Chapter 278 - 165: Indeed... I’m Old
"Isn’t this simple?"
Han Lei blinked and asked, "If you finally got hold of a string of copper coins, but someone told you that starting tomorrow, copper coins would no longer circulate in the market, and only transactions with silver would be possible. What would you do?"
Without thinking, Da Si replied, "There’s no need to say, I would definitely use that string of copper coins today!"
"Haha, exactly!" Han Lei chuckled and shrugged, the night wind blowing her garments, making her appear particularly carefree.
She raised the telescope again, her gaze directed once more toward the direction of the Champion Marquis’s residence, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
After a while, Da Si finally understood. He smacked his forehead, showing a look of sudden realization.
However, he asked worriedly, "What if, I mean, what if they forget to drink tonight?"
Han Lei retracted her gaze from the telescope and glanced askance at Da Si. She thought: Da Si is indeed not as clever as Da Jiu.
She fished out a detonation remote from her space and waved it in front of Da Si.
"Don’t worry! I’ve prepared a backup plan."
She had long arranged a contingency plan, designing interlayers under the two ornate boxes, with explosives placed within.
Da Si didn’t know what Han Lei was holding, but he felt assured upon hearing it was a backup plan.
He couldn’t help but exclaim, "Miss, you’re amazing!" His voice was full of admiration, his gaze burning as he looked at Han Lei, "No wonder the Prince likes you, you’re indeed very much like him."
"Oh? How so?"
Upon hearing this, Han Lei slightly turned her head, a hint of curiosity appearing in her eyes.
Her fingers holding the telescope unconsciously twirled a strand of loose hair, the tips gently lifted by the night wind.
Da Si said earnestly, "Just like the Prince, you also like strategizing before a battle, and your plans are flawless."
Da Si’s admiration for Han Lei and Zhao Zun was genuine, his words seemingly stating an undeniable fact.
Upon hearing this, Han Lei’s smile deepened.
𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
The two were chatting idly on the roof of Tengyun Building, while inside the brightly lit hall of the Champion Marquis’s residence,
the Champion Marquis had already called his whole family into the hall. Father and mother, son and daughter-in-law, grandson and granddaughter, gathered around a large table, ready to savor the fine wine gifted by Han Lei.
But before that, they had to wrap up today’s birthday banquet and inquire if Princess Changle gained anything from today’s gathering.
Delicate tea cakes were placed on the sandalwood round table, and the fragrance of tea wafted in the air.
Champion Marquis Su Zhen sat at the head seat, his dignified face showing a hint of worry.
The Champion Marquis’s wife had changed into a dark purple brocade robe and was personally serving tea to everyone, her brows filled with unresolvable distress.
Princess Changle had also changed into a moon-white skirt, and at this moment, under her family’s watchful gazes, she lowered her head and played with the teacup in front of her.
In the candlelight, her lovely face looked even paler. Sitting beside her, her sister-in-law Mrs. Wang hesitated several times before finally sighing lightly and pushing a peeled tangerine towards her.
"Changle!"
The Champion Marquis’s wife put down the teapot, her voice gentle yet firm.
"Among the gentlemen at today’s birthday banquet, did any catch your eye? The son of the Minister of War is excellent in martial arts, the grandson of the Minister of Rites is outstanding in literary talent..."
Before she could finish, the youngest of the Su Family suddenly interjected, "I say, the second son of the General of the South is most suitable for sister! He won the archery contest last time!"
"Silence!"
Champion Marquis Su Zhen roared, frightening the young man into shrinking his neck.
The old lady gently tapped the ground with her agarwood cane, her silver hair gleaming softly in the candlelight: "Changle, Grandma knows you have feelings for someone. But that King of Cangzhou..."
"Grandma!" Changle suddenly raised her head, her eyes welling up, "Zhao Zun he..."
"Foolish!" The old lady raised her voice abruptly, "His Majesty has already decreed a Princess Consort for Zhao Zun. You, as a Commandery Princess, do you intend to serve alongside a lowly woman from a remote place?"
Princess Changle’s eyes glistened with tears, unable to retort to the old lady’s reprimand, she could only bite her lip in silence.
Princess Changle’s sister-in-law, Mrs. Wang, seeing her so unresponsive, also tried to persuade.
"Changle, you are already twenty-four years old. Do you plan to wait until you are past your prime? In two years, those gentlemen who would want to ally with the Marquis may have already married and had children. You can afford to wait, but they can’t!"
Mrs. Wang’s words were like a sharp sword, piercing the heart of Princess Changle, making the entire hall fall silent.
Changle’s slender shoulders trembled slightly, the surface of the water in the teacup rippling gently.
She thought about her last solo visit to Canzhou, where Zhao Zun treated her coldly and without words, and her heart couldn’t help but ache.
Time waits for no one. This waiting is meaningless, she and Zhao Zun are not meant to be!
"Sister-in-law is right." Princess Changle suddenly chuckled, the smile bitterly sad, "Indeed... Changle has grown old."
At this moment, the Champion Marquis’s wife suddenly remembered to speak about Mr. Wei’s "telling."
"Changle, what do you think of Mr. Wei’s chubby nephew? You know him." The Champion Marquis’s wife said, glancing at her in-laws for their reaction, "Currently, Mr. Wei is thriving in court..."
Before Princess Changle could speak, Champion Marquis Su Zhen nodded while stroking his beard.
"Hmm! Mr. Wei, although... a bit plump, is knowledgeable and courteous. Securing such a marriage would greatly benefit our Su Family."
Speaking of Mr. Wei’s nephew, Princess Changle’s lowered eyelashes fluttered, and she looked up at the Champion Marquis.
The image of Han Lei’s chubby smile flashed quickly in her mind. Regarding that smooth-talking chubby fellow, she couldn’t clearly say if she liked or disliked him.
The Champion Marquis’s wife, seeing that Princess Changle didn’t outright refuse as she had in the past, quickly continued.
"I see Mr. Wei is sensible and sociable, with some poetic talent. You like poetry, don’t you? You two could find common interests. Besides, you already know each other and seem to get along well."
As soon as the Champion Marquis’s wife’s words fell, the old lady shakily took hold of Changle’s cold hand again.
"Good girl, Grandma knows your heart aches. But a woman must eventually find a home..."
Facing her family’s persistent urging, thinking of her fleeting youth, Princess Changle let a teardrop fall into her teacup.
Looking at the broken reflection in the tea, Princess Changle finally nodded, and in a soft, shy voice said:
"Then... then I will let my parents decide."