Chapter 285 Visiting the Mansion
In the Canglang Country, Qi Beiming learned that neither Xuefu Fruit nor the people were brought back. He said with a sinister expression, "If you can't even handle such a small matter, what use do I have for you?"
With a "click" sound, the man who came to report had his neck broken and was then dragged out by the guards.
Qi Beiming is a person with a strong possessiveness. Originally, he was saved by Qianhuan when Dayuan was injured. Because she looked so pitiful, he just wanted to take her as a concubine. However, Qianhuan shined at the last Five-Nation Exchange Conference, and he wanted to get that woman even more.
The more she rejected him, the more he wanted to possess her. Especially when he knew that the person she liked was the nemesis of the Canglang Kingdom, the God of War General, Qi Beiming wanted Qianhuan even more.
Qi Beiming thought: Sooner or later, he would bring that woman back to the Canglang Kingdom. If she knew what was good for her, he could make her a royal concubine and promise her a life of wealth and glory. He didn't believe that he, the king of a country, could be inferior to a general.
On the second day, in the court, the emperor wanted to reward the prince for his merits. "Zi Yu, you have made great contributions in suppressing the bandits this time. I plan to promote you to a higher position. What do you think?"
The prince immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I do not want to be promoted. If Your Majesty really cares about me, please allow me to use my military merits in suppressing bandits in exchange for a request."
Although the emperor knew what the prince wanted, he still deliberately asked in front of all the civil and military officials, "Oh? I don't know what you want? Why don't you tell me?"
"I want to gain military merit in exchange for your Majesty's withdrawal of the imperial decree granting marriage. That decree was requested by my father on my behalf, and I was not aware of it. I do not like Miss Li, and I do not want to delay her for no reason."
The emperor went along with it and said, "Since you insist on breaking off the engagement, considering your life and death in suppressing the bandits, I will grant your request."
The prince immediately bowed to express his gratitude, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty!"
The prince originally wanted the emperor to grant him and Qianhuan a marriage, but now he has figured out the emperor's intentions, and to avoid appearing to be too demanding, the prince plans to use his military merits to exchange for the decree of marriage next time he has made a contribution.
Now that the engagement is called off, he can finally give Qianhuan an explanation.
Over at Jingyuan, Qianhuan saw that it was past time for the court to be dismissed, and was planning to take some gifts to the residence of the Great General Guarding the Nation to thank Commander Qian. But just as she was about to leave, the Crown Prince came over.
When the prince saw Qianhuan, he said happily, "Huan'er, I have used my military merits in suppressing bandits to ask His Majesty to cancel my marriage with Miss Li."
Qianhuan was also very happy when she heard this, but she didn't show it on her face. She asked, "I heard that Miss Li is your playmate since childhood. She can be considered your childhood sweetheart. She is from a military family, unlike me who is just a peasant girl. Are you sure you won't regret canceling the engagement?"
"Huan'er, I will never regret it. No matter what your background is, it will not change my love for you. You are the only one in my heart. Huan'er, wait for me. When I have made military achievements again, I will ask His Majesty to grant us a marriage. At that time, I will marry you with a grand ceremony."
Qianhuan felt sweet from the bottom of her heart when the man she liked confessed to her. It was really a blessing to be chosen firmly by someone.
She nodded shyly and agreed, "Well, I'll wait for you to come and marry me in a sedan chair."
The prince saw that Yin Hua was carrying a lot of things, so he asked, "Huan'er, are you planning to go out?"
"Well, this time I was able to be safe thanks to Commander Qian's rescue. I was planning to visit the Qian Mansion with some gifts to express my gratitude."
"I'll go with you."
"it is good."
So the prince and Qianhuan went to the residence of the general together.
The Qian family was flattered to learn that the Crown Prince and Princess Jingrou came to visit at the same time. After all, our God of War General would never take the initiative to visit any of his subjects.
General Qian, Aunt Tong and Commander Qian went out with their servants to greet the two in person to show their importance to them.
Qianhuan looked at the people at the door, and calmly sized up General Qian and the woman beside him.
General Qian is very tall and mighty, with a masculine and handsome appearance. One can tell at first glance that he was definitely a handsome man when he was young.
Qian Bolin's eyebrows and eyes are very similar to General Qian. Qian Bolin and General Qian are too conspicuous standing in the crowd, mainly because both of them are very tall.
Qianhuan couldn't help but sigh, it's true that like father, like son. It turns out that Qian Bolin's height of 190cm is all due to genetics.
The woman beside General Qian Da, although not stunningly beautiful, was pretty. However, she was dressed a little flashy, which seemed a bit tacky in Qianhuan's opinion.
Qianhuan had previously asked Master Cai to inquire about the situation in the Qian Mansion. She heard that Commander Qian's biological mother, Han, was also an extremely beautiful woman in her time, and was considered a prominent figure in the capital.
Looking at the woman beside General Qian, she doesn't seem to be any more stunningly beautiful than the other. Qianhuan guessed that she should be General Qian's concubine, Aunt Tong.
After all, Madam Han rarely goes out and hasn't taken care of the affairs of the mansion for many years. Usually, the Qian Mansion is left to Aunt Tong to manage.
Qianhuan felt a little regretful in her heart. She had finally been able to visit the door, but she didn't have the chance to see the beauty of the capital city back then.
And this Aunt Tong was clearly just a concubine, but looking at the way she stood next to General Qian, it seemed as if she was the mistress of the General's Mansion.
General Qian had met Qianhuan at the Five-Nation Exchange Conference. After all, Qianhuan's performance was so outstanding at that time that General Qian admired her very much.
Qianhuan explained the purpose of her visit, and the Qian family learned that it was Commander Qian who had saved County Lady Jingrou a few days ago, and that the Crown Prince regarded County Lady Jingrou as a treasure, so he accompanied her here.
Afterwards, Aunt Tong enthusiastically led the people into the front hall and asked the servants to serve tea.
General Qian and the Crown Prince were both military generals of Dayuan. They had met on the battlefield before, so they had a very pleasant conversation.
Aunt Tong chatted with Qianhuan for a while. Qianhuan didn't have a very good feeling about Aunt Tong. She felt that she was a smiling tiger.
The two of them only stayed in Qian Mansion for two cups of tea before the prince stood up and said goodbye.
Aunt Tong immediately took on the attitude of a hostess and tried to persuade them to stay, "Your Highness and Lady Jingrou have finally come to our house, why are you in such a hurry to leave? If you don't mind, you can have lunch at our house."
The prince declined politely, "Thank you for your kindness, but I still have official business to attend to, so I won't bother you any more at your house."
Aunt Tong was a tactless person. She continued to persuade him, "No matter how busy the prince is, he still has to eat. It's time for dinner now, so you should eat at home before you get busy."
However, before the prince could refuse again, General Qian spoke on his behalf.
General Qian looked at Aunt Tong with an unhappy expression, "The Crown Prince is in charge of the Shen Ce Camp. He is very busy on weekdays. It is not easy for him to find time to come to our house. Let's not waste the Crown Prince's time."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Tong could only smile awkwardly and stopped talking.
The prince felt that General Qian was a really sensible man. Both he and he were military generals commanding large numbers of troops in the imperial court, so it was not appropriate for them to get involved too much.
I was afraid that as soon as he entered the house of the general, someone would come to the palace to report to the emperor.
If Commander Qian had not saved Qianhuan this time, he would not have come to the Qian Mansion in person. It is really not advisable to stay for long, otherwise the emperor will think that these ministers are forming a clique for personal gain.
"Thank you, General Qian, for your consideration. Zi Yu will take his leave from the county lady first."
General Qian did not see the guest off personally, but only asked his butler to do so.
As soon as the others left, Qian Bolin asked, "Father, are you afraid that His Majesty will think that you and the prince are very close?"
"It's good that you understand. His Majesty is getting old now, and his suspicion is getting heavier. My father and the prince are both court officials with heavy military power. If we get too close, His Majesty will certainly be very wary, and then neither our Qian Mansion nor the Prince An Mansion will have a good ending. Although my father admires the prince, we cannot be too close to him. You should also be careful and keep a proper distance from them."
Qian Bolin nodded and agreed, "Yes, I understand, and I will follow my father's teachings."
After the Prince and Qianhuan left Qian Mansion, they headed towards Zuixianju.
Qianhuan had been away from the capital for so long this time to seek medicine, and she hadn't visited Zuixianju for a long time. Today, she happened to go there to have lunch with the prince and take a look at the situation in the store.