Dimension Paradise, I am a summoning apostle

Chapter 504 Crown Prince Wen Ansi

Upon entering Elm Leaf City, Chu Danqing's dragon bone progress jumped from 0.5 to 0.6.

Meanwhile, half of the side quests have been completed.

Then he took them to the Wen'an Prince's Mansion.

Chu Danqing and Li Qingying had expected this, but Qin Rong was first shocked when she found out, and then felt restrained and uneasy.

The difference in their social status was too great, so she followed behind Duan Baiyu like a young wife the whole way.

On the way, Li Qingying whispered to Chu Danqing, "This piece of white jade really is the Crown Prince. Brother Chu, you are truly remarkable."

Does she mean that if she picks up the princess first and then the crown prince, will she pick up the emperor later?
"Isn't he the heir apparent of the Prince of Wen'an? How did he become the Crown Prince?" Chu Danqing couldn't quite understand.

"The emperor of the Nanzhao Kingdom had no heir, only his brother, the Prince of Wen'an."

"Therefore, Duan Baiyu had long been designated as the Crown Prince, but the Nanzhao Emperor and the Wen'an King were brothers with a deep bond, so they did not adopt him but directly appointed him."

"So he is both the heir apparent and the crown prince," Li Qingying explained to Chu Danqing.

Chu Danqing was indeed unaware of this matter; it wasn't mentioned in the intelligence report.

"My identity is special, and I have concealed some things. Please forgive me, Brother Chu and Sister Li," Duan Baiyu apologized.

It wasn't that he didn't want to be honest, but rather that his identity was indeed special.

A leak could easily lead to bigger problems.

"Oh, you should say that to your parents and uncle." Chu Danqing shook her head: "What you did was wrong."

"Bai Yu, your friend is right. You really made a big mistake by sneaking out to play this time." A middle-aged man with a square face walked over with a gloomy expression.

This man was none other than Duan Baiyu's father, Prince Wen'an, Duan Zhilu.

If it weren't for the fact that Duan Baiyu brought friends back, and we had to consider Duan Baiyu's feelings, it wouldn't have been such a simple sentence.

They've already started cursing and beating him.

The Nanzhao Kingdom spent countless resources in its search for Duan Baiyu.

Thankfully, they returned safely.

Looking at Duan Baiyu's appearance again, Duan Zhilu thought that going out to gain experience might not be a bad thing.

If he still has that scholarly air about him, he will inevitably encounter setbacks after ascending the throne.

Having encountered this setback now will allow us to cope with it in the future.

"Bai Yu thanks everyone for their help," Duan Zhilu said to Chu Danqing and the others.

The fact that he was able to come back alive must be thanks to the help of Chu Danqing and the others. Otherwise, given that he doesn't even know how to fight, he would probably have died out there.

"Your Highness Duan, you're too kind. Bai Yu and I hit it off immediately," Chu Danqing replied.

"You must all be tired from your journey. Please rest for a while. I will host a banquet tonight to welcome you back," Duan Zhilu said.

His meaning was clear: he wanted Chu Danqing and the others to stay out of the way for a while, as he intended to teach Duan Baiyu a lesson.

I feel sorry for him, but he should also learn a lesson.

"Then thank you very much, Prince Duan." Chu Danqing readily agreed.

Duan Baiyu's expression turned serious, and he said, "Perfect timing, I also have something to say to you, Father."

Duan Zhilu narrowed his eyes upon hearing Duan Baiyu's words.

The hardships my son endured were worthwhile; I would never have said that to him before.

He was quite satisfied.

"Please invite your guests to rest in the courtyard of the mansion first, and then arrange some food and drink. I will wait for you in the study," Duan Zhilu advised.

Since Duan Baiyu brought back the guest, it was naturally up to him to make the arrangements.

He could host a banquet, but he couldn't overstep his bounds in matters that Duan Baiyu was responsible for.

Even if he is Duan Baiyu's father.

Duan Baiyu also needs to learn how to treat people.

"Yes, Father." Duan Baiyu responded, arranged a place for Chu Danqing and the others to stay, and also instructed the servants on how to make arrangements.

After finishing these tasks, he went to the study to find Duan Zhilu.

Upon meeting, Duan Baiyu's first words were: "Father, I want to practice martial arts."

Duan Zhilu immediately swallowed the words of reprimand he was about to say and changed the subject, saying, "Alright, tomorrow I will ask my senior brother from Chongsheng Temple to teach you our Duan family's Six Yang Melting Snow Skill."

Previously, Duan Baiyu was very resistant to martial arts, but now that he has changed his mind, there is no need to teach him a lesson.

"After you have mastered the Martial Form, you can learn the Nine Meridians Formless Divine Qi and the Ten Directions Dragon Soaring Step."

"These two martial arts require a combination of martial arts skills and profound internal energy to be practiced," Duan Zhilu continued.

Duan Baiyu nodded and continued, "I also want to marry Rongmei."

"Is that the woman from the martial arts world who's been following you all this time?" Duan Zhilu was an old hand in the martial arts world; how could he not recognize her?

"It's her," Duan Baiyu readily admitted.

"What is this person's background and character like?" Duan Zhilu asked.

Duan Baiyu spoke frankly. "She is an illegitimate daughter born to a mistress, and she is from the Kingdom of Donglin." Duan Zhilu thought for a moment and said, "But it doesn't matter, she is good-looking and of good character."

"Just say they are people of the martial world."

Qin Rong has neither a good nor a bad family.

The advantage is that you won't have to worry about issues related to maternal relatives in the future.

The downside is that Duan Baiyu will lose a powerful ally in the future.

"By the way, what kind of martial arts family or power does she come from? How come her mistress is so narrow-minded that she can't even tolerate a concubine's illegitimate child?" Duan Zhilu asked the crucial question.

"Tingxiang Pavilion," Duan Baiyu immediately said, "My son has been chased for over ten days, all because of this wicked woman!"

Upon hearing the words "Tingxiang Pavilion," Duan Zhilu's expression became somewhat dazed, and a hint of something was amiss appeared on his face, which he quickly composed himself.

"Bai Yu, what are your plans to do about this?" Duan Zhilu asked.

Duan Baiyu didn't notice anything amiss and bluntly said, "Destroy Tingxiang Pavilion."

After being hunted down so many times, if all they do is give him a lesson and let it go, wouldn't he become a great victim?

It's just a Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the martial arts world or a martial arts community) force; it wouldn't be difficult for the Nanzhao Kingdom to destroy it using certain means.

“I think it’s better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester,” Duan Zhilu said.

But before he could finish speaking, Duan Baiyu looked at Duan Zhilu with suspicion and asked, "Father, isn't this mistress your old flame from when you were young?"

He didn't know much about his father's past when he was young, but he had heard that he was a seasoned womanizer who could flirt with countless women without ever getting involved with them.

He only settled down and started a family after he became more mature.

He married many women and kept some as concubines outside the marriage.

She gave birth to many younger sisters for him.

As for a younger brother? He doesn't have one.

Perhaps it was disposed of, or perhaps it was because it was destined to have only one son.

Upon hearing this, Duan Zhilu looked embarrassed and stammered something about the deep affection between men and women in the martial arts world and mutual love.

Duan Baiyu was speechless.

"However, you said the master of Tingxiang Pavilion is dead?" Duan Zhilu suddenly changed the subject.

Duan Baiyu immediately became alert and asked, "What are you going to do???"

"Ahem, it's nothing, I'll handle this," Duan Zhilu said. "I guarantee I'll satisfy you."

At this moment, Duan Baiyu suspected that his father had his eye on this newly widowed beauty and wanted to rekindle their old flame.

Otherwise, why would he have this expression?
“Father, let me remind you, the mistress of this Tingxiang Pavilion is no kind person,” Duan Baiyu said coldly. “Don’t let something like this get you into trouble.”

“You are a prince of Nanzhao. If something really happens to you, it will not be a small matter.”

If it were someone else, Duan Baiyu might not have had this attitude. The main reason is that the mistress of Tingxiang Pavilion had repeatedly tried to kill him.

Upon hearing this, Duan Zhilu's expression gradually calmed down.

"Don't worry, Bai Yu, I'm not someone who doesn't know what's important," Duan Zhilu said softly, then changed the subject, asking, "What's the situation with your remaining three friends?"

“Especially that man, his martial arts skills are probably above mine.” Duan Zhilu thought of Da Bao and said, “To have such a master by his side, he must be no ordinary person.”

He could tell that Chu Danqing had an extraordinary temperament, which made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze, and that she must have come from a noble family.

On the contrary, the woman seemed quite ordinary.

The problem is that he is already the Prince of Nanzhao, which, to put it bluntly, is a person second only to the emperor.

It's normal to have this feeling every time I see Chu Danqing.
"Brother Chu seems to be the renowned Master Nanshan, and Da Bao is his adopted son." Duan Baiyu paused for a moment, then added, "Sister Li is probably a daughter from a wealthy family who was sent to a sect to learn martial arts."

"I have heard of Master Nanshan, but he is just a barbarian from a small country. How could he have such an extraordinary temperament?" Duan Zhilu was not very convinced, but then he thought that the other party did not have any ill intentions.

Therefore, he continued, "No matter who he is, this Brother Chu is a person worth getting to know better."

With high charm and high initial favorability, plus the fact that he sent his son back, Duan Zhilu naturally wouldn't hold a grudge against Chu Danqing over a small matter.

They are still tolerant.

"Father, rest assured, I naturally know that Brother Chu is a hero." Duan Baiyu had met Chu Danqing for the first time, and he knew that the other party was eager to help others and was righteous.

“You’ve matured quite a bit since you went out, but fortune and misfortune are intertwined.” Duan Zhilu said, then looked up the date a few more times before saying, “I’m going to the palace to discuss your marriage with your uncle.”

"Let's pick an auspicious day and get things done, lest things get complicated."

Since his own son had come to him seeking help, he couldn't very well refuse.

However, Duan Baiyu's status was ultimately special, so it was necessary to discuss it with the Emperor of Nanzhao and then have the Ministry of Rites take charge.

"Go and talk to your mother yourself, and bring your future daughter-in-law to meet her." Duan Zhilu was not an old-fashioned person.

He was quite the dashing figure in his younger days, and he had a very open-minded attitude towards many things; otherwise, he wouldn't be sitting in his current position as a prince.

"Yes, Father." Duan Baiyu immediately responded. With Duan Zhilu's words, the matter was considered settled.

After saying this, Duan Zhilu got up and left the study first, instructing the steward of the mansion to arrange a sedan chair for him to go to the palace.

Duan Baiyu then headed into the courtyard, following Duan Zhilu's instructions to take Qin Rong to see his mother.

(End of this chapter)