Noble Lady

"My dear mother, you are wise. I have overestimated myself in the past. If I am fortunate enough to become Mr. Lu's disciple, I will study hard." The Sixth Prince said sincerely.

But in such a short time, he was completely devastated.

Concubine Chen nodded and said, "Since you have such awareness, it is worthwhile for me to bring you here."

After a pause, he continued, "It's a good thing that you recognize your own shortcomings, but whether you can become Mr. Lu's disciple depends on your own luck. Mother can't make the decision."

The Sixth Prince nodded dejectedly, "I understand, son."

Then he looked at Chen Lizhu with hope.

Chen Lizhu just smiled slightly and turned away.

There is even less to say about Mrs. Xue and Xue Chenyu.

Concubine Chen had a time limit for leaving the palace, and it was not appropriate for her to stay in the Marquis of Wu'an's Mansion for long. She gave Xue Chenyu and Madam Xue a few instructions, asking them to help find out what Mr. Lu was saying, and then she led the Sixth Prince away.

Chen Lizhu naturally left with him.

In the carriage.

Concubine Chen asked casually, "Lizhu, is the new wife your illegitimate fifth brother just married related to Miss Xue from the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion?"

"Yes, Auntie, Sister Xue and Fifth Sister-in-law are close friends. If it weren't for Sister Xue's mediation, Fifth Brother would have missed out on this good match."

Concubine Chen nodded, not knowing what she was thinking about, and did not say anything else.

……

The Marquis of Wu'an's Mansion heaved a sigh of relief after seeing off Concubine Chen, the Sixth Prince and the others.

Only Madam Xue was still sitting there, looking worried.

"Is mother still worried about father?"

Madam Xue looked up when she heard this and said, "Yu'er, although the Duke Chen's Mansion and Concubine Chen can certainly compete with the Queen and her maternal family, the Han family, Concubine Chen and the Duke Chen's Mansion are not to be trifled with either."

"Our Marquisate is isolated and powerless, I am only worried..."

"Are you worried that you've chosen the wrong person?" Xue Chenyu interrupted her. "Are you worried too much? It's true that Concubine Chen and Chen Guogong's family are not easy to deal with, but they are the only ones who can help us right now."

The Queen and the Han family are using the Crown Prince to make money and consolidate the Han family's position, and the Crown Prince is no pushover either.

The army in Lingnan and the affairs in the northern border all revealed his deep scheming.

Others pose no threat to the Crown Prince, the Queen, or the Han family. Only Concubine Chen and Duke Chen's Mansion can make them restrain themselves.

Madam Xue said, "If we surrender to the Imperial Concubine and the Duke of Chen's Mansion, what if the Crown Prince and the Queen no longer have any scruples and attack the Marquis' Mansion?"

Xue Chenyu sighed, "Mother, we have no choice."

My mother's concerns are correct, but whether the Queen and the Crown Prince would attack the Marquis' Mansion without any scruples is secondary. The most important thing at the moment is to protect my father and Situ Zhen.

If a person is gone, everything is gone.

Madam Xue pondered for a moment and said, "I will open up the trade route at all costs and ensure the supply of medicine and food at all costs."

Marquis Xue and Prince Cheng were in the northern border, and they were afraid that the Queen and the Crown Prince would cut off their retreat from Shengjing.

In such a difficult situation of hunger and cold, survival would become a greater challenge.

No matter what, this cannot be allowed to happen.

……

After that, the Sixth Prince often went to the Marquis of Wu'an's Mansion.

It has almost become a daily must.

In order to gain Mr. Lu's approval, he risked everything.

Since Concubine Chen did not interfere, rumors from the outside world naturally increased.

For example, the Marquis of Wu'an surrendered to Concubine Chen and the Sixth Prince, and it is likely that they wanted to help the Sixth Prince compete with the Crown Prince.

The people in Wu'an Marquis' Mansion turned a deaf ear to it, but the Queen and the Crown Prince became a little restless.

After the Sixth Prince had been at the Marquis's Mansion for a few days, the Queen sent someone to invite the Crown Prince over.

The graceful and elegant woman, wearing a scarlet phoenix robe and a phoenix crown that only she could have, sat upright on it, looking like the mother of the country, extremely noble.

"Have you heard the news outside, Prince?"

The prince slowly raised his head, his handsome face showing a hint of majesty, but he still restrained himself in front of the queen.

"What your Majesty Queen is talking about is that my sixth brother has been going to the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion recently. I have indeed heard about it."

The Queen hummed, then asked, "He's a good prince, but he actually ran off to the home of a general who traded his military achievements for a title. What do you think his intentions are?"

The prince pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps it's because of Mr. Lu, who taught at the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion. Mr. Lu has always been famous for his talent, and it's reasonable for any scholar to admire Mr. Lu."

The Queen snorted heavily upon hearing this. "What's this nonsense about respect or not? If the Sixth Prince truly believed in Mr. Lu, what would he have done earlier? He chose this moment to curry favor with the Marquis of Wu'an. Who wouldn't know his intentions?"

The prince did not refute, but just stood there quietly.

The Queen was still dissatisfied. "Although the Crown Prince has the full support of Elder Yu, he is still far behind the respect that Prince Cheng receives."

"You and Prince Cheng grew up together, yet he has the favor of His Majesty. On the contrary, you, his own son, are ignored by His Majesty in every way. You only know how to write policy essays and read books, which is still a little lacking."

These words really shouldn't have come from the Queen's mouth.

But the prince was used to hearing it.

He was registered under the Queen's name because the Queen had no children and there was no better candidate at that time. Otherwise, it would never have been his turn to become the Queen's adopted son.

"Your Majesty, I know my shortcomings and will do my best to catch up."

"What's the point of just catching up? In His Majesty's eyes, you, his biological son, are not as good as his nephew. What you need to do is surpass him and become the only one in His Majesty's heart."

The Crown Prince said: "Yes, thank you for your teachings, Mother. I will keep them in mind."

Seeing his obedient appearance, the queen gave up the words she wanted to teach him a lesson and said, "Forget it, go down."

The prince did not hesitate at all. He bowed and then left.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is not favored by His Majesty. Why do you have to rub salt into his heart?" Nanny Fang beside the Queen sighed helplessly.

The Queen glanced back at Nanny Fang and said nonchalantly, "He's just a bookworm. If we wait for him to open his mind, how long will it take?"

"Besides, what did I say wrong? He and Prince Cheng grew up together, had the same teacher and martial arts master, yet he only knew how to study. He's not even as good as a brute who only knows how to dance and wield a gun to gain the emperor's favor."

"If I had known he was so useless, I would have snatched Princess Cheng's newborn child away from her."

If she didn't have only one daughter, there would be no need for this prince.

The Queen spoke without restraint, and Nanny Fang could only sigh and stop trying to persuade her.

"Madam Fang, please send a message to my mother. Tell her that Marquis Wu'an must be spared. I want him to make the prince's wedding dress."

"Yes, Queen."

……

Xue Luoyan knew nothing about the power struggles. She just blindly followed her elder sister's wishes and invited Princess An Ning and her two good friends to go out for a trip together.