klisemfg Chapter 561: A show of force?
Chapter 561: A show of force?
Seeing that Chu Junting had stopped exchanging pleasantries with the other princes and came directly to her, Song Ruozhen's clear eyes flashed with surprise.
"Why did you arrive so quickly?"
"Congratulations are over, nothing else." Chu Junting sat down next to Song Ruozhen. "Did Consort Xiao come to cause trouble just now?"
"It's just a small matter. She was wronged in the shop before, but now that she's married to His Highness Prince Xiao, she's practically our sister-in-law, so naturally she wants to get revenge."
Song Ruozhen smiled slightly. These little tricks meant nothing to her. It was impossible for Jiang Qinglan to get anything out of her.
"Your Highness Prince Xiao has always been cautious and careful, so his actions today are rather strange."
Chu Junting nodded, "We've already discussed this, but my brother didn't take it to heart. He dotes on Jiang Qinglan, so let him be."
Through the man's indifferent expression, Song Ruozhen keenly sensed the change in his emotions. Was he... disappointed in the eldest prince?
She was not interested in the disputes among the princes. The eldest prince had always been highly praised among the princes. If he were born to the empress, he would probably have been made crown prince by now.
In his previous life, it was Chu Tianche's framing at the hunting grounds that caused His Highness Prince Xiao to be suspected by the Emperor. In order to secure the position of Crown Prince, he even framed his own brother, thus completely losing his chance.
Things have changed in this lifetime. As long as His Highness Prince Xiao performs well, he may still have a chance.
Right now... it's tantamount to handing over a handle to someone else. She couldn't help but wonder what methods Jiang Qinglan had used to make Prince Xiao lose his mind.
Just then, the bride returned, and the sounds of firecrackers and drums filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.
Song Ruozhen and the others were drawn to the scene. As Ling Qian'er, dressed in a phoenix coronet and wedding gown, was welcomed into the mansion, bursts of laughter and teasing arose from all around.
"Your Highness Prince Che is truly blessed; Miss Ling is such a delicate and beautiful woman!"
“His Highness Prince Che has had a tough time these past years. His previous wife was truly unreasonable and difficult. Now that he has married a girl from the Ling family, they are a perfect match.”
However, when Ling Qian'er was mentioned, everyone's eyes involuntarily turned to Chu Junting.
After all, when the Ling family first moved back to the capital, everyone thought she would become the Princess Consort of Chu. Unexpectedly, she has now become the Princess Consort of Che. This coincidence is truly intriguing.
Song Ruozhen observed the ceremony briefly in the crowd before stepping back.
However, at this moment a nanny suddenly walked up to her and said, "Princess Chu, my mistress is Princess Muyun, and she would like to invite you to the back to have a chat."
"I will accompany you," Chu Junting said.
The old woman was surprised that His Highness the Prince of Chu also planned to go, and said, "Your Highness, there are many women in the back, I'm afraid it will be inconvenient for you to go."
"If I don't mind, why would Princess Muyun mind?" Chu Junting asked in return.
The old woman's expression stiffened slightly, but she understood that the King of Chu was protecting Song Ruozhen. The rumors were indeed true; the King of Chu held his wife dear in his heart.
Song Ruozhen understood that Princess Muyun was determined to make a scene today, and she was curious to see what they were planning to do. So she smiled and said to Chu Junting:
"Since it's an elder who's calling me, I'll go and go. I'll be back shortly."
Princess Muyun is an elder, and her husband, King Muyun, is Chu Junting's uncle. If they don't go now, their reputation for disrespecting their elders will likely spread throughout the entire capital tomorrow.
The other party was already looking for leverage against them, so they couldn't just hand it over to them for nothing.
A cold glint flashed across Chu Junting's handsome eyes. These guys from the Jiang family were no pushovers.
He was initially reluctant to pursue the matter out of respect for his elder brother, but now it seems the other party is taking advantage of his kindness!
"Go in peace. If anything goes wrong, have the maid come and tell me," Chu Junting said.
Song Ruozhen nodded. With Chu Junting around, she wasn't worried about anything happening at all.
At the same time, Princess Muyun and the others were looking at Jiang Qinglan with smiles on their faces.
"Aunt, how have you been lately?"
Jiang Qinglan sat down next to Princess Muyun with a big smile, pushing Jiang Luxue, who should have been seated in the seat of honor, to the back, seemingly unaware of anything amiss.
"I'm so happy to see you! I wanted to visit you a few days ago, but I made a fool of myself recently and it's not advisable for me to go out for the time being, which is a bit of a hassle."
Jiang Qinglan pouted somewhat guiltily as she spoke, seemingly regretting her previous actions and feeling truly helpless.
Princess Muyun smiled and patted Jiang Qinglan's hand. "I'm in very good health. It's just that you used to come to see me often, but you haven't come recently, and your aunt is a little unaccustomed to it."
"As long as my aunt doesn't mind, I'll definitely visit often in the future!"
The people around watched the two chatting happily, even forgetting about Princess Xiao standing to the side, and a hint of amusement flashed in their eyes.
It seems... the Jiang family really intended for Jiang Qinglan to enter the War King's Mansion from the very beginning, otherwise Princess Muyun and the others wouldn't have shown no sign of blaming her.
"I had heard before that the second young lady of the Jiang family was more favored in the mansion, and now I can see for myself."
"Princess Xiao is truly pitiful. On an occasion like today, the concubine should not have come at all. However, Jiang Qinglan is not only her own sister, but Prince Xiao has also always doted on her. Even if she didn't want to, she had no choice."
As Jiang Luxue listened to the surrounding chatter, she unconsciously clenched her fists. Her family had never been fair to her.
Because she was well-behaved and sensible, and never competed or fought for anything, all the benefits went to her younger sister, since she was always competing and fighting for everything.
When Song Ruozhen arrived, this was the scene she saw.
Her gaze swept over Jiang Qinglan, whose face was full of smugness, while Jiang Luxue looked gentle and graceful, as if their roles had been reversed.
"Greetings, Princess Muyun."
Song Ruozhen bowed.
Princess Muyun looked at the woman in front of her, a hint of amazement flashing in her eyes. She had heard that Princess Chu was beautiful before, but she had never looked at her closely.
When the King of Chu got married, there were so many people that she only ate the wedding wine and didn't get a good look at the bride.
Looking at her now, it's no wonder the King of Chu protected her like his own heart and soul; she certainly had the qualities to back it up!
The old woman quietly relayed what the King of Chu had said to Princess Muyun, whose already somewhat gloomy expression immediately turned even more unpleasant…
"The Princess Consort of Chu has quite the airs; it took three or four urgings to finally invite her over."
Upon hearing this, the previously cheerful atmosphere instantly turned tense, and all eyes fell on Song Ruozhen's face.
It seems... Princess Muyun is really going to give her a hard time!
"What are you saying, Your Highness? I came here as soon as I heard you summoned me for a reprimand. How could you ask me to come three times?"