39: Chapter 37: Almost Believed It!
39: Chapter 37: Almost Believed It!
“Chen Qing?”
Among the four great imperial concubines, only Imperial Concubine Dong had her own palace, as she had borne the most children for the royal family, with two sons and a daughter.
In the ranks of the harem, she was second only to the Empress.
Although she had not given birth to a prince who inherited the Golden Crow Bloodline, the Siao Family had historically been thin on offspring and had great difficulty with conception.
Being able to bear the Emperor three children also represented her special fertility condition, which made her highly regarded by the Siao Family.
Children’s status ca from their mother, and Princess Yong’an, Siao Mingxue, also received considerable favor from the Emperor, being the only one among the royal princesses not sent for a marriage alliance to one of the ancient ferocious nations.
At this mont, hearing her mother ntion marriage matters again, the young lady, though feeling utmost shyness, could not help but inquire…
“Is what Mother said true?
Does Father really intend to marry to that Chen Qing?”
“It’s true…” Imperial Concubine Dong looked at her daughter’s shy, blushing face, her eyes filled with amusent.
She had pleaded for who knows how long, and with the Empress’s intercession, had finally made that stern Emperor relent and not send her daughter to be married off.
Her daughter was frail, and the Golden Crow Bloodline did not show in her at all.
If she were sent to one of those ancient brutal nations, how could she withstand the abrasive barbarians from beyond their borders?
In the rules of the harem, princes could not be raised by their mothers, and she had personally brought up her daughter from infancy with her own hands.
Naturally, her affection for her was no ordinary matter—how could she bear to let her child suffer that hardship?
Finally, with great difficulty, she had obtained the grace to not marry her daughter off, only for the girl, spoiled and dissatisfied, to find no suitor to her liking.
When at last because of the newly acclaid top scholar’s good looks she had caught her daughter’s eye, the Emperor was just about to decree the marriage when he died!
That damned magician insisted it was a warning that the Golden Crow Bloodline must not marry a mortal; well-fed and with nothing better to do, he kept inciting the ministers to repeatedly petition for his daughter to be married off to Northern Yan.
What a joke.
Because of this matter, she rarely lost her temper, yet she was extrely worried about her daughter’s future.
Unexpectedly, things took a turn; Cui Yan died, and Chen Qing appeared.
“That Chen Qing…
what kind of person is he?” the princess asked cautiously.
She also knew that after the favored scholar she was interested in had died, she now faced the risk of being married off and thus dared not to be picky, but after all, it was about the man she would spend her life with, and she still hoped for a sowhat agreeable match…
“He’s a young man with a manly presence!” Imperial Concubine Dong, smiling, took her daughter’s hand as she recalled the mont Chen Qing had recognized them.
That young man sure was bold, even daring to be so presumptuous before the Emperor himself.
Just recalling this made Imperial Concubine Dong’s face redden slightly.
But to be fair, the young man certainly had boldness.
In that situation, he even dared to negotiate with the Emperor.
Although she did not observe carefully, she could faintly sense that the young man did not seem to have any fear towards His Majesty.
That kind of temperant, having accompanied the Emperor for so many years, she had only seen in two n.
One was Duke Liu Yu of Song, and the other was Duke Lumings, Qin of the current generation, both top-tier n of the age.
Even if that youngster were only a bit similar, he would still be a rare good catch.
“Then…
that…” Princess Yong’an’s face turned a deeper shade of red as she hesitantly inquired.
Imperial Concubine Dong rolled her eyes.
“If you have sothing to ask, just ask.
Why be so coy with your mother?”
“What does he look like?
How does he compare to…
Cui Yan?”
Imperial Concubine Dong rolled her eyes again upon hearing this.
Her daughter was gentle and endearing, completely lacking her brothers’ fierce temperants, but she was sowhat superficial.
What use is it for a man just to be handso?
Can you eat that?
Cui Yan was handso enough, wasn’t he?
And yet he wasn’t long-lived.
“He’s not as handso as Cui Yan…”
“Ah…” Princess Yong’an felt a slight disappointnt.
“But he’s not bad either.” Imperial Concubine Dong chuckled, patting her daughter’s head.
“Fair and refined, the scholarly type with an elegant air that you like.”
“Mother…” Princess Yong’an imdiately acted coy, hugging Imperial Concubine Dong and being playful.
What did she an by the type she liked?
She just didn’t care for soone brutish like Weichi Peng who thought body odor was a sign of masculinity.
Since when did she say she liked that kind of…
pretty boy?
“Alright, alright, why be so shy?
He’ll co to et you before leaving the Capital.
When he does, won’t you see for yourself what he’s like?”
“Ah?” The princess’s color went from rosy to bright red.
“We’re…
going to et?”
“Isn’t that right?” Imperial Concubine Dong laughed.
“He’s going to wait for you to finish mourning for three years.
Can’t he have a look at his future wife?”
“What are you saying…” Princess Yong’an, bashful, kept burrowing her head into Imperial Concubine Dong’s embrace.
Imperial Concubine Dong shook her head with amusent, feeling both joy and reluctance at her daughter’s prospects.
If possible, she actually wished for her daughter to be married within the Capital City, so that if she missed her, she could call her into the palace to see her.
Although Chen Qing was an excellent match, she had heard that he was to be assigned to Lyuzhou to serve as an official.
With the current shortage of officials in the regions, even if the Emperor favored him, it might take ten years before he could be promoted to the Capital City, and she did not know when she would next see her daughter.
Yet, that was not her greatest concern.
What worried her the most was why the Emperor, before the marriage was even finalized, had bestowed a beautiful concubine upon the young man?
Since ancient tis, when has a princess of the Royal Family ever been granted a beautiful concubine for her husband-to-be before her own wedding?
For so reason, the Emperor’s unusual action provoked a trace of unease in her heart…
—————————————–
“My lord, wait for .
You’re walking so fast, I can barely keep up…”
Chen Qing, hearing this whiny and soft voice, could only feel his scalp tingling.
This creature, why did it choose to appear as Cui Yan’s wife’s lookalike when finalizing its disguise?
What was the aning of this?
Whenever he thought of his once generous and beautiful sister-in-law, who actually turned out to be a cannibalistic demon, and how he had been by her side for years, he felt a chill of fear.
It had been lucky that he had acted normally; otherwise, wouldn’t his fate have been the sa as Cui Yan’s?
Now that Cui Yan was dead, this creature had taken on her appearance and beco his concubine?
This, damn it…
What was going through the Emperor’s bloody head?
“Don’t be afraid…” The Fox Demon wrapped an arm around Chen Qing’s, her eyes seductive as silk: “Your Majesty’s magician has placed a spell on that forbids from using any illusion techniques and from harming others.
Should I fail to comply, my flesh will rot and I will die a hideous death.
I certainly don’t want to perish so unsightly.”
“Sister-in-law…
Conduct yourself with so dignity!” Chen Qing withdrew his hand as if avoiding a venomous snake.
But he had to admit, if he shouldn’t say it—the touch had felt incredibly good…
“Sister-in-law?
Hehehehe…” The Fox Demon’s laughter shook like flowers in a breeze: “Do you prefer your sister-in-law to be more serious?
You like that style, don’t you?”
“I…” Chen Qing’s face turned beet red.
He had been an old hobody in his past life, and in this one, he was a bookish scholar.
Though he had lived two lives, he was still green, unable to withstand such temptation.
He could only keep his head down and move forward.
“Ah, my lord cannot ignore like this…” The creature followed closely: “I’ve lost all my powers now, and I must rely on you to provide for .”
“Sister-in-law, you are too kind.
My official position is lowly and my salary is ager—I certainly can’t support such a high-maintenance person like you!”
“But what if the Emperor requires you to provide for ?”
“The Emperor wants to provide for the one in your belly!” Chen Qing responded coldly.
“Oh?” The Fox Demon blinked, her eyes narrowing suddenly: “So, you know…”
“What’s there to guess?” Chen Qing sneered: “Considering how you treated the Empress, if the Emperor didn’t tear you to shreds it could only be because the child in your womb is of the Siao Family’s seed.
What else could it possibly be?”
“You really are extraordinary…” The Fox Demon said in a ghostly tone: “Humans are supposed to revere their kings, aren’t they?
Why are you so bold and carefree when speculating about His Majesty’s affairs?”
Chen Qing: “…”
“You…” The Fox Demon touched Chen Qing’s cheek: “You don’t resemble humans at all.”
“Then what does sister-in-law think I resemble?” Chen Qing frowned deeply.
“Like us…” The Fox Demon said with a coy smile: “Like us demons that can reincarnate, almost as if enjoying a ga of the mortal world.
Speaking of which…
how do you know about reincarnation?”
“Sister-in-law wants to know?” Frustrated by the creature’s flirtation, Chen Qing looked around, touched the Mirror Demon in his bosom to confirm there was no one else nearby, and then he smiled: “How about a trade?
I’ll tell sister-in-law how I know about it, and in return, you tell sothing.”
The Fox Demon blinked, curious: “What is it?”
“How did you convince His Majesty…” Chen Qing leaned closer and whispered: “that the child in your belly…
is the Crown Prince’s?”
“You…” The Fox Demon’s face finally changed!
“Heh…” Chen Qing’s smile grew colder as he thought: Just as I suspected!
The child of a Golden Crow and a Nine-tails?
If I wasn’t a designer myself, I’d almost believe it!!
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