Chapter 290 Son-in-law

Qi Yuxuan only heard Lanxin say after she finished washing up that Ren Shun seemed to have been guarding outside for most of the night.

She was going to have dinner with the princess, and when she came out, she didn't even glance at him.

The child is throwing another tantrum. She overslept this morning and didn't have time to deal with the child's temper.

Ren Shun looked at Qi Yuxuan, who was hurrying past him, and his eyes darkened.

She didn't ask a single question. She knew that the Crown Prince of Qi had arrived early in the morning, so she hurried to the door to see him. It seemed that the rumors were true... She really was going to marry the Crown Prince of Qi.

Qi Yuxuan was somewhat taken aback when she saw the Princess and then noticed Qi Jun beside her.

Didn't I tell you yesterday not to come so often? Why are you here so early this morning?

Qi Jun responded to the girl's questioning gaze without changing his expression, saying, "My cousin fell into the water yesterday. My grandmother was concerned, so she sent her nephew to visit her."

It was a lame excuse, but neither the mother nor the daughter called him out on it.

The eldest princess was too lazy to pay attention to him. After the crown prince left yesterday, she personally confirmed her daughter's feelings with her again and again. She knew that her daughter did not object to marrying into the Eastern Palace and did have some feelings for the crown prince. The eldest princess's cold and hard heart was left with only helplessness.

Since she couldn't stop the Crown Prince from marrying her daughter, she wouldn't give the Crown Prince, who had abducted her daughter, a friendly look until then.

It is said that the more a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law, the more pleasing he becomes. The eldest princess, however, felt that the more she looked at him, the more pleasing he became, and wished she could slam the table and reject the marriage proposal immediately.

Aside from the prince consort who died young, she had never seen a man who truly had only one woman in his life. Whether it was genuine or feigned affection, men always had various reasons to seek other women. No matter how much the prince promised, she only believed half of it.

After thanking her, Qi Yuxuan quietly ate her breakfast, trying to avoid the almost tangible gaze from across the table.

The eldest princess slammed down her chopsticks: "Your Highness, is the breakfast at my Lotus Garden not to your liking? If so, please have breakfast at Shengxing Palace instead."

She was truly fed up with the way the Crown Prince stared intently at her daughter.

Qi Jun immediately straightened up, took a sip of porridge, and pretended that nothing had happened.

The eldest princess pursed her lips in disgust, never realizing before that the crown prince was so shameless.

After the meal, Sun Miao urged the Crown Prince to return and review the memorials.

Qi Jun left reluctantly, and only then did the eldest princess sigh:

"You two aren't even married yet, and he's already like this... Never mind, since you two are so in love, I won't say anything discouraging, just one thing—"

Qi Yuxuan nodded obediently, indicating that she understood: "I know, Mother. If the Crown Prince treats me badly in the future, I will tell you immediately and return to the Princess's residence! I will never forgive the Crown Prince!"

The eldest princess then rubbed her face with satisfaction: "Are you still feeling unwell? The girls who came to Beiyuan today are going to play. If you don't want to go, you don't have to. You choked on water yesterday, and your lungs and internal organs probably haven't recovered yet. You feel unwell again after being exposed to the wind."

Qi Yuxuan then said that she was going to talk to Zheng Yanling and the others, as they hadn't seen each other for long yesterday.

The eldest princess thought about it and decided it wasn't a bad idea: "Then you young ladies can go together, but you must have a maid with you, and be very careful."

The princess woke up before dawn this morning with palpitations. She secretly sought out the imperial physician, who said that she had been frightened yesterday and that drinking some calming soup would make her feel better.

She gave many instructions, and Qi Yuxuan listened patiently and attentively, which put the princess's mind at ease.

Hopefully, she's overthinking it. Seeing how Yu Xuan always manages to escape unscathed, she should know that Yu Xuan is a lucky child, and I shouldn't be too restrictive of her...

The princess convinced herself, and watching the little girl's departing figure, she still summoned Meng Xian.

"No, you should find two reliable maids to follow them from a distance, so they don't see you. If nothing happens, that's fine, but I'm afraid that if they encounter something like yesterday, those young girls are too inexperienced and might panic. That would be really worrying."

After the princess finished speaking, she glanced at the sky and added, "It looks like it's going to rain, so take an umbrella."

Meng Xian immediately agreed and went out.

Qi Yuxuan returned to the door of her bedroom, called Ren Shun, and then went to the garden where the dozens of girls had been playing that day.

She did want to talk to Zheng Yanling and the others, but only for a short while before secretly following Ren Shun out of Beiyuan to interrogate Xiao Yuyao.

Qi Yuxuan had considered handing the job over to the Qilin Guard, but the feud between her and Xiao Yuyao was not over yet. Last time, she only lost one of Xiao Yuyao's hands, but this time, she wanted to get her revenge in full.

Moreover, she also had some things to say to Ren Shun privately...

The lively young girls in the garden seemed unaffected by yesterday's unexpected events. The imperial decree to appoint the Crown Princess had not yet been issued, and everyone was kept in the dark. Moreover, since the Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess were not coming today, they were dressed even more beautifully than yesterday, each one more stunning than the last.

Except for the Golden Mandarin Duck.

She stood in the corner, idly plucking at flower petals, watching Princess Minying, Princess Changle, Zheng Yanling, and Zhao Mei leisurely drink tea in the pavilion, seemingly taking their tea tasting and poetry-competing as a form of entertainment.

Although she wasn't sent back to Beiyuan after what happened yesterday, Jin Yuan still felt uneasy.

The Empress and the Princess gave her a light scolding, which made her feel better, but when she went to the Lotus Garden, she didn't even get to see Princess Chang Le.

She's just an adopted daughter, yet she's been granted the title of princess and acts so arrogantly. Anyone who didn't know better would think she had more influence than the empress and the princess.

Jin Yuan plucked at the petals for a while, but her frustration only intensified.

Suddenly, she looked up and saw Princess Chang Le coming out of the pavilion, as if she was saying goodbye to those people.

Jin Yuan's eyes darted around, and she felt this was a good opportunity. She had to find someone to apologize to in person and make it clear that she didn't mean it. What if Princess Chang Le was petty and made things difficult for her after she married into the Eastern Palace?

Jin Yuan thought she had hidden herself well and followed them.

Who would have thought that after following her for only a short while, two serious and dignified maids suddenly appeared from behind, blocking her way on either side.

"Does Miss Jin have business with the princess?" one of the older men asked.

Jin Yuan blinked, puzzled. She had clearly seen only one maidservant with Princess Chang Le just now, so how did two suddenly appear behind her?

She was inexplicably angry. She wasn't a bad person, so why was she being treated like a thief?

"Who said I was looking for the princess? I just saw the flowers were blooming beautifully here and wanted to come and take a look. I just happened to be passing by. Is that not allowed?"

The younger maid was about to speak when the older one immediately raised her hand to stop her, giving a perfectly timed smile: "Of course, Miss Jin, please go ahead. We'll take our leave."

Seeing that the two were about to turn and leave, Jin Yuan hurriedly called out, "Wait!"