin lips parted slightly, and he lowered his eyes. "Come back to the mansion with me. I'll treat your wound."