Chapter 157 Zhao Anping's Visit
Neither Zhao Lingmeng nor the third prince tried to hide the fact that the third prince and Zhao Shuiyun were beaten again, so everyone knew everything that needed to be known that day.
That evening, when Zhao Lingmeng's family of four was having dinner, the current Marquis of Wu'an, Zhao Anping, came to the princess's mansion after finishing his shift.
When Zhao Lingmeng heard the report from the maid below, she immediately asked Qiuyue to bring her in.
"No need, I came in by myself. Qiuyue, please help me get some bowls and chopsticks!" Zhao Lingmeng had just finished instructing Qiuyue when Zhao Anping lifted the curtain and came in by himself.
"Uncle." Zhao Houjing and Zhao Houming were both older now, and they often hung out at the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion, so they were very familiar with Zhao Anping. As soon as Zhao Anping came in, they both stood up and saluted.
Zhao Anping nodded and signaled with his eyes that they should sit down and there was no need for so much formality.
On the other hand, the little guy Zhao Houyang also liked Zhao Anping. He immediately put down his bowl and chopsticks, shrank down from his chair, ran over and hugged Zhao Anping's legs, "Uncle, why are you here?"
Zhao Anping looked down at the little guy holding his calf, and did not pick him up immediately. Instead, he washed his hands in the basin of water held by the servant next to him before picking up the little guy.
"Do you miss your uncle? Do you want to go to Wu'an Marquis Mansion with your uncle to play?" Zhao Anping held the little guy in his arms and teased him seriously.
Zhao Houyang pretended to think seriously, tilted his head and acted cute, saying, "I do miss my uncle, but I can't go to Wu'an Marquis Mansion with him. Mother will be bored if I'm gone."
Zhao Anping really liked this little guy, Zhao Houyang. He was well-behaved and smart. He reached out and pinched Zhao Houyang's face, "Look how smart you are."
After Zhao Anping finished pinching his face, he put Zhao Houyang on the chair he was sitting on, and said, "Eat by yourself!"
"Do I need to pay my respects to the princess?" Zhao Anping looked at Zhao Lingmeng and joked, holding chopsticks.
Zhao Lingmeng was completely convinced by this scheming elder brother. She could only use her serving chopsticks to pick up a dish that Zhao Anping particularly disliked and put it in his bowl. "Brother, eat quickly! Eat more."
Zhao Anping looked at the food in his bowl and thought to himself that his sister was smart and knew where to eat. But since his sister had picked it up herself, what could he do? He had to eat it with his eyes closed. And there were three nephews watching! How could such a wise and powerful uncle be so picky?
Zhao Anping was genuinely hungry, and for a moment, he was completely focused on eating. Seeing this, Zhao Lingmeng reached out and moved Zhao Anping's favorite food towards him. Zhao Lingmeng was the type who spoke with a hard mouth but a soft heart.
"Brother, slow down. The place where you're on duty doesn't even provide lunch? Are you so poor?"
Zhao Anping ate for a while longer, and when he felt something in his stomach, he slowed down his eating. "That's not the case. It's just that the Nangan envoy is coming. The court has been busy lately, so I'm hungry when I'm busy."
"Oh," Zhao Lingmeng said, indicating that she understood. Then, the mother and son all drank the digestive tea slowly, watching Zhao Anping eat.
"I heard that the Third Prince and Zhao Shuiyun came to bother you again today?" Zhao Anping asked casually while eating.
"You've heard about it. It's not a big deal. I haven't suffered any loss." Although Zhao Lingmeng guessed that her elder brother came because of this matter, she was still very happy that her elder brother asked about it. It meant that her elder brother cared about her.
Seeing that his elder brother was still in his official uniform, Zhao Lingmeng knew that he had come straight here without even returning from his duty at the Marquis' Mansion. This showed how worried he was.
"What does Zhao Shuiyun want?"
"Brother, you are still very smart. Why don't you think that this is what the third prince wants?" Zhao Lingmeng was even more curious about this.
"You didn't see the Third Prince's attitude towards me and my father. He was almost saying that I looked down on your Wu'an Marquisate. So Zhao Shuiyun must have felt the hardship of not having a mother's family and is plotting something again."
After listening to Zhao Anping's words, Zhao Lingmeng silently gave him a thumbs up and said, "Brother, you are still smart."
Zhao Anping smiled complacently, gently placed his chopsticks on the table, and rinsed his mouth with the help of a maid before leaning back comfortably in his chair. He also took a cup of digestive tea and drank it slowly: "Tell me! What is Zhao Shuiyun doing now?"
"It's nothing, she just wants me and the Wu'an Marquisate to support her." Zhao Lingmeng said casually.
"Does she have anything to rely on?"
"You are worthy of being my brother! You always guess right. Why does father always think you are stupid and not smart enough?" Zhao Lingmeng was also very curious about this.
"Where's the point?" Zhao Anping rubbed his forehead, feeling a little speechless about his sister who always went off topic.
"That's how they protect me from marrying into a foreign alliance."
Zhao Lingmeng spoke casually. The four men present looked at Zhao Lingmeng in disbelief. Zhao Anping's hand holding the teacup trembled.
"Mom, are you going to Nangan to marry a princess?" Zhao Houming was the most excited.
"Mother" Zhao Houjing and Zhao Houyang also looked at her anxiously. But Zhao Houyang was pretending. He already knew what his mother did, so he knew clearly that his mother would never go to marry.
Zhao Anping also looked at her seriously. He was really worried. He had never thought about this kind of thing before, but now he thought about it, it was really possible.
"Don't worry! Even if the third prince goes to marry, it won't be my turn." Zhao Ling dreamed that everyone, big and small, was worried about her, so she could only give them a reassurance.
"What do you rely on?" Zhao Anping is not so easy to be perfunctory. He wants to know Zhao Lingmeng's trump card before he can deal with what happens next.
Zhao Lingmeng said to Zhao Anping some secret codes that they had used when they were little.
"Really?" After hearing this, Zhao Anping looked at Zhao Lingmeng excitedly.
Zhao Lingmeng nodded calmly. She didn't intend to let the three children know. She was afraid they might be tricked into revealing the truth, so she didn't want to expose it for the time being. That would only complicate matters for those around her, and she didn't want to deal with such useless socializing.
"No wonder, no wonder." Zhao Anping walked around the room excitedly after getting his sister's confirmation.
Zhao Houjing and Zhao Houming looked at their uncle and then at their mother, because they were very curious about what their mother had said to their uncle.
"Uncle, mother won't go to marry a foreign prince, right?" Zhao Houming was still very worried.
Zhao Anping could only turn around and pat Zhao Houming and Zhao Houjing on the head. "Don't worry, the three of you! No matter who goes to Jing State, it won't be your mother's turn."
Zhao Anping then added a worried reminder, "If someone deliberately tries to provoke you, don't fall for their trick. Just know that no matter who goes, it won't be your mother's turn."
Zhao Houjing and Zhao Houming nodded thoughtfully. They both felt that since their mother and uncle said so, they must have some support. All they had to do was not hold their mother back in school.
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