Yu Shan's doubts reminded Hongli, "The selection process is indeed very strict, so very few people can be chosen. Her injury was very serious at the time, and it must have left scars. Logically speaking, she shouldn't have been able to pass the preliminary selection!"
Hongli was so shocked by the fact that Lan Rong was alive that he completely forgot to consider the details. Only after Yu Shan reminded him did he realize that something was wrong.
"Are you doubting that she isn't Xiao Lan?"
Su Yushan had never met Xiao Lan from back then, so she couldn't confirm, "Do you think her appearance has changed?"
"Five years have passed, and everyone will change a little, but not much. Judging from her appearance, she should be Xiao Lan herself. At least her voice is the same, which should be hard to fake."
Su Yushan speculated to herself, "There are two possibilities now. Either Lan Rong is not Xiao Lan, but just looks like her. Lan Rong has no scars, so she was able to be selected smoothly. Or Lan Rong is indeed Xiao Lan, but someone is protecting her behind the scenes, so she was able to get away with it."
Hongli had heard of the bribery of palace maids. “The palace rules are strict. Although there are occasional cases of maids accepting bribes, they are usually minor issues that are overlooked. If the bribes are too obvious, the maids will be implicated if they are found out. Such risks are too great, and I do not think the maids would dare to take them.”
“But Lan Rong is different. She is your benefactor. Even if you find that she has scars, you can’t expose her.”
That being said, this assumption seemed untenable. "During the initial selection, who could guarantee that she would definitely point her to me? What if she pointed her to someone else? I doubt anyone would tolerate her having a scar on her heart." At this point, Hongli had a flash of inspiration and suddenly thought of a possibility.
"Unless someone intended to betroth Lan Rong to me from the very beginning, and the only one who could manipulate this matter is probably my mother..."
His guess was exactly what Su Yushan had been thinking: "You often disobey the Emperor and Consort Xi because of me, and Consort Xi has always been very dissatisfied with me. If she were to choose any concubine for you, no matter how beautiful she was, you still wouldn't care. That's why she chose Lan Rong, a woman who has been kind to you."
"Lan Rong's status is special, so you definitely won't be as cold to her as you are to others. I'm bound to be jealous. Then, without Consort Xi intervening, you and I will have a conflict over this matter. Lan Rong will take advantage of the situation and show you concern and care, and the rift between you and me will only deepen..."
Su Yushan became suspicious because the bridal veil is a private matter and is not usually discussed with outsiders. However, Yunfang bumped into the people from Yiyun Pavilion exchanging bridal veils as soon as she went out. They did not hide it from her and told Yunfang openly, clearly intending to let Yunfang know.
However, this is just speculation. Yu Shan has no evidence, so she cannot tell Hong Li about this. Otherwise, Hong Li might think that she is deliberately slandering Lan Rong. She doesn't need to say bad things about Lan Rong. She only needs to let Hong Li know that Lan Rong may be someone planted by Consort Xi in his life.
This alone will make Hongli wary of Lan Rong!
Listening to Yu Shan's analysis, Hongli reflected on the events of the past few days and found them increasingly strange.
In truth, when he first met Lan Rong, he had also been puzzled—how could it be such a coincidence? But there are many strange things in the world, so he didn't pay much attention. Now, however, considering the scar, Hongli couldn't help but become suspicious.
"If it really was Mother's arrangement, then she really went to great lengths!"
Once there are doubts, Hongli will not give up easily. "Leave this matter to me, and I will find out the truth."
The two were extremely focused when discussing the matter, completely forgetting the conflict they had just had. When he realized that this might be a scheme set up by his mother, he could no longer bear to blame Yu Shan.
Reaching the edge of the tent, Hongli sat down and gazed at her.
“Mother is trying to drive a wedge between us. We almost fell for her trick. Now that you know there’s something fishy about this, you shouldn’t doubt my feelings for you anymore. Someone as smart as you shouldn’t fall for Mother’s tricks.”
She didn't deserve such praise. "I'm not smart at all. I really fell for their trick."
Hongli smiled indifferently, "Jealousy is a good thing, I don't blame you. It proves that you care about me. But after being jealous, I hope you can still trust me and not doubt my sincerity."
However, she was not only jealous, but also thought that Hongli was still hung up on Lan Rong. She had been sulking for several days. Reflecting on her own attitude, Su Yushan couldn't help but feel guilty. She twisted her fingers and remained silent for a while before saying:
"But I've started to doubt you. Aren't you angry with me?"
Seeing her guilty expression, Hongli sighed helplessly, "I was indeed very angry just now, but I've calmed down now."
Really? But she clearly remembered that he had just demanded an apology from her! "You've already calmed down before I've even apologized to you?"
Hongli straightened his back and immediately changed his words, "How can a real man make the woman he loves apologize? Even if you doubt me, it's because you like me too much, so I should be glad that I didn't hold a grudge against you."
His righteous and indignant demeanor made Su Yushan chuckle. "You really know how to comfort yourself."
“Otherwise?” Turning his head slightly, Hongli looked at her with eyes full of affection. “If I were truly angry, how could we have gotten this far? When you are deeply in love, you will get used to compromising.”
Those few simple words touched a soft spot in her heart, deeply moving her. Straightening up, Su Yushan slowly moved closer, embracing him from behind, pressing her face against his broad, firm shoulders, and softly said:
"I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I should have asked you first. I was too impulsive. I apologize. I'm sorry."
Every time she spoke softly, his heart melted, all his resentment vanished, and he could no longer bear to utter a harsh word. Gently covering her soft, boneless hand, Hongli coaxed her softly:
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
