Chapter 279 Flower Appreciation
The Princess's Mansion.
Su Qingwan came to see the princess as agreed, saying that she was there to appreciate the flowers. In fact, the princess only entertained her, and Su Qingwan brought a maid named Tingting with her today.
Qingyun bought her from a matchmaker after he came to Beijing. She usually serves in the outer courtyard. Qingyun thought she was smart and sensible, so he moved her to the inner courtyard.
Qingyun went to the business company for urgent matters, and Tingting became Su Qingwan's maid. She was indeed smart and steady, and never made any mistakes. After the princess invited her to sit down, she gave her a look and Tingting stepped back a few steps, but she was still within her sight. The people in the princess's mansion invited her to have tea and rest, but she did not go.
This pavilion was built on a high place, overlooking the whole palace, with a solemn and majestic style. In the pavilion, the breeze blew through, bringing gusts of cool wind, making the hot weather a little cooler.
"Are you used to it during this time back in Huainan?"
"It's a habit. That's my hometown. I haven't paid homage to my parents for more than ten years. I feel guilty. I originally wanted to stay with them forever in Huainan, but who knew that the situation forced me to come to Beijing again." Su Qingwan also laughed, "It's true that people live their lives and have no control over anything."
"What's wrong with the capital? Lu Jing treats you sincerely, and there is the Ningyuan Marquis family, who are also your blood relatives. The border is now in flames of war, so you can live a quiet life in the capital." The princess said softly, "You have been displaced for more than ten years, and you should live a good life."
"What the princess said makes sense." Su Qingwan suppressed her displeasure. Since they were blood relatives, what else could she say? She and the eldest princess knew each other very well.
Ever since they knew about Nian Qing, they have been holding on to each other's weaknesses and have become each other's helpers. They will definitely find out everything about each other, and the affairs of Ningyuan Hou's wife are no secret.
"The flowers in the princess's mansion are blooming beautifully." Su Qingwan looked down and saw a flower garden with a riot of colour. It was very beautiful.
"Do you like it? You can transplant a piece of it. There is a peony garden in the Lu family's courtyard that everyone rushes to visit in spring. How about you give me a Yaohuang next spring?"
"That's Yao Huang from the prince's family. I dare not agree to you privately."
"Next May, you will be the princess, right? You will be the one making the decisions for the entire courtyard, Xiaowu."
Su Qingwan thought that she still had not cultivated enough, or maybe the princess's mother, Nian Qing, would always think the best of the princess. "Princess, don't beat around the bush with me. I was drunk yesterday and I'm not sober. I don't understand your metaphor. What do you want to say? Why don't you be direct?"
The princess felt a pain in her heart. She didn't specifically ask Su Qingwan to come over on the 16th, but she also knew that yesterday was Huainan's death anniversary, so she felt bad.
But the matter was urgent and she could not afford to delay. "Xiao Wu, has Lu Jing told you about Nian Qing's matter?"
"What happened to Nianqing?"
"Lu Jing hopes that Nian Qing will take over the power of the three armies in Huainan."
"He is the King of Huainan. No matter how young he is, he is still the King of Huainan. Apart from the King Regent, he is the only super-first-rank prince. What's wrong with him being in charge of the three armies?" Su Qingwan thought to herself. Isn't this a matter of course? "You hope that he will recognize his ancestry and return to his roots, and you also hope that he can be in charge of the three armies of Huainan."
The eldest princess wants her own military power.
Now, she can only control military supplies but not the army. She is not the only one who makes decisions in the court. She controls military supplies because she needs Southwest. Once she has evil thoughts, Southwest will join forces with Lu Jing to be her enemy. She has no real soldiers and the imperial city army is in Lu Jing's hands, so she can't get it.
"But Nianqing is only thirteen years old. If Dayuan wants to attack Xilin, the commander-in-chief can be Ningyuan Hou or General Chen. They are experienced, and Nianqing can just hold a nominal position in the army."
"Absolutely impossible!" Su Qingwan rejected it flatly. "A commander is a commander, and a general is a general. As long as they are on the battlefield, where the commander's flag is, the army's heart is there, and where the commander's tent is, the people's heart is there. It is impossible to confuse the public. The commander-in-chief is sidelined by the generals on the battlefield. What a joke. You are trying to sow discord between the commanders and the generals, and to boost the power and ambitions of your generals. Sidelining the commander-in-chief on the battlefield is different from the regent sidelining the emperor. Princess, why do you have such an idea?"
How could the princess have been in charge of the Military Affairs Office for so many years and make such a low-level mistake, unless...
"Huainan was defeated?" Su Qingwan was slightly stunned. She had been isolated from the news during this period, and Lu Jing had not told her about the battle situation between Huainan and Xilin, so she was not very clear about it.
The princess is so anxious because she has lost the war.
"Yes, we lost the first battle."
"Nian Qing is leading the troops?" Su Qingwan's heart was lifted up, and she couldn't wait to return to Huainan. Why did she come back so soon? She should try to gain some more time, even if she quarreled with Lu Jing!
"It's Ningyuan Hou who leads the troops. What's the difference between that and Nian Qing leading the troops? I would rather it wasn't Nian Qing. The first battle between Huainan and Dayuan is so important. If Nian Qing loses, it won't sound good if the news gets out that the King of Huainan lost the first battle after taking office." The eldest princess hopes that Nian Qing can win all the battles smoothly.
"Princess, your idea is wrong. Victory and defeat are common in the military. No one is a victorious general. Even if you lose, as long as you have a clear conscience and do your duty to defend the border, no general dares to say that he has won all his battles. Father has also lost many battles. Don't be afraid of losing. Just put Nianqing behind you." Su Qingwan said calmly, "He is a wolf, not a rabbit. He should fight, struggle, and lead the troops in battle, not be protected by others. I don't agree to hand over military power to others."
“Xiaowu, Nianqing is Huainan’s only blood!” The eldest princess’ eyes turned red, “If anything happens to him…”
The eldest princess felt upset and was speechless. Her son was on the battlefield and she didn't dare say a single unlucky word. This was a superstition that all people with military household members had.
Su Qingwan felt a pain in her heart. She also knew that this was a very painful and difficult choice. She knew that Nian Qing was Huainan's only bloodline.
But what the princess said is absolutely not possible!
"If it is God's will to sever my Huainan bloodline, that is God's will." Su Qingwan said, "Princess, if you want him to recognize his ancestors, he will have to bear the fate of Huainan. Every Huainan king has walked out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood."
The princess recalled Lu Jing's words. Lu Jing had said the same thing, but Lu Jing was not as cruel and heartless as Su Qingwan. She did not expect that Su Qingwan would not leave her any room at all.
That’s Nianqing!
Although she sent Nianqing to the battlefield, she was worried day and night, and even dreamed about the battlefield, fearing that something might happen to him.
Su Qingwan's tone softened a little, "Princess, do you regret it? You regret asking him to go back to Huainan and go through all this."
"Do you regret it?" The princess asked herself. She really didn't regret it. She just... felt a little uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because she thought of Prince Huainan. Nianqing was too much like him, and she was afraid that their fate would be similar.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
