Chương 38: Empress Dowager
Biên tập viên: Atlas Studios
The young man took half a step forward with a red tray filled with all kinds of gold and silver ingots, jade pendants, thumb rings, pearl collars, and so on. He said to Gu Yanfei with a smile, "How about you place a bet? Anyways, we're just playing around."
Li Zhulang said eagerly, "Everyone is just here to join in the fun. We can bet on big or small…"
He was just short of saying that if he lost, it would be on him. The words were actually on the tip of his tongue, but he was afraid it would seem too rash.
Gu Yunzhen recognized Li Zhulang and smiled generously. "Alright, I'll bet too…"
She looked around at the dazzling array of red and blue trays and leaned over to ask Gu Yanfei, "Second Sister, which team do you think will win?"
Gu Yanfei smiled and said firmly, "I think it'll be a draw."
Gu Yunzhen, Li Zhulang, and the others were stunned.
The young man couldn't help but remind her. "The chances of a draw are less than ten percent…"
A draw was rare and was equivalent to giving money to the dealer.
"Sure, sure." Li Zhulang could not wait to interrupt his cousin. He clapped his hands and said, "The odds are high if we bet on a draw. If we win, the stakes can be multiplied several times." It was fine if they lost, as long as the beauty was happy!
The young man really admired his cousin. He thought to himself, "Cousin really has no principles to please a beauty."
Gu Yanfei's interest was piqued and she wanted to place a bet, but when she touched her empty pouch, she remembered that she did not bring any silver.
Clang.
A small gold ingot was thrown in from the window. It rolled on the table and stopped in front of Gu Yanfei.
Then a dark, handsome face peered out the window and grinned brilliantly.
"Miss Gu, our young master will bet on it for you!" Xiao Shi winked happily at Gu Yanfei, holding a dark red tray with golden laurels.
"…" Li Zhulang also wanted to place a bet on behalf of Gu Yanfei, but he was too late. His face instantly froze, and he thought to himself, 'Which young master is that? If he's unaccountably solicitous, he must be up to no good… Could he be a love rival?!'
"Xiao Shi." Meeting Xiao Shi's dark and bright eyes, Gu Yanfei's heart skipped a beat. She recalled the gaze she had felt outside the water pavilion and immediately understood.
So it was him. What a coincidence.
"Young Master asked me to say hello to you." Xiao Shi's smile became brighter, revealing two rows of snow-white teeth. At the same time, he took a glass of wine from the tray and brought it to Gu Yanfei.
The light yellow liquid of the osmanthus wine was as clear as amber. Tiny golden osmanthus flowers floated in it, emitting an elegant fragrance. Compared to the rich fragrance of fresh osmanthus, this faint wine fragrance was just right.
Gu Yanfei picked up the cup of osmanthus wine and sniffed it. She raised her eyebrows and said, "This is from Qiongfang Shop?"
"Miss, you have a good eye." Xiao Shi chuckled and signaled Gu Yanfei to look at the Moonlight Tower across the lake.
Gu Yanfei raised her chin slightly and saw from afar that the gauze curtain on the third floor was lifted by a slender hand, revealing a familiar white figure. Because of the distance, the young man's handsome face was not clear. She could only see that he was holding a similar white porcelain wine glass in his hand.
The young man in white raised his glass and toasted from afar. Then, he downed the wine in one gulp.
This toast was for her help in Danyang City.
As the two of them looked at each other silently, Gu Yanfei smiled brightly.
Facing Chu Yi, who was on the other side of the lake, she raised her head and drank from her cup. Anyone could see that her movements were elegant and decisive.
Li Zhulang was stunned by her beautiful smile. He craned his neck to look out of the window to see who his love rival was, feeling vexed. Why was he a step too late!
Unfortunately, he didn't see anything. The hazy veil covering the window blocked his gaze.
Outside the water pavilion, there was a flurry of laughter. Some people had returned from the garden in groups.
Seeing that the voices were getting closer, Xiao Shi cupped his hands at Gu Yanfei and bid his farewell, not giving Li Zhulang a chance to probe. At the same time, seven or eight people entered the water pavilion in a row. Most of them had strange smiles on their faces as they gossiped with interest.
"How did Crown Prince Fang fall into the flowerbed?"
"If you want to know, why don't you ask His HIghness Kang Wang!"
"Wasn't Second Miss Gu from the Dingyuan Marquis Household also there? Isn't it the same to ask her?!"
"How did the three of them happen to be there, anyway?"
"…"
The crowd's speculations floated over from time to time, their voices rising and falling. Instead of stopping even after 10 minutes, the momentum grew and spread from the water pavilion to the polo field.
However, when Gu Yunrong returned in her new riding clothes, those people fell silent again like mutes, for Kang Wang was at her side.
The polo game was not interrupted by this episode and the injured Fang Mingfeng did not appear again. In the second half, Kang Wang replaced him.
The second half of the match was only delayed by a cup of tea before it began with a crisp gong.
The sound of galloping hooves rang out again, accompanied by the cheers of the crowd. The white polo ball was thrown high into the sky…
Kang Wang had just entered the field and was full of energy and high spirits. He also deliberately showed off his skills in front of his sweetheart. Not long after the second half began, he scored a goal, but Gu Yunrong's condition was obviously not as good as before and she made a few mistakes.
Gu Yunrong quickly adjusted her mentality and chased after her opponents.
The two teams chased each other, neither willing to give way. Halfway through the second half of the game, there was a commotion at the entrance to the polo field.
Upon hearing the soft exclamation of someone in the water pavilion, Gu Yanfei could not help but look sideways.
In the direction of the garden, a dozen people were clustered around two distinguished-looking ladies. One was older, in her 40s; the other was younger, in her mid 30s.
Everyone respected the older beautiful woman and clustered around her, willing to serve her.
The beautiful middle-aged woman was wearing a dark purple embroidered horse-face skirt with a small white collar. Her hair was simply tied into a bun with a white jade Ruyi pattern.
Her skin was fair, her facial features were graceful, and there was a dignified and faint smile on her lips. She was refined and elegant, and vaguely exuded the noble aura of standing above the clouds.
It was difficult to ignore the presence of such a large group.
Some people immediately recognized the middle-aged woman and widened their eyes.
Even those who did not know her would recognize Princess Consort Jing, who was beside her. Princess Consort Jing was talking softly to the middle-aged beautiful woman, smiling respectfully the entire time.
There were only a few women in this world who could make Princess Consort Jing so respectful…
"The Empress Dowager?" Gu Yunzhen exclaimed.
Indeed, only the current Empress Dowager could have such prestige.
Chương 39: Consort Selection
Biên tập viên: Atlas Studios
Gu Yanfei casually brushed away a strand of hair that was blowing against her cheek, revealing her clear and beautiful jawline and a pink slender neck. When she raised her chin slightly, there was a hint of indifference in her expression.
Everyone in the water pavilion could not sit still anymore.
Many people had actually heard that the Empress Dowager would come today, but that was only a rumor. They did not expect the Empress Dowager to really come.
Looking at the Empress Dowager's outfit today, it was obvious that she was going on a trip in plain clothes.
She and Princess Consort Jing came in quietly, which meant that she did not want to interrupt the polo match. Therefore, everyone present did not stand up and bow for the time being. They just pretended not to know.
However, they couldn't help but look at the Empress Dowager and thought to themselves, 'It seems that the Empress Dowager is here to choose a consort for Kang Wang.'
The current Empress Dowager's surname was Yuan. She was the successor of the previous Emperor and came from the Yuan family of Yangzhou.
Since the previous dynasty, the Yuan family had been a famous aristocratic family in Yangzhou.
The Yuan family had existed for more than 300 years and had produced many officials. Not only did the family have a place in the royal court, but they were also quite famous among the commoners.
Empress Dowager Yuan was 15 years younger than the previous Emperor. As soon as she entered the palace, she was doted on by the previous Emperor and gave birth to the youngest son of the previous Emperor, Kang Wang. In the later years of the previous Emperor, he had once planned to depose the Crown Prince. It could be seen that he doted on the former Emperor.
Empress Dowager Yuan sat down on a rosewood armchair under everyone's burning gazes. Her every move was elegant and dignified, as if she had been measured with a ruler.
On the polo field, young figures spurred their horses as fast as lightning, charging and crashing. Both sides chased after the only ball without giving way to each other.
Princess Consort Jing sat beside the Empress Dowager and whispered to her.
"Your Majesty, the lady in red riding the red horse is Miss Hong from the Dragon Tiger General's residence."
"That lady in pink is the second daughter of Lord He, the Ji Prefecture's Chief Soldier."
"…"
Princess Consort Jing casually introduced a few noble ladies present who were all from noble families.
Empress Dowager Yuan picked up a silk-embroidered magnolia bamboo-pink tea cup and slowly removed the tea leaves with the lid. She seemed to be listening and thinking.
"Snap!"
Kang Wang, who was in the field, quickly snatched the bow. Then, he swung his staff with all his might and sent the bow flying towards Gu Yunrong, who tacitly turned around and struck the ball accurately into the goal.
The two teams tied again.
The crowd cheered and clapped, but Empress Dowager Yuan's smile was stiff.
Seeing this, an old granny in a rust-colored duster bent down and whispered into her ear, "This is Second Miss Gu of the Dingyuan Marquis Household, Gu Yunrong."
Empress Dowager Yuan paused in the act of moving the lid of the tea. She casually put down the teacup and looked back and forth between Kang Wang and Gu Yunrong expressionlessly.
This was the first time she had seen Gu Yunrong. She did not like this girl, but Kang Wang liked her.
Empress Dowager Yuan frowned slightly and the words her son had said to her two months ago rang in her ears. "Mother, I want to marry the second daughter of the Marquis Mansion as my main consort. Please fulfill my wish."
Empress Dowager Yuan had immediately ordered someone to check on Gu Yunrong. Only then did she know that Gu Yunrong was actually betrothed to the British Crown Prince.
She wasn't happy about it, but no one knew a son better than his mother. Her son had a temper and had been like that since he was a child. He would get what he wanted even if he had to break his head.
She didn't want a rift between mother and son, so she reluctantly didn't object. She wanted to put it off for a while before making any plans.
But—
She never expected the Eldest Prince, Chu Yi, to return alive.
Chu Yi had just returned to court and had yet to gain a foothold. Both the noble courtiers and the royal family were watching this prince who had been a hostage for many years. The Emperor had an heir, which was very disadvantageous for Empress Dowager Yuan and Kang Wang.
Kang Wang needed help, but the Dingyuan Marquis Household had declined after the Marquis' death. Now, the Marquis Household had no real power in the royal court…
"Ah!"
Suddenly, low cries sounded in the bamboo shed, calling Empress Dowager Yuan's attention back.
In the polo field, the white ball quickly shot towards Gu Yunrong on the white horse. It was as fast as a shooting star, getting closer and closer…
Gu Yunrong's expression changed slightly. In the next moment, a purple figure rushed to her side like lightning and blocked the ball with his back as a shield.
Thud!
The white ball was jerked away, slicing through the blue sky.
Empress Dowager Yuan: "!!!"
The injury was on Kang Wang's body but the pain was in Empress Dowager Yuan's heart. Feeling as if the ball had hit her, Empress Dowager Yuan stood up and almost lost her composure.
She wanted someone to call for a time-out, but she saw Kang Wang talking to Gu Yunrong in concern without caring about his injuries.
"…" Empress Dowager Yuan forgot her words for a moment, and her manicured fingertips dug into her palm.
He was really possessed!
Empress Dowager Yuan's eyes were dark and turbulent. The scene just now repeatedly echoed in front of her eyes and she was too distracted to focus on the game.
Clang!
A piercing gong roused her from her thoughts. She returned to her senses and saw that the second half was over.
The red and blue scores stopped at 10 to 10. It was a draw.
This result surprised the audience and made them want more.
Most of the people in the arena did not care about winning or losing. The result of a draw could not be better. All of them were beaming with joy as they chatted and laughed as they left the arena. It was a change from the tit-for-tat competition.
After leaving the polo field, Gu Yunrong nimbly dismounted. Kang Wang followed closely behind and also jumped off his horse, his gaze never leaving Gu Yunrong.
The game had consumed a lot of Gu Yunrong's strength. She had yet to recover and her breathing was slightly rapid. Her fair and delicate face was stained with a faint blush, making her look extra charming.
"Rong'er," Kang Wang whispered. He tried to take her hand and lead her to the Empress Dowager, but she leaned to one side and nimbly avoided his hand with half-lowered lashes.
Kang Wang's slender eagle eyes narrowed and he moved faster. This time, he took hold of her wrist forcefully and pulled her towards the Empress Dowager.
This scene was naturally seen by the surrounding people. Everyone could not help but hold their breaths as they watched this scene with different expressions.
The sounds around them seemed to be instantly sucked away and silence ensued.
Empress Dowager Yuan watched as the couple walked towards her, the distance between them closing bit by bit.
Her fair hand suddenly tightened on the arm of the armchair. She could vaguely guess what her son was going to say, and her frown deepened.
Under everyone's intense gazes, Kang Wang calmly held Gu Yunrong's hand and walked to the front of Empress Dowager Yuan. His expression was filled with arrogance and seriousness.
"Mother," he bowed to Empress Dowager Yuan and said firmly, "I want to marry Gu Yunrong as my consort. I hope Mother can fulfill my wish!"
Standing beside him, Gu Yunrong's eyes widened slightly as she looked up at his chiseled side profile.
He had always been cold and arrogant, but he was gentle and considerate to her.
She was especially touched to see this side of him.
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