Chapter 132: Blooming quickly, falling quickly

As Qi Siwei left, Chu Li walked in. When he saw the Crown Princess and Ruan Qinghuan, he ran over and said, "Cousin, sister-in-law, you guys came to join in the fun, why didn't you call me?"

After saying that, he turned around and glared at Ji Lingchuan.

Ji Lingchuan sighed helplessly. He didn't want to come in the first place. What was the point of the banquet at Prince Chen's Mansion? Wouldn't it be better for him to take her to the outskirts of Beijing for a trip?

Chu Li was stubborn. When he heard that the Crown Princess and Ruan Qinghuan were coming, he suddenly changed his mind when he arrived at the city gate and insisted on joining in the hustle and bustle of Prince Chen's mansion.

"Today's banquet is really boring, so I didn't want to invite you." Now that she was here, the Crown Princess pulled her to sit beside her.

Ruan Qinghuan laughed dumbly when he saw Ji Lingchuan's disappointed expression. Is this still the General Ji who was chased by Chu Li and fled everywhere?

Ti Pei said: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and his men went to the main hall."

Alas... a good date was ruined like this. Ji Lingchuan was in a bad mood. He felt even more annoyed when he saw the women chattering here. He stared at Chu Li's back for a long time, then turned around helplessly and went to the main hall.

As soon as Ji Lingchuan left, the Crown Princess scolded him, "You, this Spring Festival Banquet is not as interesting as you and General Ji playing together. You have to join in the fun. Are you stupid?"

"Who's here to join in the fun? My cousin and sister-in-law are here. I want to stay with you."

The Crown Princess scolded: "You are good at recognizing relatives."

Chu Li was pleased. Ever since her trip to Lucheng, she had been calling Ruan Qinghuan sister-in-law, feeling that this way they were closer.

The Crown Princess shook her head: "I don't know who it was at the time, talking about wanting to meet General Ji every day, and now that he has fulfilled your wish, you are causing trouble."

Ruan Qinghuan laughed out loud when he heard this.

Chu Li's face flushed: "Sister-in-law, are you going to laugh at me too? I care about you in vain, but you only tease me."

As they were talking, two children ran in and surrounded Princess Chen.

Princess Chen stood up and walked over with the child: "Come, come, come, quickly pay your respects to Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess."

The two children, about four or five years old, bowed respectfully to the Crown Princess and were then taken away by the palace's nanny.

"I'm sorry to make you laugh, Princess. These two kids usually like to cling to me. Today I asked someone to take care of them, but they still came over and made a fuss."

"It's normal for children to like playing. Princess Chen, don't worry about it."

"The Crown Princess is very generous. It is I who am petty. I am worried that the Crown Princess will be hurt when she sees the child."

The Crown Princess' eyes moved slightly.

Chu Li heard the hidden meaning in her words and immediately stood up angrily: "Princess Chen, what you said is wrong. According to what I heard, these two children were born to Prince Chen's concubines. I am wondering, the concubines have given birth to children, but Princess Chen has never had any. Could it be..."

As he spoke, he coughed loudly several times to attract the attention of the people around him: "Could it be that Princess Chen is unable to give birth, so she can only raise the concubine's child by her side?"

"Or... Prince Chen ignored the princess, so the princess had no choice but to..."

"Shut up." Princess Chen gasped angrily. Just as she was about to lose her temper, she met the Crown Princess's calm eyes.

The Crown Princess put down the wine cup in her hand and said: "I have corrupted Chu Li's temper. If you touch my sore spot, I will make you pay."

"Cousin, she was the one who started the fight first..."

"Okay, leave now."

Chu Li was holding back his anger, and not slapping her twice was already polite of him.

Princess Chen originally wanted to disturb their minds and not care about the male guest, but she never expected to be tricked by Chu Li.

But she knew that the Crown Princess must be feeling bad.

Princess Chen went to the backyard on the pretext of changing clothes, and the ladies and noble girls breathed a sigh of relief. If the Crown Princess hadn't stopped her, Princess Chu Li would have really attacked her.

Chu Li: "Cousin, she said something rude, why don't you let me teach her a lesson."

"You also said that she was just trying to provoke me. If you really took action, wouldn't that be fulfilling her wish?"

Chu Li was not convinced: "She should be beaten up, at worst she will be punished by the Emperor if something goes wrong."

Seeing that she hadn't figured it out yet, Ruan Qinghuan said, "Today, Prince Chen's mansion is holding a grand banquet, but Prince Chen and Princess Chen don't seem to care much about the people who come to the banquet. I'm afraid they have other intentions."

The Crown Princess was worried: "Qi Siwei was just called away, and Princess Chen took the opportunity to go to the backyard. Doing this in front of others makes it hard for people to find fault with it."

Ruan Qinghuan: "The Emperor hopes that Prince Chen will change his ways, but he is afraid that he will continue to act on his own."

Chu Li: "Cousin, what she means is that she wants to pull Qi Siwei into her arms?"

Crown Princess: “…”

Her cousin is a perfect match for the impatient General Ji, who is always too lazy to think in detours.

Ruan Qinghuan shook his head.

Chu Li was anxious when he saw this: "What do you have these expressions on your faces? Am I wrong?"

**

In the backyard room, Qi Siwei, who had been waiting for a while, heard the door open and respectfully greeted Princess Chen: "Your servant greets the princess."

"Miss Qi, there is no need to be polite. Lord Qi and the prince have a close personal relationship, so he will not treat you as an outsider." He raised his hand to signal her to sit down and talk. "I called you here today just to talk. Don't be polite."

After saying this, the maid brought a brocade box.

Princess Chen pushed the box in front of Qi Siwei and said, "I heard that you and Master Qi will be married soon. This is a gift for you."

"Princess, I feel so unworthy of your kindness..."

"Why, are you rejecting me?"

Qi Siwei hesitated for a moment, then stood up and bowed: "I dare not, thank you for your kindness, Princess."

"Okay, get up." Princess Chen touched the edge of the teacup with her fingers. "There is one more thing today. The situation of the Qi family is difficult, and Lord Jiang's actions are difficult to predict. I will give you a smart maid to serve you. If necessary, she can also help you consolidate your position as mistress."

Qi Siwei was shocked.

Seeing her panic, Princess Chen chuckled and said, "Don't worry, she won't do anything without your permission. You just need to keep her by your side."

Qi Siwei didn't dare to refuse.

Just as the Qi family did not dare to offend Jiang Jie, they did not dare to offend King Chen.

But if I really accepted this person, how would I explain to Minister Jiang?

Princess Chen's intention was obvious. She wanted to place someone in Jiang's residence as a spy. If she really brought the person back and was discovered by Jiang Jie...

She didn't dare to think about what happened next.

Princess Chen soothed him, "Don't worry, Prince Chen and I are on the side of Master Qi, so we are worried that you will not be doing well in the Jiang Mansion, so we want to pave the way for you."

"If you are really having a hard time, Prince Chen and I can support you."

Qi Siwei: “…”

After sending the person out, Princess Chen gave her a cold look from behind. If Jiang Jie hadn't brought her along to the banquet today, how could things have gotten into such trouble?

At the beginning, I had heard that the daughter of the Qi family was extremely talented and had superb dancing skills, and that she was once very famous.

Now, her eyes are dull and her body is thin. I don’t know if it is because the famous pearl is covered by dust, or if she is just an ephemeral flower that blooms beautifully but withers quickly.

"Go, take her to her."

The maid accepted the order: "Yes, Princess."