PFC Chapter 235 The King of Chu Offers a Betrothal
Chapter 235 The King of Chu Offers a Betrothal
Xingye was so frightened by what she saw that her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Was this princess going to whip her young mistress first thing in the morning? Everyone said that the princess had a bad temper. The princess must be angry because her young mistress was late in bed and didn't come to greet her.
But she was just a maid and couldn't do anything. She looked at Gu Qingwan for help, and Gu Qingwan smiled and comforted her. Xingye believed Gu Qingwan, but she was still prepared to rush forward to shield her mistress if the princess really wanted to hit her.
Princess Qinghe lightly flicked the whip near Meng Yanran's ear, the whip cracking loudly in the air, startling Meng Yanran so much that she jumped up instantly.
"Don't hit me! Don't hit me! I'll never stay in bed again!"
"Hahahaha, Meng Yanran, look at you, you coward, hahahaha."
"No one's going to hit you, but Sister Yanran, you really need to get up and wash up quickly. Ruhua has already prepared breakfast. If you don't go soon, you might not get any."
When Meng Yanran came to her senses, she saw that it was Princess Qinghe who was frightening her, so she pretended to be furious.
"Fine, you're all ganging up on me, aren't you? You're all forbidden from eating osmanthus-flavored glutinous rice lotus root!"
"What kind of good stuff is that?"
"You'll know once you try it, Princess," Gu Qingwan said.
"Let's go, let's not wait for Yanran anymore, let's hurry up and finish all the good food!" With that, Princess Qinghe hurriedly pulled Gu Qingwan away.
In fact, Meng Yanran had already washed up and was just waiting to comb her hair.
"Xingye, hurry up and help me comb my hair. If we don't go to Qinghe soon, that guy will definitely sweep everything up. You have no idea how much she eats. How can a girl have such a big appetite? And why didn't you wake me up earlier?"
Xingye said with a bitter face, "Miss, I called you early this morning, but you kept sleeping in."
Meng Yanran rushed over, lifting her skirt in a flurry. When she arrived, Ru Hua had just finished setting out breakfast.
"What's the rush? I won't leave you waiting, don't worry."
"Yes, Sister Yanran, please sit down. Have a bowl of soy milk to warm your stomach first. Sweet or savory?"
"I want something sweet. By the way, does Ruhua have tofu pudding today?"
"What tofu pudding?" Princess Qinghe asked curiously.
"It's made with beans, and it's really delicious," Meng Yanran explained.
"Miss, I know you like it, so after grinding the soybeans today, I made some tofu pudding."
"That's great, I want it salty."
Princess Qinghe tilted her head and thought for a moment: "Make me the same as hers, the soy milk has to be sweet, and the tofu pudding has to be savory."
Gu Qingwan said to Ruhua, "I'm not very hungry, so I'll just have a bowl of soy milk, without sugar. By the way, have you sent some to my maternal grandmother and aunt?"
"Don't worry, Miss. I've already sent some to the old lady, the madam, and the Duke and his sons."
Gu Qingwan nodded.
Princess Qinghe was seeing someone so capable for the first time. In no time, the table was filled with exquisite side dishes and breakfast.
"Heh, did you make all of this by yourself, Ruhua?" Princess Qinghe was feeling a bit full after eating, and when she saw a piece of sweet rice wine and osmanthus glutinous rice lotus root on the plate, she let out a burp.
"Qinghe, don't try to take it from me, the last one is mine." Meng Yanran was obviously full, but she still wanted more.
Qinghe pursed her lips and said, "Fine, if you like me, I'll give myself to you, but you have to remember my kindness."
"Hiccup, look at you. I'm telling you, Qinghe, what good food isn't there in the palace? Why are you so eager to fight me for it?"
"Oh dear, the variety and taste are not as good as Qingwan's. You know, the imperial chefs in the palace say they cook delicious food, but it's really just so-so. Qingwan, why don't you give me this little girl, Ruhua?"
"That won't do, Princess. What would I do if I gave it to you?" Gu Qingwan winked playfully. "However, I have something else for you. Please wait a moment, Princess."
Qinghe watched as Gu Qingwan got up and went into the inner room. She rested her chin on her hand and looked at Ruhua, who was tidying up, and sighed.
"Alas, I am willing, but your young lady is not. What should I do? Ruhua, are you willing to follow me?"
Ruhua smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Princess. However, I would prefer to go with my young lady. But I have prepared some snacks for our trip. They are almost ready now. I will pack them up and give them to the princess and young ladies to take with them later."
Upon seeing her, Qinghe exclaimed again, "Look at her, look at how eloquent that gentle girl is!"
Meng Yanran pursed her lips and remained silent.
A moment later, Gu Qingwan came out of the inner room, holding a box in her hands. It didn't look special at all. Gu Qingwan placed the box in Princess Qinghe's hands.
Princess Qinghe was somewhat surprised but also very excited, because this was the first time someone had given her a gift in this way. In the past, gifts were only given to her in a very formal manner or when someone had a request for her.
"Is this... for me?"
"Princess, open it and see if you like it."
Princess Qinghe opened the box with great anticipation. Inside lay an exquisite leather whip. She liked it at first sight and immediately took it in her hand. It was indeed a long whip, but it was shorter than hers, yet it was very delicate.
"My goodness, Qingwan, where did you get such a wonderful thing? This princess loves it so much."
As she spoke, she untied the long whip from her waist, walked into the courtyard, and waved the new whip in her hand. The crisp sound exploded in the air, and it was extremely pleasant to hear.
Princess Qinghe, in high spirits, gave them a demonstration of whip techniques in the courtyard, which was quite a spectacle.
"I found this by chance at the border years ago. This whip is more powerful and heavier than the one the princess used yesterday. I think it will be easier for the princess to use."
“Indeed, I think it’s wonderful.”
"Qinghe, let me see this quickly, the gems on the handle are so beautiful."
"I don't want to show this to you. Qingwan gave it to me."
"Look at how stingy you are, just let me see it."
Princess Qinghe and Meng Yanran were chasing and playing in the courtyard, while Gu Qingwan carefully put Princess Qinghe's old whip back into the box she had previously placed there and handed it to the princess's personal maid, Emerald.
Fei Cui was a maidservant that Qinghe brought from Yunnan, and she was also someone that the princess specially arranged for Qinghe to protect her.
Jade, being from the Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the martial arts world), naturally knew that the whip was no ordinary object and treasured it dearly, holding it close to his chest. Such a fine thing, yet his own princess is truly naive and doesn't know its value.
The two girls were tired from running around in the courtyard. When they came back, Gu Qingwan's tea was almost ready. They rested for a while. The princess was a very generous person. After they finished playing around, she let Meng Yanran take the whip and examine them.
"Sigh, I wish I had martial arts skills like you two," Meng Yanran said with great envy. "Although I don't know martial arts, this whip looks so beautiful that it must be very valuable. Look at the gems inlaid on the handle; the largest one in the middle, the pigeon blood, must have cost a lot of money."
"Pfft, you money-grubber." Gu Qingwan laughed.
"Forget it. Madam Meng is already worried sick about your personality. If you learn martial arts, your mother will probably come to my old lady crying. I don't think you'll escape my poisoning."
Hearing Gu Qingwan say that, Meng Yanran was so frightened that she quickly waved her hand.
"Oh? Then forget it, I won't learn it. I've heard that learning martial arts is extremely difficult, and I can't bear that suffering. I'd better give up. With the two of you by my side, I don't think anyone will dare to bully me."
Princess Qinghe pouted and asked, "With your unruly behavior, who would dare to bully you? But you're right, with me here, anyone who dares to bully you is going against me."
"Then we'll have to rely entirely on the princess's protection," Gu Qingwan said with a fawning smile. "The tea is ready, let's have some tea."
After drinking tea for a while, the carriage that Gu Qingwan had Siqi prepare was ready. Qinghe wanted to play with the two of them, so she gave up riding a horse. The three girls squeezed into the carriage and chatted and laughed.
"By the way, did you know that yesterday the Wen family pressured the Empress Dowager to arrange a marriage between her and the Prince of Chu?"
"Forced marriage? My goodness, even forcing the Empress Dowager, this is too exciting!" Meng Yanran said gossipily.
Gu Qingwan knew that her wedding with Xiao Jingchen wouldn't go smoothly, but she didn't expect this unexpected turn of events.
Although Xiao Jingchen is the only prince and no one dares to interfere with him, and the emperor is on his side, there is still the Empress Dowager, who is Xiao Jingchen's real mother. If his mother disagrees, there will be some trouble.
Thinking of this, Gu Qingwan couldn't help but sigh in her heart. She hadn't even married into the family yet, and she had already offended her future mother-in-law. It seemed that the Empress Dowager wouldn't be very kind to her in the future.
If not, then so be it. Fortunately, they live in the palace, so she doesn't need to serve them every day. As long as they meet occasionally, it's fine as long as it's just for show.
"I only heard about it from the Empress later. You don't know how much I dislike that Wenrou. She's always putting on airs and acting all high and mighty, like she's something special. She's famously in love with the Prince of Chu. She's been waiting for him for so many years and is now an old maid. But yesterday, the Prince of Chu's proposal made all her years of waiting come to nothing. Qingwan, you'd better be careful. I don't think she's a good person."
Gu Qingwan nodded and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Princess, but... I hope she can let go of her obsession. It would be better for everyone."
"Let go? I doubt that person even knows how to write the word 'let go'," Qinghe said dismissively, pursing his lips.
One day, an unusual guest came to the brothel. She was dressed in a black smock and had a petite figure. Although she was dressed as a man, Boss Yin was a man with countless girls under his control and had seen countless women. He could tell at a glance that she was a woman.
Yin Ping was still in bed this morning, taking her beauty nap, when she heard someone knocking on the door.
"What are you doing knocking on the door in broad daylight! You little brat, you better have something important to say, or I'll skin you alive!"
Yin Ping got up, casually threw on a coat, and opened the door. She leaned against the door as if she had no bones, yawning.
"Say, what's the matter?"
"Hehe, you know, boss lady, if it weren't for something important, I wouldn't dare come up here to disturb your peaceful sleep, right?"
"You're smart enough to know your place."
"Someone came to the side gate early this morning saying they were looking for you."
"Ha, what era are we living in? Do you think I have to see everyone who comes to me? Do I look like the kind of person who has nothing better to do?"
A bead of sweat dripped down Xiao Wu's forehead. He thought to himself: You must have nothing to do, otherwise you could be sleeping until this hour without being disturbed.
He dared not say these words aloud, otherwise the landlady would surely beat him to death.
"That's what I said too, but the person who came was dressed very mysteriously. I noticed that the fabric of her clothes was of good quality, so I took the liberty of asking a few more questions. But she was unwilling to talk to me much. She just asked me to pass on a message to you, saying that she has a business deal that she wants to discuss with you personally, and that it will definitely make the red-light district a fortune."
Hearing about making money, Yin Ping perked up. Who would turn down money these days?
"Please invite her in, get a guest room, I'll have a chat with her."
Yin Ping didn't dress up specially; she was still wearing the same coat. When she arrived at the door, she didn't go in and just leaned against the door frame like she had no bones.
"Boss lady, I've heard so much about you."
Yin Ping stared intently at the person in front of her. Although he deliberately made his voice sound rough, it still felt somewhat incongruous. The person took off his cloak, which made Yin Ping's eyes light up.
"Wow, this young lady's makeup skills are really good. But I suggest you take a good look at what the man actually looks like. You can fool people for a while, but they will find out soon enough."
The person was embarrassed and annoyed at being exposed. Her makeup skills were excellent, and that's how women dressed as men in TV dramas were done, so how could she be recognized so easily here?
The person who came was none other than Gu Hanjiao.
Seeing this, Gu Hanjiao stopped pretending. She adjusted her demeanor and sensed the landlady's displeasure. She didn't know what she had done to offend this person. Logically speaking, this was their first time dealing with each other, so this shouldn't be the case.
"I've come here today on my own whim because I have a business to discuss with the proprietress. What, is the proprietress so stingy that she won't even offer me a cup of tea?"
"Oh dear, look at all the errand boys here, they're so clueless. Xiao Wu, bring this guest a glass of water. After all, he came all this way, didn't he? Otherwise people will say we're not treating our guests well."
After giving the instructions, Yin Ping walked to the table and sat down, twisting her hair in her hands as she spoke.
"Miss, please don't blame my staff. Our customers usually come at night, and women are even rarer. I really can't think of any other business they can do with me in broad daylight except sell themselves to me."
Gu Hanjiao's face stiffened; they were treating her like she was being sold into prostitution.