Chapter 284 Emperor Jing'an's Preferred Heir
Princess Guangning's hands shook and the warm water in the cup spilled out.
She quickly put down the cup, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the water off her skirt, and said in a trembling voice, "That's just a rumor."
When Shen Qingtan heard Princess Guangning's eager denial, his guess was confirmed.
There was a red fox lying in the yard next door. That red fox was Prince Yu's favorite pet and never left his side. It was almost certain that Prince Yu was next door.
She suspected that Prince Yu had done something to make Princess Guangning afraid of him and unwilling to marry him.
Just not sure.
Now she is testing Princess Guangning, and Princess Guangning's subconscious body reaction cannot be deceived.
It is now basically certain that Prince Yu intimidated Princess Guangning in the back garden next door.
Shen Qingtan looked at Princess Guangning's pale face, took her cold hand, slowly wiped the water stains on the back of her hand, and reminded her: "Princess, you are going to marry into the royal family, and your reputation is extremely important."
Princess Guangning nodded and said, "Thank you."
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When the flower viewing banquet officially began, Shen Qingtan, Qi Chuyin and Princess Guangning were in the hall together.
Concubine Ling learned the news from the palace maid, and when she saw Princess Guangning's pale face, she knew that her goal for today had been achieved.
Princess Guangning will never marry Prince Yu again.
When Concubine Ling saw that Princess Guangning was almost next to Shen Qingtan, she inadvertently revealed her closeness and dependence on Shen Qingtan, and the smile on her face gradually deepened.
"Guangning, I heard you were frightened in the back garden." Concubine Ling waved to Princess Guangning. When she hesitantly approached, she said with pity, "I've arranged for someone to catch the snake. I'm sorry to have spoiled your fun this time. I'll invite you to the palace to talk alone another day."
Princess Guangning was afraid of Prince Yu and was also afraid of Concubine Ling. She forced herself to suppress the fear in her heart and nodded.
"I heard from Huichun that you like this orchid. This orchid is my favorite. If it weren't for the flower viewing banquet, I wouldn't have put it out."
Concubine Ling held a pot of orchids, the pure white petals speckled with red, and handed it to Princess Guangning: "I'm very fond of you. I liked you the moment I saw you, so I'm giving you this today."
Only when Princess Guangning looks at this pot of flowers every day will she be unable to forget Prince Yu's cruelty, and her fear will only deepen day by day.
Princess Guangning trembled all over, slowly reached out and hugged the potted plant, her face pale.
Concubine Ling gave out the carefully prepared gifts and was satisfied. She signaled the officials' wives to go to the back garden to appreciate the flowers.
Shen Qingtan stood aside and watched this scene, and felt more and more that Concubine Ling's methods were sinister. In order to prevent Princess Guangning from marrying Prince Yu, she destroyed her psychologically and spiritually.
"Princess, there are many precious flowers in the imperial concubine's back garden. Let's go and take a look."
The wives of the officials greeted Shen Qingtan warmly.
"Okay." Shen Qingtan walked over with Qi Chuyin: "I heard early this morning that the flowers grown by the queen are all rare treasures. Today is a rare opportunity and we can't miss it."
The group walked towards the back garden, talking and laughing.
Shen Qingtan is lucky. Not only does her family background seem powerful, but her husband's illness has also been cured. Her status has risen and her future is bright.
These wives of officials were all smart people. They wanted to make friends with Shen Qingtan, but they never mentioned anything about the Cheng'en Marquis' Mansion or the second branch of the Duke's Mansion.
They just chatted with Shen Qingtan, talking about clothes and jewelry, their children's marriages, or mentioning some new imported goods with fresh styles.
After Shen Qingtan responded with a few words, the wives of the officials said they would give her two items to play with in order to curry favor with her.
After the flower viewing banquet, Shen Qingtan took Qi Chuyin out of the palace and got into the carriage before he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Cousin, this is even more tiring than going to the battlefield to kill the enemy." Qi Chuyin leaned against the car wall and grabbed Shen Qingtan's soft hand: "Everyone has two faces."
Shen Qingtan laughed. Since ancient times, wives of officials would use gatherings to expand their men's network and gather information.
Qi Chuyin grew up in the northern border. All the soldiers in the military camp were straightforward and straightforward. They didn't speak in a roundabout way.
Shen Qingtan said softly, "I'm used to it, it's not so bad."
Just as Qi Chuyin was about to speak, she saw the carriage curtain being lifted and Zhao Yi entered the carriage.
"Brother, I brought my cousin's wife back safely." Qi Chuyin let go of Shen Qingtan's hand and said with a stern look, "I have something to do with Shen San, so I'll leave first."
Shen Qingtan watched Qi Chuyin get off the carriage swiftly and make room for them, feeling a bit amused and helpless.
"My third brother's personality is similar to Yinyin's." Shen Qingtan said helplessly: "Third brother has ruined my cousin's innocence, he should give an explanation."
"My cousin has a straightforward and uninhibited personality. She grew up in a military camp and even marched in men's clothing. She sees the soldiers who fought alongside her in the camp as her comrades, regardless of gender."
Zhao Yi said gently, "If they are destined to be together, they will become a happy couple without any effort."
Shen Qingtan frowned and wanted to say something, but when he thought of Qi Chuyin going to find Chen Lue, he came to his senses. These two might end up being husband and wife. It all depended on whether Emperor Jing'an would agree to this marriage.
"Today, the Imperial Concubine left my cousin to write a recipe for Northern Qi. My cousin also ran into Prince Yu in the back garden." Shen Qingtan told Zhao Yi about the palace affairs and expressed her concerns. "I wonder if Imperial Concubine Ling is trying to bring Prince Yu and my cousin together, or if she wants to take action against my cousin. If it's the latter, then Imperial Concubine Ling's target is the Qi family. Is she trying to dismantle our power bit by bit?"
"We have fallen out with Prince Yu. The Qi family is my mother's family, and Concubine Ling will not let Prince Yu marry his cousin."
Zhao Yi continued, "General Qi's deputy general is from a branch of the Ling family and is the nephew of Concubine Ling. He made great military achievements in the northern border and is quite capable. If the Qi family encounters any trouble, he will vacate his position."
Shen Qingtan instantly understood what Zhao Yi meant. Concubine Ling had set her sights on the Qi family's position and wanted to get rid of this stumbling block and build up her own power.
The Qi family is the eldest lady's family. If they fall, they will definitely be affected.
Shen Qingtan asked: "What are you going to do?"
"The Emperor summoned the Third Prince today, intending for me to be his mentor." Zhao Yi whispered, "Prince Yu was previously in charge of the Ministry of War, but his authority was taken away. The Emperor then handed the Ministry over to Prince Rui... This allows them to check and balance each other, giving the Third Prince time to grow."
Shen Qingtan understood instantly that Emperor Jing'an wanted the third prince to be his heir.
"Prince Yu wants to eliminate his enemies and attack us, so we naturally cannot stand by." Zhao Yi said slowly, "The Emperor wants to use Prince Rui to contain Prince Yu, so we will lend a helping hand to Prince Rui."
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