Ji Huai'an said angrily.
"But what Father wants is a position by the Prince's side, isn't it? If I leave, you can still keep that position!"
The fact that the King of Qin is not taking any action now does not mean he will not in the future.
The late emperor was wary of him. Back then, he used Emperor Gaozong's edict to order Consort Shu to be buried alive with him, hoping to force him to break the law and return to the capital without being summoned, so that he could find an excuse to detain and kill him. However, he did not succeed.
Although the current emperor has only recently ascended the throne and there doesn't seem to be any major conflict between him and the Prince of Qin, the past actions of the late emperor still exist, so it's unlikely that the two will get along well.
Moreover, the King of Qin held considerable military power, and no emperor could tolerate him.
If a conflict were to occur between the two, it would be difficult to say who would ultimately possess the throne in the palace.
“Because of our marriage agreement with the prince back then, it is impossible for our Ji family to regain His Majesty’s trust. We will either be gradually and quietly squeezed out of the court, like we are now, or we will place our bets on the prince, just like before.”
"Although the prince already has a principal wife, she is the daughter of Grand Tutor Yao. Everyone knows that he and Grand Tutor Yao are at odds, and even if he were to ascend the throne in the future, he would not elevate Grand Tutor Yao to a high position."
She paused, then looked at Ji Huai'an meaningfully and said, "But Father, you are different!"
“The Prince has a deep bond with our Ji family. If I stay by the Prince’s side, Father, you will still think the same as before. I will be the number one person by his side, and no one can surpass me! Our Ji family will also become the number one family in Liang because of our merit in supporting the Prince, and we will never have to be subservient to others again.”
Ji Huai'an's face remained ashen and unpleasant, but his slightly open mouth did not utter any further rebuttal.
He remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking: "But as you said, the prince has not committed any acts of disloyalty over the years. How do you know that he might do so in the future?"
“I don’t know,” Ji Yunwan said. “It’s a gamble, isn’t it?”
"Father used to be willing to gamble, but now that the Prince has married a princess in name only, he's no longer willing?"
Just because there's a stumbling block in front of you, does that mean you have to avoid this path altogether?
If other paths were passable, that would be fine, but since other paths are about to be blocked, why not... remove the stumbling block?
Ji Huai'an fell silent again, and after a long while, he said in a deep voice, "Taking away the journey, I'll give you three months. If you can't get the Prince to agree after three months, come back immediately! Don't embarrass me in Shangchuan!"
Ji Yunwan curtsied in response. In order to avoid drawing attention, she waited a few days after the King of Qin left the capital before setting off, citing the reason that she was going to visit her seriously ill aunt in another place.
That aunt certainly exists, but she doesn't live in Lintong, or even Shangchuan. She lives in another place far away from here, and there is indeed another "Miss Ji Er" who has gone there.
The real Miss Ji Er came here by taking a detour.
With less than two months remaining until the agreed-upon three-month deadline, Ji Yunwan has yet to even meet the Prince of Qin, so it's understandable that she can't send a message to Ji Huai'an in the capital.
Upon learning that Wei Hong had returned to Hucheng, she set off from Lintong before dawn the next day to head to the Prince of Qin's residence.
Panxiang handed over the visiting card as before, and a moment later the same person came to reply: "Miss Ji, the Princess invites you in. This way."
Even the words they said were exactly the same as last time!
Chapter 21 Passing on a Message
Before Ji Yunwan could speak, Pan Xiang's expression changed.
"Why is it the Princess again? Where is the Prince?"
The gatekeeper's servant seemed to be doing it on purpose, smiling as he repeated what he had said last time: "His Highness is away on business, and all matters in the mansion are under the control of the Princess."
Panxiang angrily retorted, "How could we not be here? We clearly..."
"incense coil!"
Ji Yunwan interrupted her, preventing her from saying the rest of her words.
Panxiang snapped out of her daze, realizing she couldn't directly say that they had sent someone to Hucheng to inquire about the Prince of Qin's whereabouts, so she changed her tune and asked, "Is it because the Princess Consort didn't want our young lady to see the Prince, so she deliberately said he wasn't here!"
After he said this, the gatekeeper's expression, which had just shown a hint of disdain, immediately changed and turned serious.
"What nonsense are you spouting, maid? Without the Prince's permission, who would dare to fabricate news about him? Besides, our Princess Consort is not such a petty person!"
"You yourselves are always late and miss it, yet you blame our Princess for deliberately saying the Prince isn't there. What kind of logic is that?"
Although he was just a gatekeeper, he was also a member of the Jingyuan Army. When he scolded Pan Xiang with a stern face, he was extremely fierce, as if he was about to suddenly attack someone at any moment.
Pan Xiang immediately lost all his imposing manner, trembling with fear, and stammered "you" for a long time without being able to utter a word.
Left with no other choice, Ji Yunwan lifted the carriage curtain and personally addressed the man, saying, "I'm sorry, it was my maid who was rude. May I ask where the Prince has gone, and when he will likely return?"
The man was still angry, raising his chin and saying, "I am a servant of the Prince's mansion. How can I casually tell others about the Prince's whereabouts? Anyway, I have already delivered the Princess's message. If you are not going, Miss Ji, then I will go back."
Who would want to suffer this injustice?
Ji Yunwan's hand on the car window tightened gradually, just like last time, before finally relaxing: "Lead the way."
The man snorted coldly, then turned and led the way.
...
When Ji Yunwan last visited, the Prince of Qin's residence was under renovation and not yet fully completed, but now it has been completely furnished.
Gone are the scattered piles of timber and earth, and the sweating craftsmen and laborers. The place retains the grandeur expected of a royal palace, yet also exudes elegance and refinement, demonstrating the meticulous care the lady of the house took in its restoration.
hostess……
When Ji Yunwan thought of those words, she also remembered the person she had seen in the inner courtyard last time, and smiled.
That day, she truly believed that the prince had forgotten her sister and was treating that woman from the Yao family as his princess consort.
Later, when she met Chu Yan, she realized she had been overthinking things.
The prince still can't let go of his sister, which is why he's kept this concubine until now.
The reason for keeping this concubine was that she looked somewhat similar to her sister, but if there were someone who looked even more like her... what use would that concubine be?
Therefore, when Ji Yunwan saw Chu Yan, she was not angry at all. Instead, she put aside all her previous anxiety and worries and became happy.
Chu Yan's existence proves that her trip was worthwhile and that she will soon achieve her goal.
Previously, the prince had been betrothed by the late emperor in the capital. He could not refuse, nor could he take the initiative to ask her, the eldest daughter of the Ji family, to be his concubine. That is why he left silently.
Now that she has come all this way in person, the prince will surely understand her and the Ji family's plans and will not refuse.
As for the garden before them and the unruly servants at the gate...
Once she takes over the palace, will she still have a chance to settle things?
Ji Yunwan was full of pride, and when she saw Yao Youqing again, she was no longer flustered and uneasy as before.
She arrived in a hurry, and since Yao Youqing was playing in the garden, she simply met her in the flower hall here.
"I thought Miss Ji had already returned to the capital, but I didn't expect her to still be in Lintong. You've been away from home for so long, isn't Lord Ji worried?"
After the two exchanged greetings, Yao Youqing casually asked a question.
Ji Yunwan was, after all, unmarried and had come alone without the company of her elders. Considering the time she spent on the road and in Lintong, she had indeed been away from home for a long time, which is why she asked this question.
Ji Yunwan felt that she was deliberately provoking her, and replied gently, "Although I came to visit my aunt, I also came to visit the Prince on my father's orders. I haven't seen the Prince yet and haven't fulfilled my father's orders, so how can I go back like this?"
She thought Yao Youqing would be angry, but she saw her nod and say "Oh": "Then you're out of luck. The prince just came back yesterday and left again today. He said he went to the military camp and it's uncertain when he'll be back."
When Wei Hong left, he didn't specifically tell Yao Youqing where he was going. It was Cui Hao who left a message saying that the prince had gone to the military camp and that if she had any urgent business, she should send someone there to find him.
She casually revealed information that Ji Yunwan was unaware of, and acted as if she didn't care, which made Ji Yunwan feel somewhat embarrassed.
She maintained a generous and proper smile and deliberately said, "Then, Your Highness, could you please send someone to inform Your Highness that I have come to pay a special visit to Your Highness and wish to see you, and ask if Your Highness is available?"
She missed the prince last time; the prince must already know.
Now that I've heard she's coming again, I'll definitely come back to see her.
The princess wonders what she thinks about her husband rushing back for another woman.
Yao Youqing agreed without hesitation.
Zhou's mother wanted to stop her, but before she could speak, Yao Youqing had already agreed.
She then thought, what if the prince is unhappy to hear that they didn't go to deliver the message? It would be better to make the trip now, since her young lady doesn't care whether he comes back or not.
So she told Qiongyu to find someone to make arrangements.
...
The military camp that Wei Hong went to was not far from the Prince's Mansion, and the servants arrived quickly on horseback.
Military camp management is strict. He was stopped at the first checkpoint and asked what he wanted.
The servant identified himself and said, "Miss Ji has come to visit. The Princess asked me to ask the Prince if I may return to see her."
After verifying his identity and confirming it was correct, the man told him to wait there and went to inform others.
Wei Hong's camp was not open to just anyone. The soldier relayed the message to Cui Hao, who then led the way inside.
Cui Hao frowned slightly, lifted the curtain, bowed, and went inside, saying, "Your Highness, the Princess Consort has sent someone to see you."
Wei Hong was already distracted, his attention completely off the official business at hand. Upon hearing this, his ears immediately perked up, and he deliberately put on a stern face and asked in a deep voice, "What is it?"
"The princess asked if you could return home, saying that..."
"I'm busy!"
Wei Hong interrupted sharply: "Can't you see I'm busy? Don't bother me with such trivial matters!"
I rejected him last night, and today I regret it and come to apologize and beg him to come back?
Don't even think about it!
Cui Hao was taken aback: "But..."
"But what? Do I need to repeat myself a second time for you to understand?"
Cui Hao: "..."
He paused for a moment, then realized that Wei Hong had misunderstood something. After thinking for a moment, he didn't say anything more, bowed in agreement, and left. He then said to the soldier who had come to deliver the message, "Did you hear that?"
Wei Hong shouted so loudly that the soldiers naturally heard him.
"If you hear that, go and reply. Just give the prince his exact words."
The soldier acknowledged and turned to leave.
...
"His Highness is very angry," the servant relayed not only the King of Qin's words but also the King's anger as told to him by the soldiers. "He said he is busy and should not be disturbed by trivial matters."
A few small things?