Chapter 84
After Tanxiang left, Mu Qinhan walked up to Mu Yulu, opened his mouth, but said something completely unrelated to the important matter: "You haven't had breakfast yet?"
Mu Yulu glanced at him in confusion, then nodded silently.
Mu Qinhan responded with an "oh," and then asked a series of other questions, inquiring about whether she had been sleeping well and eating well during this time, and whether she felt bored staying in the mansion and had gone out for a walk.
Finally, Mu Yulu couldn't hold back any longer and interrupted him impatiently, "Your Highness didn't come to see me today to ask these trivial questions, did you?"
She asked directly, "Do you want to talk to me about Miss Liu?"
Mu Qinhan's eyes narrowed, and he said with some displeasure, "Are the people in the Prince's mansion gossiping behind my back again?"
Mu Yulu really wanted to mock him to his face. Why did she need others to gossip behind her back? During this period, he and Liu Wenshuang were inseparable, almost to the point of sleeping in the same bed. Of course, they probably did sleep in the same bed last night. In other people's eyes, their behavior would make them look like a married couple.
But she could only think that to herself, since she was going to ask him to set her free later, and she had to bow her head when necessary.
So she took a deep breath and tried to make her voice sound gentle: "It's not that others are gossiping, but I've seen how Your Highness and Miss Liu have been getting along lately. Putting aside everything else, I can see the affection between a young lady. I suppose Your Highness also wants to give her a proper status?"
Hearing Mu Yulu speak in such a tone for the first time, Mu Qinhan seemed a little unaccustomed to it, or perhaps because he felt a little guilty. In any case, he was stunned for a moment before saying, "So you already knew? I did come here today to discuss this matter with you."
Mu Yulu spoke first, "Does Your Highness intend to grant Miss Liu the title of Princess Consort?"
Mu Qinhan was taken aback again. It was rare for him to be so helpless in front of Mu Yulu: "Aliu lost both her parents when she was young. She was fortunate enough to be adopted by a traveling doctor, but she lived a life of wandering with him. Now that she has finally been able to settle down, I... I don't want to let her down."
Mu Yulu shook her head and said calmly, "Miss Liu does indeed have a pitiful background, and she is also the prince's savior. It is normal for you to want to give her the position of princess."
With that, she knelt down before Mu Qinhan, saying, "In that case, I will voluntarily step down and will not cause Your Highness any trouble."
Mu Qinhan stepped forward to help her up, but seeing that she was stubbornly kneeling on the ground and refused to get up, he assumed she was just being stubborn. So he comforted her and said, "Don't worry, even if A-Liu marries me, it will never shake your position."
As he spoke, Mu Yulu nodded. She had initially thought the matter was settled, but the more she heard, the more uneasy she felt: "Your Highness, you want to marry her and give her the title of Princess Consort, but I'm still occupying this position. How can you marry her like this? Does this mean there are two Princess Consorts in one royal residence?"
Unexpectedly, Mu Qinhan nodded slightly: "I can take her as a concubine, so that she and you will both have the honor of a princess. However, she entered the manor later than you, so she will always be subordinate to you. Your position in the manor will not be shaken in the slightest."
Mu Yulu jumped to her feet, staring at Mu Qinhan in disbelief for a long time before finally managing to stammer, "Are you sick?"
She couldn't think of any other explanation other than that he was mentally ill.
He really intended to marry two princesses, and even said that Liu Wenshuang entered the manor later than her and was always inferior to her. How could he say such a thing?
Seeing her intense reaction, Mu Qinhan assumed she was provoked and that's why she lost her composure. So he generously let it go and said, "I've already instructed the head steward of the Prince's Mansion to handle this matter. At the latest, I will marry her after the Spring Festival. There's no room for discussion on this."
After saying that, he seemed to have been holding back for a long time, but finally couldn't help but say, "You have been in the Prince's mansion for almost half a year now. In the past six months, you have not paid any attention to the affairs of the mansion. Where have you fulfilled any of your duties as a princess? Not to mention the mansion, you have never attended a single banquet held by the wives of officials in the capital or the ladies of the palace."
Since the matter had already come to this point, he simply poured out all his dissatisfaction: "As a princess, you should fulfill your responsibilities. However, whether it's managing the household or entertaining guests, have you ever taken anything seriously? Now that I've decided to marry A-Liu into the royal palace, it's also to help you share these responsibilities."
Seeing Mu Yulu's pale face, Mu Qinhan softened his tone: "Although A-Liu is a little timid, she is gentle and virtuous, and very considerate and thoughtful. With her helping to manage the affairs of the manor, I can feel more at ease. Don't worry, the most honorable position of the principal wife will always be yours, and A-Liu will not compete with you for it. You can relax and continue to enjoy it."
Mu Yulu was not only pale, she felt like she was going to vomit blood. At this moment, only three words kept echoing in her mind: "Is there any human speech?"
Unable to bear it any longer, she slammed her hand on the table and roared, "Is this the status of a princess that I wanted? Did I force you to marry me into the royal palace? You should have guessed this day would come when you forced me into marriage. I'm not good at managing a household, I don't know how to socialize, and I'm unwilling to fawn over people I don't like every day. Is this the first time you've found out about these things?"
Mu Qinhan's gaze toward her grew increasingly cold. Just as he was about to speak, a maidservant outside the door said, "Your Highness, Miss Liu asked me to remind you that it is time to take your medicine."
Mu Qinhan then gave up, looked at her deeply, and said through gritted teeth, "I will definitely marry A-Liu, but you can forget about leaving here."
Then he turned and left.
After Mu Qinhan left, Tanxiang shuffled in from outside the door, looking utterly shaken. She grabbed Mu Yulu and said, "Your Highness, you...you..."
She stammered for a long time without saying anything, but Mu Yulu knew in her heart that she was shocked that she dared to speak to Mu Qinhan like that.
She was indeed furious just now, and it wasn't until now that she slowly calmed down. With the help of Tanxiang, she sat back down in her chair, looking utterly dejected.
Fate was indeed moving forward along its original trajectory. Mu Qinhan fell deeply in love with Liu Wenshuang and was determined to marry her into his household. However, at the same time, he also made it clear that he would not let himself go.
The expression and tone of Mu Qinhan when she said that as a princess consort she should fulfill her duties reminded her of Mu Yugang. In that instant, she suddenly understood how Mu Zhaoshi felt.
Back when she was in the Mu family, even she would occasionally hear Mu Yugang say these words, let alone Mu Zhaoshi, who was the rightful owner of the household.
Hearing her husband criticize her with such words every day, and constantly comparing her to another woman's gentleness and virtue, would drive anyone crazy.
However, she was different from Mu Zhaoshi. The difference was that she did not love Mu Qinhan, and she did not regard her husband as her heaven and earth like her mother did.
At this moment, she was suddenly incredibly grateful that she had remained rational despite Mu Qinhan's numerous advances and had not been swayed by a single glance from him as she had in her previous life.
Fortunately, she didn't love him, otherwise she would have gone crazy on the spot after hearing what Mu Qinhan said.
For the next two months, the Mu Prince's mansion was bustling with activity. The head steward was busy with the prince's wedding preparations, and many people came and went every day. Some came to decorate the mansion, some to prepare food, and others to take measurements for Liu Wenshuang.
In comparison, Mu Yulu's courtyard was much quieter. Apart from Tanxiang coming and going to serve her every day, there was not a single person to be seen.
Rumors in the manor that Mu Yulu had fallen out of favor and was about to be replaced by Liu Wenshuang were spreading even more widely. In the past, Mu Qinhan would punish the servants who gossiped behind his back when he heard these words, but since his big fight with Mu Yulu last time, he has been too lazy to care.
Mu Yulu's life in the Prince's mansion can be described as miserable. She only has the title of Princess Consort in name only, and the servants in the mansion don't mistreat her.
Before long, winter arrived. The weather was too cold, and the flowers and plants in the garden withered, leaving it bare and uninteresting. Mu Yulu, however, became interested and took a stroll in the garden every day.
Tanxiang, who was standing beside her, was puzzled by Mu Yulu's behavior: "Your Highness, the flowers, plants and trees in this garden are only beautiful in spring and summer. Right now they are all withered branches and fallen leaves. I don't think they are worth seeing."
Mu Yulu raised her hand and stroked a withered branch, stroking the smooth twig as she said to Tanxiang, "Every time I see those flowers in full bloom, I always feel empty inside. I'm always afraid of the passage of time, thinking that they will wither sooner or later. So I can't be happy when I see a tree full of flowers."
She continued walking forward, "But seeing these withered flowering trees now, I know in my heart that they will bloom again in a few months. The withering is only temporary, and spring with blooming flowers will come soon. Thinking like this, I feel much more at ease."
Tanxiang followed behind Mu Yulu, her eyes filled with heartache. After a moment of silence, she said, "Your Highness must be so lonely. The Prince has been spending all his time with Miss Liu lately, and the servants in the manor are rarely seen. They even avoid your courtyard..."
At this point, she mustered her courage and said, "Why don't you go and apologize to the Prince? As long as the Prince treats you the same way as before, the servants in the manor won't dare to neglect you."
Mu Yulu didn't speak. She stopped in front of a dilapidated courtyard, staring at it blankly for a long time. When she spoke again, her voice trembled slightly: "Tanxiang, what place is this?"
Sandalwood glanced in the direction of the courtyard. "This courtyard was abandoned before I came, and I don't know what it was used for."
Mu Yulu took a deep breath and looked at the small courtyard abandoned in the corner of the desolate garden. Suddenly, she felt dizzy.
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