Chapter 50: Zhu the Tiger Seizes a Bride, Part 2 (Please Bookmark, Please Recommend)

By this time Chen Yuanyuan had already stepped out from behind Wu Sanmei, placing herself between Wu Sanmei and Zhu Cilang.

She already knew this lecher who had come was no simple figure! Because she recognized the big fellow Li Ruolian who had come in with Zhu Cilang. Her former master Tian Hongyu had also been a Guard Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and he and Li Ruolian were colleagues who had dealings with each other.

A lecher who could make a Guard Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard follow him into the Earl of Pingxi's residence to forcibly seize an official's woman was certainly no ordinary lecher! So she absolutely had to find out the situation clearly, and then think of a way to deal with it.

Seeing a great beauty flash out from behind Miss Wu, Zhu Cilang was startled for a moment, then carefully sized up the beauty before him. This beauty was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, and though she wore no makeup, she was still stunningly bright and lovely, and this face was considerably prettier than that of the tall young girl. But as for figure, she was not the tall girl's equal. Not only was she not tall, but her figure was also on the thin side, not as graceful as the tall girl. Considering that the tall girl was young, there was plenty of room for development, heh heh...

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang chuckled and said to Chen Yuanyuan, "This elder sister, may I ask if Wu Sanmei is here?"

Wu Sanmei?

Chen Yuanyuan was stunned at Zhu Cilang's question, and at the same time felt a little disappointed in her heart... Why Wu Sanmei? What kind of taste do you have, you lecher?

Although Wu Sanmei was tall and graceful, she was actually still a silly little girl, and had never imagined that she herself was the prey of this handsome lecher before her. She actually rushed to answer for Chen Yuanyuan: "I am Wu Sanmei. Which family's young master are you, and why have you trespassed into the Earl of Pingxi's residence?"

Then she stepped around in front of Chen Yuanyuan, puffed out her chest, and shielded Chen Yuanyuan behind her. "I'm telling you, Sister Yuanyuan is the Earl of Pingxi's woman. If you dare have improper thoughts about her, once the Earl of Pingxi leads his troops into the capital, you'll be in for it!"

"Sister Yuanyuan... Chen Yuanyuan?"

Only then did Zhu Cilang remember that in Wu Xiang's household there was still a Chen Yuanyuan, the one for whom Wu Sangui would "fly into a rage for a beauty's sake."

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang laughed heartily, looked at the silly Miss Wu before him, and said with a smile: "We are Zhu Cilang. Today We have not come for Chen Yuanyuan, but have come to the Earl of Pingxi's residence to seize Wu Sanmei. Since you are Wu Sanmei, then obediently come away with Us!"

"Oh, so you haven't come to seize Sister Yuanyuan, but to seize..." Only when she had gotten this far did Wu Sanmei realize something was wrong, and at once her almond eyes widened in fury. "What? You've come to seize me, your granny? You lecher, have you eaten the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard?"

As she spoke, Wu Sanmei, with a clang, drew a gleaming treasured sword and held it across her chest.

What is this? Why bring out a weapon all of a sudden? Could it be she is unwilling to let Us seize her? Seeing the treasured sword, Zhu Cilang also felt a bit afraid. Swords and blades have no eyes; he must not let this silly girl stab him.

Zhu Cilang hastily shouted: "Old Father-in-law! Old Father-in-law! Quickly control your daughter!"

Then Wu Xiang, his face full of embarrassment, squeezed out from the crowd behind Zhu Cilang. Seeing his daughter holding a sharp sword, Wu Xiang could only stamp his foot and say: "Third girl, throw that sword away at once... This is His Highness the Crown Prince! Come over here quickly and kowtow to His Highness the Crown Prince to apologize!"

His Highness the Crown Prince?

At this, both Wu Sanmei and Chen Yuanyuan were dumbfounded.

His Highness the Crown Prince wants to seize Wu Sanmei?

That's not right. Wasn't Wu Sanmei going to be given to the Crown Prince as a secondary consort? Why would he want to seize her? Could it be that he is too impatient and cannot wait to have a woman?

"What are you still standing there stupidly for? Throw the sword away! This is His Highness the Crown Prince, the Thousand Years!" Wu Xiang felt his old face had nowhere to hide, but he still had to grit his teeth and play out the act with Zhu Cilang!

Scolded by her father, Wu Sanmei finally came to her senses. Looking again at Zhu Cilang, he was indeed a handsome young man, as graceful as a jade tree in the wind, exuding an air of nobility from head to toe. The young girl's heart at once rippled. She tossed the treasured sword aside, then gracefully knelt and said in a soft, light voice: "I, Wu Sanmei, should not have offended His Highness the Crown Prince, the Thousand Years. I beg the Thousand Years' forgiveness. I accept any beating or punishment, with absolutely no complaint..."

Even accepting any beating or punishment, with absolutely no complaint — her attitude toward admitting fault is quite good!

"Hahahaha..." The moment he saw Miss Wu admitting fault and accepting punishment, Zhu Cilang burst into loud laughter. "Good, good, worthy of being the Earl of Pingxi's sister! Rise, and come back to the palace with Us!" As he spoke, he stepped forward and grabbed Wu Sanmei's wrist, then pulled her up.

Wu Sanmei was also a bit dazed. She had not expected that she was about to be taken back to the palace by the Crown Prince... Wasn't this progressing too fast? Surely she wouldn't have to serve in his bedchamber tonight?

At the thought of serving in his bedchamber, Sanmei's fair face instantly flushed bright red, and she refused to go along, instead struggling weakly.

This struggle of hers, half-refusing and half-welcoming, pleased Zhu Cilang immensely. This girl was quite good — taller than himself, with a figure that looked quite substantial, and fair and tender... and she was certainly a virgin! Now she belonged to him!

Heh heh, this Crown Prince of Ming feudal society still had some flavor to him!

He tugged at Wu Sanmei a few times and found that the girl was actually quite strong. Zhu Cilang frowned slightly, seemed to understand something, turned around, and announced loudly: "Wu Sanmei of the Earl of Pingxi's residence has caught Our eye. We now take her back to the palace and take her as a consort!"

So this was what it meant to be the Crown Prince's consort? Wu Sanmei's heart pounded like a little deer. One moment she looked at Zhu Cilang with her big, watery eyes, the next she glanced at her own father, her face as red as a big apple.

After the announcement, Zhu Cilang said to Li Ruolian: "Guard Commander Li, go at once to the Gate of Imperial Supremacy and report to Our Imperial Father. Say that now with the enemy at the city walls, and We having been ordered to oversee the army, We do not know when We may have to sacrifice Ourselves for the altars of state. But of the three unfilial acts, having no heir is the greatest. For the sake of the foundation of the state, and for the sake of the Great Ming's ten thousand generations, We have decided to take Miss Wu Sanmei as a consort! First bring her into the palace to serve, and after escorting His Majesty south to the auxiliary capital, the rites will be made up later."

Well now, boarding the carriage first and buying the ticket afterward!

Is this still feudal society?

...

At the Gate of Imperial Supremacy, today's imperial audience was still in progress.

The "denunciation" of Wu Xiang had already ended. After Guang Shiheng took the lead in impeaching Wu Xiang for offering his daughter to curry favor with the sovereign, many other ministers joined in the uproar and all submitted memorials against Wu Xiang. And the Chongzhen Emperor, that enlightened monarch who followed good counsel as readily as flowing water, immediately declared that the Crown Prince could not violate ancestral regulations by taking the daughter of a high official as a consort.

However, as for Guang Shiheng's demand that the base and petty Wu Xiang be dismissed from office and investigated, the Chongzhen Emperor did not accept it — as for Wu Xiang, a bit of a dressing-down was enough. If he were truly punished too harshly, there was fear that Wu Sangui might have thoughts.

And after the "dressing-down" of Wu Xiang and Zhu Cilang was finished, a piece of good news reached the Gate of Imperial Supremacy. This good news came from the battlefield east of the capital: there were no large bands of roving bandits east of the capital!

In other words, Beijing was not surrounded!

"Excellent! This shows the roving bandits do not have many troops, perhaps only tens of thousands, not enough to surround the capital!"

The Chongzhen Emperor rubbed his palms together and said with an excited expression: "Now the capital has troops and pay, and strong walls to rely on, so it is certainly absolutely secure. Once Wu Sangui's troops arrive, we can utterly defeat the roving bandits!" He paused, then called out, "Wei Zaode!"

Wei Zaode, Grand Secretary of the Hall of Central Supremacy, immediately stepped out from the ranks and responded: "This subject is here!"

"Immediately send a military dispatch to Wu Sangui. Say that the roving bandits failed in their assault on the city on the seventeenth, suffered heavy losses, and are now stalled beneath the strong walls of the capital. Also, tell Wu Sangui that the capital's nobles and officials have donated enthusiastically, and five million taels of military pay have already been raised. Now one million taels of mobilization pay can be given to the Guanning Army. As long as he leads his troops into the city, the Ministry of Revenue can immediately give him the pay silver, without shorting him a single coin!"

Wei Zaode was stunned. "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has no money!"

Chongzhen laughed heartily: "The Crown Prince has money. Draft an edict ordering the Crown Prince to hand the money over to the Ministry of Revenue — won't that do?"

Seventeen years as Son of Heaven were certainly not for nothing. Was handling a little Crown Prince raised in the palace not a piece of cake? Chongzhen knew that the reason the Crown Prince dared to be so cocky now was that he had used marriage to win over Wu Xiang. So as long as he sabotaged the marriage between him and Wu Sanmei, the Crown Prince's faction would immediately lose its backbone and become a heap of loose sand.

Then everything in the Crown Prince's hands would belong to the Chongzhen Emperor!

Just as the Chongzhen Emperor felt he could come out and fleece Zhu Cilang the local tyrant, Li Ruolian, Guard Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had already run at flying speed to the front of the Gate of Imperial Supremacy.

Chongzhen knew that Li Ruolian had been with Zhu Cilang participating in the city's defense. Now seeing him run in flustered and panicked, he was immediately alarmed.

Surely there hasn't been a change in the military situation?

"Your Majesty, bad news!" Li Ruolian ran up to Chongzhen before kneeling and kowtowing, and then his first words made the atmosphere in front of the Gate of Imperial Supremacy tense.

"What is it?" Chongzhen asked nervously.

"The Crown Prince, the Crown Prince... he has seized Wu Xiang's daughter Wu Sanmei! He has already carried her back to the Hall of Joyful Celebration, and the rice is already cooked!"

(End of Chapter)