Chapter 640 The Flower Banquet Was a Mess
"Clap clap clap!"
Just then, Xia Linyuan, who had been silently watching the show, suddenly clapped his hands and said, "Commander Wen is indeed a man of character! He is not bound by worldly conventions and bravely strives for what he wants. I admire you as a true man."
"If I had not yet returned to Dayan after you and Miss Qiao got married, I would have personally come to celebrate your wedding."
Madam Wen frowned.
If it were anyone else saying this, she would have already rebuked them harshly. However, due to Xia Linyuan's status, she could only suppress her anger and said in a somber tone, "Marriage is a major event, traditionally decided by parents and matchmakers. How can one make their own decisions?"
She looked sharply at Wen Jue, "I absolutely disagree with this!"
After saying that, she looked coldly at Qiao Qinghe, "Ha, Old Madam Qiao, what cunning you are! Qiao family daughter, what cunning you are!"
She squinted, giving Qiao Yuanyao a dangerous look.
She had completely misjudged her. This quiet, unassuming woman, who had rejected Wen Jue's marriage proposal back then, was now attracting his public proposal again. She was probably going to be another Qiao Qinghe!
"Mother, this matter has nothing to do with Old Madam Qiao, and even less to do with Miss Qiao. It was all my own decision. Please don't misunderstand!"
Wen Jue spoke up to defend the Qiao family aunt and niece, but this only made Madam Wen even angrier.
"A misunderstanding?! You're telling me this is a misunderstanding?" Madam Wen's chest heaved with anger. "You want to marry the Qiao family's daughter? You're dreaming!"
"Mother!"
Wen Jue wanted to say more, but was sternly stopped by Madam Wen: "Shut up!"
Just then, the King of Chu glanced at Wen Jue and said with a smile, "Grandmother, it's rare for my uncle to meet a girl he likes and he's thinking about getting married. Why don't you just give him your blessing?"
Lady Wen turned and glared at King Chu. Before she could speak, Xia Linyuan said, "King Chu is right. One should live life freely and unrestrained, doing whatever one pleases."
"Commander Wen is almost thirty, isn't he? How come he can't even decide for himself when it comes to marrying a woman he likes?"
At this point, he looked at the King of Chu again, "His Highness the King of Chu seemed to have said that he wanted to break off his engagement with a certain young lady, but it seems that Lady Wen refused."
"Do all the elders of Dayan like to force people to do things they don't want to do?"
"Tsk tsk, the women they want to marry can't be married, while the women they don't want to marry are forced to be brought home, and they can't stand each other."
"This life is so frustrating... it's just so suffocating."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wen's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Is this Crown Prince Xia deliberately targeting her?
No, as if she had just realized something, she quickly looked at the King of Chu.
Sure enough, the King of Chu frowned, looking as if he had made up his mind.
"Grandmother, I think Prince Xia is absolutely right!"
"I don't want to make things difficult for myself. I don't like Miss Yu, and I don't want to marry her! I want to call off this engagement!"
"You...you..." Madam Wen trembled uncontrollably.
But then the King of Chu continued, "Grandmother, my uncle is indeed getting on in years, and it's rare for him to fall for someone. Please grant him his wish!"
"No matter what, you're not your uncle's biological mother, so why play the villain and make him hate you?"
"Grandma!" "Grandmother!" "Mother!"...
With Madam Wen's fainting, today's flower banquet can be considered a complete failure.
People began to leave one after another.
Qiao Qinghe also led Qiao Yuanyao and Qiao Ning out of the Yongchang Marquis's residence.
Also emerging from the same place were the residences of the Duke of Jin and the Marquis of Yongning.
"Let's find a place to have lunch before going back," Lady Yongning suggested.
Qiao Qinghe knew that the Lady of Yongning Marquis had something to say, so she immediately nodded and said, "Okay."
Turning to look at Madam Zheng, "Shall we go together?"
Madam Zheng smiled and shook her head, "We have other matters to attend to at home, so we won't be going."
Lady Yongning clearly had something to say to Qiao Qinghe, so what was the point of her going along?
After saying goodbye, Madam Zheng left with Madam Bai and her daughter.
After watching the carriage of the Duke of Jin's mansion depart, Lady Yongning invited Qiao Qinghe to board the carriage of the Marquis of Yongning's mansion so that she could ride with her and Huanzhen.
Qiao Yuanyao and Qiao Ning boarded the Qiao family's carriage and headed directly back to Nancheng.
The two had originally planned to go with her, but before getting into the carriage, Lady Yongning said with a smile, "I have something to say to the old lady alone. You should go back first."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to send him back safely after lunch."
Since Lady Yongning had spoken, the two naturally dared not refute her, and could only look at Qiao Qinghe with their eyes.
Qiao Qinghe naturally wouldn't object, and smiled as she nodded to the two of them, saying, "You two go back first. I'll have a carriage come to pick me up later."
Lady Yongning quickly stopped her, saying, "No need. I'll have my family's carriage take you back later."
"Alright." Qiao Qinghe did not refuse, waved for Qiao Yuanyao and the other to leave, and followed Lady Yongning into the carriage of the Yongning Marquis's residence.
Fifteen minutes later, the carriage stopped at a restaurant in the eastern part of the city.
The group went up to a private room on the second floor and ordered the restaurant's signature dishes.
Lady Yongning had her servants stand guard outside the door, while only Qiao Qinghe, Lady Yongning, and Yu Huanzhen sat in the private room.
While waiting for the food, Lady Yongning asked, "Madam, what are your thoughts on today's events?"
Qiao Qinghe frowned slightly, and after a long while, she slowly said, "The King of Chu is not up to the task."
Lady Yongning nodded in agreement, "I think so too. When His Majesty feigned illness to test the deposed Crown Prince, I could tell that the Prince of Chu was by no means a good candidate for heir apparent."
Thinking back to what happened back then, Qiao Qinghe couldn't help but shake her head with a smile.
Emperor Xiaozhao feigned illness to test the crown prince, and at the same time, to test his other princes.
As a result, the crown prince plotted a rebellion. The King of Qi was left bewildered. The King of Chu was even more caught up in the power struggles within his own palace, leaving him with no time to spare.
Speaking of which, have he managed to appease the two women in his inner quarters?
With that in mind, she asked the question aloud.
Lady Yongning scoffed, "I don't know if An has been appeased or not. But I do know that another concubine has entered the Chu Prince's residence. Now it's three women making a drama."
If this trend continues, who knows how many more people will enter the Chu King's mansion in the future.
Although Lady Yongning didn't say it aloud, Qiao Qinghe could easily understand what she meant.
Qiao Qinghe twitched her lips, feeling somewhat speechless.
She truly hadn't expected that the King of Chu was a womanizer.
After all, whether it was the deposed crown prince or the King of Qi, their harems were relatively peaceful. Why did things change so drastically with the King of Chu?
No wonder the Marquis of Yongning wanted to break off the engagement!
Given how much Lady Yongning cares about Zhen, even without the current power struggle among the three marquisates, the Yongning Marquis's mansion would probably still try to break off the engagement!
"I suppose the old lady has figured it out by now?" Lady Yongning said with a wry smile, "The Yongning Marquis's mansion has decided to annul the engagement with the Chu Prince's mansion."
Qiao Qinghe nodded; she had indeed discerned something from Zhen Huan's words and actions.
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