Chapter 527 He's Favoring Qiao Ning
Qiao Qinghe was also puzzled at first, wondering about Li Sanqi's overreaction, why Li Sanqi had broken ties with the Crown Prince, and what Li Sanqi's obviously suggestive words meant.
It wasn't until the Crown Prince said, "What Li Sanqi has, you will have too," that Qiao Qinghe finally understood the true nature of the matter.
It turns out that everything was a play staged by Li Sanqi and Li Jingyue!
The conflict between Li Sanqi and the Crown Prince was already irreconcilable, and now it's just that the conflict has been brought into the open!
In this way, whether Li Sanqi supports the King of Qi or the King of Chu, they will not doubt Li Sanqi's intentions.
At the same time, it also allows Li Jingyue to gain the support of the Crown Prince, as well as titles, power, and status.
As long as the Crown Prince cares about Li Jingyue enough, Li Jingyue will be able to have a place by his side.
To put it bluntly, the collaboration between Li Jingyue and Li Sanqi is essentially placing bets on both sides.
Regardless of which side wins in the future, the other side will be able to protect the other side.
She had said that Li Sanqi wouldn't fly into a rage and break ties with the Crown Prince without reason after returning from Daqi. It turns out that everything she said wasn't unfounded.
"Seventh Sister, you acted too impulsively today. If this gets to Father's ears, even Mother might not be able to protect you!" The King of Chu looked at Li Sanqi with deep concern.
Li Sanqi smiled at the King of Chu and said coquettishly, "I only have my fifth brother. Please put in a good word for me with Father Emperor."
The King of Chu frowned and nodded, "I will. I'm just afraid that even if I say it, it won't make a difference."
Li Sanqi said dismissively, "Oh well, things will work themselves out. We'll see when the time comes."
"Today is my housewarming day, let's not talk about those unpleasant things."
"Come on, I'll show you around my princess's residence."
After saying that, he grabbed the King of Chu and led him inside.
Madam Zheng and Qiao Qinghe and others quickly followed.
As they passed the Crown Princess, Qiao Qinghe hesitated before asking, "Crown Princess, would you like to come with us?"
The Crown Prince left, but the Crown Princess did not leave immediately, clearly intending to stay and try to salvage the situation.
Qiao Qinghe could tell that the Crown Princess didn't want to break ties with Li Sanqi. She even hoped to improve the relationship between the Crown Prince's residence and Li Sanqi through her own efforts.
It must be said that the Crown Princess is a qualified and virtuous wife. It's just a pity that the Crown Prince is not a qualified Crown Prince.
Madam Zheng smiled and invited, "If the Crown Princess doesn't mind that we two old women walk slowly, why don't you come with us?"
The Crown Princess smiled gratefully at the two of them, "Then I will trouble you two ladies."
The Crown Prince left with Li Jingyue, and Li Sanqi pulled the Prince of Chu inside, leaving her, the Crown Princess, in a dilemma of whether to leave or stay.
The olive branch extended by the two elderly ladies was undoubtedly a way for her to save face. Feeling their kindness, she naturally accepted.
The group walked inside.
On the way, the Crown Princess suddenly spoke up, "Why haven't I seen Prince Qi and Princess Qi today?"
Qiao Qinghe was also taken aback. "Right, why haven't I seen anyone?"
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess have arrived, so why haven't the Prince of Qi and his wife arrived yet?
Surely they're not not coming, are they?
Madam Zheng gave the Crown Princess a meaningful look and said with a smile, "Perhaps something has delayed her. She might arrive later."
The Crown Princess smiled and said, "Indeed. Judging by the days, Princess Qi must be six months pregnant by now, right? It's certainly inconvenient for her to move around."
Madam Zheng smiled and changed the subject, saying, "Guess who Princess Huaiyang invited today, besides us?"
The topic shift was a bit abrupt.
Qiao Qinghe gave Madam Zheng a strange look. Was she hiding something from her?
However, she didn't expose her, and instead followed up on her topic, saying, "I guess the Marquis of Yongchang's residence must have received an invitation."
Madam Zheng glared at Qiao Qinghe with disinterest, "You think you're so smart!"
Qiao Qinghe laughed and joked, "Is it that hard to guess?"
The Marquis of Yongchang's family is the Empress's maternal family, and Li Sanqi's maternal relatives. It would be strange if they didn't invite him.
As they spoke, the group arrived at the flower hall where the banquet was to be held that day.
Sure enough, Madam Wen from the Yongchang Marquis's residence had arrived and was currently talking with the old princess of the Chang'an Prince's residence.
After the group entered, they greeted each other and then sat down according to their status as hosts and attendants.
Dried fruit was laid out on the table beforehand. After everyone was seated, the maids quickly served carefully prepared tea and snacks.
"These two young ladies are..."
Madam Wen of the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion pointed to Qiao Yuanyao and Qiao Ning, who were sitting behind Qiao Qinghe, and asked.
Qiao Qinghe replied with a smile, "The older one is my second brother's niece, her given name is Yuanyao. The younger one is my eldest brother's eldest son's grandniece, her given name is Ning."
"I haven't met the Grand Madam yet."
This last sentence was addressed to Qiao Yuanyao and Qiao Ning.
The two women were not ignorant of etiquette; they had already stood up when Qiao Qinghe introduced them.
Upon hearing Qiao Qinghe's words, he quickly curtsied to Madam Wen.
Madam Wen smiled and gestured for the two to sit down and talk. "How old are you both?"
Qiao Yuanyao quickly stood up and replied, "I am twenty-three years old this year."
Seeing this, Qiao Ning also stood up and replied, "My daughter is thirteen years old this year."
Madam Wen glanced at Qiao Ning again, then gestured for the two of them to sit down.
After the two were seated, Madam Wen said to Qiao Qinghe, "Your grandniece seems like a lucky girl. Is she betrothed yet?"
Qiao Qinghe said with a smile, "Aren't we looking at each other right now?"
Madam Wen's eyes lit up. "For the occasion today, you've brought someone along, so you must be looking for someone of higher status?"
Qiao Qinghe quickly waved her hand, "Madam, you misunderstand. This child is timid, I just brought her out to toughen her up. So that when she gets married in the future, she won't be so timid and unable to hold her own in public."
As she spoke, she said meaningfully, "You tell me, this is what it's like to marry into an ordinary family. As the head of the household, you can't handle anything and you're not doing a good job, can you?"
The light in Madam Wen's eyes vanished instantly, and she nodded perfunctorily, "That makes sense, that makes sense."
The Qiao family's daughter has such a blessed appearance that she's quite likable. They had originally intended to marry her as a concubine for their eldest grandson. But since the Qiao family doesn't want their grandniece as a concubine, they have no choice but to give up on that idea.
As for having the eldest grandson formally marry her, that's impossible. Even if Qiao Qinghe, as the Lady of Qinghe, were not of the same social standing as the Marquis of Yongning, let alone being a merchant, her status as a woman of high social standing wouldn't be comparable.
Her eldest grandson is the next heir carefully groomed by the Marquis's family, and his wife must be a woman of equal social standing, capable of being the matriarch of the Marquis's family.
Hearing their conversation, Qiao Ning secretly clenched her handkerchief. Only when Qiao Qinghe stated that she would marry properly and become a proper wife did she quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
Perhaps because she was too young, although she thought she was being very careful, the changes in her expression were still noticed by Madam Wen.
Does this child not want to become someone's concubine?
At this moment, Madam Wen couldn't help but glance at Qiao Ning a couple more times.
The more you look at her, the more blessed she seems; the more you like her, the more you like her.
I thought that since the Qiao family produced such a capable woman as Qiao Qinghe, who rose from a concubine to where she is today, the Qiao family women wouldn't mind becoming concubines for wealthy and powerful families. I didn't expect that this child would have such backbone.
Now that she likes the child even more, what should she do?
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