"Your Highness, the Emperor now suspects the eldest grandson of the Emperor, and Cen Xiao has also left with his men. This is a great opportunity for us."
“Cen Xiao is a cunning and highly skilled martial artist. Only when he is dead can I feel at ease.” Xia Yunfeng’s eyes revealed a sinister glint. “I don’t trust Qiu Tianyun, so I must make two preparations.”
"I understand. I have already arranged for people to infiltrate the ranks. If Qiu Tianyun does not make a move or fails to do so, our people will also make a move at the crucial moment."
Now that Cen Xiao has taken tens of thousands of troops with him, and Kyoto's defenses are weak, even if Cen Xiao survives, he's far away on the border and can't offer much help in such a dire situation. This is a golden opportunity for us.
"Go and inform my father to prepare. As soon as Cen Xiao is dead, we will take action immediately!" Xia Yunfeng said. "To be on the safe side, we will arrest Yang Shi and Yuan Qiu before we make our move."
"Understood..."
...
Even if Yang Cui was not politically savvy, as the wife of a general and someone who knew the general plot, she guessed that the capital might be in turmoil after learning about the Crown Prince's house arrest and Cen Xiao's departure.
For safety reasons, Yang Cui tried to stay home as much as possible, and also prevented Er Ya and San Ya from going out. Yuan Qiu and An Xiaohu went to school every day, and two more people were secretly added to escort them.
Time flies, and the first month of the lunar calendar is drawing to a close.
Come to think of it, Cen Xiao has been gone for over ten days now, and I miss him terribly.
Suddenly Baolan came to report: "Madam, Madam Guo has arrived."
Yang Cui met Madam Guo in the main hall.
"Madam Guo, I am so sorry for not greeting you sooner."
"Madam Cen, please don't say that. I heard you were unwell. Are you feeling better now?"
After Cen Xiao left, Yang Cui remained ill and did not go out, turning down all invitations and visits.
Kyoto is a place where there are quite a few banquets.
"Thank you for your concern, Madam Guo. I'm fine. May I ask what brings you here today, Madam Guo?" Yang Cui didn't believe that Madam Guo had come specifically to see her. As for Madam Guo, well, Yang Cui felt that she wouldn't do anything without a reason.
"I'm here today to act as matchmaker," said Madam Guo with a smile.
Yang Cui's heart skipped a beat. She had a feeling that Prince Qingyang hadn't given up on Er Ya. Could it be that the Wang family or the Guo family were also on Prince Qingyang's side? Wouldn't it be dangerous for her to do business with him?
"What does Madam Cen think of Miss Gu Xueyin?" Madam Guo asked.
So they weren't after Er Ya after all. I'm relieved.
"Your surname is Gu. Are you referring to the daughter of the Marquis of Yongchang?"
Madam Guo nodded: "Yes, it's the third daughter of the Yongchang Marquis's mansion. She'll be ten years old in two months, only eight months older than your young master Yuan. That girl came to celebrate young master Yuan's birthday last time. What do you think?"
"To be honest, I don't have much of an impression of Miss Gu. There were too many guests that day," Yang Cui said. "Besides, we don't plan to let our children get married too early, especially the boys. They should be at least twenty years old."
"Isn't this too late? What young lady can afford to wait?" said Madam Guo. "Is Madam Cen dissatisfied with this marriage?"
Guo Wangshi thought this was Yang Cui's excuse; who would let their child get married so late?
"It's not that I'm dissatisfied, it's just that a doctor once said that getting married too early is bad for the child's health, and around twenty years old is more suitable. Besides, I will let the children decide their own marriages. After all, I'm not the one who will be living with them for the rest of their lives. As long as they are happy, I won't interfere."
Guo Wangshi looked at Yang Cui in shock; it was the first time she had ever heard of parents not interfering in their children's marriages.
After the initial shock, Madam Guo felt that Yang Cui was not as good to Yuan Qiu as she appeared, otherwise why would she not care about his marriage?
Guo Wangshi mentally labeled Yang Cui as a hypocrite.
After leaving the General's Mansion, Lady Guo went directly to the Yongchang Earl's Mansion and met Wang Mengyun.
“The Yang family did not agree,” said Guo Wangshi.
Gu Xueyin also has a half-brother, Gu Jin'an. The Yongchang Marquis's Mansion already has a legitimate son, and with another half-brother with a powerful backer, she worries that her future son will not be able to compete with him.
Therefore, Wang Mengyun did not actually want Gu Xueyin to be associated with the General's Mansion, but she did not expect Yang Cui to refuse first, which saved her from trying to ruin the marriage.
"Since that's the case, then we won't force her. She doesn't even like the girls from our Gu family; her standards are certainly high."
“I don’t think it’s because she has high standards. She said that Yuan Qiu must wait until he is over twenty years old to get married. Who would let their child wait until that time to get married? I don’t think she is as kind as everyone thinks. It is said that she treats Yuan Qiu as her own son, but I guess it’s all an illusion.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Mengyun suddenly had an idea, but she didn't show it on her face and continued chatting casually with Madam Guo as if nothing had happened.
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