Chapter 739 Seeking Princess Qi's Help
Princess Qi was still unwilling to give up. After thinking for a while, she gritted her teeth and said, "Madam, if you are willing to give up past grievances and support Prince Qi again, I can persuade the prince to let the young prince be raised by your side until he grows up and returns to the royal family."
When Liu Jieyu initially agreed to let the child be raised in the Qiao family for five years, it was partly due to the circumstances, as she had no choice but to agree in order to quell the Qiao family's anger.
Secondly, because a five-year-old child is still too young to understand, they can be re-educated after being taken back.
They are now confident that they can bring down the King of Chu, but what will happen after that?
Without the support of the army and powerful forces, it would still be difficult for the King of Qi to ascend to the throne.
Therefore, in order to gain the support of the Qiao family and the families behind them, she had no choice but to make the difficult decision to let the child stay in the Qiao family.
She could foresee that the children who grew up in the Qiao family would inevitably harbor hatred towards the Liu family and become estranged from their father, the Prince of Qi.
With the support of the Qiao family and the forces behind them, Li Yiqian is very likely to become a stumbling block for her son in the future.
But she couldn't care less about any of that.
The most important thing now is to win the support of the Qiao family so that Prince Qi can ascend to that position.
We'll have to deal with the future later.
I thought that with her making such a condition, Qiao Qinghe would definitely agree without a doubt.
Qiao Qinghe scoffed, "Let the child grow up by my side, and then completely sever ties with Prince Qi?"
"A prince who is not favored by his father, and with you, his stepmother, whispering in his father's ear, can he really inherit the royal family in the future?"
"Or does this mean that Princess Qi is no longer allowed to have sons?"
Qiao Qinghe looked at Princess Qi with a half-smile, "Of course, if Princess Qi drinks the sterilization medicine in front of me to ensure that she will not have children in the future, then I might seriously consider Princess Qi's suggestion."
Upon hearing this, Princess Qi's face instantly froze.
The proposal to have the Qiao family raise the children until adulthood was merely a stopgap measure.
It's not really about handing over the Prince's Mansion or even that position to Li Yiqian.
But Qiao Qinghe's words undoubtedly blocked her escape route and directly exposed her little scheme.
Seeing that Princess Qi remained silent for a long time, Qiao Qinghe did not press her further.
After all, the fact that Princess Qi took the initiative to come to her door shows that Princess Qi wanted to ease the tension between them.
Perfect, Li Sanqi can also put some pressure on them.
As for Princess Qi, there are still ways to utilize her.
After thinking for a moment, she smiled and eased the atmosphere, "Alright, Princess Qi, did you really take my words seriously? It was just a joke."
"Princess Qi is still young, how could she not have a few children of her own?"
"I was just joking when I said that. Princess Qi, please don't take it to heart."
Princess Qi smiled awkwardly, her expression softening slightly.
I knew that my purpose in coming here today would likely be in vain.
Then Qiao Qinghe continued, "Besides, the child was raised in the Qiao family for five years, which was agreed upon with Consort Hui."
"Oh, look at me, I'm now Consort Jieyu."
"The agreed-upon five-year period is suddenly being changed. Even if His Highness Prince Qi agrees, would Consort Jieyu agree to it?"
"Therefore, Princess Qi should refrain from making such empty promises that cannot be fulfilled."
Princess Qi's face stiffened again.
Indeed, she was confident she could persuade the King of Qi, but she couldn't guarantee she could persuade Consort Liu.
During her recent visits to the palace with Prince Qi, Consort Liu's attitude towards her made her realize that Consort Liu did not like her as much as she and her family had imagined.
"The old lady is right, I was being presumptuous."
Princess Qi quickly composed herself and solemnly apologized, "I was young and ignorant, and my words were often impolite. Please forgive me, Madam."
"However, I have come here today with the sincere intention of easing tensions with the old lady."
"If there is anything that I or the Qi Prince's Mansion can do to help you, please don't hesitate to ask."
"We will never refuse to do anything that is within our power."
"Wouldn't it have been better if Princess Qi had said so earlier?"
Qiao Qinghe smiled, her smile carrying a hint of intimacy, and her tone was warmer than ever before.
"Speaking of which, I do have a use for Princess Qi. I just don't know if Princess Qi would be willing to help this old woman."
Princess Qi's heart skipped a beat.
Goodness, she was just saying it casually, just being polite.
And the old lady actually took advantage of the situation!
If the old lady clearly states that she will forgive past transgressions and support the King of Qi to return to the throne, then she will have done her part.
Now, the old lady clearly doesn't want to express her opinion, but still wants her help?
Why is she so frustrated?
However, let's hear what the old lady wants her help with first.
If it's not too troublesome, I'll help if I can; it might even win back some of the old ladies' hearts.
A thousand thoughts can turn in an instant.
Having figured this out, Princess Qi smiled modestly and said, "Madam, you flatter me. If you can't handle this, how could I possibly manage it?"
"However, since the old lady trusts me, please tell me what it is. If it can truly relieve the old lady's worries, I will do my best."
Whether it was genuine or not, Qiao Qinghe smiled even more amiably after hearing these words.
She said, "The Princess Consort of Qi also witnessed the tense standoff between me and Princess Huaiyang today, which was all over two maids."
"But it wasn't entirely for the sake of the two maids."
Princess Qi pretended to listen attentively.
Qiao Qinghe nodded in satisfaction and continued, "One of those two maids is my personal maid, and the other is a maid who came from my side."
"I don't know where I offended the Prince Consort, that he would kill the two of them."
“I wanted the prince consort to pay for their lives, but Princess Huaiyang sided with him…”
At this point, Qiao Qinghe wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes and said with a pained expression, "My friendship with Princess Huaiyang over the years is no match for a stranger I've only been married to for a year!"
Princess Qi felt disdain.
No matter how prestigious or important they are, in the end they are nothing more than two maids.
How can he be compared to a top scholar and imperial son-in-law?
Isn't it only natural for Li Sanqi to protect her own son-in-law?
Although she thought this in her heart, Princess Qi put on a show of shared indignation on her face, "Yes, who in the whole capital doesn't know that the old lady and Princess Huaiyang have a very close relationship?"
"If you ask me, your relationship goes beyond just being close friends; you're practically best buddies!"
"When Princess Huaiyang was sent to marry a foreign ruler, it was the old lady who escorted her all the way to Da'e!"
"It is said that if it weren't for the protection of the old lady's maid, it's uncertain whether Princess Huaiyang would have been able to return to Dayan safely back then!"
Qiao Qinghe continued wiping away her tears, "Isn't that right?"
"One of the dead maids was the one who protected Princess Huaiyang when we went to Daxi together."
"That was Princess Huaiyang's savior!"
"As a result, the woman was murdered by the prince consort, but the princess refused to give her justice!"
How could I not feel disheartened?
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