Chapter 31: Inclination

As soon as Feng Bai Su heard her words, she immediately became a bit unhappy.

“What are you saying? I’m still looking forward to taking my little niece out to play in the future!”

Hearing this, Feng Bai Jiang picked up the hot tea on the table and took a sip. Her eyes contained a smile, but she didn’t say anything, obviously not taking her words to heart.

The two sat in the corner and hid for a while before being pulled into the banquet.

“Sixth Princess, Seventh Princess, today is the Second Princess’s joyous day. You two must celebrate well!”

Saying this, two cups of wine were handed over. The person looked at the two with some drunken eyes.

Feng Bai Su, with a smile in her peach blossom eyes, stood in front of Feng Bai Jiang and reached out to take them.

She raised her cup to the noble lady who was toasting, “Congratulations to all!”

Saying this, she tilted her head back and drank it, and also drank Feng Bai Jiang’s cup along the way.

Seeing this, the noble lady who came to toast finally left with a crooked body, smiling, and walked towards others.

At this time, the bride Feng Bai Zhi was already drunk and was supported by her attendants to return to the bridal chamber first.

Among the other princesses, Feng Bai Ying and Feng Bai Kuan were already drunk and sleeping on the table. Feng Bai Zhi had directly gone into a drunken frenzy, hugging an empty wine bottle and kissing it frantically, her mouth mumbling unclearly: “Beautiful man…”

Her attendant tried to pull her up, but was pushed away by her.

Among those still sober on the scene, perhaps only Feng Bai Wei, Feng Bai Su, and Feng Bai Jiang remained.

At this time, Feng Bai Wei was holding a wine cup and chatting with the noble ladies around her, with a proper smile on her lips, looking somewhat like a gentle and refined lady.

This made the young men separated from them by a bridge unable to help but frequently glance sideways, their delicate beautiful eyes full of shyness and emotion.

“Cousin, what are you looking at?”

Seeing Shen Ruo frequently looking towards the bridge, Wei Jing Mo asked in a light voice.

Hearing this, Shen Ruo immediately withdrew his gaze. When he met his slightly puzzled ink-black eyes, he shook his head, “Nothing.”

Shen Ruo’s marriage had not been settled until now, and naturally, Shen’s mother and father were overjoyed, always telling him not to rush, saying they were still reluctant to let him marry into someone else’s family so early. They wanted to keep him for a couple more years.

As for the old Grand Tutor Shen who had proposed this matter, he had also fallen silent recently, as if he had made some compromise.

Shen Ruo didn’t want to understand what his grandmother was really thinking, he just wanted to maintain this current state.

Seeing his normal expression, Wei Jing Mo didn’t think much of it and started chatting with him again about the previous topic.

—

At this time, the sky had already darkened, the pitch-black night sky was full of stars, flickering with faint light.

The noble ladies were all drunk and dizzy, supporting each other as they walked out of the Second Princess’s mansion.

As Feng Bai Su and Feng Bai Jiang passed through the winding path, they suddenly heard a piercing scream from the front.

“Ah!”

At this time, most of the people who had come to attend the wedding banquet had already left, and the night had deepened, making this scream particularly loud.

The two paused their steps and looked at each other.

Then they quickly walked forward.

After just rounding a lush bamboo grove, they saw Feng Bai Wei holding a woman’s arm with an unpleasant expression, with Wei Jing Mo and Shen Ruo standing behind her.

The scream had come from the mouth of the woman being held.

At this time, Feng Bai Wei’s somewhat cold voice also came over: “Now are you sober? Can you see clearly who the gentleman in front of you is?”

She released her force on her hand and suddenly let go of the woman.

The woman stumbled and instantly fell to the ground. Her brain, which had been muddled by alcohol earlier, also sobered up, and after seeing clearly who the three people in front of her were, she immediately apologized with a pale face.

“Get lost!”

After Feng Bai Wei said this coldly, the woman instantly ran away with her attendants behind her.

Behind, Feng Bai Su and Feng Bai Jiang stood by the bamboo grove quietly watching all this, neither of them making any sound.

In front, after watching the woman’s fleeing figure disappear, Feng Bai Wei turned her head to look at the two behind her, and her expression softened again.

She asked in a gentle voice: “Are you two alright? Did that woman do anything to you?”

Her deep and dark black eyes, however, fell firmly on Wei Jing Mo in front.

Wei Jing Mo noticed her gaze and couldn’t help but shift his body to the side, not answering.

It was Shen Ruo who looked at her and replied in a low voice: “Thank you, Fifth Princess, for coming to our rescue. My cousin and I are both fine.”

Hearing this, Feng Bai Wei timely withdrew her gaze and let her eyes fall on Shen Ruo behind, suggesting: “To avoid any more accidents, why don’t you two gentlemen come along with me?”

Shen Ruo immediately agreed with a smile on his face, thanking Feng Bai Wei again for a few more sentences.

Then, without waiting for Wei Jing Mo beside him to speak, he pulled him to follow behind Feng Bai Wei as they walked forward.

Until the figures of the three had completely disappeared, Feng Bai Su and Feng Bai Jiang, who were standing by the bamboo grove, finally walked out.

Feng Bai Jiang looked in the direction where the three had disappeared and made a rare joke: “Fifth Sister seems to have quite a lot of romantic luck! It’s just that I don’t know who these two gentlemen are?”

Hearing this, Feng Bai Su understood why she hadn’t seen Wei Jing Mo and Shen Ruo before, after all, she rarely went out and knew little about these noble sons of Phoenix Feather City.

She introduced in a leisurely voice: “They are the eldest son of the Northern Marquis’s mansion and the son of the Grand Tutor’s mansion.”

Seeing that she knew them, Feng Bai Jiang couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow: “You’re familiar with these two gentlemen?”

She had heard rumors about these two. They were known as the Twin Pearls of Phoenix Feather City!

However, this was the first time she had seen their appearance.

She sighed in her heart: Indeed, they live up to their reputation, their looks and bearing are unmatched by ordinary gentlemen!

However, she was more curious about the familiarity in Feng Bai Su’s tone, after all, from what she knew of Feng Bai Su over these years, she wouldn’t usually pay so much attention to any family’s son.

After hearing Feng Bai Jiang’s words, Feng Bai Su’s mind suddenly flashed to the scene behind the fake mountain at the Grand Tutor’s mansion that day.

Thinking of the cold yet delicate young man who had leaned against her embrace that day, her throat felt a bit dry, and her peach blossom eyes unconsciously deepened.

Her voice, however, remained indifferent: “Not familiar.”

Feng Bai Jiang made an “oh” sound with a smile in her mouth, but didn’t say anything more.

—

After Wei Jing Mo and Shen Ruo got into the carriage, Shen Ruo looked at Wei Jing Mo several times, hesitated repeatedly, and finally asked: “Cousin, did you feel that the Fifth Princess was a bit different towards you?”

There was some caution in his expression. Seeing Wei Jing Mo look up, he quickly explained: “I don’t mean anything else! You know that I had some thoughts about the Fifth Princess before, but I’ve let it go now.”

Shen Ruo’s face showed some bitterness, but then he hid it away and looked at Wei Jing Mo seriously: “I just feel that the Fifth Princess seems a bit different towards you, and I want to know what you think? To be honest, the Fifth Princess seems quite nice, if you’re also interested, there might be a good outcome.”

After saying this, his gaze kept watching the changes in Wei Jing Mo’s expression.

Seeing his calm expression, his cold ink-black eyes showing no ripples at all, he inexplicably felt relieved in his heart.

Shen Ruo felt this change in his heart and couldn’t help but frown.

Wei Jing Mo didn’t know about the changes in his thoughts. Hearing this, his clear and moist voice said without much fluctuation: “Cousin, you’re probably overthinking! I’ve told you long ago that I have no connection with the Fifth Princess, so naturally, there’s no talk of being interested.”

Hearing his words, Shen Ruo fell silent, not knowing if he had woken up from that slight change in his heart earlier.

—

After the Second Princess’s grand wedding, it was immediately followed by the Third Princess Feng Bai Kuan’s marriage.

Feng Bai Kuan’s chosen primary husband was the second son of the Hanlin Academy Scholar Ke. This second son had a shy and gentle temperament. Male Empress Qi had chosen this second son after a long deliberation.

After all, Feng Bai Kuan had a timid and cowardly nature, and if they chose a husband who was too domineering, Male Empress Qi feared she wouldn’t be able to control him, and would end up being led by the nose.

After the Third Princess Feng Bai Kuan’s marriage, undercurrents began to stir again in Phoenix Feather City.

After all, the marriages of these two princesses had passed, and next it would be the turn of the other princesses.

The remaining princesses were all of similar age and had also reached the age of choosing husbands. Families in Phoenix Feather City with unmarried sons also quietly paid attention to the movements within the imperial palace.

Northern Marquis’s Mansion

Wanyue Pavilion

Since the Second Princess and Third Princess’s grand weddings, Shen Ke had been coming to Wanyue Pavilion from time to time, intentionally or unintentionally probing Wei Jing Mo’s thoughts.

When Wei Jing Mo saw him come in, a trace of helplessness flashed through his calm eyes: “Father, why have you come again?”

Shen Ke sat down on the chair with a calm face and said casually: “Father just came to chat with you. What, you don’t welcome father?”

“Father is joking! How could Mo dare?”

Wei Jing Mo immediately poured a cup of hot tea and handed it over, then sat down himself.

He rarely didn’t perfunctorily answer, looking at Shen Ke seriously and asking: “If father has something to say, just say it! It’ll save you from coming back and forth every few days.”

Hearing this, Shen Ke’s face reddened, his expression somewhat embarrassed: “…Was father that obvious?”

Wei Jing Mo immediately nodded, “Very obvious! Father, you’re really not suited for subtlety!”

Shen Ke coughed a few times in embarrassment. Seeing that Wei Jing Mo had already pointed it out, he frankly went straight to the point: “Actually, the Emperor privately asked your mother about your marriage. From your mother’s words, it seems the Emperor intends to match you with the Fifth Princess. Your mother wanted me to come and sound out your thoughts, to see if you’re interested in the Fifth Princess?”

Shen Ke actually thought that Fifth Princess was quite good, and in his opinion, it would be quite good if Wei Jing Mo married her.

He didn’t know what the Marquis thought, and specifically instructed him to ask about Wei Jing Mo’s thoughts.

Wei Jing Mo hadn’t expected the Emperor to think about his marriage so soon, his expression was rarely stunned.

When he heard that the Emperor intended to match him with the Fifth Princess, he couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Without even thinking, he refused: “Father, I’m unwilling!”

“Hm?”

Shen Ke didn’t react for a moment, “You’re unwilling?”

Wei Jing Mo nodded coldly, his thin lips slightly pressed together.

Seeing this, Shen Ke couldn’t help but frown, “Have you met some noble lady?”

His mind started racing, thinking about how he and the Marquis could fulfill Wei Jing Mo’s wishes if he didn’t want to marry a princess.

In this short while, he had even thought of such a treasonous thing as rebellion!

Wei Jing Mo rarely bit his lip, a few streaks of blush appearing on his clean and fair face, and replied in a low voice: “No…”

Shen Ke’s thoughts instantly came to a halt, and he turned his head to look at Wei Jing Mo, who was lowering his head.

“No?”

He suddenly thought of something, his expression becoming somewhat unpleasant: “You wouldn’t happen to be interested in that Seventh-”

“Father!”

Before he could finish, Wei Jing Mo called out in embarrassment.

Instantly, Shen Ke fell silent.

After a long while, he carefully opened his mouth: “Mo’er, do you want to reconsider carefully?”

He really didn’t want to see his beloved son jump into a fire pit.

By this time, Wei Jing Mo had calmed down. He didn’t look at Shen Ke, just said in a faint voice: “Father already knows my thoughts. Anyway, I have no interest in the Fifth Princess.”

After speaking, he stood up and walked towards the inner room.