Chapter 416: A Marriage Alliance (Part 6)
"This princess doesn't have a very good temper..."
Shen Tang complained to Gu Chi about this.
Not long ago, these two were "politely" kicked out of the tent by the lady-in-waiting beside the princess. The lady-in-waiting had a face as sour as if Shen Tang owed her hundreds of thousands of gold coins, her eyes were full of murderous intent, and she could cosplay Rong Momo even with a silver needle in her hand.
Gu Chi was too lazy to even comment on his lord's "exquisite" reply! He had, through his understanding of the ways of the literati, basically grasped the princess's true intentions. But his lord's words had infuriated the princess to the point that she abandoned all decorum and ordered him to leave—
That's quite an impressive skill.
He casually asked, "Who is Rong Momo?"
Shen Tang replied in a serious tone: "Granny Rong is a white-haired, wrinkled woman who is skilled in needle torture. It is said that every woman in the inner court is terrified when she hears her name."
Gu Chi didn't want to know where his lord got such gossip. He suppressed his relaxed, joking expression, made sure there was no one following him, and said with a smile, "My lord, this princess won't give up on winning you over so easily."
"Win them over?"
Shen Tang frowned as he recalled the scene of meeting the princess.
The latter's cold smile at the corner of his bright red lips left a deep impression.
It doesn't seem like they're trying to win me over at all.
But that's exactly how it is.
Shen Tang skipped this part: "What's going on with the baby in Princess's belly? Look at the size of her belly. If she hasn't been deliberately binding her abdomen, then the time should be back when she was still in Ganzhou."
That is, it existed before the marriage procession even set off.
Who would be so bold as to have an affair with a princess who is about to be married off? Or was the princess forced to have this child?
Gu Chi's answer solved the mystery.
This left Shen Tang speechless.
Gu Chi said, "It's between her and her lover."
This intelligence was easily obtained by analyzing the thoughts of the princess, the lady-in-waiting, and the princess's maids.
"The princess's lover? Who is he?"
Gu Chi said, "It should be the beloved illegitimate son of some high-ranking official. The two met during a spring outing on the Flower Festival."
Because she was born to a maid, this princess held a lowly position in her family and was not loved by her biological father. Her mistress only treated her with polite formalities. In order to secure a better future for herself in marriage and avoid marrying a widowed old man as a second wife, she secretly chose a son of an official with some reputation. Although he was an illegitimate son, he was the only son of the official, from a wealthy family with a small household.
As long as you win this person's heart, and when the time is right, you can propose marriage and become his wife.
As for how to live in the future, that depends on one's own abilities.
Princess Wang's plan was quite clever.
Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes.
Before her, there was already a princess, also a concubine's daughter from a minister's family, but she was just sixteen years old. Shiwu sent a hostage with 100,000 elite troops as a "betrothal gift" to fetch her. Because the wedding preparations took a long time, Zheng Qiao accepted the 100,000 elite troops as a "betrothal gift" first. On one hand, she scattered these elite troops and sent them to the front line to fight against the Zhiwang army. On the other hand, she kept the "hostage" and Shiwu hanging.
The marriage was delayed for more than half a year before it took place, but the princess suddenly fell ill and died on the third day after the wedding.
When the news reached Shiwu, they were unwilling to do it.
They were willing to "foolishly" offer 100,000 elite troops as a "dowry," hoping that these 100,000 elite troops would unite as one and turn against Zheng Qiao at any time. But who knew that Zheng Qiao, this cunning strategist, would rather sacrifice the combat coordination of the 100,000 elite troops and secretly disperse them to various places, infiltrating Zheng Qiao's main force.
These elite troops are capable fighters, but they can't coordinate with each other and are ineffective. Isn't this like throwing good money after bad, a complete waste?
They couldn't stir up any trouble on Zheng Qiao's turf.
Thus, the Ten Crows secretly condoned the repeated raids of the bandits on Longwu County, putting immense pressure on the defense of Yonggu Pass, all in an effort to pressure Zheng Qiao on border issues. Their bandits had managed to massacre the Longwu County capital this time, beheading the governor and hanging his head at the city gate; next time, with even more troops, they could attack further. Let's see how Zheng Qiao defends!
Zheng Qiao truly dared not further provoke Shi Wu, and turned a blind eye to the Longwu County issue.
Upon seeing this, Shiwu once again proposed a marriage alliance, but this time he was proposing to the son of the Queen, who already had a principal wife.
When Geng Wang Ji went to Shiwu, she could only be a "concubine".
This was a rather humiliating request.
But Zheng Qiao still agreed.
As usual, they randomly selected a concubine's daughter from a minister's family as the princess. However, considering the arduous journey, her frail health, and the risk of premature death, they specifically chose an older one. In the end, they selected the princess we know today.
When the imperial decree was received, the princess was already pregnant.
She had already arranged for her lover to propose marriage.
Upon hearing the news, the lover feigned illness and stayed home, hastily marrying her within half a month. The princess had no way to seek help, and was being watched, so she had no chance to abort the child.
He was filled with worries until the Ten Crows Messenger discovered something was wrong.
Shen Tang asked curiously, "The Ten Crows Envoy didn't get angry?"
The Ten Crows have sent many high-ranking figures this time, the leader of whom is the Queen's own brother, and thus the maternal uncle of the groom in this marriage alliance. The princess is blatantly trying to cuckold her nephew, yet they remain unmoved?
Gu Chi's expression turned strange for a moment.
"She got angry, but—"
But this princess is quite capable.
What skills do they have?
Gu Chi leaned closer and whispered, "Princess Wang said that her lover is Zheng Qiao and that the child in her womb is Zheng Qiao's only bloodline. She said it with great conviction, and I guess the envoy from the Ten Crows believed her."
Shen Tang: "..."
Wang Ji is quite something!
Zheng Qiao deserves to be cuckolded.
“Even if it’s just empty talk, the Ten Crows envoy isn’t stupid. Why would he believe it?” Shen Tang’s gossipy nerves were stirring, and her almond-shaped eyes sparkled. “Even if the Ten Crows wanted to use the princess’s unborn child to make a fuss, without absolute evidence, the world wouldn’t believe it, would it?”
Even framing someone requires evidence.
You can't just register a child's birth based on two lips touching.
Gu Chi frowned: "I haven't found out about that."
After all, without deliberate guidance, most people's thoughts are chaotic and disorganized. Gu Chi was able to know this information thanks to the maids who accompanied him, idly grumbling and complaining in their hearts. The information was disorganized, but relatively complete.
To find out more details, we need to gather more information.
Shen Tang asked again, "Then the princess is trying to win me over... could it be that she wants to use me to vouch for the identity of the child in her womb?"
Even the garrison commander of Yonggu Pass mistakenly thought that Shen Tang was Zheng Qiao's lackey, and even specially assigned her the task of escorting Princess Heqin. To outsiders, wasn't she a trusted confidante?
In the eyes of the Ten Crows envoy, Shen Tang's close relationship with the princess or his apparent emphasis on her could be reasonably explained.
Gu Chi nodded: "This is only one aspect."
Shen Tang: "...What is the second level?"
Gu Chi's expression turned mocking, his eyes gleaming mischievously. He said, "My lord is a young and talented man, as handsome as Pan An. His only flaw is that he is a bit young, but as a scholar, he is already close to adulthood at the age of fourteen... Princess, I am fond of him. If I could take you as my subject, my life would be safe along the way."
Shen Tang: "..."
(End of this chapter)
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