Divorced woman with child travels through time

"Farewell, my lord!" Princess Anning gracefully bowed and departed, taking the commotion with her.

As soon as the person left, Wang Shan and the others went into the room, nervously pulling Yu Long aside and asking her all sorts of questions, "She didn't do anything to you, did she?"

"No, the princess is doing very well." Yu Long smiled slightly.

"That's good." The group breathed a sigh of relief. Tian Shi, looking at Yu Long who was still smiling and in a good mood, inexplicably asked, "Has Brother Yu taken a fancy to the princess?"

"Ah~" Yu Long snapped out of her daze, quickly wiped the smile off her face, and replied irrelevantly, "She's a very nice person."

"Hey, are you secretly laughing?" Tian Cheng pulled him to face the four people.

Yu Long's ears turned slightly red, and she said firmly with her petal-shaped lips, "No, really no. She agreed to go with me to see that prince the day after tomorrow. I thought it was better for her to be a woman than a man."

“That means he’s taken a liking to her.” Wang Shan pointed at his face and laughed.

Yu Long's face grew increasingly red, and she turned away from him.

"Alright, alright, stop teasing him. You've had a long day, take a rest." Wang Feng returned and shooed everyone out.

"Brother Feng, what's the deal with that prince?"

"Don't ask anymore, you should rest first!" Wang Feng's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He quickly sent the person away to rest and went downstairs himself.

Seeing his displeasure, the group followed him downstairs.

Wang Feng sat next to Lao Fang without saying a word, poured himself a full bowl of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

"What's wrong?" Old Fang asked, noticing how aggrieved he looked.

"I'm so angry!" Wang Feng wiped his lips with his sleeve and began to rant in a low voice, "You guys have no idea what kind of scoundrel that Prince Zhao Guang is! As soon as the old prince died, he took three concubines, all of them top courtesans. You could say that there's nothing wrong with men and women having sex, but he did it all to cover up the scandal of his male lovers in his other residence! My goodness! Even novels don't portray things like this!"

Wang Feng's eyes widened, and he complained bitterly, spitting as he spoke. He was worried that others might overhear, but he also had to make sure that the people at the table could understand him. It was really hard for him to explain.

"What's the matter?"

"what?"

The group of people at the table, all still complete novices, were a real eye-opener, except for the ever-savvy Old Fang, who, being older, was used to it all.

"You're talking about that prince? It's nothing new, everyone in Kaifeng knows about it, why are you whispering like that!" The old man, who had been gossiping with his ears perked up, held his cup and craned his neck. After finally hearing what was going on, he immediately complained loudly.

Wang Feng sighed silently. There's no need to be so obvious when badmouthing someone!

Old Fang, grinning, carried the wine jug over and said, "Shopkeeper, bring this old gentleman a small dish of appetizers!"

The old man nodded in satisfaction.

Old Fang refilled his glass. "Sir, you are clearly a highly respected person. We are new here and don't understand these people's intricacies. Could you please explain them to me?"

"Well, everyone knows that, right?" The old man winked at the people in the hall, and those drinking and eating smiled knowingly.

Wang Feng and the others wanted to join in, but Lao Fang waved his hand, and they remained seated.

The shop owner brought him some side dishes, and Lao Fang poured him a full glass of wine. "Tell me what you think, and I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Actually, this has been going on for many years. This Zhao Guangjun is indiscriminate in his tastes; as long as he takes a liking to someone, I bet it's your young master who's been targeted. You'd better be careful!"

“Our young master has already become a third-ranked scholar, he wouldn’t dare to mess with anyone!” Old Fang went along with his words.

"That's hard to say. There's a lot of filth around the capital. You people from the countryside should be careful. The prince's father is gone, but his grandmother is still alive. She's the Empress Dowager. Even if the emperor isn't his biological son, his seniority still matters!"

"Thank you, sir!" Old Fang put the wine pot on his table, ordered another pot, and went back to his room to tell Wang Feng everything in detail.

Wang Feng's brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly; such a formidable enemy. "What do we do? I went to the shop Chu Yi runs here, and they replied, telling us to wait patiently and proceed with caution!"

"Then let's wait and see. The general and the others should be arriving soon. There's no rush!" Old Fang decided.

The next day, Yu Long, dressed in a flower hat and official boots, was dressed in new clothes. He was as beautiful as a white peony, so beautiful that it was hard to look directly at him. Wang Feng and several others guarded him closely and helped him mount his horse.

The other two top scholars were amazed when they saw him and praised him repeatedly.

"Brother Yu, you are truly a beauty. Standing next to you, I feel quite ashamed!" Lu Wenji was somewhat dark-skinned, which made him even more dazzling next to him.

Liang Shi laughed heartily, "Brother Lu is the top scholar, how about we switch places? I wouldn't mind being the top scholar and showing off my prestige!"

Yu Long also laughed and said, "If I could, I would also be willing to trade my looks for your top scholar title."

Lu Wenji thought about it and shook his head, "Compared to appearance, being the top scholar is more important."

The three of them couldn't help but laugh.

The procession of the imperial envoy lasted for more than an hour, blocking the streets for the length of several incense sticks. Countless women dropped their flowers and handkerchiefs, ran off to tell each other, and dragged their girlfriends to see the top scholar.

"Oh my god, this year's third-ranked scholar is so handsome! Let's go see him quickly, or he'll be gone!"

"Really good-looking?"

"So beautiful!"

"Hurry, hurry! Look! It's right there!"

Several women ran while lifting their skirts, calling out to their friends. Before long, they had gathered a large crowd, chasing after the group and shouting!

"Hey, that's the third-ranked scholar! He's so handsome! And who's that next to him? Who is he?"

"That's the second-place finisher!"

"He's alright looking, but what about that guy with the dark complexion?"

"Oh, that's the top scholar!"

"Um... how about we watch the third-ranked scholar instead?"

Lu Wenji stared at them with a dark expression. So what if she's dark-skinned? She's beautiful even when she's dark!

Yu Long looked around uneasy; there were so many people, and the crowd seemed to be growing. He felt somewhat flattered. But then he saw Wang Feng, who was leading the horse, smile at him, and suddenly he felt relieved.

Princess Anning followed in her carriage at a distance, watching the tall, slender figure on horseback ahead, and smiled sweetly.

"Go, tell our men to keep a close watch on the Prince Consort and not let anyone get close to him!"

"Yes!" The maid Ruyi then left.

On this day, Yu Long, the third-ranked scholar, became famous throughout the capital, and legends spread that he was as beautiful as a peach blossom and as fair as a peony.

The Imperial Palace, inside the Funing Hall.

The emperor was taking a nap, and Eunuch Wan, who rarely gets a break, was dozing off when a young eunuch came to report.

"Eunuch Wan, a man claiming to be Xilu, who says he's your godson, is requesting an audience with you at the palace gate!"

"Who? He's still alive! Bring him in quickly!" Eunuch Wan sat up abruptly. He had always known about this obedient little child.