Chapter 553 Leave after Acting Improperly
“You don’t have to worry about her. Her biological maternal grandma will take care of her. If we sent her those pieces of stuff, she will think that we are after something!” Old Madam said impatiently.
Seeing Old Madam’s tired look, Shao Yanru hurriedly agreed. After having a chat with Old Madam and feeding her medicine, Shao Yanru left when seeing Old Madam sleepy.
Shao Yanru and her mother got out of the courtyard and stood still. A few servants were far away from them and did not dare to get too close to them.
“Ru’er, are you going back now? It’s too dangerous on the mountain. You’d better not go. We can send some pieces of stuff there!” Madam of Duke Xing said. She was worried about the situation on the mountain after hearing that numerous people had been killed in the Yuhui Nunnery before. At the thought of this, she shuddered with terror.
“Mother, don’t worry. It won’t happen again.” Shao Yanru said with certainty, “The officials of the Ministry of Justice have made such a strict investigation that they won’t take action again no matter who they work for!”
“Ru’er, who do you think they work for? They actually have the nerve to kill people!” Madam of Duke Xing said worriedly.
“Who knows? It could be one of the several princes or the surviving supporters of the previous dynasty!” Shao Yanru comforted Madam of Duke Xing in a soft voice with a sparkle in her eyes. In fact, she really had no idea. She had sent messages to both Prince Yue and Prince Zhou that day in order to fish in troubled water.
She didn’t know whether both of them had intervened in it or one of them had done that, or neither of them had done that and it was actually done by the surviving supporters of the previous dynasty.
She didn’t want to interfere in this kind of thing too much, because a smart lady couldn’t know too much. At that time, she didn’t directly tell them about her speculation and just suggested some trivial things of Pushan Nun. Even if they couldn’t figure it out, the counselors working for them should be able to figure it out.
She just told them what she had seen or occasionally thought of. As a Miss raised in the backyard, how could she realize the meaning behind it?
Shao Yanru only thought it a pity that although the incident happened in the hall, where the religious rite was conducted, Shao Wanru was safe and sound.
“Be careful after going up the mountain. I think Wanru harbors ill intents.” Madam of Duke Xing warned her worriedly.
“Mother, rest assured.” Shao Yanru said lightly, “I heard that the princes are going to pick their consorts. If I leave for the mountain to stay with the Fifth Sister at this moment, none of them will pick me!”
At this time, the situation was not clear yet. She did not want to join any prince in the game of striving for the throne, but she could not refuse any of them. Both Prince Xin and Prince Zhou thought that she had fallen in love with them in private, but her status made it impossible for her to be a co-consort. If any of them entered the imperial palace and asked to marry her, she could only accept it obediently.
In this unclear situation, it was risky for her to marry any of them. She, who intended to be the Empress in the future, was reluctant to lose her life for the position of a consort at this time.
She didn’t care about being a consort. When the day came, no matter Prince Yue or Prince Zhou inherited the throne, she could be the Empress easily with her tactics and the support of Duke Xing’s Mansion.
When the day came, no one would remember who the former consort was!
Shao Yanru was extremely confident about this, but she felt a little uneasy because of Shao Wanru. Since she met Shao Wanru, she had considered her a hidden threat. She even had a faint intuition that if there was a girl, who would probably ruin her plan, it was most likely to be Shao Wanru.
Now she could avoid the consort selection, gain a good reputation and keep an eye on Shao Wanru with the excuse of keeping Shao Wanru in company. It could be considered a way to kill three birds with one stone, so why not do it?
Since Shao Wanru was observing mourning for her parents, accompanied by her, she could be considered observing mourning as well. Even the royal family could not allow a girl, who was observing mourning, to participate in the consort selection.
“Since you think so, that’s great!” Madam of Duke Xing said. She had long known about Shao Yanru’s plan, but after what had happened in the Yuhui Nunnery, she was really worried and thus to keep her daughter in the mansion for a period of time. Now that they talked about the consort selection, she suddenly remembered what Prince Xin had done just now.
“Prince Xin came to our mansion just now and met Wanru. It seems that he followed her here. Could it be possible that he has fallen in love with her? But so what even if it’s true? She doesn’t have anything helpful to him except for her status. It will be a miracle if Consort Ming thinks she is good enough for her son!”
Madam of Duke Xing said in a sarcastic tone.
“Did Prince Xin come to our mansion just now?” Shao Yanru asked with a weird look.
“Yes, he found an excuse to come and meet Wanru and then watched her leave eagerly. She is really a restless girl unable to change her coquettish temperament after living in the nunnery for so long. She just can’t behave decently.”
Madam of Duke Xing said with a sneer.
However, Shao Yanru fell silent and felt uncomfortable. Although she had never thought that Prince Xin would finally inherit the throne, he had always been nice to her. Every time he saw her, he was among those childes circling around her and tried every way to fawn on her like them.
Unexpectedly, he changed the target as soon as he saw Shao Wanru. It made Shao Yanru increasingly anxious and thought that she must get rid of Shao Wanru. Otherwise, Shao Wanru would be the biggest obstacle on her way to be the Empress.
“Mother, what do you think Consort Ming will do after finding out about it?” Shao Yanru came up with an idea after rolling her eyes, and said lightly.
Her words reminded Madam of Duke Xing. She clapped her hands hard, nodded repeatedly and said, “Good, good, I’ll find an opportunity to tell Consort Ming about it!”
Although Rui’an Great Elder Princess had the Empress Dowager’s favor, Consort Ming could be considered a match for her as a concubine favored by the Emperor.
Seeing that Madam of Duke Xing had understood what she meant, Shao Yanru turned around and left with a smile. Prince Xin? Consort Ming was not the only one who could take advantage of the situation, and Shao Wanru gave her a surprise…
“Miss, Prince Xin’s carriage is still following us!” Yujie said angrily. They had intended to go back to the mountain slowly after getting out of the city. Unexpectedly, the carriage of Prince Xin’s Mansion came after them in a rush, and Prince Xin, who was sitting in the carriage, even lifted the curtain and called Shao Wanru. He acted improperly indeed.
Yujie wished she could go over and beat this Prince Xin, who had no sense of propriety. Didn’t he know that what he did would make Shao Wanru criticized by others?
“Ask the coachman to stop and ask Prince Xin to have a talk in the pavilion in front!” Shao Wanru said decisively, because she knew that she couldn’t allow him to keep doing that.
“Yes, Miss!” Yujie said, hurriedly leaned out and said to the coachman outside, and the coachman stopped the carriage.
As soon as their carriage stopped, the carriage of Prince Xin’s Mansion also stopped. Prince Xin even jumped out of the carriage before Shao Wanru did, quickened his pace to come up to Shao Wanru’s carriage and attempted to reach out to help Shao Wanru out.
Yujie jumped off the carriage, pushed away Prince Xin’s hand, and helped Shao Wanru get out of the carriage carefully.
After standing still, Shao Wanru glanced at Prince Xin coldly and then walked to the pavilion on the side of the road, where people could rest.
Prince Xin hurriedly caught up with her and continued the topic he had talked about in Great Elder Princess’s Mansion, “Cousin, shall I go up the mountain and fly a kite with you? If you don’t like the kites in those shapes, tell me what kind of kite you like and I will instruct someone to make it!”
Shao Wanru continued going forward as if she didn’t hear what he said. After arriving at the pavilion, she turned around, bowed deeply to Prince Xin, who came after her, and then raised her watery eyes to look at him coldly and said, “Please tell me why you came after me, Your Highness!”
She asked so directly that Chu Liuxin couldn’t answer her at all. He opened his mouth, looked at Shao Wanru in great embarrassment with his face turning red. He thought that he had clearly shown his affection for cousin Wanru. Why couldn’t she tell it? Nevertheless, he felt embarrassed to say it personally.
Although he had messed around with a group of good-for-nothing childes and deliberately teased some pretty girls, he had never been so obsessed with a girl. Standing in front of her and looking at his reflection in her pretty watery eyes, he could not say those frivolous words like he had always done.
In the past, he could say those words thoughtlessly, but now he was so embarrassed that he couldn’t even say a word.
Prince Xin looked at Shao Wanru eagerly with a red face, but he didn’t say a word.
“Your Highness, do you know why I go back to the Yuhui Nunnery now?” Seeing him keep silent, Shao Wanru said calmly.
Finding it an easy question, Chu Liuxin breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, “Of course, you are going back to continue observing mourning for your parents. Staying in the nunnery alone and observing mourning for your parents for three years is a great deed showing your filial piety!”
“Since I’ve been observing mourning for my parents, don’t you think that I should stay alone and away from men, Your Highness? You put me in an embarrassing situation by following me all the way here. What do you think others will think of me? Will my deeds of hanging out with you make them think that I don’t deserve to be a filial daughter and don’t mean to observe mourning for my parents?”
Shao Wanru said and lowered her eyes, and her long and curly eyelashes fell quietly like tired butterflies, making her look cold and aloof.
Chu Liuxin opened his mouth, but couldn’t say anything. He had chased after her excitedly all the way with no time to think too much. His mind was occupied by Shao Hua’an’s words “A quiet and modest maiden is a gentleman’s good mate”. If he didn’t pursue her, how could she know? At the moment, he got a hot head and hurriedly chased after her, eager to show her his affection for her.
At this moment, hearing Shao Wanru’s words, he immediately sobered up, took a few steps back, bowed deeply to Shao Wanru and said, “Cousin, I’m really sorry for being impetuous!”
After saying that, he turned around and left despite his slight reluctance.
“Miss, although Prince Xin used to follow our carriage before, he hasn’t acted so eagerly and called you so loudly.” After helping Shao Wanru get back in the carriage and sit down, Yujie felt puzzled and said. Based on Prince Xin’s actions just now, she could tell that he was not ignorant of etiquette. How could he do that?
“Someone has deliberately interfered in it!” Shao Wanru said with a sneer. Shao Hua’an, who had been the Heir of Duke Xing in the last life, was said to be an extremely upright person and enjoy a great reputation like Shao Yanru. In this life, everything had changed, so he was no longer the high-ranking Heir of Duke Xing…