Chapter 135 The young lady of the Zhuang family may no longer have to rack her brains...
After tossing and turning like this, I didn't sleep well that night, and when I woke up the next day it was almost noon.
Youfeng came in and asked if she wanted to come downstairs. Everyone had gotten up. Li Yuhan and Liu Yitong were about to set off back to Songshan Town this afternoon, so they wanted to wait for her to have lunch together.
Li Yang reluctantly got up, not wanting to bother with tying her hair up, so she hastily put it into a spiral bun. Without wearing any hairpins or jewelry, she came down to drink with the others, eating only plain water.
During the meal, she simply sat quietly drinking and watching everyone laugh and talk. Uncharacteristically, she quietly stayed in her corner, as if she were just an observer at the table.
After lunch, Li Yuhan and Liu Yitong bid farewell to everyone and returned to Songshan Town. During their time being escorted to the capital, it was time for the manager to return and take care of things at home.
After seeing the two off, Li Yang turned around and saw Chen Junbo. Both of them stopped in their tracks. "When are you going back?"
Seeing that the other party did not answer, Li Yang went back upstairs on his own.
She felt extremely tired today, perhaps because she had drunk too much alcohol at lunch, and all she wanted to do now was go back to her room and take another nap.
Thinking this, she returned to her room, closed the window, lowered the curtains, kicked off her shoes, and climbed back into bed.
The thin blanket smelled sweet and was soft; Little Deer must have changed it for her just now. She felt a little hot under the blanket, so she kicked it a few times, letting her legs hang outside the blanket, only covering her head and stomach.
She drifted in and out of sleep for an unknown amount of time before being gently shaken awake by Xiao Lu, who asked if she wanted dinner. Li Yang mumbled "I don't want to eat," then covered her head again and went back to sleep.
Li Yang had been lying in bed all day for less than five days when he asked Zhuang Shutong to pull him out of bed.
"Zhaozhao, wake up, don't sleep."
Li Yang was very unhappy that his blanket had been pulled away. He opened his eyes and saw that it was his own mother. He pulled the corner of the blanket back and tried to resist. "Mom, I want to sleep for a while. Don't mind me."
"Get up, get up quickly!" Zhuang Shutong said, slapping her on the back and urging her to get up.
Seeing that he couldn't sleep anymore, Li Yang resigned himself to being dragged to his feet.
"You've been sleeping for days! What's wrong with you? Get up! Have you prepared everything for your wedding? You'll get sick if you keep sleeping."
Li Yang felt a headache coming on. She didn't know what was wrong with her these days; she felt like she was glued to the bed, wanting to sleep all day long. She didn't want to eat, and she didn't want to go out.
"Mother, the Crown Prince's residence will prepare all those things, so you don't need to worry about it."
She hadn't put in this much effort to prepare for her wedding, not even for her last one; all of this was done by people sent by Chen Junbai.
Thinking about this only made her more upset.
"Mom, I don't want to go out, I want to sleep." Her tone even carried a hint of complaint.
Zhuang Shutong was summoned by Chen Junbo today. In the past few days, the people at the teahouse have only seen Li Yang sleeping non-stop, and no matter how Feng and Ziyan try to wake her, she refuses to get up.
Finally, after discussing it, the group went to the Zhuang family for help. When Zhuang Shutong heard that her lively and cheerful daughter was now acting like a woman in confinement every day, she became anxious. If she continued to lie there like this, she would get sick.
She immediately hitched up a car and followed Chen Junbo to the teahouse to arrest him. She was determined to come here today and would not let Li Yang off easily.
After some back and forth, Li Yang was finally dragged out of the house by her, dressed up, and taken shopping.
Ziyan: "General Manager Chen, are you just going to watch Zhaozhao marry into the Crown Prince's household like this?"
Chen Junbo: "If this is what she wants, I will grant her wish."
Zi Yan was furious, "Chen Junbo, have you lost your mind?"
Perhaps because she's spent so much time with Li Yang, Zi Yan now speaks with a lot of that kind of vulgar language.
"You really are something else!" Ziyan said. "Stop talking nonsense, I'm just asking you, what are you really thinking? Are you willing to break up with her?"
Chen Junbo put the cold tea in his hand into his mouth and slammed the teacup down, which was his way of answering.
Ziyan: "If you're so reluctant, how can you just give it up like this? Look at what's become of Zhaozhao. She looks like she's half-dead every day. Are you even a man?"
Seeing this, Zheng Qingbo tugged at Ziyan's sleeve and winked at her. But the latter didn't appreciate it at all. "I'll make it clear today, Chen Junbo, if you don't have her in your heart, then pretend I didn't say anything."
But if you even have her in your heart, what you're doing now is utterly despicable, and you'll regret it later.
Whether it was Ziyan's words that touched him or not, Chen Junbai glanced at her, swallowed hard, and went out.
Ziyan watched his retreating figure, then snorted and sat down.
-
The dealer's carriage stopped halfway.
"Cousin." A female voice came from outside the car.
Li Yang lifted the carriage curtain, and there stood Zhuang Jieling.
"Cousin, I have something to tell you."
After bidding farewell to Zhuang Shutong, the two sisters left hand in hand.
"Jieling, the interest you invested in the shop has been settled, and I was just about to find an opportunity to send it to you," Li Yang said with a smile. "I spent some money rescuing Chen Junbai a few days ago, and that money all came from my account. I didn't touch the interest that my sister is entitled to."
Zhuang Jieling politely accepted the silver note, saying, "Sister, I didn't come here today to collect money from you."
As she spoke, she leaned closer and asked, "Sister, are you really willing to marry His Highness the Second Prince?"
Li Yang remained silent, only staring at Zhuang Jieling.
Zhuang Jieling chuckled: "If you're unwilling, sister, I have a way."
She whispered in Li Yang's ear.
"You?" Li Yang was startled.
"Don't be surprised, sister," Zhuang Jieling said with a smile. "One man's poison is another man's honey. Father is about to go to the southern frontier to fight. I have to think about the family. This war has been going on for so many years, and so many generals have been lost. If it's Father's turn... I have to think about the Zhuang family. There's still Mother and my little sister at home."
Li Yang was taken aback. "You're willing to do this?"
“It’s no different from what I did.” Zhuang Jieling smiled bitterly. “If it’s not this family, it’ll be that family. In short, my mother will find a suitable family for me to marry into. For a family like ours, it’s extremely lucky to be able to marry well. Otherwise, we might as well plan for a better place for ourselves.”
Li Yang frowned, "But the Second Prince is the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince's residence is not an ordinary noble family's private quarters."
"Sister, how many scions of prominent families in the capital can achieve what you, brother-in-law, have—only one woman in the inner quarters?" Zhuang Jieling smiled. "Sister is lucky, but I don't want to rely solely on luck. I want to fight for myself and for the Zhuang family."
Li Yang nodded slightly. "Have you told your uncle and maternal grandfather about this?"
“Father never cares about such things; his mind is always on the battlefield. Grandfather… I need to talk to my sister first.”
Li Yang felt dizzy; the girl in front of him seemed to have grown up overnight. "This matter cannot be decided by the two of us alone, Your Highness, His Majesty..."
“Sister, if you agree, I will go to see the Second Prince again.” Zhuang Jieling bit her lip. “If the Second Prince agrees, then we don’t need to worry about His Majesty.”
"Are you confident you can persuade the Second Prince?" Li Yang still didn't believe it.
Zhuang Jieling looked steadily at Li Yang, "Sister, I have to give it a try."
Li Yang returned to the carriage in a daze, and Zhuang Shutong asked her, "What did your sister say to you?"
Li Yang was stunned. "Mother, Jie Ling, she is willing to marry into the Second Prince's mansion in my place."
Zhuang Shutong was dumbfounded. "You? Go back to the manor, go back to the manor and discuss it with your maternal grandfather first. You are really being too ridiculous."
That night, the Zhuang family welcomed two guests.
Zhuang Ziyang seemed to have anticipated this and was fully prepared.
Zhuang Jieling entered and greeted, "Grandfather."
Li Zhen cupped his hands and said, "Prime Minister Zhuang."
"Have you reached an agreement?"
Zhuang Jieling lowered her head and remained silent, biting her lower lip tightly.
She had a plan in mind when she snatched this marriage from her cousin.
Li Zhen smiled calmly, "Zhao Zhao is thinking of Chen Junbai. Since Miss Zhuang is willing to marry into the Crown Prince's residence in place of her sister, I am also willing to grant her wish."
Zhuang Ziyang frowned. "Is it really that simple?"
He couldn't understand how his granddaughter, who had always been unassuming, could have come up with such a plan overnight.
He scrutinized Zhuang Jieling closely, then asked earnestly, "Are you really willing?"
“Grandfather.” Zhuang Jieling’s eyes suddenly lit up. “I am willing. I have admired the Second Prince since I was a child, and now I am even more willing to grant my sister’s wish. I am grateful that the Second Prince does not abandon me. I am willing.”
“Jie Ling. The future of the Zhuang family is your grandfather’s responsibility, and also your father’s responsibility. You don’t need to be like this,” Zhuang Ziyang said calmly.
“Grandfather, Jie Ling is fortunate to have been born into the Zhuang family and has enjoyed many years of wealth and glory. Moreover, I truly love Your Highness, and my love is entirely voluntary.” Zhuang Jie Ling’s thin shoulders trembled slightly.
Her grandfather was always strict.
When she saw Li Yang, she couldn't help but feel jealous. Why was her usually strict grandfather so loving towards her cousin?
But my sister is intelligent, beautiful, and wise enough to rescue her husband.
Even the Second Prince was willing to pave the way for his sister.
Today, she successfully met with the Second Prince and reached an agreement without much effort.
Everything went more smoothly than expected.
Looking at her from behind, Li Zhen saw that this small girl, with her slender shoulders, actually possessed the strength to shoulder the heavy burden for her family.
It's very interesting, just as interesting as Zhao Zhao.
It seems that all the women in the Zhuang family are quite interesting.
Just like the old Mrs. Zhuang before.
He still remembered when he was young, before his mother was a concubine, he was just an unfavored little prince who was always bullied.
When Madam Zhuang went to the palace to pay her respects to Consort Xian, she passed by the garden and saw herself sitting on the ground, soaking wet and crying.
What she said at the time.
She said, "We need to eat well so that we have the strength to fight back. The day we are able to fight back will be the day he and his mother rise to power."
He was very obedient and from then on always ate heartily and practiced his skills every day.
In just three years, Madam Zhuang brought Zhuang Shutong to the palace again. When she saw him again, her mother was already a Noble Consort of the court, unmatched by anyone in the six palaces.
Such days continued until Consort Li entered the palace, at which point she began to lose some of her mother's influence.
The women of the Zhuang family always seem to be able to muster a burst of strength at crucial moments, as if they are always ready to put on armor for those they care about, to fight against the whole world, and even to sacrifice themselves.
Li Zhen harbored a faint hope that perhaps one day, someone would don armor and stand against the entire world for him.
"Prime Minister Zhuang, Li Zhen will certainly not let Miss Zhuang down." After saying this, he bowed deeply.
Zhuang Jieling turned around blankly and looked at the Crown Prince who was bowing over. She couldn't help but feel that he was dazzling. Perhaps she would no longer have to rack her brains. Perhaps she would really no longer have to scheme.
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