Chapter 253: Still Have to Count on Third Brother
The night passed in a dazed haze.
Morning light reflected off the snow outside the window. Chu Yi pressed his temples and opened his eyes.
It was nearly the end of the Chen hour already.
Sitting up from the couch, he vaguely recalled something happening last night.
Heavy snow.
Fruit wine.
Rosy lips.
Was it a dream, or did it really happen?
"Your Highness is finally awake." Cheng Xu pushed the door open and entered. "The palace matrons have come to urge you three times already."
Chu Yi remembered.
Today was the day of the Cuju match against the foreign envoys.
As one of the key players, his absence would likely lead to the Great Jin's defeat.
While putting on his clothes, he asked, "Did anything happen last night?"
As soon as the question left his lips, he noticed Cheng Xu's dark face seemed to be tinged with a suspicious blush.
Chu Yi's fingers stilled.
He vaguely remembered those alluring lips...
Could it be that he had kissed Yun Chu in front of Cheng Xu and the other servants?
Had he really done something so bold?
Was he mad?
His Adam's apple bobbed heavily as he asked, "What was... Yun Chu's reaction?"
"Miss Yun... doesn't know about it yet." Cheng Xu's dark face grew even redder.
Chu Yi stood up abruptly.
Had he taken advantage of Yun Chu's drunken state to commit such scoundrelly acts?
What should he do now?
Go confess to Yun Chu?
Or pretend nothing happened?
Chu Yi had never felt so conflicted before - this was more headache-inducing than discussing how to suppress bandits.
Cheng Xu hunched his shoulders and said, "I don't know why I suddenly hugged Ting Xue either, and I scared her to tears. Your Highness, how do you think I should tell Miss Yun about this..."
Chu Yi: "..."
This conversation was going nowhere.
He walked outside and looked toward the gateway. Yu Ge'er had already left for school, and he could faintly hear Yun Chu teaching Changsheng to read.
After hesitating for a moment, he walked over and stood at the warm side room's doorway. "Changsheng, Father is going to the palace. What would you like to eat? I'll bring it back for you tonight."
The little girl's soft, sticky voice came through: "Eat... eat candy."
"Alright, Father will bring you candy." Chu Yi paused. "Miss Yun, what would you like?"
Yun Chu's voice came quickly: "The roasted duck from last time was quite delicious. Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."
The tension in Chu Yi's heart immediately eased. "No trouble at all. It's on the way."
The corners of his lips curved upward as he led his horse toward the palace in high spirits.
Along the way, Cheng Xu chased after him with a worried expression. "Your Highness still hasn't told me what to do!"
Chu Yi twitched his lips. "Many people in the military camp are married. I'll have them gather at Desheng Tower tonight. You might as well seek their advice."
Cheng Xu's eyes widened. "Desheng Tower is notoriously expensive. An ordinary table of food and drink costs at least seven or eight taels of silver."
Chu Yi reined in his horse at the palace gates and said coldly, "You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing the bait. Think it over yourself - which is more important, silver or a wife?"
Cheng Xu's face fell miserably.
Silver was important.
A wife was certainly important too.
Could he only choose one?
Couldn't he have both?
By this time, the Cuju match had already begun.
The Great Jin side, led by the Crown Prince with a group of nobles, was competing against the foreign envoys' team. In the first half-hour, the opponents had scored three times - a miserable defeat.
"Third Brother, you've finally come!" The Crown Prince saw Chu Yi as if he were a lifesaver. "Pingjin Heir, step down! Let Third Brother take the field!"The current heir of Marquis Pingjin is newly appointed. The previous one was deemed by the diviner Ding Yiyuan to be fated to bring ruin to the Pingjin estate in this generation, prompting the Marquis to swiftly replace the heir.
The new heir of Marquis Pingjin is a scholar, utterly unskilled at cuju (ancient Chinese football), merely filling a spot on the team.
When Chu Yi arrived, the heir immediately yielded his position.
As Chu Yi stepped onto the field, the team’s morale soared instantly.
The opposing players grew tense, with more than half focusing intently on Chu Yi.
Yet, they still failed to contain him.
With a swift turn and a soaring leap, Chu Yi kicked the cuju ball straight into the goal.
“Excellent! Truly excellent!” the Crown Prince exclaimed excitedly. “As expected, it has to be Third Brother!”
He walked over and patted Chu Yi’s shoulder, saying, “If Princess Guli saw how valiant you are, she would undoubtedly agree to marry you without hesitation!”
As he spoke, he turned and noticed that Princess Guli, who had been watching from the sidelines, was not looking at the field at all. Instead, she had turned to converse with Gong Xi Prince, Chu Mo, beside her.
He was taken aback. “Why does Princess Guli seem to be chatting so happily with Second Brother?”
Chu Yi glanced over briefly, a faint smile curling his lips.
It seemed Second Imperial Brother’s heroic rescue last night had won the princess’s favor.
In high spirits, he pivoted, blocked an incoming ball, and kicked it directly toward the opponent’s goalpost.
Cheers erupted across the field.
Gong Xi Prince subtly blocked Princess Guli’s line of sight, his voice gentle and refined: “You must be tired from standing, Princess. Why not sit over there and enjoy some tea? This is our Great Jin Dynasty’s renowned Yinshan Maojian tea. You might find it unfamiliar, so I’ve had sugar added to it.”
Princess Guli blushed shyly.
The previous night, after seeking permission from the Empress of Great Jin, she had taken two maidservants for an evening stroll through the capital.
The capital at night was far livelier than her homeland, Hongnan Kingdom. The streets were crowded with people, lined with vendors selling all sorts of novel trinkets she had never seen before.
Distracted by the sights, she accidentally became separated from her maidservants.
While searching for them, she encountered three or four ruffians. Though skilled in some martial arts, she was no match for them.
Just as she was on the verge of losing her virtue, this man—Gong Xi Prince—suddenly appeared, shielding her with his own body.
Though a scholar, Gong Xi Prince protected her, his arm slashed and bleeding, staining his robes.
She asked worriedly, “Your Highness, does your arm still hurt?”
Gong Xi Prince smiled. “It’s merely a minor injury, not worth mentioning.”
Princess Guli took a sip of the tea. The rich tea aroma, slightly sweetened with sugar, tasted unusual but was not unpalatable.
“The Princess is only sixteen this year, isn’t she?” Gong Xi Prince sighed. “Such a young age, and already having to learn to be a mother to someone else’s children—it must be terribly difficult for you.”
Princess Guli looked bewildered. “What do you mean, ‘be a mother’?”
“Ah…” Gong Xi Prince feigned having misspoken. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have said that?”
Princess Guli pressed him immediately. “Your Highness, please speak plainly. Don’t keep me in the dark.”
“My father intends to arrange a marriage between you and Third Brother. I can see you’re quite taken with him as well.” Gong Xi Prince spoke slowly. “If you marry Third Brother, you would become the stepmother to his son and daughter…”
Princess Guli was stunned. “But Prince Pingxi has never taken a wife, has he? How could he have children?”"He has never married, and the birth mothers of those two children remain unknown." Prince Gong Xi shook his head. "Though my third brother was somewhat reckless in his youth, he has long since reformed. Princess Guli must not misunderstand."
Princess Guli pressed her lips together.
It was true she had taken a liking to Prince Pingxi yesterday, but after he threw the candy she made onto the ground, her affection waned.
Moreover, Prince Gong Xi had saved her, completely displacing Prince Pingxi from her heart.
Now, upon hearing that Prince Pingxi had children out of wedlock, her former fondness had imperceptibly transformed into aversion.
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