boudoir

Chapter 430 12 Years Later ([-])

"No one." Qi Rui was listless, fingering a small flower seedling in the flower pot, her white fingers became more and more dazzling in the sun.

Qi Hanzhi put the kettle away, walked to her side and sat down, and said, "Why don't you visit the Second Prince to play recently?"

Qi Rui pursed her lips and said, "He's a boy and I'm a girl. Why do you all think I have to play with him? I'm already twelve, and it's not like no one plays with me."

The figure outside the door paused.

Qi Hanzhi smiled and said: "But we all think that you are the happiest when you are with the second prince. And didn't you yourself say that Qing Ran is the best for you, do you like him the most?"

Qi Rui blushed, and said: "That's what I said when I was young, how do you remember?" After she finished speaking, she raised her head and even sighed. "I'm afraid I shall never see him again."

"Why?" Qi Hanzhi asked in surprise. "What happened?"

Qi Rui was silent, and suddenly hugged her waist, and cried on her shoulder: "Sister, those princes are all bad, Qing Ran approached me because the Holy Majesty told my mother that I will Married to his prince. The princes all want to be princes, so they approach me with uneasy intentions, Qing Ran is not really good to me at all."

The figure outside the door staggered and almost fell.

Qi Hanzhi also froze, looking at the person lying in her arms, she didn't know what to say.

She has also heard this rumor, but if it is about the second prince—she looked outside the door, sighed and helped her up, and said: "How can you be sure that Qing Ran approached you to be the prince? There is no evidence, so it's not fun Wronged people. Where did you hear that?"

Qi Rui wiped away her tears and sighed, "I heard my mother talking to Yuegui that day."

Qi Hanzhi was shocked: "Is that what my aunt said?"

If even Liuli thinks so, then this matter is almost inseparable.But Lu Yan doesn't seem like the kind of person with ulterior motives!

"That's not true." Qi Rui shyly said: "Mother's original words are that the Holy Majesty wants to marry me to the crown prince, but the crown prince has not yet been selected, so I don't know where my future destination will be. Yuegui said, It’s no wonder that several princes in the palace have come to the emperor frequently to show their riding skills, archery skills and writing skills. The co-author is to marry our princess! Sister, tell me, do I still not understand after hearing this? Is it? Qing Ran's riding and archery skills are the strongest among the princes, because I said that I envied my father's martial arts, and then he went to learn riding and archery from his father. I thought his heart was like this, but I didn't expect it He did this to cater to me!"

Qi Hanzhi looked at the pale person outside the door and sighed silently.

Lu Yan didn't even know how she got out of the second room.Along the way, people saluted him and called him "Your Highness", but he ignored them.

Just now he played two games of chess with King Dingbei in Rongxitang's study room, and he felt a little restless, so he found an excuse to come out, just when Sister-in-Law Ji, who was next to Princess Huai'an, came to send a message to King Dingbei, and he asked her about Min Mother, when I heard that she was in the conservatory of Yongqingtang, I rushed over here without stopping.

He hadn't seen her for almost a month. No one knew the urgency in his heart, but he didn't expect that when he came here to see her, he also heard such heart-wrenching words!
In her heart, was he the one who would do anything to fight for the throne?

In her heart, is he a shameless person who despicably uses her to achieve his goals?

"Your Highness, what's the matter with you?"

Someone came up to ask with concern.

He must be fascinated, but found that somehow he had returned to the main room of the West Prince's Mansion.

What is he doing here?Do you want to see Princess Huai'an?

"Your Highness, are you feeling well?" the servant asked again with concern.

He shook his head and said nothing.

"Qing Ran? Why did you come here? I'm looking for you everywhere."

Qi Zishen came over, saw his face, and couldn't help being startled: "What's wrong with you?"

His lips turned white, he shook his head and said: "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired." After a pause, he said again: "Please tell King Huai'an and Princess Wang that I'm going back to the palace first."

"Green burning!"

Qi Zi called out cautiously, but he had already stumbled out of the gate.

"Big brother!"

Qi Zishen was in a daze, and Qi Hanzhi hurried over. "What about the Second Highness?"

Qi Zishen pointed out the door: "Go back to the palace."

Qi Hanzhi's complexion changed, and he said, "It's a bad thing! I'm going to see my aunt!"

****
"what?"

In the inner room of the main room, Liuli stared at Qi Hanzhi dumbfounded, "You said Min Niang heard me talking to Yue Gui?"

"Yes." Qi Hanzhi nodded solemnly: "That's what Min Niang said just now."

Li Fu said from the side: "What did Niang Min say, you told your aunt exactly."

Qi Hanzhi then told the whole story.

Liuli petrified for half a day, then she lowered her shoulders and said, "This child! The bad thing is that she has too many ideas. I just said something casually to Yuegui, and she took care of it! Since she heard what I said before, why didn't she simply say something?" Listen to the rest of me?" She shook her head and sighed.

Li Fu said, "Then what did you say later?"

Liuli was startled, but couldn't say it out loud.

Yuegui smiled, and said from the sidelines: "Our princess later said, 'Qing Ran is not that kind of child, a person can pretend for three to five years, but can't pretend for ten or eight years and still be undetectable. Besides, he has excellent aptitude, even The queen also praised it in front of the Holy Lord. He just wants to fight for the position of the prince, so there is nothing wrong with it." Later I said, "Does the princess agree or disagree with our princess marrying the second highness?" The princess smiled and said, "As long as they are willing, what's wrong with it?" See, Second Madam, isn't this just a misunderstanding?"

Li Fu heaved a sigh of relief, rubbed his chest and said, "It's hard for the two children! One just feels cheated, and the other feels betrayed with all their affection, so why not be ruined by the two of you half-talking?"

Liuli pondered, pursed her lips and said with a smile: "Mi Niang was spoiled by his grandfather and father since she was a child, how could she have suffered any grievances? The two of them have always been smooth sailing, and I was worried that I would not find a chance for her to experience this frustration. It's not a bad thing to let the two of them suffer. In the end, you will know how to cherish it even more."

Back then, didn't she almost separate from Qi Yunhao?Of course, fortunately, Qi Yunhao never let go.

Qi Hanzhi worried: "But what if in the end because of this misunderstanding, Minniang really doesn't see the Second Highness anymore?" Because the eldest aunt was kind to her, she also really loves Minniang.Knowing that Minniang and Lu Yan have a secret agreement, how can they bear to see them part ways later?
Besides, just now when Lu Yan went back like that, he would probably alarm the Holy Queen.

"If they really broke up like this, it means that they have no fate." Liu Li thought deeply.After all, it is good to be able to keep a certain distance from the royal family.

"If you think so, I'm afraid my uncle won't!" Li Fu said with a smile: "A few children are my uncle's heart, not to mention that he only has a precious daughter, Minniang? Even if there is no him, there will still be us." Where is the old prince! Look, this matter cannot be finished."

Qi Hanzhi thought about it, and then laughed.

***
When Lu Yan returned to Kunqing Palace, the queen was resting on the couch.She is now eight months pregnant and will soon add a new member to the palace.

He entered the palace to greet the queen, and then returned to Chonghua Palace in the west with his head hooked.

The Empress wanted to ask about the situation of the Huai'an Prince's Mansion, but when she saw that he was retiring, she asked the people around her, "What's the matter, Your Highness?"

The eunuch who followed Lu Yan out of the palace replied: "If you go back to the queen, it's like the Second Highness came out of Huai'an Palace."

The queen waved the eunuch down thoughtfully.

When Lu Yan returned to the palace, he saw that nothing was going well.

In his palace, Minniang's breath was too strong.

Hanging on the wall are the lutes she played, on the dange are the guqin she stroked, on the desk are the graffiti left by her mischievousness, and in the flower cup are the green branches she inserted herself.Even in the cracks of the floor tiles, there are chess pieces that she stuffed in curiously when she was a child, and now she can't get them out, just like Minniang's shadow can no longer be erased from her heart.

He sat down behind the desk, covering his face with his hands.

He had also heard the rumor from Minniang's mouth before from the palace population.The people who served him were all left by his concubine mother, and the queen did not replace him. When Mrs. Du brought Min Niang to the palace to read books for him when he was seven years old, his wet nurse, Nanny He, secretly told him, "The Holy Majesty is right. The Qi family attaches great importance to it. At the beginning, I personally promised Princess Huai'an that the eldest daughter of the palace will be my future crown princess. Your Highness might as well get closer to her and win the favor of Princess Huai'an."

He doesn't understand, he likes Minniang just because he likes Minniang, what does this have to do with being a prince?Minniang is not money and official positions, are they used as rewards?
He instinctively rejected the wet nurse's advice.He's young, but it doesn't mean he doesn't understand what she means, doesn't he just want him to please Princess Huai'an, and then ask Minniang to marry her and finally become the prince?
He didn't want to make it so utilitarian.Minniang is so gentle and lovely, she shouldn't have anything to do with rights and transactions.

So he quickly put the matter behind him and even forgot about it.

But today, several years later, he actually heard this rumor again from Minniang himself.

He was not sad because of Princess Huai'an's words, but because of Minniang's words.

No wonder she ignored him recently, it turned out that she was going to cut off contact with him.She had been with him for ten years, and she actually believed that he really had other plans for her.Could it be that his kindness to her has ulterior motives in her eyes?She was really so cruel, saying that she would not see him if she didn't see him, and she didn't even give him a chance to explain.If she hadn't overheard it today, she might have kept him in the dark for the rest of her life, right?
"Your Highness, the empress is here."

The eunuch came in to report in small steps.

He paused, sat up straight quickly, dragged a book next to him and flipped through it.

(End of this chapter)