"Is everything in place?" Meng Qi lay on the kang and breathed a sigh of relief.
Yuan Dong rubbed his hands on the charcoal stove and said softly, "Yes, I just went there with Ms. Li."
Meng Qi hummed, "Did she say anything?"
Yuan Dong thought for a moment, then walked over to Meng Qi and whispered, "Princess, Ms. Li said that when she accompanied you to Prince Duan's mansion two days ago, she ran into a sister she used to know in the palace and heard some news."
"What news?" Meng Qi asked.
Yuan Dong said, "It is said that Prince Duan and Princess Duan had a big quarrel after returning from Princess Duan's parents' home on the third day of the first lunar month."
"Fight? What does it have to do with me?" Meng Qi was puzzled. Then, looking at Yuan Dong's flushed face, she seemed to understand something. "Fight because of me?"
Yuan Dong nodded. "Because the two of them were arguing so suddenly, the female historian from Prince Duan's mansion hadn't had time to leave when she heard Princess Duan arguing with Prince Duan like crazy, saying, saying..." Yuan Dong looked at Meng Qi's concerned expression and hardened his heart. "She said that Prince Duan has always been in love with you."
Boom, Meng Qi felt like she heard thunder in the middle of the night.
Looking at Meng Qi, who was sitting in a chair with a look of disbelief on her face, Yuan Dong thought for a moment and stepped forward to say, "Ms. Li originally wanted to tell you directly, but you have been with the prince all the time, so she couldn't say it in front of the prince. Besides, she didn't believe it was true and was afraid that if she heard it wrong again, it would make the prince unhappy."
Meng Qi nodded. This was too absurd. How could Prince Duan be in love with her? She carefully recalled her meetings with Prince Duan. They were rarely alone together. They were always in a group, with men at one table and women at another. They rarely even had the chance to talk.
The only thing he said was that when Song Chengze was injured, he pretended to be drunk to help cover up. Is he mentally ill? And what about Princess Duan? What provoked her to say such a thing, and let the servants hear it? What if this got out?
Meng Qi stood up with a cry. Ms. Li heard it. She went to Prince Cheng's mansion again today. Would she bring these words to Prince Cheng's mansion?
Meng Qi sat back down. Just as Song Chengze had said before, there were spies in his own mansion from other mansions, and there were also spies in other mansions. If Princess Duan had really said something like this to Prince Duan, then even if Lady Li didn't say it today, those who should know would have known it.
"Go to the outer courtyard and tell the prince what Ms. Li just told you."
Yuan Dong hesitated for a moment, "Princess, does the prince believe it or not?"
"It's up to him whether he believes it or not. I've never even met that idiotic Prince Duan's eye. Who knows if Prince Jing or someone else is spreading rumors for tomorrow's plan? We must let His Majesty know in advance so he doesn't get controlled by others in the palace tomorrow."
Watching Yuan Dong leave, Meng Qi exhaled, rubbed her forehead, and calmed down to think carefully. Her first instinct was that the female historian from Prince Duan's mansion had deliberately misinformed Ms. Li, fearing that Prince Duan was preparing something for tomorrow's palace banquet. Perhaps Prince Duan had heard about her and Hong Zhe's story on the third day of the first lunar month and was simply adding fuel to the fire. As for what he intended to gain, only he knew.
But then she thought again, and began to recall how Princess Duan had inexplicably targeted her. In fact, from the very beginning, when she had confronted Princess Duan, she could clearly sense her mockery and even contempt for her, and there were even times when she seemed to be directing it towards the Imperial Concubine.
But the few times he targeted me later, there was hatred mixed in with it, the kind of hatred that was gritting his teeth, and the way he looked at me was full of disgust, as if there was some deep hatred between them.
Could it be that what Ms. Li heard was true? Was Prince Duan really interested in her?
Isn't it too unbelievable? This is simply a joke. No matter how lustful Prince Duan is, he would never set his eyes on his brother, especially a brother he wants to get rid of.
Meng Qi patted her cheeks and thought, forget it, don’t think about it anymore. If Song Chengze’s plan succeeds tomorrow, Prince Duan and everyone around him will stay away from her.
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Luo Lan picked up the teapot and poured some tea for Li. "I heard that the princess and the prince are arguing again."
"What? When did it happen? Didn't the two of them go to Prince Cheng's mansion together today?" Li looked up and asked.
Roland nodded. "When I asked them, they all shook their heads. You know, unless the princess wants everyone to know about the news in Jing'an Garden, even the smallest piece of news is impossible to find out."
Li hummed. She hadn't expected Meng to be so capable. When she first married in last year, she was just a young girl. And at first, she clearly showed no interest in the inner household, letting Xiaolin and Madam Hai mess around.
But now, let alone Jing'an Garden, even in this mansion, it's hard to get any information. And ever since Luo Lan came back from home, it seems like someone is always secretly watching her.
This Meng Shi was quite cunning, knowing to hide when she wasn't sure what to do. But she also understood why Meng Shi didn't keep the prince close. The prince rarely visited the inner chambers, and most of the time he stayed in Bibo Hall. Furthermore, Meng Qi would frequently quarrel with the prince, making him even less happy to visit her.
The prince already had two legitimate sons, yet Meng Shi wasn't anxious to give birth to a child and establish herself firmly within the palace. What on earth was she trying to achieve? Even if a mistress without a son strictly controlled the inner chambers, what good would that do in the future? Wouldn't she just be making things easier for others?
"Concubine, do you want me to go and find out why?" Roland asked in a low voice.
Li shook her head. "No need. The people at Huamu Garden will be more anxious than us. Just send someone to Huamu Garden twice."
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