Chapter 373: 384

Since Bu Jinglan had met Baili Junyi, the fact that Bu Jinglan had come to the capital ahead of time could in no way be kept a secret. The next day, he was summoned by Baili Qingcang, who received him in Chengqian Hall.

After about ten days, the group from the Great Yue Kingdom that had officially come to welcome the bride entered the capital of the Da’an Kingdom. The people of the capital all rushed to the streets, curiously watching the procession that was different from their local customs. There were about two hundred people in the group. Apart from the beautifully decorated carriage in the middle, there was a soft sedan behind it. The sedan was decorated with tassels and golden bells, and their jingle and rings echoed across the street as the group proceeded forward. Through the fluttering curtain of the sedan, the people could faintly see a woman sitting in the sedan and were in an uproar. What kind of custom was it to carry such a woman in the procession?

Lin Feiran’s upcoming wedding instantly became the focus of attention of the people in the capital.

Lin Feiran, who had been conferred the title of Princess Anyue, received the news as well. However, she did not mind it at all. In fact, she was a little excited and glee. She had already known beforehand that a princess would come along with Bu Jinglan to the country. This princess was different from Bu Tinghe, Prince An’s daughter. This time, the one who had come was the daughter of Empress Feng of the Great Yue Kingdom—Bu Yonghan.

One of the wedding traditions of the Great Yue Kingdom was that when a man married an official wife, his unmarried sister must escort him and help his soon-to-be wife to wear the wedding dress. If he didn’t have sisters or all his sisters were married, he could invite his female cousins to perform the ritual. Unexpectedly, the Emperor of the Great Yue Kingdom had sent his beloved daughter to come and do the honor. Their sincerity made the Da’an Kingdom look good.

The minute Shen Ninghua walked into the palace, she immediately saw the young girl sitting in the middle of the guest seats. She looked to be in her mid-teens. She was dressed in the Great Yue Kingdom’s official princess attire. Her silky black hair draped over her back like a waterfall. Her prominent and delicate facial features highlighted her oval-shaped face. She looked particularly adorable with a faint smile on her lips. She was not flamboyant or pretentious. The more carefully one looked at her, the more one felt that she was eye-catching. She was indeed extraordinarily beautiful.

Just as Shen Ninghua took her seat, she heard a clear voice from the other side, “Greetings, Princess Zhaohua. Before I came here, Cousin Tinghe sent a letter to me, saying that you are astonishingly beautiful, and it was hard to find a woman who could match Your Highness’ looks even in our country. I didn’t believe her at first and said that I wanted to compete with you. Cousin Tinghe teased me for being naive and said that I would understand when I saw you. Now that I see you, I finally understand why. There really is a woman in the world who is peerlessly beautiful.”

Shen Ninghua turned her head and bumped into Bu Yonghan’s smiling eyes. She smiled brightly, and there was a bright light in the corners of her eyes, enabling her to leave a good first impression to anyone who saw her. Shen Ninghua smiled slightly and said, “Thank you for your praise, Princess Yonghan. In this world, there are people who like peonies, and there are also people who like hibiscus. Everyone has their own views and preferences. Your Highness is extraordinarily beautiful, and I feel rather ashamed and overwhelmed to receive such a compliment from you. Moreover, the women in the Da’an Kingdom learn about etiquette and morale since we are young. We must be equipped with a polite demeanor and communication skills. One day, we will grow old, and our look will wither. Appearance really doesn’t mean anything.”

Bu Yonghan’s first remarks were so intimidating and direct. If Shen Ninghua accepted her compliment, it was equivalent to admitting that she was above everyone in terms of appearance. This would not only offend other women but also make her appear to be arrogant and unrefined. However, if she rejected the compliment modestly, it would make her appear to be weak and cowardly as well as tarnish the royal family’s image.

Bu Yonghan’s beautiful eyes darted slightly. She blinked and smiled slyly. “Cousin Tinghe said that you are eloquent and silver-tongued. I didn’t believe her at first, but now, you convince me. I was trying to sound you out just now. I hope that you didn’t find me rude.” She spoke in a particularly straightforward and innocent manner. If Shen Ninghua didn’t respond well, it would make her look aggressive.

The smile on Shen Ninghua’s face was retained. Hearing this, she wiped the corners of her lips with a handkerchief and replied, “Your reputation precedes you. I’ve heard that Your Highness is exceptionally lively and astute, and is deeply loved by your Father Emperor. Now that I have the pleasure to meet you, you are indeed pure as the driven snow.”

Many people at the side had smiles in their eyes. Pure as the driven snow? To put it nicely, Shen Ninghua described her as innocent, but to put it bluntly, she was implying that Bu Yonghan got away by pretending ignorance. Bu Yonghan secretly teased Shen Ninghua for having a glib tongue, while Shen Ninghua secretly mocked her for feigning innocence. The faint confrontation between the two women attracted the attention of others, and it made them intrigued.

After such a long time, they understood that Royal Prince Yi and Princess Zhaohua could be described as two majestic mountains that could not be underestimated. The fools would think that they were capable of conquering the mountains, but a single boulder falling from the peak of the mountain could crush them to death. This was proven when no one could pull them down even though the Emperor had given them the cold shoulder recently. Noble Consort Li and the Third Prince were the best examples of ignorant fools.

As they spoke, Baili Qingcang entered the main hall with the Crown Prince, Noble Consort Qi, and Noble Consort Li. After the greeting procedure was over, the Crown Prince took the main seat of the princes’ area, while the two Noble Consorts sat on the left and right side of Baili Qingcang respectively.

Bu Jinglan brought the Great Yue Kingdom’s envoys forward to salute, “Greetings, Emperor of the Da’an Kingdom. I, the Sixth Prince of the Great Yue Kingdom, greet Your Majesty on behalf of Father Emperor.”

“Sixth Prince, please rise. Also, please thank your Father Emperor on my behalf.”

“I will definitely pass on the message.”

Baili Qingcang nodded. His gaze swept across the Great Yue Kingdom’s envoys and paused when he saw Bu Yonghan. “You must be Princess Yonghan, am I right?”

Speaking of which, in the past few years, there were a lot of interactions between the two kingdoms. First, Shen Linghan was married to Bu Jinglan and became his side concubine. Although she had not died yet, she was on the verge of death, and it made no difference from literal death. Next, Bu Tinghe came to the Da’an Kingdom. After much hassle, she married the Third Prince, Baili Jinyu, and became his side concubine. On the day of the marriage, she died and was survived by a son, who was critically ill and was merely alive with life support. This time, Princess Yonghan came. No one knew if she came to help her brother with the wedding or if she had other motives.

Bu Yonghan sized up the Emperor on the throne. Baili Qingcang was no longer young. His hair was white, and his face was full of wrinkles. However, his eyes were dignified and solemn, and they were enough to intimidate his people. So, this was the man that Aunt Yunqing loved. Aunt Yunqing was so dumb. In the end, her appearance was ruined, and her reputation was tarnished because of this man. Sixth Brother had told her that Baili Qingcang didn’t acknowledge Aunt Yunqing’s status. He had only conferred her the title of Noble Consort Xian.

“Greetings, Emperor of the Da’an Kingdom. I am Yonghan.”

You are reading story Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter at novel35.com

“Please rise. Welcome to my kingdom. How was your journey? It’s your first visit here. Are you used to it?”

Bu Yonghan nodded and then shook her head in distress. “It’s not that I’m not used to it. It’s just that when I first came to the Da’an Kingdom, I was genuinely shocked. The Great Yue Kingdom is still in the cold weather, but it is nice and warm in the Da’an Kingdom, and flowers are blooming everywhere.”

Noble Consort Li could not help but smile and reply, “The Da’an Kingdom and the Great Yue Kingdom are thousands of miles apart. The climate is naturally different.”

Bu Yonghan nodded. “That’s right. This is a great time for us to train our horses. At this time, the horses that we train will be heroic and divine. In the future, it will be a piece of cake for them to run a thousand miles a day.”

Hearing this, Noble Consort Li suddenly choked on her words. Bu Yonghan was a woman, so she responded to her remarks naturally, but she indirectly mocked the Da’an Kingdom in her remarks.

Shen Ninghua slightly turned the jade bracelet on her wrist. Now, she had confirmed that Princess Yonghan was not here to help with the wedding. She was here specifically to stir up trouble. First, she kept mentioning Bu Tinghe, and then she mocked the Da’an Kingdom with an innocent look. It seemed that the wedding this time would turn out to be a bizarre drama again.

Baili Junyi suddenly chuckled. The hall was very quiet at this moment, so when he smiled, everyone’s eyes immediately focused on him.

Baili Qingcang knew that he would not do this for no reason. He asked, “Junyi, what’s so funny? Mind to share?”

Baili Junyi’s handsome face was full of smiles. It was as if he wanted to hold the laughter in but failed. “Father Emperor, when I heard Princess Yonghan’s words, I suddenly thought of the horses I raised in my mansion.”

“Oh? The horses in your mansion?”

“Yes. Father Emperor, I brought the horses from the Great Yue Kingdom’s merchant. The merchant who sold the horses to me back then said that they were the Great Yue Kingdom’s divine steeds and could travel thousands of miles a day. After I bought them, I fed them the freshest grass every day and even ordered my men to build a pasture for the horses to run freely. Unfortunately…”

Baili Qingcang asked, “What happened?”

Baili Junyi shook his head regretfully. “They became ruined in the end. I don’t know what happened. When I bought the horses, they looked majestic and handsome, but after two days, they began to get irritated and refused to eat. After that, they turned into gluttons and wolfed their meals down as if they had never eaten anything before. In the end… I didn’t even want to look at the horses. They became as fat as pigs, and they wobbled as they walked…”

Bu Yonghan’s face turned slightly red, and a light flashed in her eyes. No one knew if it was because she was exasperated or what. “I’m afraid that the merchant deceived you, Royal Prince Yi. Our horses are famous for their superior quality.”

“No.” Baili Junyi made a pained expression. “At first, I thought I was deceived too, so I went straight to the merchant and arrested him. The merchant claimed that he was innocent and finally told me the truth.”

Baili Qingcang was a little curious. “What truth?”

Baili Junyi glanced indifferently at Bu Jinglan and Bu Yonghan before asserting in a flat tone, “A wolf is a wolf in the grassland, but if it goes elsewhere, it may become docile and cowardly like a dog. The horses adapted to the cold highlands. It was fine for the first few days after they arrived in our kingdom, but after that, they couldn’t adapt to our climate and withered. It finally dawned upon me. The same thing happens to humans. If we feed a beggar with rare delicacies, he might stuff himself to death in just one meal.”

“Junyi!” Baili Qingcang bellowed with a slightly serious tone as he found Baili Junyi’s words inappropriate. However, his expression was particularly relaxed despite his serious tone, which meant that he was not really reprimanding him.

Baili Junyi quickly pursed his lips and then explained, “I’m sorry for using such an inappropriate metaphor. This was what the horse merchant told me. I didn’t think it through, so I blurted what I thought. Please forgive me for my rudeness, Sixth Prince and Princess Yonghan.”

The officials at the side held back their laughter. In the past, Royal Prince Yi had persecuted them, and this time, they finally got to see him prosecuting others. Everyone in the imperial palace was good at beating around the bushes before getting to their points when they talked, and they often thought things twice before saying them. Baili Junyi was just mocking Bu Yonghan.

As a dignified princess, Bu Yonghan had belittled the Da’an Kingdom and flattered her own country. This indicated that she didn’t think things twice before speaking at all.

You can find story with these keywords: Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter, Read Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter, Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter novel, Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter book, Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter story, Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter full, Phoenix Reborn: the Prime Minister's Scheming Daughter Latest Chapter