When Li Shiyue saw Xu Lingzi, it was as if she had seen a savior. However, out of consideration for Qin Ying, she obediently stayed by Xu Lingzi's side.
Despite her playful and active nature, Xu Lingzi is more serious than anyone else when it comes to important matters.
Right now, she shielded Li Shiyue behind her, blocking the Prince of Yan's probing gaze. Xu Lingzi held Li Shiyue's hand and said, "Yan Yan is young. If she offends the Prince without knowing her place, please don't hold it against your cousin."
Qin Ying seemed oblivious to the aloofness in Xu Lingzi's words. He looked past her and turned to Li Shiyue with a slight smile: "The county princess is very well."
Xu Lingzi's brow twitched. The music made her heart pound as she heard Qin Ying's ambiguous words. She couldn't help but turn to look at Li Shiyue's expression, only to find her unmoved, not even sparing Qin Ying a glance.
They breathed a sigh of relief. The Xu family was a veritable princeling faction. If someone with impure motives tried to get close to their cousin and then approach the Xu family, the consequences would be beyond what they could bear.
Xu Lingzi's gaze fell on the Prince of Yan. She had heard that when the Emperor was young, he had won the hearts of many unmarried women in the capital. Although the Crown Prince's brother-in-law and several princes were not born of the same mother, they all inherited the Emperor's good looks.
The Prince of Yan was tall and slender, with a slightly long face. His eyes and brows darted around from time to time, revealing a cleverness in them. He wore a smile, but when his gaze fell on someone, it made that person feel uneasy.
His birth mother, Consort Shun, came from a family with low-ranking official positions, only fourth-rank officials, and was not favored by the emperor. If Qin Ying had not been born, how could Consort Shun have become a palace mistress?
His birth mother was not of high status, and he was not the emperor's most beloved prince. Who knew what kind of person he was?
Those in the royal family are often unpredictable; you can only know a person's face, not their heart. Xu Lingzi dared not take that risk. Her little cousin was beautiful and delicate; if the Prince of Yan was cunning and shrewd, and Yan Yan was so innocent, it would be heartbreaking to see her deceived.
Xu Lingzi was not as experienced as Xu Yunci, and the wariness in her eyes was quite obvious. Li Shiyue was closest to her and was the first to notice it. The feeling of being protected warmed her heart.
"My cousin made me wait for quite a while, but Her Majesty has something to instruct me on."
Xu Lingzi turned around and, understanding, continued the conversation: "You're one to talk! You came out so quickly, your mother and elder sister are looking for you."
The sisters' conversation was so natural that Qin Ying seemed particularly superfluous: "It was I who disturbed the county princess's peace. Since Miss Xu and the county princess have other matters to attend to, I will not bother them any longer."
Qin Ying leaned forward slightly, one hand behind his back, playing with the jade buckle at his waist, his manners impeccable.
Upon seeing this, the two sisters quickly curtsied. Seeing Qin Ying walking away, leaving only his back view, the two sisters breathed a sigh of relief and sat down in the pavilion.
Xu Lingzi looked around, but could no longer see the figure of the Prince of Yan. She could only see rows of palace maids on the shore, carrying things in their hands, bowing their heads and running back and forth respectfully.
"How can I be with him?"
Li Shiyue knew she would ask, so she wasn't annoyed and patiently explained, "I said I'd wait for you outside, and this place was shady. I thought it was my cousin coming, but when I saw it was the Prince of Yan, we hadn't even exchanged a few words. Luckily, my cousin arrived just in time."
Xu Lingzi released her hand and placed her arm where Li Shiyue had been. A gentle breeze blew across her face, making it feel cool.
"I see. We should try to avoid getting entangled with them in the future."
Li Shiyue raised her hand to smooth out the wrinkles on her clothes, a look of confusion on her face: "Them?"
Xu Lingzi glanced at her, sat up straight, looked around to make sure there was no one nearby, leaned closer and lowered her voice: "Yes, it's them."
"Although the Emperor has now established a Crown Prince, the affection among the royal family has never been genuine. Although the Prince of Qi, who is above the Crown Prince, is the eldest son, he grew up with the Crown Prince and now, after marrying the Princess, he indulges in wealth and luxury every day."
“But below the Crown Prince are the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Zhao. The Prince of Zhao’s mother was just a palace maid, and the Prince of Yan’s mother’s family served as officials in the previous dynasty. Who knows if they have truly submitted? Look at how busy my second brother has been these days, it’s possible that someone is causing trouble for Chonghua Palace.”
“My elder sister married the Crown Prince, and the Rongguo Duke’s Mansion is now part of the Chonghua Palace. It was also the Emperor who chose the Xu family as the Crown Prince’s backer. For my second brother to be so busy, it must be related to the Chonghua Palace.”
"That's why I wanted to remind you not to get too close to the Prince of Yan and his group. Even the daughters of those officials have their own power and might want to use you to find out what you want to know."
It wasn't that Xu Lingzi thought of people in a bad way; she genuinely liked her younger cousin. However, if her younger cousin disregarded the Xu family and was blinded by power and wealth, she might do something that would lead to regret later.
After all, the capital city was located under the emperor's nose and was the most wealthy and luxurious place in the Great Yong Dynasty. She really didn't want to break off ties with her little cousin.
Li Shiyue was not a narrow-minded person. When she met Xu Lingzi's gaze, she knew her worries, but she didn't want people to misunderstand: "It's not so much that you're being friendly, but that you have ulterior motives."
The last polo match wasn't their first meeting, so they weren't exactly acquainted. It would be understandable if she came to say hello, but Li Shiyue didn't want to have too much involvement with them, so she naturally kept Xu Lingzi's words in mind.
The Xu family has treated her very well. If she doesn't care about the Xu family and does something wrong, wouldn't she become an ungrateful wretch?
Moreover, she felt that Xu Lingzi's concerns were valid. Although the Prince of Yan had not shown any affection for her, if he were to use her as an excuse to approach the Xu family and Xu Yunci, he would inevitably do things that would harm the Xu family.
One should not have the intention to harm others, but one must be wary of others.
She had no desire to curry favor with the powerful. Xu Lingzi's words were not only for the sake of the Xu family, but also a reminder to her that how long could one rely on one's looks to please others?
If someone doesn't genuinely care about you, they naturally won't say things that are for your own good. Li Shiyue felt a warm glow in her heart. She stayed in the pavilion with Xu Lingzi for a while, enjoying the spring breeze, before heading back to the main hall.
Before they even entered the palace gate, they were suddenly blocked by two stern-faced old women. They weren't there for them, but rather, they were standing between Princess Chunhui and her, trying to get her to take a boat back.
Princess Chunhui never expected the emperor to be so heartless. He only let her eat some food and watch her nephew's first birthday celebration before sending her to the Qingliang Palace in the palace.
She did want to resist, but the two old women sent by the emperor were no pushovers. They were old women from the Imperial Prison, big and strong, and they were stern and fearless towards Princess Chunhui.
Seeing the two sisters return chatting and laughing, Princess Chunhui glared at Li Shiyue, almost gritting her teeth: "Father bestowed upon you the title of County Princess, did you get what you wanted? But there's no need for you to be so smug. A County Princess is nothing, it won't wash away the muddy smell on you."
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