Chapter 738 The Purpose of Princess Qi's Visit
Only then did Li Yiqian look up at Princess Qi and say, "I want the Ancestor to lead me!"
Princess Qi smiled and released her hand, encouraging her, "Go ahead."
Li Yiqian smiled at her, then ran to Qiao Qinghe's side with his short legs, took her hand and shook it: "Grandma, I want to go back and play with my sisters."
Qiao Qinghe looked at the few little ones peeking in from the west wing entrance, reached out and patted one of them on the head, and replied with a smile, "Go ahead. Have fun."
"Okay." Li Yiqian happily ran back to the west wing.
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Princess Qi's face. She had just led the person out when the person ran back on their own initiative.
Anyone who didn't know better would think she had forcibly brought the person out.
Princess Qi said embarrassedly, "Should I have brought him out?"
Qiao Qinghe smiled and said, "Princess Qi, don't take it to heart. Children naturally like to play with other children."
"The fact that this child lets you hold his hand means he still likes you."
"Really?" Princess Qi asked in surprise.
Whether it was true or not, the surprise on Princess Qi's face pleased Qiao Qinghe.
"Of course it's true."
As they talked, the group entered the main room and sat down.
"You wouldn't believe it, this child gets close to whoever he likes."
"The fact that he let you hold his hand just now means he likes you."
Princess Qi was overjoyed and quickly said, "That would be wonderful! Speaking of which, Qian'er is already over two years old, and he should be able to return to the Qi Prince's residence in two more years."
"If he could like me, his stepmother, that would be wonderful."
"Don't worry, Madam. I will definitely treat the child as my own flesh and blood and take good care of him."
Qiao Qinghe's smile faded, and she said in a slightly stiff tone, "Let's talk about the future later."
Knowing that her words had displeased Qiao Qinghe, Princess Qi quickly slapped herself in the face and said, "Look at me, there's still a long way to go, it's really not the time to talk about these things."
"Please don't be angry, Madam. I just took a liking to this child from the bottom of my heart and couldn't wait to take him home and raise him as my own. That's why I forgot myself for a moment."
"Please forgive me, Madam."
Then, he looked at the maidservant beside him and instructed her, "Later, pick out some interesting items from the Prince's Palace Treasury and send them to the Qiao residence for the young master."
"The other young masters and ladies of the Qiao family also each prepared a set."
"Yes," the maid replied respectfully.
After giving her instructions, Princess Qi smiled and said to Qiao Qinghe, "As you know, I came directly from the Princess's residence to the Qiao residence without preparing any gifts for the children beforehand."
"When the gift is sent over later, Madam, you can't refuse it on behalf of the children."
Qiao Qinghe smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
After the maids served tea, Qiao Qinghe said to Wei Jia, who was sitting next to her, "It's getting late. Go and ask someone to prepare a feast. It's Princess Qi's first time here, so she should have lunch before leaving."
“Perfect timing, I’ll also have a word with Princess Qi.”
"I'll go right away." Wei Jia responded, stood up, greeted him, and took her leave.
After everyone left, Qiao Qinghe dismissed the others. Princess Qi also had her people leave.
Once only the two of them were left in the room, Qiao Qinghe stopped smiling and asked directly, "Princess Qi, what brings you here so suddenly?"
Princess Qi still smiled and said, "It's nothing, it's just that what I saw and heard at Princess Huaiyang's residence today made me feel that the old lady may have made the wrong bet."
"So I thought I'd come and see if the old lady had changed her mind."
Qiao Qinghe narrowed her eyes and pretended to be stupid, saying, "Princess Qi, I'm an old woman and my mind isn't working properly. I don't understand what you're saying."
"Why don't you just say what you want to say?"
Princess Qi's smile froze for a moment before she said, "In that case, I won't beat around the bush with the old lady."
"Now that the King of Chu is involved in the murder of the deposed crown prince, his future is uncertain."
"Princess Huaiyang has fallen out with the old lady again."
"Why doesn't the old lady change her mind in time and reconcile with the Prince Qi's mansion?"
"Given the current situation, the King of Chu may not necessarily have a better chance of winning than the King of Qi!"
Qiao Qinghe stared at Princess Qi for a long while, until Princess Qi was about to lose face, before she said, "Princess Qi, you must have forgotten that I said before that I would not participate in the struggle for the throne among the princes."
"Therefore, I will not take sides, whether it is the King of Qi or the King of Chu."
"As for my personal relationship with Princess Huaiyang, it has no impact on my decision."
Princess Qi's expression turned cold. "Does the old lady even believe what she's saying?"
"Who in the entire capital doesn't know that the old lady and Princess Huaiyang are inseparable?"
"Princess Huaiyang was also the younger sister of the King of Chu, born of the same mother."
"The fact that the old lady is on good terms with Princess Huaiyang is a clear indication that she supports the King of Chu, isn't it?"
Princess Qi softened her tone and continued, "Today, the old lady invited so many of us to watch Princess Huaiyang make a fool of herself. I suppose the old lady wants to distance herself from the Chu Prince's faction in advance because of the case of deposing the crown prince?"
"In that case, why doesn't the old lady turn around and take another look at Prince Qi?"
"No matter what, the young master of the Qi Prince's mansion is still your great-grandson!"
"After all, we're family. We're always more reliable than complete strangers, aren't we?"
Qiao Qinghe quietly watched Princess Qi, listening to her endless persuasion.
It turns out that Princess Qi thought that she deliberately made a scene with Li Sanqi in public today in order to distance herself from the Chu King's faction.
Haha, maybe others think so too.
After all, once the King of Chu is proven guilty of murdering his own brother, he will basically be out of the running for the position of crown prince.
Drawing a clear line in advance can at least earn you a reputation for being wise and farsighted.
If we try to distance ourselves from the situation afterward, not only will we be implicated, but we'll also risk being branded as opportunistic and scattering like monkeys when a tree falls.
As for the claim that she fell out with Li Sanqi over the two dead maids, I doubt anyone would believe that.
After Princess Qi had said so much, Qiao Qinghe felt bad for letting her waste her breath, so she clearly stated: "Whether Princess Qi believes it or not, I have never thought of supporting Prince Chu, neither in the past nor in the future."
Princess Qi's face lit up with joy. "If that's what the old lady says, then I'll believe her. Then..."
Before she could finish speaking, Qiao Qinghe continued, "But I will not support Prince Qi either."
"As for the reason, I think King Qi and Queen Qi know it in their hearts."
He killed her granddaughter and still wants her support? He's dreaming!
Princess Qi's expression stiffened, and after a long while, she gave an awkward laugh, "What the old lady says is true. What happened back then was all my half-sister's fault. She was too greedy..."
Qiao Qinghe raised her hand to interrupt her, saying impatiently, "There's no need to bring up the past."
"I know why Princess Qi came today. If there's nothing else, let's move to the flower hall for lunch."
This clearly means they don't want to talk about it anymore.
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