Chu Lian’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected her normally dense Second Brother-in-law to be so good at grasping opportunities. If he really liked Royal Princess Duanjia and was intending to marry her, his biggest obstacles were definitely Prince and Princess Wei. Since he had just managed to get a promise from Prince Wei, they might actually be able to get together.
The humour in Chu Lian’s smile deepened. She knew that Royal Princess Duanjia also had feelings for He Changjue. While the current dynasty was more open-minded then the previous one and women could freely go out to visit their friends, most people still abided by the traditional perspectives of marriage. Marriage was to be decided by the parents. Moreover, the marriages of noble children were often sacrificed for the sake of the family’s benefit.
Therefore, it was rare for the children of noble families to be able to fall in love before marriage and get the chance to marry each other.
Chu Lian was really happy to see that He Erlang and Royal Princess Duanjia could possibly become one of those rare couples.
Royal Princess Duanjia had been in high spirits and had been constantly sneaking glances at He Erlang for a while. However, after overhearing the exchange between Erlang and her father, her face instantly turned pale. Her big eyes were filled with disappointment and sorrow. She quickly lowered her head to hide her emotions.
Chu Lian and Royal Princess Duanjia were seated on either side of Princess Wei, so they didn’t notice the abrupt change in Royal Princess Duanjia’s mood.
When Prince Wei had invited these juniors over for dinner, his only intention had been to treat them to a meal…
During dinner, they didn’t talk about anything other than some recent gossip within the capital, as well as Xiao Bojian and He Erlang’s respective marriages.
There were only three ladies at Chu Lian’s table, so they naturally talked less than the men. Moreover, the usually talkative Royal Princess Duanjia wasn’t in the best of moods, so they were almost completely silent throughout dinner.
After they were done, Prince Wei dismissed them to return to their own estates.
He Erlang was still rubbing the back of his head with a foolish grin as they were leaving. The sight made Royal Princess Duanjia even more furious.
Chu Lian followed He Changdi out to the side entrance, where Princess Wei’s most trusted servant, Senior Servant Lan, had already arranged for the horse carriages to wait.
Laiyue brought Leaping Clouds over after Chu Lian got on the carriage.
Right after He Changdi helped his wife up the carriage, he simply stood there next to the carriage with his hands clasped behind his back. He turned to look at the handsome man standing not too far behind him. His lips suddenly curved upwards in a smirk and he refused the reins that Laiyue was trying to hand over. Instead, he stepped onto the carriage and entered the compartment where his wife was.
When Xiao Bojian saw this, he instantly tightened his fists under his cloak, his eyes filled with a sinister light, along with envy.
One didn’t dare say more than needed when he noticed the look in his master’s eyes. He could only whisper a reminder, “Master, it’s getting late. We have to go back now. Old Duke Ying said he wanted to meet you in the study tonight.”
Xiao Bojian was standing underneath a begonia tree. It was still chilly during early spring, so the begonia tree was bare without even the slightest hint of green buds. The feeling of the cold wind rustling the hem of his robes matched the cold and disappointment in Xiao Bojian’s heart.
The scene of He Changdi’s obvious flaunting and contempt gave him the urge to tear that man into pieces.
“Go!”
He growled out a hoarse command, before disappearing into the darkness of the night.
The carriage left Prince Wei’s Estate quickly. Chu Lian had stayed at Prince Wei’s Estate for the whole day, teaching Royal Princess Duanjia how to make roast duck, as well as entertaining Princess Wei. She finally felt the fatigue sink in once she relaxed in her own carriage.
Senior Servant Gui and the others had made the carriage very comfortable. Although it looked similar to the carriages used by other noble families on the outside, its interior was meticulously furnished.
A carpet with a repeating pattern was spread out inside the carriage. In order to keep the inside warm, the wall was covered with a special type of cloth called flannel that they had found at the northern border. Soft and comfortable pillows were placed on the seats inside the carriage. Once someone sat down, they could relax entirely.
Chu Lian had just leaned against a pillow when she felt a bone-piercingly cold aura invading her space.