Just then, Yunyu's voice came from outside the door: "Princess, Her Highness the Princess invites you to have dinner." Jiang Shu rubbed her eyes: "I know, I'll go in a bit."
After Yunyu left, Jiang Shu sat in front of the mirror for a while before slowly getting up.
No matter what, life had to go on, but she couldn't just accept her fate. On the other side, after seeing Jiang Shu off, Princess Ning was still seething with anger. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that her daughter was being unreasonable, giving up a perfectly good chance at becoming a top scholar instead of focusing on Minister Zheng's stepson, Zheng Yu.
Now, with the prospect of a marriage alliance looming over her, she was truly distraught. Just as she was lost in thought, her personal maidservant came in to report: "Your Highness, Yunyu has arrived and is waiting outside."
In fact, Yunyu was already the princess's woman. Whenever Jiang Shu went out, she would always arrange for Yunyu to report the situation. Sure enough, Yunyu was already waiting outside at this moment.
Princess Ning frowned: "Let Yunyu in." Yunyu lowered her head and silently walked in, bowing respectfully to Princess Ning.
"Your county princess just threw a tantrum at me. Do you know why?" Prince Ning asked casually, seemingly without a care in the world.
Yunyu's eyes darted around, her expression cunning like a fox. But at the same time, she quickly put on a troubled look for Princess Ning.
“Just tell me what you want to say. There’s no one I can trust around her anymore.”
"This servant...this servant doesn't actually know why the county princess is angry. It's just that on the way back from the Minister's residence today, the county princess was sullen and unhappy. This servant thinks it's mostly because of Young Master Zheng..."
"It's Zheng Yu again!"
Princess Ning snorted coldly, "What's so good about Zheng Yu? I think he's a heartless wretch! My Shu'er was so good to him back then, but now he only has eyes for his sister!"
[Has Princess Ning finally seen through Zheng Yu? She was even trying to match them up before!]
[That maid Yunyu really knows how to stir up trouble; she deliberately shifted the blame onto Zheng Yu.]
[Waiting for Princess Ning to unleash her ultimate move; she might be targeting He Yi...]
[Beware, vicious female supporting character! High-energy warning ahead!]
Seeing that Princess Ning was deep in thought with her head down and her complexion was not good, Yunyu knew that she had indeed been provoked to anger, and Yunyu was immediately delighted.
“Who says otherwise?! Your Highness, you didn’t see it yourself. Today at the entrance of the Minister’s residence, Young Master Zheng was so cold to the County Princess! On the contrary, he was all over his sister He Yi, showing her concern and staying by her side every step of the way.”
While observing Princess Ning's expression, Yunyu continued her nonsense—"This servant feels sorry for the county princess. It's clear that Zheng Heyi stole Young Master Zheng's heart, which is why the county princess is so sullen..."
"Zheng Heyi?"
Princess Ning narrowed her eyes coldly. She already disliked Zheng Yu, and now that Yun Yu had said this, she immediately turned her anger on He Yi.
"She said she would help me before, but now it seems that the reason she was willing to help me just to appease me was entirely for her own benefit in getting Zheng Yu. What a cunning scheme, what a wishful plan!"
Yunyu clicked her tongue in astonishment, "Speaking of which, who is Zheng Heyi anyway? How dare she try to steal someone from the county princess? She really doesn't know her own limitations!"
Seeing that Princess Ning was angry, Yunyu knew that her words had worked, so she quickly pressed her advantage: "That's right! Zheng Heyi may look gentle and weak, but she's got quite a few tricks up her sleeve!"
Princess Ning grew angrier as she listened, and suddenly sneered, "So it was she who was causing all this trouble, yet she pretended to be innocent and harmless. She actually stole my daughter's sweetheart! Humph, since Zheng Yu doesn't know what's good for him, then I'll find an even better one for Shu'er! I'll make them see that even without Zheng Yu, my Shu'er can still marry well!"
Seeing this, Yunyu quickly agreed.
"Your Highness is right! With the county princess's talent and beauty, what kind of good man couldn't she find? Why hang herself on Zheng Yu's tree!"
Princess Ning nodded slightly, already having made up her mind.
She waved her hand, seemingly exhausted, and said wearily, "Alright, Yunyu, good child! You can go now. Remember, you must not mention what we said today to anyone. And don't let your county princess know that you've come here today. Go now."
"Yes, this servant will certainly guard against it at all costs."
After bowing, Yunyu withdrew without making a sound.
Princess Ning sat listlessly in her seat, glancing out the window from time to time. As dusk deepened and the sky grew pitch black, her gaze sharpened considerably.
Zheng Yu! Zheng Heyi...you just wait.
I will make you pay for the injustice my daughter suffered! She picked up the invitation on the table, flipped through the list of eligible young talents in the capital, and a cold smile curled at the corner of her mouth.
It seems it's time to arrange new blind dates for Shu'er. This time, she must find a man a hundred times better than Zheng Yu, someone who can bring Shu'er a future and change her destiny. She absolutely cannot let Shu'er go to that barbaric land for a political marriage!
Meanwhile, at the Minister's residence, He Yi was pestering Zheng Yu with all sorts of questions.
"Brother, Sister Jiang looked really unwell when she left today. Is she really sick? Do you think we should send someone to check on her?"
Zheng Yu was looking at the shop's account books when he heard this. Without even looking up, he said, "She has people from the Prince's Mansion taking care of her. We don't need to worry about her."
He Yi pouted: "But I feel like Sister Jiang seems really unhappy..."
"Alright, don't think about these things anymore." Zheng Yu looked at him, slowly put down the account book, and said gently, "How about I take you to the street to buy some of the newest pastries tomorrow?"
He Yi's eyes lit up. Ever since Minister Zheng fell ill, they hadn't gone out for a long time. Everyone said that many new workshops had opened in the city, but He Yi hadn't visited any of them yet.
"Okay!" He Yi temporarily put Jiang Shu's matter out of her mind. Besides, He Yi might not really understand Jiang Shu either; she always felt that Jiang Shu was mysterious.
The next day, just as dawn broke, He Yi had finished washing up when Qing Ju brought in water to wash her face with a smile. "Princess, the eldest young master invited you to go shopping and has been waiting outside for a while."
He Yi quickly finished washing up and hurried to the flower hall. She had been staying at the Minister's residence recently, partly to take care of her father, and partly because she liked it here.
Now that Lin Shi and Zheng Yutang are still under house arrest in the backyard, and no one is causing any more ghost stories, the atmosphere in the Minister's mansion is better than ever.
"Why are you up so early today, brother?" He Yi greeted him with a smile.
Zheng Yu walked up to her and said, "Didn't we agree that you would go buy some snacks? If you're ready, we'll set off now."
He Yi was still eating pastries when Zheng Yu glanced at her, his eyes showing a hint of disdain.
Zheng Heyi didn't know if her brother disliked her or the pastry. He took the pastry from Heyi's hand, broke it into pieces, and threw it to the horse next to him.
"Tianxiangfang on Zhuque Street has a new shortbread. You've been asking about the most authentic one since last year, and you're in luck today."
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