Quick Transmigration: Kitten's Healing Handbook - Chapter 52
Chapter 52: Raccoon Dog! To Combat! 7
“Father is well. ”
“Yes, sit. Father received a message. In two days, the Empress will hold a Flower Appreciation Banquet. Unmarried women of marriageable age from court officials’ families must attend.
Do you have someone you favor? If so, Father will help you arrange a marriage contract in these two days. ”
Mu Wanyin understood her father’s intentions. They supported the Crown Prince. It was best for her not to get involved with Zhou Qingyan. Even if the Crown Prince now believed her father’s loyalty to him, if something happened later, could the Crown Prince really believe her father was not a fence-sitter?
But she, a young lady who abided by the rules, mostly interacted with women of her age at poetry gatherings and flower appreciation banquets. Men and women did not sit together. Even if there were occasional interactions, they were few and far between. She had no one she favored or knew well, so where could she find a partner she admired…
Seeing his daughter’s furrowed brows and lack of ideas, Minister Mu knew she hadn’t even met any memorable men. He continued, “Since you don’t have anyone you favor, go to the Flower Appreciation Banquet. The Third Prince clearly hasn’t decided on his goal either. Otherwise, he would have decided on a marriage during the imperial audience. Dress modestly that day and keep a low profile at the banquet. Don’t attract attention. ”
“Yes, daughter understands. ”
Liuli didn’t find Mu Wanyin in her room, so she ran to the study to inquire about the situation. She happened to overhear every word of the father-daughter conversation.
After Mu Wanyin left, Liuli didn’t leave immediately. She continued to eavesdrop from the grass outside the study and learned some information through Tuanzi’s retelling.
The position of Imperial Chancellor involves a lot of work, and it’s almost second only to the Emperor. Choosing a side is only to continue the clan’s glory and pave the way for the younger generation. It doesn’t bring Minister Mu much benefit.
Therefore, Liuli squatted in the grass for a long time and didn’t get any more news related to Zhou Qingyan. She simply returned to the Prince’s Mansion. Her cat bed was much more comfortable.
As for Minister Mu’s request for Mu Wanyin to dress modestly and keep a low profile at the banquet, Liuli felt that Minister Mu was too proper, or perhaps he didn’t care whether Zhou Qingyan chose Mu Wanyin or not.
After all, according to the Book of Fate, Minister Mu still had a backup plan to instruct Mu Wanyin to use poisoning.
Other officials obviously didn’t have the confidence Minister Mu had. It was also not easy for them to find a suitable marriage partner for their daughters at the last minute. Those who didn’t want to be chosen could only make their daughters dress plainly, the less noticeable the better, making their refusal clear. They were essentially throwing away face.
After all, compared to face, saving their lives was more important.
The Third Prince was clearly not at peace. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have preferred to go to his fiefdom instead of surrendering his military power. If they could succeed, taking a gamble would be extremely worthwhile, but the risk was too great for them to bear. Rebellion was a crime punishable by the execution of nine clans!
Father’s four clans, mother’s three clans, and wife’s two clans. The prince’s father’s clan was omitted, but his mother’s and wife’s clans would suffer greatly… Without the confidence Minister Mu possessed, no one dared to take this risk and marry their daughter to him.
Some were cowardly, trying to protect their families by keeping a low profile. Others were gamblers, wanting to offer help in the snow. However, among the ministers who could work in Kyoto, those who could ignore everything and gamble were in the minority.
More were illegitimate daughters whose lives at home were already difficult. They didn’t care whether their families would be implicated. They couldn’t become legal wives, but they could still compete for the position of concubine.
It was better than being married off to some unknown person later. As a prince’s concubine, their food, clothing, and living would be several times better than at home.
But openly, they dared not overshadow the attention of their own legitimate daughters. On the one hand, they didn’t have the financial resources, and on the other hand, they knew that few would be selected. At most, they could only spend a lot of money to buy flashy jewelry or make some unique decorations themselves, hiding them to wear at the banquet to grab attention.
If they did too much and were chosen, everything would be fine. If not, being severely punished at home was the best outcome. They feared being killed directly, wrapped in a mat, and thrown into a mass grave…
On the day of the Flower Appreciation Banquet, Zhou Qingyan put on a dark blue round-necked robe, a leather belt around his waist, and a jade crown in his hair. There was no trace of the murderous aura he usually had when he was fighting. Even though his face was as cold as ever, he didn’t seem as unapproachable as before.
Liuli was lying on a tree at the entrance of the Prince’s Mansion, watching Zhou Qingyan get into the carriage. A ripple seemed to appear in her heart. She muttered, “Zhou Qingyan cleaned himself up, and he really looks like a decent person. ”
Tuanzi seized the opportunity to promote its carefully selected candidate for the past two days: “Master, Zhou Qingyan will choose Qi Yu, the illegitimate daughter of Minister Qi Shuping of the Ministry of Revenue, as his concubine.
But Minister Qi is afraid of death and doesn’t dare to openly kill Qi Yu. Instead, he ordered that Qi Yu be given no food, only some water every two days to keep her alive, under the guise of helping her maintain a good figure for marriage.
Qi Yu was originally hoping to climb to the Prince’s Mansion to get a better life through suffering, but she still couldn’t escape torture and died only one day after arriving at the Prince’s Mansion.
Master, do you want to choose Qi Yu as the host body to continue helping Jianbing Lord complete the mission? ”
Liuli was surprised that she had wavered for a moment, but she didn’t think much about it. She returned to her cat bed only after watching Zhou Qingyan’s carriage drive away.
“After arriving at the fiefdom, Zhou Qingyan will start plotting a rebellion and biding his time. In the form of a cat, I can’t help much, but a woman in the inner court can do even less. No change. ”
Zhou Qingyan wanted to marry Qi Yu as his concubine, clearly eyeing the Ministry of Revenue. The Minister of Revenue was old, and even if Qi Shuping didn’t succeed him, he could still be promoted half a rank, from Rank 4 to Rank 3, giving him more influence in the Ministry of Revenue.
Then, as long as his rebellion was successful, the high-ranking official Minister Mu and the Ministry of Revenue would both support him, and with his military power, the Ministry of War wouldn’t object either. He could easily gain support from most of the court.
In that case, Qi Yu could not die.
Qi Shuping dared not leave any obvious wounds on Qi Yu, which would be evidence of insubordination. He could only use the roundabout method of withholding food, which was convenient for Liuli. As long as she gave Qi Yu some food, she could survive.
At the Prince’s Mansion, Zhou Qingyan would need Qi Shuping’s support, so he would naturally not let Qi Yu die.
At the Flower Appreciation Banquet, many women saw Zhou Qingyan for the first time. Zhou Qingyan’s attire certainly gave young ladies reason for heartflutter.
This was completely different from the image of a ruthless and merciless person they had heard of. The gap in their expectations made Zhou Qingyan seem elegant and charming, captivating them.
These young ladies had seen few men. Seeing such a handsome and high-ranking man like Zhou Qingyan, few could maintain their original intention of keeping a low profile.
Although everyone was dressed plainly, the girls who had wanted to stay away and hide were now moving forward. The atmosphere was no longer cold. Familiar girls chatted and laughed, hoping that their charming appearance would attract the Third Prince.