五月阁色婷婷丁香五月

“What can I do for you, Your Highness?” Infanta Yuan’an looked around but didn’t see Chu Qing.

“You’ll know it when you come in!” Princess Yuyan pulled her in with a smile. They sat down in their seats as the guest and the host. Afterward, Princess Yuyan smiled and handed over a piece of paper beside her, saying, “Take a look at it for me. How about I invite these guests?”

In the beginning, Princess Yuyan knew few of them. Thanks to the information from Chu Qing, she got familiar with most of the people on the list. Before she wrote down their names, she weighed the pros and cons.

Infanta Yuan’an glanced over the name list and was secretly shocked. “She chose the right ones. Associating with these people can greatly benefit Princess Yuyan. Is there anyone back her up?”

“This list is excellent, but I’m afraid Prince Yue, Prince Zhou, Prince Chen, Prince Xin, and Commandery Prince Qing may not come!” Infanta Yuan’an put down the paper in her hand and said with a smile.

“I need your help to invite Prince Zhou over. As for Prince Yue and Prince Xin, I’ll go and invite them in person. That day, my Eldest Sister mentioned it to Princess Chen. I guess she and Prince Chen may come together.” Princess Yuyan arranged everything in an orderly manner.

Infanta Yuan’an looked up and asked in astonishment, “Are you going to go to Prince Yue’s Mansion to invite Prince Yue in personally?”

“What are you afraid of? I can find the way. I’ll send someone to get the address.” Princess Yuyan said disapprovingly.

“But the Prince Yue’s Mansion has no hostess. It’s improper to drop in on him so casually!” Infanta Yuan’an reminded her implicitly.

“I know no hostess lives in the Prince Yue’s Mansion, but I have no other choices. I can’t ignore Prince Yue just because his mansion has no hostess!” Princess Yuyan sighed and said.

However, the radiant smile on her face did not match her regretful tone. Somehow, Infanta Yuan’an felt Princess Yuyan was delighted that no hostess was in the Prince Yue’s Mansion.

Infanta Yuan’an’s eyes flickered as she suppressed a trace of displeasure in her heart.

“Would she also take a fancy to Prince Zhou when she sees him?” After all, like the Prince Yue’s Mansion, the Prince Zhou’s Mansion also had no hostess for the time being.

“You’re right. I’m narrow-minded!” Infanta Yuan’an apologized generously with a light smile.

Her response made a good impression on Princess Yuyan. With a smile, Princess Yuyan explained, “We are the princesses of the Xu State. For our first banquet, we must invite royal family members. There are only a few princes of similar age. We should have fun at the banquet and get familiar with each other. The Emperor of the Kingdom of Dongcang must be willing to see us get along well!”

When Princess Yuyan brought this matter up to the national level, how could Infanta Yuan’an dare to say anything against her idea?

She couldn’t say that it was inappropriate for Princess Yuyan, an unmarried lady, to go to the Prince Yue’s Mansion alone. Anyway, she had tried to change her mind. It didn’t matter to her whether Princess Yuyan listened to her or not.

If anything went wrong, she would not be implicated. With this in mind, Infanta Yuan’an quietly raised the corners of her lips. “You and your sister have made a good name list. But not all the people on it will come. You should be mentally prepared .”

Many people in the capital city adopted a wait-and-see attitude toward the two princesses from the Xu State.

“I know, but most of them will come.” Last night, before making the final decision, Princess Yuyan had discussed it with the people around her for a long time. Today, she showed it to Infanta Yuan’an. For one thing, she wanted to hear Infanta Yuan’an’s opinion. For another, if Princess Yutao asked about it, she could say Infanta Yuan’an had gone through this list.

Since Princess Yutao only knew a few people in the capital city, many names on the list were new to her. Princess Yuyan could not explain why she would invite so many people that Princess Yutao had never heard of.

“It’s best that you know it. I’m afraid that you might be disappointed if you expect a lot. You have decided how to invite the other princes, but what about Commandery Prince Qing? Did he come today?” Infanta Yuan’an naturally turned their conversation to Chu Qing.

“He won’t come today! He was here yesterday.” Princess Yuyan said indifferently. She picked up the list and looked at it again, feeling very satisfied.

“Yesterday? He came so fast!” Infanta Yuan’an smiled, her eyes flickering. Then she continued, “Princess Chen is competent. I thought Commandery Prince Qing would come here today at best but didn’t expect Princess Chen to solve the problem yesterday!”

The smile on Princess Yuyan’s face faded. She didn’t think much about it before, but she suddenly got an uneasy feeling when thinking back on it now. Then, Princess Yuyan put down the paper in her hand. “Has Prince Yue asked to marry Princess Chen? Does Prince Chen know about this?”

Her current goal was Prince Yue.

“Prince Chen should not know it. Anyway, the Empress won’t take the initiative to mention such a thing. Besides, Prince Chen is never interested in inquiring about this kind of thing.” Infanta Yuan’an shook her head. “It’s not surprising that Prince Yue would ask to marry her. I heard they knew each other before Princess Chen moved into the capital. But at that time, they were too young to consider their marriages. Princess Chen hadn’t yet returned to her original family!”

“Princess Chen used to be Ningyuan Army General’s daughter. Why would she become a Miss in the Marquis Xing’s Mansion later?” Princess Yuyan’s eyes wandered restlessly as she asked. She heard of this matter but didn’t know the specific situation. For some reason, she felt she could make good use of it.

Infanta Yuan’an thought for a moment and said vaguely, “Well… I heard it was because of the former heir of Duke Xing and Infanta Qinghua. But I don’t know the details!”

“Is it possible they made a mistake?” asked Princess Yuyan.

Infanta Yuan’an suddenly straightened up and said hesitantly, “It is unlikely to happen. Her identity was said to have been confirmed and approved by Old Madam of Marquis Xing’s Mansion and Rui’an Great Elder Princess. How could it be wrong?”

“See? You look confused by my question. Think about it, what if many people think so?” Princess Yuyan hinted with a smile.

“Well…” Infanta Yuan’an pondered over it and said with certainty, “But people from the Marquis Xing’s Mansion and the Rui’an Great Elder Princess’s Mansion won’t think this way!”

“So what if they won’t think so? What will happen if everyone thinks this way? I heard the Marquis Xing’s Mansion is in bad condition, and its relationship with Princess Chen is not good. Moreover, Princess Chen is not close to her biological grandmother and has even tarnished her reputation!”

Princess Yuyan said and was not bothered about Infanta Yuan’an’s words.

Infanta Yuan’an’s heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, she smiled and said, “If that’s the case, maybe the Marquis Xing’s Mansion will go back on their word. But I’m afraid it won’t be easy to achieve that!”

“It’s challenging but not impossible. I hope you can help me!” Princess Yuyan leaned over to whisper in Infanta Yuan’an’s ear.

As the future Princess Zhou, how could Infanta Yuan’an get along well with Princess Chen? They were destined to be rivals. When Infanta Yuan’an led them to the Prince Chen’s Mansion yesterday, Princess Yuyan had seen it clearly.

“Well… I’m afraid there is little I can do to help!” Infanta Yuan’an looked embarrassed.

“It’s just a small favor. How could you have the heart to turn me down?” Disappointed, Princess Yuyan glared at Infanta Yuan’an and said.

“It’s a good idea, but not many people will agree in a short period. Old Madam of the Marquis Xing’s Mansion doesn’t like Princess Chen, but even she won’t rashly say Princess Chen is not her biological granddaughter…” When the time was ripe, Infanta Yuan’an said this with a smile.

A flicker of a smile crossed her face — Princess Yuyan liked the hidden meaning of her words. She delightedly narrowed her eyes and asked, “Please enlighten me?”

“I just saw Zhang Qilan on your list. She is the future Princess Yue. Because of what happened between Prince Yue and Princess Chen, she is very dissatisfied with Princess Chen. But in the past, they were a pair of good friends. On that day when you and your sister entered the capital city, I saw Zhang Qilan standing downstairs and looking up at Princess Chen with jealousy and hatred…”

Infanta Yuan’an paused for a moment. As expected, when Princess Yuyan heard this, her spirits soared, and her eyes sparkled.

“Princess Yue is having problems with Princess Chen, but they used to have a good relationship?” Princess Yuyan grasped the critical point and was overjoyed. In the past, she just had such a half-baked idea. But after Infanta Yuan’an’s advice, she suddenly felt it was feasible.

She casually brought up this idea to sound out Infanta Yuan’an. But at this moment, she felt it was a brilliant idea. She had to deal with both Miss Zhang and Shao Wanru. Neither of them was easy to deal with. But what if they struggled against each other?

“Your Highness, the two of them had been close friends. Their relationship has turned sour recently. Since then, Zhang Qilan hasn’t visited Princess Chen. But Princess Chen still regards Zhang Qilan as her best friend. If… If Princess Chen’s reputation suffers a disastrous decline, Old Madam of the Marquis Xing’s Mansion would say she is not her biological granddaughter. At that time, if anyone inflames the situation…”

With a smile, Infanta Yuan’an shared the plot that Chu Liuzhou had given her. She had been worried there was no chance to deal with Shao Wanru. To her delight, Princess Yuyan appeared just at the right time.

“Great, great, a wonderful idea!” Princess Yuyan understood and was overjoyed. She clapped her hands repeatedly and said, “I’m so lucky to meet you. From the start, you and I are like old friends, but Princess Chen and I hate each other. I couldn’t bear to see her being so delicate, spoiled, and kittenish.”

Although Princess Chen only appeared fragile on the surface, Princess Yuyan didn’t like her. Why would the two men she liked want to marry Shao Wanru? Princess Yuyan had been proud of her beautiful appearance. However, she paled beside Shao Wanru. When they were together, Shao Wanrue threw her into the shade.

“Your Highness, I’m afraid that Prince Chen will do something bad if he finds out about this. We’d better forget about it!” When Princess Yuyan took the bait, Infanta Yuan’an looked hesitant. It seemed she wanted to do it but didn’t dare to. She permitted herself a wry smile and said, “You probably don’t know Prince Chen treats Princess Chen very well. My Second Brother nearly bumped into Princess Chen on the stairs. Merely because of this, Prince Chen broke his arm, though he did not even touch Princess Chen!”

“How could this happen? Your Second Brother is Her Grace’s grandson. How dare Prince Chen be so unscrupulous?” Princess Yuyan gasped. Her eyes widened in surprise as she asked in confusion.

“It’s mainly because the Empress Dowager dotes on Prince Chen, her favorite grandson. Even the Emperor can’t do anything to him!” Infanta Yuan’an said helplessly. Since she didn’t want to scare off Princess Yuyan, she didn’t dare to describe how the Emperor treated Prince Chen in favor. As for the identity of Consort Lan in the Palace, a humble princess from a small foreign country didn’t need to know it.

...

Infanta Yuan’an would be Princess Zhou. In contrast, Princess Yuyan would be Commandery Prince Qing’s legal wife at best. What was worse, she could only be a consort if she wanted to marry into another prince’s mansion.

At this time, she was still a Xu State princess, a princess of a country. But after marrying into the prince’s mansion, she could only be a consort. There would be a world of difference between their statuses. For this reason, Infanta Yuan’an disdained Princess Yuyan from the bottom of her heart.

But now, she needed Princess Yuyan.

Princess Yuyan had also made up her mind to befriend Infanta Yuan’an. Both of them had ulterior motives but pretended to be intimate with each other. Hand in hand, they moved to the window to discuss how to deal with Shao Wanru…