Cheng Simian obediently responded.
She knew clearly in her heart that she now had too much influence on the Crown Prince.
There were some things. Even if she didn't say a word, the Crown Prince would still do them for her.
The Queen was worried that she only cared about her own joys, sorrows, and griefs. If she just shed a few tears in front of the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince would stir up a storm for her.
What the Queen hoped to see was a virtuous future queen who could advance and retreat together with the Crown Prince, rather than a bewitching queen who used the Crown Prince's power to seek personal gain.
It would be much easier and more care - free to be a bewitching queen than a virtuous one.
But her rationality and emotions didn't allow it.
Moreover, she didn't want to disgrace the Crown Prince's favor and trust in her.
After Daiying left, Nanny Chen and Shuyi were both in a rather bad mood.
"Miss has suffered such great grievances. Not only does she have to keep the Crown Prince steady, but she also has to be lectured by the Queen. Even an ordinary family wouldn't just swallow their anger if they encountered such a disaster!" Shuyi said indignantly.
Nanny Chen sighed, "It's not easy to be the Crown Princess, and it's even more difficult to be the future queen!"
Cheng Simian looked at them with a distant gaze and said, "It's okay for you to say these things in front of me, but don't let Mother hear them. It'll just add to her troubles. Right now, it's most important for Mother to recuperate. Don't let her know about irrelevant things."
Lady Rong had never really agreed to her becoming the Crown Princess from the very beginning.
She was also constantly worried that the Crown Prince wouldn't keep his promise and would not let her go in the future.
Cheng Simian had to admit that the bond between her and the Crown Prince had become deeper and deeper.
There was also the entanglement of emotions.
The Crown Prince had already been deeply involved.
And she was often caught in an indescribable contradiction.
The deal between her and the Crown Prince had already changed from a mere act to a real imperial marriage.
The fact that the Crown Prince truly loved her was something she never expected.
In this game, would she really be able to retreat and withdraw in the future?
Or should she calmly accept the Crown Prince's love, kill Mr. Mingxi, and share weal and woe with the Crown Prince from then on?
Cheng Simian stared at the crescent moon on the horizon and stayed awake all night.
...
The Dragon Boat Festival banquet at the Duke's Mansion was very lively.
The old lady was already well - known, and now Song Wanchu was the Princess Yuening.
There were those who came to offer sincere congratulations, those who wanted to curry favor with ulterior motives, and those who just came to join in the fun. The prominent families in the capital gathered at the Duke's Mansion.
The Queen also sent a carriage full of Dragon Boat Festival gifts, which showed her great importance to the Duke's Mansion.
By coincidence, the carriages of Cheng Simian and the Rongxiang Duke's Mansion arrived at the gate of the Duke's Mansion at the same time.
Mrs. Yang was dressed extremely gorgeously. Holding her head high, she was full of pride even in front of Cheng Simian, the future Crown Princess.
It seemed that if she showed enough momentum, people would ignore the notorious reputation of the Rongxiang Duke's Mansion.
Cheng Simian was dressed simply in light - colored clothes and didn't wear any expensive jewelry. Only the gold - inlaid jade phoenix hairpin with five tails in her hairpin showed her identity as the future Crown Princess.
She was low - key but still a person not to be underestimated.
Since Cheng Simian had a higher status, she naturally walked in front of Mrs. Yang.
Behind her, Mrs. Yang's venomous gaze was deeply engraved in her mind.
This bitch was so lucky. A plate of poisonous cherries couldn't send her to the underworld.
Her daughter's life had been completely ruined because of her. Why could she become the Crown Princess in such a glorious way?
Mrs. Yang was brewing ten thousand ways to deal with Cheng Simian in her heart.
The old lady was extremely happy today.
Song Wanchu, now a princess, had the highest status and sat on the left side of the old lady.
Cheng Simian, both an honored guest and the future Crown Princess, sat on the right side.
Everyone first had the banquet and then watched a play for an hour.
The old lady suggested, "This year, yellow lotuses suddenly grew in the pond in the back garden. It's really rare. Let's all go and have a look."
The noble ladies and girls present had only seen red and white lotuses and had never seen yellow ones before.
For a moment, their curiosity was piqued.
A group of people walked into the back garden noisily.
The lake in midsummer was calm. The croaking of frogs came one after another, echoing the chirping of cicadas in the trees.
Sure enough, among a field of red and white lotuses, they saw several yellow lotuses.
There were also colorful koi swimming among them.
"The yellow lotuses do look really unique," someone said.
"The old Duke's illness is almost cured, and there are many rising stars in the Liang family who have been valued by the Emperor. This yellow lotus must be an auspicious omen."
Previously, because Liang Yuzhou had become a monk, Liang Xuguang had been poisoned and was on the verge of death, and Liang Yuchuan had colluded with the Princess, the Emperor had no choice but to entrust the aged Prince Rui to take over the military power of the Duke's Mansion to stabilize the court situation.
Many people said that the First Duke in the world, the Jinning Duke's Mansion, had no worthy successors and was doomed to decline.
However, in the past two months, many younger generations of the Liang family had been appreciated by the Emperor and entrusted with important tasks.
Although these young men of the Liang family were not as outstanding as Liang Yuzhou, they were still rare talents.
The old lady had already started to look for a son to adopt for the old Duke.
The Duke's Mansion was in a state of prosperity. How could it be on the decline?
Everyone congratulated one after another, and the atmosphere was harmonious and happy.
"However, I've also heard that yellow lotuses originally grow in the underworld. If they grow in the human world, it's an ominous sign. I'm afraid that someone died with great grievances and refused to be reincarnated. Her ghost is wandering in the human world and wants the living to avenge her by making the yellow lotuses bloom!" Someone said in a spoil - sport way.
The large back garden fell into a strange silence.
Everyone looked at each other in dismay.
The wind in the midsummer afternoon suddenly became a bit chilly.
Mrs. Yang had always scoffed at such superstitious stories.
But when she casually glanced at the lake surface, a reflected human face appeared.
The features of that person were clearly reflected on the lake, showing a sinister sneer at her.
"Ah!"
Mrs. Yang let out a scream in fright. Like a person who had seen a ghost, she fled from the lakeside and bumped into several noble girls in a row.
Her face was as pale as paper. She gasped for breath, and cold sweat dripped down her cheeks.
Her eyes kept searching in the crowd.
All she saw were the bewildered expressions of the people.
The old lady looked at her with a deep look in her eyes and smiled, "What's wrong with you, Mrs. Qin? The kids have read some idle books and talked nonsense about ghosts and gods. You're such an adult. You can't be scared, can you?"
In broad daylight, Mrs. Yang repeatedly confirmed that the face was not in the crowd.
It must be that she was absent - minded and saw it wrong.
Realizing her gaffe, she forced out a couple of dry laughs.
"I didn't sleep well last night and saw things wrongly. I've made you laugh, old lady."
The old lady didn't comment and just smiled it off.
In the pavilion on the lake, refreshments and fruits had been prepared long ago. Everyone sat down, enjoying the flowers, watching the fish, and chatting.
A maid brought a cup of cold tea to Mrs. Yang.
Still in a state of shock, when Mrs. Yang saw the face of the maid who brought the tea, she let out a shrill scream again.
The cold tea was all spilled on her skirt.
"Ghost, ghost! There's a ghost!"
She cried and shouted, desperately crawling under the stone table.
She didn't care about the dignity of a noble family at all.
She really saw a ghost! She was really seeing a ghost!