Xia Chen remained calm, waiting patiently.
Until he saw Zi Yue gracefully approaching in a purple dress.
"Consort, you've waited long. The Princess will be here shortly!"
Zi Yue curtsied, then elegantly moved closer to Xia Chen, her red lips slightly parted as she spoke.
"It's fine!"
Xia Chen shook his head, his gaze still composed.
Zi Yue couldn't tell if Xia Chen was genuinely fine or if he was upset, especially since he had been made to wait for the time it took to drink three cups of tea.
"The Princess has just finished bathing. To meet the Consort, she specifically dressed and adorned herself, which took a bit longer. Please forgive her, Consort."
Zi Yue didn't want Xia Chen to misunderstand the Princess, so she specifically offered an explanation.
Xia Chen smiled slightly and shook his head.
"Zi Yue, you worry too much. I am not busy at the moment, waiting a little longer is no bother!"
Xia Chen didn't care about these minor matters. Whether the other party was trying to assert dominance or genuinely dressing up, Xia Chen wasn't too concerned.
Because his heart was always shrouded in gloom. Ever since he entered the Princess Manor, though he appeared calm and composed, he had been constantly on guard, treading carefully.
Judging from various events in his previous life, the Second Imperial Princess had hidden herself too deeply, to a terrifying extent.
The Crown Prince and the Third Prince fought tooth and nail, to the point where the Third Prince didn't hesitate to rebel and launch the Gate Coup, clearly pushed to desperation.
Yet, the Second Imperial Princess remained low-key until the very last moment of the Gate Coup, when she finally stepped forward and ended the chaos.
Her actions were swift, precise, and ruthless!
Another reason Xia Chen found the Second Imperial Princess unfathomable was that even though the imperial Bloodline was almost completely slaughtered during the Gate Coup, there were still the Eight Kings within the imperial family. Their Bloodline wasn't too distant, and they also had succession rights.
According to custom, in such a situation, one would clearly choose a clan member, with a lesser branch inheriting from the main branch!
But surprisingly, both the Civil Official Group and the families of generals chose to support the Second Imperial Princess, a woman, in ascending the throne.
This was truly terrifying!
Clearly, these people had long been won over by the Second Imperial Princess, perhaps even pledging their allegiance to her.
Such cunning had the entire world dancing in her palm.
Now, such a terrifying person was his fiancée, and he was about to meet her. How could Xia Chen not be on his guard, paying full attention?
Although he was half a player and had a cheat, Xia Chen never dared to underestimate the people of this world.
Because countless players in his previous life had demonstrated with their own lives how they were massacred and toyed with by these natives.
But what bothered Xia Chen even more was: how did Xia Chen in his previous life die during the Gate Coup?
Did he truly die by accident? Was it not the Second Imperial Princess who conveniently crushed him during the suppression of the rebellion?
Xia Chen harbored deep suspicions.
"Consort, the Princess is arriving!"
In a daze, Zi Yue's voice reached Xia Chen's ears.
Xia Chen heard light footsteps and looked towards the side hall. A woman emerged from the back, possessing breathtaking beauty. Xia Chen's expression was momentarily dazed; this woman was indeed the most beautiful person he had seen so far.
And behind her, followed a cute, Spiritual Qi-filled girl, none other than Li Wei!
"Greetings, Princess!"
Xia Chen was only momentarily dazed before he immediately stood up and bowed respectfully.
Regardless of his conjectures, whether they were correct or not, he had to play the part perfectly now.
Yao Guang carefully observed the young man before her, a flicker of emotion in her beautiful eyes.
This man was indeed the most outstanding person she had ever seen; his appearance was flawless.
"No need for such formality, rise!"
Yao Guang made her voice calm and indifferent, but a faint smile, one she herself hadn't noticed, appeared at the corner of her lips.
Li Wei stood behind Yao Guang, curiously observing Xia Chen.
Xia Chen noticed her gaze, nodded at her, and then looked away.
"Sit."
Yao Guang waved her hand, signaling Xia Chen to sit opposite her. Immediately, maids entered in an orderly fashion, and various exquisitely prepared dishes began to be served. Each portion was small but extremely delicate, perfect in color, aroma, and taste.
"Are you hungry?"
Yao Guang looked at the handsome young man before her and spoke first.
"Not really."
Xia Chen nodded calmly.
For a moment, the room fell silent. Yao Guang lowered her head, looking at the dishes continuously being placed on the table. She wanted to say more to break the silence but couldn't think of a topic.
She had always been articulate and intelligent, but today, for some reason, she was a little speechless. The man before her, her fiancé, was indeed somewhat different from what she had imagined.
According to the intelligence, Xia Chen was gentle as jade, humble and polite, exuding an air of nobility, friendly to everyone, and often had a smile on his face.
Upon meeting him today, Xia Chen was indeed polite, but he was also a bit too placid, even cold.
This made Yao Guang frown slightly. Why was this?
And upon seeing her, Xia Chen changed. Was the intelligence wrong?
A woman's first intuition is very accurate. Xia Chen believed he had performed quite well, respectfully and politely, but Yao Guang still felt a slight difference.
The two sat at the dining table, speechless for a moment.
Zi Yue frowned. The Consort wasn't outwardly talkative, but he was certainly not introverted. Moreover, the Consort's demeanor didn't seem nervous, so why was he so cold?
"I heard the Consort is highly talented in literature; even Your Majesty has praised him. Have you prepared anything for today's literary gathering?"
As Yao Guang's strategist, Zi Yue felt that this heavy atmosphere couldn't be allowed to persist. It was the Princess and the Consort's first meeting; while they weren't expected to immediately develop feelings, it shouldn't be too awkward, making both parties uncomfortable and restless!
Indeed, as soon as Zi Yue spoke, the oppressive atmosphere in the room was instantly broken.
"I'm just a martial artist. Today, I'm mainly here to watch the excitement and witness the young talents of my Great Wu!"
Xia Chen had a smile on his face as he responded. In that instant, he also realized his own problem. He had been prejudiced, suspecting that he might die at the hands of the Second Imperial Princess in the future, and thus had been overly wary of her.
But now, nothing had happened yet, and he had only recently become engaged to her. As for his younger brother, the future pillar of Great Wu, King Zhen Dong Xia Hao, he was only 13 years old this year.
In his previous life, there were rumors that the Empress had intentionally chosen Xia Hao, but this was clearly a rumor, because the Empress reigned for decades, dominating the world, and there was no power left in the world that could contend with her.
If she truly favored Xia Hao, they would have been together long ago.
But as far as Xia Chen knew, the Empress had always been alone. Her eyes seemed to only contain Dao. Later, even the heir to the throne was a young child chosen from the imperial clan…
Moreover, later, when the Spiritual Qi Recovery era arrived, the Empress mysteriously disappeared in the early stages of the Spiritual Qi Recovery era.
News spread that King Zhen Dong Xia Hao was responsible…
This was not groundless, because later, when the Great Wu Dynasty disintegrated, the biggest beneficiary was indeed Xia Hao…
Inferring the process from the result, while giving him a head start, it was also easy to fall into the trap of preconceived notions.
Xia Chen woke up in time. Regardless of the true nature of this historical mystery, he was now in this torrent, and he should earnestly feel and experience it.
As for the outcome, and whether it could be changed, he would fight with all his might, unafraid of difficulties and obstacles!
Thinking of this, Xia Chen showed Yao Guang a brilliant smile.
…