Chapter 57 Incompatible with Etiquette and Law
Yang Qing didn't care at all, rubbing her hands together. "So what if he's angry? He can just call off the engagement anyway. I don't want to marry him anyway."
Liu Ye'er went to stir the charcoal in the stove, looking troubled: "But... things have come to this point, if Miss doesn't marry the Crown Prince, who else can she marry?"
Yang Qing snorted, "Does one really have to get married? At worst, I'll cut my hair and become a nun, is that alright?"
Liu Ye'er laughed and said, "I'm afraid that won't work. Nuns serve Buddha and don't eat meat. How can you bear that?"
Yang Qing thought about it and realized that what she said made sense. It was one thing to not eat meat for a day, but to not eat meat for a lifetime... Not only meat, but also other snacks and the like, anything that had been touched by oil was off-limits.
Then you really can't become a nun.
The snow outside kept falling, and it seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. At night, there were sounds like snow breaking and bamboo snapping.
Yang Qing was wrapped in a quilt. The stove in the room was burning brightly, so she didn't feel very cold. She had just fallen asleep when she had a dream.
The sound of water, the rising steam, and behind the steam, the man's hateful face, along with his soft laughter and coaxing.
Pervert, hooligan, scumbag, ptooey.
He thought, "How could anything good happen at a hot spring?"
Perhaps because she went to bed very early last night, Yang Qing opened her eyes before dawn.
She usually forgets her dreams as soon as she wakes up, but last night's dream is still vivid in her mind even after she has washed up.
Perhaps it's because this actually happened, rather than a fabricated fantasy?
After breakfast, Chu Ying invited her to go out and play together.
This is a royal estate; having a snowball fight here seems too frivolous and is clearly not suitable for playing here.
A group of girls of similar age gathered together; some were quiet, some were lively, but none of them seemed to want to play.
There happened to be a plum grove behind us. Although it wasn't very big, it was enough to create a pleasant atmosphere for searching for plum blossoms in the snow.
Yang Qing also put on an outer cloak and followed the main group, with Princess Shengping, the master, walking at the very front.
She wore a fox fur cloak over a bright red palace dress. Her round face had striking features, bearing little resemblance to Li Shangxuan or the emperor. She likely took after her mother.
The emperor had few children, so Princess Shengping was considered to be favored.
Yang Qing sensed that she seemed to want to talk to her, but the little princess was used to being pampered by others, so how could she try to please others?
She pretended not to know anything and continued to look at the plum blossoms. Li Shangxuan had angered her, and since Princess Shengping was his sister, she would naturally be implicated.
Although she didn't dare to yell and make a scene with the princess, she was quite daring to play dumb.
Having read through three hundred ancient poems, even those who cannot compose poetry can recite it, and some people begin to feign elegance.
Everywhere you look is a vast expanse of white snow, as if you were in a crystal world.
She sighed softly; her hands, which had just been touching the plum blossoms, were red from the cold. She quickly put them to her lips and breathed on them to warm them.
Princess Shengping saw this and quickly seized the opportunity to say, "A-Liu, hand my hand warmer to Miss Chi Qi."
Yang Qing could only accept it and thanked him in a low voice. No one else suspected anything. Yang Qing was engaged to the Crown Prince, so she was a princess and it was normal for her to want to please her future sister-in-law.
Having finally seized the opportunity, Sheng Ping was naturally unwilling to let it slip away. He looked Yang Qing up and down, but couldn't find a suitable angle. Finally, he could only blush and smile, saying, "Do you think my fox fur cloak looks good? It's very warm. I have several more of this material. Anyway, I don't need that many for myself. I'll have someone deliver them to you in a bit."
Yang Qing declined several times, but seeing that her expression changed several times, she probably thought that she was deliberately making things difficult for her, so she could only reluctantly accept it.
Shengping was delighted. Seeing that no one was around and that everyone was quite perceptive, they dispersed in twos and threes, leaving this small open space to Princess Shengping and Yangqing.
Even those who lack tact were pulled along by their perceptive friends.
"Your third brother came in a hurry yesterday and left in a hurry. Did you see him?"
Yang Qing's expression calmed down, and she said calmly, "Princess, please be careful with your words. It is improper for a man and a woman to meet in private. This is against etiquette."
Princess Shengping then explained awkwardly, "My third brother said he wanted to see you. He is the Crown Prince, so I can't contradict him or say anything bad about him."
Yang Qing was still holding Princess Shengping's hand warmer in her hand. This thing was exquisite, small and light. It was indeed made by the royal family and was different from those sold in the market.
She listened to Princess Shengping's explanation but said nothing, only lowered her head and looked down.
She couldn't stop thinking about Li Shangxuan. He was truly lawless and always had one way or another to deal with her.
She was a weak woman, and he could only manipulate her.
Princess Shengping was not good at conversation either, and just stared blankly at Yang Qing's drooping eyelashes.
She's neither particularly smart nor particularly stupid.
The emperor's attitude is now very clear: his third brother has become the crown prince, and it is a foregone conclusion that he will inherit the throne.
Therefore, it is only natural that the girl in front of us will become the future empress.
It seems that her third brother cares about her a lot now.
Princess Shengping was determined to curry favor with the future Empress. Even if she couldn't become close to her, she absolutely couldn't leave a bad impression, otherwise what if she made things difficult for her in the future?
Although her third brother treated her fairly well, the two were not siblings from the same mother, so their relationship was not very stable. Her mother had passed away, and her maternal family had no foundation. If she wanted to continue to live a happy life in the future, she certainly couldn't afford to offend people she shouldn't.
But why does this Miss Chi Qi seem to ignore her? Could it be that she inadvertently did something wrong?
Sheng Ping was quite uneasy for a moment, thinking that he must try to repair their relationship. But this Chi Qi girl was really a bit old-fashioned. When her lover was on a date, she actually said that the etiquette was not right.
If Si Jiamu goes to great lengths to see her, Princess Shengping will be so happy she won't be able to sleep.
They remained silent the whole way until the snow melted three days later, at which point they finally headed back home.
Upon seeing Chu Ying, the Third Madam immediately embraced her daughter, asking, "My child, have you caused any trouble again?"
Although Chu Ying was obediently held, she still grumbled unhappily, "What trouble could I possibly cause? Mother, you're really something, always complaining about me like this."
In contrast to the exceptionally close mother-daughter relationship between the Third Madam and Chu Ying, the Second Madam was much colder. She only asked a few meaningless questions in a businesslike manner, and that was it. Her expression was half joy and half sorrow.
Yang Qing asked Rong Yue in a low voice, "What's wrong, Mother? Is there some happy occasion in our family again?"
Rongyue kept her head down and did not answer.
Yang Qing found it very strange.
Yan Yun covered her mouth and laughed, "Third sister, you're embarrassed. Ah Xun doesn't know, while you were away these past few days, the Si family sent a matchmaker to propose marriage."
Yang Qing was slightly taken aback. A marriage proposal?
Hearing Yan Yun's words, the second madam beamed and nodded, saying, "It is indeed someone from the Si family. The one proposing marriage is the eldest son of the Si family, who is a top-notch figure in the capital. Amitabha, may the heavens be blessed! All the good deeds I have done in my life have been witnessed by the gods in heaven, and finally, they have been rewarded for you all."
Thinking about it this way, things turned out for the better. Even the second daughter, Yanyun, shouldn't have to worry about remarrying. Just based on these two brothers-in-law, the young men of the capital would be vying for her, not to mention Yanyun's beautiful appearance.
Rongyue, however, showed little joy. After hearing the Second Madam's words, she sighed slightly, lowered her eyes, and said, "The reputation is undeserved. If Mother is thinking of me, it would be better not to agree to this marriage."
The second wife suppressed her joy, her face darkening as she scolded, "What's wrong with the Si family? What's wrong with the eldest son of the Si family? I've seen it clearly now. Even if someone were as handsome as Pan An or Song Yu, you wouldn't be interested in this or that. Do you know how much I, as your mother, have worried about your marriage, losing sleep night after night? We finally found a good prospect, and you're still being picky."
Yang Qing couldn't help but lower her head and chuckle to herself. No matter who in the house couldn't sleep, it wouldn't be the Second Madam.
The second wife came from a military family and was skilled in archery and horsemanship in her youth. Although she didn't move around much after marriage, she was still in excellent health. In her previous life, she was still full of energy after Li Shangxuan died, so living for several more decades would not be a problem.
The second madam saw her smirking, but only glared at her before hearing Rongyue speak, so she didn't have time to scold her.
"What kind of extraordinary figures were Pan An and Song Yu? Compared to them, where am I lacking?"
The second wife laughed in exasperation: "Yes, yes, I don't know how my womb could be so fertile, to have a divine being like you reincarnated."
Rongyue simply pursed her lips and remained silent.
After the mother and daughters parted on bad terms, Yang Qing pulled Lian Tang aside, but the girl knew nothing about it, saying, "How would I know why the Si family would suddenly propose marriage..."
Yang Qing poked her head: "Why are you always like this? You don't know this, you don't know that. Look at you, so stupid. If your mother sold you, you'd probably still be counting the money. Maybe tomorrow, she'll introduce you to an old and ugly widower. Let's see if you'll still know what's going on then."
Lian Tang covered her head and retorted, "No, Mother said that her sister-in-law's family is simple and kind. They only ask that the girl be of good character and that they would forgive me."
Yang Qing couldn't quite remember this distant relative, and after ten years, she squinted and thought for a while before finally remembering who he was. She wondered, "I remember the young master of the Duke's mansion was an idiot, wasn't he?"
Lian Tang smiled helplessly and said, "Fourth sister, you're mistaken. You meant to tell me about the second son of the family, not the eldest son."
Yang Qing then said, "I knew it. Mother wouldn't be so bad as to want you to marry a fool."
Lian Tang chuckled and said, "Even though he's a fool, he's very popular and doesn't even look at me."
Yang Qing scoffed, "I remember that the Duke of Ningguo and the current emperor were old friends, but so what? No matter how high his family background is, he still has his flaws. How many good girls would be willing to marry him?"
Lian Tang said, "Fourth Sister should really go out more and talk to other people."
Things were fine before, but ever since the imperial decree of marriage was issued and Xu Pianran stopped coming out, Yang Qing also became reluctant to go out. The gazes of those people, whether fawning or scrutinizing, made her very uncomfortable. Furthermore, the Second Madam constantly reminded her to project the aura of the future mistress of the Eastern Palace and not to do or think anything of what she wanted, which made her even more unwilling to go out.
Lian Tang: "Fourth sister, you must have forgotten what the heir of the Duke of Ningguo looks like. Although he is not very bright, in terms of appearance, he is almost as handsome as the eldest son of the Si family."
Yang Qing was still puzzled: "Even if someone is good-looking, they still have mental problems. Does that mean everyone would be willing to marry him just because he's good-looking?"
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