Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 91 Boudoir Affairs

It shouldn't be like this.

The prince consort would never treat her like this.

Pingle held his breath and his smile was uglier than crying.

"My husband, have you heard any rumors?"

Lu Youan's pupils dimmed slightly, he pursed his lips and asked her back.

"Which one do you mean, Princess?"

Over the years, there have been countless rumors about Pingle.

In the end, she was always able to speak eloquently and justify herself, and she could always find reasons to convince him. In addition, she put aside her airs and was occasionally gentle and considerate, and things would pass.

But how could Lu Youan really know nothing?
It’s just self-deception.

Lu Youan thought of Wen Jia.

Thinking of the way Wen Jia looked at her just now, her heart ached and it felt like ants were crawling all over her body.

Back then, he vowed to "build achievements, govern the country, and discuss the world with the saints"...

The more determined I was in front of Wen Jia, the louder the slap I got in the face was.

Not only did he fail to realize his ambitions, but Lulu's life was ruined.

He has become so destitute that Wen Jia has to show sympathy when he sees him...

Lu Youan didn't recognize himself.

I don’t even recognize the top scholar who was so high-spirited back then.

But in front of Pingle, all the roars, struggles, and regrets inside could not be said a word.

Not necessary.

no point.

She won't understand.

Nor would she say with sympathy like Wen Jia: "My dear, you are extremely talented and should be working for the benefit of the country and the people. It would be a pity if you were confined to the boudoir. Wen Jia does not blame me. I hope that my dear will spread his wings like a roc in the future and soar thousands of miles."

Pingle did not see the expected concern on his face, nor did she see anger or suspicion. At that moment, she suddenly felt that the person in front of her was extremely cold and unfamiliar. She felt helpless and had a fear that she had nowhere to go.

"Consort..."

Lu Youan hummed but didn't move.

"Husband..."

Ping Le reached out to hold his hand, and Lu Youan moved subconsciously, then calmed down again.

Let her do it.

His hands are cold.

Ping Le held it tightly and said anxiously, "Fan Bing and I really have nothing to do with each other. You know, I only have you in my heart from beginning to end. After all these years, if I really have two hearts, how can it be Fan Bing's turn? I look down on him! How can I, Ping Le, look down on Wen Jia's son-in-law?"

She is arrogant and conceited.

Lu Youan believed every word of these words.

Pingle really looked down on Fan Bing.

He even looked down on Wen Jia.

If it was before the Spring Flower Banquet, Lu Youan would definitely not believe that Pingle had an affair with Fan Bing.

But in recent days, Pingle's temperament has changed drastically, he has become more manic and unreasonable.

Her uncontrolled desires and crazy behavior almost made him unable to cope. When Pingle was ill, she was sometimes confused. This made Lu Youan feel that it was not surprising for anything to happen to her.

There was silence for a while.

Pingle's hands clenched tighter and tighter until he gradually lost strength.

Lu Youan's face also turned cold, and every word he spoke was colder than ever before.

"There's no need to talk about the past. Let's go back home."

Pingle's proud and arrogant face turned pale as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water on it.

The prince consort didn't believe her.

No one wanted to believe that she was innocent.

She was shaking slightly with anger.

If she really did something to let her husband down, she would accept being blamed, beaten or scolded.

But she is innocent and there is only Lu Youan in her heart.

Even when he was tortured by poison and in great pain, he never had the thought of being unfaithful.

But her loyalty was destroyed by Li Zhao and Xue Liu.

They deliberately planned to destroy her innocence...

From now on, when mentioning Princess Pingle, there will be an additional name Fan Bing.

She never wanted to be mentioned together with Fan Bing's name.

Now I can no longer get rid of it.

She and her husband may never be able to go back to the way they were before...

Pingle just felt nauseous and almost vomited.

"It's Li Zhao!"

"This must be a conspiracy of the East Palace!"

"And Xue Liu!"

"She came back for revenge. She wanted revenge on me..."

She seemed to be in a trance, muttering to herself.

Lu Youan looked at her and asked, "The prince is your brother. You are no threat to his throne. Why would he use such a despicable method to harm you?"

"And Miss Xue Liu, why did she seek revenge on you?"

Lu Youan leaned forward and stared into Pingle's eyes.

"Princess, have you done anything to her? Why do you feel so guilty?"

Pingle was stunned by the question and was speechless.
-
Such a joke happened on such a happy day. The atmosphere in Prince Duan's Mansion was as depressing as a dark cloud before a storm.

Li Fuyin was in a heavy mood and walked slowly towards the carriage. He really didn't want to go back home.

Seeing Pingle and Fan Bing make fools of themselves, she felt really happy.

But she had no idea what to do next.

Li Fuyin hesitated, held the maid's hand, and was about to get into the car when he saw Jinshu hurrying over.

"Princess, please stay."

Jinshu smiled and said, "My lady was afraid that the princess would be frightened and feel unwell after falling into the water, so she asked me to bring you something good to drive away the cold and cure diseases."

As she spoke, she took out a purse from her bosom.

"This is the anti-humidifying incense made by our lady. Princess, if you carry it with you, it can resist the evil wind and prevent the root of the disease..."

A faint light flashed in Li Fuyin's eyes.

She motioned for the girl to take it and nodded slightly.

"Aunt, please thank Ruren for me. Today's incident was all thanks to her. But it's inconvenient for me to go and say goodbye to her in person right now."

Jinshu looked at her with a smile.

"Ruyi said that she and the princess get along very well and hope to see each other more often in the future."

Li Fuyin's uneasiness was slightly relieved.

What this sentence means is that Miss Xue Liu will not watch her get into trouble.

In fact, she has been worried since she came out of Tanqiuyuan.

Today, she not only offended Pingle, but also Fan Bing. She was really afraid of the possible retaliation...

After getting on the carriage, Li Fuyin opened her purse and took out the note written by Xue Sui.

"Princess, you may as well ask His Majesty for permission to take the child to Puji Temple to calm down. I have old friends in Puji Temple, and someone will take care of the child once the princess goes there."

After reading it, Li Fuyin's eyes lit up.

If something happens in Prince Duan’s Mansion, the news will soon spread to the palace.

The person the emperor cares about most is, of course, Princess Pingle.

But Princess Wenjia actually did not do anything from beginning to end. She did not even say a bad word about her husband and Pingle. She just "jumped into the lake" out of pain.

Even though Emperor Chongzhao did not have much fatherly affection for her, since someone was almost killed, he should have some sympathy for her as a victim, even if it was just for show.

The emperor loves face and values ​​reputation even more.

It was reasonable for her to ask for permission to go to Puji Temple at this time...

Even if Pingle and Fan Bing wanted to make trouble for her because of this, they would have to think twice, after all, she was going to drown herself.

At this time, Li Fuyin felt that Xue Sui's plan was even more brilliant.

As for what to do next...

She couldn't see through Miss Xue Liu.

Even though the two of them had just joined forces to plot against Pingle, she still didn't know how vast the world and ambitions were in Miss Xue's heart...

But she was willing to believe it.

Not for anything else.

Just because of those scars...

They have resonances and hidden pains that are difficult for others to understand.

But why would such an intelligent woman trap herself in Prince Duan's mansion?
Li Fuyin looked at the house with flying eaves and brackets standing quietly in the night and sighed slightly.

"Let's go into the palace."

With the sound of horse hooves, Li Fuyin's carriage slowly moved towards the imperial palace.

Xue Yuechen, accompanied by two maids and holding lanterns, had already arrived outside the gate of Tan Qiuyuan.

She came to deliver something.

The girl Yuzhu held an ebony box inlaid with mother-of-pearl in both hands.

Inside the box was a statue of Guanyin, the goddess of fertility, and a manual on the palace's rules.

Today is her husband's wedding night. In order to give birth to a child as soon as possible, she, as a princess, has to come here early to instruct him on some matters concerning the boudoir.

The door of Tan Qiuyuan was half-open, and a halo of light shone through the crack, casting a mottled patch on the ground, just like Xue Yuechen's mood at the moment, like a light snow, a slight chill, and a raincoat shrouded in mist and rain.

Jade raised her hand and gently knocked on the door.

With a creaky sound, the door slowly opened. It was not the maid who appeared, but Xue Sui's cold face.

There was no surprise in Xue Sui's eyes, but he was still smiling. He bowed and asked in pretended surprise.

"Why is the princess here so late?"

Xue Yuechen nodded slightly, motioning her to stand up, and walked into the yard with the maid. He looked around and saw that everything was arranged properly, so he withdrew his gaze with satisfaction.

"It seems that no one is lazy in this Tanqiu Courtyard."

Xue Sui said: "With the princess's strict order, who would dare to cheat?"

The two of them chatted and laughed as they entered the inner room. Xue Yuechen sent all the maids away, took Xue Sui's hand, and slowly sat down on the edge of the couch in the room, with a look of concern and solemnity.

"Sixth sister, are you exhausted today?"

Xue Sui shook his head gently, the faint smile on his lips remained

"I'm not tired because the princess is thinking about me."

Xue Yuechen patted Xue Sui's hand and sighed softly.

"There are some things that I have to say, but I am afraid of offending my younger sister..."

Xue Sui lowered his eyes slightly, "Princess, why should you be so formal with me?"

Xue Yuechen stared at her for a moment, then held her hand tightly.

"This palace is not like our Xue family. It has many rules and regulations, and the prince attaches great importance to etiquette. From now on, my sister, you must be extremely careful with everything you say and do..."

Xue Sui nodded.

Xue Yuechen continued, "The prince has only one daughter, born to Concubine Yuan. Yuan and Concubine Xiao's family are cousins, and she gave birth to the prince's eldest daughter, so she has a lot of face in front of Concubine Xiao. She usually acts flamboyantly, relying on her family's power, and even ignores me... Even if you don't make any mistakes, if she doesn't like you, she can find ways to make you angry. Sister, you have to be more careful and be careful when dealing with her..."

Xue Sui nodded slightly.

"I got it."

Xue Yuechen looked at the calmness on her face and couldn't help but feel worried.

In fact, she hadn't said anything else.

Initially, Concubine Xiao decided on Yuan Qingzhu as the candidate for Princess Duan.

It was only because she received the comment of "Eight Lucky Stars" from Taoist Lingxu that Concubine Xiao took a special look at her and selected her to enter Prince Duan's Mansion.

It was also because of this that Concubine Xiao wanted to compensate Yuan and indulged her a lot...

In order to remain decent and dignified in the face of Yuan Qingzhu's provocation, no one knew how difficult it was for her as a princess.

Xue Yuechen sighed, "There is also the concubine Zhang. Her family is not prominent. But she is an old acquaintance of the prince, and is quite favored by the prince. Otherwise, with her family background, she would not be able to become a concubine. You know that the prince has never been involved in the affairs of the inner house. But this Zhang was mentioned by the prince himself to the imperial concubine."

Xue Sui nodded again, "Thank you for your advice, Princess."

Xue Yuechen treated her as his own and described every detail of the personnel in the mansion to her without hiding anything.

"Other concubines have no face in front of the prince. They either rely on Concubine Yuan or Concubine Zhang. They are all obedient in front of me, but they are all opportunists and have their own little thoughts..."

Xue Sui hummed, "I've got it all down."

Xue Yuechen said: "The prince is usually gentle and rarely asks about the affairs of the inner house, but he is the master of this palace after all. When you serve him in the future, you must be more gentle and considerate, and less willful. If you can be favored by the prince and give birth to a son, you and I will have someone to rely on in the future..."

Xue Sui narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at her.

The wife of Prince Duan, who is dressed in fine clothes and ate delicious food, was exhausted both physically and mentally in the deep mansion full of intrigue, and her face was filled with loneliness that was difficult to conceal.

"We, as women, still have to rely on our husbands and sons."

Xue Sui smiled faintly, "With the princess here, I feel at ease."

The answer is irrelevant.

Xue Yuechen then glared at her in anger.

"The palace's backyard has always been a place of controversy. You've just arrived, so you should think twice before doing anything and be more careful. If you really cause a big disaster, I may not be able to protect you. Just like today, you rashly jumped into the water to save someone, which was really wrong. You've just arrived and you've made such a splash. Those who were originally watching coldly will have to open their eyes and keep an eye on you."

Xue Sui glanced at her.

He raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled lazily.

"Human lives are at stake. How can we just stand by and watch?"

Xue Yuechen didn't know what he was thinking. He avoided the conversation and smiled, then opened the box he brought.

"You must worship this statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Childbirth, and pray for her blessing so that you can have a son soon. You must also remember the rules and regulations of the palace to avoid being caught."

Xue Sui took the wooden box with both hands and said, "Thank you for your concern, Princess."

Xue Yuechen watched her put her things away and sat there without moving.

Xue Sui turned around and looked at her, "Princess, do you have anything else to tell me?"

Xue Yuechen's eyes had a complicated look, and he fidgeted, looking a little embarrassed.

"I've said everything I need to say. It's time for me to leave, lest the prince bump into us later. That would be bad..."

Xue Sui understood her conflicted thoughts and smiled slightly.

"The prince will not come."

Xue Yuechen's heart sank, "Why is this?"

See you at dinner for the second update~~!