Chapter 337: Chapter 337: Space Exposed (4)
Feng Xuxu gazed quietly for a while, but, feeling utterly bored, she rose to her feet and stepped out. Recalling that it had rained the previous night, she wondered about the state of the Summer Garden. She called for Zhu Lengqing, had a carriage readied, and prepared to visit the Summer Garden.
Zhu Lengqing dared not be careless. As he prepared the carriage for the princess, he began to summon the guards from the Prince Residence, even calling out the reserve Iron Cavalry Army, a force of no less than thirty men.
Watching them brace for departure, Feng Xuxu stiffly curled her lips, thinking that merely stepping out seemed as elaborate as a journey. However, she also understood their concerns and went along with their arrangements; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to leave today.
The procession moved mightily towards the outskirts of the city, and the common people who passed by halted in their tracks and watched with quiet whispers in small groups.
In the teahouse, on the second floor of Yuzhu Pavilion, Nangong Xiu stood by the window, observing the procession outside. A pair of stoically disciplined Iron Cavalry Army soldiers flanked the carriage, followed by no shortage of guards dressed in the livery of the Prince Mei Residence. Without much thought, he knew that with such an opulent procession, it could only be the Princess of Prince Mei Residence, and no one else.
"Brother Nangong, what are you looking at?" Xue Hongbao asked curiously, having observed Nangong Xiu staring out of the window, lost in thought. He too stood up and joined him at the window to have a look.
"Heh, what a grand spectacle. This Princess of Prince Mei is truly no simple figure. Even Prince Mei, as cold as ice, fell at the feet of her red-pomegranate skirt. She alone dominates the entire inner courtyard, a testament to her considerable skills." He wished he could see the person inside the carriage, his sleazy hand stroking his chin as he felt a tickling curiosity.
Turning around, Nangong Xiu felt a surge of disgust seeing Xue Hongbao’s lewd smile.
"I urge you to better leave her alone. Angering Prince Mei could mean the best-case scenario for your Xue family is a total demise." Nangong Xiu closed the window and sat back down, his mind wandering to Qiu Yuquan, who had merely flirted with Feng Xuxu and ended up having his Demon Palace razed to the ground by him, ultimately choosing suicide over dishonor. His coffin was buried beyond the Capital City at Ten Mile Slope. Nangong Xiu had stealthily observed the site; fortunately, Feng Xuxu had shown him some respect, dressing the body in fresh clothes, preparing the makeup, and granting a coffin, preventing his remains from being devoured by wild animals.
"Brother Nangong, Brother Nangong, what are you thinking?" He called several times without eliciting any response from the distracted man.
The preoccupied Nangong Xiu only vaguely felt someone calling him and turned to see Xue Hongbao looking at him with puzzlement. "What?"
"I was saying, aren’t you being a bit too mysterious about this? After all, our Xue family is one of the five noble families. A stomp of our foot, and Capital City must tremble thrice. Moreover, if the five noble families join forces, we shouldn’t fear not being able to overpower him." Xue Hongbao dismissed the concern lightly. Tired of hearing his father talk about how Prince Mei decimated the Prince Mo Residence and warning their family to be cautious, Xue Hongbao relished the rare moment of respite outside, only to encounter the Princess of Prince Mei again.
"Believe it or not, that’s up to you, but if you offend Prince Mei, I doubt the five noble families would support you." He picked up the teacup from the table and slowly savored it.
Xue Hongbao’s eyes widened in disbelief, staring at Nangong Xiu. "Brother Nangong, don’t forget you too are a Young Master of one of the five noble families. Don’t boost another’s morale and undermine your own pride." He scoffed disdainfully, surprised at Nangong Xiu’s timidity despite being a fellow Young Master.
"Whether or not I undermine my own pride, I don’t know, but I do know he’s not someone I can afford to provoke." He averted his gaze, swept Xue Hongbao with a look, and continued sipping his tea indifferently.
Xue Hongbao, feeling intensely annoyed, flipped his cup, sat down, and lifting his teacup, he drank it all in one gulp, setting it heavily on the table with a snort before rising to leave with his entourage.
"Why would Young Master say such a thing?" Nangong Xiu’s personal attendant was puzzled. Clearly, the five noble families were bound together, so why would their Young Master say something like that?
