Luck Reliant Beauty – CH 068

Chapter 68: Heartfelt Intent

No! Of course not!

Jiang Mi’s reaction was exactly as Cui Zi Xuan had predicted; she jumped up excitedly…

Time always flew by when Cui Zi Xuan was with Jiang Mi, and they had already left the palace gates. Jiang Mi was still there, her face flushed and sweating profusely with excitement, when a middle-aged man’s deep, serious voice called out from not far behind, “Young Master Cui!”

Upon hearing the man’s voice, Cui Zi Xuan slowly composed himself, his languid expression vanishing. He gently patted Jiang Mi’s hand, indicating she should go back on her own. Cui Zi Xuan turned and walked towards the middle-aged man.

Soon, Cui Zi Xuan boarded the middle-aged man’s carriage.

Inside the carriage sat four or five other middle-aged men. Upon seeing Cui Zi Xuan, these learned scholars, dressed in tall hats and wide belts, bowed deeply to him with utmost respect.

After Cui Zi Xuan sat on the carriage, a middle-aged man whispered, “Young Master, Li Chengwen has gone to Qing County.”

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Upon hearing this, Cui Zi Xuan nodded and said softly, “That’s right, Meng Chang wants to take Chengzhou!”

The middle-aged man immediately asked respectfully, “My lord just wanted to ask, can Meng Chang succeed this time?”

“Yes!”

Several scholars exchanged glances, and finally, one of them sighed, “With such high morale, they’re invincible! The current Shu State is still not in a position to attack…”

After a while, another scholar said, “There’s one more thing, about Southern Tang…”

“Southern Tang is not a threat!” Before he could finish, Cui Zi Xuan interrupted, “The current ruler of Southern Tang prefers comfort and ease. However, although Southern Tang’s heavy taxes make the people suffer, its strength is still there, and it will take some time before it’s exhausted.”

A scholar quickly wrote down Cui Zi Xuan’s words.

After a while… The third scholar asked, “My lord, I have another question. Young Master Cui said he would only stay in Shu State for three years before returning. Now that three years have passed, why is Young Master Cui still clinging to his post?”

Surprisingly, upon hearing this, Cui Zi Xuan, who was usually lazy and seemed to have everything under control, blushed slightly.

Under the astonished gazes of the scholars, Cui Zi Xuan coughed and said softly, “Well, I just met an interesting person… I’ll leave when I get tired of them.”

The scholars exchanged glances, thinking to themselves, “Young Master Cui’s expression is strange.” It would seem they’d need to investigate.

They asked Cui Zi Xuan a few more questions before the scholars took their leave. As soon as they were gone, Cui Zi Xuan’s carriage was escorted away by several young soldiers.

As Cui Zi Xuan’s carriage moved, a young man rode up beside it and whispered inside, “Young Master’s words have reached the Empress’s ears. She’s furious and cursed Young Master, saying, ‘One day I’ll uproot the Cui Clan of Boling!'”

Hearing this, Cui Zi Xuan smiled as if he had heard something amusing.

Outside, the young man continued, “Then the Empress asked those around her, ‘That Jiang Mi not only makes those who swear oaths immediately keep theirs but also attracts the protection of someone like Cui Zi Xuan. Is her luck truly as Buddhist Monk Jingyuan said?’ She added, ‘No wonder His Majesty is no longer keen on marrying her off to the Southern Tang. He’s probably considering the good fortune of that adulterous Consort’s daughter!’ The Empress then added, ‘His Majesty asked me to investigate the truth of Jiang Mi’s fortune. It just so happens that today, she and Cui Zi Xuan, this adulterous couple, have also angered me. Go tell Li Fu to go ahead and do it. That Princess Yihua is just a plaything that His Majesty and I took on a whim. Even if we kill her, it won’t matter.'”

At this point, the young man cautiously glanced at Cui Zi Xuan in the carriage and whispered, “Young Master, should we intervene in this matter prematurely?”

He and his companions had witnessed firsthand how much their Young Master valued Princess Yihua, so they asked this unnecessary question.

Unexpectedly, Cui Zi Xuan hesitated, much to the young man’s surprise.

Thinking of Jiang Mi always made Cui Zi Xuan want to laugh, and he felt the same way now. After pondering for a moment with a smile, Cui Zi Xuan cheerfully replied, “Hmm, let’s just pretend we know nothing and watch the show from the sidelines.”

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The young man was startled. He exclaimed softly, “But Young Master, Li Fu is notoriously ruthless. If he were to make a move, I’m afraid Princess Yihua would be in grave danger!”

Cui Zi Xuan smiled and said calmly, “In grave danger? Weren’t you all watching the whole time?”

Then, he added with a curious expression, “Actually, I’ve always wanted to know if luck really exists and if it’s so mysterious. If what that Demon and Buddhist Monk Jingyuan said back then is true, perhaps I, Young Master Cui, will be able to see Little Jiang Mi’s good show again. Besides, hasn’t she always thought I was a bad person? If Jiang Mi hadn’t fallen on hard times, how could I, Young Master Cui, have been a bad person? How could I have taken advantage of someone in distress? If I hadn’t taken advantage of her, how could I have witnessed Jiang Mi’s relentless, foolish struggle?”

Actually, much of what Cui Zi Xuan said was beyond the young man’s comprehension, but that didn’t stop him from appreciating his Young Master’s good mood. Turning his head, the young man secretly observed Cui Zi Xuan, thinking to himself, “A while ago, the old madam was asking the Young Master if he had a favorite Young Lady, saying that as long as the Young Master wasn’t too interested, it wasn’t necessary. Given the Young Master’s always considerate nature, he would accept the wife arranged for him by the family. Should I tell the old madam about the Young Master’s current behavior?”

…

When Jiang Mi returned home, Fan Yuxiu, Zheng Wen, and even Yu Man were there.

As soon as she stepped off the carriage, she met three pairs of anxious eyes. When she met Jiang Mi’s confused gaze, Zheng Wen leaned close to her ear and whispered nervously, “I heard that Her Imperial Highness summoned you to the palace this time because she’s determined to marry you off to Prince Kang. She even spread rumors that you weren’t originally worthy of being Prince Kang’s concubine, but if you wisely offer up our ‘Ever Changing Beauty Frangrance’ formula, then everything is negotiable… So, how’s the situation now? Has the Empress gotten angry? How many concessions did she force you to make?”

Jiang Mi understood now. Yu Man’er, who didn’t usually like coming to the Jiang Mansion, had come too—she was nervous about the Ever Changing Beauty Fragrance!

Jiang Mi blinked and honestly replied, “After I met Her Imperial Highness, she asked me if I had someone I liked, and I told her I liked Cui Zi Xuan.”

The three women weren’t surprised at all that Jiang Mi liked Cui Zi Xuan; they simply asked in unison, “And then?”

“And then?” Jiang Mi blinked, confused, and replied, “Then, the Empress suddenly got angry, and she had me taken outside the palace. Then Cui Zi Xuan suddenly appeared, and then I followed him out of the Empress’s palace…”

Jiang Mi continued her rambling explanation, but the three women all stared at her with intense jealousy!

As Jiang Mi stammered and shut her mouth, Yu Man murmured dejectedly, “If I hadn’t kept him in my heart all the time, how could he have appeared so timely?”