"Miss, you're finally back! Why are you so late? I was so worried!" Lingqi grabbed a down coat and hurried over to greet her, wrapping her up tightly in the wind outside the door.
"Something unexpected happened. By the way, has Mother asked about me?" She pulled her coat tighter and exhaled a breath of white mist.
Lingqi nodded: "Madam just sent someone to invite you, asking you to go to Shuofeng Pavilion to give a reply as soon as you return to the manor."
"Then help me bathe and change, don't keep Mother waiting." She handed the leftover candied hawthorn to Lingqi, paused for a moment, and then said, "Please keep this safe for me."
Lingqi stared blankly at the wooden skewer with three hawthorns left: "If you still want to eat, Miss, I'll go buy some fresh ones. This... or should we just throw this away?"
"No need! I only want this, I don't want anything else." Even if he's just repaying a favor, so what? As long as he softens his stance, there's still hope!
"Yes." Lingqi was a little confused, but she still obediently took it and put it away.
Could it be that this one is sweeter than the others?
Steam rose gently from the clean room as she closed her eyes, reflecting on the day's events. Those men in black had clearly been lying in ambush in the village, waiting for her to walk right into their trap.
Thinking about it now, the old woman's expression was also very strange. A neighbor had died, yet she showed no fear or grief, but instead calmly told her that the body had been cremated—this was truly suspicious.
Furthermore, the fact that the group did not sound like people from the Central Plains further demonstrates that the person behind them wields immense power and influence, even capable of employing foreign assassins to serve them.
Their goal was the prescription, which meant they were after profit. After alerting them this time, she was on guard, but her brother also knew the prescription and was currently imprisoned, making it difficult to deal with them...
She needs to speed things up!
After changing out of her coarse linen clothes and washing off the dirt smeared on her face, Lingqi styled her hair into a fairy bun: "This bright and elegant look suits you best, young lady!"
"Everyone would like to dress up nicely if they could live a peaceful life, but if they have to eke out a living amidst swords and spears every day, they probably wouldn't have the energy to do so even if they wanted to." She lightly applied a layer of perfume to her face before saying, "Let's go, Mother is still waiting for me."
Shuofeng Pavilion.
"The light is dim, why is Mother still doing needlework? Be careful not to hurt your eyes. Granny Wang, why don't you tell her to be more careful?"
As she spoke, she handed the mink coat that Qin had placed on her lap to Granny Wang, asking her to take it away and keep it.
Granny Wang took the robe and said with a smile, "Oh dear, Miss, you know Madam's temperament. How could I possibly persuade her!"
Madam Qin, however, looked worried: "Why blame others? It's my own worry about your brother. The prison is bitterly cold; without a warm coat, wouldn't he freeze to death?"
"Mother... is it my fault?" She lowered her head and stared at the embroidered shoes with silver thread and hibiscus flowers on the silk surface, asking in a small voice. After all, the hand warmers were made by her own hands, and their sale was with her consent.
Qin poured her a cup of tea and comforted her, "How could I blame you? None of us wanted this to happen. But your grandmother has already heard about it and is traveling day and night from Wei County. She will arrive soon. When she does, you should apologize gently and not upset her."
She lowered her eyes and obediently replied, "Yes."
Her grandmother had four daughters and two sons. She was used to favoring sons over daughters and loved her second son, Shangguan Xiao, who was Tianyun's second uncle, the most. She stayed in Wei County with her second uncle's family.
This trip to the capital was for her brother's sake. If her grandmother knew that this matter was also related to Tianyun, given the old lady's temperament, she would definitely punish her.
"What did Mother call me here for?"
"I just wanted to have a few private words with you, a woman's thing. You may all leave now. Wang Mama can stay here to serve you." After dismissing the servants, Madam Qin asked, "Tell me the truth, do you have someone you like?"
Last night, when she heard from her husband that the Second Prince intended to take Yun'er as a concubine, Madam Qin was somewhat surprised. But she was mostly happy for her daughter, as Yun'er's previous infatuation with the Second Prince had not been in vain.
Although the position of concubine was not really within her consideration, her master had analyzed the pros and cons for her. The second prince was the most likely prince to ascend the throne, and Yun'er could rise rapidly in the future and be promoted to the rank of concubine.
Most importantly, the child born to Yun'er will not be a lowly illegitimate son, but a prince of high status!
Qin suddenly realized that she had been narrow-minded before!
"Why do you say that, Mother?"
“Yesterday, your father was summoned to the palace and heard the Second Prince mention his desire to take you as a concubine. His Highness spoke the truth and promised to clear your brother’s name. The Second Prince is renowned for his amiable and virtuous character, and your father and I are quite satisfied with him. However… we still need to ask for your consent before making a decision.”
What utter nonsense is this? She coughed a few times, choked by the tea she had just tasted, and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief: "I refuse. Have you all forgotten Master Hongyi's decree? Only by finding my destined one can I grow old with him."
Then he said decisively, "The Second Prince is definitely not the one I have chosen!" Does he deserve the title of a person of noble character?
The position of concubine? How dare he even mention it? It's only because his father's fourth-rank official position has no real power in court and offers him no benefit. But this also shows he doesn't truly like her; otherwise, he wouldn't treat her with such contempt. If he doesn't genuinely like her, could it be… another attempt to suppress Xiao Ziwu?
Unexpectedly, he couldn't fool himself, so he turned to fooling his father, truly using every means at his disposal.
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