Luck Reliant Beauty – CH 100

Chapter 100: Li Wu’s Thoughts

Meanwhile.

After getting on the carriage, Chen Xin’er carefully observed Li Wu was expression.

Chen Xin’er was Li Wu’s first love. For this vain young woman, her greatest regret was that she had once given up on Li Wu back in Wu City.

Chen Xin’er had never imagined that Li Wu was actually a member of the Southern Tang Emperor’s clan. This superior status created a huge sense of disillusionment within her. Even now, Chen Xin’er still remembered that day when such a luxurious and stunning procession suddenly appeared in Wu City. Then, when Li Wu was respectfully escorted out of the carriage by hundreds of people, Chen Xin’er, who, like the other village girls, huddled at the back of the crowd, suddenly realized that this unapproachable, powerful figure was none other than Jiang Wu, her former lover!

What happened next felt like a dream to Chen Xin’er. Jiang Wu, now known as Li Wu, the Southern Tang Prince, had truly come for her. And so, amidst the envious and jealous gazes of her companions, Chen Xin’er boarded Li Wu’s carriage.

However, it was not until the carriage had driven quite a distance from Wu City that Chen Xin’er awoke from her dreamlike reverie—Jiang Wu had not even met her parents when he took her from the village, let alone offered any dowry! And she herself, in a daze, had followed him away from Chu State without any status or explanation.

Back in Southern Tang, Li Wu was indeed very good to her, but when she saw the various beauties bestowed upon him by the Southern Tang Emperor, and when she saw each of them repeatedly waving “Southern Tang noblewoman” at him, this kindness made Chen Xin’er genuinely uneasy.

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Chen Xin’er knew she was Li Wu’s first love and that she once held an indelible place in his heart. But all of that had been worn away when she used him to climb the social ladder and climb the social ladder… If Li Wu had not harbored hatred for her, how could he have refused to even meet her parents? How could he have taken her to Southern Tang but left no dowry for her family? How could he have spent every night with her, yet never given her a proper title?

This side of Li Wu terrified and unsettled Chen Xin’er. She had a vague feeling that one day Li Wu would grow tired of her, and that would be her end.

Because of this unease, when Chen Xin’er learned that the beautiful woman blocking her path was none other than Jiang Mi, she was even happy. Chen Xin’er thought to herself, “If only Jiang Mi could return to Li Wu’s Prince Mansion. At least Jiang Mi is a soft -hearted person; maybe I could even ‘use’ her and persuade Li Wu to give me a proper status.”

Chen Xin’er did not know what had happened between Jiang Mi and Li Wu. But that did not stop her from silently observing Li Wu.

After Jiang Mi left, Li Wu’s expression had been very unpleasant. He was restless, occasionally letting out a cold laugh, but there was always something unreadable hidden in his eyes.

After a while, Chen Xin’er spoke softly. “Ah’Wu, Ah’Mi’s your little sister. Even if she made a mistake, what grudge can siblings hold against each other?”

Unexpectedly, as soon as Chen Xin’er finished speaking, Li Wu sneered, “Who said she and I are siblings? Jiang Mi and I are not siblings!” Li Wu then glared at Chen Xin’er and added, “With our current status, I could easily marry Jiang Mi!”

Upon hearing Li Wu’s last sentence, Chen Xin’er immediately fell silent. She did not want to bring a rival back.

Seeing her become speechless, Li Wu gave a cold laugh and closed his eyes.

Even after returning to the Nanping State compound where they, the envoys, were settled, Li Wu still seemed quite agitated. However, his current position in the Southern Tang State, built over the past year or two, had not been achieved by chance, so his self control was extremely strong.

That evening, the Nanping Emperor hosted a banquet for the envoys from both states. Li Wu sat listlessly at the table, listening to their conversation only half-heartedly.

After a while, a Southern Tang deputy envoy leaned closer and whispered to Li Wu, “Royal Prince, I heard that earlier today, that Shu State Prince Kang, with his little sister specifically went to see the Nanping Emperor… Do you think that if things continue like this, the Nanping Emperor might give the blueprints for the crossbow to the Shu State?”

Li Wu scoffed, “All the states in the world suspect that the blueprints for the crossbow are currently in Nanping. Now, my Southern Tang and the Later Shu Capital have come with generous gifts to demand them. If Nanping gives the blueprints to Later Shu, they will offend my Southern Tang; if they give them to my Southern Tang, they will offend Later Shu. Besides, Later Zhou is also watching us like a hawk. In my opinion, the only thing Nanping State can do right now is to make a few copies of the blueprints and send one to each of our major states. Only then can they avoid the danger of being wiped out!”

Li Wu’s words made perfect sense, and the deputy envoys nodded repeatedly.

At this moment, a deputy suddenly said, “I heard that before the Tang Dynasty was destroyed, Tang Dynasty’s Emperor Ai organized craftsmen to secretly research an extremely powerful crossbow, said to be called the Divine Arm Crossbow. It’s said that just as the crossbow was successfully developed, Tang Dynasty’s Emperor Ai was crippled, and all those craftsmen died mysteriously. It’s just a folk tale, though. There are still blueprints left, but who knows where they’ve ended up? If that Divine Arm Crossbow were to appear, the current situation of the various States coexisting in the world would likely undergo a major change…”

The envoy spoke eloquently, but then noticed something amiss with Li Wu’s expression. He asked in surprise, “Royal Prince, what’s wrong?”

Li Wu immediately regained his composure, shaking his head and saying, “Nothing.” He did not want to explain further and closed his eyes indifferently. The envoy had only asked casually, and seeing this, he quickly shifted his attention.

At this moment, Li Wu, with his eyes closed, was anything but calm. His hands, placed on either side of the couch, were clenched into fists, and he could hear his own heart pounding: perhaps no one in the world had imagined that his former foster mother, Lady Huarui, was extremely fond of collecting other people’s secret techniques. He vaguely remembered that when he was five years old, his foster mother and father had mentioned that one of the things she collected was a weapon—he wondered if it was the Divine Arm Crossbow.

Then, Li Wu thought of something else: a couple of years ago, Ah’Mi had asked him to go back to Wu City to retrieve a wooden box for her from under the locust tree on the back hill. He had been too honest then, never even glancing inside the wooden box…

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Li Wu thought it over and over, then shook his head, thinking, “Whatever was in that box, only heaven, earth, she, and I know. No third person could know… Even if I do not acknowledge her, I cannot let anyone harm her!”

…

At this time, Jiang Mi had no idea that both Shu State and Southern Tang State had sent their royal princes, all for the sake of the crossbow’s manufacturing process. She was still immersed in Li Wu’s cold and heartless words, unable to pull herself out of her grief.

She locked herself in her room, dejected for three whole days. Fortunately, the noble young master, who claimed she was his prisoner, had allowed her to lick her wounds during those three days, never ordering or demanding anything from her.

On the fourth day, Jiang Mi was still lying listlessly on her couch, lost in thought, when she suddenly noticed a commotion in the garden. She opened the window and saw that the garden was filled with young men and women. Chu Mansion’s servants moved among them, constantly serving tea, water, pastries, and drinks to these young masters and ladies dressed in Nanping aristocratic attire.

Meanwhile, Jiang Mi was unaware that those young masters passing by were secretly glancing at her room. The group, their eyes gleaming with eager anticipation, discussed incessantly.

“I heard a stunning beauty has arrived at Chu Mansion?”

“She’s from Shu. Everyone says Shu women have fair skin, beautiful figures, and fiery, passionate personalities. I wonder what this beauty is like?”

“What are you thinking? She’s already taken. That Young Master from Southern Tang carries her everywhere he goes.”

“What do you mean, ‘carries’? I, the Young Master, saw it with my own eyes! He was clearly hauling her! He tucked her under his arm! Truly a Tang Dynasty beauty!”

“Hey, after all this talk, not one of you has clearly described how beautiful she is. Could she possibly surpass Nanping’s number one beauty, Noble Consort Li from His Majesty’s palace?”

At this point, a man clearly a young master from Southern Tang’s Anping royal family immediately retorted loudly, “You don’t understand! That beauty’s far superior to Noble Consort Li. She possesses a unique blend of scholarly elegance and captivating charm—a rare gem!”

At this moment, another prince from the imperial clan suddenly exclaimed, “I wonder if this guest from Southern Tang is willing to part with her? Since she’s such a beauty, she should be offered to His Majesty!” With that, the prince turned to a servant behind him and ordered, “Go, tell Madam about this and have her send someone to speak with Chu Mansion.”

When this prince spoke, the surrounding crowd, who had been discussing animatedly, fell silent. When the prince’s gaze swept over them, they all lowered their heads in unison.

…

That day, the young master was busy with something and did not return to Chu Mansion. Then, at dusk, the Emperor of Nanping State suddenly issued a decree, saying that he had heard a noble lady from Shu State had arrived at Chu Mansion, and that His Majesty was hosting a grand banquet that evening for the envoys of various states and the officials of Nanping, and specially invited this noble lady from Shu State to attend!

Before Jiang Mi could even react, the eunuch who issued the decree, accompanied by dozens of guards, burst into Jiang Mi’s room. When they saw Jiang Mi, still confused and bewildered, standing up in a panic upon hearing someone enter, her face bare of makeup, both the eunuch and the guards’ eyes lit up.

Then, under the eunuch’s forceful demands—or rather, coercion—with Jiang Mi’s room surrounded by layers of people, she was forcibly bathed, dressed, and styled before being forcibly placed in the carriage to the Emperor’s palace. Meanwhile, the Nanping Emperor’s palace was brightly lit and filled with music, a bustling and vibrant scene of people…