Qian Yin looked at the little couple’s hands that were tightly clasped and asked, “Who is this?”
Qiao Lu saluted. “Qiao Lu, the fiancé of Princess Fulu, greets Your Highness.”
Qiao Ruoyun looked at the man beside her in shock. “Your Highness?”
Qiao Lu said to Qiao Ruoyun, “Eldest Sister, this is Prince Wu Qian Yin.”
Qiao Ruoyun didn’t know much about Prince Wu. It was said that the first Prince Wu supported the founding emperor of Datang to be enthroned, and then was willing to give up the position of Prince Wu, but the founding emperor didn’t take back his position to express his gratitude.
Instead, he promised that the Qian family could own the hereditary title of Prince Wu and their fiefdom was the Wu and Yue Region.
Other noble families, like the Duke Qin Mansion and Duke Anyuan Mansion, had to gain the emperor’s permission before their family’s heir could inherit the noble title.
But the Qian family didn’t need to do that, and they could even have their own soldiers.
One of the Princes Wu had once revolted. But for some reason, however, the later Prince Wus were all very loyal to the emperor, and gradually faded out of everyone’s sight.
The people in the South might still know that there was a Prince Wu, but those in Chang’an had forgotten about Prince Wu.
Qian Yin chuckled and said, “Oh, so you’re Xiangxiang’s fiance. I heard from Prince Consort Qin that Xiangxiang was already engaged. You look like a very excellent young man.”
“Many thanks to Your Highness for saving my sister’s life. The Duke Anyuan Mansion will definitely repay Your Highness’s great kindness!”
Seeing that Qian Yin was speaking with the tone of an elder, Qiao Lu saluted him respectfully. “It’s just that the disaster relief job is not over yet, and the time to go back to Chang’an has not come. More importantly, someone may try to hurt my sister again, so please allow my sister to stay for a few days, Your Highness.”
Qiao Ruoyun said, “Ah Lu, I’ll just go back to my husband. He can definitely protect me.”
Fulu laughed sarcastically. “Don’t be silly, okay? Qin Shu protecting you? Maybe it’s he who wants to kill you!”
“How is it possible?!” Qiao Ruoyun asked in shock.
Fulu said, “Is this the first time the Qin family has tried to kill you? It’s not that I despise the Qin family, but the Qin family today is full of b*stards.”
Qiao Ruoyun shook her head in disbelief. “How could it be him?”
Fulu snorted. “Why not him? If you don’t believe it, stay in Uncle Qian’s mansion and see what he will do!”
Qian Yin said to Qiao Ruoyun, “Miss Qiao, feel free to stay in my mansion. Please feel at home. If you need anything, just tell the maid.”
Qiao Ruoyun was very preoccupied. And Qiao Lu and Fulu looked exhausted from staying up all night.
Qiao Ruoyun thought that at this moment, perhaps only by staying in the Qian family could she make Qiao Lu completely at ease. As for Qin Shu…
She didn’t believe that her husband would treat her like this, but yesterday so many people died, and the Qiao family was set on fire. Except for the Qin family, who would want to kill her?
She had never done anything evil…
But because of her existence, the Qin family couldn’t jump to the boat of Prince Huai.
She was just soft-tempered, not stupid.
Qiao Ruoyun said to Qian Yin, “Then please allow me to disturb you for a few days, Your Highness. May I visit and express gratitude to Consort Qian…”
Fulu yawned and said, “By the way, Uncle Qian, why haven’t I heard any news about your marriage, or did you secretly marry without telling us?”
Qian Yin smiled and said, “My brother hasn’t been found, and my little niece has been missing. How can I be in the mood to get married? Plus, there are no elders in my family, so no one can take care of this kind of matter for me.”
Princess Fulu said, “I’m about to get married, but Uncle Qian, you are still single. How pitiful you are. I’ll introduce you to a few girls when I go back to Chang’an…”
Qian Yin said helplessly, “You’ve been yawning. I’ll have the maids take you to rest. Do you mind living next door to Miss Qiao?”
Fulu said, “No, no, Qiao Lu and I still have to put on a show. Sister Yun is missing and the Qiao family’s house has been burned down. We need to put on a show in front of the Qin family.
“When the Qin family fully believes that Sister Ruoyun is dead, please send her back to Chang’an, Uncle Qian.”
Qian Yin said, “Those desperados last night are locked in my dungeon. If you make them confront the Qin family, the latter will definitely show their slip, so why bother to put on a show for them?”
Fulu said, “The Qin family are simply a bunch of hypocrites. I’m really disgusted with them! It will definitely be fun to kick them down when they are high in the clouds!”
Qian Yin glanced at Qiao Ruoyun’s expression. “Fun?”
Fulu coughed and said, “No no, I just want to avenge Sister Ruoyun.”
…
The sixth day of June.
Today was the first birthday of Qiao Jinniang after she married into the East Palace, and it was her twentieth birthday, so the birthday banquet was very grand.
Qiao Jinniang couldn’t get any news from the South, and even if she sent people to check, it would take ten days at the fastest, so she could only wait anxiously.
Lu Chen walked to Qiao Jinniang’s side and said, “A letter is sent from the South.”
Qiao Jinniang quickly stood up and asked Lu Chen, “How is Ruoyun?”
Lu Chen said, “The people we sent out haven’t returned to Chang’an yet. The letter came from Prince Wu, Qian Yin. He said that he accidentally saved Qiao Ruoyun who was being hunted down. In order to find out the one behind it, they are pretending that Qiao Ruoyun is already dead…”
Qiao Jinniang clenched a hairpin and said hatefully, “It turns out to be true! The Qin family deserve to die!”
Apart from the Qin family, Qiao Jinniang really couldn’t think of anyone else who wanted Qiao Ruoyun to die!
Lu Chen said, “She has Prince Wu protect her in Lin’an. You can rest assured.”
“Prince Wu? Is there really a Prince Wu in Lin’an? Why have I never heard of him?”
Lu Chen said, “It’s just because the Prince Wu Mansion has been keeping low-key. Do you remember Mr. Qian who came to Myriad Taste every day for meals?”
“Yes, he seems to have ulterior motives towards Nuomi!”
Lu Chen: “…I think he should be Prince Wu, Qian Yin. I don’t think he had ulterior motives towards Nuomi. He just felt she looked like his niece.”
Qiao Jinniang said, “That’s a typical trick of human traffickers. He must be a human trafficker.
“Besides, Nuomi doesn’t have the birthmarks he said his niece had.”
Qiao Jinniang remembered Mr. Qian very well because he came to Myriad Taste for dinner every day after he spotted Nuomi on the street one day.
When he said he was Nuomi’s uncle, Qiao Jinniang was very happy, thinking that she had finally found a family for Nuomi.
However, Nuomi didn’t have any of the birthmarks he said his niece had, which made him look like a human trafficker.
Qiao Jinniang’s adoptive parents also thought he was a human trafficker, and didn’t allow him to enter Myriad Taste anymore.
“How do you know he is Prince Wu?” Qiao Jinniang asked.
Lu Chen said, “I saw him when I was young, and his appearance didn’t change much. Maybe I grew up, so he didn’t recognize me in Myriad Taste, or maybe he had recognized me in Myriad Taste, but he didn’t want to get the Qian family involved in the affairs of the court.”
Qiao Jinniang sighed. “If he is really Prince Wu, then he is not a human trafficker, but Nuomi doesn’t have the birthmarks and moles he mentioned, so he can’t be Nuomi’s uncle, alas.”
