After burning three sticks of incense under immense pressure, Prince Zhennan left the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, taking Pei Zhao with him as he went.
The two left very reluctantly.
With the princess in charge, no one dared to gossip.
Tao breathed a sigh of relief and came to Song Yue and the others: "These next two days won't be peaceful. You should all go to the backyard to rest and recuperate, instead of waiting here."
Zhao Yunke said, "A-Yue, you go first, I'll stay here for a while."
Song Zhen also instructed Jiang Ying to go.
Prince Shen shared the same idea and told Song Huan to go and rest.
Tao thought for a moment and said, "Alright, it would only attract attention if they all left. Let them take turns resting, and don't refuse."
So Song Yue relented and went to rest in the back with Jiang Ying and Song Huan.
After everyone left, Zhao Yunke looked at Song Zhen and said, "Thank you, brother."
Song Zhen raised an eyebrow: "There are different levels of closeness. I'm only doing this because of A-Yue."
Today, by speaking up for Zhao Yunke, he has undoubtedly offended Zhao Zhiyan. They are all around the same age, and Song Zhen is quick-witted; how could he not see through Zhao Zhiyan's intentions?
He wanted to take the opportunity to seize Zhao Yunke's title; to put it bluntly, he still had designs on A Yue.
Prince Shen curled his lip: "If only you had known this would happen, you wouldn't have done it in the first place."
Three years ago, the three of them came to propose marriage together. The princess took a liking to Zhao Zhiyan first and spared no effort in supporting him.
The wedding date was already set, and then Princess Lian'an showed up.
Don't they realize that Princess Jia Hua, with her fiercely protective nature, would never tolerate the Third Miss suffering injustice in the future?
This isn't fatal. As long as Zhao Zhiyan and Princess Lian'an are innocent, and Princess Lian'an gets married in the future, this matter will be dropped.
But Zhao Zhiyan went to the northern frontier and took her away. When he returned, she was pregnant.
Tell me, could a princess as proud as her tolerate this?
The third daughter was quite principled; she broke off the engagement without hesitation.
"You're quite lucky," Prince Shen said, glancing at Zhao Yunke. "You almost didn't get to marry him."
At yesterday's wedding banquet, Zhao Zhiyan sat alone, looking unhappy, as if he was about to kill someone.
Zhao Yunke nodded earnestly: "Indeed, you are blessed."
Since the death of his father and mother, Zhao Yunke had not experienced the feeling of being protected for a long time, as he was used to being alone.
In addition, his health was not good. If he was not careful and his complexion was slightly worse, the group of people would be frightened and back away, for fear of being accused of bullying the late emperor's orphan.
"Putting the past aside, the three of us are all members of the Song family, so naturally we should unite against outsiders." Prince Shen winked at Zhao Yunke, his meaning unspoken.
In terms of qualifications, Zhao Yunke was the last son of the late emperor, with pure blood, and was not necessarily inferior to the Eighth Prince.
The situation is now just short of a complete breakdown in relations.
Zhao Yunke's gaze was resolute; no one could take A Yue away from him. He smiled without saying a word.
The three exchanged glances, each understanding the meaning in the other's eyes.
With civil and military officials present, the three of them still had to follow the proper etiquette. Tao felt sorry for the three of them and had someone bring them prayer mats, instructing the maid to bring them snacks and tea from time to time.
…
The Prince of Zhennan angrily led Pei Zhao away, and as soon as they got into the carriage, he couldn't help but start cursing: "You're disloyal! You caused a mess and then just turned around and left. You scoundrel!"
Pei Zhao actually harbored some resentment.
If he had agreed just now and made the bet, he might have already cleared his name. The Prince of Zhennan saw through Pei Zhao's thoughts and said irritably, "The Eighth Prince and the Princess have a good relationship. Who knows if the two of them are conspiring to trick us? If you are so sure, why don't you dare to agree?"
Pei Zhao remained silent.
After thinking it over, the Prince of Zhennan took a deep breath and said, "Hold a funeral for your mother."
"Father?" Pei Zhao asked in surprise.
“Your mother will not be coming back. That man is notoriously ruthless and will never give your mother a chance. As long as this matter remains unresolved, the Zhennan Prince’s Mansion will forever be despised.”
Even if he were to return, the Prince of Zhennan would not acknowledge him.
The Prince of Zhennan's Mansion cannot afford to lose face like this.
"My mother is hiding in the Duke of Jingguo's mansion."
"Who dares to search?" Prince Zhennan said earnestly, "Zhao-ge'er, we've tried our best these past few days. We can't risk the entire household just to save your mother. Don't forget, you still have your brothers and sisters."
A few words interrupted Pei Zhao's thoughts.
His heart was breaking; could it be that his mother was truly gone forever?
After a long pause, he finally replied, "I will follow Father's arrangements."
By the afternoon, very few people had come to pay their respects. As the crowd dispersed, Madam Tao hurried to the princess and called out in a daze, "Eldest sister-in-law."
Princess Jia Hua's palms were also damp with a fine sheen of sweat. She closed her eyes, gazing at the coffin, her dark eyes asking, "Have all those involved been dealt with?"
"Don't worry, sister-in-law. They are all born into the family. Their indentures are all in the mansion. I will send them away once things are settled."
Princess Jia Hua nodded and asked again, "Keep an eye on the Fan family."
"yes."
Tao is now completely obedient to Princess Jiahua.
If it weren't for Princess Jia Hua presiding over things today, I would have already made a mistake.
"Sister-in-law, there's something I'm wondering about. Isn't the Eighth Prince on good terms with you? Why would he side with the Zhennan Prince's Mansion?"
Everyone present could see that Zhao Zhiyan was biased towards Pei Zhao.
It's just not said explicitly.
“We have offended the Eighth Prince. What if the Eighth Prince…” Tao hesitated, worried that the wealth she had gained would vanish like a bubble at any moment.
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