Chapter 136: Do You Also Know the Relationship Between the Chancellor and the Lady?

Chapter 136: Do You Also Know the Relationship Between the Chancellor and the Lady?

Wen An sneered but ultimately did not press further.

Princess Wen An's temperament was unpredictable; it was unclear whether she had always been this way or if the arranged marriage had affected her deeply, leading to such erratic behavior.

Gao Wenyan maintained her composure, waiting for Princess Wen An to come to her own realization.

Unfortunately, the more Wen An thought about it, the more she became entangled in her own thoughts.

"Yiqin, do you also know the relationship between the Chancellor and the lady?"

Gao Wenyan's heart sank, and she couldn't help but frown, showing her displeasure.

This question was too suggestive.

But Wen An didn't care; she wanted to discern whether Gao Wenyan was displeased because she disliked Chu Xu or because of her probing.

Zhu Yiqin looked bewildered and slightly startled, widening her eyes—a natural reaction anyone would have upon hearing those words.

Wen An was very satisfied with this response.

Gao Wenyan lowered her voice and asked, "Why is the princess doing this?"

She glanced at Zhu Yiqin, and Wen An understood her meaning, so she dismissed Zhu Yiqin, leaving only the two of them.

After kneeling for a long time, Zhu Yiqin stumbled slightly as she stood up.

Though she still bowed respectfully, she couldn't help but worry.

Gao Wenyan once again extricated her from the situation, but it left them alone together.

She felt slightly dejected, thinking she hadn't been able to help Gao Wenyan at all.

Zhu Yiqin wasn't supposed to meet with the Empress Dowager today, but someone had slipped her a note saying that Gao Wenyan had been detained by Princess Wen An and hoped she could help.

Although she didn't know why Princess Wen An always targeted Gao Wenyan, Zhu Yiqin sensed Wen An's malice when she insisted on Gao Wenyan's participation in the religious ceremony last time.

Gao Wenyan was a friend she had worked hard to make, and Zhu Yiqin admired her greatly, ready to go through fire and water for her.

So she came up with a plausible reason to enter the palace and cleverly relayed the news of Gao Wenyan's presence to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager sympathized with Gao Wenyan being alone and had previously intended to encourage Zhu Yiqin to spend more time with people her age.

Thus, Zhu Yiqin arrived here naturally.

Unexpectedly, Princess Wen An, with her peculiar temper, made her suffer an undeserved punishment.

Seeing Zhu Yiqin leave the room, Gao Wenyan finally showed her displeasure.

"I already told the princess that I am not close to the Chancellor."

"Why does the princess insist on this matter?"

A hint of anger crept into her voice as she asked, "Has someone said something untoward to the princess?"

Gao Wenyan's evident displeasure surprised Wen An slightly.

Then she finally smiled and said, "Lady, you jest."

But Gao Wenyan wasn't going to let it go that easily.

"Then why did the princess ask such a question?"

Everyone should know that she and Chu Xu had no connection.

Why did Wen An persist in asking such questions?

Gao Wenyan wanted to find out the basis of Princess Wen An's scrutiny!

However, Wen An was taken aback and remained silent, unsure how to respond.

If she told Gao Wenyan that it was just a guess based on her observations, it would be like revealing Chu Xu's intentions directly to her.

Regardless of the truth, Wen An didn't want to tell her.

It would feel like admitting defeat and making herself a complete joke.

So Wen An simply said, "There's nothing to it."

She added with a smile, "As you know, I'm about to leave for the marriage alliance."

"It's natural to be curious about what kind of person the Chancellor is when he interacts with other ladies. Today, since I saw you, I asked."

It was a flawed answer.

But Gao Wenyan accepted it.

"If that's the case, then it's fine."

She said sternly, "Next time, please don't mention me in the same breath as him."

"Our family's rules can be quite painful when enforced."

Wen An couldn't help but laugh, finally letting go of her fixation.

She poured tea for Gao Wenyan, as a gesture of apology.

"All right, I won't mention it again next time."