Chapter 534: Duoduo, what are you talking about? Why should I cry?
Lan Xiyue looked at her bewildered face, blushing and uncertain, and gently waved her hand. A faint but cold smile appeared on the corner of her lips: "Men should get married when they are old enough, and women should get married when they are old enough. It's human nature. You and Chuxia have served me for so long, so naturally I have to consider your lifelong affairs. Don't be shy, this is a happy occasion."
"Princess, you don't want us anymore?" Chuchun said cautiously.
Lan Xiyue raised her eyebrows, "Why would I not want you? After you get married, you can still be by my side and serve me."
Upon hearing this, Chuchun's cheeks flushed red. She lowered her head shyly, her fingers twisting the corners of her clothes unconsciously, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's: "Princess...this servant...this servant hasn't thought about getting married yet." She raised her eyelids, glanced quickly at Lan Xiyue, and then, mustering up the courage, said: "I still want to... wait until the little master is born in the future, and help the princess take care of the little master!"
Lan Xiyue was slightly startled, then a faint smile appeared on the corner of her lips, but her eyes seemed a little distant: "Young Master? Haha... It's still early."
Her tone was light and airy, with a subtle evasiveness. The Empress Dowager had forced a "concubine" into her, and now this palace was no longer a safe haven for her.
Conceiving a child? She had never realized so clearly as she did now that since coming into this world, she hadn't truly lived for herself, hadn't yet fully experienced life. This was a far cry from what she had originally imagined.
A desire to break free and fly away quietly grew in her heart.
She collected her thoughts, waved her hand at Chuchun, and said gently, "Okay, I won't tease you anymore. Marriage is entirely up to you. When you feel the time is right and you want to get married, just tell me. Leave now. I want to rest alone for a while."
Chuchun replied "yes" respectfully and tiptoed out.
The moment she gently closed the door, she couldn't help but look back again.
Chuchun's delicate brows knitted together slightly. The princess must be harboring something very heavy on her mind, right? Was it because of the new concubine at Jingfeng Pavilion? Or was it because of... the prince?
For several days, undercurrents surged beneath the calm surface.
Finally, this day has arrived.
Anya, as the regent's concubine, was carried into the Shuying Pavilion in the backyard of the palace in a pink sedan chair in a low-key but not inconspicuous manner.
This matter should have been an internal affair of the palace, but for some reason, it spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital overnight, causing a sensation and becoming the hottest topic of conversation on the streets.
"Have you heard? The granddaughter of Mr. An from the An Mansion has really become the Prince Regent's concubine!"
“Tsk tsk, even though she’s a concubine, it’s still the Prince Regent’s Palace!”
"Isn't the Prince Regent extremely fond of that princess? How come..."
"Hey, it's normal for a man, especially a prince, to have three wives and four concubines! Even if the princess is favored, she will get tired of it eventually!"
"I don't think so. Maybe it's because Miss An is very capable..."
"Humph, some people are just lucky, you can't envy them."
"What's there to envy? No matter how good a concubine is, she's still a concubine! I think that princess is the one who's pitiful. She only enjoyed her glory for a short time before being overshadowed by a newcomer..."
Some are envious, some are jealous, some are sympathetic, and some are maliciously speculating.
The source of all this noise is naturally the rumors spread intentionally or unintentionally by the An family. They need the momentum and security brought by this "status".
The news seemed to have wings and naturally flew into Qian Duoduo's ears.
She was so anxious that even the carriage seemed too slow. She rushed all the way to the Regent's Palace and headed straight for the main courtyard as if she knew the way there. Her voice was heard before she even arrived, filled with worry and anxiety: "Yueyue! Yueyue!"
In the pharmacy in the side wing of the main courtyard, Lan Xiyue was concentrating and calming her mind, carefully grinding the dark blue medicinal powder in the stone mortar with a white jade pestle. Qian Duoduo's familiar and noisy voice penetrated the door. She paused slightly in her grinding movements, raised her head, and looked towards the door.
The door was pushed open with a clang, and Qian Duoduo rushed in like a gust of wind, bringing with him a chill.
As soon as she saw Lan Xiyue sitting quietly at the table, she rushed over and squeezed in to sit on the embroidered cushion next to her. Without saying a word, she opened her arms and gave Lan Xiyue a firm bear hug. She also patted her not-so-broad shoulders vigorously, and her tone was full of loyalty and heartache: "Yueyue! Don't be afraid! I know everything! If you want to cry, just cry, don't hold it in! Here, I'll lend you my shoulder, cry, I won't laugh at you!"
Lan Xiyue was strangled by her and felt a little breathless. She was both angry and amused. It took some effort to pull her arm away. She looked helplessly at her worried face that was full of "I understand you". "Duoduo, what are you saying? Why should I cry?"
Qian Duoduo's eyes widened, a look of "you're still pretending" on his face: "Yueyue! Why are you trying to be so stubborn with me?! Now the whole capital has spread the news! They say that the Regent has fallen in love with someone else, and has been bewitched by that Anya. He has taken in a new concubine and ignored you, the old one! Even the storytellers in the teahouse are making up stories!"
The more she spoke, the angrier she became, her face puffed up. "What's wrong with this Regent? Didn't he act like he loved you deeply at the beginning? It's only been a short time, and he's already changed his mind? Men's words are deceitful! Yueyue, your brother is terribly worried, but what can he do? He can only worry and blame himself for not being able to protect you..."
Lan Xiyue was about to open her mouth to explain, but Chu Xia, who was standing beside her, could no longer hold back. Her face flushed with anger, and like a hen protecting her chicks, she put her hands on her hips and interrupted, "Miss Qian! Don't listen to the nonsense of those gossipers outside! It's not like that at all!"
Chu Xia's voice was clear and loud, with a sense of unwillingness to accept it: "The prince's heart has never changed at all! It's all the Queen Mother's fault! It was the Queen Mother who threatened to commit suicide, and the prince had no choice but to reluctantly agree to let Miss An live in with the title of concubine! These days, the prince doesn't even know which way the door of Shuyingxuan opens! Let alone Shuyingxuan, the prince hasn't even set foot in Jingfeng Pavilion where the Queen Mother is temporarily staying! The prince returns to the main courtyard every day, but the princess... the princess has been in a bad mood these days and doesn't pay much attention to the prince." At the end, Chu Xia's voice became lower, and she glanced at Lan Xiyue a few times.
Qian Duoduo was stunned when he heard this, but his eyes became brighter and brighter: "Really? So that's how it is?! What about those rumors outside..."
She slapped her thigh, suddenly realizing, "It must be that Anya who did this! She spread the rumor on purpose, trying to sow discord, making you, Yueyue, jealous and angry. It would be best if there was a scene so she could reap the benefits! She's really scheming!"
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