mtl008 Chapter 260 When will Your Highness marry you?
Chapter 260 When will Your Highness marry you?
"Later, when Xizhou Prefecture was hit by a flood, the Emperor put Prince An in charge of disaster relief. Prince An approached my father and coerced him into handing over half of his wealth."
"Who knows whether that silver was ultimately used in Xizhou Prefecture?"
"All I saw was that Qi Wanqing's entourage became even more extravagant after that."
Wan Xinran looked at Tian Tian seriously, "Qi Wanqing still wants to be the Crown Princess."
Tian Tian's eyes widened in surprise. "Is that so?"
"Princess, news has arrived from the palace." The maid interrupted their conversation again from outside the door.
Tian Tian led Wan Xinran out again...
"Princess, this is His Highness's letter." The messenger was someone from Lingyao Palace whom Tian Tian was unfamiliar with, but the person was very respectful to her.
Tian Tian opened the letter...
The letter stated that after the troublemakers on the opening day were sent to the government office, someone indeed went to the prefect to plead their case.
That person was Princess An.
Tian Tian frowned when she saw those three words...
Ling Yao also said that Princess An has a lot of private property in the capital.
I used to think there were only Jinxiufang and Ruyixiufang, so I didn't take it seriously.
But because of the trouble caused at the Tea Fragrance Pavilion this time, he sent people to investigate thoroughly, and they found out...
In addition to Jinxiufang and Ruyixiufang, Princess An also ran a gambling den, two brothels, three restaurants, and four pawnshops.
And the gambling den... is the bookmaker that determines how long Tea Fragrance Pavilion can stay open.
Ling Yao said that she didn't need to worry about these things; he and the Emperor would handle them.
They also said...
He misses her very much and hasn't had time to leave the palace in recent days.
In a few days, the Emperor will summon her to the palace and announce her contributions to Daqi to the world. At that time, he will have something important to tell her.
Upon seeing the last few lines, Tian Tian's brows relaxed, and a smile curved her lips...
"Thank you for your trouble," Tian Tian said to the young eunuch who delivered the letter.
The young eunuch hesitated and asked, "Princess, aren't you going to reply to His Highness? This servant can wait."
Tian Tian glanced at Wan Xinran and shook her head. "Let's call it a day."
The young eunuch looked somewhat disappointed. "Then this servant will return to the palace to report."
*
Back in the room... Wan Xinran observed Tian Tian's expression. "Princess, you'll be returning to the capital around the same time as the Empress and His Highness..."
"It can't be a coincidence, can it?"
Tian Tian cleared her throat and asked, "Why do you ask that?"
Wan Xinran chuckled slyly, "Why did the Emperor bestow upon you the title of Princess? There must be a reason for it."
“Princess, you returned to the capital around the same time as the Empress and His Highness.”
"Did you... meet back in Yunzhou Prefecture?"
"When His Highness left the capital, rumors circulated that... he did not want to form a marriage alliance with the Qi family."
"Your Highness has stayed in Yunzhou Prefecture for so long again..."
"hey-hey..."
"Did His Highness... meet a woman he likes in Yunzhou Prefecture?"
"Princess, hmm?"
Tian Tian instantly felt a deep respect for Wan Xinran. This girl seemed carefree, but she was actually very meticulous.
"Really?!" Wan Xinran burst into laughter upon seeing Tian Tian's expression.
"Haha, I guessed right?"
"Great! Qi Wanqing is going to be furious!"
"Let's see how she dares to swagger around now!!"
"Oh, by the way, when will His Highness marry you?"
Tian Tian was taken aback. Marry?
She and Ling Yao... can only be considered to have just broken through the ambiguous stage.
It's too early to talk about marriage.
Wan Xinran didn't expect an answer, so she lay down on Tian Tian's table and started playing with the cosmetics...
*
"The princess didn't say anything?" Ling Yao asked the eunuch again, quite disappointed.
The eunuch nodded, "Because the princess has friends here, she said she would let it go for today."
Oh, so you have friends there...
Ling Yao sighed, "Alright, you can go now."
He walked back to his chair and sat down, feeling annoyed.
Today, the Emperor mentioned Qi Wanqing again and even hinted that... if you have a woman you like, you can tell him.
Ling Yao certainly wanted to tell him, but... he still hoped to wait until he received a positive answer from Tian Tian before saying so.
*
"Really? So arrogant right under the emperor's nose?"
"That's right, even the Prefect took his men there, but they didn't catch anyone."
Several maids from the princess's residence gathered together to chat.
"You just smashed it like that?"
"That's right, three stores! They were all smashed!"
"It was smashed to pieces. The jewelry was deformed and the gemstones were broken."
jewelry?
When Tian Tian heard this keyword, she inexplicably thought of Wan Jia.
"What are you talking about?" Tian Tian asked.
When the maids saw her, their first instinct was to run away.
"Wait!" Tian Tian called out to them, "What are you talking about?"
The maids then came over, "Princess..."
"Yes, we saw her when we went out shopping... that Miss Wan who came a few days ago..."
"Her family's Wanyao Pavilion was vandalized by a group of thugs."
"Smashed to pieces..."
The maids scrutinized Tian Tian's expression...
Tian Tian frowned, looking sullen...
For some reason, she subconsciously thought of the Qi family.
Considering the previous conflict between Wan Xinran and Qi Wanqing...
"All three shops were smashed!!" the maid added.
Tian Tian was shocked, "What?"
All three stores were smashed?!
Those ten thousand families...
*
"It must be Qi Wanqing!!!" Wan Xinran was so angry that she cried.
Mr. and Mrs. Wan were also on the verge of tears.
The prefect had already left, leaving only onlookers at the gate.
"Quickly pack up all this gold and silver!" Master Wan urged his men.
These gold and silver can be melted down and remelted.
But those gems...
So what if it's broken?
"Oh dear..." Master Wan was heartbroken!
Madam Wan's hands were also trembling.
Their silver is all tied up in goods; if these gems are gone, all that silver will be gone.
They still need to order more gemstones...
As a result, cash flow became unsustainable.
"It must be Qi Wanqing!!" Wan Xinran was still excited.
"I'm going to the Qi family to find her!!"
Master Wan and Madam Wan grabbed her together, saying, "Xinran, don't go."
"We are no match for them!!"
"Sit down quickly." The two pulled Wan Xinran aside and pressed her down into a chair.
"Girl, listen to me. The Qi family... is not someone we can afford to offend."
Wan Xinran remained silent.
There are only three people in my family, and we are all ordinary people.
And the Qi family...
Grand Tutor Qi alone was enough to crush their family, not to mention Princess An.
Mr. Wan and Mrs. Wan sat down beside her and sighed in unison.
“The shops in the capital… should all be closed.” Master Wan suddenly looked up. “We’ll move to the neighboring prefectural city; we still have three shops there.”
Wan Xinran, who had just turned off the fire, jumped up again because of what Master Wan said.
"Dad! Why are we moving away?"
She huffed and puffed, her face hardening. "I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving."
Master Wan sighed, "Right now, only the eldest daughter of the Qi family has taken action. If this continues, who knows who might intervene..."
"Our Wan family...can't beat them." It all boils down to this.
Although Wan Xinran was very dissatisfied, she couldn't find a way to refute it.
"But... these three shops are the result of generations of our Wan family's hard work..."
"Just like that, it's gone..."
"Is there no justice under the emperor's nose?"
*
Tian Tian entered Wan's shop and was also surprised by what she saw inside.
The signboard at the entrance of Jiuyao Pavilion had been torn down and was hanging crookedly to the side.
The once gleaming gold and silver jewelry in the store is now reduced to rubble.
Gold bracelets, silver hairpins, bangles, hair ornaments... scattered on the ground, trampled and deformed, only vaguely revealing their former exquisiteness.
The weighing tools on the counter were swept to the ground, the silver hammer rolled to the doorway, and the iron pliers were bent into a strange shape.
The jade jewelry shattered instantly!
Master Wan and Madam Wan sat there with somewhat vacant eyes.
"Xinran." Tian Tian went inside and looked at the staff. "Close the door."
The workers obediently went to close the door, keeping the onlookers outside.
“Princess…” Wan Xinran looked at Tian Tian with a pitiful expression.
Tian Tian pulled her into her arms, "There's no need to move away from the capital."
Master Wan sighed again, "I'm afraid... the eldest daughter of the Qi family and Xinran have formed a grudge. If they don't leave... there will be endless trouble later."
Tian Tian gently patted Wan Xinran's back, "The eldest daughter of the Qi family... doesn't dare to lay a hand on just anyone."
Wan Xinran looked up from her embrace. "Princess, what do you mean?"
Tian Tian smiled and said, "Didn't you want me to open a shop to sell those cosmetics?"
“Let’s go together. You provide the shop, and I’ll provide the goods.”
She chuckled and said, "If we also have the Empress in the palace oversee things... would the Qi family still dare to make a move?"
Wan Xinran stood up excitedly, "Yes, that makes sense!"
"Does she dare bully us? Does she dare bully the Empress?"
Master Wan and Madam Wan exchanged incredulous glances. "But... is Her Majesty the Empress willing to get involved in this mess?"
"Don't worry, she'll be willing." On the way back to the capital, Empress Li often sighed, saying that she had no chance to go out and about in the deep palace, and she also wanted to do business outside the palace like Tian Tian.
The Empress has been using the cosmetics she bought from the system, and she highly approves of their effects.
Moreover, she also showed interest in makeup products, often discussing the color and moisturizing properties of lipsticks with Tian Tian.
Let her register her name in the shop, give her a share of the profits, and also involve her in adjusting the lipstick color...
I'm sure she'll agree.
"Right now, you should tidy up the things in the shop."
"Once I draw up the renovation plans, you can arrange for the renovation."
"As for the goods and the Queen, leave them to me."
"During this time...remember not to leak any information."
"Miss, that ugly girl from the Wan family is infuriating, but she can't do anything about it." Pear Blossom, Qi Wanqing's maid, was extremely smug.
That day, it was that ugly woman who caused her to be slapped by the young lady.
I've finally gotten my revenge today.
"Hmph, she deserves to go against me, Qi Wanqing." Qi Wanqing held her small teacup and laughed heartily.
It's a pity she couldn't cause trouble for Princess Fufeng! Otherwise, she would have smashed up the entire Tea Fragrance Pavilion to vent her anger!!
Pear Blossom noticed Qi Wanqing's regret and leaned closer, "Miss, don't worry. Once you become the Crown Princess, you can deal with whomever you want..."
"She's just a princess, not comparable to a royal daughter-in-law."
Qi Wanqing smiled, but the smile faded as soon as it appeared. "But His Highness has been back in the capital for so long, and I haven't seen him yet..."
"Grandpa hinted at it to the Emperor many times, and my aunt also mentioned it to the Empress, but neither the Emperor nor the Empress gave a definite answer."
Pear Blossom added hot water to Qi Wanqing's cup at just the right moment, saying, "Miss, don't worry. In the whole world, who else but you could be the Crown Princess?"
"Could it be that merchant, Princess Fufeng's merchant?!"
Qi Wanqing scoffed, "With her?!"
*
Just as Ling Yao had said in his letter, the Emperor sent Eunuch Yin to the Princess's residence that day.
"His Majesty's intention is for the princess to attend court tomorrow to discuss matters related to next year's spring planting."
Tian Tian already knew this in advance, so she nodded without surprise, "Fufeng understands."
"Her Majesty the Empress misses the two ladies very much," Eunuch Yin continued.
"She specifically instructed this old servant to make sure that the princess brings the two ladies and the young master into the palace."
Tian Tian also had matters to discuss with Empress Li regarding her cosmetics shop, so she replied, "Okay, definitely."
*
Because she had to attend the morning court session, Tian Tian got up earlier than usual.
Lu Tao and Liu San Niang were also exhausted, yawning and leaning against each other...
However, once they arrived at the palace, they were immediately taken to the Empress's palace, where the Empress told them to rest a little longer.
Tadashi Tadashi... mustered her strength and waited outside the imperial court.
Just as Tian Tian was yawning frequently and feeling drowsy, Eunuch Yin came out.
"Princess, wake up," Eunuch Yin whispered.
Tian Tian jumped up in surprise, "Chief Steward Yin, is the Emperor summoning me?"
Eunuch Yin: "I'll call you right away."
Tian Tian tried to stand up straight and shook her head to clear her mind.
But... it was all in vain.
Left with no other option, she pulled a small bottle of moisturizing spray from her sleeve and sprayed it all over her face...
"Phew—" I'm awake now.
"Summon! Princess Fufeng...enter the hall!!" The palace attendants announced loudly from inside the hall!
"Princess, please go in quickly!" Eunuch Yin urged from the side.
Tian Tian stepped into the court. She was dressed in a dignified and elegant princess's robe. Her steps were light and her expression was calm. Her dark hair was styled into a palace bun and adorned with a simple jade hairpin.
She could feel the gazes coming from both sides...
Some were inquisitive, some were skeptical, some were disdainful, and some... were contemptuous.
The officials stood in neat rows on both sides of the hall, their eyes all fixed on her.
"Is this the newly appointed Princess Fufeng?"
"I heard she was a woman from the county town, and because her rice yield was high, she was able to be made a princess."
"If it's because of spring plowing that more people in the world can farm, wouldn't everyone be able to be made a princess?"
Quiet discussions circulated in the court. Although they did not shout, the scrutinizing look on their faces was obvious, and the doubt in their eyes was undisguised.
Tian Tian heard everything clearly, but she didn't panic at all.
She had long anticipated that she would face these discussions upon entering the court today.
Ahead, Ling Jun sat upright on his throne, his gaze sweeping calmly over the court, taking in those who were whispering and questioning Tian Tian.
To his left was Ling Yao.