Masquerade in Bridal Attire and Marry the Prince

90. Calculation

Translator: Antonia

Du Chuxuan came out from behind the curtain. He swore that at the beginning he had just wanted to see what was going on here. After all, he had read such a plot in novels, but never witnessed one himself. Maybe subconsciously, but anyway, he came.

Entering the lobby, Du Chuxuan threw a sharp glance at Yuxing Tianrui. Wasn’t that an old saying that when a relation wasn’t cut off when it should be, there must be something! Choking by one mere question and having difficulty in framing his words, he was truly the great Crown Prince of Shenglan!

In short, Du Chuxuan fell back to his former tsundere mood. Now, in his eyes, Yuxing Tianrui had nothing right, and when he turned around and caught sight of Zhao Zheng, he was more annoyed.

“Your Highness!” Seeing Du Chuxuan walking out, Zhao Zheng put on a scared look and stepped back a little, “I didn’t know Your Highness is back in the palace already.”

It was true. She had only known that Du Chuxuan went out of the palace to visit his families but had no idea when he would come back. She had believed that the rumors they had released yesterday was enough to force the imperial family to forge the marriage between Yuxing Tianrui and her, but to her surprise, the rumors had gone stranger as they passed on and almost ruined her!

Du Chuxuan raised his eyebrows, which formed a curious arch on his face, “What’s wrong with you, Miss. Zhao? Look at you face; you make feel there is something weird on me that scared you.” Then, he turned to Yuxing Tianrui with an inquiring glance, in a quite deliberate manner.

Yuxing Tianrui was smart after all. He hadn’t understood why Du Chuxuan was mad at first, but now how was it possible that he was still in the dark? Immediately, he figured that the reason why Du Chuxuan refused to talk with him must very something to do with this Zhao Zheng, and associating it with the rumors he had heard earlier this morning, he knew everything.

“Of course my Yue is the prettiest. I daresay that there is nobody cross Shenglan that is better-looking than you.” Yuxing Tianrui rarely said flatteries as such, yet not because Zhao Zheng was here, or because Du Chuxuan was mad at him, but rather he felt a strange breath in this room.

He frowned a little. The security system in the palace was getting less and less reliable. He had just returned lately, and there had been an assassin and then strangers sneaking into his room. Would he watch the East Palace become some place where people come and go as they like? The thought gave his face a sullen color.

Zhao Zheng hadn’t expected that the two would take it in this way, but she responded quick and immediately had another idea. To this point, whoever had spread the rumors, they imposed no good for her.

She stood no chance of becoming the concubine of Yuxing Tianrui, and the worse was even if she ended up a Turkic princess, she would have no say or support there. Hence, now the priority for her was to make sure that she wouldn’t be sent onto the political marriage.

“Your Highness, I’ve no other purpose in coming here. The other day, grandpa just wanted to comfort me so that he made the marriage request. Now, the Emperor didn’t give his consent, and rumors spread by people I know not are rampant out there, which will do no good to me, but I’m really not interested in the Turkic Envoys.”

But it wasn’t up to you. Du Chuxuan refuted inwardly. Certainly, he wouldn’t say it out loud and turned to look at Yuxing Tianrui. He knew that he didn’t like Zhao Zheng, but as they grew up together, there at least remained some friendship between them. It’d be better to leave the matter to himself.

“Miss. Zhao, I don’t think I can be of any help in this matter. The first thing you should do is to let Mr. Zhao find out the spreader of the rumors. Father is always wise and benevolent, and I think he won’t let you down.”

The last few words were heavily emphasized by Yuxing Tianrui. Du Chuxuan was investigating, and so was him, and all the evidence was pointed to the Zhao family. Other things put aside, only the contact with Manlou alone was enough to convict the Zhao family entirely. By then, Zhao Zheng wouldn’t even be entitled anymore to the political marriage.

After saying this, Yuxing Tianrui clapped his hands, and Ada appeared liked a ghost and took Zhao Zheng out. Regardless of her struggling, Ada sent her right to the palace gate, “Miss. Zhao, please show some self-respect. Here is the palace after all. If you dared to disturb Her Highness’s quiet next time, don’t be surprised at any cruelty.”

The unexpected words at once made Zhao Zheng’s face turn pale. At this hour, people in the palace just finished dinner, but the commoners were finishing their work and ready to go home. It was a time when people came and went passing the palace gate. No doubt many had heard Ada’s words and began to point at her saying something.

When had Zhao Zheng suffered such a humiliation? At once, she alighted her carriage and left away.

“I never liked her or something.” Yuxing Tianrui knew that Du Chuxuan wasn’t that angry once he was willing to come out, but thinking for a while, he could only come up with this sentence.

Du Chuxuan turned to give him a glance, not caring to dwell on this subject, “Your Highness, you’d better work out a way to rid of the Zhao family as soon as possible. Even if it didn’t launch the event, it played a part. As long as it’s not extirpated, it will remain a tumor forever.”

The news that Zhao Zheng cried her way back home certainly couldn’t escape Old Master Zhao. Immediately, he sent people to inquire the spies in the palace. After knowing what had happened, he was both irritated at his granddaughter’s brainless act and Yuxing Tianrui’s unappreciative attitude.

Anyway, what done was done. He wouldn’t sit idle to see his granddaughter suffer the grievance, because no matter what, Zhao Zheng was the dignified eldest daughter. Even if he couldn’t marry her off to Yuxing Tianrui, she should at least marry as the wife to a great family. There was no way to set her to the political marriage.

Old Madam Zhao at the side frown slightly, “The situation isn’t favorable to Zheng. Even the rumors on the streets are enough to ruin her.”

Was it possible that Old Master Zhao didn’t see it? However, there seemed to be a invisible hand pushing them forward, and they hadn’t figured to whom the hand belonged that was obsessed in giving the Zhao family a hard time. How could they set out fight back when the enemies on the battlefield were still unknown?