Chapter 96 Princess Royale

Chapter 96 Princess Royale

Under the probing gaze of the old lady, Xin You said lightly, "Just a difficult guest."

"Oh, I see." The wrinkles on the old lady's face smoothed out.

Xin You noticed the old lady's relaxation and pondered secretly.

It seemed that the old lady didn't want her granddaughter to get close to Dai Ze. But if that was the case, why did the old lady take the initiative to contact Count Gu Chang? It couldn't be just out of kindness, could it?

Xin You didn't think the old lady, who valued money more than her granddaughter, was that kind of person.

Could it be—

Xin You recalled the scrutinizing look from Count Gu Chang's wife and formed a guess: Could the old lady be planning for her granddaughter's marriage?

Was it Duan Yunhua or Duan Yunling?

This guess made Xin You feel somewhat conflicted.

If the old lady had this intention, she would certainly find opportunities to interact more with Count Gu Chang's household, which would be beneficial for Xin You.

But if this marriage were to fall on one of the girls, it would be uncertain. Those who sought wealth might be fine, but if they valued their husband's character, marrying someone like Dai Ze would be a disaster.

Moreover, once she confirmed that Count Gu Chang was responsible for her mother's death, she would have no choice but to confront him.

Xin You decided to find an opportunity to probe Duan Yunling's thoughts. If Duan Yunling didn't have any ambitions for wealth, she would give her a warning. As for Duan Yunhua, she wouldn't meddle further.

After some time, the carriage stopped, and they had arrived at Bailu Mountain.

Xin You helped the old lady out of the carriage and immediately saw Dai Ze riding his horse beside Count Gu Chang's carriage.

Perhaps by coincidence, Dai Ze also looked over, meeting Xin You's gaze, and flashed a self-assured smile he thought was charming.

Xin You: ""

The old lady took a step forward to block the line of sight, waiting for her daughter-in-law and granddaughters to gather before heading up the mountain.

Count Gu Chang and his wife also got out of their carriage.

Seeing that her son wasn't running off as usual but instead lingering nearby, Count Gu Chang's wife understood.

He must have taken a fancy to one of the girls from Shaoqing Mansion, likely the cousin.

If it were a commoner's daughter, Count Gu Chang's wife wouldn't have cared much, as such things happened frequently in recent years and usually faded away. However, if it involved a girl from an official family, she would have to marry her into the household.

With Count Gu Chang's words in mind, Count Gu Chang's wife had come to terms with it. A lower-ranking daughter-in-law wasn't a problem, but an orphaned girl was absolutely unacceptable.

Since she had lowered her standards, there were many other options. This autumn outing was a good chance to look around.

With this thought, Count Gu Chang's wife deliberately slowed down, not wanting to get too close to the people from Shaoqing Mansion.

Watching Xin You walk farther away, Dai Ze grew anxious. "Father, Mother, you go slowly; I'll go pick a good spot—"

Count Gu Chang's wife grabbed her son. "Don't run off alone. Today, we're all climbing together for blessings."

Dai Ze wanted to argue but was silenced by a glare from Count Gu Chang. "We'll talk about it when we get up there!"

"Okay," Dai Ze reluctantly agreed.

Bailu Mountain wasn't very high, with gentle slopes and spacious areas. Many pavilions had already been set up at the summit.

The old lady, being elderly, sat down in one of the pavilions after greeting familiar faces.

"Since we're all here together, you can play freely."

Seeing how Count Gu Chang's wife kept her distance at the foot of the mountain, the old lady knew that her plans for her granddaughters were unlikely to succeed. She wasn't disappointed, as both granddaughters had their shortcomings: the second one's mother was divorced, and the third one was a concubine-born daughter.

For the old lady, if this attempt failed, she would simply choose another target. What mattered most was her eldest grandson studying at the Imperial Academy.

"Sister Qing, let's go over there; there are so many wildflowers." Duan Yunling linked arms with Xin You.

Xin You wanted to talk privately with Duan Yunling and agreed, walking hand in hand towards the flowers.

Left behind, Duan Yunhua's pretty face turned cold.

They were openly excluding her, showing no regard for her dignity.

However, no matter how angry she was, Duan Yunhua couldn't confront them publicly and walked off in another direction with a cold expression.

In late autumn, there weren't many types of mountain flowers, but many dogwood trees bore round, translucent fruits, resembling strings of red gemstones.

Duan Yunling picked a branch and smiled. "Sister Qing, this is for you."

"Thank you."

"Let me put it in your hair."

Xin You slightly lowered her head, allowing Duan Yunling to place a string of dogwood fruits in her hair. Then, she picked a string for Duan Yunling.

"May Sister Qing be free from disasters."

"May Cousin Ling also be free from disasters."

The two looked at each other's red dogwood fruits and smiled.

In this warm atmosphere, Xin You softly asked, "What do you think of Count Gu Chang's son?"

Duan Yunling was startled and then changed her expression. "Sister Qing, do you like that lecher?"

"Tuhist?"

Duan Yunling whispered, "Last spring, when my elder sister and I were out, I saw him harassing a young lady on the street. The lady was so angry she wanted to report him to the authorities. He revealed his identity to threaten her and then threw down a silver ingot before leaving."

"If Ling Cousin were to marry the Count of Gu Chang's son—"

Duan Yunling blurted out, "I would rather die!"

Xin You confirmed Duan Yunling's thoughts and felt a slight relief.

If Duan Yunling had been set on wealth and status, Xin You would have had to spend more time persuading her.

"Qing Cousin, why did you suddenly bring this up? Is something wrong?" Duan Yunling calmed down and sensed something amiss.

"Today, I happened to encounter the Count of Gu Chang's family. I'm worried that Grandmother might have the idea of an alliance with them. If Ling Cousin is not interested, it's best to avoid them."

Given the disparity between the two families, even if the Count of Gu Chang's household was willing to form an alliance with Shaoqing Mansion, the choice would be theirs, not Grandmother's. Therefore, as long as Duan Yunling stayed away from the Countess of Gu Chang and avoided Dai Ze, there wouldn't be much of a problem.

"Thank you for the warning, Cousin. I'll stay far away from them!"

After that, Duan Yunling lost all interest in strolling around and dragged Xin You towards a quieter area.

However, more and more people had come to Bailu Mountain for the autumn outing. What they thought would be a quiet spot suddenly became crowded as a group appeared, led by Princess Royale Zhaoyang.

Princess Royale Zhaoyang was Emperor Xingyuan's only full sister. After her husband passed away, she did not remarry and had one son and one daughter.

Xin You knew this must be the aunt her mother mentioned and curiously looked over.

At first glance, she was taken aback.

She bore a striking resemblance to Princess Royale Zhaoyang.

This similarity due to blood ties left Xin You feeling somewhat peculiar.

Princess Royale Zhaoyang, surrounded by a crowd, approached. A young girl with exquisite features beside her noticed Xin You and tugged at the princess's sleeve.

"What is it, Fu'er?" Princess Royale Zhaoyang asked, looking down.

"Mother, that older sister looks just like you."

The child's clear voice drew countless gazes toward Xin You.