Chapter 63 Amazing
After not seeing each other for many days, Yang Qing grasped Xu Pianran's hand, and the other party made a face at her.
Yang Qing was amused and wanted to talk to her, but looking at the densely packed crowd around her, she felt uneasy and asked in a low voice, "What's going on here?"
Thousand Moon Mountain is very peaceful, and there has never been any trouble caused by bandits. Why would Xu Pianran bring so many people with her? This entourage is a bit too much.
Xu Pianran laughed and said, "What's so special about this? You don't know, my house is now more secure than the Dali Temple prison. Not even a bird, no, not even a mosquito, can fly out."
The metaphor was so exaggerated that Yang Qing laughed, but then she thought that the changes in the Duke of Xu's mansion were probably related to the death of Xu Yanran.
The deceased is gone, and Xu Yanran was so young. Not long ago, the two sat at the same table, and now, suddenly, they are separated by death.
As a result, Yang Qing's smile disappeared again, but looking at Xu Pianran, she didn't seem to be bothered by the matter, and her face still showed a happy expression.
She couldn't help but wonder. Although Xu Pianran was cheerful, she couldn't be so heartless.
Yang Qing lowered her voice and asked, "What exactly happened with your sister?"
Xu Pianran laughed heartily, oblivious to the fact that there were still layers of servants surrounding them. Her voice was as usual: "You noticed something was wrong too, didn't you? That guy surnamed Zhou also felt something was wrong, but our family values our reputation and will absolutely not let him find fault with us."
Yang Qing exclaimed in surprise, "So, your family called off the engagement? But that doesn't make sense. Even if they did call off the engagement, they wouldn't go so far as to stage a fake death..."
Xu Pianran scoffed, "How could that be?"
Her smugness grew even stronger: "Relying on them is just wishful thinking. Sister Yanran has run off all by herself."
Yang Qing asked in surprise, "You ran out all by yourself?"
She shook her head in strong disagreement: "Although we live in a peaceful and prosperous era, these pampered young ladies can't lift a finger or carry anything. They've hardly ever left the house. What if they encounter bad people when they go out?"
Xu Pianran clearly didn't take it to heart: "Even if she's bad, she can't be as bad as that Zhou. She took a lot of money with her. All the money I've saved since I was a child has been given to her. With so much money in hand, I won't have to live a hard life."
This was an attempt to think positively, but it seemed there was no other way but to think positively. The person had already gone far away, and Xu Pianran didn't know which direction she went or where she had gone.
Yang Qing could only say, "You guys are really too audacious."
Xu Pianran snorted, "We didn't want to either, but there's nothing we can do about it. After all, our family isn't like yours; we haven't completely fallen into the trap of fame and fortune."
Yang Qing recalled the incident with the Prince of Ning's heir. If she were to actually marry the Prince of Ning's heir, she would probably have the same thought as Xu Yanran: she would rather be dead.
A chill ran down her spine, and the maids all looked hesitant, as if they wanted to say something but couldn't. Yang Qing knew what they were thinking.
Xu Pianran actually revealed the secrets of the Xu family so openly.
She understood and changed the subject, no longer asking about Xu Yanran, but instead talking about which family had recently hired a good chef, and which new restaurant had opened in the East Market or West Market.
Xu Pianran was indeed completely captivated; she has always been most interested in food.
The two chatted and laughed, holding hands as they climbed the mountain together. The mountain path wasn't steep, and although it wasn't as flat as flat ground, it wasn't far off either. At least they walked without any pressure, just like when Yang Qing met Xin Wanyou before, it was incredibly effortless.
This wasn't exactly a narrow path, but it was still an encounter with someone I didn't want to meet.
When Yang Qing saw Song Xiwei, she cursed her bad luck inwardly. She lowered her head unhappily, hoping that Song Xiwei would be sensible and pretend that she hadn't seen her at all.
Song Xiwei is the kind of person who loves to put on airs. Even in the deep courtyards of the capital, she would never argue with anyone. But here is a bright, open roadside where people of all ages are likely to pass by. She probably wouldn't cause trouble here for no reason.
But Yang Qing was wrong again. Song Xiwei liked to put on airs, but she liked to use people as knives even more.
It was like that before, and it hasn't changed now. While others are fighting for her, she pretends to be pitiful and helpless, as if she has suffered a great injustice.
She wasn't alone today; several girls in fine clothes were standing beside her.
Yang Qing recognized that the person holding her hand was Princess Hua, whom Yang Qing considered a fool like Chu Ying.
But even if Chu Ying is foolish, she's only a bully at home, and her own family won't do anything to her.
But this Lady Hehua was indeed notorious for her frequent outbursts of rage, regardless of the occasion.
The most famous incident was when he had a falling out with Princess Shengning and publicly insulted her, saying that she was born to a lowly palace maid, was inherently inferior, and was not worthy of sharing a room with her.
This terrified the old prince, the father of Princess Hehua, who immediately came to the palace to apologize.
Although the emperor and empress did not impose any punishment, they did reprimand her, and Princess Hehua was confined to her quarters for a year.
It should be released soon.
She actually hooked up with Song Xiwei as soon as her confinement was lifted; she's probably really in for a world of trouble.
Seeing this brainless monster, Yang Qing just wanted to get as far away as possible.
After all, if a mad dog bites you right away, where can you go to reason with it?
Besides, this is a noble mad dog.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. She and Xu Pianran wanted to go up, while Princess Hua and Song Xiwei wanted to go down, so the two groups were bound to bump into each other.
With such a large group of people, it was hard not to notice them, and Song Xiwei was known for her meticulous attention to detail.
Just as Yang Qing had expected, the haughty Princess Hehua frowned and said sarcastically, "What a grand display! I wonder which princess is traveling with us."
Perhaps because of her year-long confinement, she had become much more restrained than before. She knew all the princesses, and only after confirming that they weren't the real ones did she make a sarcastic remark to vent her frustration. She hadn't really thought anything of it, since they were just unrelated people anyway.
Song Xiwei's eyes flashed, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing two very shallow dimples. She looked gentle and approachable, as if reminding her, "Princess, please stop talking. Don't you know who this is? She is the fourth daughter of the Chi family. She was engaged to the Crown Prince last year and is a sure thing to become the Crown Princess. It would be best if we kept quiet."
Song Xiwei's reminder only made things worse; instead, it enraged Princess Hua, who coldly snorted, "So that's how it is."
She was able to act so arrogantly for so many years and develop such an overbearing personality, which naturally meant she had a powerful background. She was not only a noblewoman of the imperial family, but her deceased mother was also a cousin of Empress Ming.
Although Empress Ming's demeanor was indifferent, she was still relatively kind to Princess Hehua compared to others, and she remembered her during festivals.
Having received Empress Ming's protection, Princess Hehua naturally decided to stand on Empress Ming's side.
Although she was foolish, she was not kind. When the eldest prince suddenly died of a serious illness, she always felt that the matter was inextricably linked to the current crown prince, Li Shangxuan.
Even if she couldn't produce any evidence, she still believed it and was determined to expose the person's actions.
Now that he had actually run into his fiancée, how could he not be furious? He immediately stepped forward to block her path and scolded, "You really are quite the imposing figure. You haven't even become the Crown Princess yet, and you're already putting on airs like one."
She glanced at Yang Qing with disdain and sneered, "As expected, every pot has its lid."
Yang Qing was furious. From childhood to adulthood, no one had ever been so shameless. Whether they were truly cultured or just pretending, in front of others, those people of high status would always pretend to be refined and polite. Someone like Princess He Hua was truly a first.
Xu Pianran, who had frequently gone out to work with film cameras before Xu Yanran's incident, naturally recognized He Hua County Princess and immediately mocked, "I thought it was someone else, but it's you. What? You're already causing trouble as soon as you come out? Do you want to be grounded again?"
Princess Hehua angrily said, "Xu Pianran, how dare you speak to me like that? You have quite the nerve."
Yang Qing wasn't afraid that Xu Pianran would suffer a loss, but she was really afraid that if she went to complain to the county magistrate, she would definitely be accused of insubordination and Xu Pianran would be punished at home.
She quickly said, "We are clearly very timid. How could we have spoken to you like that? We didn't insult your mother's lowly birth, nor did we insult you as a lowly person who doesn't deserve to be in the same place as us. On the contrary, we kindly advised you to be careful with your words and actions so as not to repeat the same mistakes. It's clearly you who are narrow-minded and have misunderstood our words."
Princess Hehua was speechless. Song Xiwei stepped forward, her eyes filled with timidity, and tugged at her sleeve, gently shaking her head, "Princess, let's go first..."
Before she could finish speaking, Princess Hehua pushed her away. Song Xiwei was as thin as a sheet of paper. She cried out in surprise and almost fell. Fortunately, the maid next to her was quick-witted and reached out to support her.
Princess Hehua has completely lost her mind, like a bull seeing a red cloth that could drive it mad. "Do you think you're so great just because you're going to be the Crown Princess?"
Yang Qing said, "It is indeed remarkable that I am going to be the Crown Princess, but it is still remarkable even if I am not the Crown Princess, unlike you, a brainless idiot who will explode at the slightest provocation. Sooner or later you will cause a huge disaster, and then we'll see what you do!"
She vaguely remembered that in her previous life, this Princess Hehua was quite a troublemaker. After Li Shangxuan ascended the throne, she kept harassing Empress Ming. There must be something fishy about the eldest prince's affairs.
This involves imperial power, and it's no small matter. No one can protect her, and no one will protect her.
With the tacit approval of Li Shangxuan and Empress Ming, the old prince personally sent his beloved daughter, whom he had cherished for half his life, to her death with a cup of poisoned wine. It was a dignified way to die, and she could be buried as a noblewoman of the imperial family.
If we let her live any longer, who knows what nonsense she'll spout? That would be a crime punishable by having our property confiscated.
Princess Hehua's fate was not good, but Yangqing felt no sympathy for her at all.
She believed that not only she, but no one else would sympathize with Princess Hua.
A sin committed by Heaven may be forgiven, but a sin committed by oneself is inescapable.
Princess Hehua has no ability or brains, yet she still jumps around like a monkey.
Most importantly, she lacked ambition and clear goals.
Yang Qing once secretly wondered if the eldest prince's affairs were really related to Li Shangxuan. After all, the legitimate eldest son was gone, Empress Ming had no other sons, the second prince had a leg disability, and Li Shangxuan's mother, Consort Xue, used to be the only one favored in the harem. It was obvious who would become the crown prince, and everyone knew it.
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