Because it was a cloudy day, it was not too hot. The lively scene made Chu Yunge feel as if she had returned to the modern world in an instant, and her mood instantly improved.
As she walked along, people constantly greeted Chu Yunge and paid their respects. No one dared to be presumptuous wherever she went, but it was also clear that she was not welcome. Wherever she went, the place fell silent.
There was plenty of respect, but a lack of closeness.
It was obvious that the princess, who had acted so uniquely by forcibly taking a commoner man and keeping him as a male favorite, was rejected and despised by others.
Chu Yunge did not mind. She watched everything with great interest along the way.
Everything before her eyes was very fresh to her. She watched with her eyes lighting up again and again and again, finally concluding that TV dramas and movies were still too conservative.
The men and women of the Chu State were quite fashionable. The small bags on the women and their maids were exquisite and stylish, no worse than those in the modern world. Shoulder bags, backpacks—everything was there.
It was dazzling to behold.
The dragon boat race was even more interesting.
Apart from the sailors, many young men from official families participated in the dragon boat race. They had excellent temperaments and appearances, bare-chested, as if she had stumbled into a male model selection site.
Chu Yunge could not look away.
When Xie Wangze caught up to Chu Yunge, he saw that she was not affected by Chu Yuwei at all. Her steps were light, and her face brimmed with excitement and delight.
If not for the railing separating them, Chu Yunge probably would have reached out directly to the shore for a close-up view.
Xie Wangze’s face stiffened slightly. He paused for a moment before stepping forward to follow.
“Your Highness, your seat is over there.”
Xie Wangze did not know how to describe his current mood. He just felt inexplicably irritated and stifled.
With so many male favorites at home—Pei Ji, Qingchen, Li Guangi, and Yan Feng—covering every style imaginable, she was still not satisfied and insisted on ogling those people.
Chu Yunge glanced at Xie Wangze. “Done comforting her? Why not catch up more on old times?”
Chu Yunge mocked him and walked away. Her goal was just to mock; she did not need a response from Xie Wangze.
After sitting in her assigned seat, Chu Yunge continued to admire the handsome men.
Xie Wangze stood in place for a moment before following and sitting beside her.
The princess had done far worse things before, with an attitude countless times more vile than now and words countless times more poisonous than just now.
Yet he had only remembered them and never taken them to heart.
For some reason, Chu Yunge’s slightly mocking and somewhat childish words now bothered him.
It must have been that his actions and words last night were improper, angering her.
He fell silent for a moment and personally poured her tea.
“Your Highness, have some tea.”
“This Princess is not thirsty.” Do not interrupt her appreciation of the male models, and she did not dare to drink it anyway.
Xie Wangze could feel the gazes around them. Watching Chu Yunge’s drooling expression, he stayed quiet for a moment.
He showed no unusual reaction, but in Chu Yuwei’s eyes, it took on a different meaning.
Seeing the surrounding gazes full of schadenfreude, and looking at Xie Wangze’s forbearing and humiliated appearance, Chu Yuwei could no longer stand it and spoke up.
“Your Highness seems very interested in the dragon boat race. How about making a bet with your little sister?”
She did not want the jade-like young lord she cherished to be humiliated. She wanted to save him.
She would always remember that stunning glimpse: Xie Wangze standing tall in the plum blossom grove, his clear and cold profile more translucent than snow, more proud than the plum blossoms.
With just one glance, no one else could enter her eyes.
Yet Chu Yunge had stolen the one she loved. The moment he was taken by her, Chu Yuwei knew they were impossible, but even if they were impossible, she hoped he could return to his own country and achieve great things, not be insulted here by Chu Yunge.
Chu Yunge finally withdrew her gaze, looking somewhat lazily. “What bet?”
Was this Xie Wangze’s goal? To have Chu Yuwei stand up for him?
The little girl was pretty, but from beginning to end, she was just a tool.
In the eyes of the Chu Emperor and the Empress Dowager, Chu Yuwei was a tool to tame her. Elevating her was only to give her a sense of crisis, to make her more obedient—like a PUA tool.
The princess had been too young back then, so they had succeeded quite well, pulling the princess’s hatred to the max and keeping her tense and compliant, afraid of being replaced.
But it was useless against Chu Yunge.
The late emperor had only one son, the Chu Emperor, the nailed-down heir. The others had died young at birth. She was the only princess, and only her blood could save the Chu Emperor.
Others, not just Chu Yuwei but also blood from other royal daughters, had been tried in various ways, but none worked.
So Chu Yunge was irreplaceable.
She also did not want to fight with Chu Yuwei; it was too boring.
However, Chu Yuwei did not know what she thought because she did not know the truth. Even if she did, she might not refuse, because in the process, she had gotten what she wanted.
Even as a tool, she had gained her own confidence and backing, daring to smile sweetly and bet with Chu Yunge.
“There are eight teams in the dragon boat race. We each pick one to support. At the end of the race, whoever picks the higher-ranking team wins. The winner gets to make one request of the loser.”
Chu Yunge: “Any condition?”
“Of course not. It has to be reasonable and moral. Does Your Highness dare to bet with your little sister?” Chu Yuwei knew Chu Yunge’s personality and subtly provoked her.
Chu Yunge could tell it was for Xie Wangze’s sake. She let out an “oh” and agreed. “A mere county princess dares, so why wouldn’t This Princess?”
Let her face the Chu Emperor’s wrath herself then.
Chu Yunge also wanted to divorce early, escape the plot’s influence, and shake off Xie Wangze.
Let them love and kill each other; she was too lazy to get involved.
Chu Yuwei was delighted. “Then Your Highness picks first, and I will pick after.”
She then looked at Xie Wangze and nodded to him.
Xie Wangze lowered his eyes. He had not expected Chu Yuwei to use this method. Though the success rate was questionable, and there was the precedent of trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used as bait, making one hesitate… still, it was worth a gamble.
Though childish, this childish bet might be the best way to get past the Chu Emperor.
The Chu Emperor was not present today. In front of the civil and military officials and all the citizens of Heavenly Prosperity City, even the Chu Emperor could not intervene or go back on his word.
With that in mind, Xie Wangze did not stop her. He tried to forget how he had originally planned to use Chu Yuwei, later found her useless for approaching Chu Yunge, and ended up getting himself involved instead.
“This Princess picks blue.”
Chu Yunge looked around and finally chose the blue team. The men on the blue team were the handsomest, with abs faintly visible. She had already eyed them several times.
They were the type that would attract countless screen-lickers if posted online.
Their looks were top-tier; she only regretted not having binoculars or a phone to appreciate and record them properly.
Chu Yuwei breathed a sigh of relief. Chu Yunge’s choice was as expected—she was brainless and only looked at faces, probably thinking the blue team was tall and sturdy.
But that was because the blue team consisted of young lords from Heavenly Prosperity City. Though they were not weak and had stolen the show, drawing everyone’s eyes, how could they compare to the real water army?
“Then I pick yellow.”
The red and blue teams were the flashiest, but the yellow team was the real water army. She had inquired about it; she would definitely win.
“Your Highness, if little sister wins, you must not renege, okay?”
Chu Yunge looked arrogant and disdainful. “Why would This Princess renege? Also, stop calling yourself ‘little sister.’ This Princess has no little sister.”
Chu Yunge could not tolerate even a little grievance. “These days, wives and concubines like to call each other sisters. You keep calling yourself ‘little sister,’ making This Princess feel like you are a servant concubine in the household.”