East Palace —
backyard.
The Crown Prince, representing His Majesty, joined the officials in the festivities in the palace, and the Crown Princess, as the future Empress, naturally also attended the grand banquet.
As for the concubines, they had no right to leave the East Palace, let alone attend banquets.
In the Crown Prince's backyard, in a quiet courtyard, the melodious sound of a zither could be heard.
The music never stopped starting at 1:15 PM.
But the person who played the zither never met the one she longed to wait for...
"Clang~"
The string snapped, making a piercing sound.
The maid Shan'er, who was standing nearby, rushed over to check and saw that blood was seeping from her mistress's fingertip. She quickly took a clean handkerchief and bandaged her finger.
"Miss, you—"
"Shh, you should call her Consort, be careful not to be overheard."
"This servant knows her mistake and begs Your Highness's forgiveness."
"Put the zither away. The Crown Prince will not be coming tonight."
"ah?"
The hair ornaments in Shangguan Xian'er's hair jingled softly with her movements, and the cool moonlight bathed her, making her appear like a fairy descended from heaven...
The person in the shadows curled their lip, thinking, "She's a natural-born seductress."
Fortunately, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess stayed in the palace tonight; otherwise, the Crown Princess would have lost favor to this woman again!
After the old woman left, Caixia, dressed in night clothes, spat inwardly before carefully climbing over the wall and entering the concubine's bedroom.
"Whoosh~"
A pebble struck Shan'er's pressure point, causing her to fall unconscious onto the table.
Seeing this, Shangguan Xian'er sighed, then looked at the man in black who had climbed in through the window and said helplessly:
"Caixia, you really don't need to."
"Hehe, I know I was wrong. I will definitely go through the door next time."
Caixia removed her mask, quickly took off her night clothes, and changed into the clothes of a maid from the Prince's Palace.
"How's the matter I asked you to inquire about going?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, I have investigated thoroughly. Miss Xu's fiancé is from Wu Family Village, Taohua Town, Taohua County, Anqing Prefecture. His father died early, and he has two older brothers, making him the third oldest, as well as a younger sister..."
"However, her mother's identity is quite unexpected."
"Oh? Tell me about it."
"Originally, his mother was just an ordinary widow, the kind who was lazy and loved to eat, but later, for some reason, she suddenly became better and even knew how to process medicinal herbs..."
As Caixia recounted her story, Shangguan Xian'er's face paled slightly.
Could it be that the real fellow villager is this Lady Jiang?
She had suspected it before, but did not acknowledge it, only hoping to be friends rather than enemies.
Now, her son has become her best friend's fiancé. She only has this one good friend, and she only hopes that he will have a smooth life for the rest of his life!
"My lady, when I returned, I heard from the guards in the front courtyard that His Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess will be staying in the palace tonight and will not be returning to the East Palace."
After Caixia finished reporting, she recounted the matter.
In her heart, her master was an eagle soaring in the sky; how could he be confined to the backyard, becoming a lonely, resentful woman in her boudoir...?
"Okay, I understand. You may take Shan'er back to her room to rest."
Upon hearing these words, Shangguan Xian'er felt a sharp pain in her heart.
Although she was somewhat prepared for the Crown Prince to ascend the throne and have a harem of three thousand beauties, she still found it hard to accept it now...
After a moment of sadness, he blew out the lights in the room.
Not long after she got into bed, in her drowsy state, she heard the sound of the window being pushed open.
Just as she regained her senses from the shock, a man, carrying the familiar scent of ambergris, slipped into her bed and pulled her into his arms...
She admitted that his appearance made her heart pound.
"I wanted to come back to be with you today, but I was detained by the Empress Dowager's scheme."
"Yes, Your Highness is very happy to be back."
"Then how will you repay me?"
"Your Highness~"
As their lips met, Shangguan Xian'er's consciousness sank, forgetting everything...
...
Jiang Yue, who was thousands of miles away, had no idea that so many things had happened in Jinling. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, she would be busy again.
To her surprise, Da Niu and Zhou Fangming somehow hit it off, or rather, the latter relentlessly pursued her.
Even the most virtuous woman can be swayed by persistent suitors, so Teacher Zhou would pick up and drop off Da Niu at the pharmaceutical factory every day after school.
From her initial refusal, to her later hesitation, and now...
"Third Aunt, I...I..."
The girl was very shy. She had previously vowed that she would live alone for the rest of her life, but only a few years had passed?
Will her aunt think she's too frivolous?
"What are you talking about? This week, Teacher Zhou passed the school's selection process. He's good at teaching and nurturing students, and Auntie thinks he's of good character. But does he know about your past?"
Jiang Yue was very supportive of her niece's courage in choosing love, but she still poured cold water on it.
A woman in love produces pheromones and then inexplicably becomes love-struck.
She didn't want the girl to be disappointed. It would be best if she could be honest about her past. If the other person didn't mind and even felt sorry for her, that would be a good match.
Da Niu nodded; it was a pain in her heart, like a scar that had been buried for a long time.
However, after realizing she was falling for him, she deliberately reopened old wounds, wanting to scare him away and protect herself.
To her surprise, the other person didn't mind at all; on the contrary, they felt sorry for her. She realized that she had fallen for him.
"Then what are you waiting for? Your third aunt supports your remarriage, oh, I mean, remarrying."
Jiang Yue smiled, genuinely happy for her niece.
It's easy to find priceless treasures, but hard to find a true lover. Although she is against marriage, it doesn't mean she wants to break up lovers.
She sees this as...
"Third Aunt, thank you."
The girl's eyes were filled with gratitude. It was her parents and elders who took her in and stood up for her. It was her aunt who taught her management, helped her make money, and helped her grow. Their kindness was like giving her a second life.
"No need to thank me, we're all family. Let Teacher Zhou ask the matchmaker to propose marriage. I don't think your parents will object."
Most parents hope their children will be happy.
Her brother and sister-in-law are just one of most people.
No matter how rich or capable Da Niu is, she is still a girl. Without children to rely on, her brother and sister-in-law have been very worried over the years.
Now that's good, there's a man who doesn't care about these things and is willing to live with Da Niu. I believe that after my brother and sister-in-law have investigated, they shouldn't object.
In addition, she remembered Teacher Zhou's file: his parents had died, he had no ties, he was a down-on-his-luck scholar, and all he had left was his academic degree. However, he was not young, and his weakness was his dull and taciturn nature. He did not want to take the imperial examination anymore, but only wanted to do something to support his family.
This person will most likely stay in Wujia Village.
If I marry Da Niu, I can buy a plot of land in Wu Family Village, build a house, and then...
Equivalent to a son-in-law who moves into the wife's family home.
Whether he's successful or not doesn't matter. What's important is that the son-in-law is gentle and kind to his daughter. As long as the son-in-law isn't a bad person, the parents will take care of him to some extent.
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