I have suffered enough in my previous life, my cousin will never marry me

Chapter 153 The old lady is still the same old lady

When the maids saw His Highness and the Dowager Consort enter, they were about to curtsy when the Dowager Consort glanced at her son out of the corner of her eye and hurriedly waved her hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

Seeing this, Fu Yunni pretended not to notice and deliberately asked Ye Wanshu, "If someone tries to take my older brother away, will you intervene, Sister Ye?"

"Of course," Ye Wanshu replied with a smile, "How could Sister Ye let someone steal her darling?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan's face flushed red, and he quickly covered his mouth and coughed lightly.

Hearing the voice, Ye Wanshu turned around and saw that everyone in the room was staring at her intently. Even Fu Mingchi was standing there with great interest, listening intently.

Ye Wanshu glanced at the mischievous little boy with a displeased look, then quickly stood up and curtsied to Consort Zhang: "Greetings, Consort Zhang."

"Don't stand on ceremony, don't stand on ceremony."

Consort Zhang stepped forward as if nothing had happened, took Ye Wanshu's hand in hers, and said very kindly, "You must have had a long journey."

Ye Wanshu felt a pang of guilt for not expecting the Dowager Consort to be so approachable after how she had treated her before.

"He had previously shown disrespect to the Dowager Consort."

Just as Ye Wanshu was about to apologize, Consort Zhang didn't care at all. She smiled and shook her head: "It's all in the past, there's no need to mention it again. I'm happier than anything else that you don't blame me for having ulterior motives."

"How dare I?" Ye Wanshu said, "It is my blessing to be favored by the Imperial Concubine."

"Look at that little mouth, no wonder my son looks at you differently."

Consort Zhang was increasingly pleased with her attitude and took her arm to sit down beside her.

This was the first time Zhao Yun had ever seen Wang Sao treat people with such warmth and generosity. Not to mention her own daughter, even her own niece probably couldn't compare. Watching silently, Zhao Yun couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness in her heart.

Looking at the composed Ji Yuan, Zhao Yun offered a hypocritical compliment: "The daughter of the Grand Secretary certainly has a charming way of speaking."

Having been inside the house for quite some time without seeing Princess Qi Ning, Ji Yuan had already guessed that the Zhao couple probably disliked his daughter very much. He replied with a half-smile, "My daughter has been raised by her maternal grandmother since childhood, so her temperament is inevitably a bit unruly. In the future, I will have to rely on Chief Secretary Zhao and the Princess to take good care of her."

"You're too kind, Your Excellency." Zhao Yun glanced at the two people on the main seat out of the corner of his eye and replied solemnly, "Miss Ye is the future princess of the Prince's Mansion. My wife and I will do our best to take care of her."

Upon hearing this, Consort Zhang showed some displeasure.

Today was the first time welcoming the Ji family father and daughter into the mansion, and my sister-in-law, as an elder, was absent from the family banquet, clearly not having listened to what I had said earlier.

Her gaze swept across the crowd, but she couldn't even see her daughter, which made her even more annoyed.

This mother and daughter are deliberately trying to embarrass people.

Summoning her personal maid, she suppressed her anger and asked in a low voice, "Yingying just returned with His Highness's army. Why hasn't she come over yet? Could it be that both mother and daughter are ill?"

Seeing the displeasure on the Empress Dowager's face, the old woman cautiously leaned close to her ear and reported, "Empress Dowager, Miss Yingying has not returned to the manor. I heard she went to see someone."

Consort Zhang gave a cold laugh in anger; this mother and daughter were truly a pair of troublemakers.

The more inconsiderate the mother and daughter were, the more determined Consort Zhang became to marry Ye Wanshu as soon as possible.

“A few days ago, Commander Zhu returned with a message saying that Mingchi and Wanwan have decided to get married within a month. Although it is a bit rushed, fortunately, I have already sent people to arrange everything in these days.”

Patting Ye Wanshu's hand, Consort Zhang said gently, "You will stay here tonight and keep Qingqing company. I will send someone to discuss with your father again to see what else we need to prepare. Let's set the wedding date as soon as possible."

Ye Wanshu's biggest worry now is what kind of trouble Gu Tingchen will cause upon returning to Lin'an. She also hopes to finalize the marriage as soon as possible. She smiled faintly at Consort Zhang and replied, "I will follow Consort Zhang's arrangements."

Upon hearing this, Fu Yunni's face lit up with joy. Excitedly, she secretly grasped Fu Mingchi's hand and whispered, "Big brother, big brother, I finally have a sister-in-law."

Seeing her pathetic state, Fu Mingchi sighed speechlessly. When his gaze fell on Ye Wanshu, he couldn't help but smile as he thought of what she had just said.

It seems she didn't really like that scholar; she only chose this marriage to escape Gu Tingchen.

Thinking of this, and reflecting on his attitude towards her on horseback just now, Fu Mingchi felt somewhat guilty.

Without making a sound, he led the little boy to sit down next to his mother. After the guests were all seated and the dishes were served, Fu Mingchi tenderly served Ye Wanshu food across from his mother to comfort her.

“You’ve lost a lot of weight since you were short of food and clothing in Qizhou a few days ago. Eat more today.”

She glanced at the look he was giving her and saw that the resentment in his eyes seemed to have disappeared. Ye Wanshu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

With a smile, Ye Wanshu thanked him and quickly lowered her head to eat obediently, afraid that Consort Zhang might suddenly ask about Ji Yunze.

Just now at the city gate, Consort Zhang noticed the awkwardness between the two and knew it was because of the scholar.

It's all my son's fault for causing this mess by breaking off the engagement; otherwise, how could this have led to this additional trouble?

Now that the scholar harbors resentment, it's his own son's fault; he can't blame anyone else.

Seeing this girl sitting beside him so cautiously, a stark contrast to her behavior in Peach Blossom Valley, he feared she still harbored resentment towards him.

Consort Zhang slowly placed some food into her bowl and gently comforted her, "Your mother is still the same as before. You don't need to think about anything now. Just focus on preparing for the wedding. As for anything else, even if the sky falls, the Yongning Prince's Mansion will support you."

Ye Wanshu felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this, as if all the suffering she had endured in her past life had been worthwhile at this moment.

It's a pity that my aunt isn't here right now. If she could see everything that's happening, she would definitely believe that leaving the Rongguo Mansion was the right choice.

Lin'an, the Rongguo Duke's Mansion

Gu Tingchen had just returned from Yuezhou when Ye Huaisu had Fang Mama find out everything her niece had experienced in Yuezhou from Caiju and Qiuli.

Upon learning that her stepson had nearly driven Wanwan to jump off a building, and that she was only saved by Prince Yongning, she was filled with mixed emotions, a mixture of sorrow and joy.

He sat in the room in a daze, unable to come to his senses for a long time.

She had always believed that her two stepsons would treat Wanwan well, but one after another, the two brothers disappointed her, and her belief completely collapsed at this moment.

Seeing that the lady was utterly despondent, Fang Mama reminded her, "Madam, there is no need to worry too much. This old servant has heard that everyone in the Yongning Prince's mansion treats Miss Biao very well. Chief Minister Ji has already gone to Yuezhou, and it is said that Miss Biao is about to marry the Yongning Prince."

Ye Huaisu felt deeply guilty for a while, then, thinking about Wanwan's upcoming marriage, he suddenly stood up excitedly.

“That girl Wanwan has no one to rely on in Yuezhou. How can we expect her father to help her?” Ye Huaisu hurriedly instructed, “Quickly prepare the dowry. We need to get to Yuezhou as soon as possible. I must personally escort Wanwan to the Yongning Prince’s Mansion on behalf of my mother and elder sister.”

"Yes, old slave, let's do it now."

Fang's mother responded softly and was about to go out when she suddenly saw Gu Tingchen leading Gu Qingmian and Gu Tingji, the two siblings, into the room.