Chapter 212: Already Engaged
"Miss Zhao, please follow me into the palace."
The nanny beside the empress dowager came to call her. Su Cheng adjusted the hairpin on her temples and followed the nanny slowly.
When I entered Shouqing Palace, I saw the Queen Mother sitting quietly beside the Arhat bed. She was wearing a dark robe embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns. Her half-white long hair was combed smoothly. The Bodhi beads in her hand were rubbed by her until they were shiny. Each bead was as big as the tip of a finger. There was no gold or silver ornaments on her head, only a wooden hairpin inserted in her hair. She looked too simple.
Hearing the noise at the door, the Queen Mother didn't even raise her eyelids, and continued to play with the Bodhi bracelet in her hand.
"Your humble servant, Su Cheng, pays homage to the Queen Mother. May the Queen Mother be in good health, have everything go smoothly, and have a long and prosperous life."
Hearing this, the Queen Mother finally moved a little. She gently raised her eyes to look at her, her gaze sweeping across her fair and smooth face. "Are you not going to smear the soot on your face anymore?"
Su Cheng knelt in a stately manner for a moment, then whispered, "I know my tricks can't be hidden from the Queen Mother. I admit my mistake."
The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows and chuckled, her majesty emanating from the corners of her downcast eyes. "Such an outstanding face, why hide it?"
Su Cheng lowered her body and spoke humbly, "I grew up in the countryside and only returned to my roots not long before the palace banquet. I dare not reveal my appearance too early."
"Are you afraid of being too dazzling and attracting other people's attention?" The Queen Mother took the teacup handed to her by the palace servant and said calmly, "There are rumors that the Third Prince has been infatuated with you for a long time, but you have been hesitant to respond."
Su Cheng paused, lowered her shoulders, and looked respectfully, "In reply to the Queen Mother, this is a false accusation. The Third Prince and I had a misunderstanding and had no intention of doing anything."
The Queen Mother curled her lips calmly, her tone unchanged, "You've been making quite a commotion lately, and some of the things have reached my ears."
Su Cheng lowered her head and said, "I am a stupid person. I don't know what the Queen Mother is referring to."
The person at the top remained silent. The hall was quiet for a long time before she slowly changed the subject, "How old is Miss Zhao this year?"
Su Cheng couldn't guess what she was up to, so he could only reply obediently, "Your Majesty, I haven't even turned nineteen yet."
"Nineteen, you're already a grown-up girl. If you were in an ordinary family, you'd probably have children by now." The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes, seeming more interested than before. "You come from the countryside. Why is it that at the age of eighteen, no one in your family has arranged a marriage for you?"
"Your Majesty, my mother died young, and I had no relatives to look after me. I grew up safely thanks to the help of my neighbors." Su Cheng lied without blushing or beating her heart, and she didn't look guilty at all. "To make a living, I embroidered sachets and handkerchiefs, made pig grass cages, farmed, and worked as a handyman in a small restaurant. For a few taels of silver, I delayed my marriage."
"You've done well." The Queen Mother's lips curled slightly, and it was hard to tell whether her tone was praise or sarcasm. "But at your age, it's not easy to marry outside. Even if you have a father who is the Minister of War, it won't make much difference."
"I have a good candidate here, who is just right to be my husband."
Su Cheng's body trembled and he forgot to respond for a moment.
A dark glint flashed in the Queen Mother's eyes, and she gently twisted the beads in her hand, "You should get up first."
"...Yes, thank you, Queen Mother." Su Cheng slowly stood up and knelt for a long time. Her legs were very numb, but she endured the discomfort and stood aside, quiet and well-behaved.
It’s not as powerful as rumored.
Taking her eyes off her, the Queen Mother looked at the beads in her hand and said in a low voice, "Qin Mingchuan, the son of the Marquis of Changning, is twenty-five this year. His parents passed away long ago. Now the entire Marquisate is in his hands. If you marry him, you will be the mistress of the Marquisate, glamorous and beautiful, with the final say."
"I will send someone to arrange a meeting for you tomorrow morning."
Cai Lian knelt behind her. When she heard the name from the Queen Mother's mouth, her face changed in shock, but she didn't dare to make a sound.
A dark light flashed in Su Cheng's half-closed eyes, and her hands hidden in her sleeves clenched tightly together, "Queen Dowager, this servant has not—"
"Why, you don't like my eyes?"
As soon as the person above lowered his voice, Su Cheng was about to kneel down, "Queen Dowager, please calm down. This humble servant would never dare to do that, but——"
A cold snort came from above, "Just what? After all, aren't you just trying to come up with an excuse?"
You old fool, you always love to interrupt people when they are talking!
Su Cheng gritted her teeth, still looking like a good girl. But the words she said made the palace quiet for a moment, "Queen Dowager, I already have an engagement."
"What...what?" The Queen Mother frowned and subconsciously looked at the nanny who was serving nearby.
The old nanny hurriedly shook her head, her face also full of confusion.
Seeing this, the Queen Mother curled her lips, as if she had already caught Su Cheng's fault, "Daughter of the Zhao family, do you know what kind of place this is? You are full of lies, but you don't even care about your life?"
Su Cheng answered fluently, neither humble nor arrogant, "Your Majesty, it is precisely because I know where this place is that I dare not conceal it."
"But you just said you were so busy making money that you neglected your life." The Queen Mother slammed her palm on the table, her face grimacing. "Which of your words is true and which is false?"
"I was engaged to someone, but before we could get married, my father took me back to the capital."
Su Cheng pinched the flesh of her palms until it turned purple, sweat oozing from her forehead. She tried hard to think of a way to deal with this. "Your servant has great respect for the Queen Mother and has absolutely no intention of looking down on her. The Queen Mother has a discerning eye for talent and has chosen the best men. But if I agree to this against my conscience, I will hurt two good men at the same time. I cannot do such a disloyal and unrighteous thing."
It was unknown how long it took before the door of Shouqing Palace slowly opened.
Su Cheng walked under the palace wall, his legs shaking constantly. If he hadn't held Cai Lian's hand tightly, he would have fallen to the ground.
"Young lady..." Cai Lian's eyes were red. Looking at her pale face from kneeling for so long, she felt distressed. "The Queen Mother specifically asked to see the young lady's fiancé. Where can we get him?"
Su Cheng supported his sore and limp legs, a cold light flashing in his eyes, and he lowered his voice and said, "The old thing won't live long. I will kill her sooner or later."
Cai Lian wiped away the tears from her eyes and whispered, "The Prince of Changning, as the Queen Mother calls him, is a fool. His parents died when he was young, yet he still hasn't inherited the title. It's because his mind is muddled, no different from a three or four-year-old child! All that talk about the mistress of a marquisate and being glamorous is pure nonsense. He has lost all conscience."
Su Cheng's face darkened as he looked towards the end of the palace wall. "I don't know how I offended her. She and Concubine Zhe have fallen out, so she shouldn't have harassed me because of Yan Mu. But her actions today really don't make sense to me."
"Miss..." Cai Lian sighed softly, "The most urgent thing is to find someone to deal with the Queen Mother, otherwise she will not let it go."
Su Cheng lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, and then opened her pink lips slightly, "Is Xie Suzhou awake?"
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