Chapter 77 The Eldest Princess's Wild Ideas
The driver scratched his head, thought for a moment, and said, "No, that's all."
The princess waved for the coachman to get off.
After the coachman left, the princess fell into deep thought.
Xie Erlang, Tianxing Tower, Shadow, Argument, Nighttime Rendezvous...
Various trivial fragments came flooding into the princess's mind, eventually converging together.
The eldest princess instantly understood.
Could it be that Ling'er's crush is Xie Erlang?
After reaching this conclusion, the eldest princess thought about it more and more and felt that it was possible.
When Ling'er first went to Xie Yuntang to learn calligraphy, she specifically asked about Xie Yunman's condition and sent him methods to improve his health.
Tianxing Tower also belonged to the Xie family. It is said that it was Xie Erlang who took the lead in building Tianxing Tower.
And there were the shadows of two men on the window of that day's building.
In addition, the two had a secret rendezvous at night and even argued in the carriage, resulting in Ling'er injuring her hand.
The more the eldest princess thought about it, the more convinced she became that this conclusion was correct.
Suddenly, the sky collapsed.
He quickly stood up and hurriedly went to the study.
Duke Lin Changqing of Qi was handling official business when he suddenly saw the eldest princess rushing in in a hurry.
He asked in surprise, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Before the princess could even speak, tears welled up in her eyes.
“Ling’er… Ling’er, he…”
Upon hearing that it concerned his son, the Duke of Qi waved his hand, and all the servants in the room withdrew.
Duke Qi stood up, walked to the eldest princess, and pressed her into a chair.
"Ling'er, what's wrong? Tell me slowly."
Upon hearing this, the eldest princess burst into tears: "Ling'er's beloved is Xie Yunman, the second son of Grand Tutor Xie."
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Qi stared in astonishment.
"Did Ling'er tell you that?"
The eldest princess wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and shook her head:
"No, no... it's my deduction..."
Duke Qi shook his head and chuckled, "You were wrong last time, so don't make any more wild guesses this time."
The eldest princess, wiping away her tears with a handkerchief, said:
"No...this time it's for real...I have evidence."
The Duke of Qi stopped in front of the eldest princess, poured her a cup of water, and asked:
"Your Highness, what is your basis? Please tell me."
When this was mentioned, the eldest princess stopped crying:
"Do you remember when Ling'er first said she was going to visit Xie Yuntang at the Xie family, she specifically inquired about Xie Yunman's situation and even gave him a method for conditioning and strengthening his body?"
The Duke of Qi nodded in agreement.
"Next came the matter of the shadows on the windows of Tianxing Tower."
Duke Qi interrupted the eldest princess: "Ling'er has already explained that matter, and it was later proven to be between Prince Ye and that Tao."
Why are you still thinking about this?
The eldest princess shook her head repeatedly upon hearing this: "No, no, that's not it."
The Tianxing Tower belonged to the Xie family, and Xie Yunman was the one who oversaw its construction and operation.
When I sent someone to Tianxing Tower to inquire, I heard from the servants that the No. 2 room was rarely booked and was mostly used by the Xie family.
As for Wenlan and Wenmo, I've already brought them back. They've been hanging around him every day lately, but Ling'er hasn't made a move at all.
I already had my doubts.
After finishing his official duties that day, he went to the Xie residence under the cover of night and met the second son of the Xie family.
The two stayed in the carriage for quite a while, and Ling'er's hand was injured. After returning, she drank alone in her room.
The driver said the two seemed to have had a disagreement.
Hearing the eldest princess speak so confidently, the Duke of Qi was filled with doubt. After thinking for a moment, he gave an order to the outside:
"Someone, go and call Qingfeng here."
Although the eldest princess had already asked Qingfeng, she still supported her husband's idea and felt it was necessary to ask Qingfeng again.
When Qingfeng entered the study, he saw the Princess's red eyes from crying and the Duke of Qi's deeply furrowed brows, and he was quite puzzled.
The Duke of Qi looked at Qingfeng and solemnly said:
"If the next question is true, you don't need to answer it; it means you agree."
This means you didn't betray your prince.
Qingfeng immediately sensed something was wrong; this was about to involve the Xie family.
The prince repeatedly instructed that Xie San Niangzi must not be mentioned. What... what should we do?
Qingfeng felt anxious instantly.
"Is there... really something going on between your prince and the second son of the Xie family?"
When Qingfeng heard that the question was directed at Xie Yunman, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't speak.
Duke Qi looked at Qingfeng and continued, "Does your silence mean you agree?"
Qingfeng thought that there was indeed something going on between the Prince and Xie Erlang. They were arguing fiercely over who Xie San Niangzi should marry.
Duke Qi's eyes instantly turned bloodshot as he stared intently at Qingfeng, relentlessly pressing for answers:
"If there's really something going on between the two of them, just give them a nod."
A gentle breeze nodded.
The Duke of Qi's anxiety finally died.
I almost fainted when I closed my eyes.
Qingfeng quickly stepped forward to help the Duke of Qi up and placed him on a chair nearby.
The eldest princess, no longer able to cry, helped the Duke of Qi to sit down.
Duke Qi sat in his chair for a moment to recover, then waved weakly at Qingfeng.
Qingfeng came out the door, scratched his head, and was quite puzzled.
Why is the National Guild so angry about the matter between the young master and the second son of the Xie family?
With a head full of questions, I went to see Xiao Ling.
But they found that Xiao Ling was already drunk and lying on the couch, seemingly asleep.
So he went forward and helped Xiao Ling lie down comfortably, thinking he would ask again tomorrow.
After Qingfeng left, only the Duke of Qi and the Princess remained in the study, an elderly couple sitting facing each other, heartbroken.
The couple stayed up all night, discussing the matter at length before finally reaching an agreement.
First, keep Xiao Ling's liking for men a secret.
Find another beautiful woman to serve Xiao Ling; if she is lucky enough to leave behind a child or two, that would be good too.
As dawn broke, the Duke of Qi went to the government office with dark circles under his eyes, looking much older than before.
Meanwhile, the eldest princess was sighing and lamenting in her residence.
After Xiao Ling woke up, Qingfeng told Xiao Ling what had happened.
Xiao Ling was still hungover and not very clear-headed, so he didn't think much of it and went directly to the Ministry of Personnel after washing up.
With November fast approaching, performance evaluations for officials across the country are about to begin, and the Ministry of Personnel is getting busy.
It was a month later when Xiao Ling finished her work.
During this month, Xiao Ling worked from dawn till dusk, never having a moment's rest.
I have never met Xie Yunyu, nor have I ever met Xie Yunman.
However, according to the news from Qingchen, the Xie family has not yet agreed to Du Zhengming's marriage proposal.
Although they never met, he often arranged for Qingchen to send small gifts to Xie Yunyu.
A bouquet of flowers, a box of tea, a letter, a plate of snacks, a set of storybooks...
Everything is brought to Qingchen by the gentle breeze, and then sent to Guyu by the gentle breeze.
Xie Yunyu was initially quite opposed to it, and told Guyu not to accept it next time.
But Qingchen wouldn't listen to Guyu.
Qingchen naturally listened to Xiao Ling.
Gu Yu thought that since Xie Yunyu and Xiao Ling were already like that, it would be better to bring them together.
After a while, Xie Yunyu began to enjoy it without any qualms.
You know what, the things this jerk gave me were actually quite to my liking.
Xiao Ling: This time, Qingchen gets an extra chicken leg.
Xie Yunyu felt a little guilty as she watched the number of things in the room increase.
Seeing this, Gu Yu said from the side, "Miss, the Prince has given so many things, shouldn't you give a gift in return?"
Xie Yunyu thought for a moment. Since her free will could not resist his good looks, she would submit for the time being.
It's fine to date, since my family has never approved of Du Shaoqing's marriage anyway.
In addition, seeing the things Xiao Ling sent these days often reminds me of him.
One night, she even dreamed about Xiao Ling.
In my dream, I was like a bandit, grabbing Xiao Ling's chin and forcibly kissing her, and then doing *that* to her...
Upon waking, Xie Yunyu felt the dream was absurd.
However, she also realized that she seemed to like Xiao Ling.
Oh well, let's just treat it as a relationship.
The kind of person who's ready to break up at any time.
Thinking of this, Xie Yunyu picked up a brush and drew a picture of the view from the small window, which she then asked Qingchen to send to Xiao Ling.
This was the first time in over a year that Xiao Ling had received a return gift from Xie Yunyu.
He thought to himself, "It seems that my trick of sending gifts has worked."
Xiao Ling was in a good mood all day, with a smile on her face.
The people in the Ministry of Personnel were all very surprised. What was wrong with the Prince of Shou'an?
Xiao Ling had the painting framed and hung in the most conspicuous place in his room so that he could see it at any time.
Next, Xie Yunyu gave her a fan pendant and a jade pendant.
Xiao Ling was very satisfied, feeling that the dawn of victory was in sight.
The two continued their private interactions, out of sight of others.
In Xie Yunyu's view, this was a clandestine affair that couldn't be made public.
In Xiao Ling's view, this was true love walking before dawn.
Although the two had different feelings about the relationship, their affection for each other was genuine and sincere, without a trace of pretense.
Xiao Ling was immersed in this sweetness.
He didn't notice at all that the number of maids serving him in his courtyard had suddenly increased.
Besides Wenlan and Wenmo serving him closely, there were many other people, which made him very uncomfortable.
One day, Xiao Ling returned home early during the day, and as soon as he entered the courtyard, a maid accidentally fell towards him.
Xiao Ling quickly moved aside.
He scolded the maid again before leaving.
He thought it was just an accident, but the maid who brought him lunch at noon was even bolder and took the opportunity to touch Xiao Ling's hand.
Xiao Ling glared angrily and kicked the person out.
In the afternoon, Xiao Ling worked from home, and the maids outside the door came back every now and then, bringing food and drinks in all sorts of ways.
Moreover, they were all dressed in flamboyant attire, and none of them looked like proper women.
Finally, Xiao Ling could no longer tolerate it and kicked all the maids out of the courtyard.
He had a gloomy face while eating dinner at night.
But seeing the exhaustion on her parents' faces, she couldn't help but show concern for them.
"Father, Mother, you two don't look too well lately?"
Upon hearing this, both the Duke of Qi and the Princess paused for a moment with their chopsticks in hand.
Qi then publicly stated, "Recently, I have been busy with court affairs, and the weather is getting colder. Perhaps I am exhausted."
The eldest princess thought for a moment and said, "It's all because of your aunt. Last time I dealt with your cousin Gu Lianfei, but your aunt was not happy about it."
Recently, Gu Lianfei has been making a huge fuss about refusing to get married, so your aunt came to me for help.
"This matter is troubling me."
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