CHAPTER 502: CHAPTER 502 EVASION

After a sigh, Prince NanAn and his group took the jade pendant to find Su Chong.

In the study.

Su Chong heard the footsteps of Prince NanAn and his group.

He leaped out of the window and left.

Prince NanAn and his group entered the study.

The study was empty.

"Where is Brother Su?" he asked.

"He might have gone to the training ground," Chu Shun said.

They proceeded to the training ground to look for Su Chong.

Su Chong wasn’t there either.

The engagement jade pendants were a pair, and Su Chong’s pendant, Prince NanAn’s group entrusted it to Steward Lin before they left.

Given that Prince NanAn lost his own engagement jade pendant while shopping.

They dared not carry Su Chong’s engagement jade pendant with them.

What if it got lost?

It was the engagement token of the Duchess and the Late Heir of Duke Chong’s, carrying extraordinary significance.

It was only Prince NanAn who lost the jade pendant.

But Chu Shun and the others were psychologically scarred.

Thus, they left Dongxiang Marquis Mansion and headed straight to Prince Yun Mansion.

Upon learning that Chu Shun and the others were coming, Prince Yun was anxious, fearing they were there to deliver bad news.

But when he saw Chu Shun, a jade pendant was tossed towards him.

Prince Yun reached out to catch it.

"What is this jade pendant?" he asked.

"This is the engagement jade pendant of Brother Su and Princess Fu Yun."

Prince Yun, "..."

The speed of this process is astonishingly fast, isn’t it?

"You’re not joking with me, are you?" Prince Yun couldn’t believe it.

"Why would we deceive you? This jade pendant was entrusted to us by the Duchess, it is her engagement token with the Late Heir of Duke Chong."

"We really went through a lot to get it."

Prince Yun still found it hard to believe.

However, for something so significant, they shouldn’t be joking with him.

Prince Yun clasped his hands together to express his gratitude, "Gentlemen, please come inside for tea."

Prince Yun invited Prince NanAn and his group inside for tea.

As it was still early, they followed Prince Yun to his residence.

Meanwhile, the jade pendant was sent by a maid to Prince Yun and Princess Consort Yun.

Prince Yun was somewhat skeptical about the words of Prince NanAn and his group, but Prince Yun was fully convinced.

He recognized the pendant as something the Late Heir of Duke Chong had always carried with him.

Princess Consort Yun breathed a sigh of relief, urging Prince Yun, "Now you can safely go to find Marquis Jibei."

Han Dan Courtyard.

This was the residence of Princess Fu Yun.

Returning from eavesdropping in the study, Princess Fu Yun’s face showed no signs of joy.

She did not want to marry the Heir of Duke Chong, nor did she wish to marry either of the sons from Jibei Marquis Mansion.

But she knew she had gained the favor of the Empress Dowager, which meant her marriage would either be finalized quickly or be arranged by the Empress Dowager to marry the Heir of Duke Chong.

Just a few days ago, she was happily selecting gifts for her mother and consort, unaware that upon her return, she would be facing such a major life decision.

The heaviness in Princess Fu Yun’s heart felt like a stone pressuring her, impossible to remove.

Outside, a young maid dashed in and said, "Princess, your marriage has been arranged."

Almost instantly, tears flooded Princess Fu Yun’s eyes.

"Hurry, who is it arranged with?" The maid Shanhu beside Princess Fu Yun anxiously asked.

"It’s the Young Master of Dongxiang Marquis Mansion."

Shanhu was initially stunned, then delighted, "Princess, it’s the Young Master of Dongxiang Marquis Mansion."

Princess Fu Yun was unable to recover from her shock.

Crystal tears clung to her long eyelashes, neither dropping nor retreating, resembling the dewdrops on morning grass, wonderfully radiant.

She hurriedly wiped her eyes, "How could it be him?"

The young maid shook her head, "I don’t know, but Prince NanAn and his group brought the engagement jade pendant of the Young Master of Dongxiang Marquis Mansion and the Princess, and the Young Master invited them for drinks."

"The Young Master had the servant bring several barrels of good wine from the Princely collection, saying that they wouldn’t return until they were inebriated."

Duke Chong’s Mansion.

Indoors.

The Heir of Duke Chong lay on the bed.

A servant helped him apply medicine.

A slight touch made the Heir of Duke Chong wince in pain.

Outside, a servant called out, "Madam, why are you here?"

The Duchess was trying to enter the room.

The servant attempted to stop her.

The Duchess’s eyes flashed with displeasure, while the maid scolded, "Do you dare to stop the Madam?"

The servant shrank back.

It wasn’t that he dared to stop her, but rather that the Young Master had ordered that no one should enter.

The Duchess stepped inside, and the frightened servant retracted his arm.

The Duchess hurried in to see the Heir of Duke Chong clumsily trying to dress.

Dressing too hastily, he aggravated his wounds, causing stars to dance in front of his eyes from the pain.

The Duchess immediately noticed his injuries, "How did you get hurt?" she asked.

"Mother, I’m fine," the Heir of Duke Chong replied.

The Duchess didn’t believe him and insisted he remove his clothes.

His body was bruised and battered, causing the Duchess’s heart to twist painfully.

"Who did this to you?!" Her voice was as cold as frost.

In truth, the Heir of Duke Chong had no intention of letting the Duchess know he had been beaten up.

If the Duchess knew, then the Duke would find out as well.

Then he would be reprimanded.

He hadn’t anticipated that the Duchess would come while he was applying medicine.

The Duchess pressed for details, and with no choice, the Heir of Duke Chong had to tell her the truth.

A mother’s rage wouldn’t subside upon learning her son was beaten, and the Duchess was trembling with anger.

The Heir of Duke Chong quickly changed the subject, "Mother, it’s just a minor injury. What about my engagement to Princess Fu Yun?"

"Princess Consort Yun refused, citing that Jibei Marquis Mansion is also petitioning to marry Princess Fu Yun," the Duchess held back her anger and said.

The Heir of Duke Chong furrowed his brows, "How could that be?"

"The servants I’ve bribed at Prince Yun Mansion never mentioned that Jibei Marquis Mansion was petitioning to marry Princess Fu Yun."

"I think Princess Consort Yun is stalling for the Empress Dowager!"

The Duchess sneered, "Tomorrow, have your father probe them. If Princess Consort Yun is indeed stalling for the Empress Dowager, she could wed Princess Fu Yun to Duke Chong’s Mansion. If not, the Empress Dowager will surely accuse her of disrespect."

The next morning at court, Duke Chong subtly inquired if Marquis Jibei had any intentions of marrying Princess Fu Yun.

Marquis Jibei chuckled and said, "I approached Prince Yun for my eldest grandson, your nephew, to marry Princess Fu Yun."

"The Yun Mansion has already agreed to this marriage."

Duke Chong frowned, "Is Tingting the one marrying Princess Fu Yun?"

Marquis Jibei nodded, "Chongchong saved Princess Fu Yun on the street, I mentioned it casually to Prince Yun to avoid damaging her reputation. At that time, Chongchong hadn’t been reunited with his ancestry. I asked Prince Yun not to rush into an agreement and to take some time to consider."

"As the son of the late Heir of Duke Chong, why wouldn’t Prince Yun Mansion agree?"

"Congratulations to Duke Chong’s Mansion on the happy occasion."

Duke Chong’s face showed signs of frustration.

Marquis Jibei’s congratulatory words were not something Duke Chong could brush off.

Su Chong had recognized his ancestry and was now the Young Master of Duke Chong’s Mansion.

Naturally, his spouse would be the Duchess.

Prince Yun observed from afar, exceptionally relieved that the matter had been resolved and was glad to have gained an excellent son-in-law.

Yet, while some were happy, others were not.

The Heir of Duke Chong knew that Su Chong had taken Princess Fu Yun, making him furious.

He clenched his fists and pounded down hard.

The windowpane of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion cracked.

There was a knocking at the door, followed by a servant entering, "Master, the spies at Prince Yun Mansion reported to me that yesterday, Prince NanAn and his group went to Prince Yun Mansion...".