Five Big Bosses are Too Clingy After Transmigrating into a Book - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: What if Xiao Wang ‘Married in Substitution’? I Just Like Him!

Shen Cangzhu was simply applying his knowledge, thinking that no matter what Chu Xingchen was thinking, since she was acting this way now, he would humor her.

Little did he know that his finger heart was a massive internal attack on Chu Xingchen.

Shen Cangzhu’s looks and temperament were superb, and his hands were long, fair, and delicate—the pinnacle of masculine beauty.

A combination of handsome man, beautiful hands, and a deep voice giving you a finger heart, complete with a compliment, felt like heaven.

Though it wasn’t a celebrity she liked giving her the finger heart, the feeling was similar!

Chu Xingchen screamed internally, speechless for a moment.

“Did I do it wrong?” Shen Cangzhu looked at his hand, confused by Chu Xingchen’s strange reaction.

“Right, you did it right.” Chu Xingchen quickly said.

“That’s good.” Shen Cangzhu smiled and withdrew his hand, subtly flexing his fingers inside his sleeve, feeling self-conscious because of the way Chu Xingchen was looking at his hand.

Chu Xingchen nodded, experiencing both pain and pleasure. A handsome man giving her a finger heart was simply amazing, but the handsome man was only doing it to praise her capability.

Wan Dong looked at the time and quickly winked at Chu Xingchen. Chu Xingchen remembered she had an engagement. “Consort Shen, I still have to attend the Loyal Count’s birthday celebration. I must leave now. I’ll find you to chat next time.”

“Walk slowly, Your Highness.”

Chu Xingchen took two steps, then suddenly turned back. “Consort Shen, do you need me to bring anything back for you?”

Shen Cangzhu looked puzzled. Chu Xingchen quickly explained, “I’m going out of the palace, right? If there’s anything you want, I can buy it for you.”

They were a team now. If she was going out, she could help Shen Cangzhu bring back anything he wanted.

Shen Cangzhu looked at Chu Xingchen’s bright eyes. The refusal he was about to say was swallowed. He told the truth. “I can’t think of anything right now.”

“Then I’ll keep an eye out. If I see something suitable, I’ll buy it for you.”

The delay with Shen Cangzhu caused Chu Xingchen to leave the palace later than scheduled. However, since she was the Empress’s representative, she was meant to arrive on time as the finale guest, so a slight delay didn’t matter.

She met Count Fan and offered congratulations to the Old Madam. Everything was going smoothly until she heard someone mocking Xiao Wang on the way to the banquet.

At first, Chu Xingchen didn’t react and had already walked past, but she suddenly stopped when she heard the person mockingly say that even as a Lord, Xiao Wang was still doing the managing work that women usually did.

The attendant respectfully leading the way was already red-faced and coughed twice, hoping the people behind the bamboo screen would hear and restrain themselves. Instead, they spoke even more happily.

“He’s merely a concubine’s son. Being able to enter the palace is already a fortune he built up over eight lifetimes.”

“Exactly. Even though the Crown Princess despises him and he might never get close to her, his position still elevates him given his background.”

As soon as the words fell, a clear, resonant voice suddenly chimed in, refreshing like a stream over bluestone.

“How is it that I don’t know that I despise Lord Xiao?”

The voice was pleasant, but the words caused the expressions of the laughing group to change dramatically. They turned back in disbelief and saw the woman standing behind them.

Clad in a light purple cloak, she was tall, graceful, and beautiful, yet awe-inspiring, with an extraordinary presence that made people afraid to look directly at her.

The woman was both familiar and unfamiliar. The group froze for a few seconds before suddenly realizing this was the Crown Princess, the very person they had been discussing.

“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Princess.” Caught speaking ill of someone behind their back, the sweat instantly poured from the group. They scrambled to kneel and beg for forgiveness.

The young man in yellow robes, who had been standing by, enjoying the conversation without speaking, was stunned. He was a few moments late in bowing and begging forgiveness, his face filled with disbelief, wondering how things had turned out this way.

Chu Xingchen merely glanced at him and didn’t pay him much attention, nor did she bid them rise. “Which eye of yours saw that I despise Lord Xiao? I am careful not to offend him, so I do not act casually. How did this get twisted in your mouths?”

“How dare you ridicule the Eastern Palace’s Lord? Who gave you the right to criticize the Crown Princess’s man?”

Although they weren’t truly husband and wife, they were currently people of the Eastern Palace. They were her people, and she would protect them. As long as they were in the Eastern Palace, she would protect them and absolutely would not allow them to be criticized or slighted.

“We were careless and spoke wrongly. We will never dare to do so again. Please forgive us, Your Highness.”

The group was drenched in cold sweat, repeatedly begging for forgiveness. Perhaps their attitude was acceptable; the Crown Princess did not press the matter and walked away.

Only after the Crown Princess left did the group sigh in relief. Standing up, they simultaneously looked at the young man in yellow robes who hadn’t spoken. Their faces showed dissatisfaction and frustration. They had only deliberately spoken ill of Xiao Wang to flatter the legitimate son of the Xiao family, only to be caught red-handed by the Crown Princess, who then said such things.

“The Crown Princess protects Lord Xiao like that. She clearly holds him dearly. I wonder who spread such outrageous rumors.”

“Who else could it be but some people who rely on being the legitimate child and think they are superior.”

“What does being a concubine’s son matter? If he wins the Crown Princess’s favor and even produces a son or daughter, some legitimate sons will still have to kneel and salute.”

They mocked him for a few moments. Seeing that the yellow-robed young man’s face was paler than theirs and he was more deeply affected, they were satisfied and walked away together.

The yellow-robed young man, Xiao Cheng, felt like spitting bl00d hearing their words, but he couldn’t utter a word in rebuttal, because he had heard it and seen it with his own eyes.

If he hadn’t seen and heard it himself, he would never have believed the Crown Princess would defend Xiao Wang, that lowly concubine’s son. But no matter how incredulous he was, everything had happened right before him.

Looking in the direction Chu Xingchen had left, Xiao Cheng’s face alternated between blue and white. Why would the Crown Princess defend Xiao Wang? This was completely different from before!

Moreover, why did the Crown Princess feel different from before? She was the same person, yet her presence was entirely unlike the past. If the Crown Princess had been like this back then, he wouldn’t have thrown the quota to Xiao Wang…

The young man in yellow robes gritted his teeth and followed the direction Chu Xingchen had gone.

Chu Xingchen was somewhat upset at the moment. “How can they be so boring? Grown men, talking about others behind their backs.”

“Your Highness, they might have been trying to curry favor with the Xiao family’s eldest young master, Xiao Cheng, by belittling Lord Xiao. Originally, the Xiao family had decided on the legitimate son, Xiao Cheng, to enter the palace, but later changed it to Lord Xiao.”

Chu Xingchen suddenly stopped. “What?” Xiao Wang was a ‘substitute marriage’?

“Didn’t Your Highness know? This servant heard some rumors. It’s said that because Your Highness was infatuated with Attendant Xie and insisted on making him the Imperial Husband, Young Master Xiao Cheng was unwilling and had Lord Xiao enter the palace in his stead.”

It was actually easy to understand. Not only could Young Master Xiao Cheng not become the Imperial Husband with his status, but the Crown Princess was also shouting about one lifetime, one partner, suggesting there was no future. He eventually regretted the arrangement and swapped himself out for Xiao Wang.

Chu Xingchen frowned. “So, one of them just now was that Young Master Xiao Cheng?”

“Yes, the one in yellow robes.”

“I didn’t notice.” Chu Xingchen pursed her lips. “Is Lord Xiao not highly regarded at home?” Otherwise, how could he be easily substituted? In typical ‘substitute marriage’ stories, only the unfavored ones are sacrificed as pawns.

Xiao Wang was such a good person. Was the Xiao family blind?