SFS Chapter 284 The Successor Preferred by Emperor Jing'an
Chapter 284 The Successor Preferred by Emperor Jing'an
Princess Guangning's hands trembled, and the warm water in the cup spilled out.
She quickly put down her water glass, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the water off her skirt, and said in a trembling voice, "That's just a rumor."
When Shen Qingtan heard Princess Guangning's urgent denial, her suspicions were confirmed.
There was a red fox lying in the next yard. That red fox was Prince Yu's beloved pet and was always by his side, so it was almost certain that Prince Yu was next door.
She suspected that Prince Yu had done something to make Princess Guangning fear him and therefore unwilling to marry him.
I'm just not entirely sure.
Now, she is testing Princess Guangning, and Princess Guangning's subconscious physical reactions cannot be faked.
It is now almost certain that Prince Yu intimidated Princess Guangning in the adjacent back garden.
Shen Qingtan looked at Princess Guangning's pale face, took her cold hand, and slowly wiped the water stains off the back of her hand, reminding her, "Princess, you are going to marry into the royal family, and your reputation is extremely important."
Princess Guangning nodded: "Thank you."
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When the flower appreciation banquet officially began, Shen Qingtan, Qi Chuyin, and Princess Guangning were in the main hall together.
Consort Ling learned the news from the palace maids and, seeing Princess Guangning's pale face, knew that her goal for the day had been achieved.
Princess Guangning will not marry Prince Yu.
Consort Ling noticed that Princess Guangning was almost touching Shen Qingtan, unintentionally revealing her closeness and dependence on Shen Qingtan, and the smile on her face gradually deepened.
"Guangning, I heard you were frightened in the back garden?" Consort Ling beckoned to Princess Guangning, and as she approached hesitantly, she said with pity, "I arranged for someone to catch the snake. This has spoiled your mood. I will invite you to the palace alone another day to have a talk."
Princess Guangning feared Prince Yu and was equally afraid of Consort Ling. She forcibly suppressed her fear and nodded.
"I heard from Huichun that you like this pot of orchids. This pot of orchids is my favorite. I would not have put it out if it were not for a flower appreciation banquet."
Consort Ling presented Princess Guangning with a pot of orchids, their white petals speckled with red spots: "I feel an affinity for you. I took a liking to you the moment I saw you, and today I'm giving you this precious orchid."
Only if Princess Guangning looks at this pot of flowers every day will she be unable to forget Prince Yu's cruelty, and will instead deepen her fear day by day.
Princess Guangning trembled all over, slowly reaching out to hug the potted plant, her face deathly pale.
Consort Ling presented the carefully prepared gifts, satisfied, and gestured for the officials' wives to go to the back garden to admire the flowers.
Shen Qingtan stood aside watching this scene and felt more and more that Consort Ling's methods were insidious. In order to prevent Princess Guangning from marrying Prince Yu, she destroyed her psychologically and mentally.
"Princess, there are many precious flowers in the Imperial Concubine's back garden. Let's go and take a look."
The wives of the officials warmly greeted Shen Qingtan.
“Alright.” Shen Qingtan led Qi Chuyin over: “I heard early this morning that the flowers Your Highness grows are all rare treasures. We can’t miss this rare opportunity.”
The group walked towards the back garden, chatting and laughing.
Shen Qingtan is lucky. Not only does she have a powerful family background, but her husband's illness has also been cured, which has elevated her status and given her a bright future.
These wives of officials were all shrewd women who were keen to cultivate a relationship with Shen Qingtan, without mentioning a single word about the Marquis of Chengen's mansion or the second branch of the Duke's mansion.
They were just chatting with Shen Qingtan, talking about clothes and jewelry, their children's marriages, or mentioning which new imported goods had arrived and had very novel designs.
Shen Qingtan chimed in with a few words, and the officials' wives then offered to give her two items to play with, using this as an opportunity to curry favor.
After the flower viewing banquet ended, Shen Qingtan left the palace with Qi Chuyin and got into the carriage, finally catching her breath.
“Sister-in-law, this is even more tiring than going to the battlefield to kill the enemy.” Qi Chuyin leaned against the car wall, holding Shen Qingtan’s soft hand: “Everyone has two faces.”
Shen Qingtan chuckled. Since ancient times, wives of officials have used gatherings to expand their husbands' networks and gather information.
Qi Chuyin grew up in the northern border region, where the soldiers were all straightforward and honest, speaking without much beating around the bush.
Shen Qingtan said softly, "I'm used to it, it's alright."
Just as Qi Chuyin was about to speak, she saw the carriage curtain being lifted and Zhao Yi entering the carriage.
“Cousin, I’ve brought my sister-in-law back safe and sound.” Qi Chuyin released Shen Qingtan’s hand and said tactfully, “I have something to discuss with Shen San, so I’ll be leaving now.”
Shen Qingtan watched as Qi Chuyin nimbly got off the carriage and made room for them, feeling both amused and exasperated.
“My third brother’s temperament is quite similar to Yinyin’s,” Shen Qingtan said helplessly. “My third brother has ruined my cousin’s reputation, so he should give an explanation.”
"My cousin has a forthright and unpretentious personality. She grew up in a military camp and even marched in men's clothing. In her eyes, the soldiers who fought alongside her were all comrades-in-arms, without any distinction of gender."
Zhao Yi said gently, "If the two of them are destined to be together, there's no need to deliberately bring them together; they will naturally form a happy marriage."
Shen Qingtan frowned, wanting to say something, but then she remembered that Qi Chuyin had gone to find Shen Lue, and she realized that the two of them might eventually become husband and wife, depending on whether Emperor Jing'an would agree to the marriage.
"Today, the Imperial Concubine Ling kept my cousin writing the Northern Qi recipes, and my cousin also met Prince Yu in the back garden." Shen Qingtan told Zhao Yi about what happened in the palace, expressing her concerns: "I'm wondering if Imperial Concubine Ling wants to matchmake Prince Yu and my cousin, or if she wants to take action against my cousin. If it's the latter, then Imperial Concubine Ling's target is the Qi family, and she wants to gradually undermine our power?"
“We have broken ties with Prince Yu. The Qi family is my maternal clan, and Consort Ling will not allow Prince Yu to marry his cousin.”
Zhao Yi continued, "General Qi's deputy general comes from a collateral branch of the Ling family and is the nephew of Consort Ling. He has made great contributions in the northern border this time and is quite capable. If the Qi family encounters any trouble, we will make room for him."
Shen Qingtan instantly understood the meaning behind Zhao Yi's words: Consort Ling had her eye on the Qi family's position and wanted to eliminate this obstacle in order to build up her own power.
The Qi family is the maternal family of the First Madam; if they fall, they will definitely be affected.
Shen Qingtan asked, "What do you plan to do?"
"His Majesty summoned the Third Prince today, intending for me to be his tutor," Zhao Yi said in a low voice. "Prince Yu originally controlled the Ministry of War, but his power was taken away, and His Majesty handed the Ministry of War over to Prince Rui... This is to let them check and balance each other, giving the Third Prince time to grow."
Shen Qingtan instantly understood that Emperor Jing'an favored the Third Prince as his successor.
“Prince Yu wants to eliminate dissidents and has turned against us, so we naturally cannot tolerate it,” Zhao Yi said calmly. “The Emperor wants to use Prince Rui to restrain Prince Yu, so we will lend Prince Rui a hand.”