Chapter 418: Wei Wei's Appearance Evaluation
Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
The next day.
Inside the court, each and every one of the officials was behaving in an unusual way if compared to how they used to be. They looked nervous.
All of these abnormal behaviors were led by the unexpected appearance of the Third Prince in the morning court, which he had never attended in the past.
He chose not to stand but to lay on the carved wooden chair right beside him. He then raised his eyebrows and said to them, "Are you all lining up for the bride-show?"
The group of old officials kneeling down there had their own thoughts as they knew that the Fifth Prince had lost his power upon the fall of the Emperor Murong.
If they could bring in their daughters into the palace through the bride-show organized by the Third Prince, then they might be able to hold their position. In addition, they could prove to the Third Prince that they were standing on his side.
However, these old officials had never thought that Baili Jia Jue was unwilling to acquire a secondary consort.
"Lord Zhang," Baili Jia Jue slowly mentioned a name. "During the time when I was eliminating the Murong's subclans, one of them happened to know about you. Could you please elaborate on the story about how you both met before even mentioning the selection of the secondary consort?"
Lord Zhang had sensed the unusual response coming from Baili Jia Jue and therefore, he immediately kneeled on the floor and shouted with a pale face, "Your Highness, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life, please!"
Baili Jia Jue did not even glance at him for a second, not to mention the Emperor who had never once care about the issue in the imperial court.
None of them was brave enough to voice out their opinion inside the violet gold palace.
However, even if Baili Jia Jue refused to get a secondary consort, he was already at the age whereby as a prince, he was required to pick a lady who would be decent enough to be shown off in public to stay by his side.
For the past few generations, the emperors in power would always pick the most elegant lady as queen during the secondary consort selection. However, Baili Jia Jue was the exception. He had eventually picked a plain lady as his queen among all the ladies.
This strange behavior was unable to be justified away.
Moreover, there were still plenty of outstanding women in the capital, such as Yun Biluo and Helian Jiao Er. Therefore, it had aroused intense discontent among the people.
"I agreed that Helian Wei Wei is not as useless as she used to be. However, frankly speaking, she is not attractive at all. I am confused about the Third Prince's decision."
"Perhaps it's because of her Helian's bloodline. Don't forget that the Old Master Helian had brought several great achievements in the past."
"Forget about it. She has already been expelled by the General's residence. It is still unknown whether she will be acknowledged by her biological father."
"I've heard that the second lady of the Helian family was staying in the temple for two days a few months ago because she was having a guilty conscience. She had even gone chanting sutra. Honestly, I felt that she was kinda pity as the one who did the wrong thing was Madam Su, not her..."
To retrieve the reputation of her own daughter, Su Yan Mo had chosen to sacrifice herself. This was certainly a tough move made by her.
During these few days in the Capital, the people would keep talking about her when she stepped into the streets.
Su Yan Mo hated Helian Wei Wei from the bottom of her heart. She could not wait to slap her in the face.
If it was not for that b*stard, she would never have to suffer all these insults!
Moreover, Su Yan Mo knew exactly that one's reputation would be a crucial part of the selected ladies during the secondary consort selection.
That was the reason why she made up her mind to do so!
During these few days, Su Yan Mo's actions in the public had affected the reputation of the Su family and therefore, they had started to restrain her. Moreover, Murong Guang Yao had disappeared from the Capital for a few days. Perhaps, he knew that Su Yan Mo had embarrassed the Su family, causing him to feel ashamed of being with her.
Su Yan Mo knew exactly how tough her life was at the moment.
However, she managed to retrieve Jiao Er's reputation before appearance evaluation, which was good news after all.
"Jiao Er." Su Yan Mo was standing beside the sedan while waving to Helian Jiao Er. She was trying to wipe away the sweat on Helian Jiao Er's forehead with her white handkerchief.
However, Helian Wei Wei turned her head away and hurriedly took a glance at the group of ladies who were walking with her. She then pulled Su Yan Mo to a corner and said, "Mom, why are you here?"
"It's already late at night but you still haven't returned home. So, I am worried about you." Su Yan Mo was shocked for a second and then she asked, "Why? Is there anything that you want to tell me?"
Helian Jiao Er raised her eyebrows while swinging her white handkerchief as she said, "They are having fun with me just like before, but you have interrupted us while I was enjoying the fun. I think you should return to the Capital first. I feel awkward when you are standing here."
Su Yan Mo then took a glance at the ladies standing behind Helian Jiao Er and realized that they were the people of various wealthy families in her social circle. Shen then smiled and said, "I understand. I'll go back right away. You have fun, have fun."
The ladies moved closer toward Helian Jiao Er after Su Yan Mo had left.
"Jiao Er... that is your mother? She looks like a courteous and amicable person, but why would she..."
Helian Jiao Er felt sad and moved to tears upon hearing the words. "Even though she has done something bad before, she is still my mother. Actually, I believe that she wasn't as evil as she was perceived."
"Forget about it then. Let bygones be bygones." The ladies from various families came over to comfort her. "You have such an adorable look and sometimes, it might excite some other ladies to jealousy. That's why they would come out with all these dirty tricks to hurt you."
Helian Jiao Er started using the puppy-dog eyes trick. "I am not putting the blame on my sister. If it was me who encountered such an incident, I would definitely be mad too, but it seems like my sister was not trying to forgive me and my mother. No matter how hard we tried to convince her, it still did not change a thing. I was hoping to sincerely apologize to her one day."
"Jiao Er. You have to know that not everyone is as kind as you. Think about it, the secondary consort selection is around the corner and with her plain look, she would definitely feel jealous about anyone who looks better than her. Therefore, I believe the reason she does not want to forgive you is that she is trying to affect your reputation, causing you to fail in the selection stage."One of the ladies commented in disdain.
"Yes! I feel that the Third Princess Consort is definitely jealous of others. She knows that she is not good-looking and therefore, she tries to bring harm to others... even Yun Biluo has become one of the victims... Her heart is as malicious as snakes and scorpions."
"Let's stop talking about her. It's running late already so we better get to the appearance evaluation center before it's too late."
Helian Jiao Er nodded and immediately went to get herself prepared.
The first stage of the secondary consort selection would be the appearance evaluation test.
The appearance evaluation test would be done in a confidential manner. Each and every contestant would only be asked for their registered number and their surname. Their names were covered up to ensure total fairness of the final results. action
After completing the appearance evaluation process, Helian Jiao Er smiled as she took a glance at her score on the paper. She felt like she was on cloud nine.
Helian Wei Wei, let us see how you would be able to beat this rule.
All she could do was to witness the Third Prince in getting a secondary consort for himself.
Hah.
That dark and ugly face of Helian Wei Wei! She could not even pass through the appearance evaluation stage if she was here!
Helian Jiao Er laughed happily but right when she was leaving the room upon fixing her hair, she saw someone coming out from another room. A pair of fair and long legs appeared right in front of Helian Jiao Er...
Chapter 419: Appearance Comes First
Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
Helian Jiao Er could clearly hear the people around her gasping for air.
She then turned her head toward the lady who was walking over.
How could it be her?
It was the 'village girl' from firecracker street!
The lady was wearing a wine red evening gown while walking under the radiance of the sunset. She was holding an umbrella embedded with a black feather with her fair-skinned fingers. She only exposed her face to the public. With a pair of indolent eyes, fair skin, and her long curly hair cascaded down her back at will, it exuded a conception of pureness almost to the extent of perfection.
The people around Helian Jiao Er were stunned. "Who is she?"
"How do I know?" Helian Jiao Er bit her lips while grabbing her fist tightly. She did not expect that this woman would be qualified to participate in the appearance evaluation!
One of them who was in the crowd took a glance at Helian Jiao Er and said, "Jiao Er, your tone is a little bit unusual."
"I'm sorry." Helian Wei Wei rubbed her head and said, "Maybe it's because I am too tired. I have not been feeling well these few weeks."
That individual nodded but his eyes were on that lady all the while even after she left. "Gorgeous! She looks so beautiful! With her fair skin and long legs, she looks exactly like an angel!"
"Haha. Yes, she is." Helian Jiao Er spoke untruthfully. She had no idea whether it was her illusion or not because that person's facial features were familiar to her. It felt like they had been staying together for a long time in the past.
Forget about it. This was not the main issue.
The key was to get rid of this 'village girl' who came from firecracker street.
Just as Helian Jiao Er was brainstorming, there came the sound of people making noise. "The results of the appearance evaluation are released! Go and have a look at your ranking!"
All the ladies were extremely excited even though they already knew about their rankings.
One of them raised her voice and said, "With Jiao Er here competing with us, we would never be able to get the first place!"
"Oh, sister! Don't try to make fun of me..." Helian Jiao Er blushed as she felt shy. "Yun Biluo is competing too. She attended the appearance evaluation in the morning, so I have no idea what is her number."
"Alright, alright. I shall stop messing around with you but honestly, you and Yun Biluo are the two most beautiful ladies in the entire Capital. Either Yun Biluo or you would definitely appear to be in the first place." The lady pulled Helian Jiao Er's hand and walked to check the results upon finishing her words.
Helian Jiao Er gave out a sweet smile on her face as she was enjoying the moment. She had temporarily forgotten about the 'village lady' she met just now.
However, when she saw her ranking on the published list, her smile turned stiff.
Even the lady who dragged her there felt shocked as she could not believe her eyes. She immediately scanned through the number she was holding in her hand to match with the published name list on the wall.
"What? How is this possible?"
"Jiao Er is in third place?"
"That's weird. Who is the one in the second place?"
The crowd habitually ignored the first place in the list because they all had it in their mind than Yun Biluo would be the one. Therefore, they were searching for the number that belonged to the contestant who ranked second in panic.
"Number 5? Who is Number 5?"
There was no answer.
Each and every one of the ladies was confused. They were having doubts about this 'second place' who came out all of a sudden.
Some of them whispered and asked, "Why don't you guys go and ask who holds the Number 11 that ranked the first?"
"What for? That would definitely be Yun Biluo. I'll immediately pass her this good news once I'm back to the academy!"
Helian Jiao Er could no longer hear what they were saying in her surroundings. She had placed her entire focus onto the name list on the wall. She felt like she had fallen into a swamp.
Third place?
How could she be in third place?
Was it because of that 'village lady' who had just walked away?
Helian Jiao Er was extremely mad about the results. She had never thought that the 'village lady' would go that far in this appearance evaluation.
Which fugly b*tch dared to step over this beautiful young lady from the wealthy General Residence?
She swore to crush the face of the 'village lady' when she found out who she really was!
Helian Jiao Er was having some evil thoughts in getting rid of this b*tch. She then turned around and told the maid beside her to bribe the person in-charged of this appearance evaluation. She was trying to disqualify the 'village lady' from the competition!
However, it was not as easy as Helian Jiao Er thought this time.
The maid came back to her, shaking her head.
Helian Jiao Er did not expect that her money could no longer solve the problem she was facing!
"What is going on now?"
The maid looked around and said, "The person-in-charge did not take the money. He looked scared and even his face turned pale."
"Argh!" Helian Jiao Er started becoming impatient. She turned up her volume and said, "That is definitely a freshly hired staff who had never done anything like this before! I'll go straight to the manager and get things done!"
"Yes..." The maid lowered her head respectfully.
It only took Helian Jiao Er a few minutes to find the head of the organizer for this appearance evaluation, Lord Liao. Lord Liao's eyes popped upon seeing Helian Jiao Er. He scanned through Helian Jiao Er from the bottom to the top with his eyes.
Usually, Helian Jiao Er would choose not to meet with this Lord Liao because he would look at her with the most unpleasant leer even though he was almost the same age as her father.
"Come over here Jiao Er. Tell Uncle Liao what happened." Lord Liao reached out his hand and pulled Helian Jiao Er toward himself. He then told her to sit on the wooden chair right beside him.
If it was last time, Helian Jiao Er would definitely ignore him. However, she understood exactly what the current situation was of the General Residence.
She had to soften her attitude if she wanted to succeed. "Lord Liao, I would like to ask you a favor."
Helian Jiao Er softened her voice and started to act in a pettishly charming manner.
Lord Liao immediately fell for her. He then placed his hand onto Helian Jiao Er's hand, which he had been yearning for day and night. "What is it? Your Uncle Liao would do anything and everything for you."
Helian Jiao Er had done some research on the sexual relationship between men and women in the past to alienate Helian Wei Wei from Murong Changfeng.
She had a dream exactly the same night, as though she had consumed the forbidden fruit.
While Mr Liao was touching her hand, she felt like her entire body was burning. action
As Helian Jiao Er did not resist, Mr Liao started getting cheeky. He placed his hand on her lap and moved his head closer to her. "Jiao Er is getting more and more attractive, not to mention, your fair skin..."
Helian Jiao Er did not pushed him away. Instead, she responded with a soft "hmm".
Upon getting the signal, Lord Liao's eyes turned bright. He lifted her up right away and kissed her in the face...
Chapter 420: Wei Wei And His Highness Were Being Affectionate
Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
Helian Jiao Er did not actually intend to take it further with him, she was merely giving him a little appetizer in order to convince him to heed her words.
Lord Liao hastily promised her, "Don't worry. I will never in a million years allow that person you mentioned to be selected."
"That's fine then." Helian Jiao Er pushed his shoulders away and whispered softly, "I will make sure to thank Lord Liao accordingly when the time comes."
Lord Liao was not willing to let go of her yet. He hugged her from behind, fondling her everywhere with his large hands, and uttered, "Stay for a while more. Lord Liao will send you home personally later."
The incessant physical contact made Helian Jiao Er's legs weak, and a slight push was all that was needed to send them both falling back into the wooden chair again.
Although the servant waiting outside could not figure out the content of their conversation, he could still discern the erotic sounds coming from the room.
The guards exchanged quick glances with one another, snickering quietly in their hearts. They could never imagine that these unmarried ladies actually behaved so rampantly in their private lives.
Lord Liao's children were already all grown up, and his wife was fierce as a tigress.
An evil smirk grew on Helian Wei Wei's face as she listened to the report from the mercenary, and ordered, "Continue to trail her. Then, send this letter to the Liao Residence and inform Madam Liao that I will be gifting her a huge present during the Selection Ceremony tomorrow."
"Understood." The mercenary took a brief glance at Helian Wei Wei and was slightly stunned at the sight. He would have never believed that the goddess-like being in front of him was with his young master, without witnessing it with his very eyes.
Helian Wei Wei was unperturbed, the smile on her delicate lips grew gradually as she held an umbrella in her hand...
After the morning court, Baili Jia Jue returned to the White Academy. As he was removing his cloak with his long, slender fingers, he commanded, "Go and wake the princess consort up."
From his impression of Helian Wei Wei, he discovered that her ability to laze in bed was simply unparalleled, it would anger all gods and humans alike. She could easily doze off on her study table for an entire day in the inner room if no one called for her. Needless to say that if she was given a bed, she would sleep like a log in it.
With an uncomfortable expression, Qing Zhan replied, "Your Highness, princess consort is..."
"You're looking for me?" That feminine voice was rejuvenating and sounded exceptionally pleasant in the morning. However, one could not help but feel very suspicious after hearing it.
Baili Jia Jue's eyes were fixed on the lady clad in a long, loose robe. She closed her umbrella as she slowly ambled over from a distance away. He squinted his eyes and beckoned her over with his slender finger, "Come here."
Helian Wei Wei was currently at the most pivotal stage of wife hunting. The bossy presidents would occasionally reveal their true selves to their significant other during wife hunting.
Helian Wei Wei wanted such results too. She approached Baili Jia Jue with a smile on her face.
Baili Jia Jue lowered his gaze and quickly glanced at her. As he traced his finger on the scar etched on her face, he asked, "Where did you go?" However, he was actually curious about the reason she woke up abnormally early today.
"Oh, I went out to run some errands." Helian Wei Wei responded nonchalantly with a hint of teasing in the corner of her eyes, "After all, an hour in the morning is worth two in the evening. Time in the morning is so precious. Of course, I don't want to waste it."
A look of confusion dawned on Qing Zhan's face as she listened on beside her.
Everyone knew that the princess consort was someone who would rather die than not having her sleep.
How could she utter something as ludicrous as 'an hour in the morning is worth two in the evening?'
The princess consort had been behaving peculiarly ever since she lay her hands on the book called 108 Ways to Court Your 'Wife'.
Baili Jia Jue merely looked indifferent as he lowered his gaze and stared meaningfully into Helian Wei Wei's eyes. Then, he uttered, "Follow me back to the palace later."
"All right." Helian Wei Wei's hands paused as she let out a yawn. Her face had long returned to its darkened state, covertly hiding a smirk within her expression. Hmm... The people in the palace should still be unaware that she is going after His Highness. She should warn them beforehand.
Actually, such a move from Helian Wei Wei was not exactly necessary.
Ever since Baili Jia Jue vanquished all the shadow guards, he did not spare even a glance at a palace maid when he returned to the palace, much less a female death knight. action
Therefore, all of the servants under Helian Wei Wei were very old maids. They were extremely respectful and meticulous, making no room for mistakes when serving the new princess consort.
Helian Wei Wei suddenly felt that she no longer needed to put all her plans into motion and let out a sigh of relief as she sat at the dining table.
She wondered why she felt that she could never implement the 'bossiness' she had planned for him.
What about that huge group of servants wanting to sleep with him?
Not even one appeared.
How can she find an excuse to 'kabedon' the prince? If she does not 'kabedon' him, how can she reveal her evilness and vileness?
Sigh...
Baili Jia Jue saw that she had been wearing an evil smile on her face as she searched for something in the bedroom. When she finally finished searching, she had a listless expression. He used his chopsticks and grabbed some vegetables for her. Then, he spoke calmly as though he was feeding his prey, "Don't be in a daze while eating."
Helian Wei Wei opened her mouth and ate it very elegantly, although she was murmuring something in her heart while accepting the food he was feeding her.
Something doesn't feel quite right.
I don't think the ladies in the book behaved like this?
Even caring about what the president eats? This seems unlikely.
However, His Highness was different. He loved feeding her and would also manage the people she would meet.
Whatever. After all, she was a bossy president now. She should be considerate of her significant other.
Helian Wei Wei ate until her cheeks were stuffed with food. Then, she let out a sigh. Ugh... His Highness is for sure an annoying little monster.
Upon thinking about that, she channeled all her energy into savoring the delicious food.
Nangong Lie was shocked by the interaction between both of them and could only regain his voice after some time. He uttered, "Ah Jue, even if it was out of politeness, could you please spare me from this scene? I have yet to have my lunch."
The Third Prince spoke coldly after being interrupted by him, "Why are you here?"
"I have been here all along!" Nangong Lie roared louder, "Both of you were so into one another, you didn't even look around at all!"
"Also, does Helian Wei Wei have no hands?"
"She even needs you to feed her?"
Of course, Helian Wei Wei had noticed Nangong Lie's scrutinizing eyes, especially the pair of them fixed on her now. However, she gave a philanderer like him no thoughts at all.
One punch is all that is needed!
In the next second, Nangong Lie felt dizzy and collapsed on the ground. This... What happened just now?
Helian Wei Wei cleanly retrieved her kicking left leg, smiling. She merely exerted an ounce of her strength with that attack.
"Wei Wei." Baili Jia Jue furrowed his brows disapprovingly as he turned his royally handsome face to the side.
Tears brimmed from Nangong Lie's eyes. Ah Jue, you finally remembered I am your friend!
Helian Wei Wei merely looked back and raised the corner of her eyes, waiting for him to say something.
"Don't go murdering someone when you are eating next time. It is bad for your digestion." Baili Jia Jue extended his arms to bring her back to the table, and said, "Sit down. Continue eating. You ate too little just now."
Nangong Lie, who was kicked sprawling across the ground, was absolutely dumbfounded. What the heck! Ah Jue! Your friend was beaten! Can you not see? Where is your concern?