After successfully resolving the matter of the dragon robe, Hua Liuli's group of sisters were all very happy. To express her gratitude for their support and efforts in seeking help, Hua Liuli treated them to a meal at the best restaurant in the capital city.
After finishing their meal, Yao Jiamin looked at the sky and said, "There are still a few hours before curfew. Why don't we find a place to listen to some music? It's boring to go back so early."
"Jiamin is right. I heard that there are several talented musicians at a music pavilion who are quite pleasing to the eye," Yao Wenyin said, "Because of the Hundred Nations Banquet, I haven't been to the music pavilion for a long time."
"I'd rather not," Hua Liuli chuckled twice. If the Crown Prince found out that she went to the music pavilion, he would definitely look at her with a pitiful expression. How much time would she need to coax him back?
"Come on, I'll treat you," Yao Jiamin hooked her arm with Hua Liuli, "You're a Junzhu with a fief, and you're not known for being frugal. Why are you being stingy now?"
"No, no, no," Hua Liuli quickly declined, "Jiamin, it's not suitable for me to go."
"Why?" Yao Jiamin couldn't understand. Just a few months ago, she was competing with them for a musician. Now she suddenly didn't want to go to the music pavilion. Could there be some hidden reason?
"I don't want to make the Crown Prince feel upset," Hua Liuli sighed, "The Crown Prince treats me with deep affection and devotion. If I were to go to such a place, he would secretly feel sad."
Yao Jiamin's expression became indescribable because she couldn't imagine what it would look like for the Crown Prince to feel secretly sad.
"I'm sorry to inconvenience you," Yao Jiamin patted Hua Liuli's shoulder. A good girl like her had become so restricted by her husband. It was truly lamentable.
With the Crown Prince's temperament, ordinary people couldn't do anything to him, but Hua Liuli could truly move him. That was quite a skill.
However...
Yao Jiamin looked at Hua Liuli with concern. Does the Crown Prince know the true nature of Hua Liuli?
In their youth, they might be attracted to each other because of their appearances, but appearances alone couldn't sustain a lasting relationship.
The Crown Prince held a noble status, and in the future, if there were any... disadvantages, it would be Hua Liuli who would suffer. With the loyalty of the Hua family to the imperial family, even if the Crown Prince betrayed Hua Liuli, she would never do anything to harm him for the sake of the prosperity of the nation.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Hua Liuli was at a disadvantage in this marriage.
"Just listening to some music, it's not like we're going to keep a lover. What's the big deal?" Yao Jiamin tried to let Hua Liuli enjoy some freedom before her marriage.
"No," Hua Liuli smiled and shook her head, "I can't bear to see him sad."
Yao Jiamin looked into Hua Liuli's eyes, sighed, and said, "Forget it, I won't persuade you anymore."
If the Crown Prince ever mistreated Hua Liuli in the future, she would definitely curse him behind his back.
"Then let's go to the teahouse and listen to a storytelling performance," Yao Jiamin raised an eyebrow, "I've only heard half of 'The Extraordinary Adventures of the Emperor'."
"Okay," Hua Liuli smiled, "What kind of tea and snacks would you like? Order whatever you want, my treat."
"The latest Da Hong Pao tea of this year?"
Hua Liuli patted the purse at her waist, "No problem, I have money."
"Have you struck it rich?"
"Yes," Hua Liuli smiled brightly, "The Crown Prince frequently gives me so much gold, silver, and jewelry. I don't have anywhere to spend it."
Yao Jiamin: "..."
The sourness lingering in the air, what is it? It's her envy.
"Fushou Junzhu, you're so lucky," Yao Wenyin sighed, "Using the Crown Prince's money to support us, it's a deep sisterly bond that moves heaven and earth."
Yao Jiamin furrowed her eyebrows. After hearing that, it seemed to make some sense. However, with this kind of thinking, she somewhat felt like Hua Liuli was a scoundrel.
Pei, Pei, Pei.
"Cousin, don't make random jokes," Yao Jiamin interrupted the terrifying speculation in her mind, "I'm getting goosebumps."
Yao Wenyin wanted to say that she didn't mean to make a joke, but she thought of the Crown Prince's temperament and swallowed her words.
Forget it, forget it, can't provoke him.
The people in the capital city liked to join in the excitement, and with a society that is very open-minded, the court didn't really care about people making up stories about Emperor Changlong going to heaven and earth and slaying demons. These stories were quite popular among the common people.
Fortunately, Yao Jiamin had a reserved private room in the teahouse, or they wouldn't even have a seat. When they arrived, the storyteller was in full swing, and many people in the audience applauded and cheered.
Hua Liuli and her group of people sat in the private room on the second floor. They removed the screen so they could easily listen to the storyteller downstairs.
"As the story goes, in a blink of an eye, His Majesty drew his sword and sliced the iron-skinned monster into two..."
"The Empress Dowager once said that when the Emperor was young, he wasn't good at horseback riding and archery. Let alone wielding a sword to slay monsters, he couldn't even pull back a strong bow," Yao Jiamin muttered quietly, "These people are really good at making up stories, but it sounds quite interesting."
"Hey, look over there," Tian Shan whispered, pointing discreetly to a corner, "Isn't that the Third Prince of the Daimao Kingdom?"
Hua Liuli and Jiamin looked over and saw the Third Prince of the Daimao Kingdom, He Yuanting, sitting in the corner, drinking tea with a melancholic expression. Besides the envoys from Daimao, there were also the elite Great Jin imperial guards sitting beside him.
These imperial guards were all selected as top experts to protect the envoys' safety, but Hua Liuli suspected that they were there to facilitate the escape of the Third Prince. However, the order came from the Crown Prince, and she couldn't undermine her own betrothed's authority.
"I heard that the Crown Prince of the Daimao Kingdom has passed away. Since the Third Prince and the Crown Prince share the same mother, the Empress of the Daimao Kingdom, he is likely to be the next Crown Prince of the Daimao Kingdom," Yao Jiamin, being a member of the imperial family, had heard some news about other countries, "But the Daimao Kingdom has more than one prince and the Third Prince is currently stuck in our Great Jin's capital city. It's hard to say how he's feeling."
"From your tone, it seems like you don't really like him," Hua Liuli was somewhat surprised. Yao Jiamin shouldn't have much interaction with this Daimao's Third Prince.
"I don't really like him," Yao Jiamin nodded.
"Why?" Yao Wenyin asked.
"No reason," Yao Jiamin hesitated for a moment. There really was no reason to dislike the Daimao's Third Prince, she just felt that she didn't like anything about him, "Do you need a reason to dislike someone?"
Yao Wenyin: "..."
Hua Liuli glanced at Yao Jiamin. Perhaps Yao Jiamin herself didn't realize it, but in reality, Hua Liuli had long discovered that Yao Jiamin's intuition was often accurate.
When she first arrived in the capital, Yao Jiamin could instinctively sense that she was not genuine, as well as the other noble ladies in the capital. Yao Jiamin could accurately discern who was merely flattering her on the surface and who genuinely wanted to befriend her.
It was because of this that Yao Jiamin, who had been spoiled since childhood, developed the annoying habit of speaking without thinking.
However, after these few months of "friendly exchanges" with Yao Jiamin, she noticed that this habit of hers had changed a lot.
Lost in her thoughts, Hua Liuli noticed He Yuanting lifting his head and looking in their direction.
She took a sip of honey water, concealing her emotions. The Third Prince of Daimao, He Yuanting, was quite vigilant. They had only glanced at him a few times, but he had already noticed and accurately located the source of their gaze.
"Hello, Junzhus and young ladies," He Yuanting blushed as he approached them. He seemed somewhat awkward, unused to being so close to women, "What a coincidence."
Several guards in regular clothing followed him. Seeing that He Yuanting wanted to meet the Junzhus, they all straightened up.
"Third Prince," Yao Jiamin stood up and bowed, followed by Hua Liuli who also gave a courtesy greeting without saying anything.
He Yuanting's gaze swept over Hua Liuli, then quickly lowered his head, "Hello... um, greetings to all of you."
Yao Jiamin shifted her body, positioning herself in front of Hua Liuli. Her tone was indifferent as she asked, "Why is the Third Prince here to listen to the storytelling?"
He Yuanting's expression dimmed slightly, "A few days ago, Benwang received news from Daimao... Benwang's eldest brother..." He couldn't finish what he wanted to say as his eyes reddened, "Benwang is in your esteemed country and unable to return to bid farewell to my imperial brother. So, I came out to distract myself."
He Yuanting was handsome and his distressed appearance was quite pitiable. If it were an ordinary woman, she would have felt sympathy for him.
But he was facing several renowned debauched women of the Jin capital city who were already accustomed to seeing pitiful men, so they had developed immunity to He Yuanting's appearance.
As for Hua Liuli, who had the heart to sympathize with others and cherished the Crown Prince who was handsome, eloquent, generous, and prone to jealousy, she had become conscious enough not to provoke other men.
So, after he finished speaking, no one said a word and the atmosphere became tense.
In the end, it was Tian Shan, who had a softer heart, who spoke up, "The dead cannot be brought back to life. Third Prince, please accept our condolences."
Besides saying this, she had nothing else to say. Having read various storybooks, she felt that in these kinds of situations, saying too much would just give the other person an opportunity.
"Thank you, Young Lady," He Yuanting awkwardly avoided looking at Tian Shan's face and bowed to express his gratitude.
Hua Liuli raised an eyebrow as she watched the Daimao Third Prince, who seemed to be not good at interacting with women.
"Benwang has come today to seek something from the two Junzhus," He Yuanting took a deep breath. For him, asking for help was somewhat difficult to put into words, "Benwang's younger sister wants to stay in your esteemed country to study. After Benwang returns to Daimao, Benwang doesn't know when Benwang will be able to see Benwang's sister again. She has a gentle and non-confrontational personality. Benwang earnestly requests that the two Junzhus take care of her during your leisure time."
Yao Jiamin sneered inwardly. As a Junzhu, how could she manage affairs at the Imperial Academy? As for how to arrange the future of the Daimao Princess, she had no way to interfere.
He wasn't here to ask her; it was quite clear that he was here to ask for Hua Liuli, the future Crown Princess.
If this had happened a few months ago, she would have been displeased with Hua Liuli because of these words.
But now...
She had no thoughts other than maintaining a smile.
"Please rest assured, Your Highness," Hua Liuli also understood He Yuanting's intention. After a long silence, she spoke up, "If the Princess from your esteemed country is here to study in our country, she will be considered a student of our country. His Majesty, the esteemed Emperor Changlong, has always respected scholars. Even if she is just an ordinary girl, our country will treat her well, especially so if she is a princess of another nation."
"With Junzhu's words, Benwang can be at ease," He Yuanting thanked her with a cupped fist salute, "When Benwang returns to Daimao, Benwang can entrust everything to your esteemed country."
Hearing him repeatedly mentioning the words "return to Daimao", Hua Liuli smiled and remained silent.
He Yuanting glanced at Hua Liuli, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke up, "Junzhu, there is one more thing Benwang would like to ask for your help. Although your esteemed country has a pleasant environment, Benwang is homesick..."
Before he could finish his words, a man dressed in black brocade walked in. He had a grand presence and attracted the attention of many teahouse customers.
Even Yao Jiamin and the others were drawn to look.
"Why is Ying Wang here?" Yao Wenyin gasped, "Should we send someone down to ask the storyteller to stop?"
It was acceptable for Ying Wang to invite people to sing songs praising the Emperor, but he wouldn't tolerate others making up stories. If the storyteller said something that he didn't like, it would likely cause a scene.
Krish728
Author's Note:
Ying Wang: Do you know what Benwang is? Benwang is a crab, walking sideways. Don't mess with Benwang.
After successfully resolving the matter of the dragon robe, Hua Liuli's group of sisters were all very happy. To express her gratitude for their support and efforts in seeking help, Hua Liuli treated them to a meal at the best restaurant in the capital city.
After finishing their meal, Yao Jiamin looked at the sky and said, "There are still a few hours before curfew. Why don't we find a place to listen to some music? It's boring to go back so early."
"Jiamin is right. I heard that there are several talented musicians at a music pavilion who are quite pleasing to the eye," Yao Wenyin said, "Because of the Hundred Nations Banquet, I haven't been to the music pavilion for a long time."
"I'd rather not," Hua Liuli chuckled twice. If the Crown Prince found out that she went to the music pavilion, he would definitely look at her with a pitiful expression. How much time would she need to coax him back?
"Come on, I'll treat you," Yao Jiamin hooked her arm with Hua Liuli, "You're a Junzhu with a fief, and you're not known for being frugal. Why are you being stingy now?"
"No, no, no," Hua Liuli quickly declined, "Jiamin, it's not suitable for me to go."
"Why?" Yao Jiamin couldn't understand. Just a few months ago, she was competing with them for a musician. Now she suddenly didn't want to go to the music pavilion. Could there be some hidden reason?
"I don't want to make the Crown Prince feel upset," Hua Liuli sighed, "The Crown Prince treats me with deep affection and devotion. If I were to go to such a place, he would secretly feel sad."
Yao Jiamin's expression became indescribable because she couldn't imagine what it would look like for the Crown Prince to feel secretly sad.
"I'm sorry to inconvenience you," Yao Jiamin patted Hua Liuli's shoulder. A good girl like her had become so restricted by her husband. It was truly lamentable.
With the Crown Prince's temperament, ordinary people couldn't do anything to him, but Hua Liuli could truly move him. That was quite a skill.
However...
Yao Jiamin looked at Hua Liuli with concern. Does the Crown Prince know the true nature of Hua Liuli?
In their youth, they might be attracted to each other because of their appearances, but appearances alone couldn't sustain a lasting relationship.
The Crown Prince held a noble status, and in the future, if there were any... disadvantages, it would be Hua Liuli who would suffer. With the loyalty of the Hua family to the imperial family, even if the Crown Prince betrayed Hua Liuli, she would never do anything to harm him for the sake of the prosperity of the nation.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Hua Liuli was at a disadvantage in this marriage.
"Just listening to some music, it's not like we're going to keep a lover. What's the big deal?" Yao Jiamin tried to let Hua Liuli enjoy some freedom before her marriage.
"No," Hua Liuli smiled and shook her head, "I can't bear to see him sad."
Yao Jiamin looked into Hua Liuli's eyes, sighed, and said, "Forget it, I won't persuade you anymore."
If the Crown Prince ever mistreated Hua Liuli in the future, she would definitely curse him behind his back.
"Then let's go to the teahouse and listen to a storytelling performance," Yao Jiamin raised an eyebrow, "I've only heard half of 'The Extraordinary Adventures of the Emperor'."
"Okay," Hua Liuli smiled, "What kind of tea and snacks would you like? Order whatever you want, my treat."
"The latest Da Hong Pao tea of this year?"
Hua Liuli patted the purse at her waist, "No problem, I have money."
"Have you struck it rich?"
"Yes," Hua Liuli smiled brightly, "The Crown Prince frequently gives me so much gold, silver, and jewelry. I don't have anywhere to spend it."
Yao Jiamin: "..."
The sourness lingering in the air, what is it? It's her envy.
"Fushou Junzhu, you're so lucky," Yao Wenyin sighed, "Using the Crown Prince's money to support us, it's a deep sisterly bond that moves heaven and earth."
Yao Jiamin furrowed her eyebrows. After hearing that, it seemed to make some sense. However, with this kind of thinking, she somewhat felt like Hua Liuli was a scoundrel.
Pei, Pei, Pei.
"Cousin, don't make random jokes," Yao Jiamin interrupted the terrifying speculation in her mind, "I'm getting goosebumps."
Yao Wenyin wanted to say that she didn't mean to make a joke, but she thought of the Crown Prince's temperament and swallowed her words.
Forget it, forget it, can't provoke him.
The people in the capital city liked to join in the excitement, and with a society that is very open-minded, the court didn't really care about people making up stories about Emperor Changlong going to heaven and earth and slaying demons. These stories were quite popular among the common people.
Fortunately, Yao Jiamin had a reserved private room in the teahouse, or they wouldn't even have a seat. When they arrived, the storyteller was in full swing, and many people in the audience applauded and cheered.
Hua Liuli and her group of people sat in the private room on the second floor. They removed the screen so they could easily listen to the storyteller downstairs.
"As the story goes, in a blink of an eye, His Majesty drew his sword and sliced the iron-skinned monster into two..."
"The Empress Dowager once said that when the Emperor was young, he wasn't good at horseback riding and archery. Let alone wielding a sword to slay monsters, he couldn't even pull back a strong bow," Yao Jiamin muttered quietly, "These people are really good at making up stories, but it sounds quite interesting."
"Hey, look over there," Tian Shan whispered, pointing discreetly to a corner, "Isn't that the Third Prince of the Daimao Kingdom?"
Hua Liuli and Jiamin looked over and saw the Third Prince of the Daimao Kingdom, He Yuanting, sitting in the corner, drinking tea with a melancholic expression. Besides the envoys from Daimao, there were also the elite Great Jin imperial guards sitting beside him.
These imperial guards were all selected as top experts to protect the envoys' safety, but Hua Liuli suspected that they were there to facilitate the escape of the Third Prince. However, the order came from the Crown Prince, and she couldn't undermine her own betrothed's authority.
"I heard that the Crown Prince of the Daimao Kingdom has passed away. Since the Third Prince and the Crown Prince share the same mother, the Empress of the Daimao Kingdom, he is likely to be the next Crown Prince of the Daimao Kingdom," Yao Jiamin, being a member of the imperial family, had heard some news about other countries, "But the Daimao Kingdom has more than one prince and the Third Prince is currently stuck in our Great Jin's capital city. It's hard to say how he's feeling."
"From your tone, it seems like you don't really like him," Hua Liuli was somewhat surprised. Yao Jiamin shouldn't have much interaction with this Daimao's Third Prince.
"I don't really like him," Yao Jiamin nodded.
"Why?" Yao Wenyin asked.
"No reason," Yao Jiamin hesitated for a moment. There really was no reason to dislike the Daimao's Third Prince, she just felt that she didn't like anything about him, "Do you need a reason to dislike someone?"
Yao Wenyin: "..."
Hua Liuli glanced at Yao Jiamin. Perhaps Yao Jiamin herself didn't realize it, but in reality, Hua Liuli had long discovered that Yao Jiamin's intuition was often accurate.
When she first arrived in the capital, Yao Jiamin could instinctively sense that she was not genuine, as well as the other noble ladies in the capital. Yao Jiamin could accurately discern who was merely flattering her on the surface and who genuinely wanted to befriend her.
It was because of this that Yao Jiamin, who had been spoiled since childhood, developed the annoying habit of speaking without thinking.
However, after these few months of "friendly exchanges" with Yao Jiamin, she noticed that this habit of hers had changed a lot.
Lost in her thoughts, Hua Liuli noticed He Yuanting lifting his head and looking in their direction.
She took a sip of honey water, concealing her emotions. The Third Prince of Daimao, He Yuanting, was quite vigilant. They had only glanced at him a few times, but he had already noticed and accurately located the source of their gaze.
"Hello, Junzhus and young ladies," He Yuanting blushed as he approached them. He seemed somewhat awkward, unused to being so close to women, "What a coincidence."
Several guards in regular clothing followed him. Seeing that He Yuanting wanted to meet the Junzhus, they all straightened up.
"Third Prince," Yao Jiamin stood up and bowed, followed by Hua Liuli who also gave a courtesy greeting without saying anything.
He Yuanting's gaze swept over Hua Liuli, then quickly lowered his head, "Hello... um, greetings to all of you."
Yao Jiamin shifted her body, positioning herself in front of Hua Liuli. Her tone was indifferent as she asked, "Why is the Third Prince here to listen to the storytelling?"
He Yuanting's expression dimmed slightly, "A few days ago, Benwang received news from Daimao... Benwang's eldest brother..." He couldn't finish what he wanted to say as his eyes reddened, "Benwang is in your esteemed country and unable to return to bid farewell to my imperial brother. So, I came out to distract myself."
He Yuanting was handsome and his distressed appearance was quite pitiable. If it were an ordinary woman, she would have felt sympathy for him.
But he was facing several renowned debauched women of the Jin capital city who were already accustomed to seeing pitiful men, so they had developed immunity to He Yuanting's appearance.
As for Hua Liuli, who had the heart to sympathize with others and cherished the Crown Prince who was handsome, eloquent, generous, and prone to jealousy, she had become conscious enough not to provoke other men.
So, after he finished speaking, no one said a word and the atmosphere became tense.
In the end, it was Tian Shan, who had a softer heart, who spoke up, "The dead cannot be brought back to life. Third Prince, please accept our condolences."
Besides saying this, she had nothing else to say. Having read various storybooks, she felt that in these kinds of situations, saying too much would just give the other person an opportunity.
"Thank you, Young Lady," He Yuanting awkwardly avoided looking at Tian Shan's face and bowed to express his gratitude.
Hua Liuli raised an eyebrow as she watched the Daimao Third Prince, who seemed to be not good at interacting with women.
"Benwang has come today to seek something from the two Junzhus," He Yuanting took a deep breath. For him, asking for help was somewhat difficult to put into words, "Benwang's younger sister wants to stay in your esteemed country to study. After Benwang returns to Daimao, Benwang doesn't know when Benwang will be able to see Benwang's sister again. She has a gentle and non-confrontational personality. Benwang earnestly requests that the two Junzhus take care of her during your leisure time."
Yao Jiamin sneered inwardly. As a Junzhu, how could she manage affairs at the Imperial Academy? As for how to arrange the future of the Daimao Princess, she had no way to interfere.
He wasn't here to ask her; it was quite clear that he was here to ask for Hua Liuli, the future Crown Princess.
If this had happened a few months ago, she would have been displeased with Hua Liuli because of these words.
But now...
She had no thoughts other than maintaining a smile.
"Please rest assured, Your Highness," Hua Liuli also understood He Yuanting's intention. After a long silence, she spoke up, "If the Princess from your esteemed country is here to study in our country, she will be considered a student of our country. His Majesty, the esteemed Emperor Changlong, has always respected scholars. Even if she is just an ordinary girl, our country will treat her well, especially so if she is a princess of another nation."
"With Junzhu's words, Benwang can be at ease," He Yuanting thanked her with a cupped fist salute, "When Benwang returns to Daimao, Benwang can entrust everything to your esteemed country."
Hearing him repeatedly mentioning the words "return to Daimao", Hua Liuli smiled and remained silent.
He Yuanting glanced at Hua Liuli, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke up, "Junzhu, there is one more thing Benwang would like to ask for your help. Although your esteemed country has a pleasant environment, Benwang is homesick..."
Before he could finish his words, a man dressed in black brocade walked in. He had a grand presence and attracted the attention of many teahouse customers.
Even Yao Jiamin and the others were drawn to look.
"Why is Ying Wang here?" Yao Wenyin gasped, "Should we send someone down to ask the storyteller to stop?"
It was acceptable for Ying Wang to invite people to sing songs praising the Emperor, but he wouldn't tolerate others making up stories. If the storyteller said something that he didn't like, it would likely cause a scene.
Krish728
Author's Note:
Ying Wang: Do you know what Benwang is? Benwang is a crab, walking sideways. Don't mess with Benwang.
