Masquerade in Bridal Attire and Marry the Prince

178. The Highborn and the Lowborn

Translator: Bryan

“Eek? How come there’s sixth-class among the titles? “Du Chuxuan found something astonishing. He looked at the girls who were titled with the sixth-class. Most of the sixth-class girls were supposed to stay in the palace serving as female officials, weren’t they?

“The families of most of those girls are locals of the capital city, and they don’t need their daughters to support them by working in the palace. Naturally, they will take their daughters back sooner, so that they can get married early.” Yuxing Tianrui was not surprised. This time, there were so many people competing for the titles. It was very likely most of them were thinking of finding favor with the emperor.

Du Chuxuan also felt that this was true. If all the nobles in the capital city needed to rely on their daughters to consolidate their status, then the court would probably have already been on the verge of collapse.

After a while, the title-bestowing ceremony was coming to an end. Some were happy about the results and others were not. After all, there were different levels of the bestowment. The third-class candidates, naturally, were given the best, and the sixth-class ones were divided into different categories.

However, no matter whether they were satisfied with the Emperor’s decree, they could only accept it. The Emperor didn’t care what these people were feeling. Seeing that it was done, he left directly. The officials naturally left with their daughters. The few families that made it into the palace, in particular, needed to start preparing dowry.

Yuxing Tianrui looked at the sleepy Du Chuxuan and was a little amused. After greeting the Emperor and the Empress, Yuxing Tianrui set out to return to the East Palace with Du Chuxuan.

The Emperor glanced in the direction where Yuxing Tianrui had left. “Do you think what they did in the imperial garden the other day was an act?” His face was unfathomable. Even the Empress couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. So she just gave a thoughtful sigh, “It’s hard to say, but he doesn’t look like someone easy to please.”

The Empress knew very well what kind of person the Emperor was. Everybody out there said that he was a faithful husband, but she knew that he was the most ruthless. Yuxing Tianrui, who had been raised by him, had basically never known what it was like to grow up as a normal child. How could he know how to love anybody?

“They did that the other day solely because you were there. What did Noble Lady Xiao say that day? He made such a big fuss, and this time he went back with his arms around her directly.

The Empress turned her head and glanced at the backs of the two people. Leaving everything else aside and just looking at their backs, she felt that the two of them were really a perfect pair. She took a deep breath. “If that’s true, it’d be a good thing, don’t you think?”

The Emperor turned to look at the Empress. “Do you think Du Chuyue is Yuxing Tianrui’s soft underbelly?” he snorted. He didn’t believe it at all. Leaving aside the other factors, Yuxing Tianrui was the most competent subordinate he had personally knocked into shape.

If Yuxing Tianrui developed feelings for a girl, he would definitely find out immediately. However, just by looking at Yuxing Tianrui who was still immersed in court affairs all the time, it was only too obvious that Yuxing Tianrui was probably using this method to resist. It was not anything of importantance.

In the near future, when the Emperor recalled this idea, he just wanted to laugh at himself for never being able to understand love, which was why he, naturally, failed to perceive the changes in Yuxing Tianrui. Yuxing Tianrui had always been a person who excelled at concealing his feelings. It was already a dramatic change for him to hug someone in public.

Of course, that was another story. At least at this moment, Yuxing Tianrui and Du Chuxuan were doing a good job keeping it secret. In the eyes of outsiders, the crown princess was not in the Emperor’s good books. However, even if the Emperor and the Empress knew the bonding between the two of them, they probably wouldn’t be able to guess that actually their crown prince was the one being wronged, would they?

After returning to the East Palace, Du Chuxuan pulled off the thick bra. He didn’t know which one of those talky people had said earlier this morning that it was almost winter, that it was getting cold, so he should wear more. He had obediently put on a lot more clothes, but unexpectedly, this day was so warm that it made people want to lie under the sun.

He felt so hot that he was about to get miliaria. Having noticed it, Yuxing Tianrui chuckled behind him, “There’s no telling what kind of rumors would start circulating if anyone sees you do that.”

“Let them gossip. I don’t care.” The worst they could say was that the crown princess was flat-chested. They could never say he was a man. It was also Du Chuyue’s reputation that was at stake, so he didn’t care.

“The point I’m trying to make is that you don’t even have the money to buy medication for prickly heat now. What are you going to do about this?”

Du Chuxuan turned around slowly and looked at Yuxing Tianrui’s arrogant face, feeling aroused. His hand shot out and by the time Yuxing Tianrui realized it, Du Chuxuan had already held him in his arms.

“Why do you keep titillating me today, Your Highness? You’re making it impossible for me to resist the temptation.”

“Stop it!”

“Your Highness made it clear just now that I must not do that when there are many people around, but now it’s just the two of us. If Your Highness agrees, even the guards outside the house wouldn’t be able to hear us.”

After saying that, he saw Yuxing Tianrui’s face instantly blush. Du Chuxuan shook his head resignedly and helped Yuxing Tianrui take off his extra clothes. “You blush so easily, so I don’t even dare to let you leave my sight. If those two foxy women seduce you again, what should I do?”

“Didn’t you say that I have broken Fang Rui’s spell and wouldn’t be controlled again?” said Yuxing Tianrui confusedly with a frown, but his hands were very cooperative with Du Chuxuan’s movements, and soon he had only his underwear left.

Du Chuxuan, drawing him towards the hot spring in the rear, nodded. “Theoretically, that’s indeed the case.”

“Theoretically?” Yuxing Tianrui was a little anxious. He could tell at a glance that Fang Rui was no milksop. And the Fang Family was different from the Zhao Family. When facing the Zhao Family, the Emperor could retain some authority. However, the grandfather of the Fang family was the Emperor’s mentor. No one would be able to intercede.

“That secret technique has stood unused for a long time, and I don’t know if what the book says is true or not.” The two of them reached the edge of the hot spring while speaking.

Du Chuxuan jumped inside, reached out his hand and pulled Yuxing Tianrui into the pool. “What’s the point of worrying about that? I think Fang Rui, though having mastered that secret skill, is rather slow-witted. We don’t have to concern ourselves too much.”

It was typical of Du Chuxuan to see it this way. Yuxing Tianrui snorted. The pull made him stagger and he swallowed some water by accident, so he pushed Du Chuxuan away. “I feel uncomfortable.”