The selection of a concubine remained undecided for several days. Then, the emperor suddenly summoned Su Xiaoning and Meng Ruqiao to the palace. No one knows what they discussed in the palace, but soon after, an imperial edict arrived at the Ninth Prince's residence, instructing Su Qingcai to make his own choice.
Upon hearing the imperial decree, Su Qingcai was relieved and personally went to the palace gate to greet Su Xiaoning.
When he arrived, Su Xiaoning was standing obediently at the palace gate, with Meng Ruqiao standing next to her.
Su Qingcai completely ignored Meng Ruqiao. He habitually took Su Xiaoning's hand and said with a smile, "I have received the imperial decree. Soon, you will be able to stand proudly by my side."
Su Xiaoning blushed and said somewhat shyly, "His Majesty only said that you could choose for yourself, and you've already made up your mind so quickly..."
She scolded him playfully, but her face flushed with embarrassment, and she was also looking forward to the future.
Su Qingcai, completely ignoring the stares of those around him, reached out and pulled Su Xiaoning into his arms, saying with a smile, "Do you need to say any polite words to me? If I had to choose, I would definitely only choose you."
"Cough cough."
Meng Ruqiao, who was standing to the side, suddenly coughed a few times, interrupting the tender moment between the two.
Su Qingcai glanced at her but didn't say anything; he knew she had something to say.
As expected, Meng Ruqiao pursed her lips and said softly, "His Majesty has said that if Your Highness is willing, you can have both of them, it's just a difference between one principal wife and one concubine. I believe Your Highness is well aware of the support from the Prime Minister's Mansion."
She represented the Prime Minister's Mansion in choosing Su Qingcai, and even if she was unwilling, she had to fight for it. Now she had put her bargaining chips in the open.
Su Xiaoning nestled in Su Qingcai's arms without saying a word; she wanted to hear Su Qingcai's answer.
Su Qingcai mentally prepared her words before looking at Meng Ruqiao and saying calmly, "I will not give up what I want for power and status. Miss Meng is indeed very good, but we are ultimately not on the same path. You don't need to humble yourself as a concubine, and I will not try to win over the Prime Minister's Mansion through marriage."
He clearly rejected Meng Ruqiao. Meng Ruqiao opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but looking at the two people embracing tightly in front of her, she couldn't say a word.
"Haha, well said!"
Suddenly a loud laugh rang out, and the Prime Minister suddenly emerged from around the corner.
He walked to Meng Ruqiao's side, his gaze towards Su Qingcai filled with admiration.
"Your Highness's character and temperament are truly admirable!"
He had come to take Meng Ruqiao home, but overheard this conversation and was filled with admiration. If he had previously harbored the idea of having Meng Ruqiao marry Su Qingcai, now his resolve had completely wavered.
Su Qingcai's expression remained calm. "You flatter me, Prime Minister. I hope you will make the right choice."
After saying this, he helped Su Xiaoning into the carriage. The carriage sped away, leaving only the Prime Minister staring in the direction the two had gone, deep in thought.
...
In the Seventh Prince's Mansion.
Su Qinghe held Qin Yunyun in his arms as he listened to the report from his informant.
The informant recounted the entire story about Su Xiaoning, emphasizing her taming of warhorses.
Su Qinghe showed an interested expression, and continued to think about these things absentmindedly even after the person on the other end left.
"Interesting. It was actually able to tame the General of the Cavalry's warhorse. It's probably because of that koi fish mark again..."
He muttered to himself, making no attempt to hide the longing in his eyes for Su Xiaoning.
Qin Yunyun felt a little uncomfortable. She tugged at Su Qinghe's sleeve and said coquettishly, "Your Highness, you're here with me, why are you always thinking about other women..."
"She might have the same status as you in the future. What? You don't like it?" Su Qinghe's eyes suddenly turned cold.
Qin Yunyun shivered and quickly smiled ingratiatingly, "Whatever Your Highness desires, I will certainly help you. Rest assured, Your Highness, I will definitely find a way to help you obtain Su Xiaoning."
"You're smart enough to know what's good for you." Su Qinghe snorted coldly, lost interest, pushed Qin Yunyun away, and left her room.
Qin Yunyun sat on the ground dejectedly, staring resentfully at Su Qinghe's departing figure, and soon found Qin Sang.
"I heard from my informant that the General of the Cavalry dislikes Su Xiaoning and even calls her a witch. We must make good use of this information! Go to the streets and spread rumors that Su Xiaoning is a witch. We must ruin her reputation and prevent the Prince from being interested in her again!"
Qin Yunyun directly told Qin Sang the information she knew, and after discussing it for a while, Qin Sang quickly went to do as Qin Yunyun instructed.
Spreading rumors is a quick way to spread misinformation. With Qin Sang's deliberate catalysis, within a few days, rumors that Su Xiaoning was a witch were circulating everywhere in the city.
The commotion outside inevitably reached Su Qingcai's ears.
Ding Yi told Su Qingcai everything about the rumor, then hesitated before asking, "Your Highness, should we tell Miss Su about this?"
“No.” Su Qingcai shook her head, her eyes filled with coldness. “This matter must be kept from her. You should try to find out the source of the rumor first.”
"Yes." Ding Yi didn't say anything more and immediately went to investigate the truth.
Su Xiaoning was genuinely unaware of these matters. Firstly, Su Qingcai deliberately kept them from her, and secondly, she hadn't had time to go out during this period, as Bai Hua had been dragging her around searching through ancient books.
"What exactly are you investigating?"
In the study, Su Xiaoning hung her head dejectedly, listlessly flipping through the large ancient book in her hands.
A few days ago, for some reason, Bai Hua insisted on dragging her along to search through ancient books, saying he wanted to find a cure for a strange illness. But what he said was too vague, and Su Xiaoning didn't understand what he meant at all.
"Didn't I tell you? I need to cure a strange illness," Bai Hua replied casually, focusing intently on the ancient book in his hands.
Su Xiaoning pushed the book away, frowned, and said, "What you said is too general. There are thousands of strange diseases in the world. If you don't tell me the specific symptoms, how will you know what you're looking for?"
Bai Hua paused in his flipping through the ancient book, thought for a moment and realized it made sense. After considering it, he said, "You're right, then let me tell you..."
He described the emperor's symptoms in detail to Su Xiaoning, emphasizing the emperor's hysterical-like symptoms, but concealing the emperor's identity and saying only that he was an ordinary person.
Su Xiaoning didn't delve into who the sick person was. After listening to Bai Hua's description, she fell into deep thought. "What you're describing... I feel like I've seen it before."
"You've seen it? Then do you know how to treat it?" Bai Hua asked hurriedly.
Su Xiaoning shook her head and said uncertainly, "I don't know how to treat it, but this symptom... is very similar to a temporary hypnosis."
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