King Rui seemed not to notice the strange gaze from the side, or rather, even if he noticed it, it was not worth paying attention to. He just looked at Su Yi and went straight to the point: "Tell me your conditions."
Qinglian was almost shocked by his shamelessness. Could it be that the world has changed? A prince not only forced a woman in broad daylight, but also openly asked her to put forward conditions
She turned her head and looked at the girl, and felt a pang of sadness in her heart. After so many years, the girl finally came out of the haze. Was she going to fall into another abyss
Su Yi felt a little confused by Qinglian's look. She knew that the other party was very protective of her, but his expression looked too serious at the moment, as if she was going to feed the tiger with her own body in the next moment.
Isn't it just a fight? Although no one knows that she can fight, she is indeed not prepared to agree to King Rui, because the fight will surely never end, and she is lazy and doesn't want to fight.
"No conditions." Su Yi shook her head. "The prince has many capable people around him, why do you have to keep staring at me? Just like my maid said, if outsiders see me, my reputation as a woman will definitely be affected. Why are you forcing me?"
"I can guarantee that no one will know about this." King Rui said, his voice low and almost echoing in the narrow alley, inexplicably compelling, "You just need to nod, and I will take care of the rest."
His subordinate, the dark and mysterious man nicknamed Lao Qi, secretly swallowed his saliva and thought, my goodness, the prince is serious, the lady has rejected him, but he still won't let go.
But to be honest, when he saw this lady's appearance for the first time, even though he was knowledgeable, he couldn't help but look at her a few more times. She was indeed a rare beauty in the world.
Although she is already married, her figure looks like an unmarried girl. Her face is as delicate as a girl's, but not as childish as a girl's; she has the charm of a young woman, but not her vulgarity. Even in the emperor's harem, with all the thin and plump beauties and all the beautiful flowers, there is no one more beautiful than her.
Their prince has been celibate for nearly thirty years, and suddenly he came to his senses. And the object of his desire is such a stunning beauty, so he will hold on tightly and not let go.
But my Lord, no matter how much you like her, she is still someone else's wife. Is it really okay to pick the red apricots from someone else's branch so openly
Su Yi rolled her eyes secretly. This prince seemed to be quiet and difficult to deal with. She thought about it and used Shen Er as a shield. "Even if I agree, I can't find time. As a prince, you probably don't know that women in the backyard are also entangled in worldly things. In addition to managing the household affairs, they also have to serve a large family all day long. Now, if you stop me and go back late later, I don't know how our Second Master will blame me."
"Yes," Qinglian hurriedly echoed and begged: "Second Master can't leave Madam for a moment, so please be merciful, Your Majesty, and let our Madam go."
The seventh brother nodded his head after hearing this. Of course, if he married such a beautiful wife, he would have to watch her all day and night to prevent wild men from coming out. When he thought of the word "wild men", he turned his eyes to their prince.
Prince Rui finally showed some expression, and frowned slightly. His already frightening aura made him even more fierce now. He said in a deep tone, "This prince knows."
After saying this, he turned and left as abruptly as he had come.
The remaining three people looked at each other and thought, what do you know
Su Yi turned around and walked into the sedan chair, saying to Lao Qi: "Please, this strong man, wake up my servant."
Lao Qi felt that the other party was indeed the one favored by the prince. If an ordinary woman had escaped such a disaster, wouldn't she be weak at the moment? How could she calmly order him to work? And he really did it obediently.
Several servants woke up almost at the same time. Without Su Yi's reminder, Qinglian raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you guys itching for trouble? You're all sleepy while walking. Aren't you afraid that the lady will fall?"
Those people were a little confused, so they had to quickly apologize and continue to lift the sedan chair.
It was not until she returned to Su Yi's bedroom and closed the door that Qing Lian held back her tears and swore to the heavens, "Don't worry, young lady, I will keep today's incident to myself and will never reveal a single word to anyone."
Su Yi nodded, a little puzzled. If she didn't want to say it, then she wouldn't say it. Why make it so tragic
That day, after dinner, she remembered what Qinglian had said before, that the account book for the shop had been delivered again this month, so she asked, "Where's the account book? Bring it here so I can take a look."
Qinglian looked gentle and whispered softly, "Miss, you've been tired all day. It won't be too late to look at the account book tomorrow. Miss said before that she wanted to find a troupe to perform. I think our yard is small and the troupe can't stay. However, we can invite two female storytellers to come to the mansion to tell stories for a few days."
Su Yi was completely confused and flattered.
That night, with anticipation for the female teacher, Su Yi slept soundly.
When I woke up the next day and was combing my hair, Qingxing came in and announced, "Miss, the second young lady from the mansion is here to pay her respects to you."
"Greetings?" Sue yawned. "What day is today?"
Qinglian and Qingxing looked at each other and explained, "It's not a special day. It's just that the young lady is the wife of the principal wife, and the young ladies and brothers of the second house should come to pay their respects every day."
Su Yi glanced at the sky and said to himself, "It's still so early, shouldn't children sleep and grow?"
"What did you say?"
Su Yi shook her head. "Nothing. Ask her to come in and sit down. Ask her if she has had breakfast. Ask the kitchen to make an extra portion."
Qing Xing went out, and Qing Lian combed her hair while saying, "There are two girls in our family. The second girl is soft-tempered and doesn't talk much. She hardly goes out. The fourth girl is just the opposite, and..."
She glanced at Su Yi's face and continued, "Her biological mother, Aunt Lan, is also favored by the Second Master. I'm sure you've heard what the First Madam meant yesterday. Among the concubines, Aunt Lan is the most stubborn and not very kind."
Su Yi yawned again and said vaguely, "If you want to be unkind, then don't be unkind. It has nothing to do with us anyway."
Qinglian was about to say something else, but seeing her like this, she swallowed it back. Forget it, forget it, I won't let the girl know about these troubles anymore.
But she was also worried that she would have to endure it for one day in the mansion, and she couldn't just ignore it forever, unless there was some way to get rid of it.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but think of what happened yesterday. If Prince Rui was sincere to them, then was it possible that -
Qinglian shook her head, feeling depressed. What if it was sincere? Could he still marry her as a princess? I'm afraid it was just for the sake of temporary pleasure.
Su Yi finished her makeup, changed her clothes, and walked into the flower hall.
When the second young lady, Shen Shuyao, saw her, she immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Shuyao greets the Madam."
"Come to the table," said Sue.
"Thank you, ma'am." Shen Shuyao couldn't help but secretly look at her.
Probably because she was not going out today, she wore a comfortable, half-worn dress and a white jade hairpin on her head, which made her black hair look even darker. Her skin was as white as snow, and compared with her previous bright and delicate appearance, she had another kind of elegant and lazy charm.
There are many beauties in their house, including the third sister of the eldest wife and several of his father's concubines. They are all beautiful in their own ways, but none of them can be compared with the lady. Even though Shen Shuyao has lived for many more lives, she still can't understand how a man can put such beauties aside and pick wild flowers and weeds instead
A maid served the meal to the two of them, each with a bowl of shredded chicken porridge, a few exquisite buns and dumplings, and a few side dishes.
Shen Shuyao drank half a bowl of porridge and then put down her chopsticks. She didn't dare drink more for fear of being called rude.
But when she looked up, she found that the lady had already drunk the porridge and even finished eating the noodles, and was putting the last shrimp dumpling into her mouth.
"Not to your liking?" Su Yi asked, looking at the mostly leftover food in front of her.
I had reduced the portion considering that she might have a big appetite, but there was still so much left. Isn't it just enough for a child of this age to eat
She remembered that when she was raising her son in the previous world, the boy could eat a whole cow in every meal and he had to eat several meals a day. Otherwise, how could it be said that the boy would eat his father out of money.
Shen Shuyao hurriedly shook her head, "It tastes great. I'm full now."
She kept pinching her sleeve subconsciously, as if there was something inside. Su Yi noticed and said, "Just say whatever you want to say. Don't be restrained."
Shen Shuyao blushed slightly, and after a while, she took out a purse embroidered with a peony, and said shyly: "I embroidered this myself, I hope Madam won't dislike it."
Qinglian stepped forward, took it and handed it to Su Yi.
The peony is embroidered very well and looks vivid. If an ordinary person wears such a purse, it may look vulgar, but on Su Yi, it is perfect. Her appearance is enough to overshadow the elegant and luxurious peony.
"Excellent craftsmanship, you put a lot of effort into it." Su Yi nodded and praised.
After asking a few more questions casually, she found that the other party was very reserved. She sat there with her back straight, as if someone had stuck a pole on her back. She didn't dare to say much, nor did she dare to look around. Although she was obviously reborn and lived one more life than others, she still seemed to be ignorant of the ways of the world and didn't say nice things. Probably, even paying her respects took him a long time to consider before taking this step.
Not long after, she sent the person back and, as an elder, gave him two pieces of silk and some snacks.
Qing Xing sent the people out, and when she came back she said, "Miss, did you see that? The clothes the second young lady is wearing still look like they were from last spring. Two days ago, I saw that even the maids at Aunt Lan's place had made new spring clothes."
"The Second Master doesn't like Aunt Ding, and as a result, he treats the Second Young Miss in general. When other people see this, they naturally flatter her and look down on her." Qinglian said.
"I think the second young lady is much more sensible than the fourth young lady," Qing Xing said, "Our young lady is their stepmother. In all these days, I haven't seen the fourth young lady come to pay her respects."
Qinglian looked at her and said, "You only look at the superficial aspects of everything and never think deeply about it."
"Then tell me, how do you think deeply?" Qing Xing said unconvinced.
Qinglian looked at Su Yi, and seeing that she was also listening, she continued, "I heard earlier that the first house seems to be looking for a man for the eldest daughter. Calculated, the eldest daughter is only a few months older than the second daughter. They can find one this year, get engaged next year, and get married the year after. That's just right. But in our second house, because the daughter has not been in charge of things for many years, the concubines are independent and have their own families outside the mansion. Only concubine Ding gave birth to a child in the mansion, so even if she wants to take the second daughter out, she has no way."
After hearing this, Qing Xing snorted coldly, "I thought, you are so attentive, it turns out that you want to take a rest under the big tree of our girl. You don't even think about what good things Aunt Ding did in the past. If it weren't for her, the girl would be able to-"
"Qingxing," Su Yi interrupted her, "Why are you still talking about those trivial things now? And do you think that Aunt Ding could have done it all by herself? We were all willing, so why do we have to push the blame onto the other party after we did it? If he can take the initiative to take responsibility and be a good father, I will still regard him as a man."
Qing Xing pursed her lips and said unwillingly: "Let's not talk about the past. Now the second lady is paying respects to the young lady. She has no good intentions."
"Why does she have bad intentions? Is she trying to poison me, or is she secretly plotting to stab me?" Su Yi asked lazily, "If she wants to come, she can come. It's quiet here, so it's better to have some fun."
Qinglian also smiled and said, "Miss, you are right. I think the second young lady is very well-behaved and doesn't have so many twists and turns. I heard from the servants that the fourth young lady is really amazing. She is obedient and sweet-mouthed in front of the old lady, but in private, she often beats the little maidservants around her until they are black and blue. If she comes to pay respects to the young lady, I will be worried. Or, Qingxing, are you so fussy because you can't bear to give away the two pieces of satin?"
"Who wouldn't want to give it up?" Qing Xing immediately retorted, "It's just satin. We have plenty of it in our warehouse. It's all moldy. I don't mind."
Su Yi smiled, "Then stop nagging. Qinglian said that she would like to invite a female teacher to tell stories. You might as well think about what you plan to listen to when the time comes."
On the other side, Shen Shuyao was walking back with her maid. The maid was holding brocade in her hands, while she was carrying snacks.
"Miss, our Madam is so kind and beautiful, just like a fairy in the Jade Palace." The little maid kept saying.
Shen Shuyao pursed her lips and smiled. Just as she was about to speak, a few people came towards her. They were her fourth sister.
"Hey, where did you come from, second sister? Why are you carrying so many things like a beggar?"
Shen Shuyao stopped smiling and stepped aside. If it were in the past, she might have been unable to resist responding to the other party's ridicule, and then she would have suffered again.
Although this fourth sister was born out of wedlock, she was loved by the old lady and her father, so her food, clothing and other expenses were the same as those of the eldest daughter of a legitimate wife.
In the previous life, every time they quarreled, it was obviously the fourth sister who started it, and in the end, she was always the one who was punished.
At that time, Shen Shuyao couldn't understand why the adults could not tell the truth from falsehood and always wrongly accused her. Later, she realized that it was clear favoritism, and there was no reason for favoritism.
You blame your elders for being unfair, you cry and make a fuss, but all this will only make those who don't like you hate you even more.
She understood it too late in her last life. This time, she no longer expected for the love that did not belong to her, nor did she want to indulge in self-pity. Life is short, why live in such pain? If someone doesn't care about you, you should not care about him.
Seeing that she didn't say anything, the fourth girl snorted, walked through the middle of the road, and bumped into her.
Shen Shuyao staggered two steps before she stood firm again.
After the other party walked away, her maidservant complained: "The fourth lady has everything, but the young lady has nothing. Why does she want to make things difficult for us?"
"Let's go," Shen Shuyao said, "If you go any slower, the snacks will get cold."
In the palace, the emperor was still reviewing memorials when a eunuch announced that Prince Rui wanted to see him.
"What a rare guest," the emperor asked after they entered. "What wind blew Prince Rui here today?"
Prince Rui stood in the center of the hall, tall and straight, and said something expressionlessly.
"What?" The emperor glared slightly, stood up from behind the dragon desk holding the memorial, took a few big steps, and stepped steadily in front of him, "Say it again, I want to see if I heard it wrong."
"I am willing to marry the princess." said King Rui.
The emperor was overjoyed, and even the majestic wrinkles between his brows were relaxed. He patted the other party's shoulder with his big hand and said, "Which girl is it? I will issue an order to grant you a marriage right away."
Prince Rui said, "From the Anguogong Mansion."
"Duke Anguo's Mansion?" The emperor frowned and repeated, searching his mind again and again before finding a tiny impression from the corner, "The old Duke Anguo has passed away for many years, right? The current Duke Anguo..."
The emperor shook his head. He remembered that when he was still the crown prince, he had seen the heir attending a palace banquet with the old Duke Anguo. His appearance was enough to make all the young men present look like wooden fools. When his younger sister saw him for the first time, she even wanted to marry him.
Unfortunately, he was a completely frivolous young man with a glamorous appearance but a rotten heart. His true colors were exposed the moment he opened his mouth. He was completely ignorant. I heard that he was spoiled like that because he was the only son of the old Duke Anguo.
How long has it been since the old Duke of Anguo passed away? I guess there won't be any outstanding talents in the next generation. In a few years, the court will have to take back the title.
A Duke's Mansion that has already declined and is dispensable. No matter how outstanding the daughter of that family is, she is still not worthy of the dignified Prince Rui.
But the emperor felt that he was open-minded, and since it was the first time his nephew had spoken in many years, he should not reject his proposal. So he turned his head and asked the eunuch beside him, "De Hai, is there any other daughter in the Anguo Mansion who is waiting to be married?"
"This..." The chief eunuch, Lord Dehai, looked embarrassed. As a favorite of the emperor, he must be quick-witted. Just when the emperor was still racking his brains to figure out who the Duke of Anguo was, he had already gone through the family tree of the Su family from top to bottom. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not find a single unmarried girl.
"As far as I know, this generation of Duke Anguo has two daughters, both of whom are married."
"Oh? Could it be a girl from a side branch?" The emperor glanced at Prince Rui and frowned in his heart. He suspected that his nephew was afraid that he would not agree, so he deliberately said that the girl from the side branch was from the Duke of Anguo's Mansion. If she was from a side branch, she really didn't deserve the position of princess, and even being a concubine would be a compliment.
Of course, if his nephew insists on marrying, it’s up to him to marry someone from the side branch.
The emperor lowered the bottom line again.
As a result, Eunuch Dehai said cautiously: "There are no girls of the right age in the side branches either."
The emperor really frowned this time and looked at Prince Rui suspiciously, suspecting that the other party was joking.
Just as Prince Rui was about to speak, the emperor suddenly thought of something and his eyebrows jumped. "You, you wouldn't..."
Back then, the enchanting looks of the Little Duke of Anguo not only attracted the hearts of a group of women, but even some homosexuals were said to be secretly coveting him. The emperor ruled the world and experienced the inner secrets of the palace. What scenes had he not seen and what things did he not know
Could it be that his nephew had gotten used to hanging out in the camp and had developed some unspeakable preferences, and had taken a liking to the young master of the Duke of Anguo's Mansion
No, it's not possible!
"We must never let a man become a princess. How shameful!" the emperor rebuked harshly.
Eunuch Dehai lowered his head. Although Prince Rui still had no expression, a rare hint of bewilderment appeared in his dark and heavy eyes. "It's not a man."
The emperor breathed a sigh of relief and his face became amiable again. As long as it wasn't a man, it would be fine. Even if she was a little maid in the Anguo Mansion and his nephew insisted on marrying her as the Anguo Duke's daughter, he would be able to acquiesce.
Prince Rui continued, "She is the sister of Duke Anguo who married into the Shen family."
The emperor's expression froze and he looked solemn. He called out to De Hai, "Do you think I heard it wrong again? What did this brat just say?"
Eunuch Dehai was in such a dilemma that he could only lower his head and said tremblingly, "The prince said that it was the sister of Duke Anguo who married into the Shen family."
"—You bastard!" The emperor was furious and raised the memorial in his hand to hit him. However, he couldn't bring himself to do it when he saw the expressionless face with drooping eyelids. He could only throw the memorial to the ground fiercely. He paced back and forth in the hall like a trapped beast, pointing at Prince Rui and cursing: "I think you are blinded by greed! You can fall in love with anyone else, but you have to fall in love with someone else's wife! How dare you come to me and say this? Do you think I will let you do whatever you want?"
Prince Rui said nothing and let him get angry, but from his look it was clear that he was not frightened by the emperor's anger, but that he remained unmoved no matter how fierce the thunder and rain were.
When it comes to scolding, if someone talks back at the same time, then the more you scold, the more excited you will be. If someone begs for mercy at the same time, then the more you scold, the more you will enjoy it and the more comfortable you will feel. But the other party was so indifferent, it was like watching a monkey show, and the emperor could only scold more and more anxiously.
I couldn't bear to hit him, and I couldn't bear to kick him. What could I do? I could only hold my chest and almost make myself die of anger.
Eunuch Dehai hurriedly served tea and said to the emperor while he was comforting him, "Your Highness, please say something."
King Rui moved his lips and said in a dull voice: "At least she's a woman."
"Puff—" The emperor just took a sip of tea and spat it out again.
He waved his hands dejectedly, trying to stop Dehai from wiping the water off him. He felt that he had been pissed off by this bastard, and all his anger had been released. Now he just felt exhausted and powerless.
“Get lost…” The emperor waved his hand, wishing he could see nothing.
Prince Rui was about to speak, but Dehai winked at him. He looked at his uncle who was leaning on the dragon throne, and finally stepped back.
There was silence in the hall. After a long time, the emperor sighed.
Eunuch Dehai racked his brains, trying to persuade the Emperor to take it easy and not to rush. Perhaps in a few days, Prince Rui would change his mind.
The emperor said, "This bastard has been spoiled by the Queen Mother. He does whatever he wants. He doesn't even think about the fact that she is the wife of a court official. If he just snatches her away to be his princess, will the officials be chilled? What will the people do if they find out? I don't think he has thought about these things at all."
"Your Majesty is young, and it is inevitable that he will be impulsive—"
"Forget it. Go and check secretly to see how the sister of Duke Anguo is doing in the Shen family. If she is not satisfied, I will not bear to watch the descendants of meritorious officials suffer. I will grant them a divorce."
“…Yes.” Eunuch Dehai silently swallowed back his words of persuasion.
The author has something to say: Emperor: This bastard! Forget it, just marry her.