In Kunning Palace, the Empress was sitting on the main seat in a bright yellow phoenix robe. Her jade hand, which was covered with gold-thread hollow enamel armor, picked up the teacup in front of her and greeted the old Duke's wife and Sheng Qingyun with a smile.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law sat cautiously at the bottom and bowed to thank the empress for the tea.
"You two don't have to be polite. Just do whatever makes you feel comfortable." Queen Meng said with a smile, "According to folk sayings, our two families are like in-laws, in-laws, and we are as close as one family. How can you be so restrained when you are in your own home?"
"Your Majesty is absolutely right." The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law agreed, each took a sip of tea, put the teacup back on the table, and still sat there with their hands folded on their knees, proper.
Queen Meng couldn't help but laugh again and said, "Look, you say I'm right, but you're still being reserved. Are you afraid that I'll eat you?"
The more she joked, the more uneasy the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law felt. They thought that instead of pretending to be nice, it would be better to get straight to the point and talk about business. Even if they lost their temper on the spot, it was better than suffering in this state.
But Queen Meng seemed to enjoy it, and she talked for a long time without saying anything. After the tea was refilled for the third time, she slowly said, "I heard that there are two Jinping County Masters in the Zhenguo Mansion now. What is going on?"
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were already in extreme agony. Upon hearing this, they both got up from their seats and knelt down to apologize.
Sheng Qingyun trembled as he roughly recounted what had happened, and kowtowed, "Empress, it's all because our family was too anxious to find the child, so we were careless and made such a big joke. But we only got the news these two days, and it was definitely not intentional to conceal or deceive. Please understand, Empress!"
After listening to this, Queen Meng nodded without commenting. It was hard to tell whether she was annoyed or not. She just said calmly, "So, is it confirmed now? There won't be any more problems, right?"
"No, it has been confirmed that the adoptive mother is the one who stole the child. She has confessed everything." Sheng Qingyun said.
"Well, that's good." Queen Meng nodded again, "So now, how does the Duke's Mansion plan to deal with this matter? Which Princess Jinping will marry into the Eastern Palace?"
Both the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law were startled. The old lady hurriedly replied before Sheng Qingyun: "It's all up to your Majesty. Please give your instructions."
"..." Sheng Qingyun had a different opinion and was about to speak when the old lady secretly pinched her and told her not to say anything more.
Queen Meng nodded for the third time and said slowly, "Well, since the old lady wants to listen to my advice, I will say a few more words. Since the girl is still in the Marquis's Mansion and has not been taken back, why not let her continue to stay in the Marquis' Mansion? Later, your mansion will come forward to clarify and say that the rumors outside are pure rumors, and the real Jinping County Lady is the one in the mansion now."
“…” Both the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law were stunned and looked at each other, unable to believe their ears.
Before this, they had speculated countless times about how the Queen would react to this matter, but no matter how hard they racked their brains, they could not have imagined that the Queen would be willing to let a fake be the Crown Princess and would not allow them to recognize their own children.
"Why, Your Majesty? Please forgive my ignorance. I don't understand what you mean." When Sheng Qingyun heard that she was not allowed to recognize her daughter, she immediately became anxious. She changed her previous reserved attitude and asked directly.
The old lady hurriedly pinched her again, but she didn't care at all. She knelt upright and waited for the Queen's explanation.
Queen Meng's face suddenly turned cold, and she slammed the teacup on the table. "You are indeed quite ignorant. You can't even figure this out. Princess Jinping is the daughter-in-law that I personally came to your house to see. Not only did she accept my gift, but she also asked for her name and accepted the marriage proposal. The emperor personally arranged a marriage for her, and the Imperial Observatory even picked out a date for the wedding. Now suddenly another Princess Jinping appears. Are you trying to make the world laugh at the royal family?"
“…” Sheng Qingyun was speechless and had no words to say for a moment.
What the Empress meant was that if there were two Princess Jinpings, not switching the one would be like marrying a fake one, and if switching was done all the previous work would be in vain. Therefore, whether switching or not, it would be a joke, and the Crown Prince's wedding in the future would become a topic of joke on the streets.
But, just because the Queen Mother is afraid that her son will be laughed at, does that mean she must be unable to recognize her own flesh and blood for the rest of her life
Sheng Qingyun became angrier and angrier as he thought about it. He bowed his head and said, "Empress..."
"What the Queen said is very serious. Please allow me to go back and convey the Queen's will to the old Duke and my son, and then work out a perfect excuse to convince everyone." The old lady was afraid that her daughter-in-law would contradict the Queen on the spot out of impulse, so she agreed first.
"Mother!" Sheng Qingyun called her anxiously.
The old lady glared at her fiercely, then kowtowed to the queen and took her leave.
Queen Meng agreed and regained her friendly expression. She asked someone to send the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law away properly.
The old lady thanked her and hurriedly left Kunning Palace taking Sheng Qingyun's hand.
"Your Majesty, the young lady doesn't seem very willing to do this." Wang Lu waved away everyone and said in a low voice.
"It doesn't matter whether she is reluctant or not. How dare she disobey the order?" Queen Meng snorted coldly, "If the prince wasn't so concerned about that girl, would she think I would be willing to marry a fake one?"
"But, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince heard the news last night and ran to see the Queen with a big smile on his face. If he knew that the Queen had considered it all night and still wanted him to marry the fake one, he would definitely be very sad."
"It's better to be sad than to be in love." Queen Meng said, "He is going to be an emperor, how can he indulge in love affairs? Didn't you ask someone to investigate? That girl is cunning and sly, with sweet words and a charming face. The prince couldn't forget her after just meeting her once. If a woman like this entered the palace, what would happen?"
"Your Majesty has considered everything. I'm afraid that the Crown Prince will have a rift with you because of this." Wang Lu said, "Besides, would the Crown Prince be willing to marry a fake with unknown origins? If they have a child in the future, wouldn't it taint the noble royal bloodline?"
"Impostor or not, she is just a pawn after all. When the crown prince ascends the throne smoothly, she won't have to get sick or anything. We just need to keep a close eye on her and prevent her from getting pregnant." Queen Meng said dimly, "And that girl, have someone deal with her quietly, so that the Duke's Mansion won't be reluctant to part with her and cause any more trouble."
“…” Wang Lu felt a chill on his back after hearing this. He stopped asking questions and bowed in response.
…
Xie Nanjia took a long nap in the west wing and woke up around noon.
It was quiet all around, with the scent of ambergris floating in the air. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the sunlight shining on the window frame. It took her a while to remember where she was.
This is Zhao Jingyu's room.
Last night she killed her enemy with her own hands and set fire to the ancestral hall. She was covered in blood and couldn't go back to Yilan Courtyard, so she followed Zhao Jingyu to the West Wing.
In order not to disturb others, Zhao Jingyu took the initiative to give up his room and let her take a bath and change clothes. He also said that she was now the daughter of the Duke's Mansion and her noble status should not be neglected. He insisted that she sleep here and he rested in the outer room.
Xie Nanjia was extremely tired at that time, but she didn't refuse and fell asleep wrapped in his shirt.
Perhaps because she was in a good mood after having her revenge, or perhaps because the west wing was too quiet, she slept until now.
She stretched herself, sat up slowly, and seeing a bright red brocade fur coat draped over the bedside, she took it and put it on, then walked out.
The outer room was also very quiet, with only the occasional crackling sound from the charcoal brazier. Zhao Jingyu was leaning on the chaise longue in her home clothes, her long legs crossed and a book covering her face. It was unclear whether she was asleep or awake.
Xie Nanjia walked over quietly, sat down on the embroidered stool in front of him, and looked at him quietly.
One of his hands was holding a book, and the other hand was hanging on the edge of the couch. His hand was clean and slender, with distinct joints, and it was dazzlingly white against the backdrop of his bright red robe.
Xie Nanjia stared at him in a trance, remembering how he rubbed the blood off her hand last night and said, "It's okay, I have it on my hand too." The light was dim at that time and she couldn't see clearly. If it was daytime, she might not have the heart to let such fair hands be stained with blood.
Such beautiful hands should be used to hold books, hold pens, pick up flowers, play the piano... She thought about it, bent down to pick up his robe sleeve that fell on the ground, and gently placed it beside him along with his hand.
Unexpectedly, the hand suddenly grabbed her hand, and with a slight force, pulled her into his arms.
The book slipped off, revealing the man's jade-like face and a pair of sparkling peach blossom eyes.
Xie Nanjia was shocked. As soon as she met his eyes, her heart started beating wildly and she struggled to get up in a hurry.
Zhao Jingyu refused, and put his other hand on her waist, making her cling to him tightly, and said jokingly: "You actually threw yourself into my arms while I was sleeping, aren't you ashamed?"
Xie Nanjia: “…”
How dare he say that.
"Let me go quickly, it's not good if someone sees us." She said with a red face.
"Who dares to come in without my order?" Zhao Jingyu said with a smile, "Let me kiss you, and I'll let you go."
"Second Young Master..." Just as he finished speaking, Wei Jun pushed the door open and walked in. He was startled by the scene in front of him, and a rare blush appeared on his dull face.
"I didn't see anything." He emphasized to himself, turned around and walked out.
"Come back!" The second son of the Zhao family, who had been slapped in the face, called him in frustration, letting go of Xie Nanjia and sitting up himself. "Tell me, what's the matter?"
Wei Jun bowed and said, "The two ladies of the Zhenguogong Mansion went to Kunning Palace."
"Kunning Palace, they're moving so fast." Zhao Jingyu narrowed his eyes and didn't express any opinion. He just said lightly, "I see. Have someone keep watching."
"yes!"
Xie Nanjia watched Wei Jun close the door and leave, and asked, "What is the Duke's wife doing in Kunning Palace?"
Zhao Jingyu leaned back on the couch with her hands clasped behind her head, and said faintly: "Maybe you will soon become the Crown Princess."
"..." Xie Nanjia was stunned for a moment, then quickly figured out the connection and blurted out, "No, I don't want to marry Song Jingxing."
"Why not?" Zhao Jingyu said, "Being a Crown Princess now, I will be the Queen in the future. I will be second only to the Emperor and above everyone else. Isn't this the ultimate dream of a woman?"
Xie Nanjia curled her lips and said indifferently: "I judge people. If the person is not right, Queen Mother will not do it."
Zhao Jingyu's eyes suddenly lit up: "What if it was me?"
"…" Xie Nanjia rolled her eyes at him, "Who do you think you are? What are you daydreaming about?"
Zhao Jingyu smiled meaningfully: "Don't worry about whether I dream or not, just tell me if you can change me."
Xie Nanjia: “…”
Is this guy crazy, or is he really planning to rebel? He speaks such outrageous words without hesitation. Isn't he afraid of losing his head
"It's fine if you say these things here, but don't say them outside, do you hear me?" She warned him solemnly, "You are used to being arrogant. You must know that everything has its limits. There are some things that you can never joke about."
Seeing that she was serious, Zhao Jingyu couldn't bear to let her down, so he nodded seriously to indicate that he had taken note of it.
"If the Queen really wants to replace the Princess Jinping with you, what are you going to do?"
Xie Nanjia thought about it, frowned and said, "This matter is really a bit tricky. I can't think of what to do for the moment. Let's take it one step at a time!"
"Well, anyway, I won't let you marry someone you don't like." Zhao Jingyu didn't want her to worry about this, so he got up from the couch, took her hand and said, "The sun is shining, let's go to the garden, and you can cook for me when we come back."
"..." Xie Nanjia stood up with the help of his strength, "I am not a girl now, why should I cook for you?"
"You can't do this." Zhao Jingyu said sadly, "You said yesterday that I'm still the Second Young Master and you're still Xiu'er. Did you forget that after a good night's sleep?"
Xie Nanjia laughed: "I just said that casually."
"But I'm serious." Zhao Jingyu said, "I don't care, you have to do it anyway."
"Hey!" Xie Nanjia rolled her eyes at him, "You are a bastard, yet you want to order the county lady around. You are so arrogant."
"Do you dislike me?" Zhao Jingyu said aggrievedly.
Xie Nanjia couldn't help but burst into laughter: "That's right, I just dislike you, change my clothes quickly!"
"Change clothes?" Zhao Jingyu's eyes lit up. "Okay, I'll help you change clothes right away."
As he said this, he led the person into the inner room.
Xie Nanjia dodged quickly and corrected him with a red face: "I said it wrong, I meant to ask someone to come over and help me change clothes."
"No need to trouble others. I'm willing to bear the burden." Zhao Jingyu pushed her in without saying anything.
(End of this chapter)