Chapter 4 already has someone she likes.
Xiaoqian went to great lengths to persuade Tang Xinuan to return to the Green Bamboo Garden.
"Miss, the young master forbids you from going out, that's why they dare not take you out."
Tang Xinuan couldn't understand, "But I can find my way home, I remember the way out, and I can also find the way back. Why won't my cousin let me go out?"
Xiaoqian tried her best to explain from the young master's perspective, "Perhaps he was worried that Miss would be bullied."
Tang Xinuan was unhappy, very unhappy.
She felt like she was locked in a cage, and it seemed like she would never be able to get out of this manor.
"Doesn't my cousin like me a lot? Why doesn't he send more people to protect me?"
Xiaoqian was truly worried about her mistress. "Miss, it's not that I'm being nosy, but the young master still likes you and cares about you. You should try to get him to settle your marriage. Otherwise, once he marries someone else, he'll definitely neglect you in the long run."
Tang Xinuan's fair face twisted again: "Why does he want to marry someone else? If he marries someone else, will he no longer love me?"
Xiaoqian sighed: "This servant doesn't know either. But if the young master's wife is easy to get along with, your life will be easier. But if not, I'm afraid you might not be able to see the young master even once in a year or two."
Now that Lady Hou is still alive, she is still in charge of the household.
But what if one day...
Xiaoqian didn't even dare to imagine how much injustice her young mistress would suffer.
"Warm and cozy—"
A sudden shout interrupted the two of them.
Tang Xinuan and Xiaoqian couldn't help but look out.
It turned out to be the second young lady of the Marquis's mansion who had married out, returning with a little girl of five or six years old in her hand.
Tang Xinuan was overjoyed, "Second Sister—"
The little girl rushed towards Tang Xinuan first, calling her "Auntie".
The two sisters hadn't seen each other for many days, so they naturally exchanged a few pleasantries.
The second young lady's purpose in coming today was simple: to bring her cousin into the palace.
"Does Nuan Nuan want to enter the palace?"
Tang Xinuan didn't know whether to be happy or shocked. She was stunned for a moment, then asked somewhat blankly, "Second sister, can you take me there?"
The second young lady smiled, "I came here today to take you into the palace."
Logically, the little princess invited only unmarried women to the event today.
The second young lady was naturally not among those invited.
However, her husband's family were close relatives of the Empress and had special privileges. She found an excuse to go to the palace to pay her respects to the Empress and obtained a waist token.
Tang Xinuan was almost overjoyed.
But her joy quickly turned to disappointment, "My cousin won't allow it."
The second young lady snorted, "He can control you, but he can't control me. If you want to go, hurry up and change your clothes."
Tang Xinuan was happy, "Thank you, Second Sister."
Xiaoqian helped him change his clothes quickly.
There wasn't time for a complicated updo, so she just loosely tied it up and tucked a pearl and jade tassel hairpin into it.
She is beautiful; even with minimal makeup, she exudes a stunningly beautiful appearance.
When the second young lady saw her beautiful cousin, she couldn't help but be amazed.
I'm afraid her younger brother won't have that blessing.
I hope my cousin will go out more and meet a man who can pull her out of this mess.
The sisters rode together in a sedan chair.
On the way, the second young lady subtly hinted at her words to her cousin.
"No matter how much a man tells you how much he loves you and how much he cherishes you, you can't believe him."
A formal title is the best guarantee he can give you.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the distinctions between elders and juniors, and between different social classes and social statuses, were extremely strict.
If you can't be the legal wife, no matter how much your husband loves and pampers you, you're still just a servant.
Their children will be inferior to them.
Even a normal person would find it incredibly difficult to endure this kind of life, let alone someone like my cousin who can't even protect herself.
Last night, the second young lady received a message from Madam Hou, which made her so angry that she couldn't sleep well for half the night.
She only had one uncle, and her only blood relative was her cousin.
How dare Chu Yannuo!
As long as it's not his cousin, she won't get involved no matter who he marries or how many he marries.
My cousin is the only exception.
She watched the little girl grow up and still remembered when she entered the manor. The little girl was only five years old when she stood in front of her and called her Second Cousin in a sweet voice.
Similarly, she also expressed her determination to her uncle that she would protect her cousin for the rest of her life.
However, life is already difficult for women, and she couldn't interfere too much in her cousin's life.
It's also impossible to be sure which man can bring happiness to my cousin.
Even her own marriage was a complete mess.
However, going out and seeing more of the world is always a better chance than being confined to the mansion.
I only pray that my maternal grandfather, uncle, and aunt will bless my cousin with happiness for the rest of her life.
After entering the palace, the second young lady handed her cousin over to Chu Yanqing, while she took the child to Fengzao Palace to pay her respects to the Empress.
Chu Yanqing felt extremely uncomfortable upon suddenly seeing her cousin, as if she had done something to betray her.
“Cousin,” she took Tang Xinuan’s hand and apologized to her from the bottom of her heart, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kept it from you. It’s all my fault. Cousin is the best, you definitely won’t be angry with your cousin, right?”
Tang Xinuan was able to leave the Marquis's mansion and even enter the palace. Everything was new and exciting, and even the air was filled with a sweet and rich fragrance.
She had no energy left to be angry with her cousin.
“I know it’s my cousin who won’t let me go out, I’m not angry with you.”
Chu Yanqing felt a pang of sadness, but managed a weak smile. "I knew my cousin was so generous. There are so many fun places in the Imperial Garden. Where do you want to go, cousin? I'll take you."
"There's such a big lake over there, I want to go there." Tang Xinuan's eyes sparkled as she hopped around pointing into the distance, her mood bright and cheerful, her fair cheeks glowing with an unusual pink hue.
"Okay, I'll take you there."
Before Tang Xinuan arrived, Chu Yanqing was chatting with several familiar women from official families.
Before leaving, I pulled my cousin aside to introduce everyone. After saying hello, I said politely, "My cousin and I are going to take a look at the lake. You guys have fun first, and I'll come back to find you in a bit."
Among them was Wei Minxian, the youngest daughter of the Duke of Wei.
That is, the wife chosen by her brother.
She was indeed a gentle, virtuous, intelligent, and dignified woman.
Chu Yanqing had to admit that she actually liked this kind of woman very much.
However, what the other party wanted to take away was her cousin's identity.
She was just feeling uncomfortable.
"Yan Qing—"
Chu Yanqing had only taken two steps with her cousin when Wei Minxian suddenly called out to her, "I'll go with you." As she walked, she explained to her friends, "I heard there are a lot of beautiful koi in the lake, I'm going to take a look."
Hearing that there were beautiful koi fish, everyone came along.
"Let's go too."
"Let's go too."
The group quickly arrived at the lakeside. Chu Yanqing held onto Tang Xinuan tightly, afraid that she might lose her in this unfamiliar palace.
But Tang Xinuan is like a little child, jumping around and liking everything, wanting to get close to everything to take a look.
Moreover, she was full of energy, and Chu Yanqing couldn't keep up with her for long.
"Cousin, let's sit here and rest for a while."
Tang Xinuan hadn't had enough fun yet, but her cousin was tired, so she had no choice but to sit quietly on the artificial hill.
The little princess just received some important guests, and she's bringing them over to meet everyone.
One of them was a princess from the Western Regions.
They were originally sent to the emperor to fill his harem and to be used for marriage alliances.
However, the emperor had been seriously ill for many years and had been bedridden for the past year, rarely being lucid.
This delayed the marriage alliance.
The little princess invited dozens of royal and official ladies today, entirely for her second brother, that old bachelor.
The eldest brother is the emperor, and he has only one daughter.
My second and third brothers are both unmarried.
The three older brothers weren't in a hurry to secure the throne of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but she, the youngest sister, couldn't sit still.
Today, we must force my second brother to leave one or two behind, no matter what.
She was just picking up the distinguished guests on the way; the real reason she invited her second and third brothers over was...
Third Brother agreed very readily.
But her second brother immediately kicked her out with a dark expression.
She even said that she didn't need to worry about the marriage.
She doesn't care who will inherit the throne of the Great Zhou Dynasty!
Having no other choice, she could only come over to greet the guests first, and then try to invite her second brother over later.
"Yanqing and Minxian, you're here," the little princess thought, still preferring these two.
One is the third young lady of the Marquis's mansion, and the other is the third young lady of the Duke's mansion.
Both of them were of exceptional appearance and talent.
Now that the Emperor is seriously ill and has no son, the Second Brother is handling state affairs as the Regent.
Upon entering, one encounters the Regent's Consort, the future Empress.
This is not only about the happiness of the second brother, but also about the heavy responsibility of managing the harem and setting an example for women all over the world.
Without sufficient talent and virtuous character, one cannot be competent for the task.
The little princess had a difficult task; she studied the information of the dozens of noble ladies invited today several times.
I met him in person today and reviewed everything again with my own eyes.
Finally, their gazes fell upon Chu Yanqing and Wei Minxian.
If my second brother just gives his approval, the marriage can be finalized today.
"Princess Chaoli," all the noble ladies bowed in greeting upon seeing the little princess.
Tang Xinuan didn't know the rules of the palace, but her cousin had taught her yesterday.
She remembered that she was supposed to bow to the princess, but she was a beat slow to react. After everyone else had bowed, she bent down and bowed in the same way as her cousin.
Princess Chaoli naturally noticed it.
"And this is...?"
Chu Yanqing explained, "This is my cousin. She rarely goes out. I heard that the princess invited her friends over to play, so I took the liberty of bringing her along. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Chao Li was a tolerant person, especially since Tang Xinuan was a beauty who was naturally lovable. For her second brother's marriage, she naturally wanted as many noble ladies as possible to come, so why wouldn't she welcome them?
“This little sister…” I vaguely remembered that Chu Yanqing called her cousin, so she must be older than me. “This sister is really beautiful and has fair skin. I have never seen her before. Yanqing, this is not right of you. Why have I never seen you bring her out to play before?”
Chu Yanqing explained, "My cousin is introverted and doesn't like going out much. I had to drag her out today."
Princess Chaoli really liked Tang Xinuan's appearance.
Just having it in front of you is pleasing to the eye.
My second brother is the regent of the current dynasty, and he's not limited to marrying only one princess.
"My cousin probably hasn't arranged a marriage yet, right? My second brother is coming over in a bit..."
Chu Yanqing was worried that the princess would force a marriage between two people, so she hurriedly explained, "My cousin... already has someone she loves, and I wouldn't dare trouble the princess to think about it."
Who is the Regent? A tyrant who devours people without spitting out the bones.
Why is he still unmarried at his age? Isn't it because girls from normal families are afraid of him?
Chao Li thought Chu Yanqing had ulterior motives, that she was in love with her second brother and was worried that her cousin was too beautiful and would block her way.
Until a noble lady who knew the inside story and was at odds with the Marquis's mansion approached her and explained in a low voice.
"Little princess, the Chu family's cousin is a fool."
The little princess was startled and couldn't help but take a second look at Tang Xinuan.
Such a beautiful girl, yet she's mentally challenged.
No wonder the Chu family has never brought her out.
What a pity.
A note from the author:
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The red envelopes will be given out randomly!
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