sjar Chapter 394: Sisters’ Talk (2)
Chapter 394: Sisters’ Talk (2)
"Generally speaking, in this game between Prince Rui and the Crown Prince, I think the Prince has a great chance of winning. He now has the best timing, location and people. Let's talk about timing first. The Emperor values him more and more. Just like your second brother-in-law said, the Emperor is in poor health now, not in his brain. He will not give such an important task as patrolling the border to the Prince for no reason. Either the Crown Prince did something that made the Emperor unhappy, and the Emperor is warning him to see if he will take any other actions. Or the Emperor's heart is tilted, and he is also testing Prince Rui. After all, there are only two of them among the adult princes now.
"Geographical advantage, if I'm not mistaken, Wu Zhengda's risky return this time must have provided valuable information to King Rui, which also indirectly confirms that King Rui has been arranging matters in the northwest for a long time. Therefore, even if King Zhenbei has King Anle behind him, with Wu Zhengda, half of the northwest is in the hands of King Rui. And there is also Master Yue San, a big official who should not be underestimated. I don't believe that he took the third brother there, just for the sake of your second brother-in-law. If the third brother is a person who can't be helped up, there will always be a suitable position for him in Beijing. Why go so far to experience? And the third brother is now trusted by Mr. Qin. After the third sister-in-law took Sister Qin there, Mr. Qin's eldest daughter-in-law liked him very much and wanted to be in-laws with the third brother. Of course, there is also the matter of my uncle returning to the Ministry of Households. My uncle left from the Ministry of Households. Because it was the emperor who was angry, the old relationship between the people in the Ministry of Households and my uncle was not affected. And the most important point is that there is only one competitor left. In the situation of choosing one of two, the chance of winning is higher.
"As for the harmony between people, I think I don't need to say more. There is Concubine Lian in the palace, and you don't have to shake your head. I don't believe in rumors. How can a mother dislike her son, especially in that cannibalistic palace? Concubine Lian can live a stable life because of Prince Rui. And you are her daughter-in-law. Even if you don't know 100% of what kind of person she is, you have 60% of it. Do you think she won't fight and work hard for her son?
"It's just that the way these two mothers do things is very good, that is, they keep a low profile, which is also one aspect that the emperor likes. So, there is Concubine Lian in the palace, and I think there should be people from Prince Rui in Chengtian Palace. Needless to say, outside the palace, the Prince Shen's Mansion is now completely controlled by your second brother-in-law. Although Prince Shen still frequently meets with Xie Qingzhong in private, your second brother-in-law is confident that he will not hinder Prince Rui's major event. There are others, such as the Yong'an Earl's Mansion, Jian Mo, the palace officials, and Lord Sun, etc.
"And Duke Zhong, I don't believe that Meng Zewen and Prince Rui are so close, how could the Meng family not know? Even if they turned a blind eye before, now that the three princes have fallen and the court situation is so clear, will they still not move? And there is also the Lu family involved."
Seeing Meng Qi's puzzled look, Meng Wan said softly, "Do you still remember the incident when Zhou Yinghan was framed by the Hu family? It was Miss Lu who rescued Zhou Yinghan that time. But I heard that Miss Lu's fiancé broke his leg while riding a horse some time ago, and he took the initiative to break off the engagement with Miss Lu."
Seeing that Meng Qi still looked puzzled, Meng Wan continued, "Meng Zewen is already 21 years old this year. No matter how Madam Meng argued with him, he just wouldn't agree."
"Ah? Are you talking about Meng Zewen and Miss Lu?"
Meng Wan nodded, "I just found out about it not long ago. Because both families are so powerful, the emperor might be wary of the marriage. So, even though the two have been childhood sweethearts and are in love, the two families dare not have any idea. The accident of Miss Lu's fiancé was the work of Meng Zewen. So, Meng Zewen is now looking forward to the day when the prince succeeds, so that he can go to the Lu family to propose marriage. And even if Duke Zhongguo and the Lu family are powerful officials and loyal to the emperor, as long as they don't favor the prince, that would be the greatest help to Prince Rui."
Meng Qi showed an expression of understanding, and then full of envy, which made Meng Wan feel a little sad. What a good child, so beautiful, so sincere, so smart, but she didn't dare to move towards her own happiness. How much hurt must she have suffered in her previous life.
"So, Aqi, while Prince Rui is taking that position, are you willing to give up your position as the most honorable woman in the world to someone else?"
Meng Qi looked over suddenly, opened her mouth but no words came out.
"Watching other women enjoying the fruits of your hard work. Watching your family trying to please others to gain the greatest benefits for themselves. Watching that if you need anything from Prince Rui in the future, you will have to think about whether you can enter the palace and whether Prince Rui has time to deal with you."
Meng Qi lowered her head for a long moment, then whispered, "What about Xiaoli?"
"To be honest, Aqi, I think Prince Rui likes you."
Meng Qi looked at Meng Wan in astonishment, with a look of disbelief on her face.
Meng Wan nodded, stretched out her hand to tuck Meng Qi's drooping hair behind her ears, "You have to believe in yourself, you are so kind, so beautiful, and so sincere. Even if you and Prince Rui were not very happy in the beginning, and even if there were things that we might not know about that caused the prince to misunderstand. But what does it matter? You are together day and night, you face each other every day, you have a common direction to work towards, and you have been working hand in hand for so long. You are so outstanding and shining, how could Prince Rui not be attracted to you?
"I'm an experienced person, I wouldn't be wrong, plus what you just said. At such a tense and critical moment, what does it mean for Prince Rui to do this? It means that he likes you, he trusts you, he can't help but get close to you, and he wants to get more from you."
Meng Wan took Meng Qi's hand and said, "So, Qi, everything depends on you. Do you want to hold his hand and stand shoulder to shoulder with him at the highest position in the world? Or do you want to help him achieve his wish and live your romantic life as you promised? It all depends on your decision. I think the reason why King Rui didn't tell you is because he was concerned about the promise between you two."
Meng Qi's eyes were red. She was not stupid. She could feel that Prince Rui had been treating her differently recently, especially since he was injured. But Meng Qi never dared to think about it. The hurt in her previous life and the ridiculous past between her and Hong Zhe made her think too much. She did not dare to hope or try. After all, being the Princess of Rui was very different from being the Queen. She had no confidence in doing well, and she had no confidence in getting the same feelings Zhou Yu had for Meng Wan.
Meng Wan sighed softly, "Of course, I am just helping you analyze the current situation, because the final day is not too far away. The decision and choice are in your hands. We respect any decision you make. As long as you are happy, that is enough. Don't change your mind for us, Aqi, you have done enough for all of us, and you are not obligated to devote your whole life to us."
Meng Qi sobbed when she heard this and buried her head in Meng Wan's hands. No one had ever said this to her in such a long time, and she never let anyone see her thoughts. She tried hard to correct the wrong path she had taken in her previous life, wanting everyone to have a good life. She was lonely, and there was not even anyone to pass her water while she was running.
But Meng Wan's words just now made Meng Qi feel that everything was worth it. In her previous life, she longed for her mother to be safe, Hong Zhe to have a bad ending, Meng Shao to repent, Meng Wei to be reborn, and everything in Prince Rui's Mansion, she had achieved them all.
That's right, for the rest of her, she had to live for herself. She never thought that the one who would understand her and enlighten her in the end would be her second sister who was only mentioned countless times by her mother in her previous life.
Feeling the wetness in her palms, Meng Wan's tears slowly flowed down. This poor little girl, what did she do in her previous life to make her regret? God gave her a chance, and she tried her best to think about everyone, and was willing to sacrifice her own reputation to plan for King Rui, so that her relatives could live in peace.
And the only arrangement she had for herself was a small courtyard full of flowers outside the city.
After a long while, Meng Qi calmed down. She took the handkerchief handed to her by Meng Wan and covered her eyes gently. She took a deep breath and said, "I understand. Don't worry, second sister. I will think about it carefully. No matter what my decision is, I must make sure that you don't have any worries."
Meng Wan was about to say something, but Meng Qi waved her hand and said, "I know what's going on. Second sister, there's no need to say more. Let's talk business."
"Business?"
"Yes, that's what my second brother-in-law talked about with Song Lu last time."
Meng Wan nodded, "Are you here for that matter?"
"Well, Lord Song talked to the prince. Last night, the prince asked me to come today and told me to do what you think."
"It can be said?"
Meng Qi nodded, "Yes, the prince said that the current situation is like this, and he has arranged everything he can think of. But it is impossible for us to understand everything that the prince has been doing for so many years. Just looking at the matter of Huipin, the prince of Shen County is confused. So, the prince doesn't expect anything from him. If we make it clear now, he won't hinder my second brother-in-law when the time comes."
Meng Wan sighed, "That's what your second brother-in-law meant. We analyzed that the prince's intention to use the county prince should have been achieved. Compared with the county prince, the prince should value Xie Qingzhong more."
Then she recounted Xie Fen's recent behavior in the mansion. "Logically, the Princess of the County has completely fallen. I am the Crown Prince's wife. Even if she doesn't come to please me, she should be her eldest daughter-in-law. I didn't expect that she would jump around even more than when the Princess of the County was in her heyday. I'm afraid the Xie family has given her some kind of reassurance."
Meng Qi snorted, "She is not worthy of being on the stage. I am afraid that when her father becomes successful, she will want to take the position of the wife of the prince of Shen County."
Meng Wan nodded, "I think so too, so recently, your second brother-in-law has arranged for someone to keep an eye on the Xie family."
"There is one more thing that I think I need to tell you. You can remind Prince Rui. It may come in handy at a critical moment." Meng Wan continued.
"what?"
"The last time we went home, Grandfather was seriously ill and kept talking to you. I accompanied Mother back to Shanzhitang alone. Mother told me that the hairpin she gave to Meng Juan as a dowry contained..."
"Ah? So this is the reason why Meng Juan hasn't gotten pregnant?" Meng Qi said in surprise.
Meng Wan nodded, "That's not the point."
"what is that?"
"There were two hairpins back then. The late Empress Dowager gave one to Mother and told her the secret. The other was given to the late Queen. And you said last time that the Crown Prince really liked the other hairpin that belonged to a woman with the tassel removed."
Meng Qi opened her eyes wide in disbelief, "Second sister, are you suspicious?"
Meng Wan nodded. "Since it is possible to make women infertile, what about men? Not to mention that there are so many women in the East Palace, even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is weak, it is impossible for him to have only one princess for so many years."
"But, didn't he just have a son?"
Meng Wan gave a meaningful smile, "Aqi, that depends on what Prince Rui thinks."
Meng Qi suddenly realized and took Meng Wan's hand, "I understand. Thank you, second sister. This information is very important to the prince."
Watching Meng Qi put on her cloak, Meng Wan gently tied the belt for her, "Remember what I said, mother doesn't know about your arrangements. If she knew, she would never let you put yourself in a difficult position because of her. Just follow your own wishes, mother is here for you. From ancient times to the present, wealth and glory that are obtained by sacrificing the happiness of their daughters will not last long."
Meng Qi was stunned when she heard this, and then she hugged Meng Wan tightly, "Second sister, you are so kind, thank God for letting you come back. In the days to come, I am afraid I will not have the chance to come out again, you must comfort mother, no matter what "accident" you hear about me, don't take it seriously, I will protect myself. In the past, I always thought that no matter what choice I made, I would not let mother worry about me, but now there is you. Don't worry, I still say that I always know what I am doing and what I want."
Two months later, when Meng Wan heard the bad news, he could always remember the day when Meng Qi sat in the sedan chair, lifted the curtain and waved to him, with a bright smile on her face.