PFC Chapter 383 Prince Dun teases the Duke of Zhenguo
Chapter 383 Prince Dun teases the Duke of Zhenguo
The second wife of the Duke of Zhenguo was the same mother as the first wife, and both were cousins of the Duke of Suguo. Although they were both sixty-three years old.
She exudes a charm completely different from her sister.
She also wore her hair in an elegant updo, with a few wisps of hair playfully falling at her fair temples. The silver strands mixed in with her black hair were cleverly concealed, making her look even younger.
Her face was round, her skin was fair and delicate, and her cheeks were flushed with a faint blush. When she smiled, the dimples at the corners of her mouth appeared and disappeared, and she was full of friendliness.
Her almond-shaped eyes were bright and lively, sparkling with cunning and intelligence, and revealing a shrewdness in her every glance.
Her nose was small and delicate, perfectly set in her face, complementing her round face.
Her lips were slightly pouting, like tender flower petals, adding to her charm.
She was slightly plump, and wore a gorgeous brocade cheongsam, which made her look elegant and noble.
Her every move exudes the gentle grace of a young lady from a modest family, yet also the dignified presence of a matriarch.
Standing next to the First Madam, it was immediately obvious to others that they were related by blood.
Hearing her husband's words, her eyes widened in surprise: "That one from Lingwu Village?"
She stopped what she was doing, leaned forward slightly, and looked on with curiosity.
Actually, she had wanted to meet that wonderful person for a long time, because she had enjoyed a lot of delicious food because of her.
She especially loves the braised duck necks; the spicy kind is the best. It's so delicious with a little wine.
Helian Zhen smiled and nodded, put down his teacup, and stood up: "It seems I should go and meet this young distinguished guest." With that, he strode towards the gate of the mansion.
Seeing Helian Zhen hurriedly get up to leave, the second wife quickly stepped forward, stretched out her arm, and stood in front of him to block his way.
With a warm smile on his face, he said eagerly, "Lord Duke, please don't leave yet!"
Helian Zhen paused, frowned slightly, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes. He looked at the Second Madam and asked, "What's wrong? Is there something that can't wait until I get back to talk about it?"
The second wife's smile widened, and she gently waved her hands as she explained, "Oh dear, Duke, I was just thinking that since that distinguished guest from Lingwu Village has arrived, we should make proper preparations."
"You are, after all, a Duke; you can't come empty-handed."
As she spoke, she gently wiped non-existent beads of sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief: "Besides, it's so impolite of you to rush off to meet someone like this."
"Why don't I make some arrangements first, prepare some gifts to express the Duke's family's goodwill?"
The First Madam chimed in, "What my sister says makes sense. You're all this age, why are you still so impulsive?"
Helian Zhen's brows relaxed slightly, and his expression softened a bit, but he was still somewhat anxious: "That girl is clever and quirky; I'm afraid she doesn't like these formalities."
"My priority is to welcome her into the manor first. Then I'll bring her along from our storeroom; she can take whatever she likes."
The second wife, however, persisted, moving closer and speaking in an even gentler voice: "Lord Duke, you are usually so thorough in your work, why are you in such a hurry this time?"
You're asking people to come to our warehouse and choose for themselves? How can you be so shameless? Do you think they'd feel comfortable doing that?
Besides, it's really not polite to go to someone's house empty-handed.
Preparing the gift won't take me long; we can't let our distinguished guests feel that the Duke's mansion is being negligent.
Her eyes were full of earnestness, as if she was afraid that Helian Zhen would not agree.
The First Madam also echoed this opposition.
Helian Zhen pondered for a moment and agreed with the two ladies. He sighed helplessly and nodded, saying, "Alright, then so be it, but you'd better hurry."
Just as the Second Madam and Helian Zhen were arguing, another guard rushed forward and knelt down with a thud.
The voice was urgent and tense: "Your Excellency, something terrible has happened! We just received news that Miss Xiao Jin has been taken away by the Prince Dun's carriage!"
He had met Dongfang Jin in the palace before when he was with the Duke, so he recognized her at a glance.
Upon hearing this, Helian Zhen's expression changed drastically. His eyes, which had previously held a hint of helplessness, instantly sharpened like an eagle's, and he took a sudden step forward.
He demanded sharply, "What happened? Explain yourself to me in detail!"
Why is Cang Nanxi like this?
Aren't you afraid of His Majesty...?
He shook his head, thinking it was impossible. It seemed he had to go to Prince Dun's residence to find out the truth.
The second wife was also shocked by this sudden news, her face paling. How did this involve Prince Dun's mansion?
She unconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand, and subconsciously moved closer to Helian Zhen, muttering, "What... what's going on?"
Did that girl offend someone from Prince Dun's mansion?
He thought of something, then immediately shook his head, feeling it was impossible.
That girl has helped His Majesty amass a lot of wealth, and her Helian family too—her son sent a secret letter saying that last year's border supplies were all delivered by that girl.
That girl was a great benefactor to her family.
The guard swallowed hard, steadied himself, and quickly replied, "I saw with my own eyes that Miss Xiao Jin just came out of Minister Xue's residence."
They boarded a carriage bearing the insignia of Prince Dun's Mansion, but I hadn't had a chance to ask about it yet.
The driver whipped the carriage and sped off towards the Prince's residence.
Helian Zhen frowned deeply, pacing back and forth, muttering curses under his breath: "What is Cang Nanxi up to!"
Although this girl isn't new to the capital, what do they intend to do with her by taking her away?
The second wife also looked anxious and couldn't help but say, "Lord Duke, what should we do?"
"Prince Dun's residence and His Majesty... Could that girl be in danger?"
Helian Zhen stopped, gritted his teeth, and said in a deep voice, "We can't just wait here. Prepare the horses! I'll go to Prince Dun's residence to find out what's going on!"
He had to get that girl out of Prince Dun's residence before His Majesty made a move.
This is good not only for Cangnan Xi, but also for Xiao Jin.
……
Prince Dun's Mansion.
As Dongfang Jin and Gu Chenglin stepped into the main hall of Prince Dun's mansion, they hadn't even warmed their seats on the carved sandalwood chairs when they heard a series of hurried footsteps.
A servant from the Prince's mansion rushed in, knelt down with a thud, and said in a trembling voice, "Your...Your Highness, Your Highness's Consort, the...Duke of Zhenguo requests...an audience!"
At the entrance of Prince Dun's Mansion
The sound of rapid, powerful hooves reached everyone's ears first, and then they saw the Duke of Zhenguo riding a tall horse at lightning speed to the front of the Prince Dun's mansion.
Upon arriving at the mansion, he suddenly pulled on the reins, and the horse reared up high, neighed, and then landed steadily.
With a gloomy face, the Duke of Zhenguo dismounted, exuding a chilling aura.
His brows were furrowed into a tight knot, his eyes wide open, as if burning with raging anger.
His usually dignified eyes were now filled with anger as he stared intently at the gates of Prince Dun's residence.
His lips were pressed tightly into a line, his cheeks bulged slightly from the effort, and the muscles in his face seemed to be tense from great anger.
Like a volcano about to erupt, anyone could tell that he was in an extremely bad mood.
Upon seeing this, the gatekeeper and the guards realized that the Duke of Zhenguo's visit was probably not for good purposes.
That's why he hurried to the front hall to report.
The front hall of Prince Dun's Mansion.
Cang Nanxi and Dongfang Yuan, who were originally greeting their daughter and son-in-law with smiles, froze instantly upon hearing this. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with undisguised confusion.
Cang Nanxi subconsciously sat up straight, his brows furrowing slightly as he looked at his daughter and son-in-law, as if trying to find the answer in their faces.
Because he knew that his daughter's current residence was less than 100 meters away from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
The daughter and son-in-law have also helped the Zhenguo Duke's family a lot, especially at the border. I heard that the daughter sent a lot of supplies.
There were also hand grenades and bombs made by the son-in-law, which caused the damned Huns to suffer repeated defeats.
He muttered to himself, "This Duke of Zhenguo's arrival is truly suspicious." What is he planning to do?