Chapter 525 King Chu, Crown Prince, and Li Sanqi
Um, someone related to Qiao Qinghe, someone of noble status who can bring such immense pressure... Very well, she knows who the person in question is.
Qiao Qinghe was not surprised that Madam Zheng could guess that it was Su Rongrong.
However, she still didn't say it outright. After all, such a thing wouldn't do Su Rongrong any good for her reputation if it got out.
As for Min Pan'er, she had nothing to worry about.
"Then where is the second young lady of the Jiang family who was expelled from the manor? Could it be..." Madam Zheng covered her mouth, silently mouthing, "...dead?"
Qiao Qinghe lightly slapped her arm, annoyed. "What are you thinking? Min Pan'er has met the Emperor and received his rewards. I wouldn't dare do anything to her."
Even if I were to do something to her, it wouldn't be at a time like this.
not to mention……
She said with a mischievous grin, "He's currently recuperating in the backyard of the Chu Prince's mansion."
Just then, a clear male voice rang out: "Who is speaking of me?"
The two were startled, and then they saw the King of Chu walking over from the side corridor.
The two quickly greeted him, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness, the King of Chu."
The Bai family and others following behind also bowed in greeting.
The King of Chu raised his hand, his expression displeased, and asked, "What are you two old ladies saying about me? Tell me so I can hear it too."
Qiao Qinghe replied with a smile, "Your Highness must have misheard. Madam Zheng and I were just talking about the Sixth Princess and Princess Huaiyang."
Madam Zheng smiled and chimed in, "Exactly. We've all been saying that the Sixth Princess is neglecting her duties as a distinguished guest and instead becoming a welcoming guest for Princess Huaiyang."
Seeing that the King of Chu still had a furrowed brow, Qiao Qinghe suppressed her smile and quickly admitted her mistake, saying, "It was all our fault for being so talkative and speaking ill of the royal princess behind her back. We will apologize to Princess Huaiyang and the Sixth Princess in person later."
"Ha! Lady Qinghe is old and hard of hearing. Does she think I'm like her?"
The King of Chu showed no intention of letting the matter drop. With a stern face and a stiff tone, he said, "Just now I clearly heard you mention me in your words, but now you're trying to deceive me."
"Hehe, could it be that Lady Qinghe is speaking ill of me?"
These words indicate that the King of Chu intends to pursue the matter to the end.
Madam Zheng frowned, looking at Qiao Qinghe with a puzzled expression, her eyes clearly asking, "When did you offend this person again?"
Qiao Qinghe was also taken aback by the King of Chu's tough attitude.
But she quickly figured out the key to it.
Needless to say, the problem definitely lies with Min Pan'er.
Qiao Qinghe sighed helplessly, still trying to ease the atmosphere, "Your Highness, please calm down."
"Your Highness also knows that we old ladies usually chat and gossip purely to pass the time, and we have absolutely no bad intentions."
"Oh, really?"
The King of Chu scoffed, "If Lady Qinghe truly had no ill intentions, why would she beat around the bush and not dare to tell me what she just said about me?"
"Does Your Highness, the Prince of Chu, have to be so aggressive?" Qiao Qinghe narrowed her eyes, concealing the impatience in them.
She admitted that it was wrong of her to talk about people behind their backs.
But she didn't really say anything excessive; she just told the truth.
Everyone just gave a few perfunctory replies and let the matter drop.
But since the King of Chu was determined to keep pressing her, she wasn't going to give him any face.
Anyway, once the truth comes out, who knows who will really lose face!
"Hey, what are you all doing standing here? Why don't you go inside and sit down to talk?"
Just then, Li Sanqi walked over with the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.
After everyone exchanged greetings, Li Sanqi looked at the King of Chu and said with surprise, "I've been looking for Fifth Brother for a long time. I didn't expect that I was held up by Madam Zheng and Old Madam Qiao."
As she spoke, she walked affectionately to Qiao Qinghe and Madam Zheng, taking their arms with one arm each. She looked at Madam Zheng from the left and Qiao Qinghe from the right, and asked with a mischievous grin, "What interesting things did you two old ladies talk about with my fifth brother? Tell me so that the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess and I can hear them too."
The parties involved all looked somewhat embarrassed.
Especially the King of Chu, who smiled awkwardly, then frowned and glanced at Qiao Qinghe before reluctantly saying, "I didn't say anything. Let's go in."
Li Sanqi looked at Qiao Qinghe, who smiled and said, "Indeed, we didn't say anything. Madam Zheng and I were just asking His Highness Prince Chu how Princess Huaiyang managed to persuade the Sixth Princess to be your greeter."
Hearing this, Li Sanqi pursed his lips. "I didn't invite her. She insisted on coming herself. Helping me greet guests was also her own request. I didn't force her."
His words were full of disdain.
Hearing this answer, Qiao Qinghe was not surprised at all.
Madam Zheng didn't say anything, but gave Qiao Qinghe a deep look. She felt that the key to the Sixth Princess's transformation mostly lay with this person.
Hearing her speak so disparagingly of Li Jingyue, the Crown Prince immediately frowned. "They're all family, sisters. Xiao Liu offered to help you; you should be grateful. How can you belittle her like that?"
"As a royal princess with a title, where is your magnanimity and composure?"
The Crown Prince regarded Consort Zhao as his own mother since childhood, and also regarded Li Jingyue as his own sister, and took good care of her.
The prince's displeasure and reprimand at this moment were also subconscious reactions.
But Li Sanqi was not one to tolerate things, and he immediately frowned in displeasure.
"Is the Crown Prince standing up for Li Jingyue?"
Li Sanqi scoffed, "I merely spoke the truth, and the Crown Prince reacted like this. Anyone who didn't know better would think Li Jingyue was the Crown Prince's biological sister."
"Since the Crown Prince is not genuinely here to congratulate me on my housewarming, I will not keep him any longer."
"Your Highness, please make yourself at home."
As he spoke, he pulled Qiao Qinghe and Madam Zheng inside.
"Stop right there!" The Crown Prince, his face grim, stopped the man and reprimanded him again, "You came back from your trip to Xi'an, and instead of calming down, your temper has only gotten worse?"
“I am the Crown Prince, your elder brother. You did something wrong, what's wrong with me scolding you a couple of times? Is it worth you getting so angry and kicking me out?”
"Do you even respect me as your elder brother, the Crown Prince?"
Li Sanqi turned around, his eyes filled with hatred and anger as he questioned, "Is the Crown Prince who forces me to apologize to a bunch of shady characters from the former Crown Princess's family still my Crown Prince?"
"Is the Crown Prince who petitioned to send me to a marriage alliance still my Crown Prince?"
"Is a crown prince who values other concubines' daughters more than his own sister me still my crown prince?"
Li Sanqi asked three questions in a row, leaving the Crown Prince embarrassed and speechless.
But Li Sanqi was far from finished speaking.
She pressed on, full of grievance, "You always say that I've been getting closer to my third and fifth brothers these past few years and have become distant from you."
"Then you should also look at how you treated me, and how my third and fifth brothers treated me!"
"You knew perfectly well that I didn't like Lu Ming, yet you still forced me to get engaged to him. Luckily, my third brother felt sorry for me and helped me break off the engagement!"
"And then there's my fifth brother. He was the one who protected me when I went to Da'an for the marriage alliance. He was also the one who begged Father Emperor to grant me a title. After my original princess residence was taken away, he was the one who helped me get this princess residence!"
"But what about you? What have you done for me?"
"You only know how to pressure me, hurt me, and be hostile towards me!"
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