Male superiority and female superiority: forced love

The bright moon is like frost and the night is dark.

Ruan Chuyin returned to the main hall with her friend anxiously, and all the way her mind was filled with Jiang Wenzhou's words.

"No matter who wins or loses in the competition later, it won't affect my choice. Just go on stage."

The palace lanterns hanging high above her head were as bright as daylight, stinging her eyes and hurting them.

She nestled in Jiang Xuanzhou's arms, staring at his chiseled jaw for a long time, feeling too guilty to dare raise her eyes.

She glanced at Jiang Wenzhou's seat and found it empty. Turning her head, she suddenly saw him walking back from his parents-in-law's table. The two elders' gazes kept turning towards her, tinged with pain, helplessness, and heartache, causing her to straighten her back instantly.

"Xuan Zhou, I'll..." Just as she was about to inform her husband, the palace servant shouted and the hall became quiet again.

Jiang Xuanzhou looked at his beloved wife, puzzled, as if waiting for her to finish. But at this moment, she no longer had the courage to speak.

Princess Qinghe walked back to the center of the hall, her beautiful eyes sweeping across the entire audience.

The ambiguous words of the Crown Prince of Dayong before the rest made her feel unsure, and she didn't know whether he liked her or not.

Sitting high up in the sky, the Great Yong Emperor gazed at her with an unfathomable gaze. Within his eyes, a dark swirling mass seemed to ripple, fragments of light drifted, and a hint of undisguised lust mingled with it, sending shudders through her. After only a single glance, she turned away in shock.

The age of forty-eight did not "crush" the emperor's figure. He still had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, was tall and strong, and looked very tough.

His face was clean-shaven, unlike some of the other men his age who sported the stern beards of a certain age. He bore a striking resemblance to Jiang Wenzhou, revealing the dashing presence of his youth. The fine lines at the corners of his eyes betrayed the passage of time, yet he exuded a commanding power, a commanding presence that radiated a towering majesty. Yet, it was this very imperial aura that intimidated Sun Wanning. After all, she was only eighteen. The vast age difference was like an unbridgeable chasm, preventing her from fully devoting herself to Jiang Chenfeng.

Now, no one is coming up to challenge.

Many people began to whisper to each other, and many eyes fell back on Cai Lei, causing her body to shudder and she looked to her father for help.

Cai Zhiyuan was a little unsure of the prince's intentions, wondering whether he wanted Lei Lei to continue on stage, or if he was mistaken. According to the competition rules, Cai Lei was no longer eligible to go on stage.

Lu Yinnian sensed Sun Wanning's uneasiness and glanced at her, signaling her to remain calm. He glanced sideways at Jiang Wenzhou, who still wore a calm and composed expression, twiddling his thumb ring with unhurried composure. His eyes, faintly smiling, gazed at the jade cup before him, as if waiting for something.

Lu Yinnian noticed something strange about his overly calm behavior, and the small hill between his eyebrows grew half an inch higher.

At this moment, the pretty girl sitting opposite was lowering her head and trying hard to suppress her trembling legs, struggling in her heart with both conscience and desire.

"Hatsune, are you feeling unwell? How about we go back first?" Jiang Xuanzhou thought she couldn't sit still any longer and was ready to find a chance to take her away.

A swallowing sound, audible only to her, echoed in her ears. She looked up slightly, and Jiang Wenzhou happened to be looking in her direction. Her chest instantly began to pound.

Her eyes moved to the right and she saw her father-in-law nodded to her, and her heart beat faster.

"Xuan Zhou, no matter what I do later, it's all fake. Don't take it to heart. I'll explain it to you later." She pulled her husband's big hand hard and explained quickly. She bit her lower lip hard and slowly stood up with trembling legs.

All sounds stopped at this moment.

With countless pairs of pupils trembling violently, Ruan Chuyin took difficult steps towards the center of the hall.

"Princess Linhuai, you?" Jiang Chenfeng couldn't believe his eyes. He turned his head sharply towards Jiang Xuanzhou and found that the shock in his youngest son's eyes was no less than his.

Sun Wanning was completely petrified. She looked at Lu Yinnian in confusion, but inadvertently caught the curve of Jiang Wenzhou's lips.

It turned out that this man had never taken a fancy to her from the beginning to the end, and had been playing tricks on her from the beginning to the end! Suddenly, she felt ashamed and angry, and could no longer maintain her well-trained expression. A blazing fire ignited in her eyes.

A burst of unbridled laughter suddenly rose above the hall.

"Interesting, so interesting. Princess Linhuai still wants to move into the Eastern Palace and be the mother of the country in the future? I am too narrow-minded!" A hint of cruelty flashed in Lu Yinnian's eyes, and the look he gave Jiang Wenzhou became intriguing.

It will soon become clear whether these two people are attracted to each other or work together to break the deadlock.

Jiang Xuanzhou lowered his head in anger, his right hand tightly grasping the Qilin Jade that was exactly the same as the one on Ruan Chuyin's waist, his eyes so red that they seemed to be bleeding.

When he looked up again, her cold eyes shot straight at him, but he saw her shaking her head imperceptibly at him. This pulled a little bit of rationality back from the brink of collapse, and he used all his willpower to suppress the storm that was rolling in his eyes.

Jiang Chenfeng was humiliated by Prince Beiyue's outrageous words, and the smile on his face disappeared completely.

"Princess Linhuai, do you know what you are doing?"

His sharp eyes swept across the hall. He was puzzled by the attitude of the Duke and his wife. Could it be that they also agreed with Ruan Chuyin's pursuit of the position of Crown Princess?

Didn't these two know that since ancient times, the emperor's daughter-in-law could not marry again? He had already broken the ancestral rules for Prince Linhuai, and they still wanted him to continue breaking exceptions without any bottom line? Suddenly, the look he looked at the new emperor's daughter-in-law became sharp.

How dare she do that!

"Your Majesty, I wish to compete with Princess Qinghe in a martial arts competition..."

"Then what? You want to be the Crown Princess?" Jiang Chenfeng asked sternly.

Emperor Dayong's attitude made Ruan Chuyin very embarrassed. The blood color on her face had faded, and she was only able to maintain her complexion with the help of a thin layer of rouge.

The endless silence made everyone's heart hang in their throat.

The three golden flowers' eyes were filled with worry. Now they finally understood the Crown Prince's intentions.

Qin Lang and Ye Sangning couldn't stand it anymore and were about to stand up to speak up for their daughter-in-law. At this time, Jiang Wenzhou stood up and said in a strong and powerful voice: "Why not? What do you think, father?" He looked calm and showed a wanton smile in public for the first time.

His father only had two sons, him and Jiang Xuanzhou. Was there a third option?

Jiang Chenfeng's face turned completely dark.

"Duke Zhenguo, I want to hear what you have to say."

"I have no idea..." Qin Langqiang replied gravely, his face serious, and he lashed out at Qin Guanzhi in his heart. This was the true price he paid for those three swords!

Jiang Chenfeng was so angry that a murderous aura gathered throughout his body. He raised a voice colder than winter snow and said, "Since Princess Linhuai is willing to compete with Princess Qinghe, I agree. Three matches will determine the winner. Whoever comes out on top will become the Crown Princess of Dayong."

The emperor was serious about his words. Not only did he personally formulate the rules of the competition, he also limited the candidates for the Crown Princess on the spot.

The unexpected decision startled Jiang Wenzhou so much that he rarely showed a cracked expression.

"I... don't know anything. Even if I wanted to help, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to do anything."

Ruan Chuyin's words re-echoed in his mind, causing him to completely put down the hand that was fiddling with the jade ring.