Female-male sex: Salted fish forced to rise to prominence

Then, Princess Ronghua gossiped again: "Sister Manli, do you know that Prince Zhou will be going to Beijing with his mother in a few days?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Manli recalled the young man in her memory who had handsome features and was as dazzling as the sun, and was both talented in literature and martial arts. Thinking of this, her ears turned red and her whole body felt numb.

She said embarrassedly: "I don't know, I seldom go out on weekdays."

After Princess Ronghua finished speaking, she gently leaned forward, leaning close to Chen Manli's ear again, and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Do you know the reason behind this?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Manli subconsciously clenched the delicate handkerchief in her hand, trying hard to control the ups and downs in her heart and trying to keep a calm expression on her face.

However, her slightly trembling fingers still betrayed a hint of nervousness. After taking a deep breath, she pretended to be calm and asked, "What's the reason?"

Princess Ronghua seemed fascinated by the topic, a gossipy expression on her face. She chuckled playfully before slowly revealing the answer: "According to my mother, Crown Prince Zhou came to the capital to break off his engagement with his mother."

"Break off the engagement?" Chen Manli's voice suddenly became extremely sharp, like a sword cutting through the sky, even Princess Ronghua beside her couldn't help but be shocked.

Princess Ronghua quickly reached out and gently patted her chest to calm her frightened heartbeat. At the same time, she scolded him, "You knew he wanted to break off the engagement, so why are you so excited?"

Chen Manli regained her composure and stammered, "Your Highness... Your Highness is simply quite surprised. After all, Qin Yuehua is the granddaughter of the current Prime Minister, Qin Hui, and has always been known in the capital for her virtue, dignity, and steadiness. How could such an outstanding woman have her engagement broken off?"

Upon seeing this, Princess Ronghua lowered her voice and continued, "I heard that this matter originated from the loss of Qin Yuehua's loving mother last year, and according to etiquette, she must observe a full three years of mourning.

Now she is approaching the age of marriage, and by the time her mourning period is over, she will already be seventeen."

"Even so, we don't necessarily have to cancel the engagement. Seventeen years old is only two years of coming of age." Chen Manli still had a look of doubt on her face, and it was obvious that she found this reason hard to believe.

"Prince Zhou is one year older than Qin Yuehua. He is sixteen this year. When the man from the Qin family finishes paying his respects, the prince will be eighteen."

In those aristocratic families, both men and women would often arrange marriages early on. After all, this tradition had been going on for a long time and everyone was accustomed to it.

I heard that the noble prince of a different surname, Prince Anding, Zhou Huaixu, had only this one legitimate son for many years. And when the princess An gave birth to the prince, she unfortunately suffered a broken bone and was unable to have children since then.

In desperation, the prince had to take several concubines, but all of them were girls. As a result, the prince was naturally eager for his son to get married as soon as possible so that he could hold a cute big grandson in his arms as soon as possible.

Not only that, Princess Ronghua lowered her voice to an almost inaudible level and said, "Also, I heard that Prime Minister Qin's health has been deteriorating recently. Even the imperial physician Tang in the palace has been urgently dispatched by the emperor to consult with him!"

She paused and continued, “I think this may be one of the reasons.

I also heard this from my mother accidentally. You must keep your mouth shut. If the news leaks out, it will have an adverse impact on the court situation."

"Don't worry, I will never tell anyone about it!" Chen Manli made a firm promise to Princess Ronghua.

She was ecstatic, unable to contain her joy! Crown Prince Zhou Yao, that man as dazzling as the sun, was actually breaking off their engagement! Did this mean her chance had finally arrived? Thinking of this, her eyes gleamed with a determined, unwavering light.

Along the way, the princess chattered endlessly about various topics, but she seemed oblivious, only nodding occasionally or making a few perfunctory remarks. It wasn't until the princess's carriage dropped her off outside the Chen Mansion that she finally woke up from her dream.

With the careful support of her personal maid, Bihe, she finally stumbled out of the carriage. When her feet landed firmly on the ground in front of the Chen Mansion, a long-lost sense of groundedness washed over her.

Bi He, who had followed him for many years, looked at her young lady in such a distracted state and seemed to understand something. She must be in love with someone as outstanding as Prince Zhou!

Zhou Yao is the son of Prince Anding. Prince Anding Zhou Huaixu was a founding general who followed the late emperor to fight on the battlefield. He was a king of a different surname who was personally appointed by the late emperor. Even the current emperor and princes have to respectfully call him the emperor's uncle.

After all, Prince Zhou not only has a distinguished family background and a respected status, but he is also proficient in both civil and military strategies.

Coupled with his unparalleled handsome face, he is firmly at the top of the list of handsome young men among the noble families of the entire Great Sheng Dynasty!

Although Biluo didn't understand why the young lady behaved inappropriately, as her master's personal maid, she had to learn to read people's expressions since she was a child. She noticed that the princess became absent-minded when she mentioned Prince Zhou.

She secretly worried about General Bai Xiao, wondering what to do. But she couldn't think of a better solution, so she could only follow her master and Sister Bihe step by step.

As Chen Manli entered the mansion, she was planning how to break off the engagement as soon as possible, and she had to do it before the prince returned. This way, she would have the opportunity to get close to the prince.

And even if there was no Prince Zhou, she would never marry Su Yu, who was ugly, uneducated and a fool.

She must talk to her mother again. Her mother loves her so much and is so smart and wise. She will definitely plan well for her major life events.

In fact, she had already known it clearly in her heart. Although her mother always said that she would think about it seriously when she mentioned breaking off the engagement many times, she never expressed her opposition directly.

I think my mother probably also looked down on the uneducated and dissolute young man of the Su family. The reason why she didn't agree to cancel the engagement readily was probably because she was concerned about my grandfather's reputation and didn't want to say it too bluntly.

In addition, another important reason is that his father has never agreed to this matter before. If he wants to successfully reject this marriage, it seems that he needs some extra help.

At this moment, she couldn't help but ponder inwardly: "I wonder how Bai Mufan has handled the situation? Has he figured out a plan to deal with Su Yu? If I can get them mother and son to willingly and quietly agree to cancel the engagement, that would be perfect..."

Thus she strolled along carelessly, while methodically sorting out the various thoughts in her mind;

However, the uniquely shaped rockery, the well-arranged pavilions and towers, and the colorful flowers in the garden were all not pleasing to her eyes at this moment.

Passing through the winding corridor, across the colorful garden, and then through a round archway, she slowly walked towards her own independent courtyard in the backyard - the Plum Garden.

Along the way, her steps seemed a little heavy, as if she was carrying a heavy burden.

As soon as I reached the door, I saw a maid in plain clothes holding a green wine bottle coming forward and bowing respectfully to the person in front of her.

"Greetings, Third Miss! My name is Liuzhi, and I was specially sent by the housekeeper Chen Fu in the front yard to bring you this jar of pine needle wine that can prolong your life." She bowed her head slightly, her tone full of respect.

Then, Liu Zhi continued, "General Bai's personal servant Bai Shu once said that this wine is extremely precious.

Because of this, Steward Chen specifically instructed me to wait here with the young lady and personally deliver this wine to the Third Young Lady. This servant, knowing the importance of this matter, has been waiting here, not daring to be negligent or remiss.

Upon hearing this, Chen Manli's face lit up with a gentle and kind smile, and she softly instructed, "Bihe, give her some of the reward; Biluo, put this jar of wine in the warehouse and keep it safe. You can use it when Grandmother celebrates her birthday."

"As you command!" Bihe and Biluo responded in unison. Bihe reached into her bosom and pulled out an exquisitely crafted pink purse. Embroidered on it were several vibrant red plum blossoms, clearly a gift specially prepared for the servants.

Seeing this, Liu Zhi quickly took the purse with both hands. Her face was filled with joy, and she couldn't help but smile. She bowed deeply to the Third Miss again, expressing her gratitude, and then left with brisk steps.