Chapter 554: Such a character cannot enter the Chu family
The light in Su Wan's eyes dimmed, and was then covered by a decent smile.
She stopped insisting and started chatting about interesting things in the palace, as if the previous test had never happened.
After the two exchanged a few polite words, a palace maid came in and announced that the banquet in the imperial garden was ready and the ladies of each family had already taken their seats.
In the Imperial Garden, hundreds of flowers are in full bloom, especially the crabapple trees, which are in full bloom, with clouds and mist and a fragrant smell.
The noble ladies gathered in groups of three or five, elegantly dressed and talking with smiles on their faces.
Chu Ruohan spotted the focus of the crowd at a glance.
Lin Jingchuan was wearing a moon-white brocade robe today. He had a handsome face, but his expression was as cold as ice.
No matter how Princess Yong tried to persuade him, he just kept his eyes down, looking as if he didn't want to bother with anyone.
Not far away, under a crabapple tree, I saw an old acquaintance.
Lin Xingyao's eyes were fixed on her brother, with a gloomy look that outsiders could not understand.
When she saw a young lady's gaze lingering on Lin Jingchuan for too long, her eyes would become as sharp as needles.
Chu Ruohan withdrew her gaze. This Prince Yong's Mansion was indeed a muddy pool.
She soon found her target beside another flower bush.
The wife of Minister Zhao was talking with the wives of several of her colleagues. Next to her stood a young girl in a light green dress, with a pretty face and a slim figure.
That is Zhao Qingzhi.
She was listening to the conversation of her friend next to her with her head down, nodding and smiling from time to time. Her manners were elegant, and she looked gentle and lovely.
Chu Ruohan nodded secretly in her heart. Judging from his appearance and demeanor, Chen Yu had good taste.
While she was thinking, Xuan Ge'er gently pulled her sleeve.
"Mother, the Crown Prince is here."
Chu Ruohan looked up and saw a senior eunuch leading a little boy in bright yellow clothes towards them.
The prince was only five years old, but his little face was tense and his eyes were calm, revealing a maturity that was inconsistent with his age.
The ladies around stood up and saluted.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince is here to pay his respects." Chu Ruohan also knelt down and saluted with her two children.
The prince raised his little hand and said in a childish but clear voice, "Madam Zhenguo, please don't be polite."
His eyes swept over Xuan Ge'er who was standing upright beside him, nodded slightly, and finally fell on Gu Qingchen.
Gu Qingchen couldn't stand this kind of dull occasion the most. Being stared at so seriously, she curled her lips and made a quick face at the prince while Chu Ruohan wasn't paying attention.
The prince's serious little face cracked for a moment.
His eyes widened a little, as if he hadn't expected someone to dare do this to him.
Chu Ruohan caught a glimpse of her daughter's little action from the corner of her eye, her heart skipped a beat, and she calmly pulled Qingchen behind her.
Fortunately, the prince did not say anything. He just looked at Gu Qingchen deeply and was led by the eunuch to pay his respects to the queen.
Chu Ruohan breathed a sigh of relief and was about to observe Zhao Qingzhi again when she heard a very low but somewhat excited whisper coming from the other side.
It was Zhao Qingzhi and her handkerchief friend.
The handkerchief friend said enviously, "Qingzhi, look, that's the young prince of Prince Yong's Mansion. He's truly a dragon and a phoenix. What a pity..."
He didn't finish his words, but the meaning was self-evident.
Chu Ruohan thought she would hear some shy or evasive words from Zhao Qingzhi.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Qingzhi raised her eyes, her gaze accurately falling on Lin Jingchuan in the distance, and a sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth, which was completely different from her gentle temperament.
In a voice only the two of them could hear, she said with certainty, "I am determined to obtain the position of Crown Prince Consort in Prince Yong's Mansion."
That firm voice was like a thin needle piercing Chu Ruohan's ears.
She took two steps calmly, pretending to admire a bunch of peonies in full bloom beside her, her figure mostly hidden by the lush flowers and leaves.
Zhao Qingzhi's close friend, the daughter of a minister of the Ministry of Revenue, tugged at her sleeve and lowered her voice even more, revealing unconcealable disgust.
"Qingzhi, are you crazy? What good place is Prince Yong's Mansion?"
"The Lin family's dirty deeds are known throughout the city. Wouldn't it be disgusting for you to marry them?"
Chu Ruohan held her breath.
Zhao Qingzhi only uttered a very light sneer, and there was an icy coldness in her laughter, which was completely inconsistent with her gentle and beautiful face.
"nausea?"
She raised her hand, picked a crabapple petal, and slowly crushed it between her fingertips.
"What are you afraid of?"
"As long as I can marry into the family, there are plenty of ways to deal with that Lin Xingyao."
"She's such a broken woman, yet she still dares to covet my brother, pretending to be weak and pitiful all day long. Bah!"
"As for the young prince..."
She paused, then wiped the red petals, crushed into juice, on her handkerchief with disgust.
"No matter how bad he is, he is still the prince of Yong Palace and the future Yong Wang. Is he the person I'm after?"
The handkerchief friend was so shocked by her words that he was speechless. After a long while, he stammered, "But...but if you do this, what will you do in the future?"
"What should I do?" Zhao Qingzhi's tone was filled with arrogance and calculation. "Holding on to power and the status of the Crown Prince's Consort, what do I want?"
"He's just a man. You've tied up his future, and you're still afraid he won't obey?"
Chu Ruohan felt a chill in her heart when she heard this.
She originally thought that Zhao Qingzhi was just ambitious, but she didn't expect that his character was so vicious.
This kind of scheming and coldness is simply chilling.
She couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for her younger brother Chu Chenyu.
Chen Yu is an upright person. He has worked his way up and is used to seeing all kinds of evil spirits. How could he be so foolish with Zhao Qingzhi?
I guess what he saw was just this gentle and lovely appearance.
A woman like this must never enter the Chu family.
Just as he was thinking about it, a gentle voice sounded behind him.
"What is Sister Ruohan looking at? Why is she so lost in thought?"
Chu Ruohan turned around and found that Su Wan had stood next to her without her knowing when, his eyes were fixed in the direction of Zhao Qingzhi.
"The daughter of Minister Zhao looks dignified and elegant."
Su Wan's tone was very casual, as if he was just saying it casually.
"Just now, I saw the look in Princess Yong's eyes when she looked at her. She seemed quite satisfied."
There was a hint of temptation in these words, brushing past lightly like a feather.
A perfectly light smile appeared on Chu Ruohan's face.
"After all, the marriage of children is decided by their parents and the matchmaker."
She lowered her eyes and looked at the cloud pattern embroidered on the hem of her skirt. "I am just looking at it casually for the elders in my family. Don't take it seriously."
Her words were flawless, neither confirming nor denying, but she had already completely erased the name Zhao Qingzhi from her mind.
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