New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

Meanwhile, in the Qiu family courtyard, Qiu Linghua and Shen Xiangyue took their seats as host and guest after exchanging pleasantries.

When Chun Tao served the tea, Shen Xiangyue and Qiu Linghua exchanged a glance again, and both of them let out a snicker. Then, the hall fell into a mysterious silence once more.

Shen Xiangyue was waiting for Qiu Linghua to speak before she could explain her purpose. After all, it was probably the first time since the founding of the Song Dynasty that a woman had come to a man's house to urge him to get married. If it weren't for her troublesome daughter's insistence on marrying Tang Qian, how could she have the nerve to come to Qiu Linghua's door?

As the wife of a high-ranking official of the third rank, what kind of situation hadn't Qiu Linghua seen? From the moment Shen Xiangyue appeared, she guessed what the other party was thinking.

Although Tang Qian acknowledged the validity of his marriage certificate with Ye Qingmiao in order to win over the Ye family, he did not set a wedding date for the two.

For Tang Qian, the most important thing right now is to arrange the city's defenses; everything else can be put aside for the time being.

Tang Qian may not be in a hurry, but the Ye family really can't wait any longer. Ye Qingmiao is already seventeen years old. In the Song Dynasty, this age would definitely be considered an old maid in later generations, and she should have been married long ago.

Moreover, the second young lady of the Ye family does have a face that could launch a thousand ships, but her temperament is too eccentric. She doesn't treat herself like a girl at all and has already caused quite a few laughs in the city.

It was one thing if Tang Qian hadn't come back before, but now that he's in Guangling, the wedding date for the two of them is still undecided, and rumors have already started circulating outside.

"It seems that the second young lady of the Ye family has been jilted by the Tang family."

Shen Xiangyue, as Ye Qingmiao's mother, was certainly aware of the situation between the two. However, she couldn't spend all her time explaining to everyone in the crowd. Seeing the rumors getting more and more outrageous, she had no choice but to swallow her pride and take the initiative to visit Qiu Linghua to discuss a solution for the sake of her daughter's reputation.

The two sisters just stood there, not saying a word, which wasn't going to work. Just when Chun Tao, who was serving them, couldn't help but yawn for the third time, Shen Xiangyue finally spoke first.

“My cousin Linghua is a smart woman, so I won’t beat around the bush. I still think it’s better to get to the point about Qingmiao and Qian’er sooner rather than later. Fortunately, the auspicious day is in two days, which is also the day my Zhao’er will marry the Jiang family’s wife. Why don’t we hold the two happy events together? With a great enemy at hand, it’s best to keep everything simple and save ourselves the trouble of having to do it again later.”

Since the other party spoke first, Qiu Linghua couldn't continue to pretend to be profound. She sighed softly, "Qian'er has been appointed as the Lord of Guangling City by the Emperor. He has been busy with official duties these past few days. How could he have the leisure to marry Qingmiao?"

Before Shen Xiangyue could make a move, her expression darkened again: "To be honest, even my two daughters-in-law who have married into the family are still virgins. Tell me, what kind of situation is this?"

"No way."

This news was quite explosive. Shen Xiangyue couldn't help but exclaim, "Qian'er and Princess Shunde have been married for at least a year, haven't they consummated their marriage yet? Could it be that Qian'er...?"

Shen Xiangyue didn't say what she was going to say next, but she was already thinking about it in her mind. If Tang Qian couldn't have sex, wouldn't her Qingmiao be living a widow's life after marrying into the family?

Judging from Shen Xiangyue's expression, Qiu Linghua could tell what she was thinking. She couldn't help but spit lightly: "My Qian'er is in very good health. He's just busy with government affairs and can't spare the time. If you don't plan to marry off your daughter, you can just tell me directly. Why do you have to slander Qian'er like this?"

“Cousin, you’ve misunderstood me. I’m just worried about Qian’er. Think about it, you’ve been married for a year and haven’t even slept together yet. Who would believe that? In my opinion, it would be best to find a doctor to take his pulse.”

Qiu Linghua was speechless at her cousin's words. It wasn't that she hadn't thought about it that way, but how could she say such a thing out loud? Did she not care about her son Qian'er's reputation?

Shen Xiangyue's concerns were not unfounded, and she really couldn't refute them. Originally, she only planned to use Tang Qian's busy official duties as an excuse to send Shen Xiangyue back first, but she didn't expect that her son would get involved.

"Madam, the young mistress has come to pay her respects."

Just as Qiu Linghua was wondering how to deal with the situation, Zhao Yingluo's arrival made him secretly relieved. With his daughter-in-law present, he figured Shen Xiangyue wouldn't speak recklessly anymore.

Qiu Linghua stood up and personally led Zhao Yingluo in, then introduced her to Shen Xiangyue.

Upon hearing that the person before her was the Princess of the Great Song Dynasty, Shen Xiangyue dared not be negligent and immediately stood up to prepare to pay her respects. However, Zhao Yingluo pressed her back down and instead bowed slightly to her, saying, "Yingluo greets Aunt."

"As expected of someone from the Song Dynasty royal family, Yingluo, you are well-educated, gentle and virtuous. You must teach my Qingmiao a good lesson in the future."

"The second young lady of the Ye family is lively, cheerful and unrestrained by nature. She has truly become the kind of person Yingluo has always dreamed of. This is all thanks to her aunt's protection and love. Yingluo is very envious of her mother who protects her so much."

What does this mean? Ye Qingmiao is spoiled rotten, and her mother has always been criticized. How come she's the object of envy in this princess's words?

Qiu Linghua understood the meaning behind Zhao Yingluo's words. She reached out and stroked her daughter-in-law's hand, her face full of affection: "Your mother passed away early, and you have no one to rely on since you were a child. You have suffered a lot along the way. From now on, I will be your mother. As long as I am here, I will never let you suffer even the slightest grievance again."

Zhao Yingluo smiled, but tears welled up in her eyes, clearly moved by her mother-in-law's statement.

Shen Xiangyue, belatedly realizing this, also sighed softly: "Yingluo, your fate has been full of twists and turns, but now it can be said that your luck has turned around. The days ahead will only get better and better, and you will continue to bring prosperity to the Tang family in the future..."

Shen Xiangyue wanted to say something nicer, but Qiu Linghua glared at her fiercely, so she immediately stopped talking about the slightly sensitive topic. She cursed herself inwardly, thinking that she had really brought up the most sensitive subject in front of the princess.

Zhao Yingluo appeared quite generous: "Thank you for your kind words, Aunt." She then glanced at Rong'er behind her, who immediately presented the square tray she was carrying to Qiu Linghua: "This is the blood left by my young lady and her husband after they consummated their marriage last night. Please take a look, Madam."

The new bride leaves blood on her wedding night, and it is customary for her husband's family to examine her the next day. Although Zhao Yingluo also felt ashamed, she could only wait for Qiu Linghua's instructions with a flushed face.

"Is this really yours?" Looking at the white silk adorned with specks of red plum blossoms on the plate, and then at the shy and charming Zhao Yingluo, Qiu Linghua said "Good" three times in a row. "Who would dare to say that my son has a hidden illness?"