The wife of the Duke of Qi was stunned and did not immediately react to who she was talking about.
"The fourth young lady of the Qu family is the cousin of my second sister, and naturally my cousin as well. I wonder if I can meet the fourth young lady Qu? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is worried about the life of the fourth young lady Qu in Minister Qu's residence... so he asked me to ask about it." Ji Youran explained with a smile.
"Miss Qu Si is just outside the door." Liu Jingyu had recovered by now and answered softly, standing up, "I'll go and invite her in."
"No, I also want to go out for a walk. I just happen to have something I want to ask my cousin in private. I hope the wife of the Duke and the Lord of Jingyu County can help me."
Ji Youran stood up.
Seeing how she acted, Lady Qi, the Duke of Qi's wife, certainly would not stop her. She watched her walk out slowly with a few palace maids, and then her eyes fell on her granddaughter's face.
Liu Jingyu sensed that the wife of the Duke of Qi was looking at her, and smiled softly at her with a natural expression, which made the wife of the Duke of Qi feel relieved. It seemed that she was worrying too much. Her granddaughter listened to her daughter in everything, and if her daughter had a bad idea, her granddaughter should not have a bad idea. Normally, her granddaughter felt better than her daughter.
As for this marriage at the Crown Prince's Mansion, the wife of the Duke of Qi was not optimistic about it at all. This Concubine Ji was not someone to be trifled with at first glance. But if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince really valued her and wanted her to give birth to a child to be adopted under the name of the Crown Princess, this matter would be even more unusual.
In the corridor, Qu Moying and several young ladies from aristocratic families were standing obediently. Hearing a sound at the door, everyone looked up and saw Ji Youran and a few others appear at the door curtain.
Almost everyone knew each other, and they all saluted sideways.
Ji Youran came over with a smile, "Excuse me, ladies. I'm here to look for my cousin."
For a moment, no one knew who the so-called cousin was talking about, and everyone looked around.
"Cousin Qu, would you please walk with me?" Ji Youran smiled and looked at Qu Moying. Qu Moying nodded silently and followed Ji Youran.
After walking a few steps and leaving the garden, Ji Youran randomly chose a path, slowed down his pace, and waited for Qu Moying to come forward.
Knowing that she had something to say, Qu Moying slowed down his pace and followed her down slowly, not rushing forward.
Ji Youran saw that she was still following behind her at a very slow pace. A hint of annoyance flashed across her eyes, but then her expression calmed down and she stopped, "Cousin, I have something to tell you."
"What's the matter?" Qu Moying stepped forward and asked.
"I want to talk about Aunt Xiang." Ji Youran said seriously.
"What's the matter, Madam Xiang? Besides, shouldn't we go directly to Madam Xiang for matters like this? It has nothing to do with me... right?" Qu Moying raised her eyes, the color of her eyes beneath her veil was light and quiet.
"Madam Xiang is my uncle's concubine, but she is only a concubine. Now my second brother is registered under my aunt's name, but my uncle is gone and my second brother is not young anymore. It is not appropriate for Madam Xiang to stay in the mansion. When my aunt passed away, Madam Xiang devoted herself to worshipping Buddha. Now my uncle is gone too, Madam Xiang..."
Ji Youran hesitated for a moment when she said this, as if she found it difficult to speak, and looked at Qu Moying with a very obscure look.
How could Qu Moying not understand the meaning of her words, but her expression remained calm: "My Lady Concubine, is there anything wrong?"
"It's not that there's anything wrong. The first wife now only has Concubine Xiang and my second brother. My second brother is not young anymore, and he is not registered under Concubine Xiang's name. Besides, it's not good to let a concubine suppress the prince. It will be difficult for my second brother to get a good marriage in the future." Ji Youran spoke more tactfully.
As for the other two concubines, there was no need to mention them to Ji Youran.
"My Lady Concubine, I still don't understand."
Qu Moying shook his head in confusion.
Seeing Qu Moying's confused look, Ji Youran almost felt a surge of anger rising up. She suppressed it with great effort. The prince wanted her not to offend Qu Moying, and he wanted her to make friends with Qu Moying. If she hadn't been concerned about this, she would have wanted to reprimand Qu Moying and suppress him by taking advantage of his power.
"It's best to send Concubine Xiang to a nunnery. After all, she is just a concubine. My uncle is gone, and she doesn't have any children. My second brother is still so young. When he grows up, he will get married. If he knows that his elders have a concubine who is in charge, the marriage will definitely not go well. It's not appropriate for him to stay in the mansion."
Ji Youran said calmly with a hint of coldness in her eyes. She wanted to see what this Fourth Miss Qu meant. If she really intervened, then even if she reprimanded her, it would be justified.
"My Lady Concubine, you shouldn't talk to me about this. It's the business of the Marquis Ling'an's Mansion." Qu Moying asked softly with a look of surprise on her face.
Seeing that she was tactful and didn't object, Ji Youran's expression improved a little. "Madam Xiang seems to be particularly good to my cousin. She rode in my cousin's carriage when she went to the government office to file a complaint. I think she listens to my cousin. Could you please go and persuade Madam Xiang?"
"I go to persuade Aunt Xiang? Madam Concubine, this is not appropriate." Qu Moying refused, as if she didn't understand the meaning of Ji Youran's words.
Ji Youran had thought of all kinds of reactions from Qu Moying, but she didn't expect that she would refuse. Judging from past events, Qu Moying should have reached out. She didn't know why Qu Moying cared so much about Ji Hanyue that she cared so much about the affairs of the Ling Anbo Mansion. Ji Youran calmed down and thought about it, but she didn't understand the reason.
Even though Ji Hanyue took care of Qu Moying, the two of them had only met a few times. How could they have such deep feelings for each other? What was Qu Moying planning
Ji Youran's first thought was Crown Prince Pei Luoan. She herself had plotted against Pei Luoan, and she also suspected that Qu Moying was the same as herself, wanting to use Ji Hanyue's name to get close to Pei Luoan, but later she felt that it didn't seem to be the case!
"Cousin..." Ji Youran said again.
"You don't have to address me like that! The affairs of the Ling'an Marquis's Mansion have nothing to do with me. You don't have to tell me what you want to do. I am just a daughter of the Minister's Mansion. Although I have a kinship with the Ling'an Marquis's Mansion before, my cousins are gone now, so this so-called kinship no longer exists. I hope you don't have to call me cousin anymore. It will cause misunderstanding."
Qu Moying said with a serious face that he had no intention of pampering Ji Youran. Since they were destined to be enemies, it would be better to draw a clear line between them as soon as possible!
He took a step back and bowed deeply to Ji Youran respectfully, "My Lady Concubine, my grandmother just sent someone to call me over. Since my Lady Concubine is alright, I would like to go see my grandmother first."
This was a ruthless slap to her face. Ji Youran was annoyed, but she couldn't get angry. The main reason she came to Duke Qi's Mansion today was Liu Jingyu.
Having been in the Prince's Mansion for so long, how could she not have confidants around her? She had already vaguely found out that Minister Liu's Mansion seemed to be planning to form an alliance with the Prince's Mansion, and Liu Jingyu was the candidate chosen by the Queen Mother.
When Ji Youran learned the news, she was almost angry to the point of vomiting blood. She had worked so hard, but in the end she was still a concubine. What was the point of all her previous efforts
What did the prince promise her in the beginning? They said it all in good terms. The two of them were in love at that time, and the prince also repeatedly assured her that he would make her the principal wife in the future. But who is Liu Jingyu now? Why did she suddenly appear? Wasn't she going to marry King Jing
Now that you see the benefits of marrying the prince, you want to marry him again
How could Ji Youran let the results of his plan fall into Liu Jingyu's hands
That's why I came here today to congratulate the wife of Duke Qi on her birthday.
Of course, the most important thing is to warn the wife of Duke Qi and Liu Jingyu. She doesn't believe that Liu Jingyu can't hear it. If Liu Jingyu dares to really marry into the Prince's Mansion, she will fight with her.
Even Ji Hanyue is not her opponent, so what is Liu Jingyu
It was ostensibly to give a gift, but in reality it was to intimidate. This was Ji Youran's purpose today, but when she heard that Qu Moying was also there, she deliberately intended to find Qu Moying.
Unexpectedly, Qu Moying rejected her words without saying a word. How could Ji Youran not be angry? She watched Qu Moying leave with a cold look and did not speak for a long time.
Her fingertips pinched into the flesh tightly. Since Ji Hanyue was dead, everything left behind belonged to her, whether it was Ji Hanyue's status or everything in the Ji Mansion. Even if Liu Jingyu and Qu Moying wanted to take it away, it didn't matter whether they had the ability to do so.
"Miss, this Concubine Ji is still watching us from behind with a very cold look. She said that this Concubine Ji is a good person and entered the Eastern Palace because she took care of the Crown Princess. I think the Crown Princess might have been angered to death by her, or framed to death." Yu Dong took a look back when turning a corner, and saw Ji Youran still standing there, with her head close to Qu Moying, and said in a low voice.
Qu Moying curled the corners of his lips, his smile was cold but revealed a sinister and hostile aura, and he did not respond.
Who in the world knows the truth better than her
They had just come out not far, just in front of the previous courtyard gate, and returned to the courtyard. A maid saw her and had already let her in. When she came over, the maid lifted the curtain and invited her in.
Qu Moying went in and saw that all the young ladies who had been there before were in the flower hall, sitting together and talking. Her grandmother was also there. When they heard her come in, everyone turned to her. Some of them who had not looked at her straight in the eye before could not help but look at her a few more times. Ji Youran had been very affectionate to Qu Moying in her words just now.
Many people then remembered that this Fourth Miss Qu was not only the daughter of an assistant minister, but also the cousin of the Crown Princess. It was said that after the two daughters of the Yue family married into the capital together, they had a very close relationship. However, later something happened to the younger daughter of the Yue family, leaving only an orphan, who was sent to a farm, and the relationship between the two families became distant. However, it was said that the Crown Princess was still very caring towards this cousin.
Now Concubine Ji also thinks highly of her
The prince is of noble status, so even a concubine in his mansion will have unlimited possibilities in the future. Moreover, it is said that the entire prince's mansion is under the control of this concubine Ji.
Then we cannot underestimate it.
"Where is Concubine Ji?" The wife of Duke Qi looked at Qu Moying calmly for a few times, and when she saw that she said "no thanks" after paying her respects, she asked.
"Madam Duke of Qi, our queen said she is not feeling well and needs to go back first, so she will not come to say goodbye!" A maid came hurriedly to report.
This is almost rude. He was fine when he just went out, but now he can't even come over to say goodbye
The ladies sitting there looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering in their hearts, did this mean that the Crown Prince was dissatisfied with the Duke of Qi, or did it have some other meaning
The wife of the Duke of Qi had a gloomy expression. This Concubine Ji was really insolent. With her status, how could she be so excessive in her own house? Even the Queen Mother had to be polite when she saw her.
"Someone come..." Lady Qiguogong's anger could not be suppressed. Although she could not do anything to this concubine, she could embarrass her.
"Grandma, I'll go see Concubine Ji off." Liu Jingyu stood up and said with a smile. The timing was perfect!
The wife of the Duke of Qi calmed down and finally nodded. Liu Jingyu turned around gracefully and went out with her maid. However, after she went out, she saw a figure in the shadows outside the courtyard gate and frowned.