Chapter 341 Bai Qingling, the one who called for water three times in one night!
In the past, Zhou Ruyuan had always gladly accepted his father's arrangements, because he knew that the arrangements his father made were the best arrangements for him.
However, this time, a voice inside me was clamoring for rejection.
"Father, can't we really wait a little longer with Lanxi?" Zhou Ruyuan remembered that his father had said the marriage would be postponed last time. He had been waiting patiently, but he never expected that he would be asked to choose someone else.
Emperor Renxiao heard the resistance in his son's voice and sighed softly.
"Ruyuan, your father can guarantee that she cannot be your queen, nor will she marry anyone else!"
Zhou Ruyuan stared intently at his father, his eyes flickering.
"Your son thanks Your Majesty for your grace!"
Seeing his son, who had regained his composure, Emperor Renxiao nodded in satisfaction.
"With your wedding approaching, that child is no longer suitable to stay in the palace."
Zhou Ruyuan wanted to send the child to Bai Qingling, but was interrupted by Emperor Renxiao.
"You don't need to worry about that child; I'll take care of it. Your most important task now is to get married and give birth to a legitimate son!"
After leaving the palace, Zhou Ruyuan went to the residence where Bai Qingling was settled.
"Qingling, I probably won't be coming here for a while. Don't worry, Father has assured me that he won't harm you again."
Ever since Bai Qingling was moved to the outer residence, she seemed to wither away day by day. Even when Zhou Ruyuan came, the heavy gloom on her face did not lessen.
"Your Highness, you know me. I never ask for titles or honors. I only ask to be by your side. This is all Qingling has left. Is that not even allowed?" Tears rolled down Bai Qingling's face. If she hadn't been stubbornly refusing to become the resentful, secluded woman she used to despise, she would have been unable to speak calmly to Zhou Ruyuan by now.
Zhou Ruyuan looked at Bai Qingling, who relied on him wholeheartedly, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes.
"Qingling, my father has already arranged a marriage for me."
Bai Qingling's face, with her head bowed, twisted for a moment before instantly returning to a sorrowful expression.
"Your Highness, Qingling never intended to compete with Sister Lanxi. I know Sister Lanxi hates me, but I only beg Your Highness to consider our past relationship and treat our child kindly. Afterwards, I will find an ancient temple to pray for Your Highness and your family of three, and for the rest of my life, I will only keep company with the green lamp!"
Bai Qingling was so engrossed in the emotions she was creating that she didn't notice the awkwardness on Zhou Ruyuan's face when she mentioned Chen Lanxi.
“It’s not Shen Lanxi,” Zhou Ruyuan said coldly.
It took Bai Qingling a while to realize what he meant.
"What happened? Why isn't it Shen Lanxi?" Bai Qingling asked in shock.
Zhou Ruyuan looked at her strangely, not understanding why she was reacting so strongly.
If it weren't for Shen Lanxi, shouldn't she be happy?
"The Emperor has bestowed a marriage upon the eldest daughter of the Minister of Personnel." There are also several other women, all daughters of high-ranking officials in the court.
Bai Qingling murmured in disbelief, "Didn't His Majesty always want you and Shen Lanxi to reconcile? Didn't he always want to bestow a marriage upon you? Why didn't he do it?"
Zhou Ruyuan said with a complicated expression, "Shen Lanxi is now the Duke of Juding, in charge of this imperial examination and commanding the capital's guards. Father Emperor believes that the Great Zhou Dynasty is in dire need of capable people right now, and once Shen Lanxi gets married, she will no longer be able to contribute to the Great Zhou."
Bai Qingling's mind raced.
"If Shen Lanxi doesn't marry the prince, who will take over her military power?"
"Is Your Majesty comfortable with her continuing to command the Zhenbei Army?"
"Shen Lanxi is deeply in love with the prince. If His Majesty were to bestow another woman upon the prince in marriage, would she be willing?"
The key issue is that if she doesn't marry the prince, she won't be able to help him, and that won't do.
Seeing Bai Qingling so agitated, Zhou Ruyuan assumed she was still jealous of Shen Lanxi. So, he gently advised, "From now on, Shen Lanxi and I are colleagues, so don't overthink it."
Bai Qingling was filled with rage. Shen Lanxi had ruined her life like this; how could she not think more about it?
She wished she could tear Shen Lanxi apart.
Even if His Majesty bestows someone else upon the prince, Shen Lanxi must wholeheartedly assist the prince, as this is what she owes the prince and herself.
"Your Highness, does Shen Lanxi know that His Majesty has bestowed a marriage upon you?" Bai Qingling pressed.
Zhou Ruyuan: "I don't know, but it should be soon. After that, I'll be busy with the wedding arrangements, and with outsiders watching, I won't be able to come here freely."
A calculating glint flashed in Bai Qingling's eyes. No matter who became the principal wife, her child had to be the eldest son of the legitimate wife.
"Your Highness, please go ahead with your business. I will certainly not let you have any worries!"
Looking at Bai Qingling, who was devoted to him wholeheartedly, Zhou Ruyuan felt deeply guilty. After returning to the palace, he sent her many fine gifts.
...
"My lord, someone has delivered a letter." The guard presented the letter.
Without Bansi grass, spring snow and autumn frost are especially cautious.
"Sir, let's check if there's any poison on it!"
There had been precedents of poisoned envelopes before, but Ban Sicao had always caught them. Before Ban Sicao was sent out, she taught the two men several methods of checking, and the two men worked diligently every day, checking everything that Shen Lanxi touched several times.
The two took turns checking the envelope, and after confirming that there were no problems, they presented it to the recipient.
After seeing who wrote the letter, Shen Lanxi smiled silently.
"Take a look!" she said, tossing the two of them over as if it were a fun little trinket.
Chunxue: "It's her."
Qiu Shuang: "How could it be her?"
Amused, Shen Lanxi looked at the two with identical expressions and asked, "She invited me to Wangjiang Tower. What do you think, should I go?"
The two said in unison, "We're not going!"
Chunxue: "She's a shameless, wicked woman. Don't sully the eyes of adults."
Qiu Shuang: "Exactly! Who does she think she is? Just because she wants to see the adults, does that mean we adults have to go see her? She really doesn't respect us adults at all."
Shen Lanxi raised an eyebrow. Why did those words sound so familiar?
The two noticed and immediately burst into laughter.
“Listen to you all. Who does she think she is? There are plenty of people who want to see me. Some people have spent tens of thousands of taels of silver to see me, and they still can’t get an audience. She has no sincerity at all. I don’t know how Zhou Ruyuan managed to raise her in such a frugal manner.”
"puff……"
Laughter filled the room.
Bai Qingling waited from noon until the afternoon, until the sun was almost setting, but she still couldn't see Shen Lanxi's shadow.
"Shen Lanxi, you dare to play me! We're sworn enemies!"
Bai Qingling seemed to have gone mad, guarding the Juding Mansion for several days in a row, and finally managed to corner Shen Lanxi.
"Shen Lanxi, stop right there!" Bai Qingling rushed forward in a few steps.
Although she was dressed in men's clothing and wearing a veil, Shen Lanxi still recognized her.
"Bai Qingling!" Shen Lanxi revealed her identity in one sentence.
Che Mingyuan's eyes flashed, and he deliberately asked, "Sir, who is she?"
Shen Lanxi said with a smile, "The one who made Zhou Ruyuan call for water three times in one night!"
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