Upon hearing this, Granny Wu sighed and whispered, "Not every family can be like the Xu family or the Feng family."
Recalling the rumors she had heard, Chen Qiuyan couldn't help but smile and said softly, "Those two families are the ones who truly love children. It's just a pity that our Third Prince is destined to have his efforts come to nothing."
Granny Wu nodded and said, "It's a pity that very few people can see things as clearly as the Xu and Feng families."
Like Chen Qiuyan, Wu Mama had long seen that Emperor Liang Cheng had no intention of making the Third Prince his heir. Not only the Third Prince, but none of the previous princes were in Emperor Liang Cheng's plans.
Chen Qiuyan and Granny Wu are now worried about what to do with their family after the new emperor ascends the throne. If the new emperor is a kind person, the family will at most be imprisoned. If the new emperor is ruthless, then the family will only face death.
In the dead of night, Chen Qiuyan would hate Emperor Liang Cheng's decree of marriage countless times. Under heaven, all land belongs to the emperor, and all people within the realm are his subjects. It was the emperor's decree. As the legitimate daughter of a subject, what could she do?
When they first got married, the Third Prince flattered and fawned over Chen Yuanfeng, asking him to help win people over. Unfortunately, Chen Yuanfeng was a loyal subject and had no intention of helping the Third Prince. As time went on, the Third Prince realized that not only his father-in-law but also his princess did not support him in vying for the throne.
At that time, Chen Qiuyan was already six months pregnant. The Third Prince's cold treatment day after day caused Chen Qiuyan a lot of suffering. Chen Qiuyan gritted her teeth and persevered. Now, Chen Qiuyan and the Third Prince could hardly see each other every day. When the Third Prince returned to the mansion, he would stay in the courtyards of several concubines. She, as the princess, was just a figurehead.
Chen Qiuyan was proud and arrogant, so she would never bow down to the Third Prince. Over time, the couple gradually became like strangers. In the past two years, Chen Qiuyan had gotten used to this kind of life. However, when she suddenly heard Granny Wu talking about the Xu and Feng families, Chen Qiuyan felt a pang of pain in her heart.
The Xu family's daughter is only thirteen years old. I heard that the Third Prince hadn't even brought it up yet, but the Marquis of Yongning somehow persuaded the Marquis of Pingxi, and the two families arranged the marriage. Although the two families arranged the marriage before the child was even born, everyone with eyes could see that this was just a formality. The two families didn't usually have any contact. So why did they suddenly pick up the marriage they had arranged sometime before, after the Third Prince's incident?
As for the Feng family, that's even stranger. It's said that the Feng family's daughter had an accident at her great-aunt's house. She fell into a pond and was rescued by the Third Prince, but then fell ill and never recovered. The Feng family's daughter's parents rushed back from out of town overnight, only to see their daughter one last time. After holding a funeral for their daughter, they returned to their post.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but Chen Qiuyan found it strange no matter how she looked at it. The Feng family wasn't a conservative family; they were just saved, so why would they risk their lives? But that's how it happened. And now everyone felt sorry for the eldest daughter of the Feng family, even though the Third Prince had already told the Feng family that he wanted to bring the eldest daughter into the mansion as a concubine.
Chen Qiuyan was raised by her father as a boy. From a young age, she studied the Four Books and Five Classics with her father and also had some knowledge of military strategy and other miscellaneous books. Therefore, her vision and strategy were unmatched by ordinary people.
She felt that the Feng family's affairs were not simple, but since the Third Prince had not benefited from them, she did not think too deeply about it. Now, hearing her nanny talk about these two families again, she couldn't help but think about it more deeply.
Mingjie, still asleep, must have been dreaming about something. She pursed her lips and chuckled.
Seeing her daughter's innocent and adorable demeanor, Chen Qiuyan felt as if her heart was immersed in honey. But when she thought about the dangerous things her child's father was doing, she felt as if she were soaking in an ice bucket. She felt that she couldn't just sit and wait to die. Not for herself, but for her child, she had to forge a bloody path.
Seeing the little princess's smiling face, Granny Wu happily said to Chen Qiuyan, "Miss, look at our princess, what funny dream she had."
Chen Qiuyan concealed her worry and said seriously, "Granny, do you think it's a bit too late for me to start making plans now?"
After hearing Chen Qiuyan's words, Granny Wu stared blankly at Chen Qiuyan for a long time, then a look of fear appeared on her face, and she said anxiously in a low voice, "Miss, what are you doing? Have you forgotten what Master told you back then?"
Chen Qiuyan suppressed the pain in her heart and said softly, "Granny, how could I forget Father's words? But I have to think about Ming'er's future. I really can't bear to see my Ming'er take the blame for her father's wrongdoings. My Ming'er, she did nothing wrong, why should she bear the consequences of others' mistakes?"
Granny Wu's eyes reddened with heartache. Holding Chen Qiuyan's hand, she choked out, "My dear girl, it's all fate. Since our Ming'er was born into our family, she has to shoulder the responsibilities of this family."
Chen Qiuyan held Wu Mama's hand and said earnestly, "That's why I have to make some plans for Ming'er, Mama. I don't care about what happens to me in the future, but I care about my Ming'er."
Granny Wu wiped her face with her sleeve, suppressing her sadness, and said seriously, "Miss, do you have something on your mind?"
After pondering for a long time, Chen Qiuyan said, "Granny, do you think I can get in touch with the Xu family and the Feng family?"
Granny Wu asked curiously, "Why these two families?"
Chen Qiuyan gently shook her head and said, "I don't know either, but I always feel that these two families are not as simple as they seem on the surface. Granny, I'll have to trouble you to ask my wet nurse brother to inquire about these two families."
Granny Wu was Chen Qiuyan's wet nurse. After Chen Qiuyan was born, her biological mother was in poor health and passed away after being bedridden for several months. Granny Wu took care of Chen Qiuyan from then on. Granny Wu's son was named Wu Tiezhu. He did not go with Chen Qiuyan to marry into the Third Prince's mansion. Instead, Chen Qiuyan arranged for him to work as the manager of a shop in the capital. The shop was registered under someone else's name. Chen Qiuyan did this so that she would have more options for her future.
Granny Wu agreed and then got up to go outside to make the arrangements.
Mingjie woke up, rubbed her eyes, and saw her mother sitting by the bed. She happily rushed into Chen Qiuyan's arms, calling out "Mom!" repeatedly. Chen Qiuyan hugged her daughter as if she were holding the whole world, and secretly made up her mind to find a way out for her daughter.
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