Ling Qingwan wanted to explain, but seeing Ling Xiao so anxious, her eyes rolled and she suddenly wanted to tease Ling Xiao.
"Brother, how do you know that I don't have any love for the prince?" Ling Qingwan's eyes were full of smiles, like a crescent moon.
Ling Xiao suddenly became very serious.
"It would be better if you marry the Seventh Prince. After all, I grew up with him and I know him well. The Crown Prince and I don't have much interaction on a daily basis. I only know that there are many women in the city who admire him. There is no guarantee that after you marry him, he will not fall in love with someone else and ignore you."
Ling Xiao didn't want Ling Qingwan and Song Zhiqing to be together, and this was an idea that came to his mind after careful consideration. He only had this one biological sister, so naturally he wanted Ling Qingwan to marry a good man.
"I know." Ling Xiao was so worried that Ling Qingwan couldn't continue to joke with him. "I was just joking. I have no feelings for the prince, don't worry."
"Really?" Ling Xiao was half-believing and half-doubting, looking at Ling Qingwan closely.
"When have I ever lied to you?" Ling Qingwan curled the corners of her mouth slightly and smiled back.
Ling Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Tan Hongbo and I both think that it's best for you to marry the Seventh Prince." Ling Xiao told Ling Qingwan. "The Seventh Prince is a bit dull and doesn't like to get close to women. This is good, so we don't have to worry about him getting involved in affairs in the future."
Ling Qingwan giggled.
If she really had a choice, Ling Qingwan would rather not marry anyone. But compared to the hypocritical Song Zhiqing, Ling Qingwan would rather marry Wei Xun, who only had two years left to live.
At most, she would become a widow in two years, and she would not have to serve Wei Xun, and she would also get the title of Crown Princess. Thinking in this way, Ling Qingwan not only did not lose anything, but actually took advantage of Wei Xun.
"But then again, are you really going to accompany the prince for dinner tomorrow?" Ling Xiao was still very worried. Song Zhiqing was the prince, and compared to Wei Xun, he had more say in front of the emperor. If Song Zhiqing insisted on marrying Ling Qingwan, no one would be able to stop him.
"No." Ling Qingwan answered truthfully.
Ling Xiao raised his eyes and glared at Qing Feng unhappily.
"My grandmother told me to treat the prince to a meal, and I did agree." Ling Qingwan explained for Qingfeng.
"Master, you heard what the second young lady said. I was not wrong." Qingfeng felt very aggrieved.
Ling Xiao was helpless and waved his hand to tell Qing Feng to retreat.
"This matter has not only affected me. The prince has helped the Marquis' Mansion by taking action. It is reasonable and logical to invite the prince to dinner in the name of the Marquis' Mansion. In this case, anyone in the Marquis' Mansion can accept the invitation, why must I go?" Ling Qingwan's words were well-reasoned and there was really no flaw to be found.
"But didn't you promise your grandmother?" Ling Xiao frowned. He was afraid that Old Madam Ling would blame him and Ling Qingwan would be scolded again.
"What if I'm sick? Do you want me to get up from bed and have dinner with the prince?" Ling Qingwan blinked and looked at Ling Xiao with an unfathomable expression.
Ling Xiao was still very worried and was in a dilemma, not knowing whether he should believe Ling Qingwan.
"Oh, brother, don't worry. There are many people in the Marquis' Mansion who want to have dinner with the prince. There is one in Baimeixuan." Ling Qingwan patted Ling Xiao's shoulder very straightforwardly.
How could Ling Qingwan just let Ling Chuchu go when she plotted against her like this? Since Old Madam Ling wanted to protect Ling Chuchu, she couldn't hand her over to the Jingzhao Yi Mansion for trial, so she could only punish Ling Chuchu in her own way.
Upon learning that he was going to have dinner with Ling Qingwan, Song Zhiqing was so excited that he changed his clothes early in the morning and went out on time.
"Your Highness, the carriage is ready." Chang'an took two steps at a time, fearing that he would be delayed.
Song Zhiqing stood up, walked quickly to the gate of the Prince's Mansion, and stepped into the carriage.
The surroundings were bustling with people, but Song Zhiqing only had Ling Qingwan in his mind.
He had waited too long for this moment.
Song Zhiqing secretly swore in his heart that as long as Ling Qingwan was willing to accept him, he would seize this opportunity and not let Ling Qingwan suffer any grievances again.
In my last life, I was wrong.
"Your Highness, we have arrived."
Chang'an's words pulled Song Zhiqing back to his senses. He looked up at the signboard of Zuixiaolou at the door, dismounted quickly, and went straight into the restaurant.
There was less than half an hour left before the time agreed with Song Zhiqing, and at this moment Ling Qingwan happened to feel unwell and fell down.
"What?" Mrs. Ling was shocked when she heard the news and stood up immediately. "How sick is she? Can't she even walk?"
"The maid from Iris Pavilion reported that the second young lady might have caught a cold. She is now dizzy and can only stay in bed to rest. She doesn't even have the strength to get up." Lu Fu replied to Madam Ling.
Madam Ling frowned and looked increasingly anxious.
"What about the prince? Where is he now?" she turned to ask Qiu Feng.
"The prince... the prince arrived at Zuixiaolou a quarter of an hour ago and is still waiting." Qiu Feng also looked terrified.
The original intention of this meal was to thank Song Zhiqing. If it ended up angering him, it would really be not worth it.
"What should we do? We can't tell His Highness that the Second Miss is not going and let him go back to the Prince's Mansion." Lu Fu thought about it over and over again, but couldn't find a way to have the best of both worlds.
Both sides want to offend Song Zhiqing, but Song Zhiqing must not be offended.
Everyone in the room was extremely anxious because Ling Qingwan suddenly fell ill.
"Madam, why don't we let the eldest lady go to the appointment?" Qiu Feng suddenly had an idea and thought of Ling Chuchu.
"Chu Chu?" Old Madam Ling was surprised and then fell into deep thought.
"Anyway, this meal is to thank His Highness for helping the Marquis' Mansion. The eldest daughter is also the Marquis's legitimate daughter and the most talented woman in the capital. If we let her go to the appointment, no one will dare to say that our Marquis' Mansion is not sincere." Qiu Feng told Madam Ling what she was thinking.
The more Madam Ling thought about it, the more she felt it made sense, and she quickly asked Qiu Feng to go to Baimei Pavilion to invite Ling Chuchu.
Ling Chuchu was just feeling angry when suddenly a huge pie fell on her head. Ling Chuchu was secretly happy and kept sighing that Ling Qingwan's illness came at the right time.
How could Ling Qingwan's fake illness not be treated in time
So Ling Chuchu dressed up in a hurry and rushed to the restaurant.
In the box on the second floor, Song Zhiqing was sitting by the window. He could see the situation at the gate by simply lowering his head.
The carved bronze sedan stopped at the door, and a woman in a dark pink dress embroidered with peonies came out and walked into the restaurant. Song Zhiqing knew at a glance that this was the carriage of the Marquis's mansion.
For some reason, Song Zhiqing was extremely nervous. No one knew that he had already fallen in love with Ling Qingwan in his previous life.
God gave him a chance to be reborn, not so much to renew their love relationship as to repay the debt of love he once owed to Ling Qingwan.
“Boom boom boom.”