Su Xiaoning's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly asked, "What did you see?"
Meng Ruqiao glanced at her indifferently, remaining completely calm.
“I saw it all. I heard everything you said and I saw everything you did.”
Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoning's face flushed, and she wished she could disappear into the ground.
They know everything now, so they saw her and Su Qingcai being intimate! What if Meng Ruqiao reports their secret rendezvous?!
"Your previous discord with the Ninth Prince was all an act, wasn't it? He must have already decided that you would be his principal wife, right?" Meng Ruqiao asked again, and it has to be said that her guess was indeed very accurate.
Su Xiaoning lowered her head and remained silent, feeling a surge of nervousness.
Meng Ruqiao reached out and patted her back, saying calmly, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"Then what do you mean?" Su Xiaoning raised her head with a blank expression.
"It was nothing, I don't ask for anything, and... I envy you." Meng Ruqiao lowered her eyes, concealing the fleeting disappointment in them.
Su Xiaoning looked puzzled. "The daughter of the Prime Minister, would she envy me?"
“Sometimes a noble status is just a shackle.” Meng Ruqiao gave a bitter smile. “I’m not afraid to tell you that I envy your freedom and courage, I envy that you can find what you want, while I have always been unable to control my own destiny.”
"Su Xiaoning, let me tell you a secret. Actually, I didn't want to come to the selection of concubines. I already have someone I like, but our social statuses are worlds apart. For the sake of the Prime Minister's mansion, I have no other choice."
Meng Ruqiao's tone remained calm throughout, yet it subtly conveyed sadness.
Unexpectedly hearing such inside information, Su Xiaoning opened her mouth, wanting to say something but feeling utterly powerless, "But... there can only be one position as the principal wife..."
There's only one seat available, and she has to sit there herself.
"I know, it doesn't matter. I will do my best to be a good concubine to the Ninth Prince." Meng Ruqiao nodded and spoke her mind directly.
Su Xiaoning frowned and said coldly, "But I don't want to share my husband with other people."
As a modern person, she only respects monogamy.
Meng Ruqiao seemed to have anticipated what Su Xiaoning was going to say. She raised her eyebrows and resumed her usual proud expression.
"This selection of concubines is not up to you and the Ninth Prince. Everyone is caught up in the situation and has no choice. I will continue to compete with you, and I hope you are prepared."
After saying that, Meng Ruqiao turned and left, quite gracefully.
Su Xiaoning stared silently at her back, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
Such a competitor is truly hard to dislike. Fine, she will give it her all and absolutely not let anyone underestimate her.
She would stand upright beside Su Qingcai, without any messy concubines, a lifelong, one-on-one relationship.
...
On the other side, at the Seventh Prince's Mansion.
Qin Sang limped into Qin Yunyun's room, sighing heavily.
"I wonder what kind of background that restaurant has. Even the son of the General of the Cavalry specifically requested to be protected by them. The Ninth Prince's guards are here too. I guess he and Su Xiaoning are both there. What a wasted trip. I still couldn't teach that little bitch A-Lian a lesson. Sigh!"
Qin Sang gets angry just thinking about it. He broke his leg on the way because he was running too fast, and he almost crawled back. He lost all face.
Having failed to vandalize the restaurant, Qin Yunyun ended up suffering the consequences herself. She glared fiercely at the disheveled Qin Sang, her anger barely contained.
"That Su Xiaoning is like a persistent ghost, she's everywhere! The Ninth Prince must have been bewitched by her, he's actually protecting this bitch like this! You bitch, I'll make you all pay the price!"
Qin Yunyun grew angrier and angrier as she spoke, and in her agitation, she picked up a cup from the table and started smashing it. The cup shattered on the floor, but she wasn't satisfied; she then grabbed the teapot and threw it towards the door.
A slight sound of a door opening rang out, and Su Qinghe happened to push the door open and enter. A teapot flew towards him and hit him squarely in the face!
The tea lid was opened, and scalding hot tea was poured directly over Su Qinghe, leaving her face covered in tea leaves and her clothes soaked in the tea, making her look extremely disheveled.
"What are you doing!" Su Qinghe was furious. He strode towards Qin Yunyun, his gloomy eyes looking like he wanted to kill her.
"Your Highness..."
Qin Yunyun never expected that she would offend Su Qinghe by such a coincidence. She immediately knelt down and cried as she apologized to Su Qinghe: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. Please forgive me, Your Highness. I will never make such a mistake again!"
The shards of broken porcelain on the ground pierced Qin Yunyun's knee, staining her dress red. She dared not stand up and could only endure the excruciating pain, begging for mercy incessantly.
Su Qinghe sneered and grabbed Qin Yunyun's chin.
"Useless! You really can't do anything right! I've already found out that the Prime Minister seems to be interested in Su Qingcai. If Meng Ruqiao isn't the primary wife, she'll be a secondary wife! Now look what's happened! Su Xiaoning and Meng Ruqiao are both Su Qingcai's allies. You swore you'd get rid of this threat, but what exactly did you promise?!"
"Prime Minister?" Qin Yunyun stammered, a huge panic sweeping over her.
To save her own life, she barely managed to calm herself and tentatively asked, "Your Highness, since Meng Ruqiao is bound to enter the Ninth Prince's residence, why don't we try to win over the Prime Minister and make Meng Ruqiao a spy for Su Qingcai?"
Su Qinghe scoffed, "You think winning someone over is that easy?"
"Who wouldn't be tempted by enough benefits? Your Highness can give it a try, and if it doesn't work out, we can always think of other ways."
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