Shan Qihuan became nervous.
He was used to seeing handsome men and beautiful women, and his friends often brought a few celebrities from the entertainment industry to dinner parties, but he had never met anyone who could make him fall in love with her with just a glance.
He has beautiful facial features, his eyes are distinct black and white, and they are lively.
After being stunned for a few seconds, Shan Qihuan calmed down and felt extremely sorry for this beauty who had amazed his heart. In half a month, he would have to go to the palace to serve the King of Chu.
Just one glance and Shan Qihuan's heart, which had not been moved for nearly thirty years, was in turmoil, and he felt a little distracted.
But after thinking about it, he was also an ancient person, so it has little to do with him.
Shan Qihuan glanced at the beauty who was surrounded by servants so tightly that he couldn't even see a single hair. He sat aside and wondered when he could return to the modern era. Maybe this was just a dream
After the rain stopped, the group continued their journey back to the State of Chu.
When he was less than three days away from the capital, Shan Qihuan received a secret letter from the capital, saying that the emperor had suddenly fallen ill and he was required to rush back to the capital, perhaps to see him for the last time.
Shan Qihuan didn't care at all whether he could see the emperor for the last time. As far as he knew, he was a prince who never competed with others and was not favored by the emperor. Moreover, he was not the original third prince, so he might as well go back on time.
However, there are many princes in the State of Chu, and there is no crown prince yet. There is a possibility of a nine-draft battle for the throne. Who knows if one of the princes will suddenly kill the other princes who threaten the throne after he takes the throne? Wouldn't his life be in danger then
He had only been here for a while, and hadn't even figured out his own situation yet, but he was facing a life-and-death situation. It was really a headache.
Shan Qihuan finally decided to go back at a moderate pace. The King of Chu had been on the throne for many years, and the older princes were eager to inherit his throne. He guessed that the King of Chu's critical illness was most likely man-made, and someone was indeed impatient.
The emperor is already critically ill and will not live for many more days. When the new emperor takes office, the situation between the two countries may have to be renegotiated, because the new emperor may be eager to establish his authority in front of his ministers and is unlikely to accept the old emperor's arrangements.
As for the beauty from Qi, the new emperor would not accept her, and Shan Qihuan did not want her to be harmed. He heard that she was a boy. He did not understand the difference between a boy and a girl, and he did not take a second look at her. He only knew that the boy in front of him had successfully attracted his attention, and he did not want him to enter the capital, a place of trouble.
Shan Qihuan returned to the capital before them and immediately ordered people to buy a property in the suburbs of the capital to accommodate the people.
Zhishi said: "Your Highness, you already have a house in the suburbs of Beijing, and it has been idle, why do you want to buy another one?"
Shan Qihuan was not the Third Prince himself, so he didn't know. "Forgot about it. Let's settle them in the suburbs of the capital when the one from Chu State is about to arrive."
Throughout history, whenever the emperor passed away, something would definitely happen in the capital.
Zhishi went to do it immediately.
At this time, Shen Yuhan, who was placed outside Beijing, already felt something strange.
Mo Zhu stood up for his master: "Master, why did the Third Prince arrange us here and not let us enter the city?" He was a little worried that the Third Prince might be attracted by his master's beauty and want to take him for himself.
Shen Yuhan was such a smart person, he said: "Don't think too much, he must have considered placing us here."
"But you are going to marry the emperor of Chu, and he is the prince who will come to pick you up. If outsiders find out, won't they gossip about you? What if you enter the palace in the future?" It's really a pity that the emperor is not in a hurry to kill the eunuch. Bah, bah, bah, he is not a eunuch.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Things will work out when the time comes. I think the Third Prince has decent character. He is not the kind of person you said. He must have his reasons for making such an arrangement." Shen Yuhan didn't say anything more to Mo Zhu.
Before he set out, his father and brothers analyzed the situation in the State of Chu for him.
The King of Chu has six adult princes. The eldest and second princes have the support of the harem and are the strongest contenders for the throne. The third prince has basically no chance of becoming emperor because his mother is of humble origin. The fourth and second princes are both born to the empress and support the second prince. As for the fifth and sixth princes, their in-laws also have a certain status in the court, so it is really better for them to avoid getting involved in this muddy water if possible.
Mo Zhu said seriously: "Master, you can't just trust people because the third prince is handsome. Madam has said that you must be careful of strangers when you are outside. Don't trust others easily and observe them carefully."
Shen Yuhan sent Mo Zhu away: "Okay, go and do your thing. I really like this garden. I guess we'll have to stay here for a while longer."
"Why do you have to stay for a while?" Mo Zhu asked.
"The only way to save your life is to talk less and do more." Shen Yuhan has already made some guesses.
They have been rushing these days, and the Third Prince ran faster than them, which shows that something has happened. What kind of situation would make the Third Prince, who doesn't care about the affairs of the country, in such a hurry to leave? Even a person who is married to Qi can be placed at will? There is only one guess: something may have happened to the Emperor of Chu who wanted to take him into the harem.
This was actually good news for him. He really didn't want to enter the palace, nor did he like the life of intrigue and fighting in the palace. Living so cautiously was too tiring. On the contrary, the arrangement of the third prince was exactly what he wanted. If he entered the city, he would have to enter the palace. He was only in the suburbs now, far away, and the dignitaries in the capital would not remember him. Why not
He didn't know if it was intuition, but he felt that the Third Prince's behavior was relatively reliable. First, they drove the bandits away, and second, they settled him here. He also knew that the Third Prince was not as powerful as the other princes, so he had to protect himself in the capital. Perhaps this was the true meaning of "great wisdom in disguise".
Shan Qihuan didn't know that Shen Yuhan had a good first impression of him.
At this time, the capital was under tight security everywhere, and he entered the emperor's bedroom under the guidance of the eunuch.
The emperor is being watched by the empress and guarded by princes around the clock, so his arrival does not seem that important. He is a prince who poses no threat.
At this time, the emperor was breathing in more than out, and his eyes were staring blankly at the top of the tent.
Shan Qihuan, who saw the emperor for the first time, was stunned for a moment, then he pretended to be upset and knelt down with a thud.
That night, the death knell rang in the palace, and the old emperor breathed his last.
The real battle for the throne has also begun.
The prime minister of the Northern Dynasty took out the emperor's will and passed the throne to the second prince. However, the eldest prince, who had always coveted the throne, did not believe it because the second prince had no talent or virtue and was just a legitimate son. The eldest prince, who was well prepared, broke into the palace directly, massacred the palace, and imprisoned the second prince.
Shan Qihuan could smell the strong smell of blood even when he was hiding in his own residence. When he was brought before the eldest prince, his face turned pale and the fear on his face did not seem fake.
This is a real fight for the throne. If the third prince had taken sides before, he would probably be dead now.
The Queen's faction was suppressed, the eldest prince took the throne, and the other princes vying for the throne will probably be liquidated one by one in the future.
When the new emperor takes office, he naturally arranges the affairs of the previous emperor before he can ascend the throne smoothly.
Shan Qihuan still lived in fear these days. After the new emperor came to the throne, he stayed in his own residence and did not go anywhere. Occasionally, he asked someone to send some delicious food to the woman in the suburbs. The person from Qi who was sending the bride was unable to leave because of the turbulent internal affairs of Chu and remained in the suburbs.
Just as he was free, Shan Qihuan began to study the gender of the boys. It turned out that the boys had the body structure of men, but had the reproductive function, and were a very special group of people.
Ever since he saw that person's face that day, he has been thinking about her.
After the new emperor started his normal work, Shan Qihuan was woken up before dawn every day to attend the morning court. This was more demanding than his previous working hours. However, as a prince who was not very involved in government affairs, he yawned whenever he wanted to during the court. He had to show some appearance to the new emperor. Although the new emperor scolded him a few words, he was actually very happy in his heart. He even sent someone to inquire about Shan Qihuan's recent situation.
Then he learned that he had taken good care of the man from Qi, and the new emperor remembered the situation of Qi. Since the late emperor was no longer around, he was in charge of the matter. The late emperor did not want the two cities, but he wanted them. So he called Shan Qihuan to the palace.
"Third brother, I see that you are not very interested in the beauty from Qi State, and you don't have anyone to take care of you. Why don't you marry her as your concubine?" After all, she was sent by Qi State for marriage, and she also had the title of "Princess". The new emperor did not like beauties, so it would be better to give her to his third brother. After he ascended the throne, he would have several brothers. He could still use this third brother and use him to show his benevolence to the ministers.
How could Shan Qihuan not know what the new emperor meant
He pretended to be happy and thanked the new emperor, but in fact he felt unhappy about being controlled by others. If he didn't marry today, he would be given a marriage in the future. Instead of marrying a woman he would never touch, it would be better to marry that beauty, at least they had met before.
The wedding was organized by people in the palace. Shan Qihuan was conferred the title of prince and virtuous king. "Xian" means "idle", which means that he could only be an idle king in the future without any real power.
The late emperor only needed to wait for three months to show filial piety. After three months, the emperor would issue an imperial decree and Shan Qihuan would marry a new bride.
Before the wedding, Shan Qihuan secretly met with the beauty.
The beauty was wearing a veil and standing under a plum tree, with snowflakes falling on her crane cloak.
Although it was very abrupt, Shan Qihuan still asked simply and directly: "Are you willing to marry me? Princess Xian."
Shen Yuhan looked through the veil at the wise king in front of him who was asking the question so seriously and was a little surprised. Who would ask like that
He didn't know how to answer. He had never met anyone so straightforward and asked such a question.
Shan Qihuan didn't respond and said, "The emperor will grant us a marriage soon. If you don't want to, you can fake your death and leave Chu. I will arrange it for you."
Shen Yuhan shook his head: "I would like to."
Shan Qihuan was stunned for a moment. He scratched his neck nervously. It was the first time he heard the other person's voice. It was soft and gentle, yet he could hear the firmness in the words.
Shan Qihuan asked him again: "Don't you regret it?"
"Yes, I don't regret it. Prince, here you go." Shen Yuhan took out a sachet from his sleeve, "I put some soothing herbs in it. It will be very useful if you put it next to your pillow when you sleep."
"Thank you." He did suffer from insomnia often after coming here, and he couldn't help but look at the attentive beauty twice.
This person will be his wife from now on.
A month later, Shan Qihuan married his brother Shen Yuhan, who was born in Qi State.
On the wedding day, Shan Qihuan became nervous again.