Chapter 445 Inquiring about the Tomb of the Old Duke of Chu

The carriage rumbled back to the Lingnan Prince's residence. Pei Tinglan, humiliated upon entering the palace and unable to speak with her brother afterward, wore a long face the entire way, her expression unchanged even when she alighted from the carriage. Neither the Lingnan Prince nor Zhu Junning was in the mood to deal with her.

The Prince of Lingnan instructed his attendant to "take good care of the Dowager Consort" before heading to the study with Zhu Junning to discuss matters. Pei Tinglan watched their figures disappear before walking towards her courtyard with a dark expression. Hu Mama and her maid Suyun followed quickly.

Upon entering the small flower hall, Pei Tinglan picked up the teapot on the table and smashed it violently on the ground. With a crisp "crack," the exquisite celadon teapot shattered into pieces. But Pei Tinglan was still not satisfied. She then picked up the matching teacups and smashed them one by one on the ground with all her might.

In an instant, the ground was a mess. Granny Hu and Su Yun stood to the side, watching her vent her anger and pant heavily. One of them stepped forward to help her sit down and catch her breath, while the other beckoned a maid to clean up the mess on the ground.

The maids worked quickly and efficiently, and the floor was spotless in no time. Su Yun then brought in tea and snacks, gently placing them beside Pei Tinglan, and stood nearby listening to Granny Hu's words of advice to Pei Tinglan.

"...That Lady Anyuan is only good at talking. Her daughter married that spoiled brat Jiang Chengye, her biological son was replaced by an illegitimate son, and her daughter was kidnapped. Who in the entire capital doesn't know what kind of life the Duchess of Chu lived all those years?"

Hearing this, Pei Tinglan felt a little better and gave a heavy snort with a raised corner of her lips.

Granny Hu's expression relaxed a bit, and she added, "Putting everything else aside, although the Duke of Chu's mansion looks like it's thriving right now, it's still a woman who inherited the title. There will be times when they cause trouble in the future."

Pei Tinglan's smile widened even more. Su Yun picked up a teacup and handed it to her. Pei Tinglan took a sip and gestured for Granny Hu to continue.

Granny Hu's face stiffened for a moment. She had racked her brains to come up with something else to criticize about the Duke of Chu's mansion. At this moment, Su Yun's voice rang out: "Everyone says that the old Duke of Chu and his wife were a perfect couple all their lives. If that's really the case, how come there was a concubine's daughter born?"

Pei Tinglan liked hearing this even more, and a smug smile even appeared on her face. Seeing this, Su Yun added, "So what if the old Duchess of Chu married the old Duke of Chu? She still died in her thirties. Compared to her, Your Highness is much happier."

The old Duke of Chu's feelings for you were those of youthful affection, the most sincere of all. The old Duchess of Chu, however, was merely a tool for political alliance; perhaps all these years, the old Duke of Chu has always held you in his heart.

These words caused Pei Tinglan to sigh deeply, while Granny Hu frowned slightly and looked at Su Yun, signaling her not to say such things again. Su Yun received her gaze and immediately lowered her head, looking as if she had admitted her mistake.

Granny Hu handed a piece of pastry to Pei Tinglan, "Back then, the old prince..."

Granny Hu wanted to mention the good things about the old Prince of Lingnan to Pei Tinglan, but she was interrupted by Pei Tinglan's voice halfway through her sentence, "I also know what he had no choice with back then. At that time, his father made him break off the engagement, and if he did not, he would be deposed as the heir apparent."

"Your Highness, that's all in the past." Granny Hu didn't want her to keep mentioning the old Duke of Chu. If the Prince of Lingnan found out, all the servants in the house would be punished.

But Pei Tinglan was clearly not satisfied with her words, and said indifferently, "You go out and do your work first, let Suyun keep me company for a while."

Granny Hu: "......."

What could a mere servant girl do? She could only obey and leave. But before leaving, she still gave Suyun a warning look.

"Please sit down." Pei Tinglan let Su Yun sit on the small stool next to her, and sighed, "Granny Hu must have been warned."

Su Yun shifted her position and gently massaged her legs, saying, "His Highness is doing this for your own good, afraid that you'll always be troubled by thinking about the past."

Pei Tinglan's face showed a hint of sadness. "I am about the same age as the Empress Dowager. She suffered a stroke some time ago. Although she seems to be in good spirits today, only people our age know what happened."

Su Yun looked puzzled. Pei Tinglan was in a good mood at the moment, so she explained to her, "It's just that there are people and things that I can't let go of, so I subconsciously keep going. I look quite healthy now, but at this age, I might fall ill from a cold and never get up again."

Su Yun looked at Pei Tinglan with heartache in her eyes and said, "His Highness knows that you miss the Prime Minister and the capital, so he brought you here. Now that you're here, let's fulfill your wish."

Pei Tinglan closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair for a while before slowly saying, "Yes, this is my last time coming to the capital. I have to fulfill my wish."

Su Yun lowered her head and gently lowered her legs. Pei Tinglan looked at her with drooping eyelids and said, "Inquire about the burial site of the old Duke of Chu."

Su Yun paused slightly while massaging her legs, then immediately agreed. Pei Tinglan closed her eyes and said again, "Be careful, don't let anyone know."

“Yes,” Su Yun replied immediately.

.........

study

The King of Lingnan and Zhu Junning sat facing each other. Zhu Junning lightly pinched a few tightly rolled tea leaves between his fingertips and slowly poured them into a preheated purple clay teapot...

Watching her fluid tea-making movements, the Prince of Lingnan's expression softened considerably. He had already heard from Zhu Junning about what had happened at the women's banquet hall that day. He frowned and pondered for a moment before asking, "You mean, the Empress Dowager intends to bestow a marriage upon the Duke of Chu?"

Zhu Junning steadily poured tea from the teapot, filling the teacup to seven-tenths full before stopping. She then looked up at the Prince of Lingnan and said, "I've been thinking about it, and the reason is probably that the Empress Dowager is in poor health and doesn't have much time left. The old Duchess of Chu has a life-saving debt to the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager has always taken care of the Chu State Duke's Mansion, so naturally she hopes that the Chu State Duke can get engaged as soon as possible. But given the Chu State Duke's current status and position, if she really doesn't want to get married, looking across the court, no one except the Emperor can influence her."

The Prince of Lingnan frowned and remained silent in thought. At this moment, Zhu Junning handed him a cup of tea. He took it and said, "Let's take another look at this matter. Although the Duke of Chu was very aggressive today, we can only endure it for now. As for her, unless we can strike her decisively, we should not take any action."

He was well aware of the principle of striking first, but his power was not in the capital, and the Duke of Chu was currently at the height of his power. Even the prime minister had to avoid him. He was too busy avoiding him to provoke him.

Zhu Junning lowered her eyes and agreed. She wanted to spar with Jiang Yu, but she knew now wasn't the time. She just felt a deep sense of regret.