Forced love, an inescapable fate

Chapter 133 It’s Because of Jiang Ci Again

The manager of the mansion is Jiang Ci's man, so he naturally knows how to deal with the current situation.

While secretly sending someone to inform Jiang Ci of the news, he also detained Eunuch Li sent by the Imperial Concubine to buy time for Wanyue and Mu Qingli so that they could prepare in advance.

Mu Qingli knew that she had to go today. After all, she had heard some rumors about this imperial concubine.

Now in the Jing Kingdom's harem, the Imperial Noble Consort has absolute power. Although she is not the queen, everything in the harem is under her control.

So even if she was unwilling, she had to enter the palace today. She couldn't afford to offend this imperial concubine.

In desperation, she had to ask Wanyue to change into formal palace clothes for her.

Now, we can only take one step at a time.

Wanyue knew the pros and cons of the matter, so she had to tell her what she knew about the Imperial Noble Consort before leaving, so that she would be mentally prepared when she entered the palace.

"Princess, I'll go with you in a moment. This Imperial Concubine is the eldest prince's biological mother. If she summons you now, it's definitely not a good thing. You should be mentally prepared. This Imperial Concubine only gave birth to the eldest prince, and she always responds to his requests and dotes on him. Moreover, she has the Prime Minister's Mansion behind her, so we can't afford to offend her right now."

Mu Qingli knew very well what Wanyue said.

After all, everyone in the capital now knows that the future crown prince of Jing State will be chosen between the eldest prince Jiang Xian and the sixth prince Jiang Ci.

Now these two are fighting fiercely. They are competing for the position of the future crown prince, but they will implicate themselves.

When she thought that this matter was caused by Jiang Ci again, she felt very angry.

But there is no way now.

Now we can only take one step at a time and deal with it flexibly when the time comes.

She also thought that entering the palace would inevitably require kneeling and bowing, and since it was so cold today, she had to make some preparations in advance.

She asked Wanyue to bring the cotton pad she had made earlier, thinking of tying the pad to her knees.

This thing is indeed used.

It’s no wonder she has foresight. After all, she only knelt for a short while at Fengzong’s wedding last time, and when she returned, she found that her knees were already bruised.

So she asked someone to prepare this thing in case of emergency, but she didn't expect it to be used so soon.

The mat was very thick. After Wanyue tied it up, she tried it and found that it was indeed useful.

Fortunately, winter dresses are thick and loose, so even if there is a pad tied around the legs, you can't tell that there is something tied inside.

After she was dressed, Wanyue took out a gold hairpin from Mu Qingli's jewelry box and pinned it in her hair.

"Princess, this hairpin can be used as a weapon when absolutely necessary. Although we don't know the Imperial Concubine's intentions right now, we still have to be on guard. There's another thing, the silk thread I just wrapped around your wrist. It's a special weapon that can be used in an emergency. Princess, weapons are forbidden in the palace, and other weapons cannot be brought in. The Imperial Concubine has been in charge of the harem for many years and has great means. In addition to her relationship with the eldest prince, she is also the Prime Minister's sister. Her position in the palace is very important. Princess, please be careful in everything you do."

Mu Qingli nodded seriously, and after confirming that everything was normal, he walked out with Wanyue.

Eunuch Li was already impatient. If it weren't for the heavy bag of money stuffed into his hand by the steward Zhang in the mansion, he would have urged him long ago.

When he saw someone coming out, he put on his usual fake smile and bowed politely.

"Greetings, Princess Qingli. The Queen has been talking about you for a long time, saying that General Feng has gone to the border, and now the Princess is all alone and helpless. Thinking that today is New Year's Eve, she wants to summon you to the palace to talk. Princess, it's getting late, let's set off."

Mu Qingli thought, the reason why he spoke so righteously was because Jiang Ci was competing with his son for the throne, and since he couldn't touch Jiang Ci, he wanted to make things difficult for her, the nominal princess who was involved with Jiang Ci.

However, although he was resentful in his heart, he appeared well-behaved and polite on the surface.

"Please excuse me, sir."

After saying that, Wan Yue handed another bag of money to the palace maid.

Mu Qingli looked at Eunuch Li with a smile on her face. "It's freezing cold, and I'm sorry to bother you to come all the way here. It's just a token of my appreciation. I hope you won't mind."

The more sincere her words were, the more painful it was in my heart.

She had originally intended to use the bag of money to buy things for the New Year when she went out of the house today, but now she had to give it to others for their own benefit, and she really couldn't bear to do it.

But Wanyue said that one cannot catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. Eunuch Li is the imperial concubine's confidant. If she bribes him, she might be able to get some useful information.

All in all, this bag of money must be given.

Seeing that Mu Qingli was so understanding, Eunuch Li only refused slightly, but finally accepted it.

But because of this bag of money, the smile on his face became more genuine.

Mu Qingli only brought Wanyue with him, and knew that more people could not be brought in.

Before getting on the carriage, Wan Yue glanced at the steward Zhang in the mansion, who was shaking his head at her with a worried look on his face, and her heart sank.

She knew that Manager Zhang must have sent someone to pass the message to Jiang Ci, but judging from Manager Zhang's expression, she was afraid that Jiang Ci might not be in the mansion at this time.

In this case, the Imperial Noble Consort must have known that Jiang Ci was not there, which is why she intentionally summoned the princess into the palace.

After entering the carriage, they both sighed deeply.

But for now, we can only adapt to the situation and respond to each move as it comes.

In the carriage, Mu Qingli asked Wanyue to tell her the story of the imperial concubine in detail again.

"Wanyue, do you know what hobbies this imperial concubine has?"

After hearing what she said, Wan Yue thought for a while. Although she had never seen this imperial concubine, she was Jiang Ci's secret guard before. Naturally, they knew everything about the eldest prince Jiang Xian.

"The Imperial Concubine loves beauty, she loves it deeply. Although she's over fifty, she maintains herself well. Everyone who has seen her says she looks no more than forty. She often sends people outside the palace to find some beauty and skincare remedies just to maintain her appearance. She is also very protective of her son. She only has one son, the First Prince, and she wants to give him the best in the world. She is determined to help the First Prince obtain the position of Crown Prince, and she has devoted all her energy to him. Anyone who is his enemy is a thorn in her side. I'm afraid she summoned the Princess today because of her relationship with the Sixth Prince."

When she said this, she looked at Mu Qingli's face carefully. Seeing that she looked normal, she tentatively spoke again.

"Princess, I know about your current relationship with the Sixth Prince, but the Imperial Concubine has clearly summoned you today because of your relationship with the Sixth Prince. This will definitely put you in a difficult position. Should we seek help? I'm afraid you can't handle it. General Feng has gone to the border, and you don't know anyone in the capital. Doctor Su is also not here. How about we..."

She didn't say anything else, but it was obvious that Mu Qingli knew what she was referring to.

But Mu Qingli felt that she really couldn't ask Jiang Ci for help at this time, even though this matter was caused by him.