Masquerade in Bridal Attire and Marry the Prince

167. Chapter 167 Fight for Zhao Ling’er

Translator: Tracycbj

“Then let’s go together.” Yuxing Tianrui waved his hand slightly, as if he was not unhappy to have one more companion. Dongxiang followed them obediently.

The court was not far from the imperial garden. On both sides of the path, there were tall willows which were twice as tall as an adult. The willow branches were clustered together, which made it hard to tell that two men were standing by the willow there.

“Who is this girl? She’s such a good dancer.” It was the first time Yuxing Wei had seen such a scene. He knew that the girls here would be chosen for the prince, so he was intrigued. In his eyes, the girl that Yuxing Tianrui chose would always be above average.

Yuxing Wei didn’t bring any servant with him, and Dong Xiang was the only one serving them. When Dong Xiang was about to reply, Yuxing Tianrui stopped him and said, “I seldom meet the young ladies of the ministers, but from her demeanor, she must come from one of the four major families.”

As he spoke, Yuxing Tianrui smiled faintly with admiration in his eyes. He was looking at Zhao Ling’er, whose dance was so beautiful that any man could fall for her.

Just as the Empress was about to decide if Zhao Ling’er should stay or leave, a eunuch suddenly said, “The Crown Prince has come. The Third Prince has come.”

His voice shook the whole imperial garden like a bomb. Even though the girls knelt down, they couldn’t conceal their ambitions in their eyes. The top-grade girls knew that it was very likely that they would become the concubines of the princes, so they were excited.

“Oh, it’s my Tianrui and Wei.” The Empress smiled and stood up with warm and amiable smile on her face. Du Chuxuan stood up and bowed slightly to the two princes. He saw Dongxiang standing behind Yuxing Tianrui and he could guess why they came.

“Mother Empress, how are you today?” Yuxing Wei bowed to the Empress respectfully and then went up to support her with a smile. “I hear that there is a pageant here, and I am courious, so I come to take a look.”

Yuxing Wei went out on order soon after he came back, and he spent less time with the Empress than Du Chuxuan. However, they pretended to get along well and covered up their schemes against each other.

Yuxing Tianrui naturally walked up to Du Chuxuan and said, “How are you feeling today?”

Many girls had been fixing their eyes on Yuxing Tianrui, who didn’t look at them at all. They felt angry and looked at Du Chuxuan with resentment. However, they didn’t dare to show their emotion due to the status difference.

Du Chuxuan felt their resentful gazes, which sent goose bumps on his body. It was said that a beauty could have the ability ruin a country, but he was so beautiful that even girls were jealous of him.

“The pageant is important to the East Palace and you, so I come today.” Du Chuxuan said with a smile. His voice was sweet, but Yuxing Tianrui felt something quite nervous.

He looked at Du Chuxuan carefully, but he could find nothing wrong. After Yuxing Wei chatted happily with the Empress, he turned to look at Zhao Ling’er who was standing below.

“Tianrui, this is the second daughter of the Zhao Family. It’s a pity that you two are too late to watch her amazing dance.”  The Empress said with a meaningful smile.

Yuxing Tianrui turned to look at Zhao Ling’er, who was standing there gracefully. She reacted quickly and put on a delicate air once she felt Yuxing Tianrui’s gaze. She looked so delicate that any man would like to adore and protect her.

“The daughters of Zhao Family are always good.” Yuxing Tianrui only took a glance at Zhao Ling’er without fixing his eyes on her. Everyone thought that he was interested in Zhao Ling’er, so he followed the decent manner. The other top-grade girls secretly gritted their teeth and swore that they had to perform well in a while.

“Brother, your praise doesn’t do her justice. I see that the second daughter of the Zhao Family is extremely beautiful, and even Mother Empress admires her dance, which I think must be breath-taking.” Yuxing Wei said with a smile as he looked at Zhao Ling’er.

In fact, even if Zhao Ling’er was not favored by Yuxing Tianrui, she was worth fighting for, considering her beauty and family background. When Zhao Ling’er turned to look at Yuxing Wei, her eyes glinted with admiration.

“Thank you for your compliment, Your Highness. I will work harder.” Zhao Ling’er was delighted. She wished to be the wife of the Third Prince. After all, it was a position of princess. Besides, she liked Yuxing Wei’s appearance. If she became the Third Princess, she could give orders to the people of East Palace. Such a thought excited her.

“Alright, alright. In this case, let’s keep you for the time being. I’ll decide according to your performance on the next family banquet,” The Empress said. She treated Zhao Ling’er differently from the other girls.

In some way, Zhao Ling’er was almost chosen to be the royal family.  As long as she didn’t do anything out of line, she would definitely enter the East Palace or the Third Prince’s palace. The girls behind her felt stressed.

“Scheming guy, what are you thinking?” Yuxing Tianrui did not say anything, but he heard Du Chuxuan’s voice. The two of them sat very close, and they could get close to each other’s ears with a slight turn. Du Chuxuan knew how to communicate with internal power, but he suddenly didn’t feel like doing it.

Yuxing Tianrui paused. Feeling Du Chuxuan’s warm breath on his neck, he felt itchy.

“Zizheng, don’t you think Zhao Ling’er is very special?” Yuxing Tianrui noticed that Du Chuxuan was unhappy, but he couldn’t appease Du Chuxuan in public, so he could only explain in a low voice.

“Special?” Du Chuxuan looked at him menacingly. ‘Your Highness, if you like her, I will help you ask for her, and you don’t have to wait for the family banquet in a month.”