Di Daughter's Strategy - Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Luo Yi’er didn’t know about Concubine Qing’s situation. She only knew that the next morning, a carriage had sent Concubine Qing to the countryside, and she was no longer a part of the Marquis Qi’s mansion.

Meanwhile, Eldest Miss Luo Qian had been staying in Luoyun Pavilion, and she didn’t even go to see Concubine Qing off when she left.

But at this moment, Luo Yi’er’s attention was drawn to another matter. She trembled her eyelashes and spoke in a low voice, “Mother said that the Prince of Jing has gone to Wuzhou?”

The servant poured tea, and Madam Chu took a sip before responding, “Yes, he left yesterday.”

Luo Yi’er pursed her lips and didn’t say anything. She thought that the Prince of Jing’s visit to the mansion was actually to bid her farewell.

Luo Yi’er didn’t know what she was thinking, but she instinctively touched the red rope at her waist. The jade pendant hanging from it swayed and touched her body, and she came back to reality. She smiled slightly and chatted with Madam Chu for a bit before leaving for Yunxia Courtyard without staying for dinner.

Linglong was trimming the flowers in the vase when she saw Luo Yi’er return. She smiled and greeted her, “Miss, it’s almost August, and the osmanthus flowers outside the courtyard are in full bloom. Tomorrow, I’ll pick some and make osmanthus cake for you to try.”

When Linglong mentioned the osmanthus flowers, Luo Yi’er glanced at the jade pendant at her waist and responded softly. She didn’t feel like talking and sat down on the soft couch, looking out the window.

Linglong paused and turned to look at Pan Si, raising her eyebrows in a silent question. Pan Si shook her head, signaling her not to ask any questions.
She whispered an order to the servant to serve tea and stepped back, standing quietly.

Luo Yi’er rested her head on her hand, tapping the branches of the gardenia flowers at the window with her finger. She was lost in thought, and her mind wandered to the Prince of Jing, who had left the capital again.

Her fingers curled slightly, and she unconsciously played with her clothes. Luo Yi’er’s eyes curved slightly, and a question arose in her heart: Why did he save her?

It was so dangerous back then. If he hadn’t come, she would probably…

Meanwhile, the person Luo Yi’er was thinking about, Fang Jinling, had received news before he even reached Wuzhou. The evidence of the Wuzhou prefect’s guilt had been presented to Marquis Jianyi.

Wei Feng reported the news with some confusion. “Prince, according to the information from our sources, it seems that the person who did this is Prince Wen. Is he trying to win Marquis Jianyi over?”

Wei Feng furrowed his brow. He knew that the main purpose of their trip was Marquis Jianyi.

If Prince Wen had gotten ahead of them, wouldn’t this trip be in vain?

Fang Jinling’s hand on the reins tightened, and he suddenly turned to look in the direction of the capital. Wei Feng was puzzled by his action and heard him say, “Not necessarily.”

Wei Feng was slightly surprised. If he hadn’t misheard, he had detected a hint of anger in the Prince’s voice.

Fang Jinling gave him a cold look, and Wei Feng coughed lightly, retreating a step on his horse.

“Speed up,” Fang Jinling said coldly, withdrawing his gaze. He quickened their pace after hearing Wei Feng’s words. It wasn’t about winning Marquis Jianyi over; it was just about standing up for her.

His face grew colder, making him seem even more unapproachable.
Who needed to stand up for his people?

By the time Fang Jinling and his party arrived in Wuzhou, it was already August. The capital city had become more lively in recent days, and the servants in the Marquis Qi’s mansion were smiling more often, except for those in Luoyun Pavilion and Furong Courtyard.

Luo Fu was still away because her coming-of-age ceremony was approaching, and Concubine Qiu had gone to Mingjing Temple to pray for blessings. However, Luo Fu’s ceremony seemed very simple, even inferior to Luo Qian’s. She had been hiding in her room, secretly crying several times.

No matter how sad she was, it didn’t change anything. She knew that in the mansion, she couldn’t afford to offend the direct descendants of the family. She also didn’t know that incurring the Madam’s displeasure would make her life in the mansion so difficult, almost impossible to move freely.

Meanwhile, Luo Qian was simply heartbroken, hiding in Luoyun Pavilion and not leaving the courtyard for many days.

Today, Luo Yi’er received an invitation from Princess Qingya, asking her to visit Pan Lake the next day. The invitation mentioned that the Princess Heyi from the Western Liang country would also be there.
Luo Yi’er suddenly remembered the princess.

After the welcoming banquet, she hadn’t paid much attention to outside matters and had forgotten about the princess.

Luo Yi’er called Linglong and asked her to inform her Eldest brother and Second brother if they had time to attend the princess’s gathering.

Although Luo Qiheng wasn’t fond of these social events, he agreed to attend, thinking that it had been a while since he returned home and hadn’t spent time with his siblings. Luo Qiyan naturally didn’t decline, so the three of them went to Pan Lake together the next day.

Pan Lake was famous in the capital city. As they walked down the diagonal bridge, beautifully decorated boats were docked in the center of the lake. Luo Yi’er walked beside Luo Qiyan, listening to the sound of the guqin coming from the lake, and smiled slightly.

A small boat came to the shore to pick them up, and a wooden ladder was lowered from the pleasure boat. As they stepped onto the boat, someone came over to lead them inside.

After walking for a few steps, they saw a luxurious and slightly decadent scene through a layer of gauze curtain.

Several women were dressed in thin clothing, swaying their bodies and sitting behind a screen. One woman sat elegantly, playing the guqin, and the pleasant sound lingered in the air.

Luo Yi’er and the others stopped in their tracks, clearly not expecting this scene.

Luo Qiyan was the first to frown, leaning in to whisper, “Is this the banquet set up by Princess Qingya?”

Luo Yi’er’s smile faded slightly. She turned her head to look inside, searching for Princess Qingya’s figure, but didn’t see her. She frowned and asked someone nearby, “Where is the princess?”

“She felt stuffy inside and went to the bow of the boat to get some fresh air,” the servant replied.

Luo Yi’er and the others understood. It seemed that the princess couldn’t handle the scene and had left.

Luo Qiyan asked again, “Who else is inside?”

The servant bowed slightly and whispered: “The Princess Heyi from the Western Liang country.”

The group stood outside the gauze curtain, unsure of what to do. It wasn’t that they were prudish and couldn’t handle the scene, but given the current disaster in Wuzhou, this kind of luxury and decadence would likely incur the Emperor’s wrath if he found out.

Luo Qiheng frowned, his face serious, with his arms crossed. He had spent many years on the frontier and knew the hardships there. He wasn’t fond of this kind of extravagant scene.

Luo Yi’er and Luo Qiyan exchanged a look, feeling a bit helpless. She frowned slightly and asked softly, “Is Prince Wen inside?”

“Yes,” the servant replied.

“Then please go in and inform him,” Luo Yi’er said.

They had been invited, so they didn’t need to announce themselves. She just wanted the servant to go in and give a heads-up.

The servant went inside and didn’t stay for long. The sound of the guqin stopped abruptly, and the servant came out again, bowing slightly. “The Prince invites the Luo members you to come in.”

The gauze curtain was lifted, revealing the entire scene inside. Prince Wen sat to the side, his clothes in a luxurious jade color, with a gentle smile on his face that didn’t reveal any emotions. Beside him, the Princess Heyi was leaning on the table, her red dress covering her figure, with an extremely short top that exposed her slender waist. A few tassels hung down on her jade-like skin.

Luo Yi’er bowed slightly from three steps away. “Greetings to Prince Wen and Princess Heyi.”

Luo Qiheng and the other brother bowed their heads, ignoring the scene and feeling a bit regretful for coming.

Fang Jinyu looked up, scanning over Luo Yi’er, and smiled, “No need for formalities.”

After they stood up, he said, “Ah Ya is outside. She will be delighted to know you are here.”

After Luo Yi’er and the others sat down, they asked curiously, “Why are there no other people at Princess Qingya’s banquet?”
They had expected many people to be there, but apart from the Luo siblings, there were only Prince Wen and the others.

Before Fang Jinyu could respond, Princess Qingya walked in, her eyes lighting up when she saw the person beside Luo Yi’er. She hurried over, stopping them from bowing, and took Luo Yi’er’s arm. “When did you arrive? Why didn’t you let me know?”

“We just got here,” Luo Yi’er replied softly, glancing at the Princess Heyi, who hadn’t spoken, and signaling to Qingya with a lowered voice.
“Why aren’t there any other people?”

Qingya frowned slightly, also feeling dissatisfied. “I originally wanted to invite more people, but someone thought it would be too noisy, so I didn’t send out many invitations.”

Although she spoke in a lowered voice, the small space meant that the Princess Heyi could hear her. The princess raised her eyebrows, glanced over, and looked away nonchalantly.

Luo Yi’er pursed her lips, glanced at the Princess Heyi, and said, “You should have told me clearly, Princess. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have brought my brothers.”

She had thought it would be a chance for her brothers to relax, but it turned out to be a gathering with a defeated country’s princess. Luo Yi’er’s expression was calm, with her eyes slightly lowered.

Qingya noticed that the two brothers seemed a bit uncomfortable and felt regretful. At this moment, the Princess Heyi spoke up: “I’ve heard a lot about the legitimate daughter of the Marquis’s mansion. She’s truly as beautiful as rumored.”

She sat lazily in her chair, supporting her head with her hand, smiling with a hint of charm in her eyes. Unlike the dancing girls standing beside her, the princess’s charm was mixed with a hint of nobility.

Luo Yi’er lowered her eyelids, hiding the coolness in her eyes, and responded calmly, “The princess is too kind.”

There wasn’t much respect in her words, just a completion of the formalities.

The Princess Heyi tilted her head, sizing up Luo Yi’er, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. She raised her hand to cover her mouth and laughed.
“I’ve also heard that Miss Luo is the betrothed of the Prince of Jing?”

Her tone seemed to hold a hint of doubt, and a meaning that wasn’t quite clear. The people present slightly furrowed their brows, knowing that the Prince of Jing’s three-year campaign had led to the defeat and surrender of Western Liang. As a member of Western Liang, the princess’s dissatisfaction with the Prince of Jing was understandable, and it wasn’t surprising that she would take it out on Luo Yi’er.

Luo Yi’er narrowed her eyes slightly, glanced at the Princess Heyi calmly, and smiled faintly without responding.

Princess Qingya frowned, displeased. “Did the Princess Heyi come to our dynasty just to spread rumors?”

The Princess Heyi’s smile paused, and she knew her status wasn’t superior to Princess Qingya’s. She laughed softly, “Of course not.”

Qingya sat beside Luo Yi’er, her expression calm. “Apart from occasionally listening to the palace servants gossip, I didn’t think the Princess Heyi would also enjoy listening to rumors and gossip.”

The Princess Heyi hadn’t expected Qingya to defend Luo Yi’er so strongly.

She smiled. “It’s not really gossip, since the engagement between Miss Luo and the Prince of Jing was decreed by the Emperor himself.”

Qingya sneered, “If you already knew, why ask again?”

The Princess Heyi furrowed her brows. As someone who was used to being pampered in Western Liang, she felt increasingly dissatisfied with Qingya’s sharp responses. If she weren’t in a foreign land, she would have rebuked her loudly.

She cooled her expression slightly, but Qingya didn’t care.
Qingya had noticed that her beloved was slightly uncomfortable and felt regretful. She wasn’t happy with the person responsible for this situation.

Fang Jinyu’s smile became slightly more restrained. He looked at the Princess Heyi.
“It’s getting late. I’ll have someone escort the Princess back.”

Princess Heyi was taken aback. It wasn’t even noon yet, so how could it be late?

Qingya laughed softly, and Luo Yi’er touched her hand under the table. Qingya then covered her mouth with a handkerchief, pretending to laugh. Princess Heyi knew she was laughing at her and bit her lip, looking at Prince Wen. Just as she was about to ask a question, she saw Prince Wen smiling at her. “Does the Princess have anything else to say?”

Princess Heyi felt a chill in her heart and didn’t dare to say anything more. She forced a smile. “I feel a bit unwell. I’ll go back first.”

As she was escorted by her maid out of the room, she turned her head and saw Luo Yi’er looking up casually, glancing at her before looking away. It seemed like she didn’t even put her in her eyes.

Princess Heyi’s expression froze, and she clenched her fists quietly.

She couldn’t help but think of the time at the frontier when the Prince Jing glanced at her calmly, and she was sent to the capital like an insignificant object.