The Demon Lords

Chapter 1043: Chapter 249: Affection at the Door, Indifference Within

"Let him get lost."

Lord Zheng said this lightly, as if this were his home, as if the person sitting on his lap truly belonged to him.

These three words spoken out loud;

Zhao Cheng felt a shock in his ears, while the princess’s breath became rapid.

It wasn’t that Lord Zheng was intentionally showing off, but a kind of genuine nonchalance when the time came.

In other times, if the fiancée of someone suddenly showed up while you had her in your arms, even the most fearless bastard would probably feel uneasy;

But Lord Zheng was not uneasy, because he knew being uneasy was useless. Other bastards might just get a beating, but he would absolutely die a terrible death.

The event had already happened, he was already here,

Next,

Just do whatever needs to be done concretely.

Zhao Cheng immediately and cautiously walked out of the sleeping palace to obstruct Qu Peiluo.

Meanwhile, inside the sleeping palace,

The princess lifted her head, turned her face, and looked at the man from Yan State holding her;

Surprisingly, the princess didn’t dislike it, she didn’t scream, didn’t reprimand, her gaze was not intoxicated but rather inquisitive.

Throughout history, there is no shortage of romantic stories and legends, tales of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai turning into butterflies, inspiring tales that capture the imagination.

But the stories people remember are the ones that rarely happen in reality. If they were common everyday occurrences, there would be no need to look at those stories. Who would be idle enough to pay attention to such stories?

Romance exists, but most people have to sit down and negotiate when discussing marriage, looking at family background, calculating betrothal gifts, comparing dowries;

Things wrapped in a veil of illusion often serve to hide their true nature.

Marriage, choosing a partner, most of the time is a transaction.

At least,

Xiong Liqing viewed it this way.

Originally, she hadn’t thought of it this way because she had always admired her brother;

Even though her brother was about to betroth her to the Qu Clan, she hadn’t considered any other path, because there simply wasn’t a second choice;

The arrival of Lord Zheng meant offering her a second choice.

In everything, you can truly see the good and the bad only through comparison.

The Qu Clan is a grand aristocratic family of Chu State, to be precise, their ancestors were already nobility in the Xia Dynasty before following Duke of Chu in expansion.

However, with such a long heritage comes many rules and a lot of airs, and the entire family, from top to bottom, seems to exude a moldy smell.

Moreover, Xiong Liqing, originating from the Chu royal family, did not place much importance on family heritage because she does not lack it.

Now look at Lord Zheng, it’s said that he just operated a tavern in Beifeng Prefecture years ago, merely counted as a well-off family, but over the years he has made a name for himself through battles, achieving great military success, appointed as the Chief General, granted noble title;

He may indeed lack a family background, his ancestors probably weren’t even considered commoners, is this a flaw?

Actually, it’s not.

Because in Xiong Liqing’s view, Lord Zheng’s lack of family background instead requires her prestigious identity as the "primary wife" to raise his family stature.

Henceforth, his descendants can inherit the noble title from Yan State and claim lineage from Duke of Chu, that is, the Fire Phoenix bloodline.

Just like in recent years, as the Emperor Jin’s lineage weakened, wealthy landowners and local tyrants everywhere seek to marry Yu Clan women, to elevate their family’s status.

And the Qu Clan, actually doesn’t have such an urgent need.

Doing business is like this, you have to consider not just the good and the bad, but also whether it matches with yourself.

This concerns the family background, and in marriage, one looks at family background, and secondly, at personal attributes.

Personal attributes are divided; one is character, another is appearance, and the third is ability.

In terms of character,

The princess has seen Qu Peiluo through the curtain, and heard many people speak about him; his demeanor embodies the elegance of a standard Chu noble, his every move carries the distinct flavor of Chu style, even in armor his beauty is hard to hide.

Chu people, unlike Qian people, prefer the gentlemanly manners, but Chu people appreciate romance, pursuing elegance amidst the mountains, rivers, and streams.

And Lord Zheng,

This deceitful cad, this bastard, this demon, this cruel-heart scoundrel!

This is how the princess evaluated Lord Zheng during the few days after she was captured.

On the first day he had Siniang slap her,

On the second day, directly pointed out where she was last night by the wall corner...

Now upon meeting, immediately held her in his arms with unruly hands.

Yet,

Despite the scolding, the princess didn’t feel particularly disgusted.

After all, a bad boy attracts women, and besides, Lord Zheng, either deliberately or to alleviate nervousness, ate tofu and slapped faces a lot. Unconsciously, the princess had already passively invested a lot in this inexplicable "relationship."

Compared to Qu Peiluo, whom she hadn’t even properly met face-to-face, Lord Zheng had long unlocked many restrictions ahead of time.

If you invest, naturally, you’re unwilling to let go.

In terms of appearance...

The princess thought, Zheng Fan wasn’t ugly, he could even be considered good-looking;

But compared to Qu Peiluo, in terms of appearance, he fell far behind. Qu Peiluo could be counted as a genuine beautiful man anywhere.

However, from another perspective, the sharp features of Lord Zheng’s face, the aura of danger inadvertently shown through his actions, even the depth that could shock you even when joking, these were all things Qu Peiluo did not possess.