Noble Lady

"Even if Madam Fang didn't come this time, I was planning to go to Qinglong Temple." Xue Chenyu said.

When Situ Zhen went to live in Qinglong Temple, he had already expected that the Queen Mother would come to ask Xue Chenyu for help, so he greeted her.

Xue Chenyu didn't want to get involved too early, so she avoided the noble ladies who took turns to appear in Qinglong Temple for seven consecutive days.

But now it was Nanny Fang, the empress dowager's confidant, who had come in person, and she couldn't refuse even if she wanted to.

Besides, Xue Chenyu could no longer refuse.

Regardless of whether she could persuade Prince Cheng this time, since so many people had gone and failed, it was only natural for her to return empty-handed even if she had gone; it would be astonishing if she could succeed.

But if you refuse to go, you are being ungrateful.

That would be a slap in the face of the Queen Mother.

"Really?" Nanny Fang raised the last line of her voice and subconsciously looked at Xue Chenyu's outfit.

She was dressed appropriately, with powder evenly spread on her face, her eyebrows lightly drawn, and rouge applied just the right amount.

If she hadn't been preparing to go out for a long time, it would have been impossible for her to dress so exquisitely in such a short time.

"Yes, my father and the prince have a teacher-student relationship after all. Seeing that the prince stayed in Qinglong Temple for a long time, I felt that it was not a good idea. I even wanted to go and persuade him personally, but my father still had injuries he brought back from the northern border and had not yet healed."

Xue Chenyu paused, and Madam Xue continued, "My son is studying very hard for the upcoming imperial examinations. The Marquis's residence is overwhelmed with chores, and I have no time to spare, so I asked Yu'er to go on his behalf."

"So that's how it is." A smile appeared on Nanny Fang's face, as if to say that the Marquis's wife and Miss Xue were the ones who knew what was best for them.

"I was just about to go see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on behalf of the Queen Mother. Would Miss Xue come with you?"

"Then I'll trouble you, Aunt Fang."

……

Xue Chenyu followed Nanny Fang to Qinglong Temple, but along the way Nanny Fang made an excuse that she had not left the palace for a long time and asked Xue Chenyu to introduce her to the situation in the city, and then she took the same car with her.

The conversation was full of temptations.

Xue Chenyu knew exactly what she wanted to hear, so she could only say tactfully that she was very aware that she was a divorced person and did not dare to have any improper thoughts, nor would she have any.

Nanny Fang nodded, but she was not very happy.

Maybe she felt that any girl should like Prince Cheng, such a good man.

Xue Chenyu sat properly, even the smile on her lips revealed humility.

When we arrived at Qinglong Temple, there were already many noble ladies burning incense.

Today is neither the first nor the fifteenth day of the lunar month, but it happens to be March 3rd, which is the Flower Festival.

Of course, the noble ladies burning incense is secondary; the real purpose is to show up in front of Prince Cheng.

"Miss Xue, the prince is just ahead, under the tree on the side of the main hall." Nanny Fang pointed to the hall where the noble ladies gathered.

Xue Chenyu nodded and said, "Thank you for telling me, Ma'am. I'll go take a look."

In fact, the Queen Mother had already spread the word that if there was a noble lady who could persuade Prince Cheng to come back, she would personally arrange the marriage.

There are countless noble ladies who adore Prince Cheng. Whether they can marry into the palace is another matter, but having the Queen Mother arrange the marriage is also a great blessing, isn't it?

So the noble ladies rushed to Qinglong Temple.

But in Xue Chenyu's view, these are all means for the Queen Mother to win over the hearts of the people.

With so many noble ladies adoring her eldest grandson, she also needs someone to help her persuade Situ Zhen, who wants to become a monk, to return. She needs some sweet inducements.

By using the idea of ​​an arranged marriage, she could avoid the promise of the position of the Crown Prince's Consort. If there really was someone who could persuade Situ Zhen to come back and she happened to like him, she could just arrange the marriage.

If there is someone who can persuade Situ Zhen to come back, and whose family background is not compatible with Situ Zhen, she can still find another good husband for him.

The best of both worlds.

On the way here, Nanny Fang kept testing her, and was also testing her attitude on behalf of the Empress Dowager.

But she didn't care.

Xue Chenyu walked forward with Yuzhu and Xia He, and Nanny Fang really did not catch up.

The ladies were all dressed in bright colors, and were obviously as beautiful as flowers, but I wanted to go forward but didn't dare to.

Among the young ladies, about fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in pink, goose yellow and light green, Xue Chenyu's moon-white appearance is particularly eye-catching.

While others pretended to burn incense, she didn't bring any incense, only a food box.

"Prince." She walked straight to Situ Zhen.

Hearing the familiar voice, Situ Zhen slowly opened his eyes, "It's Miss Xue. Why are you here?"

"It's not that I want to come, but my father is concerned about the prince. However, he is injured and it is inconvenient for him, so he asked me to come. I wonder how the prince's injury is?" Xue Chenyu said loudly.

Then she whispered, "The Empress Dowager sent Nanny Fang to the Marquis' Mansion in person."

Situ Zhen nodded and said, "Thank you, Lord Xue, for your concern. As Miss Xue can see, I'm almost fully recovered."

Just this sentence alone was enough to make those noble ladies envious and jealous.

Others either didn't even dare to talk to him, or even if they did, he would ignore them.

Xue Chenyu took a large purse from Yuzhu and said, "There are things in here for internal and external use, and the directions for use are clearly written on them."

"My father said that the prince's internal injuries have not yet healed, so we must not treat him lightly. Otherwise, there may be future troubles."

After saying that, he added quietly, "I prepared all of this."

Situ Zhen's mouth corners slightly raised, and he said indifferently, "Since it is Marquis Xue's intention, then stay."

"The prince actually left her things behind?!" The noble ladies not far away almost couldn't help but scream.

"Why? Could it be that the prince still likes her?"

Xue Chenyu glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and said nonchalantly, "Then, Prince, take care of your injuries. I will take my leave now."

It was actually quite awkward to see so many of them gathered there, but they thought they were hiding well.

Situ Zhen heard this: "You're leaving right after arriving?"

Without saying a word, a look of resentment appeared in his eyes, and he said in a voice that only two people could hear, "Don't you have anything you want to say to me?"

Xue Chenyu: “…” I’m afraid that a big tree will attract the wind.

She smiled and prepared to leave.

"Wait." Situ Zhen stopped her, "I wonder how the injury of Lord Xue is going?"

He then emphasized, "Marquis Xue is this prince's savior. How far have his internal and external injuries recovered? Please sit down and tell this prince in detail."

Xue Chenyu's smile froze at the corner of her mouth.

She looked back and saw a group of beautiful young ladies who were so angry that they clenched their fists and stamped their feet. Finally, they left with tears in their eyes.

There's absolutely no way to leave now. ...

Before it got dark, the news that Prince Cheng, who was clamoring to become a monk, and the eldest daughter of Marquis Xue were happily chatting and laughing under a tree had spread throughout Shengjing City and beyond.

This time, the news spread not only to ordinary people, but also to the nobles and those who were rich and powerful, such as princes and nobles.

How many noble ladies gnashed their teeth, their eyes red with anger, and either tried to commit suicide or threw things around at home, simply because they were upset.

As a result, Xue Chenyu undoubtedly became the hot topic of discussion in the whole city.

In particular, her past marriage and divorce with He Minzhi were also dug out and widely discussed.

When people learned that He Minzhi, a noble family, had lost his family, some people couldn't wait to throw dirty water on Xue Chenyu.

Some people say that the eldest daughter of Marquis Xue is a disaster. After marrying her, the three generations of the He family's Hanlin Academy will fall into decline. If it weren't for her, He Minzhi might have risen to a high position.

The case of He Minzhi being murdered while leaving Beijing for a new post had previously been concluded as murder by robbers, but it was unexpectedly dug up again and became a hot topic in the city.

What's more, they used Mrs. Xue's identity as a merchant woman to create a fuss, describing in great detail how Mrs. Xue and Xue Chenyu were like mother and daughter. ...

"Sister, they are going too far. I'm going to tear their mouths apart!" Xue Luoyan was furious, rolled up her sleeves and prepared to rush out the door.

"Take me with you." Weng Xuemei hurriedly chased after him.

"Come back." Xue Chenyu called her helplessly, "Qiuhua, bring back the second lady and Miss Weng."

"Miss, those people are just talkative. It's no wonder that you are angry." Although Qiuhua grabbed Xue Luoyan and Weng Xuemei one by one as she said, she was still as honest as ever.

"Yes, girl, those people out there are really abominable. They have no idea what kind of rotten person He Minzhi is, yet they are just using your divorce to make a fuss. It's simply, simply..."

"I know." Xue Chenyu said gently, "I know everything you said. People have always been like this, haven't they?"

"Once there's discord in the family, people will just throw dirty water on the woman and find every possible way to insult her."

"But they never mention men neglecting their families, having affairs with others, or drinking and beating their wives. They don't think it's a big deal and instead put the blame on the women...."