Chapter 116
This... this script is wrong! Aren't the Crown Princess and His Royal Highness deeply in love, and their affection is extraordinary? How could it be that in the blink of an eye...
Before she could figure it out, Song Qingyuan had already turned to the two beauties, looked them up and down, and nodded with satisfaction: "They are indeed born beautiful. No wonder the Queen chose them personally. What are your names?"
The two women were also clearly bewildered, expecting a violent storm, but instead, it was a gentle breeze and drizzle. The more delicate woman timidly replied, "Your Majesty, my name is Wan'er."
The other beautiful one bowed gracefully and said in a charming voice: "My name is Mei'er."
"Wan'er, Mei'er..." Song Qingyuan muttered these two names, the smile on his lips deepening. "Nice names. But, wouldn't it be a shame if such a beautiful woman was only kept in the backyard, waiting for Your Highness's favor all day long?"
When these words were spoken, not only the aunt and the two beauties, but even Lin Xiaoshu and others beside them were confused.
What does this mean, Princess?
Only Shen Yanzhi, after his initial surprise, looked at Song Qingyuan's eyes, which flashed with cunning light, and instantly understood her plan. The corners of his tightly clenched mouth rose slightly, and he suppressed his smile, deciding to quietly watch his Crown Princess finish this big show.
Song Qingyuan ignored everyone's confusion and continued, "From what I've seen, Miss Wan'er has a quiet demeanor, with a look of compassion between her brows, and she seems to have some affinity with Buddhism. Miss Mei'er, while beautiful, has a clear and honest gaze, and I think she's also someone with a clear mind. Now that the King of Wei has made a grave mistake and is imprisoned, Your Highness and I, as brother and sister-in-law, are often heartbroken and unable to sleep at night."
As she spoke, she pressed her handkerchief against the corners of her eyes, looking extremely sad.
"The Empress must have sent these two girls here with a profound purpose. She hoped they would not only bear children for Your Highness, but also relieve the royal family of its worries and pray for the King of Wei, atonement for his sins."
The head aunt's mouth dropped open, completely lost in Song Qingyuan's train of thought. Praying? Atonement? What the hell was going on? The Empress had clearly sent them here to cling to her favor and disrupt the Eastern Palace!
Song Qingyuan seemed not to notice the look of surprise on her face. He clapped his hands and made a decision.
"How about this!" she announced excitedly. "I think the 'Quiet Heart Temple' in the back garden of the East Palace is quite nice. It's a quiet place, perfect for a Buddhist temple. From today on, Miss Wan'er and Miss Mei'er, you don't have to prepare to sleep with me. I will appoint you two as 'Sutra-Serving Female Officials' today. You will enter the Buddhist temple at noon every day to chant and pray for the King of Wei, copying scriptures, and rest until the evening. All three meals a day will be vegetarian to show your piety."
"Ah?" Wan'er and Mei'er exclaimed at the same time, their faces turning pale instantly.
Let them become nuns? Eat vegetarian food and chant sutras every day? They are here to soar to the top and become phoenixes!
"Why?" Song Qingyuan's smile faded, his eyes suddenly turning cold. "You don't want to? Or do you think it's unfair to help Prince Wei and share the worries of the royal family? Or... you've simply misinterpreted the Queen's painstaking efforts, and are only thinking about those dirty jealous things?"
Who would dare to accept this big hat?
Wan'er and Mei'er were so frightened that they dropped to their knees with a thud, shaking their heads like rattles: "No, we dare not! We are willing! We are willing to pray for the King of Wei!"
Just kidding, if they deny it, it would be a slap in the face of the Queen, saying that the Queen sent them here just to win her favor. They wouldn't dare to do that even if they had a hundred guts.
The matron's face went from stunned to livid. She tried to retort, but found herself unable to utter a single word. Song Qingyuan's every word was based on moral superiority, praising the empress's "motherly heart" and "sincere intentions." If she dared to say "no," it would be like implying that the empress had ulterior motives and had sent someone here solely to cause chaos in the Eastern Palace.
This is like roasting the queen on the fire!
"That's right." Song Qingyuan smiled with satisfaction, regaining her gentle demeanor and holding the aunt in charge's hand again. "Aunt, when you go back, you must thank the Queen for me. She is so far-sighted! The two girls she sent here are of noble character and have a deep understanding of justice. As soon as they arrived, they wanted to share the worries of the royal family and pray for the King of Wei. Such broad-mindedness and awareness really make me, the Crown Princess, feel ashamed of myself!"
She paused, then added, her voice low but every word piercing the heart: "By the way, to demonstrate the Empress's benevolence, and to allow the Prince of Wei to feel his mother's love and care at the Imperial Clan Court, I think the expenses of the incense, writing brushes, and scriptures needed for the Jingxin Temple, as well as the monthly expenses for the two female officials, should not be paid by the Eastern Palace. Instead, let the Duke of Wei's Mansion shoulder the responsibility. After all, they are the Prince of Wei's maternal family, and it is only natural for them to pray for blessings and atonement for their nephew's sins. Aunt, don't you agree?"
The face of the aunt in charge had turned from ashen to purple.
High! Really high!
This was not accepting a beauty at all, this was clearly accepting two hot Bodhisattvas, and then he turned around and threw the bill for the incense money, along with the big hat of "praying for a sinner", back in the faces of the Queen and the Duke of Wei!
Using the people sent by the Queen, spending the Duke of Wei's money, chanting scriptures in the Eastern Palace day and night, reminding everyone of the King of Wei's crimes. This is a hundred times more cruel than simply sending the people back! This is simply peeling off the Queen's skin, making it into a drum, and then beating it at the gate of the Eastern Palace every day!
"Mother... Your Majesty is saying..." The aunt in charge squeezed out a few words from between her teeth. She felt dizzy and could hardly stand.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Auntie, to go back and report." Song Qingyuan smiled and released her hand, instructing Lin Xiaoshu, "Xiaoshu, escort Auntie out of the house for me. Also, send someone to clean up Jingxin Temple immediately, and send two steady old maids to serve the two female officials. Make sure they can recite the scriptures peacefully and without any mistakes."
"Yes, your majesty!" Lin Xiaoshu suppressed his smile and responded crisply.
Watching the head aunt being "invited" out in a daze, and then looking at the two beauties lying on the ground with ashen faces, Shen Yanzhi finally couldn't help but laughed softly.
He walked over to Song Qingyuan, took her hand, his eyes filled with admiration and fondness, "I originally thought that the 'compensation' scheme was already extremely cruel. I didn't expect that Qingyuan, you could come up with such a trick to 'cut off the firewood from under the cauldron'. If the Queen knew that the beauty she sent had ended up becoming a 'lady-in-waiting' to chant sutras for her son, and that she was spending her family's money, she would be so angry that she would vomit three liters of blood."
Song Qingyuan snorted playfully and pinched his palm with her backhand: "If she wants to throw stones into our yard, she should also consider whether this yard is a pond or a pit of fire. This time, just think of it as teaching her a free lesson."
She paused, the smile in her eyes gradually faded, and a bit of coldness appeared in her eyes. "However, this also reminds us. Now that their open attacks are not working, they are resorting to stabs from the dark. They can't beat us in the court, so they are starting to target us in the harem. It seems that we need to act faster."
Shen Yanzhi nodded, his expression becoming serious.
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