Chapter 111 - What To Do if You’re the Villain and the Heroine Likes You

When Meng Qingrou mentioned "accommodating," the Empress Dowager felt something was off. She knew her daughter's character best. If she said "want it all," it must be "I want it all." If she meant "seizing the opportunity," then it was "seizing the opportunity." When she needed to make a sacrifice, she would do so without hesitation. Even in dire straits, she would find a way to take a bite out of you. Over these years, let alone "accommodating," she hadn't even given her "room to maneuver." Today, she was acting strangely, being indecisive and "accommodating" when it came to the engagement between He Yunxiao and Nan Zhu. This was entirely unlike her usual self. Apart from these subtle hints, the Empress Dowager couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. She had a gut feeling that if she agreed to He Yuanhao's request and allowed Nan Zhu to become his legitimate wife, Qingquan would definitely suffer in the future. Even though, rationally speaking, given Qingquan's capabilities, if she were to oppose Nan Zhu, the latter would have no chance. But for inexplicable reasons, the Empress Dowager just felt that her beloved daughter wouldn't stand a chance against Nan Zhu. This gut feeling even surprised herself. In any case, she couldn't agree to He Yuanhao right away! Delay! Rubbing her temples, the Empress Dowager languidly called out, "Gongqin." As the Empress Dowager's nephew and the first cousin of the princess, as well as the concurrently serving Minister of Rites in the Great Qi, and also the father of Li Jin, he naturally held the highest rank and was deferential to the Empress Dowager. Upon being called by her, he immediately ceased chatting and respectfully bowed, saying, "I am here, Your Majesty." The Empress Dowager continued to recline in her chair, rubbing her temples, feigning a weary look. She then handed a bright red document filled with betrothal gifts to a quick-witted palace maid, who then handed it to Li Gongqin. "Gongqin, I seem to have forgotten the specifications for the betrothal gifts needed for the princess's marriage. As the Minister of Rites, it is your responsibility to oversee the ceremonial rules. Take this document back and carefully verify them. Once confirmed, report back to me." As the document landed in Li Gongqin's hands, no one present found anything unusual. The Empress Dowager's forgetfulness was normal. The Ministry of Rites inspecting the betrothal gifts was also normal. The Empress Dowager delegating the betrothal gifts to the Ministry of Rites due to her forgetfulness was perfectly normal. No one found anything amiss. Except for He Yuanhao, who was impatient to marry his son. This matter had been settled, and unexpectedly, a seemingly minor issue of "reviewing the gift list" had arisen. Even though reviewing the gift list wouldn't yield any substantial revelations, He Yuanhao, with his extensive experience, understood the principle of swift and decisive action. If the engagement did not receive a clear confirmation, prolonging it could lead to changes, or worse, its dissolution. He Yuanhao had already sensed that obtaining the marriage contract was not as simple as it seemed, and now, looking at the situation, it was indeed true. As he lamented the accuracy of his intuition, he made one last effort. "Brother Li, how long would it take to review the gift list?" Confidently holding the red document, Li Gongqin replied, "Reviewing a document like this is a small matter. Even if it was left to my son, Li Jin, it would only take a day." He Yuanhao had naturally heard of Li Jin's name. Hearing that Li Jin would be reviewing it, he hastily said, "Minister Li, this is a major marital matter concerning the Hou Mansion. I implore you to oversee it personally. Even though it might be troublesome, let me owe the Hou Mansion a favor." Li Gongqin agreed, saying, "Very well, if I handle it, half a day will suffice." He Yuanhao had nothing else to say upon hearing the half-day timeframe. By personally instructing and reviewing the betrothal gifts as the Minister of Rites, and with the marriage matter of the princess, the efficiency of concluding the matter in half a day was already very fast. Unless the Empress Dowager personally intervened, there was no room for surprises. Just by observing the Empress Dowager's attitude, he knew she was eager to finalize the engagement. Her actions might be irrational, but they wouldn't change suddenly. Moreover, it was only a half-day delay. This matter was settled. ... For the Lingxuan Palace that afternoon, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Xing Er and the other palace maids were busy as usual, sweeping the courtyard, washing clothes, and preparing ingredients. And the owner of the Lingxuan Palace, Princess Meng Qingrou, also went about her activities as usual, emerging from the palace in the gentle afternoon sun. It was nothing special, just that the task of embroidering a sachet for her sister had moved from the indoors to outdoors due to her unfamiliarity with the craft. With delicate and pretty little hands, she held two pieces of brocade, while the other pair of equally cute and pretty hands deftly threaded the needles, sewing the brocade together. She focused on the sachet, sewing slowly and meticulously, but still made frequent mistakes – stitching askew, mismatched patterns, and other mishaps. Luckily, this young lady had an unusually good temper. She remained silent and diligently reworked her embroidery even after making numerous mistakes. The Lingxuan Palace was located in a corner of the palace, with no tall buildings around to provide shade. So even though a gentle breeze was a common occurrence, for Meng Qingrou, it was not a minor matter. The sand stirred up by the occasional wind would blind her, but while her hands were occupied, she would accidentally prick her delicate fingers with the silver needles. The blood flowed at once. Meng Qingrou, pained, did not seek to stem the bleeding right away. Instead, she covered her posterior with her hand, closed her eyes, and lowered her head, as if anticipating punishment. Someone disallowed her from doing the needlework and forbade her from getting injured. After a brief moment, she suddenly realized that she did not need to behave this way. Opening her eyes, she raised her head and released her grip on her posterior. It was unnecessary for her to be punished, but she still couldn’t find joy in it. She raised her injured finger to her mouth. Once released, the blood stopped flowing, and the tiny wound left by the silver needle disappeared. She healed faster than the average person. Under the gentle afternoon sun, Meng Qingrou's body warmed up, and she looked at her injured finger with a hint of a tender smile. She was in better health than before. In the past, she could only come out to move around during the gentle and warm afternoons. Now, if she wanted to, she could move around all day. Even in the cooler evenings, she could stroll without issue. Yet she was used to walking around only in the afternoons. It had become a long-standing habit. Even if she could come out at other times, what else could she do? After embroidering the sachet for a while, with not much left to complete, Meng Qingrou set the needle and thread aside and stood up, calling out, "Xing Er." She repeated, "Xing Er, I'm going to gather herbs." Her voice was still soft, but Xing Er was always attentive and responded quickly. "Alright! Your Highness, please wait a moment!" After handing her task to another palace maid, Xing Er washed her hands, took the sickle, hoe, and a basket for the herbs, and presented them to Meng Qingrou. "Your Highness, please take these." "Mm." "Please refrain from using the sickle and hoe yourself." "Mm." "It's best not to touch the needle and thread again." "He said I can..." Meng Qingrou shook her head. "I can touch it now, it's fine." Xing Er, as close as a sister to the little princess, understood everything and naturally knew who "he" referred to. She smiled and said, "Your Highness, are you gathering herbs to help him with his illness?" Meng Qingrou turned her head away. "Hmph, not at all." Xing Er pretended to be busy. "Oh, then we don't have to gather today; let's go back. After all, there's no need to deliver medicine to anyone tonight." Meng Qingrou clutched the basket and, upon hearing this, quickly wrapped her arms around Xing Er's, pleading, "Come on, Xing Er, let's gather a little more today. We can make two portions, so we won't have to gather tomorrow." Xing Er allowed the young girl to hold her, genuinely pleased. As the weather gradually turned wintry, everything had improved.