mtl008 Chapter 193 She's so cute
Chapter 193 She's so cute
Lu Yangyang and Sheng Yunjiao both looked at Princess Liduan.
Sheng Yunjiao muttered softly, "I've only heard people say that His Highness is in poor health and needs to recuperate year-round, so he rarely appears in public. Every time he does, he's sitting in a chair or sedan chair, looking very weak. Some say he's bedridden for years, so I'm afraid..."
Sheng Yunjiao didn't dare to say it later, but the meaning was clear: it was rumored that the Crown Prince was in very poor health and might not live for more than a few years.
Although there wasn't much news about the Crown Prince afterward, it was true that he was in poor health, and many people didn't even know that the Crown Prince existed.
Lu Yangyang only learned after arriving in the capital that, in addition to His Highness the Crown Prince, the Emperor had several other sons.
Princess Li Duan sighed deeply: "It's normal that you don't know. The main thing is that my eldest cousin has a strange personality. He's not Consort Shu's son. His birth mother was said to be just a palace maid. The two years he was born coincided with turmoil in the capital and his uncle, the emperor, ascended the throne, so no one paid any attention to him. I heard that when he was about a year old, he had a high fever and wasn't treated in time, which left him with sequelae. It was only much later that they discovered he couldn't use one leg, but by then it was too late, and he was paralyzed in one leg. The palace maid died of grief a few years later. It's said that his uncle, the emperor, disliked her for not being able to take care of even a child, and he never gave her a rank before he died. My eldest cousin became a nobody in the palace from then on. He wasn't assigned to any concubine to take care of, but was cared for by palace servants until he was sixteen. The Imperial Clan Court, according to regulations, petitioned His Majesty to assign him a prince's residence and he moved out."
"As for Consort Shu, she is the birth mother of the Fourth Princess. The Emperor's uncle had lost three princesses before, so he doted on the Fourth Princess the most, which also gave Consort Shu a lot of prestige. Although she has no sons, she has a very high status in the palace. The harem is currently managed by the Noble Consort, but these kinds of trivial matters are basically left to Consort Shu to handle."
After saying that, Princess Liduan shook her head: "I think Consort Shu is probably in a difficult position. There have been rumors about my eldest cousin in the capital, but he still hasn't shown his face. I'm afraid no family is willing to marry their daughter to him. If they really choose someone of lower social standing, the Emperor's uncle will lose face. It's really a difficult situation."
Sheng Yunjiao glanced at her sideways: "Why are you worrying about this? It's not like you're the one choosing."
Princess Liduan snorted: "I'm curious, aren't you?"
How could Sheng Yunjiao, being such a gossip, not be curious? Her mind was already racing with calculations and speculations: "I think, if that's the case, the most likely candidate would be the second daughter of a noble or civil official family. There are actually a few suitable ones right now."
Princess Li Duan hurriedly asked, "Then who do you think it could be?"
Lu Yangyang patted each of them on the shoulder: "Aren't you two being ridiculous? Even if Consort Shu wants to make a choice, it has to suit His Highness's taste. Stop making wild guesses."
The social atmosphere in the Great Zhao Kingdom is relatively open. Even if a couple who have found love breaks up after dating for a while, it's not a big deal. Therefore, even in arranged marriages, people have the right to choose, and it doesn't come to the point of being forced into an arranged marriage. Lu Yangyang has been in the capital for over a year and has seen many unmarried young men and women confessing their feelings to each other and going out together. As long as it's not something particularly outrageous, there are usually no bad rumors.
No matter what, His Highness is His Majesty's eldest son. Although he is not highly regarded, he should still have the right to choose his own fiancée.
Princess Liduan said, "That would depend on my eldest cousin being willing to go out. I've only seen him a few times."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Lin Shuang, whom she had sent out to scout the situation, rushed in and excitedly told her, "Princess, Princess, I have some incredible news for you! Consort Shu, along with the Fourth Princess, the Sixth Princess, the Ninth Princess, the First Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fifth Prince, have arrived!"
Princess Liduan stood up abruptly: "What did you say? Xiao Jiu is here?"
Lin Shuang nodded hurriedly: "Yes, His Highness also sent word that you should hurry over and entertain them. They're already in the front hall."
Princess Li Duan immediately pulled her two friends up as well, "Come on, let's go see what's going on! What a rare occasion, even Xiao Jiu is here!"
The two were inexplicably dragged by her to the front hall, where many guests had already arrived and the hall was bustling with activity. Of course, the most eye-catching people in the crowd were the Third Prince and his group.
Lu Yangyang later learned from her roommate Xue Wanyue that in the case of the Muzhou flood last year, Xue Wanning's uncle was suspected of concealing the incident. After much maneuvering, although he was not sentenced to death, he was stripped of his official position for life, and his whole family was exiled to a southern island. Furthermore, two generations of his family were barred from taking the imperial examinations. This effectively ended her cousin's path to the imperial examinations.
Thanks to His Majesty's special attention, the Third Prince's assignment was handled flawlessly without any favoritism, and he successfully entered the court upon his return.
More than a year of experience has given the Third Prince a more composed and gentle demeanor than before, and he attracts countless eyes simply by standing there.
The eldest prince was also quite noticeable. He sat there with a slightly pale face, but he didn't look unhealthy. His temperament was a bit gloomy, but the royal family was known for its good looks. All the princes were good-looking, and the eldest prince was no exception. Compared to his two younger brothers, the eldest prince even had a bit more gentleness, which attracted many secretly concerned glances.
As for the remaining Fifth Prince, Lu Yangyang had met him once when she first arrived in the capital. Well, more than a year has passed, and he still looks as annoying as ever. The Sixth Princess beside him is no less so; her slightly raised eyebrows make her look extremely mean.
The Fourth Princess and Consort Shu look very alike; they both have a shrewd and capable appearance.
The only one who surprised Lu Yangyang was the Ninth Princess. She looked to be about the same age as them, with fair and tender cheeks that made her look timid and gentle, like a soft little white rabbit, inexplicably cute.
And... for some reason, Lu Yangyang felt a strange sense of familiarity when she looked at this Ninth Princess. Even though they had never met before, there seemed to be a familiar shadow in her. Strange.
Perhaps because Lu Yangyang had been staring at her for a little too long, the Ninth Princess, who had been hiding behind the Fourth Princess and was practically invisible, quietly turned her head and glanced at Lu Yangyang curiously.
Lu Yangyang thought to herself, "She's so cute."
At this moment, the Fourth Princess also noticed Princess Liduan entering the room and waved to her: "Liduan, why aren't you coming over? What are you doing hiding there? You haven't come to the palace to play with us in a long time!"
Princess Liduan could only give her two companions a helpless look before preparing to step forward.
But then Princess Liu retorted sarcastically, "She's busy playing with some country bumpkin, how could she possibly care about you?"