The Crown Prince Chases His Wife
Extra 7 Leaving the Capital
The day after the Long Princess Changle’s betrothal banquet was also the day the court officials had a rest day.
In the study of the Qin Mansion, Minister of Works, Qin Wenxuan sat behind his desk, his brow tightly furrowed, with no hint of a smile on his face.
At the same time, seated in the other large chair in the study was a young man dressed in a white long robe. His appearance was clear and refined, his figure tall and slender, with an air of warmth and scholarly demeanor that hinted at his literary inclinations.
This young man was named Yuan Mu, a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Works and the future son-in-law of the Qin family, being the betrothed of Miss Qin Lin.
Qin Wenxuan was quite pleased with Yuan Mu. He admired the young man’s dedication and meticulousness in his duties and often gave him guidance and advice.
Qin Wenxuan had once jokingly expressed a wish to take Yuan Mu as his disciple. Yuan Mu, understanding the hint, had come to the Qin Mansion’s door with gifts and formally bowed to Qin Wenxuan as his master. From then on, the two referred to each other as teacher and disciple, though their relationship also grew into one of true friendship, transcending the boundaries of rank and age.
Typically, on rest days, Yuan Mu would occasionally visit the Qin Mansion at Qin Wenxuan’s invitation. With wine in hand, the two would enjoy long discussions together, ranging from ancient and modern craftsmanship to strange tales from distant lands. Their conversations were always harmonious.
Yuan Mu’s personality was calm and composed, and Qin Wenxuan often thought that, compared to his eldest daughter Qin Xi, who was lively and unpredictable, Yuan Mu seemed to share a more natural compatibility with his second daughter, Qin Lin.
Thus, when Qin Lin proposed the idea of asking her parents to find a suitable match for her and her sister, Qin Wenxuan immediately thought of Yuan Mu.
When Qin Wenxuan tentatively broached the subject with Yuan Mu, the young man agreed without hesitation.
The look on his face was a mixture of surprise and joy, tinged with a slight bashfulness, something Qin Wenxuan immediately noticed.
This young man probably has long been eyeing his second daughter, Qin Lin.
But this was just right, and Qin Lin had no objection to the husband her father had chosen for her, so the two of them had gone through the betrothal and made a marriage contract.
The Qin family originally planned to arrange the marriage for the two daughters after Qin Xi and Qin Lin’s mourning period for their grandmother this year, but they didn’t expect such a bad thing to happen.
After returning home from the palace banquet yesterday, Qin Wenxuan learned from Madam Zhu about what happened in the mansion during the day. Qin Wenxuan was very angry and wanted to find Yuan Mu to ask for clarification immediately, but was stopped by Madam Zhu.
Madam Zhu asked Qin Wenxuan to calm down first, “It’s late at night. Let him come to your house tomorrow and ask again.”
Madam Zhu knew that her husband Qin Wenxuan admired Yuan Mu. Even if the two families could not get married, the young man from the Yuan family was Wenxuan’s colleague in the Ministry of Works and his favorite disciple. Since Qin Wenxuan was still angry, it would be hard to control his temper, and if they fell out now, it would be difficult to make amends.
But Yuan Mu was indeed in the wrong. He hadn’t handled his personal affairs properly. Regardless of whether he had officially broken off his betrothal with that woman, taking in an unmarried cousin who had once been betrothed to him would certainly lead to gossip.
Fortunately, there hadn’t been any unpleasant rumors circulating yet, otherwise, Mrs. Zhu wouldn’t have stopped Qin Wenxuan. She would have personally gone to the Yuan family with a knife in hand. ———–
It was only when Yuan Mu arrived at Qin Mansion that he learned what his cousin, Chai Yun, had done yesterday. When he first heard about it, he was shocked and ashamed.
He was displeased. And it was at that moment that Yuan Mu realized why, when greeting Madam Qin at the Fengtian Hall palace banquet yesterday, he had sensed her reaction towards him as somewhat distant and ambiguous.
So that was how it went.
At this moment, Yuan Mu didn’t have the time to speculate why his cousin, Chai Jun, had acted in such a way. The most urgent matter was to consider the potential negative impact on the Qin Mansion.
The world was already unfair to women. If Chai Jun’s words from yesterday at the Qin Mansion were to spread, it would bring more negative attention to the Qin Mansion and Miss Lin, leading to public criticism.
The Qin Mansion was a prominent family with close ties to the empress’s family. There were already many eyes on them, and even the slightest hint of scandal would inevitably be blown out of proportion and used against them.
Yuan Mu’s honesty somewhat alleviated the displeasure in Qin Wenxuan’s heart. He frowned as he looked at Yuan Mu, who was still bowing deeply, and let out a soft sigh.
The atmosphere in the study grew heavy. After a moment of silence, Yuan Mu stood up, deeply bowed to Qin Wenxuan, who was stern-faced, and said, “Lord, Chai Jun is my cousin. I did indeed have a betrothal with her, but the betrothal was called off years ago.”
“I admit I didn’t handle my private matters properly, and I am ashamed.”
At this moment, Yuan Mu did not adopt the role of a disciple. He felt guilty and didn’t want to trouble Qin Wenxuan with the burden of their teacher-student relationship.
He wasn’t sure if his cousin’s words from yesterday at the Qin Mansion had been spread around.
After all, that woman had been engaged to Yuan Mu first, and now she was seeking refuge with the Yuan family. Even if she refrained from mentioning it now, there was no guarantee that other rumors wouldn’t surface in the future.
Qin Wenxuan deeply loved his two daughters and would not allow their marriage to be tainted by such a stain.
And there was something even more important.
The Qin family was the paternal family of the Empress, a royal in-law, and they could not allow internal troubles to give anyone ammunition to attack the Empress.
If people with ill intentions were to claim that the Qin family, relying on the Empress’s power, had taken someone else’s betrothed, it would be a scandal.
Last year, there was an incident with the musician from Qiashui Lake, who disguised himself as Qin Lin and entered the Empress’s Fengyu Palace with the intent to harm her. The Qin family nearly faced consequences from the Emperor for that.
If any further issues were to involve the Empress, Qin Wenxuan was certain that the Emperor would not spare the Qin family.
Yesterday’s incident could blow up into something significant, but Qin Wenxuan couldn’t afford to take that risk.
It was a pity. Qin Wenxuan truly admired Yuan Mu. He had sincerely hoped that the teacher-disciple duo could become father-in-law and son-in-law.
Yuan Mu slowly returned to his seat, his back straight, eyes slightly lowered, but the veins popping on the back of his hands, tightly pressed against his knees, betrayed the tension in his heart.
———-
Qin Wenxuan sighed deeply and said, “This betrothal is hereby canceled.”
Yuan Mu’s throat tightened, and maintaining his bowing position, he struggled to speak, “Yes, Lord.”
Qin Wenxuan raised his hand, “Please, sit.”
After taking a small sip from the teacup beside him, Qin Wenxuan continued, “Yesterday, when I went to the palace, I ran into a colleague from the Ministry of Personnel, the Division of Civil Service Selection. They gave me the news that your promotion order will be issued in the next few days.”
Yuan Mu, who had been lost in thought, lifted his head at the words. He immediately began to rise but was stopped by a gesture from Qin Wenxuan.
Yuan Mu cupped his hands in salute, “I thank you, Lord Qin.”
Yuan Mu was truly grateful. The news from the Ministry of Personnel mentioned by Qin Wenxuan was likely the same matter he had heard rumors about earlier.
He was about to be promoted from a Fifth-Rank Langzhong to a Fourth-Rank Left Minister of the Ministry.
This promotion was due to the recommendation of Qin Wenxuan, the Ministry of Personnel was merely conducting a routine examination, a formality.
Qin Wenxuan bringing this up now seemed to indicate that he would not allow personal matters to interfere with his official decisions.
Qin Wenxuan waved his hand, “No need to thank me. Your resume and abilities speak for themselves. Promotion was always a matter of time.”
After sighing, Qin Wenxuan continued, “These past few days, I’ve been dealing with some bothersome matters, but come next month, come visit me again for a drink.”
Yuan Mu was slightly surprised. This meant… his relationship with this mentor was far from over.
Seeing his disciple’s confused look, Qin Wenxuan helplessly waved his hand, “Go back and resolve this matter clearly. Don’t let any unpleasant rumors spread outside.”
Yuan Mu stood up and gave a bow, “Yes, Master.”
———-
After Yuan Mu left Qin Wenxuan’s study, he paused for a moment in the courtyard. When he lifted his steps to head towards the front gate of the Qin Mansion, he coincidentally ran into the two Qin sisters returning from an outing.
When he saw the woman in the distance whose expression was serene, Yuan Mu felt his chest tighten with an unexpected, rapid beat.
Soon, the two Qin sisters approached Yuan Mu, both of them looking at him with somewhat complicated expressions as he stood by the side of the path, bowing respectfully to them.
After the greetings, Yuan Mu once again bowed and apologized to Qin Lin, “I am truly sorry for the events of yesterday and wish to sincerely apologize to Miss Qin Lin.”
Qin Xi was about to speak, but Qin Lin raised her hand to stop her.
Qin Lin ultimately did not respond, merely lowering her body to return the bow to Yuan Mu, then walking away with Qin Xi.
Yuan Mu restrained himself and glanced only once at Qin Lin’s departing figure before averting his gaze. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment, and then walked out of the mansion.
Back in the courtyard, Qin Lin soon learned from her father that he had discussed the matter of breaking off the engagement with Yuan Mu.
In response, Qin Lin felt a bit complicated in her heart, but there was no sense of regret.
She didn’t have a deep impression of Yuan Mu, so she simply didn’t mind him. Based on what she had learned from her father, she originally thought that marrying Yuan Mu would lead to a smooth life in the future.
But who would have thought that a change would occur?
And yesterday, the person in Ningshou Palace was so confident, truly thinking that he had everything figured out?
———-
After Yuan Mu left the Qin Mansion, he went straight back to the Yuan Mansion and happened to run into his “poor” cousin, Chai Jun, who was preparing to pack her things and run away.
When their eyes met, it seemed they both understood what had happened.
Chai Jun opened her mouth, but before she could come up with any excuses, Yuan Mu looked at her with an expressionless face and said coldly, “Was it the Shizi of the Duan Wang Mansion who sent you to the capital?”
There was an undeniable look of surprise in Chai Jun’s eyes.
Her cousin knew?
Eventually, under Yuan Mu’s indifferent gaze, Chai Jun nodded slightly, admitting it.
Her cousin was bound to find out sooner or later. If she guessed correctly, today Yuan Mu had gone to the Qin Mansion for this very reason.
Yuan Mu had obtained the information he needed, and after a brief silence, he spoke again, “My betrothal to Miss Qin Lin of the Qin family has been annulled.”
“Do not use our childhood betrothal as an excuse again, lest it damage the reputation of the Qin family and Miss Qin.”
Chai Jun was slightly surprised in her heart.
Did she really ruin the betrothal?
However, when she learned this morning that her cousin Yuan Mu had been invited to the Qin Mansion, she had already guessed at least part of the outcome.
Chai Jun was surprised, and her heart carried a slight sense of guilt.
Just as she was about to speak, her cousin Yuan Mu took a silk pouch from his sleeve and handed it to her.
“With your temperament, the Shizi of the Duan Wang Mansion could only make a deal with you using money.”
“Take this money and walk the right path. Don’t go down crooked paths again.”
“If you encounter difficulties, you can come to the capital to find me or your aunt but never bring up the betrothal again.”
Chai Jun reluctantly accepted the silk pouch, noticing that it was quite heavy.
Although Chai Jun felt guilty, who would turn down extra money?
She tucked the silk pouch into her clothes and bowed deeply to her cousin Yuan Mu, sincerely apologizing, “Cousin, I’m sorry.”
Half an hour later, Chai Jun hired a carriage, accompanied by a few bodyguards, and with the large sum of money sent by the Duan Wang Mansion, she happily left the capital and headed for Xuzhou.
As she traveled, Chai Jun was smiling ear to ear but suddenly remembered her cousin’s expression from earlier. Her smile instantly faded.
Why did she feel like her cousin seemed a bit sad?
Could it be that her cousin really had deep feelings for Miss Qin Lin from the Qin family?
——–
That night, Yuan Mu sat alone in the courtyard, raising his cup to drink. He had always been temperate in his behavior, and even though he wanted to get drunk at that moment, he restrained himself, only sipping a few cups.
As he enjoyed the cool night breeze, Yuan Mu, slightly tipsy, fell into his memories.
Just as Chai Jun had guessed, Yuan Mu indeed had feelings for Miss Qin Lin from the Qin family.
He couldn’t even pinpoint when he had started harboring these secret feelings. By the time he realized, it was too late, his gaze had already been fixed on her, unable to look away.
But given the vast difference in status between himself and Miss Lin, Yuan Mu could only cautiously hide his feelings.
That day at the Taiyi Pool ice skating feast, Yuan Mu had been there. He had seen Qin Lin skating on the ice, and he had witnessed her fall into the icy water.
But when Yuan Mu squeezed through the crowd to jump into the lake to save her, the Shizi of the Duan Wang Mansion had already jumped in first and pulled Qin Lin out.
After that, there were brief rumors in the capital, suggesting that Miss Qin Lin might enter Shizi Mansion and become the Shizi’s concubine. But the rumors quickly dissipated after a few days.
Later, his master, Minister Qin, had mentioned the matter of marriage.
That night, Yuan Mu couldn’t sleep at all.
Even if he had to marry into the Qin family, being able to marry Miss Qin Lin was a dream he had never dared to imagine.
Yuan Mu closed his eyes in pain.
The Shizi of the Duan Wang Mansion, even though now a widower, was still from the royal bloodline.
Even if Yuan Mu managed to navigate this situation for now, there was no guarantee that the Shizi wouldn’t have other plans in the future.
And what could he, Yuan Mu, use to compete with the noble shizi of the Duan Wang Manion?
He could only treat this betrothal as a moon in a mirror, a flower in water, just a fleeting dream.
———-
The day after the Princess’s Changle betrothal banquet, the Shizi of the Duan Wang Mansion, Feng Subei, and the delegation from the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion prepared to depart for Northern Liang.
After seeing Feng Subei off, Duan Wangfei did not return to Youzhou as originally planned. Instead, she stayed in the capital, and the tasks she had assigned to her subordinates the previous night had been completed. The information about several masters of the Qin Mansion had already been placed on her desk.
Duan Wangfei nodded with satisfaction. After drinking a cup of healthy tea, she entered her study to begin reviewing the materials for the marriage plan she was preparing for her son.
After a short nap, one of her subordinates reported, “We received news from the official matchmaker’s office that Miss Qin Lin has broken off her engagement.”
The more Duan Wangfei read through the stack of documents, the tighter her frown became.
The Qin Mansion, with their position as the head of the Ministry of Works, did not seem like one to fear powerful forces.
The Qin family was extremely protective of their own, and Miss Lin was someone with her own ideas.
It seemed that her task was going to be much harder than expected.
———
After the Empress gave birth to the heir, Princess Changle and Princess Jingyi had started making renovations at their mansions outside the palace and had been preparing for the past few days.
Feng Yuyao didn’t plan to move out of the palace immediately. She still wanted to spend more time with her mother and Yan Yan, and it was also convenient for her to tease Qin Yan’s adorable twins.
But Feng Yunchao had already become engaged, and moving to the Princess Mansion would make it easier to prepare for the wedding. So, a few days after the betrothal banquet, Princess Changle hosted a housewarming banquet at her own mansion.
At the Princess Changle’s housewarming banquet, many were surprised to see Duan Wangfei, who should not have still been in the capital. The Duan Wang Mansion had long since relocated to its fief in Youzhou, so Duan Wangfei remaining in the capital inevitably sparked speculation, was there a special reason for her stay?
Afterward, Duan Wangfei made appearances at several large banquets in the capital, which led some of the more perceptive noble ladies and matriarchs to start making educated guesses.
Could Duan Wangfei be scouting for a future daughter-in-law for the Duan Wang Mansion? After all, the Shizi of the Duan Wang Mansion had recently completed the mourning period for his deceased wife, and he would soon be removing his mourning attire.
Though the Duan Wang Mansion’s Shizi was a widower, he was still of royal blood, and as the only son of the Duan Wang, he was set to inherit the title of Duan Wang.
The noble families with unmarried daughters in the capital soon caught wind of this, and many started making efforts to get closer to Duan Wangfei.
To conceal her particular interest in the Qin family, the Duan Wangfei also tried to accommodate the invitations of other noble families, all the while being very calculating.
Quite… cunning.
———
At the Qin Mansion, Qin Xi’s wedding preparations began in an orderly fashion. However, these past few days, Madam Zhu had been somewhat distracted.
Madam Zhu prided herself on being perceptive when it came to people and matters, and she had noticed that Duan Wangfei’s gaze toward her and Qin Lin seemed to carry some hidden meaning.
Could it be that Duan Wangfei has set her sights on Qin Lin?
Madam. Zhu’s suspicions were not lost on Qin Lin, as she had deeply remembered the words that Feng Subei had spoken to her before leaving the capital.
Feng Subei had told her to wait for him.
Wait for him to return to the capital?
And then what?
Qin Lin’s heart was in turmoil. When facing Feng Subei, she was filled with uncertainty, the unknown, and even fear.
Feng Subei, that man had a fatal attraction for her, and she had indeed been moved. However, whether it was his identity, his family background, or his position, Qin Lin didn’t have the confidence that she could fully understand him or control the situation.
Thinking of the official matters her father had occasionally mentioned after returning from the office, Qin Lin pondered for a moment and then made the decision to leave the residence and go to the palace to seek an audience with the Empress.
How could she gamble her whole life, entangled with him?
———-
Qin Lin was once again shown the affection between the Emperor and Empress in Ningshou Palace.
The Emperor and Empress couple were truly enviable, and Qin Lin was well aware that the Empress, Qin Yan, had risen to her current position not only because of her family background, beauty, and the Emperor’s favor, but also due to her own abilities.
This realization only strengthened Qin Lin’s resolve.
A few days after Qin Lin met with the Empress in Ningshou Palace, Miss Qin Xi, the daughter of the Qin Mansion, Ministry of Works, got married.
The day after the wedding, the Empress’s trusted confidant, Mr. Ji, arranged for a carriage and guards to escort Qin Lin westward out of the capital.
Inside the carriage, Qin Lin lifted the curtain and gazed at the increasingly distant city gates. Her heart held some reluctance, but there was also a sense of hope for the future.
For now, love and emotions had to be put aside.
It was time to see if this “deal” with the Empress would lead to her transformation.
She would no longer be just a sheltered young lady stuck in the inner courtyard, but someone who could go to a place where her true value could be realized.
At that moment, Duan Wangfei was preparing for her next “chance” meeting with Madam Zhu, the matron of the Qin family, and Qin Lin.
She planned to humble herself, showing the Qin family women that the Duan Wang Mansion was not a place to be taken lightly, and make sure they left with the impression of a good mother-in-law.
The news of Qin Lin leaving the capital quickly reached the Duan Wang Mansion.
Duan Wangfei: …
Where’s my future daughter-in-law?
Feng Su Bei: …
Where’s my wife?