Chapter 236: Everyone Loves to Play Matchmaker
The Crown Prince discovered that after Qi Wu got married, he became nowhere to be seen.
During the day, they each had their own affairs, but at night, he would wait at the teahouse.
He thought Qi Wu would come and they could talk about things. But it’s been… five, no, six days! That guy actually never came to the teahouse once.
This is simply outrageous!
The number one person who values love over friendship!
He waited in vain for another day and returned to his residence in a huff.
As soon as he entered the inner courtyard, the Crown Princess was unexpectedly waiting for him by the roadside. “Cousin!” she called out sorrowfully.
The Crown Prince asked coldly, “What are you doing here?”
“Cousin… If there’s anything wrong with Ying’er, you can tell me, scold me, we’ve been close since childhood, please don’t treat Ying’er like this…” She wanted to cry.
“Close since childhood… laughable. Then tell me yourself, how have you treated me? And before you married me, what promises did you make?”
“But Cousin, I manage the household for you, even if there’s no merit, there’s still hard work…”
“Yes, you manage the household, so it’s convenient for you to manipulate things, right!? You have the final say, doing whatever you please! Others can’t bear my children… If they get pregnant, you have to kill them. Do you think this world belongs to you?”
Xue Ying was startled: “I didn’t, Cousin, Ying’er is wrongly accused!”
“Even more laughable is that you dare to do it but don’t dare to admit it! It makes me look down on you even more!”
Xue Ying clutched her handkerchief, “Cousin…”
The Crown Prince glanced at her with disgust and left, flicking his sleeves.
Xue Ying stared hatefully towards Consort Jiang’s courtyard, hmph, she looks so ordinary but has so many tricks up her sleeve!
The Crown Prince entered the room with heavy steps. Jiang Pinting was reading a book.
She knew at a glance that he was sulking again. “Your Highness, have you eaten? Shall I make you a bowl of noodles?!”
“No!”
“Then shall we play a game of chess?!”
“No!”
“I’ve invited Wen Yu to come tomorrow, would you like to see her?”
“No… She’s coming tomorrow? Is Qi Wu coming?”
“I didn’t invite him, but if you want to see him, I’ll send another message.”
“Do I care about him? No!”
“Qiu’er, have the gatekeeper send a message. If Young Master Qi Wu has no official business tomorrow, please invite him to come along.”
The Crown Prince was pleased in his heart, but his face was still sulky. “I said I don’t want to see him anymore. He’s just a wife-slave, utterly useless!”
“Your Highness, you’re talking about yourself, aren’t you? Didn’t you say you were the one who brought him up?”
“No, I’m not… ”
“Did you see your father?”
“I just came back, I’m going to see him now!”
He hadn’t even settled down before he turned around and left again.
✿✿✿
Today was a private meeting. Inside the room, the Crown Prince was dressed in casual clothes, holding a book, and the Grandson of the Emperor was whispering to him.
The Crown Princess was beside them, personally serving tea and water to her husband.
Xue Ying sat brazenly, her peripheral vision sizing up Jiang Pinting.
“Your Highness, Qi Yang and his wife have arrived.”
The Grandson of the Emperor said arrogantly, “Let them in!”
Qi Wu, with Wen Yu by his side, stepped over the threshold and entered. The Grandson of the Emperor immediately glared at Wen Yu with displeasure.
Hmph, after getting married, she dresses even more beautifully than before, that’s why that useless guy is reluctant to leave the house!
The Crown Prince put down his book, looked at his son’s sullen face, and chuckled.
“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince! Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Princess!” The two of them bowed.
“Rise!” The Crown Prince said gently.
The Crown Princess looked them over and said to the Crown Prince, “Your Highness, there’s such an eye-catching young couple in the world! No wonder you wanted to see them today!”
“The peach trees are in full bloom, their flowers radiant and bright. You, daughter, have returned to your husband’s home, bringing joy and harmony to your family… Qi Yang, Wen Yu, may you walk hand in hand, until your hair turns white.”
“Thank you for Your Highness’ kind words!” The two bowed again and then greeted the Grandson of the Emperor and Xue Ying.
On this occasion, Xue Ying didn’t dare to show any disrespect, so she just nodded along.
Seeing Wen Yu, she couldn’t help but think of Zhang Jinjin. She couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Before she could figure out what had happened, Zhang Jinjin, her childhood friend, had died…
It seems that wealth and honor are also impermanent!
At this moment, Xue Ying was somewhat moved: Cousin had changed, and both her soft and hard approaches had no effect on him.
Even his attitude towards his aunt was different from before.
Of course, his aunt was also different…
While she was lost in thought, the Crown Prince had said something to the newlyweds, and they were all laughing.
The Crown Princess was also smiling, but her heart was in turmoil. Now, she was very restricted in what she could do. She could participate in major matters, but anything leaving the Eastern Palace, above a certain level, had to be approved by the Crown Prince.
Then, what about that matter? She and her brother had taken a lot of silver from that person. And they had used a lot of it to fill other holes…
This wasn’t the main problem, but the main problem was… If it couldn’t be done, her brother’s reputation would be ruined, and who would trust him in the future?
✿✿✿
Preoccupied with her worries, she only managed a smile but didn’t hear what they were talking about.
Until the Grandson of the Emperor said, “Mother, why don’t you take them to the back for tea?”
The Crown Princess vaguely knew that her son was close to Qi Wu, but she didn’t know the specifics of their relationship. Seeing that the men wanted to talk and treated her as an ordinary woman, asking her to excuse herself…
She stood up quietly, without saying a word, and left.
Xue Ying bowed and excused herself, following behind the Crown Princess.
Jiang Pinting and Wen Yu walked out together. Wen Yu asked, “Should we follow them?”
“Let’s follow for now.”
The Crown Princess walked for a while. She said something to the palace maid beside her, and the maid came over: “Consort Jiang, the Crown Princess has instructed you to take Fifth Madam Qi to your courtyard to talk.”
Jiang Pinting quickly replied, “Yes.” She thought to herself, this is perfect!
“Ah Yu, how are you?”
“Everything is pretty good overall. It’s just that there are a lot of people and a lot of things to do. I’ve been married for several days, and I realize I haven’t done anything. It’s also not convenient to go out to the shops… I thought it would be easier after getting married. Sigh!”
“With two mothers-in-law above you, as well as aunts, sisters-in-law, and younger sisters-in-law, there must be a lot of restrictions! How are the shops?!”
“They report to me every other day, everything is very good! I just miss Master Qing and Zhuzhu! I’ll go see them later. When business is slow, they can come home to see me… I want to tidy up a room so I can do some work when I’m free!”
“That’s great, you can assign me some work then, I’m also bored to death. The Grandson of the Emperor said that last time, Prince Wu was reprimanded by the Emperor. The Princess Consort of Wu was also humiliated by the Empress. Yongqing will probably be quiet for a while. However, someone still needs to accompany Yan Zhu. Besides, we should think about her situation.”
“Yes. When I’m settled, I’ll find someone suitable for her.”
“I actually thought of someone. My second aunt mentioned her: It’s her elder brother’s wife’s aunt’s… cousin’s second grandson… He’s quite accomplished.”
Wen Yu was confused after trying to figure it out for a while: “Who? Can you repeat that again?”
The two of them burst into laughter.
✿✿✿
Mu Bo had been following Wei Shi for two days, but he couldn’t figure out what she was doing.
She paced back and forth in her room with an anxious look, crying and laughing at times.
She brewed medicine, hesitated for a long time, but didn’t drink it. In the end, she even poured it out.
What is this woman up to?
After thinking for a while, he gathered the medicine dregs that the maid had thrown away. He went to a pharmacy to inquire…
✿✿✿
When Wen Yu arrived at the shop, everyone was delighted to see her.
She had given everyone lucky money when she got married…
“I’ve been coming here less often lately, thank you all for your hard work. Especially Master Qing!”
Master Qing was as indifferent as ever: “I’m happy to be busy here every day. Besides, things are running smoothly, it’s not tiring. The young ladies are really good!”
“Where’s Zhuzhu?!”
“A cook came wanting to work in the shop, she said she wants to take a look!”
“I’ll go have a look!”
In the pastry workshop, Yan Zhu was watching a cook work.
“Zhuzhu!”
“Ah Yu! Why are you here? You didn’t even tell me!” Zhuzhu rushed over.
“I was out on an errand, so I stopped by to see you. How are you? Are you tired?”
“Not tired! You should come home sometime! The other day we were talking about you, and Lanzhou ran off to listen carefully. Maybe he misses you too!”
“It’s been a while since I saw him. I’ll go see him sometime. This is…”
“This cook wants to work in the shop.”
Wen Yu looked at her, she looked clean and her movements were skilled. But for some reason, she seemed nervous when she saw Wen Yu…
However, it’s understandable for someone who hasn’t seen much of the world to be nervous when seeing someone as beautiful and well-dressed as Wen Yu.
But Wen Yu still pulled Yan Zhu aside and whispered, “We’re in the food business, skills are important, but character is even more important. Before hiring anyone, even the waiters and dishwashers, Cousin and Li Jiang investigated their backgrounds. This person, if you want to hire her, you need to find out where she lives and who her family members are.”
Yan Zhu nodded: “I understand, Ah Yu. Look, even though I trust Gu Yue very much, I only let him chop wood and carry things in the back. I don’t let him in here. For this cook, let’s see how her skills are first. If she’s good, I’ll have Gu Yue investigate her.”
“Who’s Gu Yue?”
“It’s that… Hey! He told me his name is Gu Yue!”
After Wen Yu left, Yan Zhu walked over to the cook: “Hmm, your technique is quite good.” She picked up a steamed taro from the basin on the ground. “Make another cake and let me see!”
The cook smiled and took it, but she suddenly saw the jade pendant that slipped out of Yan Zhu’s clothes when she bent over.
Her eyes stared blankly in astonishment.
✿✿✿
As soon as Wen Yu entered the residence, Mu Bo came to find her. “That Wei Shi, she’s pregnant.”
