Chapter 287: Changes in the Chu Family
The prince accompanied Qianhuan to have dinner at Zuixianju, personally sent her back to the No. 1 Garden in the World, and then returned to Prince An's Mansion.
The news that the Crown Prince publicly broke off the engagement in the court today had already spread, and Li Yutong had already run to Prince An crying.
"Your Highness, Yutong knows that Brother Ziyu likes Miss Qianhuan, and he is willing to use his military merits to cancel the engagement for her. Yutong doesn't ask for much. Even if she can't become the principal wife, as long as she can stay with Brother Ziyu, even if she is just a concubine, Yutong will be satisfied. Please, Your Highness, make the decision for Yutong and fulfill her true love for Brother Ziyu."
In fact, Prince An has always let the Crown Prince do what he wants, especially after the Crown Prince made great achievements on the battlefield and was promoted to general, Prince An basically did not care much about the Crown Prince's affairs.
But after all, Li Yutong grew up in their Prince An's Mansion, so Prince An would naturally feel more sorry for her.
Seeing Li Yutong so sad, Prince An comforted her, "I know you have feelings for Yu'er, but it's a pity that Yu'er only has Miss Qianhuan in his heart. But don't worry, I will persuade him."
Li Yutong originally hoped that Prince An would directly decide to let the prince marry her, but Prince An just said that he would persuade the prince. Li Yutong was very disappointed.
She now understood that she was just a young lady fostered in Prince An's mansion. The prince said that he loved her, but when it came to the critical moment, his biological son was more important. It seemed that it was probably impossible to count on Prince An to put pressure on the prince to marry her. She had to find another way.
But she still said gratefully, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
When the prince returned home, Prince An began to persuade him earnestly again.
"If you really like Miss Qianhuan, and don't care about her background and status, and insist on marrying her as your principal wife, your father won't stop you. But Yutong is really devoted to you. You are a prince, and you can't really marry only one wife in the future. Yutong lost her parents when she was young, and she has no one to rely on. You might as well give her the position of concubine."
"Father, I have already said that having Qianhuan as my wife is enough for me, and I will never take a concubine in the future."
Prince An did not believe what his son said. "Look at these royal descendants and high-ranking officials. They all have three wives and four concubines. You are just beginning to fall in love. Just because you say you won't take concubines for a woman, you may not be able to do it in the future."
"Father, they are them and I am me. I can do what I say."
"Do you really not like Yutong at all?"
"Yes, I really don't have any romantic feelings for Yutong. If you insist on making her my concubine, it will only delay her happiness for the rest of her life. If you really love her, you might as well pick a suitable young man for her to marry while you are still in the capital."
Prince An still refused to give up, "Yutong's appearance and character are not bad, are you really not willing at all?"
The prince answered firmly, "Well, I don't want to at all."
Upon hearing this, Prince An had no choice but to give up. After all, no one can force love.
Even if he forced the prince to marry Yutong now, it would not only destroy their father-son relationship, but also harm Yutong's life. After all, most women who don't get their husbands' pity will not have an easy life.
Li Yutong knew that Prince An not only failed to persuade her, but also followed the advice of the Crown Prince and wanted to choose a young talent in the capital to marry her. She felt very aggrieved.
She hated Qianhuan more and more in her heart, "If that woman hadn't appeared, Brother Ziyu would definitely be mine. No, I can't lose Brother Ziyu."
Qianhuan has been going to the farm quite a lot recently. The soy sauce produced by the farm will soon be successful. From now on, she will be even busier.
On this day, Chu Lan'er was having dinner at her own restaurant with her maid Xing'er and Song Zhe's younger sister, and they happened to meet Qianhuan who was inspecting Zuixianju.
Chu Lan'er immediately stood up and ran forward to greet her in surprise, "Qianhuan, long time no see."
Qianhuan looked at Chu Lan'er, who was dressed like a woman, and felt that she seemed to have gained a little weight than before. It seemed that she must be living a good life in the Song family.
Qianhuan also said happily, "Yes, Lan'er, it's been a long time since we last met. You look rosy-cheeked, so I guess everyone in the Song family treats you very well."
Chu Laner smiled and nodded with satisfaction, "Well, the Song family is easy to get along with, and my mother-in-law loves me very much."
"Seeing you're living a happy life, as a friend, I'm really happy for you. By the way, didn't Brother Lin'an say when he left that he would be back in the capital in two months? Now several months have passed, why haven't you come back yet?"
"It's hard to explain. Something happened at home and my brother was tied up and couldn't leave, so he delayed his return to Beijing. I went to Tianxia No. 1 Garden to visit you some time ago, and Yin Hua said you went back to your hometown in Qingxi County. I thought you knew what happened in our Chu family."
Qianhuan knew that at the time Lan'er mentioned, she should have gone to Dongling Country to ask for medicine.
Then he explained, "Lan'er, I'm sorry, I didn't go back to Qingxi County. I told Yinhua not to reveal my whereabouts, so Yinhua told you that I went back to my hometown."
"I see. It's okay. You must have your reasons. I won't blame you. Since you didn't go back to your hometown, where did you go a few days ago?"
"I went to Dongling Kingdom a few days ago. It's a long story. I'll tell you in detail when I have time. Can you tell me what happened to the Chu family during this period of time?"
Speaking of this, Chu Lan'er was furious. "It was because my father's bastard and his concubine were too restless. They took advantage of my brother's visit to Beijing to stir up trouble at home. They even teamed up with the housekeeper to poison my father and force him to hand over the family property."
Qianhuan remembered that the recipe for chopped pepper fish head that she had given to Brother Lin'an was almost sold to the Ma family by his half-brother. She thought that this man was at most a spendthrift, but she didn't expect that he would dare to poison his own father. He was truly a beast without any humanity.
Qianhuan asked with concern, "So what's the situation now?"
"My brother found out about this after he returned, and he has been trying to mediate with them. He took great pains to get the antidote back from them, saving my father's life and the Chu family's property. After this incident, my father finally stopped being soft-hearted towards them, and this time he finally agreed to let my brother send the mother and son to the government. What awaits them will be exile thousands of miles away. As for the housekeeper, he dared to murder the head of the family, and he will be sent to the quarry to do hard labor in the future."
Qianhuan couldn't help but sigh, "Human greed is like a snake swallowing an elephant. Evildoers will eventually get their comeuppance. They deserve this fate."
"Yes, my brother had originally promised father that as long as they behaved themselves and did not do anything that would harm the interests of the family, he would let them live a life of luxury. Who knew they were so greedy that they not only wanted to seize the family property, but also wanted to kill my father. They are truly heartless."
"Fortunately, Brother Lin'an has already solved the matter. I guess Brother Lin'an will be back in Beijing soon, right?"
"Well, my brother wants to further develop and expand the family business. He will come to the capital before the New Year. He should be here soon. Then, let's get together again."
"Okay, I'm always free. I'm just worried that now that you're married, it's inconvenient for you to go out."
"It's true that I go out less often now than before, but fortunately my mother-in-law doesn't restrict my freedom too much, so it's not a problem for me to go out and get together."
"Well, it's a deal then."