Chapter 51: The Grand Wedding
“Has he said when?”
“Tomorrow noon at the tea house.”
Rou’er silently left the room and disappeared. Jun Huang sat on the bed, her head filled with thoughts.
She couldn’t sleep, so she brought a teapot and cup to the backyard. Above her was a stream of bright stars. The wind made her shudder. Jun Huang didn’t have a robe with her, and she was dressed in only a thin layer of clothes.
Under the moonlight, she poured herself a cup of tea and started drinking. Her face was obscured in the dark.
She drank the tea like she would wine. She wasn’t drunk, but her mind was falling into slumber. Supporting her head with a hand, she shifted her gaze to the tea inside her cup. But her heart was somewhere else, somewhere far, far away.
Late at night, Wei Qian woke up and saw Jun Huang drinking tea alone in the backyard. She was just about to tell Jun Huang to go get some rest when she saw the expression on Jun Huang’s moonlit face. She looked so sorrowful that Wei Qian didn’t dare approach her. So she watched from afar.
Jun Huang drank until the sun had risen. She finished the pot of tea. When she turned around she saw Wei Qian looking at her. Hurriedly, Wei Qian looked away. Jun Huang shrugged and went into her bedroom to change.
Afterwards, she left the manor for the tea house. When she arrived, Qi Yun had already been waiting for quite a while. Jun Huang was a little surprised. Qi Yun had never been so eager to meet her before.
Qi Yun came up to her with a frown and went straight to the point. “You said you wanted to help me, Jun Huang, but why did you let second brother marry Nan Guyue? You must know that after they get married, Qi Chen will gain considerable support.”
Jun Huang could see how anxious he was. She sighed. “Of course you’d ask me about that. I thought you’d understand me.”
“I don’t understand, Jun Huang. You don’t make it easy to do so.”
Jun Huang let out a quiet laugh. Qi Yun didn’t know what she was thinking. She took a deep breath and said in a cool tone, “I told you I never do things without reason. I thought you knew me the best, but still you suspect me. I suppose I’m too naive.”
“You know that’s not what I meant,” Qi Yun quietly said, his expression pained as he looked at Jun Huang. “I just don’t understand why you’re helping Qi Chen now.”
They had known each other for decades. They could read each other well. He thinks I’ve thrown myself under Qi Chen’s banner,Jun Huang thought. That was why Qi Yun was so afraid and conflicted…
“Qi Chen seems like a reserved gentleman, but in reality he is heartless and deceitful. Nan Guyue, on the other hand, is naive, if a little spoiled. She is well protected by her parents and brothers in Southern Mu. She will not take any abuse from anyone. In Prince Chen Manor, there is Wei Lanying, who will attack anyone standing in her way. If these three are forced to coexist in the long term, it won’t go well and troubles will arise. So the marriage is not going to benefit Qi Chen. Rather, he will be too busy dealing with conflicts among his spouses and have no time for his pursuit of the throne.” Jun Huang clearly laid out her points. It was difficult not to be convinced by her.
Qi Yun felt silent and let out a long sigh. Jun Huang had a point. “I was too anxious and said what I shouldn’t have said. I hope you can forgive me.”
Jun Huang nodded after a long pause. Then she turned away. “I know you were. Remember though, we’ve known each other for years. I’ll never abandon you. Rest assured, when I said I would put you on the throne, I meant it with my whole heart.”
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Pheonix Ascending(PA)
Historical FictionThis novel is not mine. For offline reading purposes only. Credits and acknowledgements goes to the author, translator(s), editor(s), and publisher(s). The heavens and earth change when the blood phoenix descends. She is the chosen one of the blood...
