She sat down in the garden with Lotus and listened to Lotus slowly tell her story.
"A few years ago, this young princess took a fancy to a man. Regardless of his family background or ability, the young princess's parents did not approve of him, so they strictly forbade her from associating with him."
"But the little princess wouldn't listen. She was very fond of this man and ignored her parents' objections. She threatened to sever ties with her family and then eloped with him with a large sum of money. This angered Prince Yu's father so much that he was bedridden for a long time."
"If this man were a good person, it would be fine, but after eloping with the princess, he took the princess's money and spent his days in brothels and gambling dens. In just half a year, he gambled away all the money the princess had taken away."
"When they ran out of money, they would beat and kick the princess from time to time."
Gu Jiangli opened her mouth slightly, "Tsk tsk tsk, what a scumbag."
Lotus continued, "Actually, if the princess had seen through that man's true colors back then and separated from him, returning to the palace would have been fine."
"But the princess is also stubborn, and she believes that the man beats her because he is short of money or in a bad mood."
"So he secretly ran home many times and took away thousands of shops, land deeds and silver notes under the name of the Prince's Mansion. As you can probably guess, the man took the money and either spent it on women or in gambling dens. In short, the amount the princess took was the amount the man spent."
Gu Jiangli was astonished. "Doesn't she realize that this man is a scumbag?"
Lotus clenched her fist and clapped her hands, looking indignant. "That's right! The princess is like she's been blinded by greed. She still steals money from the house to spend on that man. When the money runs out, she gets beaten, and then she goes home to steal money to spend on that man again."
"Later, Prince Yu's parents probably found out, so they locked up all the valuables in the house so that they could no longer be stolen. They also said that as long as the little princess was willing to turn back, she would still be their good daughter."
Gu Jiangli shook his head as he listened, "She can't turn back, she loves it so much."
After thinking about it, something felt off. "Wait a minute, she's living in the Prince's mansion now, which means she's come back to me?"
Lotus shook her head. "No, the princess later found that she couldn't steal money from her family anymore, so she knelt outside the palace gates with her big belly, begging her parents to let her go back to the palace."
"Not only that, she also said that the child cannot be without a father, and asked her parents to have mercy on that man and let the two of them go back to the palace together."
Gu Jiangli: "...She's really got some nerve, what a shameless person. I guess her parents couldn't bear to see their daughter suffer, so they agreed?"
Lotus: "Yes, she agreed. After she made such a fuss, the little princess's father was so angry that he fell ill and never recovered, so the mistress agreed to the little princess's request."
"She returned to the palace as she wished and gave birth to her child, and that man also lived in the palace."
"Prince Yu had no choice at the time. In order to save face, he had to say that the man was a son-in-law who had married into the family, and he even arranged a job for him in the family's property."
"However... old habits die hard, and that man later even shamelessly brought women into his mansion."
"I've also heard that the young princess's father was driven to his death by that man's various actions."
Gu Jiangli: "......"
Her silence was deafening.
She had thought the young princess was just unreasonable and domineering, but now it seemed she had lost her mind and was not worthy of any sympathy.
"Where is that man now? Is he still living in the mansion?"
"Yes, but we rarely see him. He spends his days at gambling dens and his nights at brothels, and only occasionally stays at the Prince's mansion. But that's fine, it saves everyone from feeling upset when they see him."
Gu Jiangli thought it made sense; she would feel disgusted just looking at such scum.
"Prince Yu is quite good-tempered; he can even tolerate this kind of man living in his residence."
Lotus said sadly, "Perhaps the pressure from both the mistress and my sister made it impossible for Prince Yu to refuse. Some people also say that it's because Prince Yu has no children, and although the little princess gave birth to a scoundrel's child, she still has the bloodline of Prince Yu's family."
"After the little princess's child was born, it did not take that man's surname, but instead took the little princess's surname, Zhao. Therefore, the mistress and Prince Yu may still have some... gratitude towards that man."
Gu Jiangli: "? Grateful? Grateful that man left an heir for the Zhao family?"
Lotus nodded reluctantly: "Indeed, some people say that. They say that's why the mistress didn't punish the man for all the shameful mistakes he made."
Gu Jiangli stroked his chin, pondering carefully, "If this makes the mistress and the others grateful, then if I give birth to a child, won't I be treated like royalty?"
Lotus smiled foolishly and said, "Of course! Prince Yu is twenty-nine this year. People outside are saying that Prince Yu is unable to have children. His mistress is so anxious that she is frantically looking for concubines for the prince."
"If Your Highness were to conceive Prince Yu's child, that would be the prince's legitimate son. The mistress would definitely change her attitude drastically, and might even have to apologize to you repeatedly for what happened today!"
Gu Jiangli imagined the scene and found it laughable.
She wasn't really looking forward to the mistress apologizing to her; she was just curious about how the mistress would face her then.
However, before that, the mistress and that little princess will probably use some tricks on her.
Rather than waiting to fight the enemy, it is better to strike first.
"Lotus, let's put the pregnancy aside for now. The mistress and the young princess will probably make some moves soon. We need to be one step ahead, or we'll be at a disadvantage."
"How does the Princess intend to respond?"
"Where is the ancestral hall of the Prince's Mansion? Take me there."
"Is the princess going to the ancestral hall to offer incense to the prince's ancestors?"
"Well, I offended my grandmother and beat my nephew today, so I should go and apologize to our ancestors."
Lotus nodded, then looked her up and down: "Your Highness, perhaps you should wash up first before going, you're here..."
Gu Jiangli looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a very obvious stain on the hem of her skirt between her calves.
Those were marks left when the boy kicked her.
Gu Jiangli raised the corners of her mouth.
How could we let Prince Yu know that he had been severely beaten by his nephew if we didn't leave some traces for him to see?
She even thought the stain wasn't noticeable enough.
She walked over to the potted plants, rubbed her hands in the mud, and after her hands were covered in dirt, she wiped the mud all over her skirt, much to the surprise of the lotus flower.
"Your Highness, what's wrong...?"
A perfectly good piece of clothing now looks like it's been through some kind of fierce battle.
The princess looks quite disheveled now.
Gu Jiangli smiled and said, "Who said you have to 'bathe and burn incense'? Just go and offer incense like this; it'll be even more effective."
The tactic of feigning injury has proven effective time and again.
"Lotus, when the prince returns later, just tell him directly that I was wrong, that I know I was wrong, and that I'm kneeling in the ancestral hall."
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