"Princess, aren't you going to tell the prince about the Crown Prince's wife's birthday?" Yuan Dong handed the birthday gift that Meng Qi had just packed for Wang to Guyu, and told her to be careful not to put it together with other things, and to put it separately in the carriage that Meng Qi was sitting in.
Meng Qi thought for a moment and said, "There's no rush to tell him what I want to tell him. I'll tell him tomorrow morning."
"But what if the prince has other plans tomorrow?"
"I didn't originally think that the prince would accompany me back. Besides, I don't want the prince to get too involved in the affairs of the Meng family. He doesn't have the energy or time for that, and he has no value."
In addition, not allowing Song Chengze to accompany him back would be more conducive to creating the illusion that he was not valued in the Meng family, and these illusions were an important means of confusing the third house.
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Song Chengze walked out of the secret room of the Wang family iron shop in the south of the city. Zhang Decheng was talking to the old man from last time. He saw Yue Zhen, the third master of Pingxi Marquis's Mansion, walking out first, followed by Song Chengze, Song Lu, Xu Cheng, the eldest son of Yong'an Earl's Mansion, and Zhou Yu, the second young master of Shenjunwang Mansion and Meng Wan's fiancé.
Several people stood in the yard. Song Chengze looked up at the sky and sighed softly, "I like this time the most. It always makes people feel like they are reborn."
Song Lu stroked his beard and said, "Master Lin is absolutely right. Whether it's the weather or other things, everything is moving in the direction we expected."
Song Chengze nodded and said, "Okay, then let's do what we just agreed to do. When Hongliang leaves, I won't be able to carry out the plan for you. I wish you a safe journey."
Yue Zhen quickly stepped forward and bowed, "Please rest assured, Master Lin. I will devote my full attention to this trip south."
Song Chengze patted his shoulder and said, "That's right, we must do it beautifully, so that even if they object, they won't have any reason to do so. If nothing unexpected happens, we can go ahead by the end of this year or early next year at the latest."
Yue Zhen was happy and nodded in agreement.
Song Chengze turned around and looked at Zhou Yu who was standing next to Xu Cheng. Xu Cheng was Zhou Yu's brother-in-law, and Zhou Yu was Meng Qi's future brother-in-law. In fact, from Meng Qi's side, the two would be more intimate.
But Zhou Yu never dared to bring up the Meng family. Song Chengze knew the inside story of Meng Wan marrying Zhou Yu in place of Meng Qi. He smiled and said to Zhou Yu, "I see you've done a good job these past few times. I wonder if those two guys from the Gao and Li families have any suspicions?"
Zhou Yu shook his head. "No, those two idiots, whatever I say is what I mean, especially Gao Yang, don't worry."
Xu Cheng heard his rude words and tugged at his sleeve, "Don't talk nonsense in front of Master Lin. Think before you speak."
Song Chengze waved his hand and said, "What's the big deal? We don't need to be so restrained in private. That's it. I'll be leaving first. Mr. Zhou Er, will you come with me?"
Zhou Yu waved his hands repeatedly, "I have to go to the Treasure Hall."
"What are you going there for? If necessary, it would be better to go to 'Dongwen Building'." Xu Cheng asked.
"Zhenbaotang" and "Dongwenlou" are both shops in Beijing that sell rare treasures, but the former's items are more expensive than the latter.
Xu Cheng knew that Zhou Yu was close to the wealthy men of Beijing, and that frequent visits would always lead to him finding novel things to buy, a way to strengthen their bonds. Therefore, Xu Cheng suggested that Zhou Yu go to the Dongwen Building, where prices were lower and there were more items.
Zhou Yu scratched his head. "No, I'm sending someone important this time, so I can only go to the Treasure Hall and choose carefully."
"Oh? Who are you going to give it to? If you can't find anyone you like, go find your brother-in-law. He has collected a lot of nice things." Yue Zhen asked with a smile.
Song Chengze listened to their conversation, smiled slightly, and walked towards the courtyard gate first. Zhang Decheng gently pushed open the courtyard gate, and the group walked into another courtyard.
"The wife of the Crown Prince of Huainan's mansion is having her birthday tomorrow, and I'm looking for a unique birthday gift."
Xu Cheng was delighted when he heard this, "Your birthday is tomorrow, why did you only think of choosing today? Besides, why hasn't anyone sent out an invitation for the Crown Prince's wife's birthday?"
"I just found out about this. He should be a stranger, a relative of ours." Zhou Yu touched his nose.
Song Chengze stopped. The wife of the Crown Prince of Huainan's mansion—that was Meng Qi's mother, his own mother-in-law. Her birthday was tomorrow, but Meng Qi hadn't told him about it, especially since she had just returned from the palace. They talked about it almost every night, but she had never mentioned it.
"Who told you that?" Song Chengze turned and asked Zhou Yu.
Zhou Yu quickly said, "I went to the horse race with Gao Yang yesterday and heard him say that."
Gao Yang is the nephew of the current Empress Gao and the only legitimate son of Minister of Revenue Gao Zhan.
"Gao Yang? How does he know?" Song Chengze frowned.
Zhou Yu shook his head and said, "I don't know how he knew that. He used that to tease me yesterday, saying that a future son-in-law like me didn't know as much as he did."
Song Chengze didn't say anything, turned around and strode out of the yard. Song Lu looked back at Zhou Yu and hurriedly followed him.
Zhou Yu thought about it, turned around and asked Xu Cheng, "Brother-in-law, did I say something wrong?"
Xu Cheng also couldn't understand what was going on. Logically, the son-in-law, Prince Rui, would not be unaware of the birthday of the Crown Prince's wife in the Huainan Marquisate, but his behavior just now made people think that he really didn't know.
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Meng Qi was choosing clothes to wear tomorrow when the maid said that Eunuch Zhang had arrived.
Meng Qi looked up outside. What was Zhang Decheng doing here at this hour? If Song Chengze had anything to say, it was usually Hu Changsheng who would pass it on. And whenever Song Chengze entered the inner residence, especially when he stayed at Bibo Hall, he would always bring Hu Changsheng with him.
After a while, Zhang Decheng came into the room, bowed and greeted Meng Qi, holding a box in his hand, and respectfully presented it with both hands, "This is what the prince asked me to bring in."
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