PFC Chapter 279 The Princess Consort of Chu had been to the battlefield and killed people.
Chapter 279 The Princess Consort of Chu had been to the battlefield and killed people.
Aside from being strict in political affairs, the emperor was quite casual in other matters, especially in his personal life.
Although it was a palace banquet, it wasn't necessary to wear the official robes of a noblewoman. As long as one did not break the rules of etiquette, it was acceptable. However, since this was a welcoming banquet for the Northern delegation, the officials did not care what their wives wore and simply put on their court robes.
There are many small countries around Daqing. A princess from the Northern Rong Kingdom came to marry into the country before. Now, the princess is being tormented in the harem and no one cares about her anymore. However, she is still a princess of a country, so she is doing alright.
I heard that she had a child before, but somehow it was lost. For this, the emperor punished two palace maids and a concubine of a low rank as an explanation to the Northern Rong.
Was the Second Prince Bafian from the Northern Territory also here for a marriage alliance? She was taken aback when she saw Bafian; what was he doing here?
Gu Qingwan quickly came to her conclusion: this Buffian Yu had indeed come with a purpose.
This was Gu Qingwan's first palace banquet as the Princess Consort of Chu. Unlike before, her position was different. Apart from the Empress, she was the most honored person present, so many noblewomen had to come over to pay their respects to her.
Gu Qingwan didn't have time to chat with Princess Qinghe and Meng Yanran anymore. She thought helplessly that she probably wouldn't be able to play with them outside anymore, so she could only find them privately.
Apart from the Empress, no one dared to chat with the Princess Consort of Chu. Firstly, their status was not high enough, and secondly, they really didn't know what to say to such a young Princess Consort of Chu.
So Gu Qingwan was left alone, eating fruit and looking at the people in the main hall. Whether she liked them or not, she deliberately went over to them on the surface. Suddenly, Gu Qingwan was stunned.
Because she saw a familiar figure, not Song Niangzi's but Consort Yu. The figure and the way she walked were almost identical, if not exactly the same.
"What's wrong, Your Highness?" Siqi asked.
"Siqi, do you remember when I said that Song Niangzi's figure looked familiar?"
"Yes, I remember. What's wrong, Your Highness? Have you remembered?"
"Look at our Consort Yu, doesn't she look somewhat similar?"
Siqi looked up and examined the area. To her surprise, it did look quite similar, especially the side profile and the back view.
"No way, Your Highness, this is... especially those ears, they're exactly the same! Could it be that Madam Song is from the Yu family? But according to our investigation, there's no such person here."
"Shishu, when I asked you to investigate the Yu family before, did you remember Madam Song?"
The servant girl standing nearby thought for a moment and said, "No, the head of the Yu family has a principal wife who gave birth to a son and a daughter, but she died in childbirth when she gave birth to her daughter. The second master was born to a concubine. I have never heard of a Lady Song."
"Let's keep quiet for now and talk to the prince about it when we get back. I have a feeling something's not right here."
The welcoming banquet went exceptionally smoothly. Just as he had said, the Bafian region was approaching the end of the year and they came to pay homage with gifts, bringing many fine things from the Northern Territory, especially the Tian Shan Snow Lotus, which was truly a priceless treasure.
The Emperor was so pleased that he waved his hand and granted Prince Buffy permission to take some brocade and cloth and grain back with him.
Then, singing and dancing filled the main hall, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
"It's been a long time since I last saw Princess Chu." Bafian Yu was still dressed in extremely flamboyant red. He didn't try to avoid any appearance of impropriety and went up to Gu Qingwan to greet her in a very casual manner.
"Oh, it's Prince Buffett! Long time no see," Gu Qingwan greeted him with a smile.
Those sitting with Gu Qingwan were all princesses or people of high rank, and the Second Prince's wife started to speak in a sarcastic tone.
"Aunt Chu is really familiar with princes from other countries. I wonder what kind of fate brings Aunt Chu and Prince Buffy together. I heard that when the delegation came to the capital, Aunt Chu personally received Prince Buffy at the city gate."
Upon hearing this, everyone around fell silent, especially the Second Prince's wife's family, who wished they could slap their daughter awake. Why were you arguing with the Princess of Chu? If it were just between sisters-in-law, it would be one thing, but she was an elder! What was going on in your head?
Gu Qingwan paused for a moment upon hearing this, then smiled and said, "Second wife, what kind of fate do you think I have with the Second Prince of the Northern Border?"
The Second Prince's wife smiled and said, "I don't know, niece-in-law, after all..."
The Second Prince's wife's eyes darted between the two men. "After all, that's my aunt's business. As long as my uncle knows, that's enough. What do you say, Prince Buffy?"
Buffian, who was singled out, said, "You're not only foul-mouthed, but you're also full of wicked thoughts."
"Prince Buffy!"
"If you ask what kind of fate this prince has with the Princess of Chu, it is the fate of fighting. Your Princess of Chu is very powerful. Riding a warhorse and wielding a long spear, she kills one enemy at a time, piercing their hearts directly. As the prince of the Northern Border, I naturally cannot let my soldiers die one by one, so I fought a great battle with the princess."
When the Second Prince's Consort and those around her heard that Princess Chu had actually been on the battlefield, killing one enemy with a single shot, even piercing their hearts, they involuntarily touched their own chests and moved a little further away from Princess Chu, fearing that she might retaliate if she became displeased.
"It's a bond as strong as blood. Would the Second Prince's Consort like to forge such a bond with me as well?"
"Hehe." The Second Prince's wife chuckled awkwardly, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief to cover her embarrassment.
The eldest daughter of the Duke of Wen smiled gently and said, "The Second Prince's wife is just curious. After all, we are all noble ladies in the capital. We rarely have the opportunity to see men from outside the capital, let alone someone like Prince Buffy. We all envy Princess Chu, who lives such a carefree and unrestrained life."
Seeing that the eldest daughter of the Wen family had come to her rescue, the Second Prince's wife gave her a grateful smile, and Wenrou returned the smile with a kind smile.
"If Miss Wen wishes, she can have it," the Crown Princess said. "I've heard that Duke Wen dotes on Miss Wen the most, and the Empress Dowager speaks highly of her."
"Alas, Your Highness is too kind. Our great family... cannot allow us to do such things. But looking at Princess Chu, we can just consider it as if we have experienced it ourselves. So, Your Highness is truly a role model for us women."
Everyone present could tell that Miss Wen was mocking Princess Chu for not having the demeanor of a proper lady.
Bafianyu sneered, "I told you your mouths were foul, and you still keep arguing and refusing to admit it. We women in the Northern Territory are much more straightforward. I was just greeting the Princess Consort of Chu. Is that something for you to talk about?"
Wenrou wasn't angry. She said, "I heard that Prince Buffy had already arrived in the capital and even ran into Consort Gu at the entrance of Qingquan Temple. He kept calling her Miss Gu. Now it seems that Prince Buffy must have mistaken her for someone else. Consort Gu and Princess Chu are sisters, so it's not surprising that they look alike."
The Princess of Qinghe, who was sitting to the side, was about to step forward and scold this dog, Wenrou. What did she mean by always trying to get the Princess of Chu involved with other men?
Gu Qingwan grabbed Princess Qinghe's hand in time. Just as she was about to speak, the Third Prince's Consort Li Qianyu, who was sitting to the side, spoke up unhappily.
“Miss Wen, please be careful with your words. Consort Gu is the consort of our Third Prince. Please do not slander her reputation. It is unavoidable that Consort Gu would encounter someone at Qingquan Temple. According to Miss Wen, if we want to go somewhere, do we have to have the place cleared? Perhaps the Wen family has such power, but our families are too ordinary to do so.”
Wenrou was taken aback. She hadn't expected Li Qianyu to speak up. She thought that if Li Qianyu didn't like Gu Hanjiao, she might not like Gu Qingwan either.
"Third Prince's Consort has misunderstood. I was just telling the truth. If I have upset you, I apologize." Wenrou didn't want to get involved any further.
"To be honest, one has to see it for oneself to have the right to speak. I hope Miss Wen will be more careful next time. Although we may not be as prestigious as Miss Wen's family, my Third Prince's residence is still a prince's residence no matter how bad it is." Li Qianyu said this unhappily and sat back down in her seat, as if she was speaking up for the sake of the Third Prince's reputation.
The ladies present thought that the Third Prince was lucky to have married such a sensible princess consort. No matter what happened in the mansion, he should maintain the proper decorum in public.
“Miss Wen, please go back and sit down. After all, you have received education from a prominent family, and you have even spoken with Prince Buffy. Fortunately, we are all here, otherwise there would be gossip about Miss Wen and Prince Buffy in the future,” Gu Qingwan said.
Wenrou blushed with anger, wanting to retort but unable to utter a word.
"No, no, no, this prince has aesthetic standards. Not just any woman can be talked about and gossiped about by this prince. At the very least, she has to be good-looking, or at the very least, better-looking than this prince."
Looking better than Bafianyu? That's really too difficult. Even a woman would feel ashamed of herself if she were to compare her beauty with Bafianyu. Trying to outdo him in beauty is simply asking for trouble.
Her gentle face darkened further. She wrung out her handkerchief and prepared to leave. As she passed Gu Qingwan, she muttered softly, "The princess is truly cunning."
Gu Qingwan raised an eyebrow and said, "Not as skillful as Duke Wen's methods. I wonder how much money those people cost Duke Wen. Thank you for your kind words."
Wenrou paused, realizing that Gu Qingwan knew. She panicked a little and knew she had to go back and tell her father, so she left without lingering.
"It seems that the second son's eyesight is poor and his wife's hearing is also not good. I will have the prince find a royal physician to examine you and see if your brains are not working properly either."
The Second Prince's wife realized that the Princess Consort of Chu was referring to what she had just said about receiving Prince Buffy at the city gate. Although she dared to provoke the Princess Consort of Chu, she would never dare to provoke the Prince of Chu. Furthermore, since Prince Buffy had just mentioned that Gu Qingwan had killed people, she dared not provoke him even more.
Gu Qingwan looked at the people below who remained silent, and said to Prince Buffett, "I'm sorry you had to laugh at me."
"Not at all, not at all. It was because I was unaware of the customs of your Daqing that I disturbed you so abruptly and caused you trouble," Prince Buffy apologized sincerely.
Then he heard a sinister voice behind him: "You know you're bothering me, so why don't you get out of here!"
Prince Buffy broke out in a cold sweat; even without turning around, he knew that only Prince Chu possessed such an aura.
"Hehehe, let's go, let's go now." He turned around and saw that the Second Prince and the Third Prince were there. He quickly put his arm around their shoulders. "Oh, the Second Prince and the Third Prince are here too. I should apologize to you. I accidentally talked to your women. Don't hold it against me. Don't be angry. Let's go. I'll punish myself with three cups."
Everyone was speechless. This Prince Buffy... he really was...
After this incident, basically no one dared to provoke Gu Qingwan, especially considering that she had been on the battlefield and killed people, they kept their distance from her even more.
The Crown Princess was a little curious, and she quietly asked, "Aunt, did you really go to the battlefield...?"
Gu Qingwan said casually, "The battlefield was short of people, so I went to join in the fun. As for those people... it was just my accident."
……
A single careless act could cost several lives; what if someone had the intention to do so? Thus, everyone's fear of the Princess of Chu deepened.
On the way back, Xiao Jingchen said to Gu Qingwan, "This Bafianyu has already entered the capital. Do you remember the last time someone said they saw Gu Hanjiao pulling and tugging at a man at the entrance of Qingquan Temple?"
"I remember him. Could that man be Bafianyu?"
"Yes, he contacted my people a long time ago. I told my brother about it, and he took advantage of the banquet to have a private talk with him in the Imperial Study."