“There is no conflict between Prince Chen and Prince Zhou. They can be good brothers. Prince Zhou has a distinguished position in the state and the support of the Empress. If he also finds favor in the Empress Dowager’s eyes, great things can be achieved!” Ruiping Great Elder Princess said to her granddaughter with a smile. Her face softened, and the cold look on her face slowly faded away.

Prince Chen didn’t have much strength to compete for the throne. Everyone knew that no matter how the Emperor valued Prince Chen, he wouldn’t pass the throne to him.

Instead of his nephew, the Emperor’s sons were the legal heirs to the imperial throne, so Prince Chen had no right to succeed to the throne, let alone he had been in poor health. Even though he was better now, he was far weaker than the several princes who had always been vital and healthy. It was lucky enough for him to stay alive like this. If remaining in his proper sphere, Prince Chen might prolong his life by a few years. But if he lusted for power, simply his mental efforts would kill him.

That was why Ruiping Great Elder Princess had decided well in advance to be friendly to Prince Chen and not to offend him.

“Princess Chen is not easy to deal with!” Infanta Yuan’an felt differently. When she saw her grandmother wanted to draw Prince Chen in, she could not help but murmur negatively.

“What if she loses Prince Chen? Then she is nothing. And, do you think Prince Chen really likes Princess Chen?” Ruiping Great Elder Princess’s arrogant sneer turned up the corners of her lips.

“Grandma, is there anything wrong with their relationship? I still remember what happened before. Second Brother did nothing wrong, but he was… It was infuriating!” Infanta Yuan’an was in a hurry to argue when getting the hidden meaning in her grandma’s words.

“So what? I’ve never known you are so close to your second brother. Every time you mention his injury, you will lose your temper!” Ruiping Great Elder Princess slid her a sideways glance and said.

The insinuation in that remark made Infanta Yuan’an blush scarlet with embarrassment. Qu Xinghong and her were only casual acquaintances. How could Infanta Yuan’an be interested in such a playboy? So what if he was her elder brother?

“See? You feel sorry for a man you don’t like, so the same goes for Prince Chen. On the face of it, you hurt Princess Chen, not Prince Chen, but in truth, you humiliated him. Given Prince Chen’s character, if he hadn’t shown any consideration for my feelings, he might have caused havoc in my mansion.” Ruiping Great Elder Princess said, glancing at Infanta Yuan’an. “Can you figure it all out now?”

Infanta Yuan’an nodded hurriedly. “Grandma, I see. If I disgrace Princess Chen, I insult Prince Chen, who will always get even for anything he has suffered. He won’t let me off, but it has nothing to do with whether he cares about Princess Chen or not!”

“If Prince Chen truly loved Princess Chen, he wouldn’t leave soon after getting married. You can see that he doesn’t concern and love Princess Chen that much!” Ruiping Great Elder Princess nodded with satisfaction. After all, her daughter grew up under her guidance, so she would be enlightened when she dropped a hint.

“But Princess Chen looks so gorgeous…” Even though she hated to admit it, Infanta Yuan’an had to agree with the fact. In the past, Shao Yanru was the most beautiful lady in her eyes, but now Shao Wanru was not inferior to her. Infanta Yuan’an even felt Shao Wanru, exuding an aura of intelligence and charm, looked more astoundingly beautiful.

Her second brother, for example, secretly inquired about Princess Chen, even when he was still lying in bed after he was seriously wounded.

“So what? Prince Chen, a man of position in the Palace, must have seen various beauties. Since a long time ago, the Empress Dowager and the Empress had begun sending him all kinds of beauties. There is a saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. No matter how extraordinary Princess Chen is, the other beauties are not bad. How could Prince Chen fall in love with Princess Chen because of her appearance? You must be joking.”

Ruiping Great Elder Princess didn’t take this matter seriously.

Born in a royal family, Prince Chen had seen many beauties. Besides, everyone has his particular tastes. Prince Chen might not think Princess Chen was the most beautiful and delicate. Many exquisitely beautiful young women were sent from the Palace to Prince Chen’s Mansion, but few got a good end.

Hearing this, Infanta Yuan’an nodded her head in agreement and no longer cared about Shao Wanru’s beauty. After a brief pause, she asked, “Grandma, what should we do now? Marquis Xing’s Mansion invited her over, so she decided to go there instead of seeing us, and we can’t accuse her of breaking her promise! But I have also invited several Misses close to me.”

What Infanta Yuan’an felt extremely uncomfortable with was Shao Wanru’s refusal.

They invited Shao Wanru to the Ruiping Great Elder Princess’s Mansion because they wanted to reconcile with her. And only in the accompany of several Misses from other mansions would they not feel awkward. While enjoying the meal and beautiful scenery together, they could write off all their old scores.

After all, they had a falling-out.

Not that Shao Wanru chose not to come, Infanta Yuan’an felt so humiliated. The succession of humiliating, terrible blows agitated Infanta Yuan’an, who had tried to treat this matter coolly.

“The Marquis Xing’s Mansion will hold a religious ceremony for her biological parents. As a daughter, Princess Chen must attend the event. I wouldn’t let her come even if she chose to come here. We can’t prevent her from showing filial piety to her parents because of our family affairs. Others will gossip about us, and the Empress Dowager and the Emperor will be critical of us!”

Ruiping Great Elder Princess analyzed.

Infanta Yuan’an was smart. After she pondered over this matter carefully, her face changed greatly. She had never thought carefully about it. She just felt Shao Wanru had embarrassed her again and again, which made her lose face before other noble ladies. But now, when she thought seriously about what was happening, she broke out in a cold sweat.

Infanta Yuan’an was not an ordinary noble lady in the capital. In the near future, she would be Princess Zhou who was closely related to Prince Zhou. Shao Wanru was supposed to return the Marquis Xing’s Mansion to fulfill her filial duty. If the Empress Dowager and the Emperor thought she forced Shao Wanru to keep the appointment with her by taking advantage of the power of Great Elder Princess and Prince Zhou’s Mansion, Infanta Yuan’an might never be able to marry Prince Zhou.

“Grandma…” Realizing this, Infanta Yuan’an was horrified and looked at Ruiping Great Elder Princess in a cold sweat.

“Understand?” Ruiping Great Elder Princess raised her chin and asked with perfect composure.

Infanta Yuan’an nodded repeatedly, giving up the idea of asking Shao Wanru to come over. “Grandma, I can see that now. I was wrong. It’s best if she doesn’t come. I won’t exact a promise from her!”

“There is more you can do. It’s no big deal if Shao Wanru doesn’t come. We can go to her door ourselves to make peace, which will do us a lot of good. Even if Prince Chen is not in his mansion now, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor will be happy if they know it. Even the Empress is happy to see you get close to Prince Chen’s Mansion.”

Ruiping Great Elder Princess smiled. Her granddaughter was not foolish; she figured everything out by a gentle reminder.

“Do you mean we should go to the Prince Chen’s Mansion?” Infanta Yuan’an asked, a bit ill at ease.

“Not really. Since Princess Chen has gone to the Marquis Xing’s Mansion, what’s the point of going to the Prince Chen’s Mansion? Let’s go to the Marquis Xing’s Mansion. Since it’s a memorial ceremony, let’s bring some offerings like candles and paper horses to mourn her deceased parents. It’s also a token of our regard!” Ruiping Great Elder Princess said with a smile.

Infanta Yuan’an rolled her eyes and nodded appreciatively. “Yes, grandma! I will do as you have said. I’ll get some servants to prepare the sacrificial offerings soon!”

“Well, no hurry. With calm and firmness, you can handle complicated matters with ease.” Ruiping Great Elder Princess smiled and patted the table lightly. Then she ordered the maid beside her, “Go and take out the rain-mountain tea set I’ve treasured and let Infanta Yuan’an practice with it.”

The Empress Dowager awarded Ruiping Great Elder Princess the tea set, which made it even more precious. In the past, Infanta Yuan’an had only seen it being used in significant events. But now, her grandma actually allowed her to learn how to make tea with this tea set. She widened her eyes in surprise and said with deep gratitude, “Thank you, Grandma!”

“They are nothing but valuable items. In the future… you can get whatever treasures you want. In the Marquis Xing’s Mansion, you should come to Princess Chen’s aid if anyone picks on her. You are not yet Princess Zhou, but you belong to the royal family and can be considered as her cousin!” Ruiping Great Elder Princess said in a very matter-of-fact way.

Once Infanta Yuan’an became the Empress, who was second only to the Emperor, she could get all the things she desired.

It was not hard to understand why the Marquis Xing’s Mansion would hold such a religious service. The capital was agog with rumors that the Madam of Marquis Xing had been plotting against Princess Chen for a long time. When the Ministry of Justice took the case over, it couldn’t be settled within the Marquis Xing’s Mansion.

No matter what, this matter meant a loss of face for the Marquis Xing’s Mansion. The result could either be severe or slight, which largely depended on Princess Chen’s attitude. But it seemed that Princess Chen had no intention of forgiving. Therefore, the Marquis Xing’s Mansion had devised this plan to get Princess Chen back!

Why didn’t they force Princess Chen to come back? They couldn’t do it even in the name of filial piety because the Marquis Xing’s Mansion was on the wane and had been unkind to Princess Chen in the public’s eyes.

At present, except for the late former Heir of Duke Xing and Infanta Qinghua, there was nothing the Marquis Xing’s Mansion could use to threaten Princess Chen.

Infanta Yuan’an nodded understandingly. “Help Shao Wanru… I must do that… Even if I can do nothing, I have to create opportunities for myself. I have to show Shao Wanru my sincerity…”

First of all, she could start with sacrificial offerings…

Shao Wanru was also preparing for the sacrificial ceremony, but running short of time, she didn’t get well prepared. That very night, she sent Qing’er to the Yuhui Nunnery for a consecrated Buddhist scripture and some other things from the abbot. Early the next day, she went to the Marquis Xing’s Mansion with her servants.

Shao Yuanhao came straight from the Rui’an Great Elder Princess’s Mansion later, so the two of them didn’t arrive at the same time.

Since it was a religious ritual for the former Heir of Duke Xing and Infanta Qinghua, some of their old friends also came specially. When Shao Wanru arrived, she saw a fine spectacle. It was the first time the Marquis Xing’s Mansion held a sacrificial ceremony for the deceased former Heir of Duke Xing and Infanta Qinghua.

After the tragedy, the Duke Xing’s Mansion didn’t make large arrangements for the funeral. They played the matter down and just informed some family elders about their death. For them, the matter was sort of done then. However, after so many years, they took the initiative to hold such a grand memorial ceremony for the couple, which made many people feel ridiculous.

It was evident that they put on this ceremony for Princess Chen. Due to Shao Wanru, the Marquis Xing’s Mansion finally remembered to offer a sacrifice to the former Heir of Duke Xing and Infanta Qinghua. The change made them appear even more cold-blooded, snobbish, and mercenary to everyone…