The Demon Lords

Chapter 1044: Chapter 249: The Suitor Outside Has Feelings, the Concubine Inside Is Indifferent (2)

Women are like flowers, blooming in radiance;

Men are like wine, the more aged the richer the fragrance;

No matter how attractive the appearance is, over time, it becomes mundane, while the latter only grows more fragrant as you savor it.

Yes,

In the eyes of this Chu princess,

Her legitimate fiancé Qu Peiluo has already been relegated to the category of being merely a feast for the eyes.

This isn’t due to the princess’s own skewed aesthetic, nor any remnants from another world on Lord Zheng.

In fact, right when Lord Zheng awoke in the inn room in Hutou City, he exuded a strong aura inherited from his previous life of a homebody.

It’s just that after witnessing enough major events, seeing enough storms and bloodshed, one matures and becomes etched with experiences.

Many times, even Zheng Fan himself didn’t notice that in many aspects, he started to gradually embody the shadow of Lord Jingnan.

And when the world comments on Lord Jingnan, they’ll discuss his military strategy, his personal prowess, his heinous act of extinguishing his entire family, but who would discuss whether Lord Jingnan himself is handsome or not?

In other words, when a man must consider "being good-looking" a merit, what does that say about his worthlessness?

The third point is capability.

Here,

It seems unnecessary to discuss further, because even the Chu princess Xiong Liqing feels that placing Qu Peiluo alongside Lord Zheng in terms of capability makes her feel unfair for Lord Zheng.

There were once those who evaluated the four prominent young generals of the time: the barbarian young prince, Zhong Tianlang of Qian State, Nian Yao of Chu, and lastly, Lord Pingye of Yan State.

But upon honest reflection, the so-called achievements by the other three are mostly internal, with little external accomplishments. Zhong Tianlang did proactively strike against Yan several times, gaining some victories, but that’s simply because Yan doesn’t intend to launch a full-scale southern assault on Qian yet, whereas Lord Pingye repeatedly amassed military achievements in external campaigns, some even at the level of state annihilation.

As for Qu Peiluo, Chu people claim he carries his father’s legacy.

When one lacks substantial achievements to boast of, the only praise left is that they resemble their father.

Moreover,

His father, Qu TianNan of Chu and the Qu Clan’s elite four thousand Blue Luan soldiers, perished at Zheng Fan’s hands.

Though Chu people might liken Qu TianNan’s death to Lord Jingnan of Yan, it’s undeniable that the one who issued the command for execution at Jade Plate City was Lord Pingye.

Regarding literary talent, the princess knows that Zheng Fan authored military texts, which even her brother sought to read; simultaneously, his inadvertent displays of poetic talent, with just a few strokes, effortlessly crafted masterpieces, yet he casually dismisses this as uninteresting.

Conversely, Qu Peiluo greatly enjoys gifting her the poems he writes, but they truly pale in comparison.

After numerous comparisons,

Even the Chu princess herself is somewhat perplexed,

Beyond the matter of state views,

Now, the man in her embrace completely outshines her legitimate future groom.

Regarding state views,

Xiong Liqing feels she need not concern herself with them,

She once admired her brother, and her brother now represents Chu;

Since her brother can heartlessly use her as a tool for political alliances, marrying her off to the Qu Clan;

Then Xiong Liqing can also willfully choose whom she believes is the best groom.

The matters of state, Chu, those meaningless things, she doesn’t want to care about. She’s simply a woman, a woman who originally harbors resentment in her heart.

Moreover, in the depths, there seems to be an instinct constantly reminding her that missing out on this man before her will surely lead to regret in the future.

This is perhaps a woman’s sixth sense.

Lord Zheng gently tapped the princess’s nose,

and said:

"Why do I feel like a piece of meat on the chopping board at a butcher’s shop, with you picking and choosing?"

Xiong Liqing smiled faintly and said:

"Really?"

"Yes, your gaze seems as if you’re selecting the finest cut."

Then,

The sound of Qu Peiluo singing his new composition drifted in from outside the chamber,

Unbeknownst to him,

His fiancée is currently sitting on the lap of another man, who happens to be his father’s killer.

Truthfully, Zheng Fan has entertained some wicked thoughts before, such as holding the princess by the chamber door, letting her have a chat with Qu Peiluo;

In his previous life as a horror manga creator, Zheng Fan understood even more what true human distortion and moral decay meant.

However, Lord Zheng didn’t follow through,

for a simple reason:

Timidity.

When the princess was in the Fan Mansion, it was I who wielded the knife while she was the fish, I could casually instruct, treating her like a maid.

But now,

Lord Zheng truly doesn’t dare to play with fire,

This level of physical contact might seem trivial, but I can control the intensity, yet if she genuinely feels her dignity trampled, her integrity defiled, do you believe she’d turn hostile in an instant?

It’s wise to keep a low profile, especially when under someone’s roof.

As for what Qu Peiluo was singing specifically, Zheng Fan couldn’t quite make out the words, since it was spoken in Chu regional dialect, akin to each country’s "standard language."

But Zheng Fan understood the general idea: the song described the winter snow scene, comparing the princess to the pure white snow, enchanting and captivating him to the utmost.

Looking down at the woman in his embrace, Zheng Fan asked:

"Do you like this style?"

Xiong Liqing blinked and said: "Though he doesn’t write as well as you, he writes with heart, while you’re casually dismissive."