Thinking this, Young Master Qiu stammered and began to speak.
“Qinglan, you just broke off your engagement with Ning Huaizhi and then immediately got engaged to me. Even if there’s nothing between us, people will probably start gossiping.”
As he spoke, Young Master Qiu secretly glanced at Qinglan's expression.
"We can't rush this matter. I'm doing this for your reputation."
Upon hearing what Young Master Qiu said, Qinglan thought to herself how fortunate it was that he hadn't acted impulsively like her and sent a matchmaker to propose marriage. If he had, who knows what others would have said about him.
Even without Ning Zixuan saying anything, he would be utterly disgraced in the elite circles of the capital.
She had used many tricks to arrange her marriage with Ning Huaizhi, which had ruined her reputation. At the time, Qinglan thought that marrying into the General's Mansion would solve her problems once and for all, but she never expected that the General's Mansion was just an empty shell.
Now that she had finally escaped the fire pit of the General's Mansion, was she about to fall into a new one? This time, Qinglan wasn't in a hurry to finalize the matter with Young Master Qiu; she needed to thoroughly investigate the Qiu family's background first.
If someone even better than Young Master Qiu were to appear, wouldn't it be a loss for me to agree to Young Master Qiu's offer now?
Thinking this through, Qinglan smiled and said:
“I understand what you mean. It doesn’t sound good if word gets out that I’m getting engaged to you right after breaking off our engagement. So let’s take this time to get to know each other better.”
When Young Master Qiu heard Qinglan say this, how could he refuse? He was already worried about how to explain to Qinglan that the elders of the Qiu family did not agree to his marriage.
Now that Qinglan has taken the initiative to say that she wants to postpone discussing the marriage, and has even hinted that Young Master Qiu has been in private contact with Qinglan, Young Master Qiu is naturally going to take full advantage of this freebie.
If it really comes to the point of discussing marriage and the truth can no longer be concealed, then one should try again to persuade the elders. If they still can't understand, then one can marry someone else who satisfies them.
However, having had contact with Qinglan, he had fulfilled his wish and would have no regrets in this life.
Thinking this, Young Master Qiu placed a hand on Qinglan's shoulder, looked at her tenderly, and said:
"Qinglan, I know you are a kind and understanding person. Let's get along well from now on."
After saying that, the two laughed and started drinking.
Inside the Prince Jing's Mansion,
“Madam Jiang, since General Ning is not here, you shall receive the imperial decree on his behalf.”
The eunuch in the Empress Dowager's palace gave the order.
Jiang Yuwei hurriedly got up to receive the imperial decree.
They gave the eunuch some money for tea and then had Xia Yue see them out.
Jiang Yuwei was unaware of what had happened. The Empress Dowager had suddenly changed her mind and canceled the engagement between Ning Huaizhi and Qinglan. She then recalled what Qinglan had said to her when she went to the Delicious City earlier.
He couldn't help but wonder what Qinglan was up to this time. Why was she so eager to sever ties with the General's Mansion? Could it be because Huaizhi had run into some trouble at the border?
The more Jiang Yuwei thought about it, the more alarmed she became. So she quickly got up, tidied herself up, and rushed to Ning Zixuan's courtyard. She wondered if the Princess had gotten any results from asking Ning Zixuan to go to the palace to inquire about the border. She couldn't wait any longer and decided to go and ask him.
As Jiang Yuwei's mind raced, she hurried toward Ning Zixuan's courtyard. When she arrived, she happened to run into Ning Zixuan, who was about to leave.
Jiang Yuwei disregarded everything else and stood in front of Ning Zixuan, blocking his path.
"Your Highness, have you found out what the Princess Consort asked you to inquire about in the palace?"
Seeing her anxious expression, Ning Zixuan didn't hide anything and nodded, saying:
"Yes, I found out. I was just about to go see my mother and tell her what happened."
Jiang Yuwei grabbed Ning Zixuan's arm and asked nervously:
Has Huai Zhi reached the border yet?
Ning Zixuan nodded.
"General Ning rushed there overnight, barely resting along the way, and has reached the border by now."
"Then, how is the border conflict going?"
Ning Zixuan frowned.
Why are you suddenly interested in this?
Jiang Yuwei took out the imperial edict that the Empress Dowager had sent.
"The Empress Dowager canceled Qinglan's marriage to Huaizhi, which puzzled me. I remembered that Qinglan had come to me earlier saying that she wanted to ask me for some benefits so that she would ask the Empress Dowager to cancel her marriage with Huaizhi."
Ning Zixuan read the imperial edict in his hand and then handed it to Jiang Yuwei.
"This Qinglan is quite shrewd. I told her to beg the Empress Dowager to cancel the engagement within seven days, but I didn't expect her to dare to ask you for a reward. Did you give it to her?"
Jiang Yuwei shook her head.
"No, I was thinking that Huaizhi hadn't returned yet. Before he left, he said that he would postpone his marriage with Qinglan as long as possible, and that everything would be decided when he returned. I wasn't sure what Qinglan meant, so I refused her on the spot."
As she spoke, Jiang Yuwei looked at Ning Zixuan gratefully.
"Your Highness, thank you so much! I never expected you to help us so much behind the scenes. Rest assured, I will do my best to arrange your marriage!"
Seeing Jiang Yuwei's touched expression, Ning Zixuan quickly waved his hand.
"It was nothing more than a small favor. Not long ago, when I went to Jingweifang to discuss business, I happened to see Qinglan having a secret meeting with Young Master Qiu. That gave me leverage over her, and I forced her to beg the Empress Dowager to cancel the engagement."
As he spoke, Ning Zixuan looked at the imperial edict in Jiang Yuwei's hand and continued:
"I didn't expect her to be so efficient. She got it done so quickly. She must have found a family to take care of her, which is why she was in such a hurry."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuwei recalled how Qiu Gongzi had sabotaged her when she had previously asked him to buy timber for repairing the General's Mansion. She had wondered why the General's Mansion and the Qiu family, who had no prior grudges or conflicts, would treat her this way.
It's not like I don't spend money. The Qiu family is also in business, so there's no reason for them not to make money when it's already in their hands and to make themselves unhappy.
However, upon hearing Ning Zixuan say that Princess Qinglan had a secret meeting with Young Master Qiu, he began to have a plan in mind. It turned out that Qinglan had already set him up.
Thinking this way, Jiang Yuwei felt much better. She was grateful to Young Master Qiu for getting rid of the troublesome Qinglan. Now she didn't have to worry about Qinglan causing chaos in the General's Mansion after she married into it.
In a good mood, Jiang Yuwei smiled and looked at Ning Zixuan, saying:
"Young Master, weren't you going to speak with the Princess Consort? You should go quickly. I won't disturb you any longer. Tomorrow I will go to Madam Li to propose marriage on your behalf. I'll take care of your marriage to Miss Wang!"
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