Lihoumen

Chapter 25 I Don't Want to Plot Against Him
At lunch time, the old lady came in and asked Qingqing what she wanted to eat. Qingqing smiled and shook her head and said, "I'm not hungry. I don't want to eat at noon."

The old lady glanced at Qingqing's face, wanting to say something but stopping herself. Finally, she couldn't help but complain: "The tea I prepared yesterday, young lady should let the uncle drink it." Then she sighed and said, "I know that young lady feels wronged, but since the uncle values ​​you, you should seize the opportunity as soon as possible. If you can tie the uncle's heart, with the uncle's character, he will definitely not let other women shake your position."

Seeing Qingqing remained silent, the old lady said helplessly: "My dear, don't blame me for being too talkative." With that, the old lady was about to turn around and leave.

In this marquis' mansion, if we talk about sincerity, Grandma Sun is definitely the one who loves Qingqing the most.

The relationship between them has gone beyond that of master and servant and is more like that of family members.

Qingqing called out, "Grandma, wait a moment."

Grandma paused, Qingqing stood up and helped her sit down beside her. She looked at Grandma and said softly, "I know Grandma is doing this for me."

She paused, and slowly spoke her mind:
"I was the first one to fall in love with my husband. It was the first time I saw such a good man. Although I knew that he was of noble status and I could not marry him, I still couldn't help but fall in love with him. Grandma, I just couldn't help liking him at that time. I didn't expect to marry him. Although my father saw my thoughts, he only euphemistically asked my husband to take care of me before he died. My husband promised that he would marry me and take care of me for the rest of my life."

She smiled bitterly and continued, "I'm thinking now that maybe he made such an irrational decision because he felt guilty about our relationship."

"Grandma, you've seen that my husband abandoned me on our wedding night because of the emperor's order, leaving me to endure three years of grievances in this mansion alone. But since he came back, he has been working hard to protect me and cherish me. Even when I embarrassed him at the palace banquet last time, he didn't complain at all. I know that this is due to his sense of responsibility, or because of his noble upbringing. I also know that perhaps he has never truly accepted me in his heart, and he doesn't love me. If that's the case, why should I humiliate myself by using such despicable means to plot against him?"

After hearing these words, the old lady couldn't help shedding tears. She stretched out her arms and held Qingqing in her arms, murmuring, "My dear child, you have suffered so much."

Qingqing's eyes also became moist. She raised her hand to wipe the grandma's wet eyes, then leaned in the grandma's arms and continued, "Grandma, maybe if I did that, he wouldn't blame me given his character, but in his heart, he would definitely look down on me. Even I would look down on what I did."

"Grandma, I don't want that." She raised her eyes, which were as clear as water, with sadness yet determination.
-
Shen Han left Lan Yaju and went to the stable to get the horses with his personal bodyguard Wu Ya.

Before the two of them could get closer, a fine horse tied to the edge raised its front hooves high and neighed at Shen Han. The horse's forehead was raised and its hooves were like rice grains. What's more amazing is that its entire body is white without a trace of other colors. It stood out among the many fine horses.

The horse was full of vigor and neighed loudly at Shen Han, hoping to attract the owner's attention in this high-profile way. However, Shen Han bypassed the horse and went straight to a black horse. He raised his hand and smoothed the horse's mane. The horse tacitly put its face on Shen Han's arm and nuzzled its owner affectionately.

Seeing this, the white horse tied to the side immediately expressed its dissatisfaction. It raised its front hooves violently and neighed even louder towards the sky.

Wu Ya grinned when he saw this. He went forward to comfort the white horse and said to Shen Han, "General, this horse was given by His Majesty. It is the best horse from the Western Regions. It has been in the mansion for so long, but you have ignored it. This horse is the most human. Look, it is angry with you."

Upon hearing this, Shen Han glanced at the white horse, then stroked the black horse in front of him and said, "This good horse from the Western Regions is indeed good, but this Dayuan horse has been with me for a long time, and I am used to it." As he spoke, he untied the reins of the black horse and said, "Let's go, don't keep His Highness the Seventh Prince and Zhou Ning waiting for too long."

The master and servant each mounted their horses and left the mansion. When they arrived at the agreed city gate, the Seventh Prince Li Jingzhao and Zhou Ning also happened to arrive.

Li Jingzhao is the saint's favorite prince, and he is the most favored prince in the world. He is handsome and has never suffered any setbacks or hardships. He is a young man with a bright future, bright clothes and a strong horse.

Li Jingzhao rode forward immediately when he saw Shen Han. With a bright smile on his face, he half-jokingly said, "My cousin just returned and is in the middle of being affectionate with his new wife. We shouldn't have disturbed him. But this hunt would be really boring without my cousin."

Before Shen Han could say anything, Zhou Ning on the side came up and scolded with a smile: "Everyone has come out, why is Ah Zhao still talking about this? It's so hypocritical that it makes people feel it's fake."

Zhou Ning is the only son of Princess Chonghua. He is the same age as Shen Han and they were classmates, so they have a close relationship. Li Jingzhao smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I won't say anything. Cousin Zhou always sides with Cousin Shen. If I say anything more, I won't get any benefits."

As he spoke, he patted the fine horse under his crotch and said, "This is the new BMW given by my father. Today I will definitely outrun my two cousins."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Jingzhao waved the golden whip in his hand and galloped out on his horse at lightning speed.

The three of them rode all the way to the hunting forest. The young man was in high spirits. Once he entered the forest, he started to move around, draw his bow and arrow, and have fun.

Shen Han and Zhou Ning were much calmer. They rode on horses and walked behind. Zhou Ning came closer and said to Shen Han, "Today, when Jing Zhao and I were leaving the palace, we ran into the prince."

Shen Han said: "I haven't seen the prince for a while."

Zhou Ning said, "A few days ago, the Saint reprimanded the Crown Prince in the Diligent Administration Hall. Did you know that?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Han looked up at Zhou Ning and asked, "What's the matter?"

"It's still because of the East Palace's childlessness." Zhou Ning sighed and said, "Xiang'er has been in the East Palace for so many years, but has never had any children. Sigh!"

Shen Han glanced at Zhou Ning's face and replied, "The matter of offspring is entirely up to God's will. How can it be forced?"

"That being said, the Crown Prince is the heir to the throne, so the issue of offspring is naturally important. Right now, the Saint is forcing the Crown Prince to take in beauties to fill the East Palace." As he spoke, he became slightly emotional: "Yun Tang, I really regret not stopping Xiang Er from entering the palace."

Shen Han's courtesy name is Yuntang.

Shen Han cast a sharp look at Zhou Ning, signaling him to be careful with his words. After Zhou Ning stopped talking, Shen Han looked ahead with an empty look, muttering, "There is no turning back in this world. Once you have made a choice, don't regret it."

After listening to Shen Han's words, Zhou Ning gradually calmed down. After a long while, he said with emotion: "Back then, you and I were both the prince's companions in the palace. The three of us grew up together. It's not an exaggeration to say that we have a life-long friendship. Now that the queen mother is getting old, the prince's position is also in jeopardy. Yun Tang, now is the time for us to help the prince."

The prince was born to Empress Lu, the niece of Empress Dowager Lu. Empress Dowager Lu had been in power for many years, and the saint and the empress dowager and her son had always been at odds. The prince was caught between the two factions and was naturally in an awkward situation.

Shen Han turned to look at Zhou Ning and said, "It's too early to say that."

Seeing Shen Han was unmoved, Zhou Ning could not help but get emotional again, and his voice became louder: "The Saint has always favored the Seventh Prince. I heard from the palace servants that the Saint once said in the harem after drinking that he wanted to make the Seventh Prince the crown prince. If that is the case, the Crown Prince will have no chance of survival."

Before Zhou Ning could finish, Shen Han interrupted and said, "How can you take the words of the women in the palace seriously?"

"Yun Tang!" Zhou Ning called out in a loud voice, helplessly saying, "How long are you going to pretend to be deaf and dumb? Do you really want to watch the crown prince being deposed?"

Shen Han looked at Zhou Ning and asked, "What do you want to do? In order to dispel the Saint's idea, are you going to attack Ah Zhao? He is just an innocent child."

(End of this chapter)