Noble Lady

"Ah Niang went to look for the eldest prince, oh no, the crown prince to break off the engagement?"

Madam Xue breathed a sigh of relief. "As expected, she is the daughter I raised myself. I was really afraid you would say I was overestimating my own abilities by forcing the prince to marry a merchant's daughter like me."

Xue Chenyu was silently ashamed, "...Mother doesn't look like the type to daydream."

After a brief moment of surprise, Madam Xue nodded helplessly. "I was born into a merchant family. I've traveled extensively with my father since childhood. Naturally, I've learned one thing: the ethics of this era can be devastating. How could a merchant's daughter like me possibly marry into the royal family?"

"Instead of dreaming about something unrealistic, it is better to strive for some tangible benefits."

Although it is cruel, it is the truth.

Although Mrs. Xue said these words with a smile, Xue Chenyu could still feel her sadness.

"...My daughter, let me ask you, did you ever have true feelings for the prince..."

"Silly child, the sincerity of youth is most intense. Otherwise, how could I have agreed to my family's arrangement?" Mrs. Xue said with a wry smile. "I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but back then, when I was young, I was truly mesmerized by his face."

It’s too straightforward, really too straightforward.

Xue Chenyu couldn't even imagine that this was something her mother could say to her.

But then I thought, only my mother would say these words.

How many other women can be as bold and straightforward as her, and have such clear likes and dislikes?

Thinking of this, Xue Chenyu asked boldly, "Then why did you marry my father?"

They were at loggerheads at first, right?

"It's just that your father is stupid." Mrs. Xue laughed out loud, not knowing what she was thinking. "But he is indeed quite cute."

This sentence aroused Xue Chenyu's curiosity to the extreme.

"Mother, what kind of person was my father when he was young?"

"He's simple and direct, sincere and passionate. He's very clear about what he loves and hates, and he can never hide a single thought."

Mrs. Xue said that she went to the border because of Mo Ling. Although Mr. Jiang was fine, she had a conflict with Xue Heyan.

...To be precise, Xue Heyan was having a fight with her. He was afraid that she would make a fuss and want to go to the capital with him, which would ruin his playmate's plans, so he tried every means to stop her.

But what kind of thoughts could a man who grew up in a military camp have? Jiang Wanqing saw through him at once and took advantage of the opportunity to do business in the military.

The two of them had frequent interactions, mainly because Xue Heyan wanted to keep an eye on her. He would often follow her in the shop, which made people think that she had some relationship with Xue Heyan. No one dared to cause trouble, and her business went smoothly.

It wasn't until the news of Mo Ling being crowned Crown Prince and the late Emperor granting him marriage arrived that Xue Heyan, feeling guilty, approached her and said, "I've let you down these past few years, but I didn't expect him to accept Your Majesty so quickly..."

He could not bring himself to utter the word "arranged marriage" no matter what.

But Jiang Wanqing had already built up her business by then and had her own information channels. How could she have not heard of the enthronement of the crown prince and the granted marriage?

Seeing that he was in a dilemma, she interrupted him, "This is a matter between him and me, and it has nothing to do with you. You should worry about your own soldiers and tactics."

"From now on, don't meddle in other people's affairs."

Xue Heyan spoke in silent mode for a while.

In the end, it was Jiang Wanqing who gave him a jar of wine. "If you feel unhappy, just drink a few sips. After you finish drinking, go back to where you should go. There's no need to hang around in front of my door."

The stubborn Xue Heyan was very hurt, but then he thought that he was the first one to destroy other people's marriage, so it was understandable that other people disliked him.

So he took the jar of wine and left.

When I returned to the shop the next day, the owner told me that the owner had already left for the north the day before—shortly after he left. ...

"That foolish fool rode after me all alone, all covered in dust, just to tell me—"

"That man is already a prince. Let me be patient and don't let my anger cost me my life."

Xue Chenyu chuckled, "...it fits my preconceived notion of my father. So, what happened next?"

"I told him I was going to Beijing for serious business, and I had business to attend to, but he wouldn't listen. He insisted I was going to die, and nothing I said made sense."

Mrs. Xue couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I've never seen anyone as stubborn as him in my life. He's so stubborn and stubborn."

"In the end, neither of us could convince the other, so he followed me to Beijing."

What happened next was even more outrageous.

On the day she arrived in Beijing, she happened to see the Crown Prince accompanying the future Crown Princess to burn incense in the temple, and the road into the city was completely blocked.

Just by coincidence, the future Crown Princess's carriage was next to hers, and that was how they got to know each other.

Mo Ling recognized her but didn't dare to acknowledge her, so he came to look for her secretly.

"You weren't like this before, but after not seeing you for two years, I didn't expect that even you have changed."

He also said that he would naturally give an explanation for the marriage that year, so that she wouldn't have to do all this deliberately.

"Even if I ascend the throne someday, I will never treat you unfairly, remembering our old friendship."

In this way, she failed to withdraw from the relationship, but was instead accused of being scheming and taking the opportunity to get close to the future Crown Princess.

She was young and hot-headed, and in a fit of rage, she slapped the crown prince and told him to get as far away as possible.

"If you're heartless, just call it heartless. What's the point of talking about unfair treatment? I saved your life. If it weren't for me, Jiang Wanqing, you wouldn't even be able to be a beggar, let alone a prince. You would have been a wandering ghost underground long ago!"

"I'm putting this on the line today. Today, I, Jiang Wanqing, will sever all ties with you. All the kindness I showed you over the years will be thrown to the wind. From now on, we'll have nothing to do with each other!"

As the crown prince, Mo Ling was naturally arrogant and the two parted on bad terms.

Afterwards, Xue Heyan was afraid that she would be upset, so he came to comfort her, "There are many beautiful women in the world, why do you have to love only one flower? It's better not to have an ungrateful person like him."

Jiang Wanqing laughed in anger, "That's not what Young Marquis Xue said at the beginning. You said I was just a merchant's daughter and unworthy of his status as a prince. You were afraid that my coming to the capital would ruin his plans."

"It's only been a short time, and you've already forgotten your position?"

Xue Heyan was so embarrassed by his rebuttal that he left in disgrace.

After that, Xue Heyan would appear quietly around her from time to time, afraid of being discovered by her and afraid that she would do something stupid.

But Jiang Wanqing didn't have time to do anything stupid. She was busy selecting a store location, negotiating with various shop owners, and planning a future for herself.

As for the bitterness in her heart, it would only emerge quietly in the dead of night, occasionally making her sad and depressed for a moment.

But after dawn, there were many more things waiting for her, and she really didn't have the energy to feel bad.

So she pretended to be deaf and dumb to Xue Heyan's secretive behavior and pretended not to see it.

Time passed quickly, and within three months, the emperor became seriously ill again.

In order to let the late emperor see the crown prince get married, Mo Ling and the crown princess got married in a hurry. On the third day of the wedding, the late emperor passed away.

Mo Ling also went from being a little beggar who was kidnapped and sold on the streets to reaching the peak of his life in his 95s.

The newly married Crown Princess also entered the harem and became the Queen.

……