Chapter 312 Is she trying to sow discord?
It was only thanks to Empress Yuan that Concubine Rou was able to enter the palace and give birth to a prince.
However, the prince was replaced by someone else.
Then her son married a wife, who was only the daughter of an imperial physician and whose status was not very high.
Even though she looked down on the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in her heart, Jiang Wanran's expression remained flawless.
She walked up to Concubine Rou and Gu Qingning and bowed slightly.
"I have met my aunt and my cousin's wife."
Concubine Rou quickly raised her hand and looked at the face in front of her that looked like her sister. She was distracted today.
He did not notice the contempt in Jiang Wanran's eyes.
But Gu Qingning noticed it.
She reached out her hand to support Jiang Wanran and said gently:
"Cousin Wanran is so pretty, but why have I never seen you before?"
Gu Qingning calmly asked the questions that were on everyone's mind.
Because Jiang Wanran is already sixteen years old now.
Not to mention that she had never entered the palace, she had never even appeared at a banquet attended by noble ladies from the capital.
Today, everyone will sigh: The Jiang family is really good at hiding things.
Jiang Wanran was also prepared. She said softly:
"When I was young, I was not in good health, so I went to Jiangnan to recuperate. Now I am a 15-year-old, and I came back only after I got better."
Gu Qingning smiled slightly after hearing this.
The concubine next to her covered her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed:
"Qing Ning, what a coincidence, this young lady from the Jiang family also stayed in Jiangnan for treatment."
"Didn't you go to Jiangnan before? You two are not too far apart in age, so could you have met?"
Gu Qingning smiled and agreed with her, "I haven't seen her before. I guess Sister Wanran didn't leave the house at that time."
"By the way, Sister Wanran, are you feeling better now? I can recommend a doctor to you. She is a very skilled doctor."
Jiang Wanran couldn't stay any longer and immediately gave a dry laugh.
"I'm feeling much better now. Thank you for your concern, cousin."
After saying this, she turned around and returned to the Queen Mother.
Gu Qingning smiled slightly, and following her back, she just happened to see the Queen Mother's unfriendly look.
The Queen Mother is not in a good mood right now.
I haven't even made a move yet, but Gu Qingning is so bold that she actually dares to make the first move?
However, when she thought of her plan, the stern look in the empress dowager's eyes slowly faded away, replaced by a kind smile.
"I am old now, and I like watching the younger ones the most."
“It would be nice if there were more great-grandchildren.”
"By the way, Ah Ying, Wan Ran, you haven't promised to marry anyone yet, right?"
The topic still comes here.
Qin Mingyue, who was skipped, felt a little depressed.
Because the person the Queen Mother loves the most is no longer her.
She can only appear here temporarily because of the Queen Mother's care.
As for Qin Tingfang, she had never expected the empress dowager to favor her.
I am not her biological granddaughter.
Qin Tingfang looked at Gu Qingning who was sitting next to Concubine Rou, and roughly guessed that the Queen Mother was deliberately getting close to her, actually to give Gu Qingning face?
The palace is really full of cunning people!
Cui Ying and Jiang Wanran both shook their heads shyly.
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "That's perfect. Your cousin Jingyu has an empty backyard and Qingning is lonely. You two should come into the mansion and marry your cousin Jingyu!"
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone present was surprised.
Even including Cui Ying and Jiang Wanran themselves.
Lu Jingyu has a wife now.
The Queen Mother asked them to marry in. Did she want them to be concubines?
They are both legitimate daughters who are highly valued in their families. How could they be inferior to the daughters of the imperial physician?
Concubine Rou and Concubine Jin were also very surprised.
I thought that the empress dowager would send this daughter of the Jiang family who looked like Empress Yuan to the backyard of Emperor Minghe...
However, everyone was not only surprised, they also looked at Gu Qingning with concern.
Letting two daughters of noble status become Lu Jingyu's concubines is actually a blatant attempt to suppress Gu Qingning.
Gu Qingning, who was the focus of much attention, looked at the Queen Mother calmly.
Overlooking everyone else, the two people looked into each other's eyes.
The Queen Mother asked slowly, "Why, Qing Ning, are you unhappy?"
"But you know, it's normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines, and Jing Yu is a noble prince."
"Aying and Wanran are both noble legitimate daughters raised in the family. Making them concubines half a level lower than you is actually a compliment to you."
"If you refuse again, you will be jealous."
Although the Queen Mother spoke in a very gentle tone, she was as kind and loving as usual.
But the content is not kind at all.
Because once someone is identified as jealous, they can be divorced!
Concubine Rou said nervously: "Empress Dowager..."
The Queen Mother said in a cold voice: "Concubine Rou, I am asking about Gu Qingning, not you. Sit down!"
Concubine Rou was naturally soft-hearted, and having been in the palace for many years, she had already witnessed the Empress Dowager's powerful methods.
Deep down, I am afraid of her.
But seeing Qing Ning being forced to this point, she became extremely worried.
Caught in a dilemma.
No one around dared to speak, and looked at Gu Qingning with either sympathy or gloating.
The happiest person among them was Qin Tingfang.
This is the first time in recent years that Gu Qingning has been forced into such a desperate situation. It is truly gratifying.
If Gu Qingning dared to refuse, she would completely offend the Queen Mother today.
On the day of the Empress Dowager's birthday, if you offend the Empress Dowager, even Emperor Minghe will not favor Gu Qingning.
If you agree?
Then you are disgusting!
When two ladies of such noble status enter the mansion in the future, it will be a chaotic life!
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Gu Qingning stood up from her seat and bowed to the Queen Mother:
"Logically speaking, if the Queen Mother allows two sisters of noble status to enter the palace, it would be a great thing."
The Queen Mother's expression relaxed. "So, you agree?"
Gu Qingning: "Logically speaking, I shouldn't refuse, but Jing Yu's personality is different from that of ordinary men."
"When I was pregnant before, I arranged for him to have a concubine, but he threw her out directly."
"So whether or not to let the two sisters enter the mansion still requires Jing Yu's consent."
"Otherwise, if he doesn't agree, he will throw the two sisters out of the door directly. I'm afraid they will have a hard time living like human beings in the future."
Cui Ying and Jiang Wanran imagined the scene at the same time.
Both women shuddered.
Especially Cui Ying, who was more lively, whispered:
"Are you trying to scare me on purpose? How could my cousin be such a cruel person?"
Gu Qingning said in a good-tempered manner: "If Sister Cui doesn't believe it, you can try it first and see if His Highness will throw you out then."
"Maybe, maybe not. Wait until you finish your experiment, and then Sister Jiang can come back."
Cui Ying: “…”
Jiang Wanran: “…”
What do you take them for!
Having said that, the Queen Mother could no longer force Gu Qingning, so she had to speak:
"That's true. I'll ask Jing Yu what he thinks later."
Gu Qingning bowed and returned to her seat.
But the smile on her face did not reach her eyes.
The Queen Mother knew very well that Jiang Wanran's appearance would attract the attention of Emperor Minghe.
But she wanted Jiang Wanran to be Lu Jingyu's concubine...
So, is she trying to sow discord?
Gu Qingning raised her head and looked at the Queen Mother again, but the Queen Mother was probably angry and was not happy to look at her.
Gu Qingning chuckled.
Lu Jingyu had reminded her before she came into the palace.
If the Queen Mother forces her, she can use him as a shield.
The Queen Mother dared to use filial piety and power to pressure Gu Qingning, but she would not use these to pressure Lu Jingyu.
Even Emperor Minghe couldn't suppress it, so the Empress Dowager would certainly not be able to suppress it either.
Looking at the frustrated Jiang Wanran, Gu Qingning remembered something else.
Jing Yu had said before that the Jiang family was in collusion with people from the Western Regions... Now it seems that the Queen Mother was unaware of this.
Otherwise, she would not have used the daughter of the Jiang family to create discord between Emperor Minghe and Jing Yu and his son!
After talking for a while, the Queen Mother said she was too tired and asked everyone to leave.
However, the Queen Mother kept Cui Ying and Jiang Wanran.
Everyone looked at Gu Qingning with sympathy.
It seems that the Queen Mother has not given up that idea yet.
Oh, Qin Mingyue also stayed. Gu Qingning knew without guessing that she should have been living in the Cining Palace during this period.
Instead, Qin Tingfang and Gu Qingning walked out together.
Qin Tingfang: "I really envy my cousin's wife, who can be with my cousin Jingyu for the rest of her life."
Princess Jiamin next to her said, "The main thing is that Qing Ning is also good, so there's nothing wrong with cousin Jing Yu being nice to her!"
Gu Qingning smiled and said, "To be honest, I have one person to thank for my happiness today."
“Thank you, Miss Shen, Shen Ruoying, from Guangping Marquis’ Mansion.”
"If she hadn't thought Jing Yu was killed in battle and couldn't wait to marry Lu Hangzhi, I really wouldn't have had the chance to marry Jing Yu."
Gu Qingning looked at Qin Tingfang's constantly twitching mouth and the way he was trying to control himself. She said softly:
"Thank you Tingfang for reminding me. I'll have to burn some paper for her later."
"Thank her for the favor of marrying me back then."
Qin Tingfang could no longer laugh at this time. She nodded and walked away.
She was worried that if she left any later, someone might notice her.
Princess Jiamin beside her said suspiciously:
"This Qin Tingfang is so weird. There's nothing wrong with what you said, so why is she so angry?"
Gu Qingning: "Maybe it's jealousy."
Princess Jiamin nodded.
"I guess so. By the way, if the Queen Mother still insists on giving the Cui family girl and the Jiang family girl to my cousin, what will you do?"
Gu Qingning asked back: "Jiamin, does Ouyang Rui have a concubine?"
Princess Jiamin: "No! After I got pregnant, I tentatively asked him if he wanted to have a concubine, and he said no."
Gu Qingning: "So, whether or not to take a concubine is actually a man's own decision."
"If he wants to take a concubine, you can't stop him."
"If he doesn't want to, and you force him to pay, you'll end up in trouble."
Princess Jiamin nodded, not quite understanding.
Gu Qingning added: "But you are a princess, you are extraordinary, I think Ouyang Rui would not dare to take a concubine."
Princess Jiamin smiled shyly, "He said he only likes me."
The two of them are close friends, so naturally they can talk about anything.
Now, seeing that he is still in the palace, he is under all control.
As they talked, they planned to find a place to wait for their men to pick them up.
Suddenly, I heard a commotion not far away.
Because Princess Jiamin was pregnant, the two did not go over to see what was happening to avoid being bumped into.
But Jiamin pulled a passing eunuch and asked curiously:
"What happened over there?"
The young eunuch said, "Mr. Lu and Lady Tingfang both fell into the lotus pond!"
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