mtl008 Chapter 114: The Game Within the Game
Chapter 114: The Game Within the Game
"Isn't that Princess Socholuo over there? Didn't she go to the Changyin Pavilion to watch the opera today?"
"She had the nerve to go and seduce the Crown Prince in public. She was discovered by Grand Princess Shi and slapped twice. Not only did the Crown Prince show no mercy, he directly abandoned her and chased after Grand Princess Shi. In the end, she could only return to Chuxiu Palace in disgrace with two slap marks on her face."
"That's right. She is so shameless. She has no modesty at all as a lady from a noble family. No wonder no nobleman has summoned her since that day."
"Having offended Grand Princess Shi and lost her reputation, she is destined to be demoted. How can there be a noble person to call her again?"
"That's true. Besides, news in the capital always spreads quickly. Even if she returns with a name, she won't be able to marry into a good family. She might even bring shame to the other women in the family. If I were her, I would have been ashamed and hid in my room, not coming out to embarrass myself."
"He's thick-skinned, so what hope do you have?"
"Haha, what hope can she have!"
Under the big tree, Suochao Luo Jiahui stood there with her head down. There was no one around her except A Zao, who served her. Everyone stayed away from her, as if she was some kind of plague and they were afraid of being infected by her. There was no longer the crowd that followed her like before.
Listening to the discussions coming from all around her, she clutched her handkerchief tightly, no longer showing her previous pride and arrogance, but instead exuding a gloomy and hostile aura.
In the room, Ulanala and Sui heard the noise and walked to the window, watching the scene expressionlessly. When they heard others mention Shi Rongyue, the scene of her entanglement with the Fourth Prince that day appeared in their minds again.
"Gege, you look very bad, but are you thinking about the nightmare you had last night?"
Hehua looked at her princess worriedly. The princess had had nightmares for three consecutive days since she came back from the opera on the first day. Today, she did not go out but stayed in the house to rest.
Ulanala Hesui pursed her lips and did not answer Hehua's words. Instead, she suddenly asked:
"Hehua, why do you think that Grand Princess Shi values His Royal Highness the Crown Prince so much? He didn't get angry even when he was hit in front of her. Instead, he chased after Grand Princess Shi. On the stage that day, I saw that the Crown Prince looked at Grand Princess Shi and it seemed that he liked her even more?"
Hearing this, He Hua was startled, then looked out the window at Socholuo Gege who was lowering her head, and suddenly realized something, so she thought for a moment and said:
"If the princess asked me this question, I think it might be because Princess Shi is beautiful, has a good figure, and is multi-talented. Although she is a bit reckless and impulsive, she dares to love and hate, is straightforward and unrestrained, and seems a bit eccentric. This kind of person is quite rare!"
Good-looking? Good figure?
After hearing this, Ulanala Hesui touched her face with an expressionless face. She barely looked pretty, and because she was only ten years old, she was not tall and had baby fat on her face. At first glance, she looked like a little child.
Shi Rongyue's face, on the other hand, was dignified, elegant, and gorgeous. She then looked down at her own flat, undeveloped chest, and the surging waves of the other person's chest appeared in her mind. There was no comparison between the two.
As for her personality, the other party is quirky, but she is old-fashioned and rules-abiding. Even her brothers at home can't stand her.
At this time, I heard Lotus add:
"And Princess Shi is very likable. I heard that the Queen Mother wants to see Princess Shi every day, otherwise she will miss her. And the Crown Prince is her future husband. After chasing her out, something may have happened between the two of them. She is very capable, so she likes her even more!"
What happened after the chase?
The image of Shi Rongyue hugging the Fourth Prince from behind suddenly appeared in Ulanala Hesui's mind, and a hint of jealousy flashed across her expressionless face.
Why didn't the Fourth Prince avoid Shi Rongyue? Why didn't he pull away from her?
When she had met him in Yonghe Palace before, he had been so cold and serious, giving off an aura that said "keep away from strangers", which made her dare not say a word when she saw him.
Thinking of this, the nightmares she had in the past few days resurfaced in her mind. In some of the dreams, the Fourth Prince disregarded everything and openly refused the imperial decree that arranged her marriage, and asked the Emperor to give her Shi Rongyue instead, causing her to lose face and be laughed at by everyone, and even bringing disgrace to the reputation of the entire female family.
In some dreams, although the Fourth Prince married her, he was always thinking about Shi Rongyue in his heart. He regarded her as nothing and was unwilling to touch her, making her a big joke in the royal family.
Her eyes gradually darkened. Shi Rongyue, why are you so cheap? It’s not enough to flirt with the Crown Prince, you also want to greedily flirt with the Fourth Prince!
Seeing that Gege had been silent for a long time, Hehua thought that she was feeling inferior, so she couldn't help but comfort her:
"Princess, although Princess Shi is outstanding, she will marry the Crown Prince in the future, and you are the designated Fourth Lady. The two are unrelated. When you are older, you will also be outstanding."
However, upon hearing this, Ulanala Hesui's eyes grew darker, and she suddenly turned around and asked, "What if the two are related?"
"The two are related? What do you mean, princess?" Lotus was confused.
Ulanala Hesui did not explain, but mentioned another thing:
"I remember that one time when we were having tea in Dong'e's room, Shi Da Gege was so scared that she almost ate broad beans that she knocked over the plate, right?"
Lotus thought about it and nodded:
"That's what happened. At the time, Dong'e Gege thought that Shi Da Gege hit her on the face on purpose. Later, Shi Da Gege herself said that she fainted after eating broad beans when she was a child. She also had a rash on her body and was almost disfigured and died young. Fortunately, Shi Da Gege was an official in Beijing at the time and invited an imperial physician to save her. From then on, she never touched broad beans again."
After saying this, she remembered to ask Gege:
"Why is Gege asking this?"
"Find a chance to tell this news to Socholuo Gege."
Ulanala Hesui spoke in a deep voice.
"Gego?"
Hehua was suddenly shocked. That Socholo Gege had a deep hatred for Shi Da Gege. What if she knew that she was plotting to murder Shi Da Gege?
Ulanala Hesui regained his usual calmness and composure, and said calmly:
"Your brother owed a gambling debt to a gambling house before, and he almost had one of his hands chopped off. You asked me to help pay it back. If you can handle this matter well this time, it will be offset. My Ulanala family will also give your brother some money to start a business. In the future, he will have a family and a career, and you will also have a good family to rely on after you leave the palace."
Hehua's heart skipped a beat. Although she didn't know why the princess did this, it was the princess who helped to save her brother's hand. Her family only had this one male heir to carry on the family line, so she was extremely grateful to the princess.
Moreover, the princess only asked her to pass on a message and there would be no danger. She could also get money to help her brother do business later. So she thought about it, bit her lip and agreed.
Ulanala Hesui lowered her eyelashes when she saw this. Shi Rongyue, you brought this upon yourself!
Another person who listened to the discussions was Shi Nanxi. She glanced at Suocho Luo Jiahui standing under the tree and her eyelashes trembled slightly.
Zixia had already told her everything about the conflict between the other party and Shi Rongyue that day, including Shi Rongyue's confession of love to the Fourth Prince.
She really didn't know how to evaluate Shi Rongyue. She was too confident and didn't consider the consequences. However, it didn't affect her much now. On the contrary, the re-election was approaching, and the grudge between her and Suocho Luo Jiahui should be settled.
He looked at Suochao Luo Jiahui again. She looked pitiful and isolated now, but she could not erase her past vicious deeds. Thinking of this, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
With her personality, how could she endure being humiliated by Shi Rongyue and having her future almost ruined? Once she can't help but attack Shi Rongyue, the evidence of her previous crimes against her will appear one by one, and she will get the retribution she deserves.
Thinking of not staying any longer, he walked towards the back hall. As soon as he appeared, he saw Xiao Ruzi approaching him. Now that his identity had been exposed, he didn't need to hide it anymore. He took the initiative to kneel down and kowtow:
"I have met the Second Princess Shi. I wish you good luck."
Shi Nanxi pursed her lips, wanting to send him away, but the other party saw through it and immediately said:
"Second Lady, you have not been feeling well recently, and Miss Hongying is the only one by your side. I am not very capable, but I am very good at running errands. If you need anything, just use me. I am only following your orders. Please have mercy on me, and don't drive me away."
Hearing this, Shi Nanxi clenched her handkerchief. It was not easy for her to refuse since the other party was following orders. She was silent for a moment and walked towards the pavilion without saying anything else.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Ruzi was overjoyed and immediately stood up and followed. After arriving at the small pavilion, he began to sprinkle sulfur swiftly and skillfully.
Shi Nanxi did not watch this scene. Instead, she sat down sideways, staring at the gorgeous peach blossoms, looking like she was troubled by something.
Hongying stood by and the atmosphere was quiet. At this time, Xiao Ruzi, who had sprinkled the sulfur, secretly glanced at Shi Ergege.
Manager Liang asked him to pay more attention to the other party and report immediately if there was anything wrong with his physical condition or mood.
Seeing that Shi Ergege seemed to be worried, he quickly wrote it down and reported it later. However, the quiet atmosphere did not last long, and a palace maid suddenly came to the front hall.
When she saw Shi Nanxi in the pavilion, she was immediately overjoyed and hurried forward to bow and report:
"Good luck to Miss Shi Er. I am here on Madam Yang's orders to pass on a message saying that Concubine Yi has sent another reward and asked you to go back to receive it. She also said that Concubine Yi asked if you are feeling better. If you are, she asked you to go to Yikun Palace for dinner."
Shi Nanxi's body froze when she heard this. Her first reaction was not surprise, but more worry. However, the strange reaction soon disappeared, and she nodded slightly:
"Okay, I understand. I'll go back right away." After saying that, she stood up and left with Hongying.
When Xiao Ruzi saw this scene, she recalled Shi Ergege's reaction when she heard Concubine Yi send a reward. She narrowed her eyes and took note of it secretly.
At this moment, his ears suddenly pricked up, and he vaguely heard Princess Shi Er instructing Hongying that no matter whether they stayed for dinner or not, they had to go to Yiku Palace to express their gratitude.
After hearing this, he quickly spread the news after everyone left.
Qianqing Palace.