Chapter 994 Complicated and Dangerous Relations.h.i.+ps
Now that Rui’an Great Elder Princess was in a very agitated state, how could she dare to get the Madam of Marquis Xing here? Nanny Yu forced a smile and replied, “She is sick too. Her joints were hurt when she lived in the damp Yuhui Nunnery, so I guess it’ll be inconvenient for her to go around.”
“How could the Yuhui Nunnery be so humid? Princess Chen has been living in the Yuhui Nunnery for three years, but I’ve never heard that her joints were injured. It seems that the Madam in your mansion is really decent and must have been nursed in luxury,” Rui’an Great Elder Princess sneered, turned back to sit back into the chair, and waved her hand.
Rui’an Great Elder Princess narrowed her eyes and said coldly, “Cut the nonsense. The Ministry of Justice will check the case. Well, I don’t care what your Madam plans to do. But if she does anything to confine Princess Chen, don’t blame me for being merciless.”
“I don’t dare. I don’t dare!” Hearing this, Nanny Yu, too fl.u.s.tered to say anything, could only keep apologizing.
“Just leave!” Rui’an Great Elder Princess waved her hand. She disliked more and more people of Marquis Xing’s Mansion, from masters to servants, except for her grandson and granddaughter. Practically, they had little connection with Marquis Xing’s Mansion.
Nanny Yu was finally set free, so she did not dare to say anything more. She kowtowed three times to Rui’an Great Elder Princess, stood up, and walked out. She had to tell Old Madam that even if she said something about the t.i.tle of n.o.bility, it was useless, and instead, it would attract Rui’an Great Elder Princess over.
If Rui’an Great Elder Princess came to visit them in the mansion, it would not be a good thing. This matter had to be reported to Old Madam right away.
Shao Wanru came out of the inner room. After bowing to Rui’an Great Elder Princess, she sat beside her. Then she reached out to touch the teacup on the table and ordered, “Bring another cup of tea for my grandma!”
The maid accepted the order and left.
Seeing her granddaughter being so thoughtful, Rui’an Great Elder Princess no longer appeared severe. Now, she was all about smiles because she liked Shao Wanru with her whole heart. “Zhuozhuo, don’t bother. I’m your dear grandma. You don’t have to be so polite.”
“I’m not being polite. It’s my love for you. After all, I can’t watch you have a cold drink. It’s not good for your health!” Shao Wanru looked up slightly, seemingly to be a little displeased.
When seeing her act like a spoiled child, Rui’an Great Elder Princess was even happier. It was the best for her when Shao Wanru never stood on ceremony before her. The past three years were the most relaxing time of her life in the last ten years.
She felt very satisfied with the accompany of her granddaughter and grandson!
“Zhuozhuo, tell me, what do you think? Do you want the n.o.ble t.i.tle of Marquis Xing’s Mansion? The t.i.tle was much better when the mansion was still the Duke Xing’s Mansion. Now they couldn’t even keep it. Your grandma and Second Uncle are useless!” Rui’an Great Elder Princess said discontentedly.
Great Elder Princess felt that the t.i.tle of n.o.bility belonged to her little grandson, but it was grabbed by the second branch.
Shao Wanru gently swayed the sleeves of Great Elder Princess with a cunning smile, like an adorable little girl. “Grandma, how is Hao’er’s study going?”
“He is smart and has learned very well. His teacher has repeatedly praised that Hao’er learns better than those who are several years older than him. He is intelligent enough. Although he entered the school a little late, it didn’t hinder his progress. If he studies hard, he will have a bright future.”
Speaking of her grandson, Rui’an Great Elder Princess grinned from ear to ear. Her usual domineering manner was gone as she talked about her little grandson with the sincerest compliments.
“Do you think Hao’er can attend the imperial examination?” Shao Wanru asked with a sweet smile.
She and Hao’er had no other beloved people with the relation of blood relations.h.i.+p, but at least Great Elder Princess was there for them. With Great Elder Princess and Hao’er, she could enjoy the happiness of a family union. In this turn of life, she would protect them well and wouldn’t let them fall into a miserable and helpless state like in the previous turn of life.
She had never taken those people from the Marquis Xing’s Mansion to heart. After all, they shall pay for what they had done.
Rui’an Great Elder Princess looked serious. In confusion, she asked, “Zhuozhuo, do you mean to let Hao’er take the imperial examination? It… must be too exhausting!”
Great Elder Princess was reluctant to let her brilliant grandson live such a challenging and tiring life.
“Then do you want the n.o.ble t.i.tle of Marquis Xing’s Mansion? What if it is gone in the future?” Shao Wanru asked softly.
“How could it be? The t.i.tle of n.o.bility can never be lost!” Great Elder Princess was startled. Her words clearly showed the meaning in her mind. “We can’t let those people benefit from it, can we?”
She wanted to get this t.i.tle for her little grandson. Besides, she felt a little unwilling to accept it. For the n.o.ble t.i.tle, she had fought against Old Madam for half their lifetime. At this time, she could not rest a.s.sured. Why should she give it to others? The t.i.tle was originally her son-in-law’s. Now that her son-in-law was gone, of course, she would get it for her little grandson.
In any case, his grandson was the most qualified one for the t.i.tle.
“Grandma…” Shao Wanru paused and looked around Great Elder Princess. Great Elder Princess understood and waved her hand to let all the others withdraw. Even Nanny Gao retreated with Yujie and the others. They stood outside the door to guard the place.
Great Elder Princess and Shao Wanru were going to talk about private matters. Even though they were their trusted subordinates, there were some things that they were not supposed to hear.
After everyone left, Shao Wanru whispered, “Grandma, do you think what’s going on in our mansion looks like the… Do they look alike?”
She did not say the word out. She just reached out and gently wrote the word “Emperor” in Great Elder Princess’s hand.
She stared at Great Elder Princess with extreme caution.
Rui’an Great Elder Princess felt the strokes in her hand. She was slightly stunned at first, and then her face changed drastically as she figured out the word. She held Shao Wanru’s hand tightly and didn’t allow her to move anymore, as if only in this way could she stop her from mentioning this topic. This topic was taboo, and no one knew what the Emperor was thinking about.
Shao Wanru leaned against Rui’an Great Elder Princess and said in a low voice, “Don’t worry, grandma. Let’s talk about it. No one will hear what we say!”
They talked in such a low voice that even people in the room might not hear them.
Shao Wanru spoke so cautiously that she even asked her trusted subordinates out. It seemed that she was not just fond of flaunting her superiority. Great Elder Princess nodded in her heart, thinking that her granddaughter was quite sensible. The fewer people who knew about this kind of thing, the better. Otherwise, it would be bad for them and the others.
Was what happened in Marquis Xing’s Mansion the same as what happened to the Emperor? Rui’an Great Elder Princess had never thought about it. In the past, she had never thought of it seriously like this and even subconsciously avoided this idea. But now, she pondered over it. The more she thought about it, the more fl.u.s.tered she became, and the more similar she thought the two situations were. Cold sweat broke out on her hand holding Shao Wanru’s, and her palm became sticky.
The n.o.ble t.i.tle of Duke Xing’s Mansion originally belonged to the first branch, but now it belonged to the second branch. After Great Elder Princess’s son-in-law died, the t.i.tle didn’t pa.s.s on to Hao’er. It was because when they received the news of her son-in-law’s death, Hao’er was not born. Therefore, the t.i.tle belonged to Shao Jing, the second branch of Duke Xing’s Mansion.
After the death of the old Duke Xing, the t.i.tle was naturally pa.s.sed on to Shao Jing. Since then, it had nothing to do with Hao’er. Now, if Hao’er wanted to take back the position of the heir of a duke from Shao Jing, it was equivalent to let Hao’er take over the t.i.tle from his uncle. This kind of thing was very similar to Chu Liuchen’s situation.
When the former Emperor died, Chu Liuchen was still a little baby, so the throne was pa.s.sed to the current Emperor. The decision on who would be the crown prince was still pending, and several princes were fighting to be the crown prince. Chu Liuchen could be considered as the third prince, so he was also qualified. No one could deny the fact that he was the son of the former Emperor. He was very sick before, so others would not mention him because everyone thought he would not live long.
But now, he had gradually recovered, and it was inevitable that he would be caught up in the fight for the throne. It would be troublesome if someone said Chu Liuchen wanted to take the throne from his uncle.
Originally, the matter of the n.o.ble t.i.tle of Marquis Xing’s Mansion had nothing to do with Chu Liuchen, but the two mansions were connected when Chu Liuchen married Shao Wanru. If Shao Yuanhao became the heir of a duke, would there be anyone taking advantage of this matter to slander Chu Liuchen? They might say that Chu Liuchen did this deliberately to show others that he had the intention to get the throne. Therefore, who would get the t.i.tle could no longer be a small matter.
At that time, Chu Liuchen would be in trouble, and Shao Yuanhao would be implicated. Once Shao Yuanhao got involved in the fight for the throne, even Great Elder Princess couldn’t ensure his safety, not to mention that he was still a little child.
Thinking of this, how could Rui’an Great Elder Princess feel at ease? She was so scared that her whole body came out in a cold sweat. “How could I never think about it?”
“Zhuozhuo, what should we do?” Rui’an Great Elder Princess, who was born into the royal family, fully knew the danger of vying for the throne. Any mishap could lead to a catastrophe. Compared with the t.i.tle of n.o.bility, she cared more about the safety of her grandson.
“Grandma, don’t be panic. We need to avoid this matter for the time being. I’m not asking you to give it up. You can do the same things as what you’ve done before. Just remember not to arouse people’s suspicion. That will be the best way!” Shao Wanru took Great Elder Princess’s hand, gently wiping the sweat from her palm with a handkerchief, and said softly.
Her calm composure soothed Great Elder Princess’s fluttering heart. Looking at her granddaughter’s black hair, she sighed softly. “I’m old. I have more scruples and less courage!”
Great Elder Princess had been a well-known cool and proud lady of no scruples in the capital. She dared to turn down anyone without caring about their feelings. With her grandchildren as her weakness, she could not do whatever she wanted like before.
However, she was most willing to give up something for such weakness.
“Thank you, grandma!” Shao Wanru wiped up the sweats from Great Elder Princess’s palm and leaned her face against it. Her watery eyes were full of grat.i.tude. She could feel her grandma’s concern and love.
Her granddaughter was so sweet and intimate with her. Great Elder Princess, feeling her heart melt, reached out to hold Shao Wanru in her arms, patted her soft body gently, and whispered in her ear, “Zhuozhuo, tell me, do you want to…”
She didn’t finish her words and just held up one finger.
Prince Chen was already a prince, so there was only one place above for him to achieve his ambitions.