CHAPTER 1535: CHAPTER 1542: DON’T GET ANY IDEAS ABOUT THE JUHUA (4)

Her grandson regretted mentioning Shen Juhua’s affairs shortly after, knowing that the Qing County Official’s daughter was Cai Wei’s close friend. Whether Cai Wei was willing to let her marry Mo Zili remained uncertain, and now that he had confessed, would she resent him for it?

Thinking about this, he grew apprehensive. His madam was currently pregnant and must not be upset. If she were angered by his slip of the tongue and harmed the child, it would undoubtedly be his fault.

So, he hurriedly invited his maternal grandmother to the Imperial Mother’s palace to discuss Zhao Yue’s marriage with his mother. As for himself, with a guilty conscience, he rushed back to the royal study to probe Cai Wei’s thoughts.

Upon returning to the courtyard of the royal study, he unexpectedly saw Princess Zhao Gui. However, she wasn’t chatting leisurely with Cai Wei in the room; instead, she was kneeling humbly outside, waiting for Cai Wei’s summons with utmost deference.

When Zhao Gui saw Nangong Yi, she quickly prostrated herself and respectfully exclaimed, "Zhao Gui greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor for tens of thousands of years!"

Nangong Yi ignored her, striding briskly into the hall. Inside the room, Cai Wei was discussing matters with Liu Xi. When Nangong Yi entered, he vaguely caught Liu Xi mentioning something about collecting goose feathers and duck feathers, but he paid it no mind and promptly sent Liu Xi away.

"Hey, didn’t you go to see your maternal grandmother? Why are you back so early?" Cai Wei straightened up upon seeing him return, curiously asking.

Nangong Yi replied vaguely, "I thought about it and decided it would be better for the Imperial Mother to decide on Zhao Yue’s marriage, so I asked the maternal grandmother to discuss it with her instead."

Cai Wei nodded and said, "That’s good. It’s said that no one knows a daughter better than her mother. The Imperial Mother would certainly understand what kind of son-in-law suits Zhao Yue better than you do. Let’s leave it to her." After speaking, she picked up the tea cup on the kang table and poured him a cup of flower tea, handing it to him.

Nangong Yi took the tea and sat down beside Cai Wei. Habitually, he reached out to touch her round stomach and said with a smile, "I’ve been absent for just half a day. Have these little rascals been naughty? Did they kick you? If they did, I’ll have to mark it down on their records!"

Cai Wei laughed, "Forget it. They kick me countless times in a single day. If we marked down every instance, the tips of the brushes in the royal study would wear out, and we still wouldn’t be done!"

The man accompanied her laughter but coughed lightly, finally steering the conversation toward the main topic. "Wei’er, I recall you mentioned that the Qing County Official’s daughter is quite similar to the legitimate daughter of Marquis Jian’an. Is that true?"

"Yes, why?" Cai Wei raised her eyebrows, puzzled.

Nangong Yi tentatively said, "The maternal grandmother wishes to find a wife for Zili who resembles Xiang Yun. So... I thought maybe..."

"Absolutely not!"

Before Nangong Yi could finish, Cai Wei rejected his suggestion firmly. Solemnly, she said, "Nangong Yi, erase that idea from your mind immediately. How could you take an innocent girl and turn her into another woman’s stand-in? Not only would Mo Zili likely never fully accept her, but even if he did, forcing Juhua to live as Xiang Yun’s stand-in all her life would be far too unfair to Juhua."

Nangong Yi paused and said, "Wei’er, have you considered that perhaps being able to marry into Duke Li Guo’s mansion—even if as a stand-in—might not be an entirely bad thing? Duke Li Guo’s mansion is a household full of splendor and wealth. If that young lady were to marry in, she would enjoy prosperity and honor for life. Her family would also benefit from the arrangement, basking in its radiance. Furthermore, though Zili is a bit eccentric, he’s not the type of man who meddles with other women. This lifetime, his backyard would likely only have one woman. If she married into another family, regardless of status, how many wealthy sons of influential families aren’t interested in taking concubines or indulging in debauchery?"

Cai Wei answered, "Riches and power are nothing more than fleeting smoke. Only women who covet vanity care about such things. Juhua isn’t that kind of woman. She cares about whether the man she marries is someone worth entrusting her life to. Even stepping back, if the person she marries later takes concubines or changes his heart, at least she’s loved before—it’s far better than living her life as someone else’s stand-in. Besides, a stand-in is still a stand-in—forever just a substitute. If one day Mo Zili finds someone who resembles Xiang Yun even more closely, where would Juhua end up? Therefore, I absolutely won’t agree to you letting my good friend become some kind of test case for redeeming Mo Zili. Don’t even think about it."

Speaking firmly, she added, "Oh, by the way, have you already mentioned this to the maternal grandmother?"

Nangong Yi curled his fist against his mouth and coughed awkwardly, saying, "When I just returned, I saw Zhao Gui kneeling in the courtyard. What’s going on there?"

He intentionally changed the subject. If Cai Wei learned he had let slip about Juhua, she certainly wouldn’t forgive him. So, hurriedly, he redirected the conversation toward Zhao Gui.

Seeing the man’s guilty expression, it was clear he had already confessed about Juhua. Cai Wei cast him a sideways glance and said unhappily, "Stop using Zhao Gui as a shield. I’m only asking you—did you or did you not tell them about Juhua?"

Faced with his wife’s pressing interrogation, Nangong Yi laughed nervously and admitted with a guilty tone, "Uh...yes..."

Upon hearing this, Cai Wei instantly furrowed her brow and widened her eyes in anger, declaring, "I don’t care. Since you stirred up this mess, you must find a way to clear it up. Don’t let Duke Li Guo’s mansion make any plans about Juhua!"

His wife erupted in fury, and Nangong Yi deflated like a wilted flower. Knowing he was in the wrong, he didn’t dare argue and responded feebly, "Yes, madam. Your husband understands..."

Seeing the man surrender, Cai Wei was still angry. She fumed and said, "Mo Zili is truly a piece of work. In the past, Xiang Yun wholeheartedly wanted to settle down and live well with him, yet he went and got involved with Du Wanqing, even disgusting everyone. All for that woman, he broke Xiang Yun’s heart; now that Xiang Yun has let him go, he suddenly realizes her worth and refuses to let go? How utterly ridiculous!"

Nangong Yi said, "Why not stop blaming him now? His days aren’t easy. He shoulders endless regret while being bombarded daily with tales of the Prince and Princess Consort’s profound love. Early this morning, I received a border report stating the Princess Consort of Qing Luo Kingdom is pregnant, and the entire kingdom is celebrating with a national amnesty. This news will surely make Zili miserable for some time."

"Xiang Yun’s pregnant! That’s wonderful!"

Cai Wei touched her round belly, smiling brightly, genuinely happy for her friend.

Ever since Xiang Yun left Great Jin, there had been no communications between them. Hearing the news of her pregnancy, she hurriedly called Chun Liu to present ink and paper. She then picked up her brush and wrote a letter to Xiang Yun. After finishing it, she summoned Brother Ying from her space and tasked him with delivering the letter to Qing Luo Kingdom, making sure it reached Xiang Yun’s hands.