HCB Chapter 395 Ancient Palace Maid 8
Chapter 395 Ancient Palace Maid 8
He thought it would be hard for him not to be attracted to such a mysterious and charming woman.
Thinking of this, Helian Zhou smiled slightly. He was somewhat glad that she had taken the initiative to come to his side back then.
Hearing his words, Qingdai didn't even raise her eyes: "Yes, next, Helian Xuan will start to plot against the Empress and the Prime Minister's family behind her."
"Is he relying on the power of his father and third brother?" Helian Zhou had guessed something, and naturally knew what his father was wary of.
Qingdai nodded, not surprised that he could guess it; villains are always clever.
"Once the Empress's faction falls, it will be the Third Prince's turn. Only after they are all out of the picture will it be our turn to make our move."
Helian Zhou curled his lips into a smile: "Well, then let Second Brother clear the obstacles for us ahead."
He has already found out how Consort Xian plotted to kill his mother, so naturally he will not let them get away with it.
In fact, none of the princes had ever moved out of the palace, not even the eldest prince after he married his princess.
From this, it can be seen that the Emperor was wary of the Empress and the First Prince, and preventing them from leaving the palace was naturally within the Emperor's control.
Only the Empress and the eldest prince were blinded by the Emperor's false affection, believing that the Emperor was reluctant to separate father and son, which was why he kept the eldest prince in the palace.
However, this time the second prince got married, the emperor had no reason to refuse, so he could only grant both princes the title of king and arrange for them to leave the palace and establish their own residences.
*
Today is the wedding day of Prince Helian Xuan, a joyous occasion. The Prince Helian Xuan's residence outside the palace is bustling with activity, as ministers from various families, along with their relatives, princes, and princesses, have come to participate.
Helian Zhou also took Qingdai out of the palace. This was a rare opportunity for the two of them to leave the palace, so they were naturally in a good mood.
Inside the carriage, Qingdai sat languidly by the window, occasionally lifting the curtain to peek outside.
Helian Zhou was reading a book, occasionally glancing up at her: "Do you want to leave the palace to play?"
"It's alright, I was just curious to see what it looked like outside."
Judging from the shops on both sides of the street and the smiles on the faces of the people coming and going, it is clear that the people of the Northern Dynasty are indeed living well.
"I'll take you out for a walk sometime when I have the chance," Helian Zhou said.
Qingdai didn't refuse; going out for a stroll was nice: "Okay."
Hearing her agree, Helian Zhou couldn't help but smile.
The carriage turned the corner and came to a wide and quiet street lined with the mansions of high-ranking officials and nobles, and carriages from various families came and went.
Before long, they arrived at the spacious entrance of the Prince Ping's mansion, which was the only lively place in the vicinity today.
There were already many carriages parked in front of the gate, and people were arriving one after another.
Qingdai followed behind Helian Zhou. After presenting her congratulatory gift, the two were led into the main hall by the receptionist.
Upon seeing Helian Zhou, the ministers bowed in turn, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness the Fourth Prince."
Although the fourth prince was not favored by the emperor, he was still a prince and could not be ignored at will.
"No need for formalities," Helian Zhou said calmly.
"Fourth Brother, over here!" The Fifth Prince was happy to finally have someone to keep him company, so he didn't have to sit alone anymore.
Even though his fourth brother wasn't talkative, he didn't mind at all and warmly stood up to invite Helian Zhou to sit down.
"Fourth Brother, why are you all so late? I've been waiting for quite a while." Helian Cheng said as the two sat down at the table with the princes.
Helian Zhou's face remained expressionless: "It's not late."
Upon hearing this, Helian Cheng was at a loss for words. His fourth brother's words were impossible to respond to, and the relationship between the brothers was generally just so-so.
He could only exchange a few words with his second brother, but he always felt that his second brother seemed to be a distance from everyone else, giving people a strange feeling.
Since neither his eldest nor third brother liked him, Helian Cheng didn't spend much time with them.
Helian Zhou didn't mind him not speaking; silence was best.
Qingdai stood behind him and glanced at Helian Cheng. This fifth prince was not bad and was also smart. He was young and did not have the ambition of the other princes.
Before long, the eldest prince and the third prince also arrived. Both of them had waited until the main characters of the day were about to hold their wedding ceremony before coming.
"Fourth brother, fifth brother always arrives at banquets quite early," the third prince couldn't help but chime in again.
Helian Cheng said innocently, "The palace is far away, so we naturally came earlier."
The eldest prince has been granted the title of Prince Duan, and his residence is located just a few streets away from here: "Yes, third brother, you live in the palace but don't you know to leave earlier?"
Of these people, besides his own favorite, the emperor's third brother was the one he disliked the most, so naturally, Herada disliked him the most.
"As long as we make it in time, we won't miss Second Brother's wedding," Helian Yi said calmly.
Helian Da didn't pay any attention. His gaze swept over Helian Zhou, who hadn't spoken, and said, "Fourth Brother doesn't seem to like talking to his brothers."
Since he had been brought up, Helian Zhou naturally had to speak up: "Please forgive me, elder brother, I am just not good with words."
Helianda wasn't so polite to his unfavored fourth brother. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly saw Qingdai behind him.
"Your palace maid is quite pretty. Fourth Brother is of marriageable age, so it's normal for him to like someone like her. Just don't cause any trouble."
His words were a dig at Helian Zhou by using Qingdai, calling him a shallow and lustful person.
Helian Zhou simply said that he was still young and hadn't thought about those things. As for the sarcastic remarks, he pretended not to understand them.
But in his heart he was thinking that his eldest brother wouldn't be able to be arrogant for long, so he could secretly help his second brother speed things up.
Who told my elder brother to say such unpleasant things? He not only spoke sarcastically, but also dragged Qingdai into it.
Qingdai, the person mentioned, said that she would let it go, since she was generous, she wouldn't take action.
Anyway, the eldest prince's good days are numbered; he will be imprisoned for the rest of his life until he dies.
Helian Da was pleased with his second brother's wedding today, as it meant one less troublesome competitor, so he decided not to hold a grudge against his fourth brother.
Helian Yi wanted to say something, but the wedding ceremony had already begun, so he had to swallow his words, feeling somewhat uneasy.
Today's main character, Helian Xuan, is in high spirits and seems to be very happy.
Qingdai also overheard many ministers whispering that the second prince had lost his right to succession and they were lamenting on his behalf.
The eldest and third princes were genuinely happy and invited Helian Xuan to drink.
Even brothers who had no right to compete for power were happy to show their father brotherly affection and respect.
Only Helian Zhou and Helian Cheng didn't seem to have much of a reaction; one was already aware of the true situation, and the other probably hadn't thought that much about it.
After leaving the Prince Ping's residence, the carriage slowly drove towards the palace.
Helian Zhou looked at Qingdai opposite him: "Don't take what Helian Da said today to heart. He was deliberately targeting me."
He was worried she would mind, so he stopped calling her "elder brother" altogether, since there was no real affection between them anyway.