Although Emperor Yu was surprised too, he maintained his calm compared to his shocked subordinates. He didn’t immediately speak upon his decision. The hand resting on the table slowly turned the marvelously constructed goblet in his hand, as if considering whether or not the Chu King’s words were true or not.
Without waiting for him, the rest of the crowd was already starting to discuss among themselves. Everyone gazed at the Chu King, their eyes full of confusion, inquiry, wonderment, like they were trying to read his thoughts.
Disappointingly enough, Chu Nanshan maintained his calm demeanor. He didn’t seem unhappy at all at the prospect of handing over his riches. In fact, the depth of his tranquility hid everything. Before them, this unmoving silhouette blocked the rest of their vision, disguising everything from their wandering eyes and scheming thoughts.
Despite encountering a dead end in trying to read the Chu King, the crowd wasn’t going to give up just there. Instead they turned their eyes to the two people most likely to succeed the king’s position.
Chu Pei’s indifferent expression and serene gaze pushed back against everyone’s curious eyes. All they could see was him staring ahead without blinking, not allowing anyone to see through him in the slightest.
As for Chu Feiyang, everyone was more than familiar with him already.
A general whose mere name was enough to lose their courage, a counselor willing to stand out against the rest of the court and debate any other official to argue for Qu Zhangqing’s innocence, a man who headed the court in his mere twenties. Such a man would never lose his nerve before the public, nor would he allow the officials below him to catch a glimpse into his true thoughts.
Right now he looked as if he hadn’t heard Chu Nanshan’s words at all. In a practiced motion, he picked up the jade kettle and poured himself a glass of wine. His slender yet powerful fingers only exerted a bit of force, and he was able to pick up his goblet, swallowing the transparent liquid inside, eyes narrowing in enjoyment in a perfectly natural expression.
The women were even more chaotic. Jealous eyes fixed on Yun Qianmeng, as if wondering what kind of capability this woman who was rejected by the Chen King could have: to not only marry Major Chu, whom everyone had their eye on, but also gain the opportunity to become the Princess (Wangfei) of Chu!
After the rumor that Chu Pei’s second wife was heavily injured after saving someone yesterday and the fact that Chu Pei hadn’t stepped into the capital for twenty odd years, everyone knew who the position of Chu King would fall to.
These thoughts were enough to inspire a moment of fresh fear in the crowd. How could it be that the Chu King announced his intention to renounce his position today, right after the attempted assassination of Second Madame Chu? Wasn’t this coincidence a little too contrived?
No matter whether they looked at her with jealousy, admiration, or even the accusatory glare of an attempted murderer, Yun Qianmeng matched her husband’s expression. An elegant smile graced her lips, no sign of a temperamental reaction to Chu Nanshan’s sudden announcement. Her excellent manners were clear to everyone in the moment, standing out from the crowd, with her confident, laidback aura enough to make the other impatient women in the room realize how lacking their own manners were. Quickly enough they retracted their intense curiosity, organizing their expressions before looking up into the court once more.
Although Yun Qianmeng didn’t acknowledge the stares, her natural quickness allowed her to analyze them one by one, holding onto the most important one and greeting it: that cold, calculating gaze, which turned away the moment she looked back, so that all she really saw was Princess Duan’s cold profile.
“King Chu, what’s on your mind? On the contrary, I think that you have the potential to live into a healthy old age. It’s too early to think about these things!” The queen dowager had already taken a good, long look at everyone present before opening her mouth slowly.
“I agree with my mother. I also think that you are too healthy to consider these matters.” Following his mother’s words, the Emperor Yu advised as well. His sharp gaze spun from Chu Feiyang to Chu Pei, yet was unable to find anything unusual in their expressions.
Seeing that the emperor and queen dowager had both expressed their thoughts on the manner, most of the others present couldn’t help but relax. Only Chu Pei and Chu Feiyang stuck to their original expressions, without a trace of excitement or disappointment toward the possibility of winning the throne or losing it to Emperor Yu’s advisal. Their indifference was enough to disappoint everyone else.
Qu Jingqing also let out a sigh of relief, like she was nervous to hear the Chu King’s plans to pass his position on.
Even before marriage, Yun Qianmeng had experience in suppressing the admired Su Qing, and framing Su Qianyue. It was clear to anyone that she was a venomous woman. Now that she was married to Chu Feiyang, she was the target of everyone’s fawning attention. If she manages to become Princess Chu, then no one would be able to stand in her way. Who knew how many more would die at her hands?
A smiling but cold look shot at Qu Jingqing while she was staring ahead, forcing her to become nervous and gather up her thoughts. That was when she realized that she was looking at Yun Qianmeng with a look of schadenfreude without realizing it, a look that had drawn Yun Qianmeng’s attention and forced her to look away. Right now Yun Qianmeng’s position was far from what it was. She would never have imagined that an idiot like Su Qianyue would dare engage directly with Yun Qianmeng!
“What’s wrong with her?” Seeing Yun Qianmeng turn her head slowly, Qu Feiqian hurriedly glanced at Qu Jingqing. Qu Jingqing had already withdrawn her gaze, letting Qu Feiqing see nothing but her lowered profile. “She must’ve been having a moment of schadenfreude.”
Yun Qianmeng only smiled gently. Grasping a handkerchief, she raised her right hand to wipe the tea stains from her lips, her eyes looking at Chu Pei. Seeing how calm he was, she couldn’t help but exclaim in her heart: the men of the Chu family really did share the same blood. Even if he wasn’t as stunning as Chu Nanshan or Chu Feiyang, he was still an expert at playing through politics. At a tense moment like this he still sat amidst a group of nervous officials with absolute calm. It was nothing short of impressive.