Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Qiao Jinniang said with a sarcastic smile. “Don’t lie to me. If I become a princess, I will be constrained everywhere.
“Perhaps those imperial censors will be very glad to have the chance to scold me for not respecting my elders.”
Lu Chen said, “How could that be? The crime of insulting the adoptive father of the crown princess will be enough for her to be put into jail.”
Qiao Jinniang stared at Lu Chen and said, “Even if I’m not the crown princess, my father saved your life, right?
“You said that you would never forget my father’s life-saving grace.
“Now you are the crown prince, but you have done anything to pay him back.”
“What an ingrate, humph!”
Lu Chen pinched Qiao Jinniang’s cheek. “You slandered me again. I’ve never forgotten it.
“That day, along with the imperial decree that would be granting you to be my second concubine, there was also another decree that confers the posthumous title of General Shundong to your father.
“But my men couldn’t find you, so the imperial decrees were not issued.
“And you didn’t want others to know what happened between us in Lin’an, so the imperial decrees have been delayed.”
Qiao Jinniang snorted. “How dare you mention the imperial decree that will demote me to your second concubine again? If I had received that imperial decree, the first thing I would have done when I entered Chang’an would be to beat the sky drum, bring an action against you to His Majesty and let the
people all over the world uphold justice for me.”
Seeing that she was annoyed again, Lu Chen hurriedly said, “I know I was wrong, okay?”
Qiao Jinniang approached Lu Chen and said, “Since you know you were wrong, shouldn’t you make up for it? Don’t you think the title of General Shundong is a little too low?”
Lu Chen: “…”
Qiao Jinniang smiled ingratiatingly and said, “I know only the nobility titles would only be awarded to the founders of the country.
“But you are the Crown Prince. If you had died, then the other six princes would have surely fought for the throne, which would have caused a lot of chaos. Looking at it in this way, my father indirectly maintained the stability of the country. Doesn’t he deserve a higher title?”
Lu Chen said to Qiao Jinniang, “Then what title do you think is suitable?”
Qiao Jinniang asked, “Can you really let me pick?”
Lu Chen whispered to Qiao Jinniang. “After you become the crown princess, you can choose as you like.”
Qiao Jinniang snorted. “Stingy.”
After Lu Chen sent Qiao Jinniang back to the Duke Mansion, he did not leave immediately, but went to Duke Anyuan.
Seeing the Crown Prince come, Duke Anyuan hurriedly had tea and pastries placed in a pavilion. “Your Royal Highness, please have some snacks.”
After Lu Chen sat down, he said, “Please take a seat.”
Duke Anyuan sat down carefully and said, “What can I do for you, Your Royal Highness?”
Lu Chen held the jade pendant on his waist and said, “When I went to the South to deal with the flood four years ago, I was set up by a traitor and fell into a river. If it weren’t for Qiao Yu and Jinniang who saved me, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to talk to you here today.”
Duke Anyuan said, “That’s because Your Royal Highness is blessed by God.”
Lu Chen chuckled. “Anyway, Qiao Yu saved my life. That’s why I can enjoy this Mid~Autumn Festival.
“I think I should repay him. Although Qiao Yu was a servant of the Duke Mansion twenty years ago, he had long since bought back his freedom.
“and now that I want to make Jinniang my crown princess, Qiao Yu’s status can’t be too low.
“Therefore, I’d like to ask you to recognize Qiao Yu as your sworn brother. With the merits of the Qiao family’s ancestors, coupled with his life-saving grace to me, I can ask my father to grant him the posthumous title of Earl.
“Then it would be more justified to give Jinniang the title of crown princess.”
Duke Anyuan was surprised. He had never expected that. After all, Jinniang’s background was not good enough.
Unexpectedly, His Royal Highness was willing to give Jinniang the position of crown princess, and planned the future for Jinniang like this
Duke Anyuan had never imagined the Crown Prince would treat his daughter so well.
He said, “To be honest, Jinniang had proposed this matter to me before.
“T’ve sent my men to Lin’an to handle this matter, but they said Qiao Yu’s clansmen were very difficult people.”
Lu Chen knew how disgusting those people were. Even after he married Jinniang, they still often came to make trouble.
Those people would do anything to squeeze money out of them.
Over the years, they had never stopped coveting Myriad Taste.
It was impossible to reason with these unscrupulous people.
Lu Chen said, “Your Excellency, I know you’re gentle and kind, but you don’t need to treat those people with benevolence. The newly appointed prefect of Lin’an is my man. You can ask him for help if you face any trouble.”
Duke Anyuan was relieved to hear his words and said, “Yes, Your Royal Highness.”
Lu Chen got up and said, “Okay, it’s getting late, so I won’t disturb the reunion of your family.”
Duke Anyuan quickly got up and escorted Lu Chen out of the Duke Mansion. When Lu Chen’s figure receded, Duke Anyuan felt his feet go soft.
He had never thought that Jinniang could be the crown princess.
With his family already in its heyday, they didn’t need a daughter to be a crown princess to add glory to the family.
But which family wouldn’t want it if their daughter could become the crown princess?
Although this might arouse His Majesty’s suspicion on the Qiao family, if he could prove his loyalty to His Majesty, nothing but good things would come out of it!
In the backyard of the Duke Mansion, the Duke’s second and third brothers and their families also attended the banquet today.
During the family banquet, Qiao Ruoyi took the lead to make a poem, and the brothers and sisters followed to make poems with the moon as the theme, and at the end of it all, Qiao Ruoyi and Qiao Lu’s poems were crowned the best.
Qiao Ruowan chuckled and said, “Everyone in Chang‘an knows that Sister Ruoyi and Brother Lu are very talented in literature.
“How can we compete with them in making poems? Let’s play Touhu game, okay?”
Qiao Jinniang went to take off the heavy headwear, changed into a casual suit, and came over to play Touhu with her brothers and sisters.
The others wanted to pretend to be weak and let Qiao Jinniang win, but to their surprise, she was very good at playing the game.
Qiao Ruoyi walked up to Qiao Jinniang and said, “Sister, you’re really good at Touhu.”
It was Lu Chen who taught Qiao Jinniang how to play this game that was very popular among nobles. “If you want to throw the wood piece into the wood canister accurately, you have to precisely control the strength your wrist exerts.”
“Come, let me teach you.”
After Qiao Jinniang taught Qiao Ruoyi how to play this game, she saw her little brother Ah Li throw a few times but missed them all.
Qiao Jinniang squatted down and asked Ah Li, “Do you want Sister to teach you?”
However, Ah Li was so frightened that he ran behind Qiao Lu.
Qiao Jinniang was confused. Was she so scary?
Qiao Lu said to Jinniang, “Ah Li is too shy. Don’t mind it, Sister.”
Qiao Jinniang frowned slightly. When they first met, Ah Li was affectionate towards her, but why was he so afraid of her now?
There must be a reason for this, she thought.
“Ruoyi, can you do me a favor?”
“Yes?”
Jinniang glanced at Ah Li and said, “Can you help me ask Ah Li why he is so afraid of me?”
Qiao Ruoyi said awkwardly, “Sister, I’m afraid I can’t help you. He doesn’t like me either. He often calls me a ‘concubine-born woman in private… and says that I don’t deserve to be called Sister by him.”
Jinniang frowned. “Isn’t this a younger-version of Qiao Ruoshui? He is just a little kid. There must be someone deliberately misleading him!”
Jinniang had never seen the Duchess treat Qiao Ruoyi poorly, so Ah Li must not have learned this from the Duchess. There must be someone deliberately instigating him..
