Chapter 223 You can only rely on yourself; that's how people grow up.
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None of the people sitting around the round table are foolish.
Four pairs of eyes looked at each other, but no one spoke.
Manager Jin was dutiful and wouldn't speak unless asked.
Li Shiyue had many thoughts on her mind, but she was self-aware.
Even though she had a good relationship with Yan Jiuniang, she was still just a village girl from the countryside.
Matters within the Prince's residence, especially those involving the Prince of Zhenbei and his heir Liu Shu, are really not her place to meddle.
Li Shiyue was very self-aware. When associating with powerful and influential people, you can focus on showcasing yourself in certain aspects, but you cannot gossip about the private affairs of these powerful people; this is taboo.
This is also why, in the Mad Horse case, Li Shiyue already knew there was more to the story when she was at the Prince's Mansion—that it was a scheme targeting Liu Tan and Liu Shu—but she didn't say anything.
At this moment, Jiang Huijun glanced at Liu Tan, then turned back to look at Yan Jiuniang.
"The Prince's engagement to Ninth Sister was quite sudden. The General and I inquired for a long time before we learned that the Sun family of Guanlong had actually found an iron mine in Yanshan, Guannan Road."
"iron ore!"
Yan Jiuniang exclaimed in surprise, only to receive a serious nod from Jiang Huijun.
"I see! I see!"
I was so surprised that they arranged this marriage for me so hastily, without even knowing what kind of person he was, and without even letting me come back to wait for the wedding. They just wanted to marry me off to Dongmu!
It turns out it was all for the Sun family's iron mine!
Father, he wants to...
Yan Jiuniang suddenly fell silent. Everyone around the round table knew why she had stopped talking and guessed what she hadn't said.
"Is the Prince of Zhenbei also planning a rebellion?!"
These are Li Shiyue's true feelings.
After a long while, Yan Jiuniang spoke again: "Then who came up with the idea of this marriage alliance for Father?"
Father had seven sons and seven daughters, and all of them, from the eldest sister to the fourth sister, were already married.
Besides me, I have two other younger sisters who are around the same age as me: my sixth sister and my seventh sister. One is less than a year younger than me, and the other is a little over two years younger.
Why was I chosen to marry into the Sun family of Guanlong?
Everyone present knew the answer to Yan Jiuniang's question, but no one said it aloud.
As for Yan Jiuniang herself?
She can manage such a large fleet, so how could Yan Jiuniang not understand this?
"Haha, haha," Yan Jiuniang's sudden laughter was truly heartbreaking.
Li Shiyue looked at Yan Jiuniang with concern, and saw that Yan Jiuniang's eyes were a little red.
Why was I chosen for this political marriage?
Why didn't you discuss it with me beforehand?
Why not choose the sixth or seventh sister?
What else could it be?
Haha, haha, of course it's because he doesn't care about me!
It's because I've been in charge of his fleet and Xingsheng Tower for many years, and he's planning to do something big now, so he's tired of me taking up his position!
It's because I'm an illegitimate daughter, so even if things fall apart with the Guanzhong region in the future, they don't need to care about my life or death!
Haha, haha, he really is my good father!
Seeing Yan Jiuniang like this, Li Shiyue couldn't bear it any longer, so she grabbed Yan Jiuniang's hand and immediately felt Yan Jiuniang's icy fingertips.
Holding Yan Jiuniang's hand tightly, Li Shiyue didn't say anything to comfort her. She simply used the act of shaking hands to let Yan Jiuniang know that she still had her as a friend!
No amount of comforting words will help now; there are some things in life you just have to get through on your own.
At times like this, no one, no matter who, can help.
You can only rely on yourself; that's how people grow up.
After a while, Yan Jiuniang raised her head again. "Sister-in-law, tell me everything else. I can handle it."
"Alas, your mother should have already returned to the prefectural city by now. The prince probably hasn't told her about your engagement."
After discussing it with your elder brother, we both felt that we should inform your mother about such an important matter, so we sent a letter to the Taoist temple.
Liu Tan picked up where Jiang Huijun left off: "Ninth Sister, if you don't want to get married, then we won't!"
The question now is, who gave the prince this idea?
Is this person also the mastermind behind the Mad Horse case and the Liu Shu stabbing incident in the street?
What other purpose did this person have besides wanting Liu Shu to die?
For you? For me?
Or is it for everyone else in the Prince's residence besides this person?
At this moment, Li Shiyue remembered the relationship chart of the Zhenbei Prince's family that she had seen in Xingsheng Tower.
Recalling the relationships between the Prince of Zhenbei's family that she had seen before, Li Shiyue's mind was filled with only Zhou, the concubine of the Prince's mansion.
Consort Zhou was probably the one with the most motivation, after all, she had a son who was five years younger than Liu Shu by her side, so how could she not want her son to become the heir?
Even Li Shiyue, who knew the least about the Zhenbei Prince's family, could think of Consort Zhou, so how could Liu Tan and the others not?
But were all of these things, from the Mad Horse case and Yan Jiuniang's engagement to Liu Shu's stabbing in the street, really orchestrated by Consort Zhou in secret?
"Is it her? Zhou Fangqiong!"
Whether it is her or not is still unknown.
Ninth Sister, you'd better be careful!
The prince's patience is limited. He can still stall the Sun family for now, but if you don't return, he'll likely go after your mother's family.
Liu Tan said this to Yan Jiuniang with a worried look on his face. Jiang Huijun then said, "Jiuniang, you should stay here for the next few days. When your mother returns, I will arrange for her to meet you here."
"You two should meet first, then discuss what comes next."
Thus, Li Shiyue returned to the paper shop alone.
In the paper shop, Ma Zi, Zhao Yan, Li Shiliang, and Zhao Min were all awake, yawning and waiting for Li Shiyue with their lamps on.
When Li Shiyue returned, Zhao Min quickly went to the kitchen and brought out a large bowl of noodle soup.
“We’ve all eaten in October. I was worried you’d be hungry when you got back, so I set this out for you in advance. There are two eggs inside, they’re still warm. Eat up.”
Li Shiyue didn't stand on ceremony. When she came out of the alley, it was already dark. By the time she returned to the paper shop, it was completely dark, and her stomach was indeed growling with hunger.
After thanking Zhao Min, she slurped up the entire bowl of noodles, drinking every last drop of the soup.
Zhao Min felt that Li Shiyue must not have eaten enough. She already knew from Li Shiliang that Li Shiyue was a big eater, otherwise how could he be so energetic?
So, when she saw that Li Shiyue had finished the noodle soup, she took the bowl that Li Shiyue had placed on the table, stood up and said she would go to the kitchen to make another bowl of noodles for Li Shiyue.
Li Shiyue quickly stopped Zhao Min, "Sister-in-law Min, don't be in such a hurry, sit down quickly, let me tell you what happened these past two days."
Although this matter has nothing to do with us, I am acquainted with the General and his men, so it's good that you know a little about it."
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