in2ebook Chapter 301 Visiting the Wan Family
Chapter 301 Visiting the Wan Family
However, Gui Yuan did not wait for Feng Zizhou; instead, she encountered Prince Ning returning on horseback with his men.
Her delicate appearance, peeking out from outside the Dali Temple, attracted considerable attention. When Prince Ning's gaze swept over her, she couldn't help but shiver and quickly turned back.
"Go back quickly."
Once inside the carriage, Guiyuan lifted the curtain and looked out. Seeing that Prince Ning had already entered the Dali Temple, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Never mind, let's go back to the manor."
The maidservant was truly puzzled and asked, "Miss, didn't you previously hope that the county princess would break off her engagement with Prince Ning, and then you... fell for Prince Ning?"
Gui Yuan leaned against the carriage wall, her gaze heavy: "That was before, when Prince Ning was favored by the Emperor, of course it was good. But this time, Prince Ning's accident made me realize that relying solely on Prince Ning's favor is not enough."
"Well... Under heaven, everyone relies on the emperor's favor. And even without the emperor's favor, Prince Ning is still a high and mighty prince."
“It is precisely because Prince Ning has no real power base and relies solely on favor.” Gui Yuan’s voice was low as she analyzed everything perfectly. “This time, no matter the outcome, the Emperor will definitely harbor resentment towards Prince Ning.”
After a moment's thought, the maid nodded in agreement: "I think so too."
Gui Yuan added, "But Feng Zizhou is different. Feng Zizhou has a noble status and no burdens. With the heir apparent in charge of the family, Feng Zizhou can live a smooth and worry-free life."
“But the Fourth Young Master Feng is unreliable.” The maid curled her lip. “He even dared to disregard the marriage bestowed by His Majesty and the princess, and ran away from the wedding. It’s clear that he’s not a responsible man.”
Gui Yuan laughed: "Silly girl, you don't understand. When it comes to marriage, what matters is the family background. What kind of man he is doesn't matter at all."
The maidservant, of course, didn't understand; what the young lady said to the county princess was completely different from what she had said to her.
That evening, Princess Roushu stroked her belly and said softly, "Although my parents-in-law said that it doesn't matter whether this baby is a boy or a girl, I secretly think that if it's a boy, it will be better for you."
Xie Erlang stepped forward, helped her sit down, and said with a smile, "I think the same way as you, madam. If it is a boy, it would be great if he could take care of his younger brothers and sisters in the future."
Princess Roushu was taken aback: "You didn't say that before."
He used to say that it would be better if it were a daughter, because he would cherish her and her mother. He also said that his brother had two sons, and if she gave birth to a daughter, the whole family would be happy.
Why have you changed your mind now?
"Yes, I didn't think that way before, but seeing you today, I think that way." Xie Erlang tucked his wife's hair behind her ear.
"Today? Why?"
Xie Erlang said, "Look, you are several years younger than Feng Zizhou and only one year older than Princess Zhao Ning, but you always protect them as if you were the elder sister and they were the younger brothers and sisters."
Upon hearing this, Princess Roushu was stunned, and her eyes reddened: "Is...that so?"
“Yes,” Xie Erlang said. “That’s why I don’t want this child to be a girl. I want to have two or three sons first, and then have a daughter. The whole family will cherish her.”
Princess Rou Shu twitched the corners of her mouth, and after a long while, she said, "But I... am also the youngest daughter in the family."
She was the youngest daughter in her family, with three older brothers, one legitimate and one illegitimate, who all loved and cared for her.
But when she was away from home, the situation was quite different. She was a princess, and in her generation, there weren't many young women in the imperial family, and even fewer were granted the title of princess.
But so what? Her father was feared by the Emperor, and the whole family had to be careful. She could never act as recklessly as Feng Zizhou or Zhao Ning. She had to be careful with her every move, lest someone find fault with her and bring disaster upon her family.
Therefore, when Feng Zizhou did something like running away from the wedding as the wedding date approached, his parents couldn't even be angry with him.
Xie Erlang's eyes were full of heartache. He hugged her from behind, stroked her slightly protruding belly, and said, "It will get better in the future."
……
The second sister went to the Wan family with Si Xingzhi, but the trip was not very good.
Si Xingzhi presented a generous gift and said to the head of the Wan family, "It's truly a pity about Wan Cheng. He was incredibly loyal and risked his life to save my Jing'an's life. The entire Si family will never forget such a great kindness..."
But the head of the Wan family remained indifferent, waving his hand and saying, "Lord Marquis, there's no need to be so polite. Life and death are all predestined. Wan Cheng was an unruly child from a young age; this was just his fate."
Seeing his aloof demeanor and reluctance to get close to the Si family, the second sister couldn't help but ask him.
“Lord Wan, Wan Cheng died unjustly. Even though he is gone now, he has not yet been cleared of the crime of framing the Third Prince.”
The head of the Wan family looked up at her, pursed his lips with displeasure, and said, "The Emperor has brought Tang Yansen to justice, and the Tang family has been raided. This matter is now closed."
"Lord Wan, Tang Yansen was clearly acting on behalf of someone else..."
Before the second sister could finish speaking, Si Xingzhi said softly, "Tong'er, shut up!"
He bowed and said, "My daughter is impetuous and unruly; please forgive her, Master Wan."
The head of the Wan family remained calm: "I will not hold a grudge against the child. If there is nothing else, Lord Marquis and Miss, please leave."
The second sister grew anxious and hurriedly said, "Lord Wan, don't you want to clear Wan Cheng's name? The reason he was arrested and died so tragically was to expose the Third Prince's evil deeds to the public!"
"Second Miss, be careful what you say!" The head of the Wan family said solemnly. "Even the Emperor has not reached a conclusion on this matter. Does the Second Miss think she can make such a definitive judgment? It is still unknown whether Wan Cheng and Si Jing'an are conspiring together, or whether they are acting under someone's orders to deal with His Highness the Third Prince!"
"You're all utterly absurd!" The second sister was furious. Pointing at Lord Wan, she said, "People say that the Wan family has four members who have become Hanlin scholars, and even the Emperor respects them. But in my opinion, that's all nonsense. It turns out that the Wan family is also a family that worships power. They're simply unworthy of being called a family of officials."
Being scolded by a seventeen-year-old girl made the Wan family head so angry that his face turned red. He didn't argue with his second sister, but just looked at Si Xingzhi.
"Is the Marquis so well-mannered?"
Si Xingzhi silently took two steps forward, blocking his second sister's path, and said, "I believe that although my daughter is impulsive, she has not done anything wrong. However, her visit today has disappointed me!"
He flicked his wide sleeves, refusing to look directly at Lord Wan.
Lord Wan's face turned a deep shade of liver; he really wanted to drive this inexplicable father and daughter away.
He only agreed to receive the two of them because of the Emperor's influence. Even though the Emperor had imprisoned Si Jing'an, he had not punished the Si family in the slightest.
The Emperor cherishes the Si family, so he cannot afford to have a falling out with them.
"His Highness Prince Ning has already investigated. He searched the entire courtyard where Wan Cheng used to live, inside and out, but found no evidence. You may all return!"