After escorting Song Lianhe back to the Prince Mansion, Zhou Cangyan left.
Cao Jin was not around, so Yan Huan was on guard duty at the gate.
"Princess Consort, you’re back." He proactively stepped forward, all attentiveness.
"Huan, rember to go to the dical Clinic for a follow-up tomorrow. It’s about your... kidney deficiency."
"Thank you, Princess Consort! I’ll rember, I’ll rember..."
Yan Huan wiped the sweat from his forehead, respectfully saw her into the mansion, and upon turning back, drew a round of stifled laughter from his n.
"What are you laughing at?" Yan Huan shot them a glare, walked over, sat down, and continued their ga of Pai Gow. "Co on, co on, let’s keep playing."
His days at the Prince Qing Mansion couldn’t have been more carefree. There was not only roasted whole lamb but also delicious pastries. When he was bored, he played Madiao and other card gas with his n. When he was tired, he would bask in the sun. It was incredibly pleasant! Most importantly, Princess Qing, the best physician in the city, was personally helping him restore his health!
To put it one way, if he were made to return to the Imperial City right now, he wasn’t sure he could handle the downgrade.
Just then, a sedan chair was set down before the gate.
A person got out of the sedan and hurriedly walked into the Prince Qing Mansion.
"Deputy Commander Yan, soone just went in. Should we..."
"Soone?" Yan Huan’s eyes went wide as he looked around. "I didn’t see anyone."
Everyone chid in in agreent: "Right, right, no one! We didn’t see anything!"
anwhile, Manager Pang stepped forward to greet her. "Miss Cao..."
"I need to see your Princess Consort."
Cao Ying, knowing the way, ran straight to the rear courtyard. "Lianhe! Lianhe!"
Inside the room, Song Lianhe was going over the accounts.
’Although Zhou Cangyan hasn’t said it outright, I know that as the now-official male lead, the storyline has to move forward. What if he suddenly decides to raise an army and seize power? That would require a massive amount of silver!’
’Earlier, when I was in Sui Bei, I gave them a sum of silver. Now that the dical Clinic has paid next year’s franchise fee, that money can be put to good use. The remaining profits will be used to purchase all sorts of dicinal herbs! I also plan to buy a plot of land on the outskirts of the city to grow sweet potatoes...’
"Lianhe!"
Cao Ying pushed open the door, strode to the desk in a few steps, and grabbed her hand. "You have to save !"
"What’s wrong?"
Song Lianhe was happy to see it was her.
She hadn’t seen Cao Ying in a long ti. She looked even more beautiful than before she’d left.
’They say one’s heart shapes one’s face. It seems to be true.’
’Now that she’s no longer fixated on n and relationships, her mind has beco open and clear. Even her features have beco more striking and radiant.’
"My father wants to marry off to that Prince Hang as a concubine!"
Song Lianhe was shocked to hear this.
She imdiately asked, "Has Scholar Cao chosen a side?"
"Who knows! After he ca back today, he was dead set on marrying to Prince Hang! I refused, so he punished by making kneel in the ancestral hall! I was so angry I ran out. Anyway, if soone has to marry him, he can do it himself! I absolutely will not! Especially not as a concubine! I refuse to fight with other won over one man!"
Cao Ying said it all in a rush, then took the tea Shuang Ye handed her and drank it in one gulp.
"In my opinion, Scholar Cao wouldn’t have agreed to this marriage without good reason. There must be sothing more to it."
’Scholar Cao may be strict, but he dotes on his daughter. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let her chase after Zhou Junlin for all those years, letting her best years slip by.’
Cao Ying lowered her gaze and sighed. "I can guess the reasoning behind it, but I just can’t stand that he’s using as a political pawn. Or... if he’s really in so difficulty, he could just tell !"
"He didn’t tell you because he was afraid you’d act on impulse."
Xuan i pushed the door open and ca in.
Song Lianhe looked up at her. "Sister i, how do you know that?"
"After Cao Ying left her mansion, Cao Jin followed her. He’s outside this one right now." Xuan i looked at Cao Ying and said, "Consort Zhao Hui has been trying to win over Scholar Cao. Even before Prince Hang was the Crown Prince, she had already proposed a marriage to the Cao Family, but Scholar Cao rejected it. This Consort Zhao Hui is a vengeful person, and what’s more, she needs the Cao Family’s influence. You have to understand, Scholar Cao is a role model for all the scholars in the land, and many of the civil servants in the Court are his forr students. Consort Zhao Hui is determined to make this marriage happen."
Xuan i continued, "Now that Prince Hang is the Crown Prince, appointing a consort for him is done by imperial decree. Refusing to marry is defying that decree. Scholar Cao knows your temper all too well. Rather than have you resent Prince Hang and take extre asures against Consort Zhao Hui in a direct confrontation, it’s better to let you hate him. That way, things are simplified, and at the very least, he can protect you."
Cao Ying was completely stunned.
She lowered her head and murmured, "My father never told any of this... Why didn’t he tell ?"
Cao Ying quickly deflated, her head hanging low, the rims of her eyes turning red.
Song Lianhe frowned deeply and asked Xuan i, "What did Cao Jin say?"
"He said there might still be room for negotiation."
Cao Ying’s eyes instantly lit up. "I knew my big brother would have a plan! Quick, tell , what do I need to do?"
"You can’t do it." Xuan i looked at Song Lianhe. "It requires the Princess Consort’s help."
—
「Dao Yuan Temple」
Ling’an’s largest Taoist temple, it was bustling with worshippers year-round.
The carriage stopped, and Song Lianhe was about to get out.
Suddenly, her hand was grabbed.
Zhou Cangyan frowned at her. "You never discussed this with . You made this decision on your own. I’ve thought it over, and it’s still not right!"
Song Lianhe found it ridiculous. They were already here, and he was trying to back out now?
She reached out and pushed him away. "I’m just trying to help Cao Ying. Don’t overthink it."
"I’ll go find him myself."
Song Lianhe sat back down. "Fine. Then let ask you, if Zhou Junlin ca to you and told you to take a woman as a concubine, would you agree?"
Zhou Cangyan sneered disdainfully. "Of course not!"
"So now you see why you can’t be the one to go, right?"
"And you think he’ll agree if you’re the one to talk to him?"
"At least there’s a chance."
’We’re all ’awakened’ characters,’ Song Lianhe reasoned, ’so we should have so empathy for each other. That’s why I want to try persuading him.’
’Of course, I know it’s a huge ask.’
’But who else could be more suitable for the job?’
Zhou Junlin had been building his influence in the Court for years and had many of his people there. Although Consort Zhao Hui and her son saw Zhou Junlin as a thorn in their side, they would still avoid a direct confrontation with him.
Therefore, only if Zhou Junlin intervened could Cao Ying escape this fate.
Zhou Cangyan understood the reasoning, but he just didn’t like her eting with Zhou Junlin in private!
’In private?’ Song Lianhe’s eyes raked over him. ’He tagged along all the way here, and he calls this a private eting?’
Zhou Cangyan said, agitated, "I’ll give you the ti it takes for one incense stick to burn."
Before getting out of the carriage, Song Lianhe reminded him, "Don’t you forget, you also have important business to attend to."
After alighting from the carriage, she was led by Xuan i straight to the rear mountain.
But no sooner had she left than Song Xilan’s carriage arrived.
A Shadow Guard stepped forward and reported, "My Lord, Princess Consort Ling requests an audience."
Zhou Cangyan was already annoyed. The thought of Song Lianhe going to see Zhou Junlin put him in a foul mood.
"I won’t see her."
"Are you sure you don’t want to see ?"
Song Xilan’s hesitant voice sounded out.
For so unknown reason, hearing her voice sent a strange pang of tenderness through his heart.
Zhou Cangyan frowned in suspicion.
’This feeling is so abrupt,’ he wondered. ’Where... did it co from?’
Reviews
All reviews (0)