Noble Lady

"But you know, she is the only one who is irreplaceable to my grandson. It's not that she, Xue Chenyu, is trying so hard to get me to marry her, it's that my grandson must have her."

The empress dowager, who was immersed in her own thoughts, was brought out of her thoughts by Situ Zhen's words.

"You, you are really possessed by the devil!" She was so angry that she spoke without thinking.

Situ Zhen immediately said, "Please be careful with your words, Grandmother. This is my grandson's fault, what does it have to do with the girl?"

The Queen Mother thought to herself, it's all her fault that you have such thoughts. If I don't blame her, who else can I blame?

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but seeing his dilemma, he felt reluctant to say anything harsh to the grandson he had raised.

"...What exactly do you mean? Give me a quick answer." The Queen Mother said firmly, "But I also want to tell you that it is absolutely impossible for her to become the principal wife!"

Situ Zhen smiled bitterly upon hearing this. "Grandmother has already made her final decision. What else can I say? If I continue, it would be disobedient and unfilial. I have nothing to say. I, the unfilial grandson, will now take my leave."

"You! Fine, if you want to leave, go ahead. Just think of it as me raising you for nothing all these years!"

The empress dowager was also angry and left with a wave of her sleeves.

Situ Zhen kowtowed three times solemnly behind her before getting up and leaving.

Nanny Fang saw his resolute look and couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable.

But in my heart, I was thinking, how could there be any overnight hatred between a grandfather and a grandson? After the Queen Mother and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince calmed down, they would talk it out in a few days.

But unexpectedly, this prince had a bad temper. Once he calmed down, he disappeared, making everyone panic.

However, this is a story for another day.

……

When the situation in the palace was turbulent, Xue Chenyu had already boarded the carriage and left the palace.

Chen Lizhu was worried about her, so she squeezed into her carriage.

"Sister Xue, this is the first time I've seen such a scene in all these years. It's really eye-opening."

Xue Chenyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Miss Chen San, did you come up here just to laugh at me?"

Qiuhua, who was sitting outside, resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"No, no, no, how could I dare to do that?" Chen Lizhu said hurriedly.

"It's just that at the flower viewing banquet, Prince Cheng gave six flowers to you alone. This is unprecedented. His Majesty, the Queen Mother, has also refused to issue an order to grant the marriage. My sister and the prince's marriage is still a long way off."

At the end of the conversation, she couldn't help but feel a little emotional, probably because she was thinking about her own affairs.

"You're still blaming me. You've accepted the Sixth Prince's three flowers. What are your plans for the future?"

"It's not up to me to decide." Chen Lizhu smiled bitterly. "In the Duke's Mansion, there's the old lady and the lady, and in the palace, there's the imperial concubine. What I think is irrelevant. A single word from them can decide my fate."

This was the price she had to pay after being born in the Duke's Mansion and enjoying more than ten years of wealth and glory, and having the privilege of freely entering and leaving the palace.

A girl from an ordinary family can marry her lover according to her own wishes. She doesn't ask for rapid success, but only for a harmonious marriage.

But she is the daughter of the Duke's Mansion and the legitimate daughter. This idea is a luxury and delusion.

"My elder sister had to marry far away because of her status as the eldest daughter of the Duke's Mansion. Naturally, I am no exception." Chen Lizhu said again, feeling unspeakably sad.

My aunt's sixth prince has ambitions to compete for the throne, and the Duke's Mansion is my aunt's family. They are born in the same boat - they prosper together and suffer together.

Her marriage to the Sixth Prince would strengthen the relationship between the Duke's Mansion and the Sixth Prince, and would also be the best way to consolidate the alliance between the two sides.

Unless the Sixth Prince never has the chance to compete for the throne in his lifetime, she will definitely marry him.

Although His Majesty and the Queen Mother did not grant the marriage at the flower viewing banquet today because of Prince Cheng's "mischief", she knew in her heart that from the moment the Sixth Prince threw three flowers into her vase, this day would not be far away.

"It's a knife to stick your head out, and it's a knife to hide it, so it's better to end it quickly. Sister Xue, I hope the dust can be settled quickly, so that I don't have to worry about it all the time."

She had said so much, and Xue Chenyu was at a loss as to what to say to comfort her.

But she suddenly thought of something, and took Chen Lizhu's hand and said, "I don't know if you believe it or not, but my premonitions are always very accurate. I hope you don't give up so quickly. Wait a little longer, maybe there will be an unexpected surprise."

Chen Lizhu naturally understood what she meant, but could only helplessly say, "How can I decide this?"

But thinking that Xue Chenyu had good intentions and she was such a wonderful woman, he couldn't bear to say anything that would offend her when looking into her earnest eyes.

"...Alright, I'll listen to Sister Xue. I just hope the arranged marriage can be delayed a little longer."

Huangli and Cuiliu were far away in another car.

After Chen Lizhu finished talking to Xue Chenyu, Xue Chenyu had the car stop and took Yuzhu back.

The two of them said goodbye reluctantly, feeling an inexplicable sense of mutual respect.

……

What happened at the flower viewing banquet really couldn't be covered up. With so many noble ladies present, even if one person's words got out, people could piece together a lot of information.

In just half a day, the news spread like wildfire and became a hot topic in the whole city.

Some people praised Princess Anping for her good methods, while others said that Marquis Xue and his wife had raised a good daughter.

And why doesn’t he have a father who can save Prince Cheng?

There are people who are envious, people who are jealous, and naturally there are also people who hate, so there are all kinds of opinions.

Xue Chenyu turned a deaf ear to what was happening outside and went straight back to the Marquis' Mansion.

Thinking of going home to have some peace and quiet, I heard when I got home that Mr. Cui had committed suicide in the Jingzhao prison to apologize for his crime.

"It was discovered early in the morning. The coroner has already performed an autopsy and the family has been asked to identify the body and keep it in storage," said Mrs. Xue.

Previously, Cui Hua confessed that Cui Erye had instructed him to spread rumors and cause trouble. Cui Erye was also thrown into prison because of this incident. It was also revealed that he had a mistress. Later, it was discovered that he had formed a clique for personal gain and cheated in the imperial examinations.

This is truly an unforgivable crime!

The emperor once said: "The imperial examination is the foundation of the country and no one is allowed to trample on it!"

After discovering that Mr. Cui had committed academic fraud, an imperial decree was issued to have the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and the Jingzhao Prefecture jointly conduct a trial and to find out his accomplices at all costs.

But with the death of Mr. Cui, the clues were cut off, and he took all the blame on his own.

The Cui family's East Mansion was in ruins, and his original wife, the princess, had made him sign the divorce papers long ago, and her child was taken away, leaving him with no connection to the Cui family at all.

Once the East Palace fell, the Cui family's West Palace was also affected.

Although the Cui family's West Mansion tried its best to deny the involvement, the two brothers had served in the same court for many years and were of the same blood, so it was impossible for them to deny the involvement.

The Han family, who had been excluded from the flower viewing banquet along with them, got an invitation because Old Madam Han went to the palace to find the Queen, and the Queen went to the Queen Mother and His Majesty.

Although she did not win the favor of the Sixth Prince and Prince Cheng at the flower viewing banquet, she still saved the reputation of the girl from the Han family.

But the Cui family did not have a daughter who could become a queen, nor did they have any bargaining chips to offer. Now, Mr. Cui took all the blame for the imperial examination cheating alone and died in prison. The Cui family was trampled into the mud and suffered heavy losses.

I'm afraid it will be difficult to restore the original splendor of the Cui family's two east and west mansions coexisting within a few years.

It is said that the old lady of the Cui family almost cried herself blind at home after hearing the news of Mr. Cui's death.

Even if he was blamed for not knowing the seriousness of his actions and bringing trouble to the old and young in the family, Mr. Cui ended up in this state because he was, after all, a piece of flesh that fell from Mrs. Cui.

Moreover, Mrs. Cui was not an ignorant fool. Her son died in prison and took all the blame. She knew that he was taking the blame for someone else.

The person who could allow him to die so quietly in there must be either a high-ranking official or one who has great power over the government.

It would probably be difficult for the Cui family to take revenge.

She was now filled with anger, anxiety, and grief. ...

"However, Mr. Cui's death is still a secret, and only a few people know about it."

Madam Xue said, "This is the news sent by the Fourth Young Master Yu."

"It's him?" Xue Chenyu was a little surprised.

Madam Xue nodded, "Young Master Yu should be the Crown Prince's man."

Xue Chenyu had no doubt about this.

Even before she divorced He Minzhi, Prince Cheng had often used the Fourth Master Yu to make things difficult for He Minzhi and help her.

"What happened at the flower viewing banquet is now known to the whole city. What do you think?" Mrs. Xue asked directly.

If it were someone else, it would be fine, but as a mother, she wanted to find out her daughter's feelings and there was no need to hide it.

Xue Chenyu thought for a moment, "Mother, if my daughter said, 'If I don't marry him, I won't marry anyone else,' would you be angry?"

"..."

After a brief moment of surprise, Mrs. Xue fell into a long silence.

Her daughter appears calm on the surface, but deep down she is a very passionate person.

She must have thought it through carefully and deeply before she could say such words.