Princess Pingnan was happy and hummed a little tune as she pruned the branches of her favorite flowering tree in the courtyard.
Ye Mingzhu walked in and said, "Mother, why hasn't my brother returned yet?"
In the Prince's mansion, the only person he could call his brother was Ye Jingxian, who shared the same mother.
In her heart, she never acknowledged Ye Junfei as her brother.
Princess Pingnan calmly replied, "Judging by the time, your brother will be back soon."
After she finished speaking, she also felt that Ye Jingxian had stayed a little longer this time.
She could understand this, after all, Ye Junfei and Ye Qingwan were not easy to deal with.
Besides, given their identities, killing them would require pretending it was the work of bandits, and setting up the plan would take a considerable amount of time.
Even so, Ye Jingxian should be back tonight.
Ye Mingzhu said softly, "Mother, now that Ye Junfei and Ye Qingwan are dead, will my brother become the heir apparent?"
Princess Pingnan smiled slightly: "Of course, the position of heir should have been his originally."
"Over the years, your father has devoted a great deal of effort to cultivating your brother, who is the most rightful heir to the Liefeng Prefecture."
“If Ye Junfei hadn’t suddenly returned and disrupted the rhythm, your brother wouldn’t have had to suffer these grievances.”
After she finished speaking, she looked at the luminous pearl and said, "This time, not only will your brother become the heir apparent, but your father will also help you be granted the title of princess."
Although Ye Mingzhu was the legitimate daughter of the Prince of Pingnan, she never lacked a title.
The Prince of Pingnan favored her and petitioned the court for her to be granted a title, but the emperor refused.
It was said that the Prince of Pingnan's mansion already had a princess, so it was not appropriate to bestow another title upon her.
Therefore, no matter how much favored Ye Mingzhu was, she didn't even receive titles like Princess, let alone County Princess or Lady of the Township.
To this day, she remains a commoner.
She had long wanted the title of princess for Ye Qingwan.
Her eyes sparkled: "Will this really work?"
“Of course.” Princess Pingnan smiled slightly: “According to the rules, one of the daughters of the Prince’s Mansion can be granted the title of Princess.”
"Although the Emperor has other intentions toward the Prince of Pingnan's mansion, your brother is about to marry Princess Anle."
"In order to appease the Prince of Pingnan's family, the Emperor will have to give you the title of Princess."
"With the title of princess, you will have more prestige when you get married, and no one will dare to make things difficult for you in the future."
Ye Mingzhu was somewhat surprised: "Brother is going to marry Princess Anle?"
Princess Pingnan nodded: "Yesterday your brother sent someone back with a letter saying that he had met the princess and that she had agreed to his marriage proposal."
"So this marriage is definitely going to happen, and your status as siblings will rise higher and higher, and no one will be able to replace you!"
Ye Mingzhu liked to hear those words.
Although she was shrewd, at her core, she was just a vain teenage girl.
Her lips curled up slightly, and there was a hint of smugness in her eyes.
She said happily, "That's right, from now on I will be the most honored princess of Liefeng Prefecture!"
She then asked, "What about Lin Xiuyan? Will my brother kill her too?"
The moment Lin Xiuyan was mentioned, Princess Pingnan's eyes turned cold: "She's nothing but a lowly merchant's daughter; she truly deserves to die!"
She reached out and touched Ye Mingzhu's face: "She actually dared to hurt you! I've already spoken to your brother."
"If they catch Lin Xiuyan, they will chop her up and feed her to the dogs."
Her phrase "chop her up and feed her to the dogs" wasn't an exaggeration; it simply meant that she wanted to chop up Lin Xiuyan's body and feed her to the dogs.
Ye Mingzhu said with some regret, "She humiliated me so much before, I even wanted to kill her myself."
Princess Pingnan smiled slightly: "After all, she is currently the Crown Prince's wife. It wouldn't look good if people saw this and it caused a scene."
“You are a noble princess, this kind of thing is not suitable for you to do.”
Although Ye Mingzhu was disappointed, she knew that what the Princess Consort of Pingnan said was true. She pursed her lips slightly and let the matter go.
Princess Pingnan added, "Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, and you and Xian'er will still preside over the ceremony together."
Every year during the Dragon Boat Festival, Liefeng Prefecture holds a grand ceremony, which serves as both an authority and a symbol.
Princess Pingnan said she wanted Lin Xiuyan to learn etiquette, but she never intended for Lin Xiuyan and Ye Junfei to participate in this year's festival.
The matter of learning etiquette was merely a tactic used by Princess Pingnan to make things difficult for Lin Xiuyan.
However, Lin Xiuyan was too slick, and the Princess of Pingnan tried to make things difficult for her, which resulted in losing both her and her mother.
The Princess of Pingnan still harbored resentment when she thought about this matter.
Ye Mingzhu chuckled and said, "Alright! It should have been my brother and me doing this anyway."
"Who does Ye Junfei count for? Lin Xiuyan is even less worthy!"
The mother and daughter began discussing the details of tomorrow's festival.
They do this every year, and when you think about it, they're quite adept at it.
But for them, having eliminated three thorns in their side today, and with no more worries in the future, this year's festival felt different from usual.
Just then, the chief steward of the Prince's residence rushed in and said, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"
Upon hearing this, Princess Pingnan and Ye Mingzhu exchanged a glance, both seeing smugness in each other's eyes.
The fact that the Chief Secretary of the Prince's Mansion rushed in to report such important news must mean that Ye Jingxian had already succeeded in bringing back the bodies of Ye Junfei and the others.
This was an incredibly joyous occasion for them.
Suppressing her joy, Princess Pingnan feigned surprise and asked, "What happened?"
The chief steward of the Prince's mansion said urgently, "The second young master has returned covered in blood..."
Upon hearing this, Princess Pingnan felt certain that the matter was settled; Ye Jingxian had returned covered in blood, so the blood certainly couldn't be his.
Moreover, this makes it easier to distance himself from him.
Princess Pingnan was even happier to see her son becoming more and more mature.
However, she still maintained a look of utter shock: "What? Xian'er has returned covered in blood?"
"What happened? Didn't I send him to fetch the Crown Prince and Princess? Where are they?"
The chief secretary of the Prince's residence replied, "I did not see the Crown Prince and his wife."
Princess Pingnan immediately feigned tears, saying, "How could I not have seen the Crown Prince and his wife?"
"Has something happened to them? Take me to them quickly!"
The chief secretary of the Prince's mansion hurriedly responded and led her to the front courtyard.
Princess Pingnan wiped away tears as she walked: "Please, please, please don't let anything happen to the Crown Prince and Princess."
"If something happens to them, how can I face my sister?"
The "sister" she was referring to was the first wife of the Prince of Pingnan, and the biological mother of Ye Junfei and Ye Qingwan.
Ye Mingzhu helped the Princess of Pingnan up and said, "Mother, don't worry. The Crown Prince and Princess are blessed by the heavens and will surely be alright."
The mother and daughter exchanged glances again, their eyes practically brimming with smugness.
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