Chapter 198
Lin Wange's face was somewhat pale. That princess looked like someone not to be trifled with, and she even dared to go against the empress. Although she was smiling just now, her beautiful eyes concealed a sinister light, which Lin Wange could see clearly.
Li Miaomiao didn't leave either. She was originally standing not far away watching, but after seeing that Lin Wange seemed to be acting strangely, she quickly came over.
"Wange, what happened?"
Tao Tao breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her and said, "You've come at the right time. Wan Ge might be hallucinating. Weren't you two together at the time? Perhaps you should know what happened."
Li Miaomiao was confused by these words. She wondered what they meant by "you should know what happened." The three of them were together at the time, and they were the ones who stumbled upon the secret together. Was Murong Tao trying to absolve herself of this by saying this?
"Tao'er, have you forgotten that the three of us went together?"
Tao Tao: "It's true that the three of us went, but we separated later, isn't that true?"
"What happened to you at the time? If you couldn't handle it yourself, you should tell your parents or elders in time."
She stepped forward and patted Li Miaomiao on the shoulder as a gesture of comfort, saying, "It's getting dark, I have to go." Then she turned and walked towards the waiting carriage.
The dim sky was tinged with fiery clouds, like flames about to scorch them. The two stared blankly, not even hearing someone calling them.
Madam Lin frowned, her eyes showing worry. Seeing that her daughter was acting strangely, she asked, "Ge'er, what's wrong? Why didn't you answer when your mother called you just now?"
"Miss, Madam has been waiting for you and is asking how much longer you need to wait," Li Miaomiao's maidservant ran over to ask.
As they were leaving, the two exchanged a glance and saw the tension and fear hidden in each other's hearts. They were hiding such a big secret, and they had been uneasy from beginning to end. This secret was enough to make the princess want to kill them.
They originally thought that since Murong Tao, who had seen the secret, was the county princess, and with the county princess protecting them, they should be fine.
But her words left them completely bewildered, unsure of what to do, and they could only continue to hide the secret.
When Tao Tao returned to the carriage, Lu Shuqing and Murong Jia Hui had already left. She stepped onto the carriage using a stool, and soon after, Rong'er, Leng Qiao, and Granny Wu followed behind her.
"Princess, did something happen to you when you went out?"
As soon as she sat down, she heard Granny Wu asking if she had asked anyone to follow her when she and the other two went out earlier.
She smiled, her eyes sparkling, and said, "No, what could possibly be wrong?"
She had only stumbled upon a secret between the eldest princess and the third prince, a secret that might be of great use. She should now think carefully about who would benefit the most from giving it to.
Kunning Hall.
Empress Qiu Lingyao lay reclining on the soft couch, her brows furrowed with exhaustion. Even her makeup couldn't conceal her dejection, and the deep and shallow lines at the corners of her eyes revealed that this woman was no longer young.
At this moment, Granny Yu came in from outside carrying a bowl of lotus seed soup. She said softly, "Your Highness, this servant has brought you a bowl of lotus seed soup to help you cool down in the autumn heat."
“You don’t need to take the princess’s words to heart. As you know, the princess has been in Xia Kingdom for fifteen years for a political marriage. She must have suffered a lot in Xia Kingdom. It’s normal that her temperament has changed a lot.”
"Perhaps her heart has long been twisted, why should we lower ourselves to the level of such an oddball?"
Yes, Qi Roufu was so innocent and naive back then, so ignorant of the ways of the world, that she disregarded societal norms and shamelessly seduced her own brother. Perhaps the distortion of her mind was already evident back then.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Lingyao slowly opened her eyes to look at her. Her complexion had improved considerably, and the corners of her lips curled up in a mocking smile.
Why didn't the concubines in the Xia Kingdom's harem kill her? They even let her come back to the Celestial Empire alive to cause her trouble! This immoral and eccentric woman should have died long ago.
"What do you think of Sun Qingyan, the legitimate daughter of the second wife of the Sun family in Fanyang? Although her father is only a sixth-rank censor, the Sun family is a noble family from humble origins. The Crown Prince is currently short of manpower, so perhaps some people can be promoted."
"If we could marry Sun Qingyan into the Eastern Palace as the Crown Prince's concubine, our relationship would be even stronger, and it would be time for the Sun family to rise in status. I believe they would certainly not refuse."
Qiu Lingyao told Granny Wu about her plans.
And if she remembered correctly, the eldest daughter of the Sun family married into the Yang family in the north of the city, who sold spices. Their shop, Chenmengxuan, was all over the capital, and their sachets were very popular with princes and officials.
Marrying Sun Qingyan is like marrying a money tree. Although he is the husband of the first wife, they are still family. As long as they are promised some benefits, given her and the Crown Prince's status, they would be willing to give her any amount of money.
Granny Wu paused for a moment, carefully choosing her words: "Your Highness is right. Moreover, Sun Qingyan is pretty and seems to be a cheerful and generous young lady. His Highness the Crown Prince is composed and needs a woman like her by his side."
"Speaking of women with bright and cheerful personalities, why don't you mention Princess Huaimin?"
Her tone was indifferent, making it impossible to guess what she meant.
Granny Wu glanced at her furtively, her eyes darting around as she made up her mind. She said softly, "This servant believes that Your Highness has already made up your mind and does not need this servant to say anything more."
The Empress didn't ask, which must mean she already had a plan for this person in mind. Whether it was good or bad, why would she need to say it out loud?
The main reason is that this woman is the Crown Prince's beloved. If she says something wrong and it reaches the Crown Prince's ears, he will definitely think that she is trying to sow discord, and then she will be the one who suffers.
“Wu Fang, sometimes it’s not a good thing to overthink your master’s thoughts.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Qiu Lingyao slammed the teacup she was holding onto the table with a loud thud, startling everyone present so much that they immediately knelt on the ground.
Granny Wu instantly broke out in a cold sweat, her forehead pressed tightly to the ground, her voice trembling as she spoke: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, I...I didn't mean that...I just...I just..."
She stammered and couldn't get the words out, and her panicked appearance actually amused Qiu Lingyao.
Qiu Lingyao sat on the high seat, her eyelashes drooping, casting a shadow on her cheeks. She didn't speak, but looked down at the servants who were prostrate at her feet.
Her long-standing high position gave her an imposing and authoritative aura.
She realized that she had been too lenient with them, which led these maids to dare to speculate about their master's thoughts. Being cunning is not a bad thing, but if that cunning is used on her, it is a bad thing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com