Chapter 116: Her Royal Highness the Princess
The next day, Qi Wuhan was urgently summoned to the palace by the emperor, and he had a premonition that it was related to what happened last night.
When he saw the emperor in the imperial study, the emperor had a gloomy face and looked in a very bad mood.
"I heard that you left the city last night?" asked the emperor.
Qi Wuhan bowed and replied, "Last night, I received news that a spy from the Northern Desert was about to leave the city."
"A spy from the Northern Desert?" His Majesty's tone turned cold. "Why haven't I heard you mention that?"
Qi Wuhan replied, "I originally wanted to catch the turtle in the jar and bring him to see Your Majesty after I caught him."
"Where is that man? Has he been caught?" asked the emperor.
Qi Wuhan apologized and said, "It was my carelessness that allowed the person to escape. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
The emperor asked casually, "Did you let him escape on purpose?"
"I dare not." Qi Wuhan replied, his expression normal, without any sign of concealing anything.
The emperor pondered for a moment, then asked, "When did the spies from the Northern Desert arrive?"
Qi Wuhan replied: "He came here a month ago."
"What are you here for?" asked the emperor.
Qi Wuhan replied: "I'm here to find someone."
The emperor's expression changed slightly, and he casually asked, "Who is it?"
Qi Wuhan replied, "I don't know the identity of the person they are looking for."
He guessed that the other party had calculated the timing perfectly, taking advantage of the fact that most of the Imperial City Administration's personnel were guarding the Imperial Examination Hall during the imperial examination, and only took action when the defense in the city was weakened.
The emperor pondered for a moment, his eyes scanning Qi Wuhan's face inquiringly, and said, "I will tell you who it is."
Qi Wuhan's expression was slightly strange, but before entering the palace he guessed that the other party's identity should be related to the royal family, otherwise the emperor would not have summoned him into the palace in such a hurry.
"She is my sister, Zhaoyang."
Qi Wuhan was surprised, "Her Royal Highness the Princess isn't..."
It was rumored that Princess Zhaoyang had died of illness a long time ago, but unexpectedly she is still alive!
The emperor sighed, slowly stood up and walked to the window, standing with his hands behind his back. His back looked a little desolate, and he slowly recounted a story from the past.
At the beginning, Beimo sent a hostage to ask for peace. Zhaoyang fell in love with the hostage at first sight, but the hostage just wanted to use her to gain a foothold in the palace and pretended to be in love with her. Later, there was a coup in Beimo. The hostage promised the late emperor that after he returned to Beimo and ascended the throne, he would marry Zhaoyang with ten cities as a betrothal gift. The late emperor then lent him troops and helped him return to Beimo to quell the rebellion.
Later, he ascended the throne and became the emperor of Beimo. He broke the promise and not only married another woman, but also sent troops to attack the Central Plains.
Zhaoyang was heartbroken when she learned that he had married another woman, but she was unwilling to marry anyone else, so she chose to become a nun and practice asceticism in the temple.
This is a royal secret, and like the Fourth Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Ning, the emperor has ordered it to be kept secret, and no one is allowed to mention it.
Therefore, people outside thought that Her Royal Highness the Princess had died of illness a long time ago.
"In terms of scheming and planning, I am far inferior to him." The emperor said self-deprecatingly.
Qi Wuhan said: "Your Majesty is generous and kind, which is a blessing for the country and the people."
"Sometimes, being too merciful isn't necessarily a good thing." The emperor turned and patted his shoulder. He slowly walked back to the throne and sat down. His expression darkened as he asked, "Do you think he sent someone to take the man away this time to threaten me, or to declare war on me?"
Qi Wuhan guessed: "Maybe he wants to rekindle his past relationship."
The emperor sneered and said, "If he was a man of integrity, he would not have broken the agreement. How can a villain who goes back on his word have any moral integrity?" The emperor was furious and coughed twice in excitement.
"Your Majesty, please take care of yourself." Qi Wuhan bowed.
The emperor waved his hand and said, "You go down first."
"Then the eldest princess..." Qi Wuhan hesitated.
The emperor sighed and said, "Let her go. She will never forget that man in her heart anyway." At this point, the emperor's expression suddenly turned cold, and he said coldly and ruthlessly, "In the future, she will be a person of Beimo. If the two countries go to war, I will not show mercy." The emperor waved his hand again, leaned back in the chair with his head raised, as if he was tired.
"Your humble servant will take his leave." When Qi Wuhan turned around to leave, the emperor remembered something and asked him to take people to bring Concubine Qing back to the palace. Prince An was getting married, and she, his mother, could not be absent. Qi Wuhan answered yes and took his leave.
After coming out of the imperial study, he still felt a little agitated and was a little concerned about the affairs of Princess Zhaoyang.
For some reason, he had a strange feeling the moment he saw that face, but he was sure that he had never seen the other person before. Perhaps he had seen the other person before he could remember, so he still had some impression of him, but the person was gone, so there was no point in thinking too much about it.
…
Jiang Lan came to the Duke's Mansion. Before she came, she asked someone to inquire and found out that Pei Qian had entered the tribute court yesterday.
She came here this time to see her little niece and to explain things to Chunxian.
When the housekeeper brought her into the mansion, Jiang Lan felt that her arrival seemed to have frightened the other party. When the other party saw her, he looked obviously panicked for a moment, then asked her with a smile what she was doing there. She said she came to see the child, and the other party seemed relieved.
The housekeeper led her to Jiang Yao's yard and then left. Huaer came out and led her into the house.
As soon as she entered the house, she heard the crying of a child and Jiang Yao's complaints.
"Cry, cry, cry, you just cry all day long. Can you please leave me alone? It's so noisy..."
"Don't take your anger out on the kids."
Seeing Jiang Lan coming, Jiang Yao fell silent.
"Are you hungry?" Jiang Lan asked.
"The wet nurse just fed her once." Huaer replied.
Jiang Lan sat on a stool beside the cradle and gently pushed the cradle to coax the child, and gradually the crying stopped.
"Second sister is so good at coaxing children, why don't you take care of the child." Jiang Yao felt a little jealous when she saw that Jiang Lan coaxed the child so quickly. Her old problem came back and she started to act weird again.
Jiang Lan ignored her and Jiang Yao pouted in frustration.
At this time, a maid came in to announce that the Duke's wife had arrived. Jiang Yao muttered, "A weasel is paying New Year's greetings to a chicken."
Ever since she gave birth to her daughter, the attitude of her mother-in-law, the Lady of the Duke, has changed drastically. Before, she was very caring and concerned about her, but now she is perfunctory and ignores her. She only visited her once during her confinement period and refused to send her any nourishing soup or stew.
When the Duke's wife entered the room, Jiang Lan stood up and bowed. The Duke's wife didn't even look at her and asked, "What are you doing here?" Her tone was very stiff, and she didn't welcome her at all.
Jiang Lan thought the other person was really interesting. If he didn't want to see her, why did he come over...
"My little niece is almost one month old. I wonder when the full moon party will be held?"
The Duke's wife glanced at Jiang Lan's smiling face, her expression becoming increasingly unhappy. She said, "This child is too fragile to endure any hardship. Besides, Qian'er is still taking the Imperial Examination. I think there's no need to hold the full moon banquet."
Jiang Yao was so angry that she secretly hated him. She turned her gaze to Jiang Lan, hoping that she would fight back.
But Jiang Lan didn't say anything, and Jiang Yao was really anxious and angry.
The Duke's wife went over to take a look at the child, told Jiang Yao to have a good rest, and left.
After Hua'er sent the people out, Jiang Yao couldn't wait to complain, "Second sister, why didn't you say something for me just now?" Jiang Lan asked, "Don't you have a mouth?" Jiang Yao was so angry that she was speechless. She said weakly, "After all, she is my mother-in-law, not my second sister's mother-in-law. If I contradict her, how can I have a good life in the future? Second sister, why don't you think about me more..."
"Then let me ask you," Jiang Lan's expression became serious, and Jiang Yao lowered her head guiltily, "Did you drug Chunxian?" She turned her gaze to the side, and Hua'er came over with her head lowered. Jiang Yao looked surprised, then shook her head to deny it, and then questioned, "Did that little bitch tell you?"
Jiang Lan's eyes darkened, and Jiang Yao lowered her head guiltily again.
"Did your mother teach you this?"
Jiang Yao pursed her lips, looking like a stubborn person.
Even if she didn't say it, Jiang Lan probably guessed that the contraceptive medicine was a method taught to her by Zhang, and this kind of medicine was Zhang's specialty.
"Do you know why your mother was sent back to her hometown?" Jiang Lan asked.
Jiang Yao felt even more guilty.
"If you ever want to return home, feel free to use these methods, but don't expect me to be your backer. Your father can't control the affairs of the inner courtyard. Don't worry, after you are sent away, I will help take care of the child, and you don't have to come back."
Jiang Lan was both kind and powerful, making Jiang Yao panicked.
"Second Miss," Hua'er wanted to help defend herself, but Jiang Lan glanced at her and she lowered her head in silence.
"I've made it clear to you. It's up to you whether to stop or go all the way." Jiang Lan said calmly.
Jiang Yao said aggrievedly, "Second sister only knows how to blame me. She doesn't know that I'm almost being bullied to death. If I don't use some tricks, if she gives birth to a son in the future, won't she ride on my head?"
"Whether you give birth to a son or a daughter depends on your own ability. Even if someone gives birth to a son, how do you know that he will definitely ride on your head instead of living a peaceful life? Even if she wants to, will your parents-in-law allow her to be the legal wife? Instead of being on guard against others, it is better to hone yourself and learn more skills to support yourself."
Seeing that Jiang Yao was still a little unconvinced, Jiang Lan asked, "Let me ask you, do you know how much everyone in this courtyard gets paid monthly? How much land and shops are included in your dowry? What is the annual income? Do you know how to read and keep accounts? Do you know the expenses of the family?"
This series of questions confused Jiang Yao. She had only learned music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and poetry composition before, so why did she need to learn these mundane matters of housekeeping and financial management?
Not only was Jiang Yao confused, but Hua'er was also confused. They had never thought about these things at all.
"Learn from your sister-in-law first."
Jiang Yao was still a little unconvinced, and Jiang Lan didn't expect her to suddenly come to her senses. If she could wake up a little, it wouldn't be a waste of her words. If she had no remorse, she wouldn't say these words a second time. She had already done her best.
After leaving Jiang Yao, Jiang Lan was about to go to Chun Xian's residence, but the other party sent a maid to pick her up first.
The yard where Chunxian lived was half the size of Jiang Yao's, but it was closer to Pei Qian's study.
When the maid brought Jiang Lan over, Chunxian was already waiting in the yard.
"Madam, please come this way." Chun Xian came over and invited Jiang Lan into the house. Jiang Lan said, "Let's talk here." Chun Xian then asked the maids to leave.
"I've already told Third Sister that if you live a peaceful and honest life, I won't let her make things difficult for you."
"Thank you, ma'am."
Ye Rushui said that the contraceptive drug was actually a sterilizing drug. Frequent use would cause blood and qi deficiency, and after a year or two, one would no longer be able to conceive.
Jiang Lan felt that Chun Xian was a smart person who knew what was good for her. She had made up her mind before coming to her and was not a greedy person. She admired her for this and did not mind helping her.
The Duke's wife heard that Jiang Lan had gone to Chun Xian's place, so as soon as Jiang Lan left, she asked someone to call Chun Xian over and asked her what Jiang Lan had said to her.
"Madam, I hope that I can get along well with the young lady in the future and not be disrespectful to her." Chun Xian replied.
The Duke's wife snorted coldly, "She's a bit of a protective person. I'm afraid she hasn't forgotten what happened before." Then she gritted her teeth and said angrily, "Now that she's married to an arrogant man, she's become arrogant too. The tide has turned. I want to see how long she can keep her complacency."
Chunxian listened silently without expressing any opinion.
Then the Duke's wife asked her to leave, thinking about the purpose of Jiang Lan's visit. She should not have discovered anything, and it was impossible for her to discover anything.
…..
Here, Qi Wuhan brought people to the temple to ask for an audience with Concubine Qing. Coincidentally, Prince An also came to visit his mother, and the two went to the meditation room where Concubine Qing was meditating.
Through a bamboo curtain, Concubine Qing first asked Qi Wuhan why he came here?
Qi Wuhan conveyed the emperor's words.
"Are you here to tell me that you are getting married?" asked Concubine Qing.
Prince An answered yes.
The relationship between mother and son seemed unfamiliar, and there was no extra words in their questions and answers.
"I understand. Go back and tell His Majesty that I am used to a quiet life and will not join in the fun." Concubine Qing said to Qi Wuhan.
Prince An lowered his eyes slightly, and his face seemed to be a little gloomy.
"Your Majesty, please come back with me. Otherwise, more people will come to disturb you and you won't have any peace." Qi Wuhan said.
"I am tired, please leave."
"I'll take my leave."
Prince An stepped out first, and then Qi Wuhan came out. Prince An bowed to him and left.
Qi Wuhan didn't leave either, but waited outside.
When it was almost dark, Concubine Qing did not change her mind, so he went back and would come back tomorrow.
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