Qiao Jinniang didn’t understand why Zhou Sisi faked being retarded.
Not long after they returned to the East Palace, the Minister of Penalty came to Lu Chen’s study and said, “Your Royal Highness, the imperial doctor has confirmed that Miss Zhou is indeed still suffering from retardness, so she didn’t commit the crime of deceiving His Majesty.”
Lu Chen shook his hand and allowed the Minister of Penalty to leave
Qiao Jinniang walked up to Lu Chen’s side and said, “How could a retarded woman threaten people with her own life? The Minister of Penalty is too stupid.”
Lu Chen took Qiao Jinniang’s hand and said, “Even if it can’t be confirmed that she’s faking being retarded, she won’t be able to come to the imperial palace to bother you again.”
The Minister of Penalty and the imperial physician were not too stupid but too smart.
After all, the Duke Wu Mansion was the Queen’s natal home, so it would do them no good to expose Zhou Sisi, and ordinary imperial doctors couldn’t diagnose retardness.
But Lu Chen knew his mother well. his mother had been thoroughly disgusted by Zhou Sisi.
…
At midnight.
Tong Yingying was dragged straight to a manor by Mrs. Tong’s maids. She shouted, “Mother, Mother, I still have a way to marry into the East Palace!”
Tong Xuan sneered. “Are you still daydreaming? The Crown Prince doesn’t even give any face to Zhou Sisi, let alone you! You literally ruined our Tong family…”
But Tong Yingying craned her neck and said, “The Crown Prince doesn’t want me, but there are still other princes. Dad has offended the Crown Prince and has had no hope of being reinstated. Why don’t we pledge loyalty to another prince?”
Tong Xuan widened her eyes and said, “Tong Yingying, do you want our Tong family to be beheaded?”
Tong Yingying stood up and said, “Mother, even the only protector of our family, the Duke Wu Mansion, has offended the Crown Prince, which shows how stupid the Crown Prince is! He actually gave up her mother’s natal family for a woman!”
“If we support another prince, it’s not impossible for us to succeed. How many crown princes have been able to successfully ascend the throne through the ages?”
Seeing her parents hesitate after hearing Tong Yingying’s words, Tong Xuan shook her head. Crazy, were her parents crazy?
She should marry as early as possible, and as far away as possible. Then even if the Tong family was punished for treason in the future, she would not be implicated!
…
In the Duke Wu Mansion, when Old Madam Zhou learned about what Zhou Sisi did, she was so angry that she almost couldn’t breathe. And she immediately ordered Zhou Sisi to be brought to her courtyard.
“Sisi, I have been doting on you. Now tell me, are you really retarded or not?!”
Zhou Sisi knelt down and said, “Grandmother, it hasn’t been long since I regained my senses. Last year, after Imperial Cousin came back, I gradually sobered up. I dared not tell you because our family has a rule that the women of the Zhou family shall not marry into the imperial palace.
“But I wanted to marry Imperial Cousin, so I kept it a secret. I want to marry into the East Palace, and I want to marry Imperial Cousin. What is wrong with that?
“When I was young, my imperial cousin would carry me on his back, take me to play, give me all the fun toys, and teach me to carve hand by hand…
“But after he disappeared, everything changed when he came back. It’s Qiao Jinniang. Qiao Jinniang stole him from me!”
Old Madam Zhou slapped Zhou Sisi angrily. “She stole Chen’er from you? Chen’er has always been treating you as his sister. Can’t you tell? How could a mature man fall in love with a kid?”
Zhou Sisi raised her eyes and said, “But I only have Imperial Cousin in my heart. If the Zhou family forces me to marry someone else, I’d rather die!”
Old Madam Zhou narrowed her eyes and said, “So you are threatening to commit suicide? Very good, Shihui threatened to kill herself for a man as well, and now you are doing the same thing. How can our family’s girls be so spineless?!”
Mrs. Zhou said from the side, “Mother!”
Old Madam Zhou said, “If my son hadn’t insisted on marrying you, I wouldn’t have accepted you as my daughter-in-law because I despise the style of your Tong family. You are much better than your niece, but you also think too much of yourself.
“If you think I’m such an eyesore to you, you can divorce my son and leave the Duke Wu Mansion with your daughter!”
Duke Wu said, “Mother, this is clearly the Crown Prince’s fault. He has no regard for our kinship for the sake of Qiao Jinniang!”
Old Madam Zhou frowned and said, “Qiao Jinniang is his wife who has given birth to a child for him. If he doesn’t care about the Crown Princess, who should he care about?
“Your sister is favored by His Majesty indeed, but with the Empress Dowager, her life in the imperial palace has never been easy!
“Now Chen’er has finally grown up and given birth to a son, but you, as his elders, keep making trouble for him instead of helping him! You might as well cut off the relationship with Chen’er. Then everyone will be satisfied.”
“If you still want to stay in the Duke Wu Mansion, marry Zhou Sisi off by tomorrow. It doesn’t matter if she marries a peddler or even a beggar! Just make her stop bothering the Crown Prince!”
Mrs. Zhou cried out loud and hugged Zhou Sisi. “Mother, Sisi is your granddaughter!”
“And the Queen is also my daughter. She sacrificed so much for the Duke Wu Mansion. Of all my children, she is the most sensible. How can I let you harm my daughter?!”
Old Madam Zhou said solemnly.
…
What really happened yesterday was kept secret, and the news spread that when Zhou Sisi disappeared yesterday, she was rescued by a man.
And in order to repay the man’s life-saving grace, the Zhou family married Zhou Sisi off to him, and the wedding date was on the same day.
Weddings of noble girls usually took at least half a year to prepare.
So everyone knew there was something fishy about such a hurried wedding.
“Although Zhou Sisi is retarded, she has a good appearance and is the daughter of a duke. That man is really lucky to marry her!”
In Zhou Sisi’s room, she smashed a lot of rouge and gouache.
Why should she marry a man she didn’t even know…
She didn’t want to. She had been determined to marry her imperial cousin since she was a child.
“Miss, Old Madam asked you to be obedient. Otherwise, I will tie you up to finish the wedding. After all, you are retarded, aren’t you?”
Zhou Sisi stared at the maid fiercely.
“The auspicious time has come. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, as well as the princes and their consorts, are all here today to watch the wedding ceremony. Please ask Miss Zhou to quickly change into the wedding dress!”
Zhou Sisi frowned. Last time that woman said that she would help her marry into the East Palace, but where was she now?
…
In the Mu Mansion, Mu Qianqian had a hard time bringing the baby out, and after sending the imperial doctor away, she could not help crying with joy when she saw her son who was all black and blue.
Prince Huai walked to Mu Qianqian and said, “I finally have a child.”
In order not to be suspected by his father, before Lu Chen grew up, he didn’t dare to have children.
Mu Qianqian said feebly, “I’m sorry, Your Highness. I failed to get Zhou Sisi into the East Palace.”
Prince Huai wiped the sweat on Mu Qianqian’s forehead and said, “It’s okay. Although Zhou Sisi can’t marry into the East Palace, the relationship between Lu Chen and the Zhou family has reached a freezing point. I want you to do my another favor.”
“I want you to write a letter to Zhou Sisi, give her medicine, and tell her that if she uses it on Lu Chen, Lu Chen will sleep with her.”
Mu Qianqian frowned and said, “But Your Highness, wouldn’t it be better if the relationship between the Zhou family and the Crown Prince be torn?”
Prince Huai said, “Yes, so I want to take the opportunity to win over the Zhou family. Zhou Sisi wants to use the medicine on the Crown Prince, but she will mistakenly use it on me, so I will also be a victim. In this way, I can justifiably marry Zhou Sisi as my concubine!”
Mu Qianqian frowned as she looked at her infant son.
She had just given birth to a child, but His Highness wanted to marry one woman after another.
Li Lingling from the Earl Cheng’en Mansion, Fourth Miss Qin from the Duke Qin Mansion, and now Zhou Sisi from the Duke Wu Mansion…
Every one of them loved the Crown Prince. She was the only one who loved Prince Huai, but she couldn’t justifiably marry him!
