Chapter 513: Too Impactful
The affairs of Li and Zhao Song's family will be taken care of by Shuntian Prefecture.
Huya and Zhang Nan were getting along like honey. Zhang Nan was also calmly prepared for Li to sue him for being unfilial and have his reputation stripped away.
Fortunately, Li did accuse Zhang Nan of being unfilial, but the child murder case involving Li and Zhao Song was truly shocking and inappropriate. In addition, Yu Yongbai used his connections with the caravan to get the then school teacher from the village under Ji Prefecture, as well as the confessions and fingerprints of the entire village, to prove that Li had never raised Zhang Nan since he was born, and had married another man, severing all ties with him early on.
There was even a year when Zhang Nan was seriously ill and about to die. Li publicly stated that she was the wife of the Zhao family, and even if Zhang Nan died of illness, she would not go to see him.
Under such circumstances, Zhang Nan simply refused his mother's arrangement for him to marry the daughter of a convicted official who disregarded the law and shielded criminals, which was not considered to be a serious act of filial piety.
After all, the one who sent Li and Zhao Song in was the enthusiastic citizen Yu Yongbai.
Zhang Nan's reputation was preserved, pending the palace examination in a dozen days.
This matter has come to a good conclusion for the time being. The punishment will be determined after the Ministry of Justice has reviewed the murder case of Li Zhaosong's family and the long-standing kidnapping case in which Zhao Song's wife was involved.
Xingxing's mood improved a lot.
The invitation to the Spring Festival Banquet at Prince Ying's Mansion was received early, and Xingxing took the invitation to attend. Princess Qing'an treated Xingxing very well, and the other noble ladies also treated Xingxing very kindly.
It’s just that Nie Yuke, the niece of Empress Nie... Xingxing could feel that Nie Yuke’s eyes seemed to be always on her, looking at her with some ambiguous look.
Nie Yuke even picked a time when there were few people around and specifically asked Xingxing how she knew His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and what her current relationship with him was.
This question really confused Xingxing.
Nie Yuke said softly, "No need to hide it, Lord Fusui. I have no other intentions. I just want to tell you that the prince and his wife have a deep affection for each other. They are very loving and affectionate. It is not something that anyone can interfere with."
Xing Xing felt a little strange, but still nodded.
She knew, she had heard that the Crown Princess had not given birth to any children in the five years since she entered the Eastern Palace, and that the calls in the court for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to take in concubines had been growing louder in recent days, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince still refused.
However, Xingxing didn’t quite understand why Nie Yuke told her this.
Nie Yuke looked at Xing Xing deeply for a while, then turned and left.
Xingxing thought Nie Yuke was weird.
Princess Qing'an came to find Xingxing with a smile and asked her if she felt comfortable in Prince Ying's mansion today. If she felt uncomfortable, she must tell her.
Princess Qing'an felt a little embarrassed when she saw that there was no one around, but she pretended to be casual and asked Xingxing who had brought her here today.
Xing Xing said truthfully: "My eldest brother has to go on duty, and my second brother has been busy with the shop at home recently... My third brother brought me here."
When Princess Qing'an heard this, her eyes sparkled like stars, and a smile appeared on her face, with a somewhat envious look: "Your third brother treats you so well. He just won the first prize in the imperial examination, shouldn't he be very busy?"
Xing Xing thought of something and said, "...I am very busy. Recently, many people have proposed marriage to my third brother."
Princess Qing'an's face turned pale for a moment. She was obviously a little anxious: "You, what does your third brother think?"
After saying this, Princess Qing'an quickly excused herself: "...No, I, what I meant is that the palace examination is coming soon. It seems a bit hasty to talk about marriage now, and it will affect others too much."
Xing Xing nodded: "My third brother seems to be very nonchalant, saying that it's all up to the parents and the matchmaker."
Princess Qing'an seemed a little absent-minded, and no one knew what she was thinking about.
After the Spring Festival Banquet was over, Princess Qing'an hesitated for a moment, took Xingxing's hand, and personally escorted her out the door.
Yu Yongliu was already waiting in front of the Yu family's carriage, ready to take Xingxing back home.
Princess Qing'an looked at the handsome young man standing beside the carriage, her eyes lit up, and she took Xingxing's hand and walked quickly forward.
Yu Yongliu was slightly startled, but still bowed and thanked: "Thank you, Princess, for sending my sister out."
Princess Qing'an tried to remain calm and nodded: "I'm fine anyway."
Having said that, he handed Xing Xing to Yu Yongliu and ran away.
Xingxing sighed and shook her head.
Yu Yongliu didn't comment on this. He just put Xingxing into the carriage and took Xingxing home.
Princess Qing'an returned to her own courtyard and walked back and forth in the house, almost spinning like a top.
She is the princess of the current dynasty, and is one of the rare royal noble ladies who has been given a title since childhood.
To put it bluntly, if the border fails and an alliance is needed, the first ones to come forward will be these royal noble ladies.
Princess Qing'an has known all this since she was a child, and she has never had any objection to it. She has enjoyed the courtesy of the royal family for so many years, and it is only right for her to dedicate herself to the country and the people of Daxia.
Of course, at present, Daxia has safely survived those natural disasters and man-made tragedies, and there are also generals like Yu Yonghuai who have defeated the Western Di and defended the country.
Princess Qing'an no longer had to worry about being sent to marry a foreign prince. She could dream about her future husband like any other little girl.
But she knew that with her status, the number of top wealthy families that could match her could be counted on one hand.
Like the Yu family...
The foundation is still too weak.
Unless, unless Yu Yongliu won the top spot in the imperial examination, he could still give it a try.
But, that also depends on Yu Yongliu's own willingness!
He is even discussing marriage!
Is she going to force someone to marry her?
Princess Qing'an was in a state of confusion. She walked around the room for a long time until she felt dizzy. She simply leaned over the table, and as she became more and more upset, she rolled the teacup on the table back and forth.
This was the scene Princess Ying saw when she walked into the house.
Princess Ying was startled: "Qing'an, did something unpleasant happen at the banquet?"
Princess Qing'an didn't have the nerve to say directly that she had a crush on Yu Yongliu, so she could only say something else: "...I am worried about my brother the Crown Prince and my sister-in-law the Crown Princess. At the banquet today, I heard that many families are planning to send their daughters to the East Palace. Isn't this causing trouble for my brother the Crown Prince and my sister-in-law the Crown Princess?"
This is a serious matter, and Princess Ying is a little worried, but she also reminded her daughter: "...if someone comes to you and asks you to help speak for them, don't get involved. I heard from your father that His Majesty and the Crown Prince have quarreled several times over this matter."
Princess Qing'an nodded: "Don't worry, mother, I know the pros and cons."
Princess Ying gave a few more instructions, then she stroked Princess Qing'an's hair and sighed from the bottom of her heart: "... Putting aside other positions, I wish our Qing'an could be like the Crown Princess, and marry a man like the Crown Prince. Even though the first wife was infertile, she still endured the pressure and didn't take in a concubine, and the harem was so clean that there wasn't even a concubine."
Princess Qing'an blushed and responded softly.
Who doesn’t envy the Crown Princess’ sister-in-law?