In the courtyard, servants immediately moved forward to take down the items that had been displayed.
“Tang Ning...” Princess Leyang was about to speak.
But Rong Yue directly took Tang Ning's hand, seemingly ignoring her intent to speak, and raised her voice to address the people in the flower hall, “The banquet is ready, everyone please take your seats.”
“Tang Ning, the weather is quite hot. Please instruct them to add some more ice basins to the banquet so that our guests don’t get too hot.”
Tang Ning nodded, “Okay.”
Princess Leyang watched as Rong Yue and her niece avoided her directly, inviting everyone to the banquet, while Tang Ning excused herself to leave. She had just shown Tang Ning so much goodwill, making it nearly obvious, but Tang Ning remained indifferent and even rejected it. Her face instantly turned sour.
“Princess, it seems that Rong Guo's Madam is clearly trying to make a match, and this Song Tang Ning isn’t even accepting the queen’s favor. She’s pushing it all onto the Lu family. Our young master might be…”
“What's she afraid of?” Princess Leyang turned to glare coldly. There was no difficulty in this world, especially not for a young girl without a father or mother, relying on a eunuch to think she had reached the heavens. She didn’t believe that the Princess’s estate couldn’t handle her!
Thinking about the person that Queen Lu had sent earlier, Princess Leyang snorted, “Go call someone to stop Jin Zhi. I want to see her.”
……
When Rong Yue and Tang Ning were greeting the guests at the banquet, they heard from Nian Xia that a female servant from Princess Leyang’s estate had passed along the message that the Princess had left early due to some matters.
Tang Ning furrowed her brows tightly, “What exactly was Princess Leyang here for?”
She had shown up uninvited, bothered her aunt for a long time, talking about all sorts of things, and now she just left without even bidding farewell properly, sending someone to pass the message instead. If she weren’t from the royal family, she would’ve been covered in a sack by now.
Rong Yue looked disgusted. “What else could it be? She’s just like a fly, drawn to the scent of meat.”
She noticed the benefit but didn’t ask if others were willing, just trying to pocket it for herself.
Seeing Tang Ning’s confusion, Rong Yue took a deep breath and said:
“Princess Leyang’s in-law once discussed a marriage proposal with Xie Yin and even had some business dealings with Xie Tianyu. When Xie Tianyu died, she started clinging to me, wanting to exchange the old marriage proposal for some benefits. I’ve already turned her down. Don’t pay her any mind and avoid her when you see her in the future.”
Rong Yue didn’t want Tang Ning to know about these disgusting dealings, as it would only make her feel sick, but Tang Ning could guess something from her aunt’s expression of disgust.
She remembered how Princess Leyang had been praising her non-stop earlier, and even mentioned her young son in passing.
Tang Ning was both stunned and speechless.
Could it be that Princess Leyang wanted to use the old marriage proposal from Xie Yin as a way to arrange a marriage for her?
Had she lost her mind?
……
Jin Zhi was surprised when she was stopped by someone from Princess Leyang’s estate. When she heard Princess Leyang speak to her with an air of arrogance, she was left stunned.
When she returned to the palace and told Empress Lu about this, Empress Lu was somewhat speechless.
“You’re saying that Princess Leyang has taken a liking to Tang Ning and wants me to help her?”
Jin Zhi lowered her voice, “Princess Leyang said that she liked Tang Ning’s character and felt she was quite compatible with her. Since Your Majesty loves her so much, and previously owing Tang Ning for the Lu family matter, she thought it best to arrange a good marriage for her. She also said…”
“‘Also said what?’” Empress Lu raised her eyes.
Jin Zhi hesitated, and when she saw the Empress looking at her, she softly replied, “Princess Leyang also said that the Lu family hasn’t been as favorable to you as before, and the Fourth Prince is in a difficult position within the court. If you can help her achieve her goal, and she gets Tang Ning as a daughter-in-law, she’ll make sure Tang Ning repays you and the prince, even helping you to win over Supervisor Xiao…”
“Heh!”
Queen Lu nearly laughed from anger.
What did she mean by liking Tang Ning’s character? She was just eyeing the benefits Tang Ning brought. How dare she bring up the Lu family?
The situation between her and the Fourth Prince wasn’t great, but it certainly wasn’t Princess Leyang’s place to mock her! Did she really think that just because she was a princess, she could do whatever she wanted?
Jin Zhi noticed the queen was getting upset, so she quickly said, “Your Majesty, please don’t get angry. I see that Princess Leyang is just being one-sided. The Yi County Princess and Rong Guo’s Madam don’t care for her little son. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gotten the ridiculous idea to come to me. Just ignore her.”
“Why should I ignore her?” Queen Lu’s voice was cold.
“Huh?” Jin Zhi looked up, confused.
Queen Lu sneered. She had been worried about how to get Tang Ning to willingly enter the Fourth Prince’s house. Now, Princess Leyang had collided with her, and she was presenting herself as an easy pawn. Why not make use of it?
Tang Ning was proud, and Rong Yue despised the Lu family. She would never let Tang Ning marry the disfigured Fourth Prince. Queen Lu had been thinking about how to make them willing for this marriage, but now, Princess Leyang’s words gave her an idea.
Princess Leyang was a fool. She would definitely stop at nothing to get the benefits from Tang Ning. If Queen Lu could make Princess Leyang lose her mind and do something reckless, then Tang Ning would fall into her hands.
Afterward, when the Fourth Prince ascended to the throne, Rong Yue and Tang Ning would be grateful to her, and they would be fully under her control.
Queen Lu gestured to Jin Zhi to come closer, and after she did, Queen Lu whispered a few words to her.
When Jin Zhi suddenly looked up in shock, Queen Lu sternly reminded her, “Remember, don’t leave any trace for Princess Leyang to grasp, and don’t leave any hints. Just let her know the benefits Tang Ning has to offer.”
“Tell Princess Leyang that Tang Ning is a good child. The academy she established benefits all students, and many suitors are interested in her due to her noble character. I’ve already been looking for a suitable suitor for her. Her son is not a match for Tang Ning. She should dismiss this idea early, so as to avoid causing embarrassment for everyone…”
Princess Leyang, with her lofty sense of pride as a princess, was clearly foolish. She always thought her two useless sons were better than anyone else.
Queen Lu knew exactly how to bait her. As long as Princess Leyang realized that Tang Ning wasn’t someone her family could covet alone and saw the benefits Tang Ning could bring, she would feel threatened and do anything to force Tang Ning into a marriage with her son, even if it meant using underhanded methods.
Jin Zhi lowered her voice, “But Your Majesty, there are people from Supervisor Xiao's faction in the palace. If something goes wrong, he might suspect you when he learns I’ve met with Princess Leyang.”
Queen Lu’s gaze flickered as she looked at Jin Zhi and said softly, “Don’t worry. Xiao Yan is busy investigating the events from that year. He won’t have time to pay attention to these matters. Even if he finds out, what can he say? Am I supposed to help Princess Leyang get what she wants?”
“Besides, I’m doing this for his own good. If Tang Ning marries the Fourth Prince, he won’t need to worry about the Fourth Prince turning against him once he ascends to the throne.”
Jin Zhi frowned, still feeling uneasy about the whole thing. But seeing Queen Lu’s decision was final, she said, “Then I’ll go and speak to her.”
“Be careful and avoid others.”
Queen Lu removed a golden hairpin from her head and inserted it into Jin Zhi’s hair. “You’ve been running around for me all this time, and I remember it. This pin suits you better than your usual plain appearance.”
“Your Majesty…” Jin Zhi was somewhat moved and knelt, saying, “My life belongs to Your Majesty. I’m willing to do whatever is needed.”
The queen smiled gently. “I know. You’re the most loyal to me. Over the years, you’ve been the only one I’ve truly trusted. Don’t worry. Once the Fourth Prince ascends, I’ll make sure to take care of you, and he’ll remember everything you’ve done for him.”
She would make sure to give her a good coffin, so that she could leave this world with dignity, not having wasted their two decades of service.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 400 (100+ extra chapters) here
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