Zhao Jingyu and Cheng Zhiye hid in the closet of the dormitory until everyone had left.
When the Fourth Miss and Zhou Yuncheng were talking in the room, the two of them were acting as lookouts under the window. When they heard Princess Anping coming, they reminded Zhou Yuncheng to express his feelings to Zhao Lanzhi. When they heard the Fourth Aunt coming, they reminded Zhao Lanzhi to shout loudly. When the Fourth Aunt came to the door, the two of them quickly hid in the closet.
After listening to the whole process of Zhao Lanzhi persuading Princess Anping, Cheng Zhiye couldn't help but look at her with new eyes. He joked with Zhao Jingyu: "Why didn't I realize that your fourth sister is so powerful before? If I had known, I would have taken action first. She is a concubine's daughter and I am a concubine's son. This is called a perfect match."
"What the hell, do you think you deserve it?" Zhao Jingyu said, "The old monk said that you are doomed to be alone. Don't even think about having a wife in this life."
"You believe his nonsense." Cheng Zhiye said, "But then again, the most powerful one is Xiu'er. Has that girl learned the art of war? She is very good at scheming people. If a general marries her, it would be like picking up a military advisor for free."
Zhao Jingyu immediately frowned: "I'm warning you, don't even think about hitting on her."
"Why?" Cheng Zhiye asked, "I am not worthy of your sister, so am I not worthy of your girl?"
"I'm not trying to hit you, but you really don't deserve her." Zhao Jingyu sneered, "She is not an ordinary person."
"Why is it unusual?" Cheng Zhiye asked curiously.
"You'll know soon." Zhao Jingyu said mysteriously. No matter how much Cheng Zhiye asked, she would just dismiss him with a sentence that the secret cannot be revealed.
Cheng Zhiye rolled his eyes and said, "I think you are almost like an old monk, talking nonsense."
Zhao Jingyu ignored him and thought to himself that the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion should be taking action soon.
At the welcoming banquet for Princess Jinping that day, he inadvertently discovered that the appearance of the young duke's wife was quite similar to Xiu'er, and he vaguely felt that there must be a connection between the two. That was why he called Xiu'er over in public to help him untie his crane cloak, just to make the young duke's wife notice Xiu'er.
Sure enough, as soon as the banquet was over, the wife of the young duke arranged for secret guards to investigate Xiu'er. Huangfu found out and reported it to him. Thinking that the man was not a danger to Xiu'er, he ignored it.
Later, he met the wife of the Duke of Xiaoguo by chance at Jinxiufang. Seeing her attitude towards Xiu'er, he became even more suspicious of the relationship between the two.
When he arrived at the farm, Huangfu discovered the secret guards of the Duke's Mansion. He was almost certain that Xiu'er was most likely the real Princess Jinping, and the current Princess Jinping was a fake.
This astonishing discovery made him extremely ecstatic. In order to allow the people in the Duke's Mansion to confirm Xiu'er's identity as soon as possible, he couldn't wait to bring Xiu'er back to Beijing as soon as the wedding banquet was over to provide convenience for the secret guard.
It had been several days since the incident. If Xiu'er's identity was really as he guessed, the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion must have been actively discussing ways to bring back their legitimate daughter.
After all, they had already impersonated a Princess Jinping, so the Duke's Mansion had to find a way to handle the matter properly.
He had already made up his mind that once Xiu'er was recognized by the Duke's Mansion, he would immediately ask the Emperor to grant the marriage. He didn't care about whether it was destined by the Emperor or not, as he had already decided on this one.
When he thought that he would soon get what he wanted, he couldn't help but smile with his eyes narrowed, hoping that the Duke's Mansion would move faster and faster.
At this moment, Young Madam Sheng Qingyun was wiping her tears and complaining to her sister Sheng Qingluan in the General's Mansion.
"Sister, I don't want to adopt Jinping as my adopted daughter. I carried her for ten months and gave birth to her. How can I say she is my adopted daughter? Once I acknowledge her like this, she will have to live her whole life as my adopted daughter. I feel so sorry for her."
Ever since her sister found her daughter, Sheng Qingluan was afraid that she would be saddened by the scene, so she didn't even go to congratulate her in person. She only sent a steward to deliver letters and gifts. Unexpectedly, before the joy of the Duke's Mansion had passed, her sister suddenly came and said that she had recognized the wrong child, and the real Jinping was Xiu'er, a maid in Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion.
Sheng Qingluan was shocked and in a very complicated mood. These days, she and her husband and son had completely accepted the conjecture that Xiu'er was Nan Jia's reincarnation through various clues. However, a sudden snowstorm hit the north recently, and the Hu people invaded the border on a large scale to plunder food. General Wu'an and his son followed the imperial order to lead troops to guard the border, and the plan to go to Dingyuan Marquis' Mansion to ask for Xiu'er was temporarily shelved.
They had originally thought that after the father and son returned victoriously, they would formally go to the Marquis' Mansion to ask for the person. But now her sister suddenly came and said that Xiu'er was her daughter Jinping who had been missing for twelve years. What was going on
If Xiu'er is really Jinping, does that mean that reincarnation is not possible at all, and her feelings for Xiu'er are only because of the natural blood relationship with her niece
What about Nanfeng? Does he feel close to Jinping because she is his cousin
On the other hand, is this also the reason why Xiu'er showed such kindness towards them
Thinking of this possibility, she couldn't help but feel mixed emotions, not knowing whether to be happy for her sister or feel sorry for herself.
Before leaving, the general said that in order to be reunited with his daughter as soon as possible, he would fight the enemy with all his might, try to drive out the Hu people and return home as soon as possible.
How would he feel if he came back and found that his daughter had become his niece
"Sister, please say something. Please help me think of a solution!" Sheng Qingyun saw that her sister had been silent for a long time and shook her arm anxiously.
Sheng Qingluan sighed softly and pressed her handkerchief across her eyes: "This news is too sudden. I am confused for a moment. Please stop arguing and let me think about it."
Sheng Qingyun calmed down, and like when he was a child, he held his face obediently and waited for his sister to give him some advice.
Sheng Qingluan thought for a long time, and said solemnly: "After thinking it over, I think your old lady is right, because if we follow your idea, there are only two ways, either confess your mistake to the Queen before the marriage is decided, or wait until Jinping and the prince get married before taking Xiu'er home. By then, the overall situation will be decided, and the Queen cannot let the prince divorce his wife no matter what.
The former can help her recognize her daughter quickly, but there is no guarantee that the Queen Mother will not let Xiu'er replace the fake Jinping. The latter is relatively safe, but there is no guarantee that the Queen Mother will not take both of them into the East Palace in a fit of anger.
Another thing is that you have to consider whether Xiu'er is willing to marry the prince. If she is not willing, both methods may harm her. Therefore, your old lady is right. No matter from which angle you think about it, there is no safer way than to adopt her as your adopted daughter, unless you would rather let Xiu'er enter the palace and restore her true identity. "
The reason why Sheng Qingluan added the last sentence was because Xie Nanjia was unwilling to enter the palace during her lifetime. She said that she hated that kind of cage-like life the most, and she would rather die than enter the palace.
Therefore, even though her sister has confirmed that Xiu'er is Jinping, Sheng Qingluan still holds a glimmer of fantasy in her heart, imagining that she is her precious daughter. She wants to do her best for her, not let her suffer any grievances, and not let her enter the palace.
After listening to her sister's advice, Sheng Qingyun was undecided for a moment. To be honest, she didn't want her daughter to marry into the palace. But when the Queen came, Jinping acted very happy, so she agreed reluctantly. Who would have thought that Jinping was a fake
My sister is right. If Xiu'er doesn't want to enter the palace, if she rashly brings her back, wouldn't that be the same as handing her directly to the Queen
If this is true, it would be a good idea to let the one who is willing to enter the palace marry in and save Xiu'er from this disaster. This would also save her from having to hand in a name card and kowtow three times and nine times when she wants to see her daughter in the future.
In this way, everyone gets what they need and everyone is happy. Isn’t that wonderful
After realizing this, she quickly made up her mind and couldn't wait to go home to meet her mother-in-law.
She and her mother-in-law had been quarreling over the matter of adopting a daughter for the past two days due to disagreements. Now she had to go back to apologize to her mother-in-law and discuss the rules for adopting a daughter.
"Sister, thank you for clearing up the knot in my heart. When I bring the child back, I will bring her to see you as soon as possible." She stood up and said goodbye, saying to her sister happily.
Sheng Qingluan, however, was filled with bitterness. She forced herself to smile as she sent her sister out of the house. She stood in front of the door and watched the carriage leave. The clattering sound of horse hooves seemed to trample on her heart again and again, shattering her already absurd dream.
General, we all miss our daughter so much that we are crazy about her. There is no such thing as reincarnation in this world. It is just our illusion!
She sighed, slowly turned around in the cold winter wind, and walked towards the empty mansion.
…
Two days later, Princess Anping prepared a generous gift and asked Madam Wang to take it to the Dingyuan Marquis's mansion to propose marriage.
It has been a while since Miss Zhao Si fell into the water, and Princess Anping has remained silent and has not made any statement. Everyone thought that she looked down on Miss Zhao Si's status as a bastard and was planning to play deaf and dumb. Now she suddenly wants to propose marriage to the Marquis' Mansion, which really surprised Mrs. Wang.
But Mrs. Wang was such a shrewd person that she didn't show it at all. Instead, she said with a confident look, "I guessed you would come to see me, and I've been waiting for you!"
Princess Anping still felt a little awkward, and said awkwardly, "I'm afraid you are waiting to see me laugh at you."
"How could that be possible?" Mrs. Wang said with a smile, "You are overthinking it. Although Miss Zhao Si is a concubine's daughter, she is the most beautiful and virtuous daughter of Marquis Dingyuan. Before she even reached the age of 18, many people asked me about her. However, her stepmother said that there were many sisters in the family and the rules could not be broken. They had to follow the order, so she suppressed the request. Otherwise, how could she have been delayed until now?"
Princess Anping didn't know whether what she said was true or not, but she felt comforted in her heart and smiled: "The matchmaker's words are deceitful, just try to coax me as much as you can!"
"How could I lie to you? What I said is all true." Madam Wang said, "Except for the title of a concubine's daughter, the girl is good in every other way. Besides, even if she is a concubine's daughter, she is still the concubine's daughter of the Dingyuan Marquis's mansion. Think about it, there are a few Dingyuan Marquises in the Great Zhou Dynasty. The emperor hunts him as regent, and the prime minister and duke have to stand aside. The daughter of such a family will be treated as a treasure in any family she marries. What's more, she is a talented woman who is well-educated and well-mannered. Isn't it better than marrying a spoiled and arrogant daughter of the first wife?"
Princess Anping's eyebrows relaxed after hearing this, and she nodded repeatedly, saying, "What you said makes sense, but I'm not impressed by her father's ability. It's mainly because my unfilial son has always regarded studying as a disaster. Now he wants to take the imperial examination for her. He used to sleep until noon every day, but now he gets up at the crowing of the cock to study without anyone urging him."
"Oh my, it's really the blessing of the gods that you have finally got what you wanted." Madam Wang clapped her legs and laughed. "In that case, what else is there to say? I will go to the Marquis' Mansion to propose marriage for the eldest son. Just wait for my good news!"
Mrs. Wang came with generous gifts, which shocked everyone in the mansion. Qin welcomed her into the meeting hall. Xie Nanjia, who got the news, hurriedly informed the fourth aunt to invite the old lady, to prevent Qin from interfering and privately rejecting Mrs. Wang.
When the old lady heard the news, she hurriedly took people there, and at the same time instructed Nianci to go to the school in person to invite the fourth young lady back.
When the young ladies in the school heard that Mrs. Wang was proposing to Zhao Lanzhi on behalf of Mr. Zhou, they were immediately furious and refused to believe their ears even if they were beaten to death.
Zhao Lanya's head was buzzing as she watched Zhao Lanzhi leave with her head held high and her teeth chattering.
What tricks did the little hoof use to make Princess Anping change her mind
Do I really have to watch her snatch Master Zhou away
This bitch, she's been taking medicine for five days in a row, how come she isn't dead yet
Zhao Lanya was angry and anxious, and she wanted to run back and make a big scene right now to mess up the matter.
But she couldn't do that. If she did, even if she succeeded, her reputation would be ruined. She didn't want to kill a thousand enemies and lose eight hundred of her own. She wanted Zhao Lanzhi to die alone!
With the old lady in charge, the marriage discussions went very smoothly. Qin was gritting her teeth in her heart, but she had to pretend to be happy, wiping away her tears and feeling that her Lanzhi finally had a good home.
The Fourth Aunt and Zhao Lanzhi sat side by side, smiling like flowers, which made Qin very angry. She was on guard against everything, but she was caught off guard on the day of burning incense, and they took advantage of the opportunity. It was really hateful!
By the way, how come these two people are still so energetic after taking medicine for five days
With the same dose of medicine, Lvliu has been bedridden since yesterday, so how come they have no reaction at all
Could it be that they discovered the drugging
If they were really discovered, why were they so calm, as if nothing had happened
It's really weird to say, no matter what means or strategies she used during this period, they always ended in failure silently, and the secret guards she sent out also disappeared mysteriously. Even Lan Ya hired people to kill Xiu'er and designed to make the fourth girl fall into the water, but in the end, nothing made a splash.
Logically speaking, since all the plans failed, there must be some evidence left behind. Why didn't they even fight back once
Could it be that they wanted to accumulate all these evidences and wait for the right opportunity to defeat me in one fell swoop
Thinking of this possibility, Qin couldn't help but shudder, and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.
(End of this chapter)