Forced to be a third person: I turned around and left the palace to marry a villain

"I'm just wondering why my cousin is so close to him." Qu Xin explained.

"If it were the person in your heart, you would do the same." Jiang Xue responded with a smile.

"Humph, you seem to know a lot." Qu Xin muttered, "The hostess of Linglong Pavilion is really well-informed. Maybe you already know who that person is."

Jiang Xue shrugged and smiled, "It's not clear yet, but since it's mentioned, it would be interesting to check it out."

There was a hint of teasing in her tone. It was a rare opportunity to tease Qu Xin, so she would not let it go easily.

Qu Xin looked at her speechlessly and shook his head helplessly.

This girl is getting more and more difficult to deal with. Back then, she was so innocent and cute, and she would get so angry every time I teased her. But now, not only does she not feel a sense of accomplishment, but she can also fight back sharply.

"You are really becoming less and less lovable." Qu Xin shook her head helplessly.

Jiang Xue didn't take it seriously and smiled: "Thank you for the compliment, it's mutual."

At this time, a message came from the post house: "The people from Xiyong have arrived."

Qu Xin recalled that when he was looking after Lu Linyi before, a servant had reported this matter to him, and he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

The smile on Jiang Xue's face gradually faded, and she nodded: "I came here to discuss this matter."

Once the news comes from the post station, the memorial from the Honglu Temple will follow. The various departments in the palace will also be ready to welcome it at the first time. If nothing unexpected happens, tomorrow will be the day to meet Chu Feimo.

"I have ordered the publication of the marriage decree between Miss Gu and Nan Jingxing. This way, the affairs of the Marquis of Zhenbei can naturally be taken over by Nan Jingxing." Jiang Xue explained. This temporarily stabilized the situation in the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion.

However, Qu Xin was a little worried: "Even if Nan Jingxing becomes the son-in-law of the Zhenbei Marquis, the military power is still in the hands of the Zhenbei Marquis. If we let Nan Jingxing take over directly, I'm afraid it will attract criticism."

Jiang Xue seemed confident: "You don't have to worry about this. We just need to find a suitable reason. Just tell the officials that my uncle wants to rest for a while. I believe they will understand."

After all, my uncle had been guarding Beiling for decades, so it was reasonable for him to take a break for a month or two. And these two months were enough time for them to arrange everything.

As expected by Xiao Zhan, Chu Feimo arrived as scheduled the next day. He walked into Xuchen Palace with a group of envoys and bowed in the direction of Xiao Zhan, saying, "The new emperor has ascended the throne. I am here on behalf of Xiyong to congratulate him. Congratulations, Your Highness Prince Gong."

However, his address made all the officials in Beiling frown.

This Xiyong Prince was so rude, not only did he not use honorifics to address Xiao Zhan, he even called him by his former princely title before he ascended the throne. This was simply an insult.

Everyone knows that the title of "Prince Gong" was given to Xiao Zhan by Xiao Yan in order to humiliate him.

The word "gong" is taken from "cynical", which is intended to satirize Xiao Zhan as an unlearned and dissolute young man.

Now Chu Feimo deliberately called him like that, which was really infuriating.

Before Xiao Zhan became emperor, everyone called him "Your Highness Prince Gong" because of his title. But after he ascended the throne, no ministers in the court mentioned this title anymore.

Now, Xiyong's Crown Prince Chu Feimo actually called out this old name in front of officials from Beiling and Xiyong, which was undoubtedly a great disrespect.

"You." A general was angry at Chu Feimo's rudeness and wanted to criticize him, but Xiao Zhan raised his hand to stop him.

"Your Highness, long time no see." Xiao Zhan smiled and nodded to Chu Feimo, motioning for him to take a seat.

This was the first time they had met since they had parted in childhood. Although Chu Feimo looked gentle, the cunning in his eyes made people feel uneasy.

"It's been a long time since we last met. I heard that you didn't have a good time in Beiling, and I thought you would leave this world early. I didn't expect that you would eventually sit on the throne."

Chu Feimo's words made everyone in the hall gasp. Everyone turned their eyes to Xiao Zhan, only to find that the young emperor looked calm as usual. Such composure was admirable.

"Similarly, I never expected that in just a few years, your status would decline so much that you had to come to a foreign country to seek support." Xiao Zhan responded with a smile, but his words were sharp.

Chu Feimo's heart was hurt by these words, and the smile on his face began to look forced.

As his mood changed, the atmosphere around him became increasingly tense, and even the people around him began to worry that he would lose control and become angry.

After all, in Xiyong, they had seen too many disasters caused by their master's mood swings.

"It seems that the new king of Beiling is becoming more and more humorous." Chu Feimo suppressed his inner anger and decided not to waste time on verbal disputes.

"The main purpose of this trip is to propose a marriage." As soon as he finished speaking, he clapped his hands, and several beautiful women were led into the hall.

"These beauties are gifts I specially selected. Although they are of humble origins, they have been carefully trained in various skills. I believe they can meet your majesty's needs."

These women lined up in a row, each showing their different charm and style.

However, for such a proposal...

Xiao Zhan's eyes were as cold as ice as he swept over those women, without a single ripple. People like Chu Feimo never know how to find the only important existence among many choices.

How can a heartless and ungrateful person like him understand the true meaning of love?

It is so pitiful and sad to only use desires to fill the emptiness in your heart.

"Prince Xiyong... this..." An old minister was dissatisfied with Chu Feimo's behavior. When he saw several women appear in the hall, his brows were furrowed.

Obviously, Chu Feimo was deliberately looking for trouble! These women were all of humble origins. If the emperor accepted them, it would undoubtedly be a lowering of status; if he refused, the outside world might mistakenly think that Beiling was afraid of Xiyong and did not even dare to accept the gifts sent to him.

If handled improperly, it may even lead to a breakdown in relations between the two countries and the outbreak of war.

Facing the old minister's criticism, Chu Feimo didn't care at all. He just stared at Xiao Zhan quietly, looking forward to his reaction.

"Emperor Beiling, how do you plan to deal with these women?" Seeing Xiao Zhan remain silent, Chu Feimo raised the corner of his mouth slightly and asked with a smile.

He deliberately selected these women of low status just to test Xiao Zhan's bottom line.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to properly accommodate these women." Xiao Zhan slowly adjusted his sitting position, his eyes never resting on any of the women.

"Oh? Does Emperor Beiling look down on the women of Xiyong? Or is it that you are not capable of doing it?" Chu Feimo's eyes fell on Xiao Zhan's waist, and there was obvious provocation in his words.