Chapter 285 Thoughts
"That's impossible. I also have the surname Qi. How can I marry the Crown Prince?"
Zheng Yanling's expression turned strange: "Just because of this?"
Qi Minying excitedly added, "So you and the Crown Prince have already confessed your feelings for each other, right? When was it? Sister Yuxuan, are you going to be my sister-in-law?!"
Zheng Yanling pressed down on the little princess's head, "Yu Xuan, tell the truth. If it's just because of this concern, the Empress Dowager has already spoken, and you can change your surname again."
Qi Yuxuan's eyelashes trembled slightly. Although she was surprised, the sudden realization and joy in her eyes seemed genuine, and Zheng Yanling immediately understood.
She sighed and stood up, her tone full of disappointment: "Indeed, daughters grow up and leave home."
Qi Yuxuan: "What?"
However, Zheng Yanling did not explain and had already pulled the chattering Qi Minying out, leaving only Zhao Mei in the room, who remained silent and smiling the whole time.
Qi Yuxuan took her hand and asked, "Was what they said just now true?"
She had just woken up from her unconsciousness after falling into the water, still confused about the situation, when she suddenly learned that she was engaged to the Crown Prince? Her subconscious reaction was undisguised, and the two of them were running so fast; something just didn't seem right.
Zhao Mei bit her lower lip, hesitating whether or not to speak.
She stared blankly into the distance with her round eyes, avoiding eye contact with Qi Yuxuan on the bed, afraid of revealing her guilty conscience.
Qi Yuxuan's heart was pounding. "Meiniang, be honest and you'll be treated leniently. Don't forget we're doing business together. Be careful, or I'll take the shop back and make you lose everything."
This was the first time she had threatened someone like this, and it actually sounded quite convincing; at least Zhao Mei believed it.
Zhao Mei's handkerchief was almost twisted into a pretzel. Should she tell him or not?
But even if I don't tell her now, she'll find out sooner or later!
With a heavy heart, she said, "Actually, the Empress Dowager did not arrange a marriage between the princess and the crown prince. What she said just now was a trick to deceive you."
Qi Yuxuan had already guessed what was going on, and she continued to ask, "What are you trying to trick me into thinking? Didn't I already refuse?"
Zhao Mei was too embarrassed to describe the blush that had just crossed her face and the look of surprise in her eyes. She could only stammer, "But you... well, they've already figured it out. You really do love the Crown Prince... at least you're not sincerely against this marriage..."
Qi Yuxuan felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and froze completely in place.
"I……"
But she couldn't say something against her conscience, so she could only open her mouth in vain.
They had just said that the Empress Dowager could change her surname again. She admitted that she was indeed tempted for a moment, but it was only for a moment, and she quickly came back to her senses.
Not to mention that it's not easy to get listed in the imperial genealogy, getting removed from it usually means being demoted to a commoner. Even changing one's surname is a matter of great importance. Ordinary wealthy families have passed down their surnames from generation to generation and would not easily allow outsiders to be included in the family genealogy. On the other hand, using other surnames might be suspected of promoting the other party.
Qi Yuxuan didn't speak, clutching the lotus embroidery pattern on the thin quilt, her mind filled with troubles.
Furthermore, while she may indeed be in love with the Crown Prince, she doesn't actually want to enter the harem and share her husband with other women in the future.
Even in his previous life, Xie Tingzhou never wronged her in this matter. From beginning to end, she was his only wife. Apart from his own dowry maid, there wasn't even a young maid in the mansion.
Seeing that she was silent and seemed to have something on her mind, Zhao Mei asked gently and earnestly, "Do you really not want to marry the Crown Prince?"
If it were Zheng Yanling or Qi Minying who asked this question, Qi Yuxuan might have hesitated and stubbornly said that she didn't want to. But when she faced Zhao Mei's gentle and lovely face, with her sincere and caring expression, Qi Yuxuan felt a warmth in her heart.
She replied earnestly, "I want to, and I don't want to."
For the first time, she voiced her concerns: "I know what I want is demanding, but I really don't want to be jealous of other women, to fight over a man's attention, and even if I don't want to, there will always be all sorts of people trying to compete with me..."
"It's like at home, where children all crave their parents' love. Children who don't fight for it will be forgotten, abandoned, or even die... Mei Niang, you know, I don't want to go back to those days..."
Outside the window, Qi Jun, who had just arrived, clenched his fist upon hearing this, suppressing the urge to rush in and forcing himself to continue listening.
He had long ago made up his mind that there would be no woman other than his legal wife. He had witnessed his mother vying for the emperor's favor with the other concubines, and he had also experienced his half-brothers attacking each other.
Moreover, if the stability of the crown prince's position, or even the throne, can only be achieved by constantly taking in the female relatives of court officials into the palace, then no matter how hard he works and how much he cares for the people, it will all become a joke. If he wants peace and prosperity throughout the land, and the country to last forever, and if he wants the rivers to flow smoothly and the seas to be calm and the people to live in peace and happiness, then he will certainly not have the time and energy to waste on countless women.
But he kept these words to himself and never told anyone.
Rather than telling everyone about his lofty ambitions, he prefers to prove himself to the world through concrete actions.
The little girl inside was still talking, but her voice was much softer. Qi Jun listened carefully, but couldn't piece together what she was saying.
inside the house.
After Qi Yuxuan finished speaking, Zhao Mei frowned and nodded in agreement.
Zhao Mei pondered for a moment, then said softly, "I've never thought about these things before... But then again, the Crown Prince is different from ordinary men. If an ordinary man were to become the Prince Consort, he would definitely put the Princess first in everything. Let alone taking a concubine, he probably wouldn't even dare to have a maidservant. But the Crown Prince holds the Eastern Palace, and his future is..."
"Ah, if only the princess could marry my brother, becoming my sister-in-law would surely be much happier than marrying into the Crown Prince's palace..."
Qi Jun had to practically press his ear against the window to hear those words, and his forehead twitched violently.
How come someone's already trying to steal my wife before I've even gotten married?!
The voice inside continued, as if a floodgate had been opened, "Your Highness, you don't know, our Zhao family's business is all over the Qi Kingdom. Every year, my brother chooses a direction to travel around and check the accounts. It's very interesting to travel and enjoy the scenery along the way. If I hadn't been in the girls' school before and was still young, I would really like to go with him. Every time I hear him talk about the things he encounters on the road, it's both thrilling and fun..."
Qi Yuxuan's voice rang out: "Really? That's certainly very interesting..."
Qi Jun, standing outside the window, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Good, the Zhao family, very good.
Enjoying traveling and auditing accounts? I'll just assign Zhao Yinchen a minor post in a remote, desolate region and send him out to travel the world!
Qi Yuxuan: "Your brother is a very good person, but I only see him as your brother, an excellent businessman. I don't have those kinds of feelings for him."
Zhao Mei: "So, does the princess have feelings for the crown prince?"
The tall young man outside the window hunched over, instinctively holding his breath.
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