Chapter 265 Help me apologize to your second brother

Gu Qianning was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head.

Shen Wantang touched on her secret: ever since she returned from Fazhen Temple, she had begun to waver on her marriage to the Crown Prince.

But she didn't know who else she could marry if not the crown prince, so she could only force herself not to think about it.

Now, this problem has been brought to her again.

In fact, this time the problem is even more serious than the last time at Hojinji Temple.

The matter of rebirth is mysterious and unpredictable. Gu Qianning had previously scoffed at the idea of ​​Shen Mingxuan's rebirth, but now that it involves the entire Gu family, she has no choice but to believe in it and to be cautious.

Soon, Gu Qianning made up her mind: "When I get back, I will tell Father and my elder brother what Shen Mingxuan said today. No matter whether what she said is true or not, Father and my elder brother will definitely have a solution!"

Shen Wantang nodded; that was the only way.

"However, Ah Tang, you're so capable; you discovered the clues in the Xin family case yourself. Why are you giving the credit to my second brother? Isn't that just letting him get away with it?"

As for why Shen Wantang didn't give the credit to Xiao Qingyuan, Gu Qianning didn't ask. She thought it was probably because Xiao Qingyuan wasn't good to her at all.

There are still many rumors circulating in the capital, saying that Xiao Qingyuan and Shen Wantang never consummated their marriage, and that he only liked Chu Yanluo, his favored concubine, and didn't care about his wife at all.

Shen Wantang never spoke of their true relationship, and Gu Qianning wisely refrained from asking. But if Xiao Qingyuan truly respected and loved her, Shen Wantang would never have mentioned her husband.

Shen Wantang looked at Gu Qianning's puzzled face and smiled gently: "I just want to help General Xin find the murderer, but I don't want to attract too much attention. After all, I am a woman in the inner quarters of the Ning Prince's Mansion, and it is not appropriate for me to get too involved in murder cases."

"Ah Ning, please apologize to your second brother for me. I used his name without his permission. I hope he won't blame me."

Gu Qianning understood Shen Wantang's desire not to stand out. In this world, there are many restrictions on women. If word got out that Shen Wantang could solve cases and knew about rare poisons from the Western Regions, she would probably face another storm of suspicion.

She held Shen Wantang's hand and comforted her, "You don't need to worry about my second brother. He's overjoyed that such a good thing happened to him, how could he possibly blame you?"

Shen Wantang smiled at her, feeling slightly relieved.

She hoped that Gu Qianhan could understand her intention and accept the credit, so that he could gain Xin Huailin's support.

In her previous life, after she gave the credit for solving the case to Liao Youhe, Xin Huailin became Liao Youhe's man. In the following years, he was Liao Youhe's most loyal and capable assistant.

Moreover, because Xin Huailin was loyal, brave, and righteous, he had many close friends in the military circle. Even General Huo appreciated him very much. All of these connections became Liao Youhe's.

Therefore, Liao Youhe became one of the few people at the time who were respected and liked by civil officials, military officials, and ordinary people alike.

In fact, doing this carries the risk of revealing her rebirth, since Gu Qianhan is a smart man and he may very well discover traces of her rebirth from this case.

However, Shen Wantang had no choice but to do so.

She looked down at the hand that was tightly holding hers; it was fair, delicate, and beautiful.

Having lived two lives, this was the first time she had gained a friend like Gu Qianning, and she didn't want Gu Qianning to die.

The two managed to eat something at Zuixianlou before heading home separately.

On the way back to the Prince Ning's mansion, Shen Wantang instructed Du Juan: "Have our people spread the word on the streets that the Second Young Master Gu has discovered a key clue in the Xin family case."

Du Juan really didn't understand why she gave the credit to Gu Qianhan: "Princess Consort, why did you give such a great credit to an outsider? Even if you didn't want to be in the limelight, you could have given the credit to the Prince!"

Shen Wantang calmly shook her head: "Giving it to the Crown Prince is useless."

"How could it be useless? If you give such a great credit to the Crown Prince, he will definitely look at you differently, and perhaps from then on, you will be the only one in his heart and mind."

Shen Wantang couldn't help but smile as she listened to her naive words.

Du Juan was very anxious: "Princess Consort, how can you still laugh? These past few days, the Prince has been busy solving cases and being affectionate with Hua Yi. Qin Xin told me that Hua Yi asked for water several times a night. Everyone in the kitchen has heard the news, saying that Hua Yi has won the Prince's heart and will soon be promoted to concubine!"

"What's wrong with mentioning the painting as a concubine?"

"Of course it will threaten you. The Crown Prince is not close to you to begin with. If Huayi becomes his concubine, he will be even less close to you."

"Isn't this a good thing?" Why does she want to get so close to Xiao Qingyuan?

Du Juan became even more anxious: "How is that good? Princess Consort, you still have the mind of a child and are unwilling to be close to the Prince. How can this be? Granny Chai also said that you should be the first to give birth to the Prince's child, and everyone else should be after you!"

Shen Wantang remained calm and composed: "I think it would be good to let Huayi give birth to the prince; it would save me trouble."

In her previous life, she and Liao Youhe had no children and lived a relatively carefree life. Before she died, her only concern was the two young children that Gu Qianhan had asked her to take care of.

She worries about children who aren't her own; if they were her own, she probably wouldn't be able to die in peace, fearing that her child would be bullied or mistreated after she died without a mother.

Therefore, Shen Wantang really didn't want to have children, lest she die young again and leave her child without a mother to protect her.

However, she wouldn't tell Du Juan these things.

The carriage soon arrived at the Prince Ning's residence. Shen Wantang got out of the carriage and, with Du Juan's help, stepped into the residence.

Not long after we walked, we heard the sounds of playing and frolicking coming from a garden not far away.

Shen Wantang looked up and saw Xiao Qingyuan, Huayi, and a few maids playing around.

It snowed last night, and they ran around in the snow, occasionally making snowballs and throwing them around, creating a joyful and lively scene.

Shen Wantang shook her head slightly. Xiao Qingyuan was indeed only interested in solving cases for a short time. After only a few days, he gave up without making any progress. He also stopped going to the Dali Temple and stayed at home playing with the maids.

Prince Ning truly understood his son; he only offered him a minor official position and refused to appoint him as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

A voice suddenly came from behind: "Shen Wantang, why are you standing here in a daze? Are you jealous because you see my brother having so much fun with the maids?"

Shen Wantang turned around and looked at Xiao Qingxi.

She was still wearing that fiery red fox fur cloak today, which looked even more vibrant against the white snow.

Clearly, she really liked this cloak and wore it almost every day.

Shen Wantang stepped forward and, to Xiao Qingxi's astonishment, reached out to touch the beautiful fox tail fur around her collar.