The Gilded Cage Chapter 42

Lady Yue (2)

On the other road, Chu Ning waited for the procession to leave before proceeding with her journey.

She sat in her carriage and was thinking deeply about what happened just now.

As she was far away, she could not hear what Xiao Kezhi and Zhao Yue were saying. She could only try and guess what was going on by looking at their demeanor.

She was quite certain that, like herself, Zhao Yue also wanted to approach Xiao Kezhi about something.

Chu Ning approached him about her father, so she wondered what Zhao Yue’s reason was.

Although Zhao Yue’s father, Zhao Kui, was deceased, Zhao Lun had taken over his father’s place and the Zhao family was still as powerful as before. She wondered why Zhao Yue was doing this.

Cui He saw that she was deep in thoughts and reminded her softly, “Madam, have you forgotten? Two years ago, there was a rumor in Chang’an saying that the second daughter of the Zhao family had a bad relationship with her in-laws. She was always unhappy that her husband was mediocre.”

Chu Ning was stunned for a moment and recalled the rumor.

Zhao Yue’s husband came from the Cheng family and was a nobility in Xiangzhou. His family was comparable to the noble families in Chang’an.

In the past years, the nobility in Chang’an discriminated against military families, especially someone like Zhao Yue who only had her mother by her side as her father was in Bozhou. This made her disliked by the elder nobility. Furthermore, she was proud and looked down on all the men who were interested in her. Thus, she chose to marry into the Cheng family in Xiangzhou.

Unfortunately, her late husband was lazy and had an unremarkable official career. Seeing that he had no hope of promotion, Zhao Yue was unhappy, and they quarreled all the time.

Usually, Chu Ning disliked listening to rumors. However, she knew this because Xiao Yu told her this when she saw Zhao Yue’s late husband in the East Palace.

Cui He was implying that Zhao Yue deliberately approached Xiao Kezhi for his status and power.

However, Chu Ning felt that the matter was not that simple.

She thought carefully about what Xiao Yu told her recently and what Zhao Yanzhou told her.

Suddenly, she had a realization.

Previously, there were rumors that Xiao Kezhi was going to reform the Great Liang army like how he reformed the Imperial Guards and replaced them with those he trusted.

Initially, people did not believe that he would do so. But five days ago, he suddenly replaced the general in Youzhou, so everyone began to believe the rumor and worry about their futures.

Thus, the Zhao family were worried about it too. Zhao Lun was young and was made a general not too long ago.

Chu Ning felt a little relieved now that she guessed Zhao Yue’s reason.

She was concerned that Zhao Yue’s interest would clash with hers. Other than that, she did not care.

At this moment, the carriage suddenly stopped near the Jubilee Gate. She lifted the curtain curiously and instantly saw Xiao Kezhi standing outside her carriage, watching her.

“Did you enjoy the show just now?”

Chu Ning immediately knew that he noticed her watching him just now and dropped her pretense. She stepped out of the carriage and said after a curtsy, “Your Majesty, please don’t worry. I just happened to pass by, and I won’t tell anyone about the incident.”

“Is that so?” Xiao Kezhi came near and watched her closely. He did not bother to conceal the suspicion in his gaze. “Since you were just passing by, why do you also coincidentally appear on my way back to the palace?”

Xiao Kezhi wondered why he could remain calm when Zhao Yue was seducing him, but filled with uncontrollable desires before the proper and demure Chu Ning.

Chu Ning was stunned for a moment and understood that he suspected that she created a chance encounter, just like Zhao Yue.

She couldn’t help but smile, and a rare mischief appeared on her beautiful face. “You’re right, I did approach Your Majesty a few times, so it is natural that you feel suspicious. However, it was the Duchess of Lu who invited me to pray at the temple today. If Your Majesty still doubts me, you are welcome to ask the Duchess.”

The evening was growing dark. Her face was covered by a thin layer of veil, and it made her seem mysterious.

There were fewer people in the area. However, people still passed by every now and then, so it was not safe even though guards were keeping watch.

But Xiao Kezhi stepped even closer to her and brushed his finger across her face.

The warmth of her skin spread to his fingertip and caused a wave of passion to spread throughout his body before gathering in his heart. He found it hard to resist.

“Instead of approaching Duchess of Lu, why don’t you come to me directly?” He concealed his hand in his sleeves, pinched his palm hard, and tried to resist his restlessness. “Have you finished considering? Are you going to tell me what you want?”

Chu Ning saw that although he appeared calm, he was actually trying to resist his desire. She calmed down slightly and thought that her efforts in the past two months were not wasted.

However, she believed that men had a wicked nature. They would not appreciate anything they obtained easily.

“It’s late. The Crown Prince will be angry if I don’t return soon.”

She took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped the corner of her lips, creating a faint red print on it.

“If Your Highness really wants to know, you should wait patiently.”

With that, she turned around and walked towards the carriage.

The evening breeze pressed her gown to her figure, making her slim form visible. The breeze also blew her handkerchief from her sleeve.