Chapter 674 - 673: Male Concubine
Huangfu Yuxuan’s voice was quite loud; not only did the people beside the Seventeenth Princess hear it, but even those a little further away also caught it.
The air fell silent for a moment.
Xia Wenjin’s face darkened. Huangfu Yuxuan had done such a despicable thing before, but at that time she had retaliated. Unexpectedly, he chose to use the same old trick in this place!
Xia Wenjin stepped out from behind Huangfu Jingchen and said lightly, "Young Master Xuan, I have no grievances or enmity with you. Why, in front of so many people, do you defame my reputation for no reason?"
Huangfu Jingchen’s expression also turned cold as he said icily, "Cousin Xuan, you can eat indiscriminately, but you can’t speak carelessly. Wenjin and I are friends; I’ve never heard of such a thing. Besides, with cousin’s status, if an engagement was truly set, it would be known throughout the Capital City. This casual remark harms Miss Xia’s reputation and damages your own integrity; it’s not worth it, cousin!"
Huangfu Yuxuan felt particularly unlucky lately; everything he did was not going smoothly. Even some very simple matters had no progress, causing him significant annoyance.
He no longer had the patience to take the high road Gongyang Puyu suggested; he decided to implement both the highest and middle strategies at the same time, and if those failed, he would resort to the lowest one too!
He must marry Xia Wenjin in a short time. He couldn’t understand why he couldn’t forcefully take action. Would the outcome of the middle or lower strategies be any better?
The only difference, probably, was the distinction between a proper arranged marriage and a marriage after the fact.
What kind of fate was this? As long as he married her, achieved possession first, and then appointed her to the position of proper wife, wouldn’t he achieve the objective? Why must it be a proper arranged marriage first?
Originally, when he first went to Jinzhou, he was a dashing young master, full of ambition, with aspirations and dreams of holding the world in his hands.
At that time, everything went smoothly, especially with the help of Gongyang Puyu, things were going downright smoothly.
Moreover, he was just one step away from marrying Xia Wenjin smoothly.
But Xia Wenjin ran away from the marriage. At that time, he didn’t mind. He believed in his own qualities; no woman would remain indifferent.
As long as the runaway woman saw him, as long as he slightly released his charm, which woman could escape the gentle web he wove?
So he kept sending people to find Xia Wenjin. Although no one found her, misfortunes found him instead.
First, his father was deposed and became Prince Liang, then a new Crown Prince was established, and then Prince Li, who loved poetry, wine, and romance, also began to compete for the throne...
Yuqing County Governor Wang Qianshan and Shian Temple’s Ming Qing, who he had arranged as early support and money bags, were all exposed one by one...
The political situation in the court kept changing, and everything around him was going awry.
So, the satisfaction and graceful demeanor he once had were now slowly being worn away.
A year ago, he felt he had ample time to win the lady’s heart, but now he no longer had the patience.
His father was becoming more and more unruly, and now he started to act wantonly around the mansion.
His brother, Huangfu Hongyi, was simply a good-for-nothing, doing nothing but eating, drinking, and playing, providing no help whatsoever.
Now, he was not the son of the Crown Prince, and he was not the Imperial Grandson; his calculations were so difficult, each step was so burdensome and heavy, and his heart was increasingly filled with gloomy and aggressive tendencies.
Gongyang Puyu said the current horoscope was chaotic and lacked clear guidance, so, except for the matter of marriage, other affairs should be put on hold for now.
Was this implying that if he couldn’t marry Xia Wenjin, future undertakings would still face many obstacles, so it’s better not to pursue them?
Thus, he could no longer wait. In three months, he must have a proper arranged marriage, whether it was by pressuring Xia Wenjin’s family or forcing it with rumors.
All means were acceptable; he only wanted the result.
There were so many people attending the flower viewing party today. By publicly announcing it, he paid no mind to Xia Wenjin’s reputation, considering only if he could achieve his goal!
After Huangfu Jingchen’s remarks, many people nodded silently, agreeing that indeed, an Imperial Grandson’s betrothal wouldn’t be that simple.
Nor would it be quietly decided without anyone knowing.
So, did Young Master Xuan truly love Miss Xia so deeply that he could speak recklessly?
But even if that were the case, as Prince Cheng’s Heir said, it would damage the lady’s reputation and taint his own virtue, ultimately not sounding pleasant when spread.
Huangfu Yuxuan flashed a charming smile, his eyes fixed on Xia Wenjin, and said, "Back in Jinzhou, Miss Xia and I were supposed to be wed the next day, but she fled the marriage that night and has been in Jianghu for two years. Isn’t this true, Miss Xia?"
Huangfu Jingchen felt somewhat anxious as these matters were things Xia Wenjin had once spoken to him about and couldn’t erase. Huangfu Yuxuan mentioned them before so many people; if Xia Wenjin answered affirmatively, it would imply there was indeed a marriage agreement with Huangfu Yuxuan. If she answered negatively, Huangfu Yuxuan must have a backup plan.
He could express mutual affection with Wenjin, but Chief Xia did not favor him, and now he had no opportunity to even visit the Xia Mansion as a guest.
Recently, Prince Zhuang had been making constant subtle moves, distracting him and making it difficult to resolve matters with Chief Xia.
Everyone’s eyes turned to Xia Wenjin, just as Zhao Keyan, who had just walked over, heard Huangfu Yuxuan’s words completely. Her steps halted, her hands tightly clenched in her sleeves, and her face slightly changed, with her rosy lips even turning a bit pale.
Her eyes were fixed sharply on Xia Wenjin.
She didn’t doubt Huangfu Yuxuan’s words but wanted to hear how Xia Wenjin would respond. She was just thinking, what virtue or ability did Xia Wenjin have to earn Young Master Xuan’s favor? Moreover, to have Young Master Xuan acknowledge before so many people that she was his betrothed, this practically meant telling everyone he was fond of Xia Wenjin and he was willing!
Unlike Zhao Keyan’s streak of resentment in her heart, not far away, Shen Yuncong, upon hearing those words, dropped his fan to the ground without realizing it.
This news was indeed too shocking.
He had just begun to feel affection toward a girl, but was he now supposed to cut off those feelings?
Huangfu Jingchen looked at Xia Wenjin, who shook her head at him, indicating that she would handle this herself!
As for those resentful and hateful gazes mixed with grievances, Xia Wenjin didn’t care, because most of the gazes at this moment were unfriendly. She slowly said, "There is such a thing!"
Huangfu Jingchen’s eyes deepened as he understood the truth; perhaps it was better to speak openly.
"Sss," came the sound of others sucking in breaths around them.
Incredible!
Yet more disbelief lay in the shock!
So it was real... they were betrothed?
Xia Wenjin continued, "Young Master Xuan’s words are somewhat out of context. I, Xia Wenjin, was born in Jianghu. At that time, someone tampered with my horse, causing me to fall and lose consciousness. My father, after hearing a fortune teller’s words, thought that buying a male companion to keep by my side could relieve my misfortune. If not, we could do as ordinary families do, with a wedding ceremony to avert bad luck! It was my father’s subordinates who couldn’t recognize a great person when they met one, mistakenly acquiring Young Master Xuan. Wasn’t this misunderstanding already explained?"