Chapter 975: Thousands of Twists and Turns
After Deputy General Xia and General Meng had reached an agreement, he returned to his residence without informing his wife. He went directly to see his daughter and explained the matter of the substitute marriage.
When Xia Qingran learned that she could marry the prince as General Meng's youngest daughter, she was naturally extremely happy. This was an incredible wealth that she, a concubine's daughter, could never imagine, so she happily agreed and began to prepare for her marriage with peace of mind.
However, this matter was known by Deputy General Xia's concubine Langhuan, and it was also because Xia Qingran herself let the secret slip that her own mother found out about it.
Xia Qingran is stupid, but her mother Langhuan is not. If it is such a good thing, why not let Xia Qingjue marry instead of her own daughter? There must be dangers that she doesn't know about.
For the sake of her daughter, Lang Huan began to inquire around, but unfortunately she was just a woman in the inner house with limited channels to obtain information. Besides, this matter was a secret, and currently only Deputy Xia knew about it.
Lang Huan felt uneasy, and finally she sneaked over to eavesdrop on Deputy General Xia's conversation at night, and she actually found out the whole story.
"My husband, if our daughter becomes the Crown Princess, she will become the Queen when the Crown Prince ascends the throne. Why don't you let Jue'er go?"
This was the voice of Xia Meng's wife, and one could tell there was blame in her voice.
"If there is such a good thing, I would naturally be willing to let my daughter go, but do you really think Meng Lianyi can live to see the crown prince ascend the throne? Or how long can she sit on the position of queen?"
"What do you mean, my husband?"
"Meng Lianyi is frail and sickly. This is well known in Shouyue City. It is not a secret. How could the emperor not know this? Why did he let the prince marry a sickly girl as his princess?"
Xia Meng asked helplessly.
"You mean the emperor has other intentions."
"Do we still need to guess? The emperor let the prince marry the general's daughter and gave him a noble status, which appeased General Meng and forced General Meng to support the prince. You have to know that the second and third princes are not easy to deal with.
With the support of General Meng, at least when the prince comes to power, there will definitely be no trouble at the border.
Besides, there are too many people eyeing the position of the prince's wife. Every family with a daughter in the imperial city would want to have a queen. Unfortunately, there can only be one prince consort, and it is a matter of weighing the pros and cons to decide who to give it to.
Instead of doing this, it would be better to marry General Meng's daughter. This way, the emperor would not offend anyone. Besides, General Meng is at least a second-rank official. In terms of status, background and power, his daughter marrying the prince is a good match.
As for marrying into the palace, my daughter will indeed be able to live a life of luxury, but she will also have to face two concubines. The struggles in the harem are never bloody. Are you willing to let Qingjue face all this?"
"You're right, so why did you let Qingran go?"
"I am taking a gamble. After all, I am her biological father. If she becomes the empress one day, she can help our two sons and make General Meng owe our Xia family a favor. Why not do it?"
"But if that girl becomes rich, do you think she will still care about us?"
"What are you afraid of? Isn't Langhuan by my side? She is her biological mother. If she doesn't listen to me, can she ignore her own biological mother's life or death?"
Xia Meng’s calculations were very careful.
Lang Huan, who was squatting at the wall and eavesdropping at this time, felt as if she fell into an ice cellar. Only then did she realize that the man who usually spoke sweet words to her was actually so deep in his mind. When he said that he had to make her his concubine out of necessity and that she was the only one in his heart, it was probably a lie.
Lang Huan squatted in the corner for a long time, until her legs and feet were numb and she lost consciousness. Then she slowly moved back to her room without disturbing anyone and stayed there with her eyes open until dawn.
Three days passed before Lang Huan found an opportunity to talk to her daughter. She asked the old servant beside her to guard the door and told her daughter everything she overheard.
"What? Mom, is this all true?"
"When did mother lie to you?"
"Then I can't marry in place of others, otherwise I will be dead. Mother, what should I do?"
Xia Qingran was also a little panicked.
Lang Huan had been fighting with Madam Xia for half her life, so she still had some brains, otherwise she wouldn't have given birth to a daughter safely and raised her so well.
"Don't panic, listen to me."
"Mom, tell me!"
"Ran Ran, your father has already decided on the matter of your replacement marriage. There is no room for maneuver."
"mother!"
"Just listen to me!"
With tears in her eyes, Xia Qingran could only nod.
"You are not the real Meng Lianyi, so it's the same to find a maid to replace you."
Lang Huan held her daughter's hand and spoke in a low voice.
After hearing this, Xia Qingran's eyes lit up. After all, she, Meng Lianyi, was a fake, so what was the difference between her and other girls?
"As long as she gets into the bridal sedan and marries into the Eastern Palace, she is Meng Lianyi. General Meng cannot deny it, and he dare not deny it either."
"I understand what you mean, what should I do?"
“Let your personal maid Cuizhu take your place in the bridal sedan. She is close to your age and has a similar body shape to you. As long as she enters General Meng’s backyard, half of the task will be accomplished.
She can let you go disguised as a maid before she gets married. Once you leave the Meng family, you can find a place to hide. After I get out of here, we can leave the border town."
Langhuan slowly told her plan.
"Mom, how did you get away?"
Xia Qingran is a girl after all, and she is still very nervous when there are no adults around her.
"In ten days at most, five at the shortest, I can fake my own death and get away with it. After all, you are my only daughter, and you got married without my knowledge. It's normal for me to be mad at you."
"Mom, I understand!"
"Recently, you should pack your luggage carefully, and exchange the things that are inconvenient to take with you for money. Get Cuizhu's indenture in advance, comfort her well, and let her marry for you willingly."
Langxuan explained in detail.
"Don't worry, mom. I will definitely talk to her properly."
After Langhuan left, Xia Qingran found Cuizhu and tearfully asked her to help her. Her reason was that she already had a lover and could not get married.
In fact, the original Cuizhu went to the toilet when Aunt Langhuan came. When she came back, she happened to pass by her own lady's window and heard the conspiracy of the two clearly.
When she learned that this was to help General Meng, she had already decided in her heart to be a substitute bride. Her family members were trampled to death by the iron hooves of the Qianglang people from the neighboring country, and she was the only one who survived. She was rescued by General Meng's soldiers.
Even if it was to repay the favor, she was willing to marry in place of him. As for dying after marrying into the palace, that would be the end of it all. In any case, General Meng would not be implicated.
In order to appease General Meng, the prince also had to be polite to General Meng, which would also buy some time for the Meng family army at the border.
This is why there was the scene when Lianyi first entered this body, and she accidentally made the same choice as her original body.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
