Chen Mianmian lowered her eyes, a warmth slowly flowing through her heart. "She's just a maid. Besides, Hanrong is of marriageable age, so it's normal for her to leave the manor."
Bai Qingzhou said with certainty, "There's definitely something wrong with this!"
Feeling guilty, Shen Mianmian asked, "What problem could there be?"
Holding the woman's hand, Bai Qingzhou was not satisfied. Taking advantage of her submissive state, he pulled her into his arms. "Tell me. If you don't tell me, I'll only worry. Then I won't be able to study well."
"..." Shen Mianmian rolled her eyes—a self-inflicted injury? Moral blackmail? She wouldn't fall for it!
It's settled.
Okay, she ate some.
She hoped that Fengchu could win the top three prizes and slap the faces of those who looked down on her.
Bai Qingzhou pleaded softly again, "Tell me, I'm worried."
"..." Shen Mianmian softened and pouted, "Go pour me a cup of tea to cleanse my mouth."
"OK!"
The young maid, Fengchu, immediately went to pour tea obediently.
After a short while, Chen Mianmian took the hot tea, drank some quietly on the soft couch, placed the teacup on the small table in the center, and told the story of what had happened at the Princess's residence in the past few days.
Bai Qingzhou was shocked. "This is a small matter? It was Jiang Yinjin who did it? Outrageous! What kind of talented woman from the capital is she? I think she's a scheming and vicious woman! I used to feel indebted to her, but now I know she deserved what happened!"
Chen Mianmian was both amused and exasperated—no, no, we should also feel indebted, after all, we wronged Jiang Yinjin in our past lives.
But then I thought, if Jiang Yinjin is innocent, then Fengchu is just as innocent.
Jiang Yinjin hates Fengchu because of her memories from her past life.
But Fengchu had no memories of his past life; he only saw how Jiang Yinjin framed her.
So, who is right and who is wrong?
Bai Qingzhou suddenly stood up. "You rest, I'm going out for a bit."
Chen Mianmian hurriedly jumped off the soft couch and grabbed him, "Where are you going?"
"Go find my mother. I'm divorcing that scheming, wicked woman right now!"
"No!"
Shen Mianmian, fearing he might act impulsively, held him tightly, saying, "Calm down. The princess is still investigating, and we can't act rashly before the results are in. Besides, this kind of marriage between powerful families isn't so simple; one wrong move can have far-reaching consequences. Do you want to see the Marquis of Anning's family and the Jiang family become enemies? You might feel good for a moment, but what about the Marquis of Anning's reputation in officialdom? And what about Madam? She'll be gossiped about when she goes out socially."
Bai Qingzhou finally stopped.
Seeing this, Chen Mianmian breathed a sigh of relief. "I know this is infuriating to talk about, but isn't this the kind of complicated, endless feud between wealthy families?
"..." Bai Qingzhou—Why does it feel like I've been scolded?
Shen Mianmian pulled Bai Qingzhou to sit down on the soft couch. "If you ask me, the princess will handle this matter, no matter what. She can investigate and let the Marquis and his wife decide. You should focus on your exams. Only if you do well will you have a say, right? Let me put it this way: if you had achieved a top score in the three preliminary exams before you got married, would the Marquis of Anning have forced you to marry if you didn't want to?"
Bai Qingzhou calmed down completely—yes, the reason her father insisted on the marriage alliance with the Jiang family was ultimately because of his incompetence; the Anning Marquis's mansion had no other heirs and its future was uncertain.
Seeing the woman's worried expression, Bai Qingzhou awkwardly turned her face away, "Mianmian, you are so thoughtful."
Chenmianmian—Don't talk nonsense, she's also confused and doesn't know what to do.
Of course, she wouldn't say it.
Fengchu's status has just been restored, and people's opinions of him have just begun to change. She will never let him give up halfway!
The two remained silent for a long while, each lost in their own thoughts.
With a sigh, Bai Qingzhou asked, "What does this matter have to do with Hanrong leaving the manor?"
Her voice paused, then her expression changed drastically. "Did Jiang Yinjin ask Hanrong to harm you? That woman is truly vicious. I have indeed wronged her. She can hit and scold me, but why does she keep harming you? Smiling on the surface while secretly plotting against you? Is this what a noblewoman is like? She's clearly a rat in the gutter! I wouldn't want a noblewoman like that even if she were given to me for free!"
Chen Mianmian was amazed by Fengchu's cleverness.
To be fair, if she hadn't known the plot beforehand, she probably wouldn't have reacted as quickly as he did.
Shen Mianmian continued to soothe him, "Please calm down, Your Highness. As I said before, the princess will handle the handkerchief matter; the Marquis and his wife will handle how to punish the wicked; and as for my safety, I will guarantee it myself. We've been together for a while now, do you really think I'm a weak woman with no ability to protect myself?"
Bai Qingzhou was overjoyed. He swallowed hard, "You...you're finally telling me the truth?"
"?" Chen Mianmian, "What truth?"
"You used to call me 'this humble servant' all the time, and you were so gentle and weak, it was all an act."
Chen Mianmian snorted and pouted, "Seeing through things but not saying them out loud, we can still be good friends."
Bai Qingzhou instantly forgot about Jiang Yinjin and felt only joy. He moved the small table in the middle of the soft couch down, then squeezed in to sit down next to the woman and hugged her happily. "I've finally waited for this day. You're willing to show me your true face."
Nestled in the boy's arms, Chen Mianmian's lips twitched. "What you said makes me sound like a painted-skin ghost, always wearing a mask."
"Nonsense, you're a fairy in painted skin."
"..." Well, so the skin is going to be painted anyway?
Bai Qingzhou held the woman and thought a lot. "Mianmian, I want to discuss with Mr. Ouyang that I will not pursue the Little Three Yuan."
Shen Mianmian rolled her eyes and sarcastically retorted, "Because you can't bear to part with a woman? Do you want to hear how people usually curse a spineless man?"
The man shuddered; he knew she had a sharp tongue. “…I don’t want to. I can pass the preliminary examination without aiming for the top three honors.”
"Don't you want to listen to what you're saying? You could have achieved better results, but you're giving it up because of your romantic feelings? If you give it up, your wife will be proud of you, the Marquis will change his opinion of you, and I'll feel at ease, right?"
Bai Qingzhou was both amused and exasperated. "You're being sarcastic again."
"What else? Praise you?"
"..."
"Use your brain, you could just think of the answer anytime, why are you spouting nonsense? Haven't you had enough of being looked down upon and considered a failure? Have you forgotten why you couldn't make your own decisions about your marriage? Have you forgotten the pain of past wounds?"
"..." Bai Qingzhou got scolded again, but... she felt sweet inside.
She used to treat him as an observer.
Although she wouldn't admit it, he could sense it.
But today, she was truly standing beside him, earnestly reprimanding him. He even considered whether to say some more outrageous things to get her to scold him again, as he liked to hear it.
But then I thought better of it; it would be a loss to upset Mianmian.
Bai Qingzhou sighed, "I know I should win over Xiao Sanyuan, even if it's just for our future and for our child. But the thought of not being by your side for months on end makes me worry about you."
Seeing that Fengchu wasn't talking nonsense, Chen Mianmian softened her tone and said, "Don't worry, even though I'm easygoing and don't care about trivial matters, I'm not someone who can be just any Tom, Dick, or Harry."
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