The old lady was completely unaware of Cui Yihuan's feelings.
Just before the banquet was about to begin, she had someone remind Cui Yihuan that it was time to make her move!
Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, Cui Yihuan secretly left the waterside pavilion, only to encounter Ye Zhen on the way to the kitchen.
As the two walked together, Ye Zhen asked with a smile, "Why does Miss Cui wish to enter the Marquis's residence?"
Cui Yihuan countered, "Why would the young mistress help me?"
"Because Miss Cui is not as stupid as rumored, if the old lady wants to find a pawn to harm her brother, it would be someone else if not Miss Cui."
Sometimes, wise people know better how to make choices, while fools, once manipulated, often act recklessly and cause enormous chaos.
Xing Zegang told Wanxing that Cui Yihuan had given the medicine to the Marquis, which showed that Ye Zhen had not misjudged her and that she was not confused.
Ye Zhen smiled, "Has Miss Cui informed me yet?"
Cui Yihuan also smiled, but it was a bitter smile. "Since the young mistress knows me, she must also know my current situation."
My stepmother is already pressuring my father to marry me off to Prince Lin as his second wife.
Prince Lin is the current emperor's great-uncle. He just celebrated his 70th birthday last year and has lost five wives. Rumor has it that he has a special fetish in the bedroom.
The first few princesses all died from torture.
"Rather than marrying such a person, I'd rather become the Marquis's concubine. At least his harem is clean, and perhaps I can still live."
The marriage proposal to the old prince was discussed in secret in the room of the Cui couple. At that time, Ye Zhen and Wan Xing were sitting on the roof of the house, holding chicken legs.
Even the eldest daughter of the Cui family, who was not favored at home, knew about this, which means that she had placed someone among the Cui couple.
In her past life, she overheard the old women who imprisoned her gossiping that the second wife of the Minister of Rites was pushed off a cliff by a madman who suddenly rushed out when she went to a temple to worship Buddha.
The madwoman was the maid who accompanied the first wife during her dowry, and also the wet nurse of the eldest daughter of the Cui family.
When she was held down, she shouted that Miss Cui did not die of illness, but was poisoned by her second wife, and that killing the second wife was to avenge Miss Cui.
That murder occurred several years later. Ye Zhen hadn't noticed when Miss Cui died in his previous life, so he couldn't deduce whether the second wife's poisoning had happened yet.
But Miss Cui has changed a lot since then, and Ye Zhen himself is a reborn person, so he can't help but overthink things.
She asked the Marquis of Zhongyong the same question, "Why not the heir apparent?"
If Miss Cui is also a reborn person, why would she take the initiative to get involved?
A girl who can plant someone in her parents' room must have other ways to escape the fate of being married off to an old prince.
After entering the game, she abandoned Xie Tingzhou and chose Zhongyong Hou, who was older than her father.
This is really unusual.
Cui Yihuan's face showed even more bitterness. "Even my father thinks I am only fit to be the old prince's second wife. How could I not know my own limitations? Young mistress, please don't joke with me."
She paused briefly, then looked at Ye Zhen, "But Young Madam, you are clearly the daughter-in-law of the second wife, why are you helping the son of the first wife?"
Ye Zhen's gaze was open and honest. "In Ye Zhen's heart, there is no distinction between close and distant relatives, only those who are good to me or those who are bad to me."
My elder brother and the Marquis protected me, and I want to return the favor by protecting them in return.
I wonder which category Miss Cui will eventually fall into under Ye Zhen's tutelage?
Cui Yihuan's explanation seemed reasonable, but it failed to convince Ye Zhen.
After learning that the old lady had included Cui Yihuan on the shortlist, Ye Zhen personally kept an eye on Cui Yihuan.
Although I was somewhat timid and incompetent in the past, I never harmed anyone.
Moreover, when Cui Yihuan was eavesdropping on the conversation between the old lady and Fu Jiang in the shadows that day, the overwhelming hatred on her face shocked Ye Zhen.
Cui Yihuan and the old lady have a grudge!
The old lady's other choice was truly vicious, ambitious, and ruthless in achieving her goals.
Given the choice between the two, Ye Zhen secretly gave the old lady a push, leading her to choose Cui Yihuan.
But Cui Yihuan is clearly not a simple person, which is why Ye Zhen gave this warning.
This time, Cui Yihuan smiled from the bottom of her heart, "Don't worry, young mistress, even if it's not the former, it won't be the latter either."
She has her own principles. Her grudges with the old lady and Liu Shi have nothing to do with Ye Zhen. At present, Ye Zhen and Tingzhou do not seem to be enemies.
Therefore, she would not cause trouble for Ye Zhen.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ye Zhen noticed the old lady's people peeking around behind her. She reached out and snatched the handkerchief from Cui Yihuan's hand, raising her voice.
"I have benefited greatly from Miss Cui's words. Don't laugh at me, but I have never been good at needlework since I was a child. I will need to ask you for some more advice in the future."
Cui Yihuan's expression changed slightly.
The original owner lived a frugal life in the Cui family and could only secretly do embroidery to supplement the family income. Her father and stepmother were unaware that she was skilled in needlework.
But Ye Zhen knew!
Her loud pronouncements today were both to mislead the old lady into believing they were merely chatting about embroidery, and also to intimidate and warn her.
Ye Zhen was able to find out even the original owner's private actions in the past, so she was now even more under Ye Zhen's nose.
With a wary expression, Cui Yihuan forced a smile and said, "Young Madam, you're too kind."
Ye Zhen smiled and whispered, "On your way to Tinglan Courtyard, you'll pass Guanjing Lake, where your father will be waiting for you."
Cui Yihuan's heart was shaken again.
Does Ye Zhen have someone by Xie Bang's side, or did Xie Bang even tell her this?
She arrived at the lakeside lost in thought, and sure enough, she saw Zhongyong Hou there, but he was accompanied by two other people.
One was her son, Tingzhou, and the other was a middle-aged man whom Cui Yihuan did not recognize.
Seeing that the Marquis of Zhongyong seemed to be glancing over unintentionally, Cui Yihuan pretended to be flustered and dared not disturb him. She curtsied and was about to turn around, but in her haste, she twisted her ankle and fell into the lake.
The moment she entered the water, she understood the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's intentions.
When a person falls into the water and struggles to survive, they don't care about their belongings. If the old lady investigates later, she can say that the medicine was lost in the water.
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