Halfway through the banquet, Zhao Zhiyan, unable to bear the stares of others, made an excuse and hurriedly left. Before leaving, he asked Xu Lingqing, "You are pregnant, which is quite inconvenient. Why don't you come back with me?"
“Eighth Prince, I can escort Sister Qing back later,” Xuan Yuanming said.
Zhao Zhiyan frowned and looked at Xu Lingqing.
“It would be inappropriate for me to leave abruptly at the banquet hosted by the Han family.” Xu Lingqing sighed helplessly and lowered her voice. “Your Highness knows the situation of our Eighth Prince’s Mansion. Only at banquets can I see so many people and have the opportunity to build connections for Your Highness.”
Hearing her say that, Zhao Zhiyan was not moved at all; instead, he felt nothing but sarcasm.
He never considered seizing the throne.
He just wanted to live a peaceful life as the Eighth Prince, with no worries about food and drink, and to be respected by others.
But now, everyone thinks they are ambitious and ruthless.
Some facts are simply impossible to explain.
Zhao Zhiyan left in a hurry.
The banquet was still going on.
Even without Zhao Zhiyan, Xuan Yuanche would still strike up a conversation with Xu Lingqing from time to time, his attitude equally intimate, his eyes full of doting affection.
The ladies present exchanged knowing glances.
It wasn't exposed.
As the year draws to a close, banquets are being held one after another.
Invitations were sent one after another to the Eighth Prince's residence and the two princes, whether it was the Li family admiring flowers or the Zhang family composing poems.
The two princes attended almost every event.
Before long, he had become acquainted with most of the officials in the imperial court.
That day, a letter arrived from the northern frontier. Song Yue anxiously opened it and glanced at it. It was Princess Jia Hua reporting that she was safe and sound. The letter also said that she had avoided many things that should have happened.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your Highness," Amber said as she entered, "*** has sent someone to request your presence as soon as possible."
She put the letter away and went next door.
Counting the days, there should be news from Liang Ying by now. As I entered the palace, a wave of warmth washed over me.
“I didn’t want to disturb your rest, but I don’t want anyone else to know except you.” Liang Ying extended her wrist.
Song Yue sat down and reached out to feel her pulse.
The pulse is slippery, like rolling pearls.
"Got it!"
Liang Ying asked in surprise, "Really?"
Song Yue raised an eyebrow: "***My period should be late this month."
"Yes." Liang Ying nodded. She wanted to see Song Yue for a diagnosis because it was postponed. She swallowed nervously. "Then this pregnancy..."
"There's a high chance that *** will get what he wants."
Liang Ying was overjoyed and firmly grasped Song Yue's hand: "Thanks to you for this."
After saying that, she handed over a letter: "This was sent by the Eighth Princess. I only glanced at it and haven't replied yet."
Upon receiving the letter, Xu Lingqing, in an unfriendly tone, questioned Liang Ying about why she had gone back on her word and transferred part of the business, and also demanded that Liang Ying give her the dividends from the past two years.
"Over the years, her appetite has grown bigger and bigger. She is indeed intelligent, but I invested most of the money, and I hired people to manage it, yet she demanded that we split the profits equally."
Liang Ying was furious at the thought: "She wants 500,000 taels of silver, and from now on she will not interfere in any business with me, cutting all ties with me."
"Five hundred thousand taels?" Song Yue asked in surprise.
This much silver is enough to buy a month's worth of food for the soldiers in the northern frontier.
Seeing the other person's angry expression, Song Yue raised an eyebrow: "Do you have some kind of leverage that the Eighth Prince's wife has over you?"
Liang Ying cleared her throat awkwardly and looked away guiltily.
"At this point, why aren't you going to tell me?" she said irritably.
Helpless, Liang Ying had no choice but to admit the truth: "I accidentally killed someone a few years ago, and she took care of it for me."
Song Yue guessed that the other party's identity must be extraordinary; otherwise, the death of one person wouldn't have made Liang Ying so wary of Xu Lingqing.
"Liang Yuan, the young master of the Liang family."
Liang Yuan is her husband's younger brother.
“I was resting in the house when Liang Yuan barged in. In a fit of anger, I picked up a vase and smashed it over his head. I accidentally killed him.”
Liang Ying is still somewhat fearful, not for any other reason than that if her mother-in-law and husband knew that she was the one who killed Liang Yuan, they would definitely not forgive her easily.
Song Yue then asked, "How did Xu Lingqing clean up your mess?"
"They found a maid to take the blame."
What is Liang Yuan's character like?
“Cockfighting and dog racing are the hallmarks of a spoiled brat from a wealthy family. He also keeps many concubines in private.”
Song Yue raised an eyebrow: "As far as I know, Liang Yuan is very afraid of the Prince Consort. How come he's so bold as to trespass into the place where the princesses are resting?"
Liang Ying was taken aback.
This matter weighed heavily on her heart like a huge stone, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
She wouldn't have brought it up if Song Yue hadn't asked.
"You should know exactly what kind of person Xu Lingqing is. It's quite possible that Liang Yuan was fooled by Xu Lingqing."
She didn't believe Liang Yuan would risk his life to seduce his elder sister-in-law.
Most importantly, Liang Ying's temper is just as bad as her mother's. Living under the same roof is a recipe for disaster unless you're stupid enough to do it yourself.
Liang Ying narrowed her eyes, vaguely sensing something was wrong. Then she slammed her hand on the table and said angrily, "No wonder! No wonder she came as soon as the person collapsed, checked the pulse and said he was dead. Maybe Xu Lingqing killed him and framed me!"
Song Yue nodded, indicating that she did not rule out this possibility.
"Damn it!" Liang Ying was furious. Song Yue advised her to calm down: "The most important thing right now is not to settle scores with her, but to calm yourself down."
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