RMACAUH Chapter 3
by VolareChapter 3 Chapter 3 You are now twenty years old and have already made achievements…
He pushed Feng Xiao step by step onto the supreme throne, and was estranged from everyone because of his willfulness. He still thought he was moral! Ha~ but he has been reduced to someone else’s chess piece, simply stupid and hopeless!
What kind of brotherly love is this? In the royal family, the great power distorts human nature, and the ugliness is fully exposed. If he believes in these extremely hypocritical things again, he will be too sorry for the hardships and sins that he and Xiaofeng suffered in his previous life!
Only with power in hand, only by sitting on that supreme position, can he protect himself and Xiaofeng for a lifetime of peace.
In this life, he must firmly grasp the power and the throne in his hands. He wants to make those villains tuck their tails between their legs and live a life of subservience under his prestige and power, never to rise again!
Feng Yue lazily opened his eyes, flicked the white smoke on the incense burner, and said with ink-like eyes like a bottomless cold abyss, “Don’t go to the manor, what’s the point of going to that godforsaken place? Return to the palace for the banquet.”
Although Mu Yunhua was puzzled as to why his lord suddenly changed his itinerary, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and happily echoed, “Yes, yes, it’s better to return to the palace for the banquet!”
The carriage drove quickly along the official road into the city. It had been a long time since he had returned to the capital. Seeing the bustling scene before him again, a surge of grief and anger welled up in his heart, and after enduring it, joy began to leap in his heart.
He used to think that the streets, carriages, and lanterns were not worth looking at, but now, looking at them carefully, he felt at ease and comforted.
Ten years in that bitter and cold place, he was really afraid.
On the way back to the palace, Feng Yue told himself again and again to firmly grasp everything he now possessed, without letting go of the slightest bit.
The chief eunuch Xu Baobao in the palace stood under the midday sun, his neck stretched so long it was almost like a goose. The palace banquet was about to begin, but the main character was still nowhere to be seen.
Xu Baobao paced back and forth, impatiently flicking the tassel in his hand. The little eunuch who went to check on the situation ran back sweating profusely.
“Grandpa, the Guangling Prince’s carriage is almost at the palace gate!”
Xu Baobao smiled and waved to the little eunuchs around him, “Hurry, stand properly, don’t bump into our prince.”
As he spoke, he took out the flare from his sleeve. Seeing the flare at the palace gate, the commander of the palace guards also put down his worried heart and turned to tell a young eunuch to report the news of the Guangling Prince’s return to the emperor as soon as possible.
The Guangling Prince’s carriage drove all the way to the front of the hall before the palace servants carefully helped him down.
The little eunuch guarding the gate shouted in a clear voice, “The Guangling Prince has arrived!”
The ministers and their families who were feasting in the hall no longer whispered to each other. They all sat up straight, and the atmosphere was strangely solemn.
Suddenly, the emperor in the hall stood up, excitedly walked down the jade steps, and strode forward to greet him. Seeing the emperor stand up, everyone else followed suit.
The four northwestern provinces were a hidden danger left over from the time when the late emperor conquered the country. For more than sixty years, the five major nomadic families have joined forces to invade the border of the Great Yuan, burning, killing, looting, and acting extremely viciously, which has become a major trend.
The court has therefore lost many famous generals and has not been able to conquer these four provinces. Recovering the four provinces has become the emperor’s heart disease. After waiting for so many years, he did not expect this third prince to do it!
Over the years, he has repeatedly made outstanding achievements in the army. The emperor issued three awards in a single decree, and his reputation has long been established in the capital.
He is a meritorious minister, a famous general, a pillar of the country, and the future hope of the Great Yuan.
Feng Yue walked into the hall and finally saw his father, whom he had not seen for more than ten years. His heart felt a strange sourness. In those years, he acted impulsively and disappointed him several times. The matter of establishing an heir was delayed again and again, and he was not able to make up his mind to make him the crown prince, which led to those later events.
“Your son pays respects to the Emperor, and wishes the Emperor good health and longevity!”
The emperor quickly stepped forward and helped him up, his eyes moist. “Good child! You have suffered outside these years. You still have serious injuries. Let’s skip these palace formalities.”
“Thank you, Father Emperor.” Feng Yue’s gaze passed over the crowd in front of the hall and fell on his mother, the Empress. She was still as dignified and composed as he remembered. As the mother of a nation, she always restrained her emotions. Clearly, the person who most hoped that he would return safely was her.
“Come, give the Guangling Prince a seat, right next to me and the Empress!”
The Empress forcefully restrained the tears in her eyes and carefully looked at her son. He was only fifteen years old when he left. In a blink of an eye, five years have passed, and the boy’s thin figure has grown very tall and mighty.
“Mother, your son has returned.”
“Mm…” Empress Chen almost choked out a sob, pulled him to sit next to her, quietly wiped away her tears, and held his rough, broad hand tightly, whispering, “It’s good that you’re back safely. Your mother asks for nothing else.”
The emperor’s face was full of gratification, and he ordered, “Let the feast begin!”
Before him was a table full of delicacies. Feng Yue had been starving in that bitter and cold place for ten years, and now he felt that everything tasted delicious. Seeing him feast heartily and eat so happily, no one thought he was rude. They would only think that he had suffered in his five years of battle.
“Eat slowly, only half of the dishes have been served!” The Empress smiled at him indulgently, personally peeling shrimp for him.
Feng Yue stuffed his mouth full and smiled at the Empress, revealing the innocence of when he was a child. Only in front of his mother would he smile so childishly.
Suddenly, Feng Yue’s heart constricted. He was also stupid. Today’s banquet was attended by the families of all the ministers. Xiaofeng was the fifth son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, so he should be here too, right?
He couldn’t restrain his heart from almost jumping out of his chest. He searched back and forth in the banquet hall, and finally found the seats where the *ge’er* were sitting.
The status of a *ge’er* was not as good as that of a daughter or a *langjun*, so they were placed at the very end.
The Empress keenly noticed his intentions and asked in a low voice with a smile, “Who are you looking for?”
Feng Yue took a deep breath, trying to cover up his intentions, “No one!”
The Empress covered her lips and chuckled, “Today, all the unmarried daughters and young *ge’er* from noble families have been invited. You are now twenty years old and have already made achievements. It’s time to marry and have children.”
“The Empress is very thoughtful.”
“Which daughter have you taken a fancy to?”
“It’s a *ge’er*.”
The Empress was stunned for a moment before saying, “The royal family has no precedent for marrying a *ge’er* as the legal wife.”
“Then I will be the first person in the royal family to break this precedent.”
The Empress sighed helplessly and shook her head with a doting smile, “Your mother is too lazy to persuade you. You always have your own ideas. Talk to your father about this matter and see if he will agree to you?”
“If I pester him until he’s impatient, he will agree to me.” Feng Yue smiled wryly.
The Emperor’s favor for him was visible to the naked eye, biased to the bone. It was just a pity… In his previous life, he did not know happiness while living in happiness, and he stubbornly disobeyed everywhere. Until the Emperor died suddenly, this favor was resented and backfired. How proud he was at that time, the more tragic his ending was.
Suddenly, he caught sight of that inconspicuous figure, sitting in a small corner, only caring about burying his head in eating, his cheeks stuffed full, like a little squirrel who didn’t know satisfaction.
“Hmm?” Wei Xiaofeng sensed that scorching gaze and subconsciously raised his head to look at the hall. The handsome man above the high seat was looking at him with deep affection, making his heart beat up and down.
He hurriedly tugged at the sleeve of his close friend beside him and asked, “Yiyi, is the Guangling Prince looking at me?”
Zhu Yi rolled her eyes at him and shook off his greasy hand with a look of disgust, “Are you having a wet dream after drinking too much wine? The Guangling Prince is looking this way, but he’s looking at Su Qingzhi, who’s sitting in the front row. Don’t you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? How can you say such nonsense?”
“Oh…” Wei Xiaofeng felt a pang of discomfort, “Yiyi!”
“What?”
“Can you not speak so harshly? Aren’t we friends?”
Zhu Yi rolled her eyes again, “I only became friends with you because I pitied you. Who else would be friends with you besides me?”
“Oh…” Wei Xiaofeng angrily bit into a chicken leg. Was he that bad? Why did she have to say such harsh words? If he said that to Zhu Yi, Zhu Yi would jump up and hit him, right?
It was still because he had a good temper, and he just got angry and let it go.
Wei Xiaofeng continued to eat seriously. After a while, he couldn’t help but steal a glance at the Guangling Prince on the high seat, and found that he had already withdrawn his gaze. Zhu Yi was right, what infatuation did he have just now? How could he think that the noble and unparalleled Guangling Prince was looking at him?
Even if the Guangling Prince really liked *ge’er*, the person he should be looking at was Su Qingzhi.
At this time, dancers in the center of the hall were dancing gracefully. After three rounds of wine, the atmosphere also became lively. The civil and military officials in the hall walked around toasting each other. The First Prince also came to Feng Yue with a cup of wine.
“Congratulations to Third Brother on his great victory and return. As your elder brother, I’ll toast you a cup.” Feng Chao raised his cup and said, “Third Brother is injured, so let’s replace wine with tea! I’ll drink first as a sign of respect!”
Feng Chao was the only son of the former Empress. After the former Empress passed away, he had been raised outside the palace with the Old Empress Dowager.
His mother’s family was full of loyal martyrs. His ancestors followed the late Emperor to conquer the country, and his father and brothers quelled the rebellion in the Northwest and defended the country, all of whom were martyred.
This person was the most tenacious and tolerant among all the princes. If it wasn’t for the fact that he held absolute military power in the capital in his previous life and forcibly took down Feng Chao, with his and Feng Xiao’s intelligence at the time, they wouldn’t have been his match.
Feng Yue’s eyes were restrained, and he picked up the teacup, “Thank you, Eldest Brother.”
“Tonight, there are colorful lanterns hanging in the Imperial Garden. Shall we go take a look together?” As he spoke, Feng Chao glanced at the seats where the *ge’er* were sitting. Now that everyone was gone, they must have gone to the Imperial Garden to enjoy the lanterns.
Feng Yue was shocked. This Eldest Brother was good at exploring people’s hearts. It seemed that he had to be more careful in the future and not let his emotions be too exposed, lest he seize the handle.
“Alright, it’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed the lanterns with Eldest Brother.”
This cry of ‘Eldest Brother’ was cleverly sold, weakening Feng Yue’s aloof and stern aura, subtly shortening the distance between them, making Feng Chao unable to see through his mind.
The two brothers walked side by side in the Imperial Garden. The autumn flowers were blooming just right, and the hanging lanterns were beautiful and magnificent. Together with the moonlight, it was truly as beautiful as a fairyland.
“A frivolous child, with a face like jade, the spring breeze in the Zimo district tangles his horse’s hooves.” After sighing, Feng Chao looked at the Third Brother beside him with a smile.
Feng Yue followed his intention and looked up, only to see several *ge’er* releasing lanterns by the river.
One of the *ge’er* was dressed simply and elegantly, as bright as jade, and his appearance was especially beautiful.
Feng Yue pretended to be interested and asked, “Eldest Brother, do you know which family’s *ge’er* he is?”
“You just returned to the capital, so you naturally don’t know. His name is Su Qingzhi, and he is the direct son of the Minister’s mansion, ranked fourth in the family.”
“Indeed, I don’t know.”
“He is different from other *ge’er*. This young *ge’er* can write poetry at the age of ten, and he is quite accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. He can be regarded as a romantic figure in the capital. The *langjun* from high-ranking families in the capital who are seeking to marry him are about to break down the threshold.”
Feng Yue nodded thoughtfully, but his heart didn’t know where it had drifted.
The two princes had not yet married, and walking in the Imperial Garden together attracted the *ge’er* and noble ladies to steal glances.
Under the encouragement of his companions, Su Qingzhi mustered up his courage and walked towards Feng Yue, bowing slightly, “Qingzhi pays his respects to the Third Prince.”
“No need to be so polite.” Feng Yue’s clear eyes swept over the crimson on the tip of his ear. In the First Prince’s eager gaze, he made an invitation, “The lanterns are very beautiful tonight. Is Su *ge’er* willing to stroll with this Prince?”