The matter is actually quite simple.
The half-sister came to Aunt Lin for help in finding a matchmaker. However, she had been married before but was sent back to her parents' home by her husband's family, which gave her a bad reputation. If she were to remarry, she would have to find someone of lower status, but Aunt Lin was unwilling to do so.
On the other hand, Aunt Lin, who was not favored by the emperor, had two sons and wanted to compete for the position of heir, but had no way to do so, so she set her sights on her half-sister.
No, no, no, don't misunderstand. Aunt Lin wasn't trying to marry her half-sister to the Prince of Wu. Her target was the Prince of Wu's wife's younger brother.
Princess Qi of Wu was born into the Zhenguo Duke's family, and she only had one younger brother!
Qi Shizi was only nineteen years old. His fiancée was the eldest daughter of the Xuanwei General's family. Because his grandmother was observing mourning, their marriage was delayed for a year and postponed until February of the following year.
Aunt Lin then planned to use today's banquet to lock her half-sister and Prince Qi in a room, and then lure outsiders into the scene. In this way, the Qi family would have no choice but to take her half-sister as a concubine.
She had a very clever plan; she even bribed the servants who delivered the drinks in the front yard and the maid who led the way.
But little did anyone know, it was all ruined by her own maid.
They mistook me for someone else.
After hearing this, Song Xibai felt sorry for Aunt Lin.
All my scheming was for naught! My teammates weren't up to the task!
She composed herself and didn't press for details, but simply asked out of curiosity.
"How could that maid mistake me for that young lady from the Lin family? Does she look a lot like me?"
"It's not that she looks exactly like you, it's just that she was dressed in green, just like you. And coincidentally, the maid had never seen that woman before, so she mistook her for someone else." Princess Wu finished speaking and took a sip of tea.
"What a coincidence!"
Song Xibai only said that one sentence and didn't continue.
Afterwards, she chatted with Princess Wu for a while. Throughout the conversation, Song Xibai's expression remained unchanged, as if she didn't care about what had happened that day.
Princess Wu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this Consort Xi was someone she could befriend.
Then came the formal banquet.
The banquet dishes were incredibly abundant, featuring everything that flies in the sky, swims in the water, and runs on the ground.
But Song Xibai barely glanced at the meat dishes, instead focusing on eating the vegetables.
In the dead of winter, it's not easy to get a few bites of fresh vegetables, okay?
Don't assume that the treatment in the palace is so good. Those fresh vegetables and fruits are exclusively for the big boss, the emperor and the empress dowager. The crown prince also gets some, but not much. Half is given to the crown princess, so very little ends up in Song Xibai's hands.
Of course, it's enough to eat, but we can't choose!
Seeing seven or eight different kinds of vegetables at once, Song Xibai was so moved that she almost cried.
She restrained herself and ate three bites of each kind before putting down her chopsticks.
Afterwards, Princess Wu took Song Xibai to admire the flowers and plants grown in the greenhouse of the Prince's mansion.
The colorful items were displayed in abundance.
Song Xibai praised her a few times, which made Princess Wu very happy; the smile on her face never faded.
At three-quarters past noon, a message came from the front courtyard that the Crown Prince was preparing to return to the palace.
Song Xibai immediately bid farewell to Princess Wu.
Princess Wu held her hand and saw her to the gate, still looking reluctant to part.
The prince stood beside the carriage, looking at the two in astonishment.
Song Xibai spoke for the third time: "Your Highness, I must go back now."
"Then you must come again next time, little sister!"
Princess Wu finally let go of his hand.
Song Xibai got into the carriage and finally let out a long sigh of relief.
The crown prince followed closely behind and got into the carriage.
As soon as he sat down, he couldn't help but ask, "How come you and Princess Wu are so close?"
Song Xibai tilted her head and thought for a moment: "Perhaps it's because we hit it off immediately! Princess Wu is a very nice person, and she doesn't look down on anyone. There are many things I don't understand, and she explained them to me very seriously!"
The crown prince made it clear that he didn't believe him.
It wasn't the first time he had known Princess Wu. This sister-in-law was cheerful, but also feisty. Once, when the King of Wu was drunk, he accidentally revealed that Princess Wu had kicked him out of bed, which made his brothers laugh at him for a while.
Without much thought, the crown prince revealed the matter directly.
Song Xibai couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"This... does sound like something Princess Wu would do."
However, Song Xibai did not expect that the King of Wu would tell others how embarrassing this was!
Her laughter seemed to have triggered something, and she couldn't stop. Her laughter, like the tinkling of a spring, filled the carriage and even infected the Crown Prince.
The prince pinched her cheek.
"Alright, if you keep laughing, the King of Wu might come after you with his sword."
Song Xibai covered her mouth, lay back in the chair, and finally stopped laughing.
"Now can you tell me what happened in your backyard?"
The prince reached out and pulled her up, then asked again, undeterred.
Song Xibai blinked: "How did Your Highness know something had happened?"
“A maidservant rushed over and said a few words to the King of Wu, and the King of Wu’s expression changed. Later, I looked around and found that several people were missing, including the King’s wife’s younger brother.”
After the Crown Prince finished speaking, Song Xibai couldn't help but praise him.
"Your Highness has quite the keen observation skills. This matter really is related to the Princess Consort's younger brother!"
Afterwards, Song Xibai briefly recounted what had happened, and concluded with a sentence.
"If there are too many people in the backyard, fighting is inevitable."
The crown prince frowned and pondered for a long time.
"The Yongchang Marquis's mansion has fallen into such a state of disrepair? They actually dared to plot against the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo..."
He had only said a couple of sentences when he suddenly paused and asked a question.
"Whose family is the fiancée of the Duke of Zhenguo's heir?"
"They said she was the eldest daughter of a general's family, but her wedding was delayed because she had to observe mourning for her grandmother's death."
Song Xibai replied.
Today I heard so many titles like Marquis, Earl, General, and Duke, but I couldn't remember many of them.
There are just too many nobles in the capital!
Song Xibai muttered to herself, and when she looked up, she found that the Crown Prince's expression had turned cold.
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this young lady from the general's mansion?"
The Crown Prince shook his head: "It is a girl from the Xuanwei General's mansion. The Xuanwei General is far away on the border, guarding the northern frontier for ten years. In recent years, the Rong and Di tribes in the north have frequently harassed the border. The Xuanwei General was even unable to return to the capital when his mother passed away... The court has recently been discussing the issue of bestowing honors upon the Xuanwei General's mansion."
Song Xibai knew nothing about court affairs, but after hearing the Crown Prince's words, she realized something was amiss.
"You mean, this matter isn't aimed at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, but rather at the General of Xuanwei's mansion?"
This is so winding and circuitous, it's really too convoluted!
Song Xibai was speechless.
How do these people's brains work?
She originally thought this was just a power struggle among women in the inner quarters, a domestic infighting, but she never expected it would involve the imperial court.
That would be complicated.
But does Princess Wu know this?
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