Chapter 647 Is this how you beg for help?
"I wonder what brings Prince Xia here?" Qiao Qinghe frowned and said, "I am old and can't sit still. My back and waist ache easily if I sit for too long."
So say what you have to say quickly, and leave as soon as you're done.
Xia Linyuan naturally understood the implication in Qiao Qinghe's words.
So, he thoughtfully replied, "Madam, don't worry. If you get restless in a little while, just let me know, and I can help you walk around in the yard."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Qinghe's lips twitched involuntarily.
Where did the cold, taciturn, decisive, arrogant Xia Linyuan go?
Who exactly is this seemingly gentle, shameless, and thick-skinned person in front of us?
"Why isn't the old lady saying anything? Is she feeling unwell? Should we call a doctor to take a look?" Xia Linyuan looked at Qiao Qinghe with a worried expression, but his eyes were filled with obvious teasing and amusement.
Qiao Qinghe felt another wave of chest tightness and shortness of breath, and immediately nodded, saying, "I am indeed not feeling well. Perhaps Crown Prince Xia should leave first."
"How can this be?!" Xia Linyuan exclaimed dramatically. "The old lady was unwell during my visit. If something were to happen to her because of me, would I still be able to cross the border into Dayan? Wouldn't that cause another conflict between the two countries?"
"No, no, absolutely not! I must stay here and watch the doctor take the old lady's pulse, watch her take her medicine, and watch her get better."
So, it's impossible for you to kick me out!
Xia Linyuan gave Qiao Qinghe a bright, sunny smile, which earned him a fierce glare from Qiao Qinghe.
Qiao Qinghe sighed inwardly, deciding not to engage in any more verbal sparring with Xia Linyuan.
She realized that Xia Linyuan was now like a sticky mess, disgusting and clingy, impossible to shake off.
"Speak, what brings Crown Prince Xia here today?"
Xia Linyuan glanced at the servants serving in the room.
Qiao Qinghe waved her hand, "A Shuang stays, everyone else leave."
"Yes." The group responded and withdrew.
"Can Crown Prince Xia speak now?"
Xia Linyuan nodded in satisfaction before slowly saying, "Pingyanhou's right hand and right leg have been crippled, making him a complete cripple."
"Oh, the current Marquis of Pingyan is Ji Huailang, the former heir apparent of the Marquis of Pingyan."
Qiao Qinghe glanced at Xia Linyuan and said, "Why is Crown Prince Xia saying this to me? Ji Huailang has become a cripple. It is his own mother who should feel sorry for him. I will not feel sorry for him."
Hearing this nonsensical statement, Xia Linyuan finally understood the frustration Qiao Qinghe had felt earlier.
He covered his mouth and coughed twice to hide his embarrassment, then got straight to the point: "No matter how much scheming the old Marquis of Pingyan may have, he cannot deny that we grew up together."
"So I specifically had someone investigate his serious injuries on the battlefield."
"Guess what I found out?"
Qiao Qinghe scoffed lightly, "On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes; losing limbs is commonplace. What's there to investigate?"
Xia Linyuan smiled and said, "What the old lady said is true, but the person who cut off the right hand of Marquis Pingyan who was holding the knife was a soldier of Dayan."
"After Marquis Pingyan fell off his horse due to pain, the horse that broke his right leg was also ridden by a Dayan soldier."
"What's even more puzzling is that the two armies should have fought separately, but Marquis Enping of Dayan insisted on joint operations."
"Does the old lady think these are coincidences? Or is someone doing this on purpose?"
Qiao Qinghe said without changing her expression, "How could I, a mere ignorant old woman, know anything about military affairs? Crown Prince Xia, you've probably asked the wrong person."
“What the old lady says is true.” Xia Linyuan didn’t mind and continued, “If I remember correctly, the old lady’s nephew, Qiao Jingyuan, seems to have died on the way back to the border from Xijing.”
"It was thanks to the people I arranged who arrived in time that the old lady and the others were saved."
Qiao Qinghe's face darkened, and she looked at Xia Linyuan with hostility. "What exactly does Crown Prince Xia want to say?"
"It's nothing. I just wanted to say, if the old lady knew that those assassins were sent by the wife of the old Marquis of Pingyan, and that the Marquis of Enping is the old lady's grandson-in-law, wouldn't it all make sense for the old lady to use the Marquis of Enping to retaliate against the Marquis of Pingyan's family?"
Qiao Qinghe narrowed her eyes. "So, Crown Prince Xia came here today to demand an explanation for Marquis Pingyan?"
"No, no, no, Madam, you've misunderstood."
Xia Linyuan quickly waved his hand with a smile, "What I meant was, could I use this matter, along with the fact that I saved the old lady and the others' lives, as leverage to ask the old lady for a favor?"
"Ha! Prince Xia's way of asking for favors is truly unique!" Qiao Qinghe's tone was full of sarcasm.
Xia Linyuan didn't care and shrugged helplessly, "There's nothing I can do. The old lady isn't someone I can persuade with just a few words."
Qiao Qinghe suppressed her displeasure and said coldly, "Speak, what does Crown Prince Xia want me to do?"
Xia Linyuan smiled and quickly said, "I already have a preferred candidate for Crown Princess, and I would like to ask the old lady to help me mediate."
Hearing this, Qiao Qinghe felt relieved. Fortunately, Xia Linyuan's request was not unreasonable.
Otherwise, she wouldn't know whether she should try to kill him secretly or openly.
But she soon realized that something was wrong.
"Now that the Crown Prince has chosen a woman, shouldn't he report this to our Emperor and ask him to grant you the marriage?"
Qiao Qinghe looked at Xia Linyuan with a strange expression. "At the very least, you should go and talk to Princess Huaiyang. After all, it's Princess Huaiyang who's in charge of your marriage."
"But what is the purpose of your visit?"
They were threatening and demanding repayment for their kindness.
Who exactly has he taken a fancy to? Why would he go to such lengths?
In an instant, an answer came to mind.
She looked at Xia Linyuan in astonishment and asked incredulously, "You, you wouldn't happen to have taken a fancy to the fourth young lady of the Yongning Marquis's mansion, would you?"
Xia Linyuan smiled broadly and nodded, saying, "The old lady is wise. My ideal candidate for Crown Princess is none other than Princess Yu Huanzhen of Gaoping County."
"I think if there is anyone in this world who can persuade Princess Gaoping to marry me, that person must be you, Madam!"
"That's impossible!" Qiao Qinghe refused without even thinking. "There's no way I'd ask Zhen Huan to marry you!"
"Madam, why is it impossible? I truly admire Princess Gaoping, which is why I asked for her hand in marriage."
Xia Linyuan advised, "Besides, has the old lady ever considered that marrying me might be the best outcome for the Princess of Gaoping?"
Qiao Qinghe frowned.
Xia Linyuan continued, "The Princess of Gaoping's reputation was already damaged because she was lost as a child and was involved in the death of her grandmother and elder sister."
"Now that she has injured someone at the flower banquet and been publicly rejected by the King of Chu, do you think Princess Gaoping can still marry into a good family in Dayan?"
"I'm afraid that, let alone getting married, the spittle and gossip of the people in the capital of Dayan would drown Princess Gaoping."
"Marrying me and leaving Dayan might not be a bad thing for Princess Gaoping."
What does the old lady think?
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