Chapter 14 Only by marrying him can one tolerate not a single grain of rice...

Li Heyun's smile deepened: "Is Miss Chi blaming me for being too talkative that day? But it was just that the speaker didn't mean anything by it, but the listener took it to heart. I never instigated you to do anything; it was just a slip of the tongue."

Yang Qing snorted coldly, "A slip of the tongue? Why didn't you tell someone else about your slip of the tongue, but you told me of it?"

Li Heyun smiled and said, "Naturally, it's because a beautiful lady is sought after by gentlemen. Miss Chi, you are so beautiful, what man could remain steadfast when talking to you?"

When Liu Ye'er saw her young mistress being teased, she was about to yell at her when Yang Qing tugged at her sleeve.

She was still a little guilty, afraid that if she really made a scene, others would find out.

He coldly uttered only two words, "Have some self-respect," before turning to go upstairs to find the Second Madam and Rongyue.

Li Heyun showed no sign of self-respect. Her voice remained unchanged from the beginning, still unhurried, "Since I have caused you to lose your marriage with your elder brother, I will give myself to you in return. How about that?"

Yang Qing blushed deeply and quickened her pace upstairs, feeling both angry and ashamed.

She didn't want to marry Li Hebi, that's true, but she also didn't want to marry Li Heyun.

Li Heyun was only slightly better looking; both brothers were equally wicked.

Distracted, he arrived at the Second Madam's side, where the seamstress was still measuring Rongyue's waist.

The second wife noticed something was wrong with her face and asked, "Why is your face so red?"

Yang Qing reached out and touched it; it was indeed very hot. She casually brushed it off by saying "it was blown by the wind," and then stopped talking and just watched obediently.

After returning home, Liu Ye'er, who had been preoccupied with her thoughts, finally couldn't help but ask, "Miss, could it be that the second young master of the Ning Prince's mansion is really coming to propose marriage?"

Yang Qing said, "Even if they come to propose marriage, my parents won't agree. I'm afraid..."

He would go directly to request an imperial decree to grant the marriage.

Liu Ye'er said, "I knew it. Miss shouldn't have asked that question that time. Li Hebi's death would have implicated us, and now there's another Li Heyun. Sigh."

Liu Ye'er was two years older than her, and she had spent far more time with Liu Ye'er than with blood relatives like Second Madam Rongyue. Their relationship had long since transcended that of a typical master and servant.

So, they talked rather casually in private. When Liu Ye'er complained like this, Yang Qing wasn't really angry. She just glared at her and said, "When the flowers bloom, bees and butterflies swarm around them. Is that the flowers' fault?"

Liu Ye'er didn't answer her question, but comforted her, "Don't worry, Miss, with His Highness the Crown Prince around, he won't let anyone else marry you!"

Yang Qing glared at her again, this time much more severely than before. "I don't want to! I don't want Li Hebi, I don't want Li Heyun, and I don't want Li Shangxuan either. It's really strange, why is everyone with the surname Li so determined to go against me?"

Liu Ye'er remained silent for a long while before saying, "It seems like His Highness the Crown Prince hasn't visited the Chi residence in quite some time."

This had never been so strange before. Even if Li Shangxuan didn't come, his things would always be delivered. But it had been almost ten days since Li Hebi's matter was settled, and the Eastern Palace hadn't sent a single word. A sense of panic rose within her. "Miss, you wouldn't have really said something to His Highness the Crown Prince, would you?"

Yang Qing said, "I don't want to marry him, so I definitely need to make it clear to him."

Liu Ye'er wanted to cry out to the heavens and earth: "My lady, are you really delirious from a high fever! That's the Crown Prince! If you marry him, you can become the Crown Princess!"

She might even become an empress someday!

Yang Qing said, "According to you, Li Hebi is still the heir apparent of the Prince of Ning. If I marry him, wouldn't I be able to become the heir apparent's wife?"

Liu Ye'er argued, "How can that be the same! Li Hebi looks like that, and he has that kind of character. How can Miss marry him?"

Yang Qing said, "Your Crown Prince isn't much better."

Willow Leaf said, "But the Crown Prince and you grew up together. I just read a poem in a book a few days ago, 'The boy rode a bamboo horse, playing with green plums around the bed. They lived together in Changgan, two little ones without suspicion.' Isn't that describing the Crown Prince and you?"

Yang Qing only said, "The last few lines are 'This saddens my heart, I sit and worry that my beauty is fading.' Is this some kind of good thing?"

Liu Ye'er said, "I don't know if it's a nice thing to say, but... in the whole capital, where can you find a better husband than the Crown Prince? I really don't know what you're thinking, Miss. If you marry the Crown Prince, considering our childhood friendship, he can't treat you too badly."

Yang Qing thought to herself that after they became husband and wife in their previous life, he was indeed not too bad to her.

But how can that be the same? If she were to marry someone else, Yang Qing could be a magnanimous mistress. It's only because she married Li Shangxuan and he treated her well that she can't tolerate even a speck of dust in her eyes.

The mother and child he brought back before his death were more than just sand; they were a huge weight on her heart.

She doesn't want to spend her life with this short-lived man.

Unfortunately, this matter of past and present lives could not be discussed with Liu Ye'er, as neither of them could convince the other, and both believed they were right.

The second wife still refused the marriage proposal to the Duke of Lin. Although she had consulted a master who said that the Duke of Lin was not destined to bring misfortune to his wife, the fact that he had taken a new concubine right after the mourning period was over, who was said to be a maid who had served his deceased wife, made the relationship quite intriguing.

No one knows exactly when the two started having an affair.

The second wife didn't care that the Duke of Lin was a widower, but she cared a lot about his reputation.

Given all this, he's probably not a good match. Rongyue is intelligent and beautiful, and there are countless talented young men lining up to marry her, though her family background is second-best.

Yang Qing knows that Rong Yue is ambitious and wants to marry the best, but Si Jiamu has only met her once from afar. Rong Yue only knows Si Mujia, but Si Jiamu does not know Rong Yue. She really doesn't know when Rong Yue will be able to get her wish.

Just as one wave subsided, another arose. While Rongyue was still busy attending various banquets, the Second Madam and the Third Madam met, and the other party brought another piece of news that left her speechless with astonishment.

"Third sister-in-law, you're not just teasing me, are you?"

The Third Madam wasn't all smiles this time. She hadn't expected that after suffering such a big setback at the Ning Prince's Mansion last time, she would be eagerly coming up to the Second Madam today to tell her about the Ning Prince's Mansion.

She sighed, "Second sister-in-law, you're joking. Marriage is a serious matter, not a game. How could I possibly joke about Yangqing's marriage? I only found out about this by chance from my family. As soon as I heard it, I came to tell you so you could be mentally prepared."

Upon hearing this, the second wife was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

The Third Madam had a close cousin who entered the palace at a young age. Although she wasn't favored, she still rose to the rank of Consort and was said to have influence over the Emperor.

This is probably true.

But the Second Madam just couldn't understand it: "This... I really find it unbelievable. Why is the Prince Ning's Mansion targeting our Ah Xun? The first Prince was like this, and now this Second Young Master has come along. I don't know what's so good about Ah Xun that makes them all have their eyes on her."

The Third Madam said, "What you said is unfair. Yangqing is not bad at all. She is just young and not mature enough."

She lowered her voice, "I've already inquired about this second young master beforehand. Unlike Li Hebi, he's good-looking, and there's no one else in his house right now. With Li Hebi dead, and none of the other sons of the Prince of Ning being any good, the position of heir apparent will most likely fall to him. It wouldn't be bad if Yangqing married him."

The second madam thought for a moment and began to consider it seriously. She wondered what had happened, but the attitude of the Crown Prince's side had turned cold. She had asked Ah Xun several times, but that brat always shrugged and said, "How would I know what he's thinking? If he doesn't want to marry me, he doesn't want to marry me. I don't care anyway."

The second wife was furious, but there was nothing she could do. Now that another candidate had emerged, she had no choice but to seriously consider it. After thinking for a long time, she finally shook her head reluctantly. "No, Princess Ning must hate my family to the bone. If A-Xun marries into that family, how can she have a good life? She's stupid and definitely can't win against others. Let's find someone from a simple family."

The Third Madam didn't try to persuade him further: "If that's what you think, then you should arrange Ah Xun's marriage as soon as possible. Although our Emperor has a bad temper in court, he's not an unreasonable person. If Ah Xun is already betrothed, he won't forcefully break up the marriage."

She said mysteriously, "That one is out of the question. The Empress's niece recently came to the capital, aiming to become the Crown Prince. However, being a concubine wouldn't be a disgrace to Yangqing."

The second wife was someone who couldn't hide her feelings. Upon hearing this, she flew into a rage, thinking to herself, "No wonder she suddenly became cold; it turns out she's climbed the social ladder."

Bah! Do you really think the Crown Prince's Palace is some kind of coveted prize that everyone is eager to have?

Jiang Xianyi's daughter, which one of her would worry about getting married?

In response, the second wife said coldly, "No need. Since my father-in-law passed away, no one in our family has been able to uphold our honor. Even if she marries into the Eastern Palace, it would only be sending Ah Xun there to be bullied. The Ming family is a high-ranking and wealthy family, and they have an aunt who is the Empress. What do we have to compete with them?"

The Third Madam said, "It's good that you can see things clearly. Actually, I always felt that the palace was not a good place. Despite the wealth and glory, you have to be careful every day, afraid that someone will find something wrong and you will fall into an abyss of no return."

She had a cousin who was a palace concubine, so she naturally knew more details than others.

The second wife then spoke her mind: "I may have used Ah Xun's desire to compete for glory and show off before. I may seem peaceful, but I actually have a strong will. Only today do I realize that before I'm even married, trouble has already arisen. How easy is it to enter the royal family?"

After discussing the matter, the two sisters-in-law reached a conclusion: their daughters' marriages could no longer be delayed. Not only Rongyue, but also Chuying and Yangqing, and Liantang would have to be included. While they didn't expect their four daughters to marry immediately, engagements had to be arranged as soon as possible!