Seeing the girl dancing stumble, Qiao Jinniang reminded her. “Be careful. Don’t sprain your waist.”
The girl awkwardly thanked her and retreated.
The rest of the people stared wide-eyed at the sight of the Crown Prince picking fishbones for the Crown Princess without any hesitation, and their eyes were full of disbelief.
Even the husbands of noble families wouldn’t do this for their wives, not to mention the exalted Crown Prince.
But the Crown Princess didn’t think there was anything wrong with the Crown Prince feeding her fish meat, and she actually ate the fish meat that the Crown Prince fed her with ease.
The women’s eyes were full of envy. Whether or not the Crown Prince was putting on a show for the power of Duke Anyuan, Qiao Jinniang was probably the only woman in this world that could be treated like this by the Crown Prince.
Noticing that everyone was staring at her, Qiao Jinniang was calm. Her husband was feeding her fish meat. Was there anything wrong with it?
Qin Shu also picked up some fish meat with his chopsticks and put it close to Qiao Ruoyun’s mouth, but Qiao Ruoyun blushed and was too shy to eat it.
Qin Shu smiled and put the fish meat in Qiao Ruoyun’s bowl.
At this moment, an eunuch came in to report, “Your Royal Highness, Your Highness, Duchess Wu and Miss Zhou are asking to see you.”
Lu Chen certainly wouldn’t refuse in public to meet them, so he said to the eunuch, “Let them in.”
When Zhou Sisi came in, her hair was still wet. She was soaking wet, covered with a cloak, and the tip of her nose and face were slightly red.
There were even drops of water on her long eyelashes.
Mrs. Zhou brought Zhou Sisi in and saluted Lu Chen. Zhou Sisi walked straight up to Lu Chen with the rag doll in her hand and said, “Imperial Cousin, your tiger doll. Sisi jumped into the river and picked it up.”
Mrs. Zhou said, “Your Royal Highness, Sisi was afraid that you would be anxious not seeing the doll, so she came to deliver you the doll without even changing clothes.”
Zhou Sisi sneezed cutely, staring straight at Lu Chen. “Ahchoo, Imperial Cousin, here it is!”
Lu Chen frowned.
Qiao Jinniang picked up her fan and fanned it gently.
Then she said to Duchess Wu indifferently, “Auntie, Sister doesn’t know how to take care of herself, but doesn’t the Zhou family know how to take care of her? It’s still cold. She may get sick wearing the wet clothes!”
Mrs. Zhou quickly said, “Yes, but Sisi was worried that His Royal Highness would be anxious… so…”
Qiao Jinniang said with a sneer, “So the Zhou family doesn’t even have any maids? The only daughter of Duke Wu has to deliver a doll to His Royal Highness herself in wet clothes? Is the Duke Wu Mansion so poor? I can give the Zhou family a few maids.”
Zheng Xiao was a little worried. The Zhou family was the Queen’s natal family after all.
It would do no good to Qiao Jinniang to offend the Crown Prince’s aunt.
Mrs. Zhou was annoyed but she didn’t dare to offend Qiao Jinniang in public, so she said, “Of course we don’t lack maids, but Sisi wanted to deliver the doll to His Royal Highness herself. She was afraid maids might damage the doll.”
Qiao Jinniang took the wet cotton ball in Zhou Sisi’s hand, which didn’t look like a tiger at all. “Just this rag? Are you afraid maids will embezzle it?”
Qiao Jinniang threw the wet rag cotton ball to Lu Chen, “Your Royal Highness, keep the doll carefully, which your cousin jumped into the lake and fished up for you!”
Knowing that Qiao Jinniang was angry, Lu Chen only said to Zhou Sisi, “Go back and change first.”
Zhou Sisi smiled and said, “Then please take good care of Sisi’s doll, Imperial Cousin!”
Lu Chen nodded.
When Qiao Jinniang saw Lu Chen nod, she really wanted to throw him and the doll together into the lotus pond.
After Zhou Sisi left, everyone looked at each other in surprise.
No one had ever regarded Zhou Sisi as a woman because they all knew that her intelligence only equaled that of a six or seven-year-old, but now it seemed that Zhou Sisi was clearly in love with the Crown Prince.
It was impossible for Zhou Sisi to stay single for the rest of her life. If she wanted to get married, it would be a very good choice to marry into the East Palace.
The Crown Princess warned them with that peony flower, but what about Zhou Sisi?
Before Qiao Jinniang returned to the East Palace, Zheng Xiao called her to her yard alone and said, “Jinniang, Chang’an is not like Lin’an. The elders in the Duke Wu Mansion are all sensible. You really shouldn’t talk to Mrs. Zhou like that today.”
Qiao Jinniang said, “Mother, everyone knows what Mrs. Zhou is trying to do!
“On my brother’s birthday, she brought her daughter in wet clothes to present a gift to His Royal Highness. Can His Royal Highness refuse?
“If he didn’t accept it, tomorrow in Chang’an City, everyone would say the Crown Prince is at odds with his uncle because he despised his poor retarded cousin!
“I don’t know if Zhou Sisi is really retarded or not.
“But whether she is retarded or not.
“The Zhou family will definitely take sides with her. If I don’t show them my opinions on this matter and still fawn over them…
“What should I do if the Zhou family really gets Zhou Sisi to marry into the East Palace? Continue to fawn on the Zhou family? No way!”
Zheng Xiao sighed. “But that is the Queen’s natal family. Don’t forget what I told you. If Duke Wu hadn’t given up their military power, the Queen couldn’t have been the Queen today, and the Crown Prince couldn’t have been the Crown Prince today.
“His Majesty is still in his prime, and although the other princes don’t seem to have the ability to compete with the Crown Prince for the throne, if you break with the Duke Wu Mansion, it will be unfavorable for you and the imperial grandson.
“Zhou Sisi is like a child anyway. Even if you let her marry into the East Palace, she won’t be able to snatch your husband’s love.
“Mother knows that you don’t like to hear these words, but Jinniang, unpalatable advice benefits conduct. The East Palace is not the small city where you grew up. You shouldn’t be so naive to think that the Crown Prince will only have one woman.”
Qiao Jinniang knew that Zheng Xiao was saying these words for her own good.
But how could she share her husband, who was supposed to only belong to her, with other women?
She would never ever allow Zhou Sisi to marry into the East Palace. No matter how retarded and innocent she looked, she was also a woman and the Queen’s niece!
“Mother, either that there is only me in the East Palace, or that the Crown Prince and I divorce, and then he can marry as many cousins as he likes. This is what we’ve agreed before our wedding.
“I would rather break with the Duke Wu Mansion than agree to Zhou Sisi marrying into the East Palace! ”
Qiao Jinniang said resolutely.
Zheng Xiao sighed. With such a temperament, Jinniang was likely to suffer losses.
Lu Chen had been missing for three years after all. How could he give up the support of his mother’s natal family?
The Crown Prince would probably choose the Duke Wu Mansion over the Duke Anyuan Mansion. After all, the former was Queen Zhou’s natal family.
Zheng Xiao was full of worries.
Qiao Jinniang comforted Zheng Xiao. “Mom, don’t worry. I won’t wrong myself.”
Zheng Xiao sighed. “If only your character and Ruoyun’s character could be neutralized. One is too soft, while the other is too hard!”
