CHAPTER 313: CHAPTER 301: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PROMISED ROMANCES?

"Marrying off a princess?"

Yun Ran was quite surprised by this. Xiao Mohan came all the way to Tianchu for a beauty?

Since when did he change his nature and start liking beauties?

"Do you know which princess from our dynasty they’re asking to marry?"

Shen Weixi waved her hand as if it was a common topic of conversation, "Oh, it’s not any princess. Yue’er, you definitely wouldn’t guess; they’re asking to marry Grand Tutor Ye’s granddaughter, Miss Ye Qingyi."

Yun Ran was honestly taken aback by this.

Having read extensively, from official history to various storybooks, she knew that those who were sent to marry off were almost always princesses. Although the ones who married may not have been real princesses, the ones sought for marriage were indeed called princesses.

There were even emperors so reluctant to let their beloved daughters marry far away that they would find a minister’s daughter to be titled as a princess for the marriage, or directly find someone to impersonate the princess for a distant marriage. But to outrightly state a request to marry a minister’s daughter was rare.

Seeing Yun Ran’s reaction, Shen Weixi smirked mischievously as she leaned over, putting an arm around her shoulder, "Yue’er, I knew you’d have this reaction! I have some inside information; do you want to hear it?"

Yun Ran: "..."

[Look at your gossip-loving face. If I say I don’t want to hear it, could you really keep it to yourself?]

"What’s the inside scoop? Hurry and spill it."

Shen Weixi: "Hahaha, I knew you definitely wanted to hear it!"

Yun Ran: [Little Weixi, you’re right~~!]

Luckily, Shen Weixi didn’t keep her guessing too long, using a mysterious and gossipy tone as she began:

"The current Beili King, Xiao Che, was held as a hostage in Tianchu during his youth for many years. It was only three years ago, after repeated negotiations by the former Beili King, that he was able to return smoothly to the court."

"The Beili King has a naturally flirtatious character, with an endless number of beauties in his harem and numerous offspring. Xiao Che is the seventh son, and having been a hostage for so many years, his influence in Beili should, according to logic, be far less than the other princes. Yet, two years ago when the Beili King passed away, it was this seventh prince who smoothly took the throne."

"Although Beili doesn’t follow the primogeniture system, his victory among the power struggles of more than a dozen princes shows that this man is far from ordinary."

"However, he had been away from Beili’s court for many years, and his foundation in the court must still be unstable. For the past two years since he ascended the throne, the Empress Dowager has been holding court from behind the curtain, with the State Preceptor assisting in governance."

"This year, the King already turned twenty-one. He was eligible for adulthood last year and could have assumed power, but the Empress Dowager hasn’t released control, and the King still hasn’t assumed power."

At this point, Shen Weixi looked deep in thought, even showing a hint of patriotic concern.

"In my view, the Empress Dowager must be intoxicated by the feeling of wielding great power, unwilling to relinquish her authority. I’m afraid the path to the King’s assumption of power will be long and arduous!"

"Ah, young kings have it so rough!"

"The Empress Dowager has survived the struggles and plotting among the three thousand concubines in the harem for many years, finally emerging victorious. In terms of scheming, she’s definitely beyond the reach of ordinary people. Can that young king outwit her?"

"Not to mention there’s also a scheming and crafty State Preceptor who manipulates power with ease."

"Ah, that young king really has it tough! So difficult!"

Yun Ran: "..."

Watching the girl beside her pounding her chest and stamping her feet in regretful lament, Yun Ran blinked in slight confusion.

[Where’s the promised romance gossip? How did it turn into a heart-wrenching saga of a young emperor’s struggles?]

[And why do you look like you’re sympathizing with enduring beauty?!]

Yun Ran decisively extended her hands, clasping Shen Weixi’s cheeks and shaking her back to reality from her world of sympathy and admiration.

Shen Weixi looked bewildered, "What’s the matter, Yue’er? Did your dog show up?"

At the word "dog," Shen Weixi snapped back to clarity, instantly turning her head to scan the surroundings, quickly checking all directions.

Once she didn’t see the dog’s presence, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, even inquiring with concern, "Yue’er, your dog isn’t here today, is it?"

Yun Ran blinked, "Do you wish it were here? Then I’ll summon it?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Weixi instantly panicked, grabbing the pretending-to-stand Yun Ran, "No, no, no, Yue’er, I didn’t say anything just now. I’ll continue telling you about the young king’s romantic affairs!"

Yun Ran: "..."

[Romantic affairs? Are you sure you weren’t just recounting the emperor’s struggles all this while?]

"Let me guess, could it be that the young king met Miss Ye while he was a hostage in Tianchu? The two fell in love at first sight, and again upon meeting, they developed feelings and formed a beautiful relationship?"

Shen Weixi opened her mouth, amazed for a while before giving a thumbs up, "Yue’er, you’re really smart! You actually guessed it! These tidbits of information were hard for me to get, and you guessed it just like that!"

Yun Ran: "..."

[Ah, knowing and guessing are different! Knowing is the story, guessing is the pattern!]

"It’s not that I’m smart; that’s just how they write in the story books! So now that the young king is proposing marriage, can the lovers finally be together?"

This question once again had Shen Weixi pounding her chest and stamping her feet with sighs of regret!

"Ah, togetherness? More like they’re turning into a tragic couple! What bad luck!"

Yun Ran: "???"

"Huh? What’s going on?"

She originally thought it was a romantic tale of a foreign prince falling in love with a native maiden against all odds, overcoming hardships, crossing seas and mountains, and finally becoming a couple.

Could it be, that’s not the case?

Shen Weixi sighed again, looking as though she had pondered and worried deeply.

"I don’t know how it happened, but Miss Ye now has feelings for someone else who’s not Xiao Che. Upon hearing the Beili envoy’s proposal, she even resorted to a hunger strike in resistance, seemingly willing to die rather than marry Xiao Che."

Yun Ran was genuinely surprised, "No way? Did she... fall out of love?"

She had initially hoped to see the continuation of this pair, and it ended so quickly?!

Shen Weixi was troubled, "I’m just as puzzled about this! From what I know of Miss Ye, she’s not the type to be fickle or indecisive; once she commits, she remains unwavering."

"Back then, she risked her life to protect Xiao Che, with genuine feelings and sincerity. Even against her family’s opposition, she once wanted to elope with him."

"The strange thing is, when Xiao Che left three years ago, she showed no signs of reluctance or sadness, as though Xiao Che was just an irrelevant stranger to her."

"Now she’s even resisting unto death upon hearing Xiao Che’s proposal for marriage! Yue’er, don’t you think this is strange?"

Yun Ran nodded, "It is quite strange, but when something is out of the ordinary, there must be a hidden reason. There’s certainly some unknown reason behind it."

A woman who once loved so dearly she would give her life suddenly doesn’t love anymore? Did she realize her misplaced trust and come to her senses? Or is it just as it appears, that she fell for someone else?

Or, is there some other hidden reason?

"By the way, Weixi, you said she already has feelings for someone, so who is it?"

Hearing this, Shen Weixi cautiously scanned her surroundings, leaned to Yun Ran’s ear, and whispered, "It’s said to be her Hidden Guard."

"Ah? Is that so?"

Though not from an official family, Yun Ran knew that noble houses most despised their young ladies having affairs with guards, often seen as familial disgrace.

Shen Weixi changed the subject, "Yue’er, do you want to go somewhere really fun with me?"

Outside in the courtyard, under the corner of a wall, a man who had been resting his eyes suddenly opened them.