"I should have come to pay my respects to the Grand Princess earlier, but with the wedding date approaching, I was delayed by many family matters. I hope the Grand Princess will forgive me."
No sooner had she finished speaking than the young girl interrupted in front of the Grand Princess.
"Is there no one else in your family? You have to arrange your own wedding. You're supposed to be a county princess personally appointed by the emperor's cousin, how can you be so shabby..."
"Qinghe!"
The Grand Princess reprimanded in a low voice.
Princess Qinghe shrugged without the slightest fear.
“I’m not wrong. What ‘County Princess of the Ministry of Agriculture’ sounds like she’s a farmer. If it weren’t for Lord Zhao, how would my cousin the Emperor know about her?”
"Miss Fang, please don't be angry. I've spoiled this child since he was little."
The Grand Princess merely gave Princess Qinghe a warning look.
The women in the room were also whispering among themselves.
Fang Qing observed all of this with a faint smile on her lips.
“The county magistrate of Qinghe is right. I am indeed a farmer, but I have never thought that farming is something to be ashamed of. After all, in my hometown, even the simpleton at the village entrance knows that food is the most important thing for people.”
The Princess of Qinghe's face immediately darkened.
"Who are you calling a fool?"
Even the woman who had just been watching the show looked at Fang Qing differently now.
"Please don't be offended, Your Highness. I was talking about the fool at the entrance of our village, not Your Highness."
"you……"
That's enough.
The Grand Princess stopped her.
The Princess of Qinghe County snorted coldly and glared angrily at Fang Qing.
The Grand Princess's gaze fell on Fang Qing.
"You should sit down too. After you marry into the Zhao family, you'll have to keep in touch."
"yes."
The nanny next to the Grand Princess quickly arranged a seat for her closer to the front.
Then the young woman sitting next to the Grand Princess introduced the people present to Fang Qing.
This young woman was Fan Li's wife.
Among those present were the wives of ministers, and the consorts of princes or dukes.
Fang Qing greeted them one by one.
They talked for a while longer, but the conversation mainly revolved around Zhao Shi'an and her.
The sudden appearance of these two figures in the capital city certainly piqued the curiosity of many.
Especially Zhao Shi'an, a poor scholar who suddenly became a close advisor to the emperor.
"Is it rumored that Lord Zhao is an orphan who grew up in your home?"
The person who asked this question was the Princess Consort, who didn't seem very shrewd and whose innermost thoughts were written all over her face.
Perhaps the scene should be enhanced with the line, "So you're using this to coerce Zhao Shi'an into marrying you?"
"Yes, we called each other brother and sister when we were little."
The princess was taken aback.
"So, Lord Zhao is also satisfied with this marriage?"
"The Princess Consort might as well ask him, since he was the one who proposed to me."
"Well... it seems you two have a pretty good relationship."
"Yes, after all, we've known each other since we were kids."
At first, these people just thought of Fang Qing as a joke, wanting to hear some vulgar things as laughs. But when they saw that Fang Qing answered without any fear and that the tour guide was just being perfunctory, they lost interest.
Before long, the Grand Princess said she was tired, and everyone took their leave.
Fan Li's wife personally saw Fang Qing off.
"Please don't take offense at what happened in the flower hall just now. Princess Yong wanted to marry her niece to Lord Zhao, but Lord Zhao refused in the street and made a scene. I think she was angry with you too."
"And Qinghe, she's always been like that since she was little. I don't know who she heard from, but she said that your marriage to Lord Zhao was forced by you, and that's why she caused this scene today. Don't take it to heart."
Madam Fanli spoke in a gentle, warm tone. Fang Qing didn't immediately develop a liking for her, but she didn't have a particularly bad impression either, since Madam Fanli had helped introduce them during the meal.
After bidding farewell to Madam Fanli, Fang Qing boarded a carriage and returned home.
Fang Qing hadn't even stayed with the Princess for an hour when, somehow, the gossip reached Zhao Shi'an's ears. She noticed that Zhao Shi'an had returned home shortly after she arrived.
"Aren't you busy?"
Fang Qing took his memorial.
This person clearly came over right after court.
"Did someone just tell me or someone was upset with you?"
Fang Qing raised her eyebrows.
"Who told you that? What did they say?"
"Don't worry about who told me, just tell me if it's true or not."
"Who can make me angry?"
Zhao Shi'an looked at her with a stern face; he was angry.
Fang Qing was helpless.
"I don't feel wronged at all. It's just that some people want to see me make a fool of myself. Do you think I'm the one who's taken advantage of?"
Zhao Shi'an snorted coldly.
"Princess Qinghe was engaged to the Xie family of Jiangnan before the new year. The wedding date is approaching, and the Grand Princess wanted to ask for a reward for Princess Qinghe a few days ago."
"The title of County Princess was only given to her by the late Emperor out of guilt towards his younger sister. Her daughter was arrogant and domineering, and had even caused deaths. If it weren't for the Grand Princess keeping her in check, the censorate would have drowned the County Princess of Qinghe in their spittle. It wouldn't have been too much to strip her of her title. The Emperor was still considering whether to grant her a reward. Now that she's like this, I naturally won't let her get away with it."
"It's not that bad," Fang Qing said, sitting down beside her.
"I'll back you up, what are you afraid of? She brought it on herself."
“She did something wrong, and you can punish her according to the law, but don’t make things difficult for her under the guise of venting my anger. This not only makes the punishment unfair, but also makes me feel like I’m using my power to bully others.”
After Fang Qing calmly finished speaking, Zhao Shi'an carefully observed her expression.
He wanted to say that he could actually do it quietly, without letting others know that it was him.
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