kvmb Chapter 196 A Joyous Event
Chapter 196 A Joyous Event
The group was thrown into chaos as they began searching for the prince's whereabouts.
Consort Shu was so anxious that she kept looking up and glancing around, afraid that something might go wrong.
The eldest princess, however, sat calmly drinking tea, seemingly not nervous at all.
Consort Shu couldn't help but sigh: "Sister, do you think something bad will happen?"
The eldest princess raised an eyelid: "What could have happened? Every girl who came here today knows what's going on. If they're nowhere to be seen at this hour, someone must have succeeded."
Consort Shu's face stiffened, and she coughed lightly. That was true, she didn't really want to take on this hot potato either, but she couldn't say it so clearly.
But after the princess said that, she calmed down. Anyway, the eldest prince wasn't her son. If she made the wrong choice, she would end up doing a lot of work for nothing. It wasn't worth getting involved in this matter.
With that thought in mind, Consort Shu was no longer in a hurry and simply began to leisurely drink tea with the Princess.
Sure enough, after about fifteen minutes, the servants rushed over to report. The princess's expression changed slightly, but she waited quietly. After a while, several palace servants surrounded the princess and a young lady walked over.
His Highness had difficulty walking, and perhaps not wanting anyone to notice anything amiss, he deliberately walked very slowly. Only when he got closer did everyone realize that the person beside him was Xue Wanning.
The eldest daughter of the Marquis of Guangping, and the former fiancée of Sheng Junyao, the heir of the Duke of Sheng.
The Crown Prince turned to look at Xue Wanning, then bowed to Consort Shu and the Princess, saying, "Mother, Aunt, I just met Miss Xue from the Marquis of Guangping's residence by chance. We had a very pleasant conversation, and I am delighted. Please grant my request, Mother."
The eldest princess sat calmly, seemingly unconcerned.
Consort Shu's face stiffened for a moment, her gaze quickly sweeping over Xue Wanning, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
But only for a moment, and she regained her smile: "This is good news. I came here today to find a kind and caring girl for Ke'er. I didn't expect Ke'er to meet her. Isn't this a match made in heaven? I will tell your father this good news when I get back. In my opinion, the Imperial Household Department should start preparing for the wedding right away."
After saying that, she turned to the eldest princess and asked, "Sister, don't you think so?"
The eldest princess smiled and said, "Of course, it's a joyous occasion."
As soon as the two spoke, the other ladies present all praised them, and the scene became harmonious and joyful.
Only the three bystanders stared wide-eyed.
Lu Yangyang stared thoughtfully at the backs of the Crown Prince and Xue Wanning, while Princess Liduan and Sheng Yunjiao were dumbfounded. The two of them grabbed Lu Yangyang's arms tightly, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
At this moment, the eldest princess ordered the preparation of the banquet. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Princess Liduan pulled Lu Yangyang and Sheng Yunjiao away. Then, looking at the ninth princess who had been following behind them like a little tail, she also brought her along.
The four of them went to Princess Liduan's courtyard.
Princess Li Duan pulled everyone into the house and closed the door before asking in shock, "What should we do? Is my cousin blind? How could he get involved with Xue Wanning? It doesn't make sense! And what is Xue Wanning thinking? Doesn't she like her cousin? I'm so confused."
Princess Liduan was truly bewildered. What was going on? She hadn't seen Xue Wanning for over a year, and she didn't even know when Xue Wanning had arrived today. And yet, she had caught the eye of the Crown Prince.
Sheng Yunjiao coughed lightly and whispered, "They've been missing for almost an hour, haven't they? Cough cough, what happened?"
"It must be, it must be that my cousin was deceived by her. No, I have to go find someone to ask and see what's going on!" Princess Liduan said, and started to walk out.
Lu Yangyang reached out and grabbed her.
“If His Highness wasn’t acting voluntarily, even if something really happened between them, he wouldn’t have brought up his feelings for Xue Wanning before anyone exposed it. Things aren’t that simple.” Although Lu Yangyang found it strange, it wasn’t hard to understand after thinking about it.
Xue Wanning was originally a very ambitious person; otherwise, she wouldn't have wanted to use her elder brother in the first place.
After her elder brother broke off the engagement, and with the Mu Zhou case, Xue Wanning's uncle's family was exiled, and her cousin also lost hope of taking the imperial examination. There was absolutely no way she would run off to share the hardships with him at this time.
After breaking off the engagement, it wouldn't be so easy for her to choose someone of high status again, so the current Crown Prince is actually a better choice for her.
It could even be said that it was a very smart choice.
His Majesty is currently in his prime, and the princes are also quite young. If the Crown Prince were safe and sound, it would be fine, but now that the Crown Prince has injured both legs, it almost means that he has no chance of ascending the throne. In this situation, apart from the other young princes, the next generation could also be a contender.
If she can give birth to His Majesty's eldest grandson soon, there might still be an opportunity ten or twenty years later, and it might even be the right time.
This woman's choices have always been profitable.
Lu Yangyang figured out the key points and roughly understood Xue Wanning's intentions, but it was not appropriate to say such things to others.
Princess Liduan was somewhat annoyed: "There's no way she could genuinely like my eldest cousin!"
Sheng Yunjiao chimed in, "But Yangyang is right, it must be His Highness's wish, there's no use in you being anxious!"
Princess Liduan snorted: "I'm not in a hurry at all. I just think my eldest cousin... ugh, he's so annoying. Forget it, if I really go and say bad things about Xue Wanning to my eldest cousin, he might even suspect that I have ulterior motives!"
Sheng Yunjiao raised an eyebrow: "Oh, you've matured!"
"Sheng Xiaosi!" Princess Liduan ran over to tickle her, and Sheng Yunjiao desperately dodged to the side.
At this moment, the Ninth Princess, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "I, I saw that girl. When I was with Yangyang and Sixth Sister, she was hiding in a corner in the distance. After we walked away, she, she went to find Sixth Sister."
The three of them immediately turned to look at her.
The Ninth Princess nodded firmly: "After we walked away, I looked back and saw her back. I can't be mistaken, she was standing next to Sixth Sister."
"Ah, I know, it was Xue Wanning who approached the Sixth Princess, and then..." Sheng Yunjiao exclaimed in surprise.
"Then the Sixth Princess helped make the connection, taking her to the First Prince, and the two reached an agreement," Lu Yangyang continued.
Princess Liduan, who was always kind-hearted, finally realized that this was a mutually agreeable transaction.
Furthermore, the Sixth Princess acted as a go-between, and Princess Li Duan wasn't truly ignorant; her eldest cousin had already sided with her third cousin.
She felt a little down for a moment.
Originally, in her eyes, those princes were all her cousins and her relatives. But at this moment, she realized for the first time that those people were both brothers and enemies to each other.
"Yangyang, I'm going out for a while. I'll have Lin Shuang arrange the banquet for you." Princess Liduan's mood was somewhat complicated, and she inexplicably wanted to get some fresh air.
Lu Yangyang noticed her thoughts but didn't say anything, just nodded.
Princess Li Duan walked out of the courtyard and wandered aimlessly in the garden. Suddenly, she heard Xue Wanning's voice: "Didn't you say you were going to kill Sheng Junyao? But he's still alive and well, isn't he?"
"What's the rush? It's only the beginning of winter. Good news will come naturally when the year draws to a close."