Reborn to Be A Noble Wife - Chapter 228

Chapter 228 The Embarrassed Princess Ji

Duchess Qi was stunned and did not immediately realize who she was talking about.

“Fourth Lady Qu is my Second Younger Sister’s cousin, so she is also my cousin. I wonder if you can let me see her? The Crown Prince wants to know how she is doing in Vice Minister Qu’s Mansion… so he specifically ordered me to ask.” Ji Youran explained with a smile.

“Fourth Lady Qu is outside the door.” Liu Jingyu had regained her composure. She stood up and said softly, “I will go and invite her in.”

“No need. I want to go out for a walk. I happen to have something to ask her in private. Duchess Qi, County Lady Jingyu, I hope you don’t mind.”

Ji Youran stood up.

Duchess Qi naturally would not stop Ji Youran. She watched Ji Youran slowly walk out with a few palace maids and then focused her eyes on Liu Jingyu.

Liu Jingyu sensed that Duchess Qi was looking at her. She smiled at Duchess Qi with a natural expression, which made Duchess Qi feel relieved. Duchess Qi felt perhaps she had worried too much. Liu Jingyu always listened to her mother. Duchess Qi believed that although her daughter made a mistake, Liu Jingyu would not. Duchess Qi always liked her granddaughter more than her daughter.

As for marrying into the Crown Prince’s Mansion, Duchess Qi didn’t think it was a good idea at all. It was obvious that Ji Youran was not easy to deal with. If the Crown Prince really valued her and wanted her to give birth to a child and have it adopted by the ex-Crown Princess, it would be even more tricky.

Qu Moying and several noble ladies were standing properly in the corridor. Hearing the sound at the door, everyone looked up and saw Ji Youran appear at the door with a few people.

Almost all of them were acquaintances, and they bowed to Ji Youran in unison.

“Young ladies, don’t stand on ceremony. I am here to look for my cousin.” Ji Youran said with a smile.

Nobody knew who her cousin was, and they all looked around.

“Cousin Qu, would you like to take a walk with me?” Ji Youran smiled and looked up at Qu Moying. Qu Moying nodded silently and followed behind Ji Youran.

After walking out of the garden, Ji Youran casually took a path and slowed down, waiting for Qu Moying to come forward.

Qu Moying knew Ji Youran had something to say, but she walked even slower. She was not in a hurry to go forward.

Seeing that Qu Moying was following her slowly, Ji Youran was a bit annoyed, but she soon calmed down and stopped, “Cousin, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?” Qu Moying stepped forward and asked.

“It’s about Concubine Xiang.” Ji Youran said seriously.

“What’s the matter with Concubine Xiang? Why don’t you talk to her directly? It has nothing to do with me, right?” Qu Moying looked up, her eyes under the eye veil were calm.

“Concubine Xiang is Eldest Uncle’s concubine, but she is only a concubine. Now Second Brother is adopted by Aunt Luo, Eldest Uncle is gone, and Second Brother is growing up. It is quite inappropriate for Concubine Xiang to continue to live in the mansion. When Aunt Luo passed away, Concubine Xiang prayed earnestly and focused on worshipping the Buddha. Now that Eldest Uncle is gone, Concubine Xiang…”

Ji Youran hesitated for a moment as she said these words. She seemed to be a bit embarrassed, and her gaze towards Qu Moying seemed to be meaningful.

Of course, Qu Moying knew what she meant, but she still looked indifferent, “Princess Ji, is there anything wrong?”

“There is nothing wrong. It’s just that there are only Concubine Xiang and Second Brother in the first branch now. Second Brother is getting older, and he’s not adopted by Concubine Xiang. Moreover, it is not good to have a concubine whose status is higher than the Young Master. It will be difficult for Second Brother to get married in the future.” Ji Youran said more and more tactfully.

As for the other two concubines, Ji Youran did not even bother to mention them.

“Princess Ji, I still don’t understand.” Qu Moying shook her head in confusion.

Seeing Qu Moying’s confused look, Ji Youran almost burst out in anger. She tried hard to suppress her anger. The Crown Prince wanted her to refrain from offending Qu Moying and asked her to be on good terms with Qu Moying. If not for this, Ji Youran would have scolded and suppressed Qu Moying long before.

“It would be best for Concubine Xiang to cultivate in a nunnery. After all, she is only a concubine, and Eldest Uncle is gone, but she doesn’t have a son or a daughter of her own. Second Brother is still so young. When he grows up, he will get married. But a concubine mother will affect his marriage prospect. It is not suitable for her to stay in the mansion.”

Ji Youran said calmly, with a touch of coldness in her eyes. She wanted to see how Qu Moying would respond. If Qu Moying interfered in this matter, scolding her would only be reasonable.

“Princess Ji, you shouldn’t talk to me about this. This matter is related to Earl Ling’an’s Mansion.” Qu Moying said softly with a surprised look.

Ji Youran’s face brightened a bit because Qu Moying was quite sensible to not object. “Concubine Xiang seems to be particularly good to you. She took your carriage when she went to the Yamen to file a suit. I think she listens to you. Can I trouble you to persuade her?”

“You want me to persuade Concubine Xiang? Princess Ji, this is not appropriate.” Qu Moying refused as if she did not understand the meaning behind Ji Youran’s words.

Ji Youran had thought about different reactions of Qu Moying, but she did not expect her to refuse. According to her performance in the past, Qu Moying should agree to interfere. Ji Youran did not know why Qu Moying cared so much about Ji Hanyue that she interfered with Earl Ling’an’s Mansion’s matter. Ji Youran calmed down and thought about the situation, but she couldn’t figure it out.

Although Ji Hanyue was kind to Qu Moying, the two of them had only seen each other a few times. How could they have such a deep relationship? What was Qu Moying plotting?

Ji Youran first thought that Qu Moying’s goal was the Crown Prince, Pei Luo’an. She suspected that Qu Moying wanted to get close to Pei Luo’an in the name of Ji Hanyue as she did, but later she felt that it did not seem to be the case.

“Cousin…” Ji Youran continued.

“Princess Ji, you don’t have to address me like that! I have nothing to do with Earl Ling’an’s Mansion. You don’t have to tell me what you want to do. I am just a daughter of a Vice Minister. Although I was related to Earl Ling’an’s Mansion before, now that my cousin sisters are gone, this so-called kinship no longer exists. Please don’t call me cousin anymore. It’s misleading.”

Qu Moying said with a serious face. She did not want to do as Ji Youran wished. Since the two of them were destined to be enemies, it was better to draw the line as soon as possible!

Qu Moying took a step back and bowed to Ji Youran deeply. She said, “Princess Ji, Grandmother just sent someone to call me over. Since you are fine, I would like to see Grandmother first.”

It was really a slap in the face. Ji Youran was annoyed, but she couldn’t lose her temper. The main reason she came to Duke Qi’s Mansion today was Liu Jingyu.

She had been in the Crown Prince’s mansion for so long, so she naturally had her confidants. She had found that someone in Minister Liu’s House was going to marry the Crown Prince, and Liu Jingyu was the one favored by the Empress.

Ji Youran was so angry that she almost vomited blood when she found out about this news. She had suffered a lot, but in the end, she was still a concubine. What was the meaning of her previous efforts?

Back then, she and the Crown Prince had deep affection, and the Crown Prince promised her that he would make her the Crown Princess. But why did Liu Jingyu suddenly appear? Wasn’t she going to marry Lord Jing?

Did Liu Jingyu want to marry the Crown Prince because she saw the benefits of marrying the Crown Prince?

Ji Youran wouldn’t let Liu Jingyu enjoy the yields of her scheme. That was why she came to celebrate Duchess Qi’s birthday today.

Of course, the most important thing was to warn Duchess Qi and Liu Jingyu. She believed Liu Jingyu could read her message. If Liu Jingyu dared to marry into the Crown Prince’s Mansion, Ji Youran would fight with her.

Even Ji Hanyue was no match for her, let alone Liu Jingyu.

Ji Youran came here to send gifts on the surface, but in fact, she came here to frighten them. Knowing that Qu Moying was also here, she decided to look for her.

She didn’t expect that Qu Moying would reject her without hesitation. How could Ji Youran not be angry? She coldly watched Qu Moying leave and did not say anything for a long time.

She clenched her fists tightly. Since Ji Hanyue was dead, everything she left behind would belong to her, whether it was Ji Hanyue’s status or everything in the Ji Family. If Liu Jingyu and Qu Moying wanted to take them from her, Ji Youran would spare no effort to fight with them.

As they turned around the corner, Yu Dong looked back and saw that Ji Youran was still standing where she had been. She leaned her head close to Qu Moying and said in a low voice, “Miss, Princess Ji is still looking at us with gloomy eyes. It is said that she is a good woman, and she got into the Eastern Palace because she took care of the ex-Crown Princess. But I think that maybe the ex-Crown Princess was angered to death or framed to death by her.”

Qu Moying gave a sinister smile, but she didn’t reply.

Who else in this world knew the truth better than her?

They didn’t walk far just now. They were just in front of the courtyard. When Qu Moying returned to the courtyard, a maid had gone in to report Qu Moying’s return. When Qu Moying came over, the maids lifted the curtain and invited her in.

Qu Moying went in and saw that the young ladies were all in the reception hall, talking in their seats. Grandmother was also there. Hearing Qu Moying enter the house, everyone turned to her. Those who ignored her before could not help but look at her now because she seemed to be close to Ji Youran.

It was only then that many people remembered that Qu Moying was not only the Vice Minister’s daughter but also the ex-Crown Princess’ cousin. It was said that the two ladies of the Yue Family were close when they married into the capital, but something happened to the younger one later, and she only had a daughter, Qu Moying, who survived her. Qu Moying was sent to the village, and the previous relationship faded, but it was said that the ex-Crown Princess took good care of her.

Did Princess Ji also value Qu Moying a lot?

The Crown Prince had a noble status. Even his concubine would have a bright prospect in the future. Moreover, it was rumored that Princess Ji was the one who made the decisions for the entire Crown Prince’s Mansion.

That made it even more impossible for others to look down on Qu Moying.

Duchess Qi calmly sized up Qu Moying a few times. Seeing Qu Moying bow, she said, “Forget about formalities.” Then, she asked, “Where is Princess Ji?”

“Duchess Qi, our lady said that she is not feeling well and has to go back first, so she won’t come and say goodbye!” A maid hurried over to report.

It wasn’t polite. Ji Youran was fine when she went out just now, but now she couldn’t even come to say goodbye.

The madams sitting in their seats looked at each other and wondered whether it meant that the Crown Prince was dissatisfied with Duke Qi or something else.

Duchess Qi’s face darkened. She thought Ji Youran was so presumptuous that she was actually so impolite in her mansion. Even the Empress was polite to Duchess Qi.

“Someone…” Duchess Qi could not suppress her anger. Although she could not do anything to Ji Youran, she could embarrass her.

“Grandmother, I will send Princess Ji off.” Liu Jingyu stood up and said with a smile. She seized the right time.

Duchess Qi calmed down and finally nodded. Liu Jingyu gracefully turned around and walked out of the room with her maids. When she went out, she saw a figure in the shadow outside the courtyard, and she frowned.