From beginning to end, Zhou Weizhao had never taken a liking to Chen Mingyu. Although at first even Empress Lu and the Crown Princess had looked favorably upon Chen Mingyu, for some reason he just felt that this girl made him uncomfortable from the very first glance.
He still remembered the first time he encountered Song Chuyi. Through the curtain, he only knew that someone had ruined Prince Duan’s scheme and could ferret out the inner traitor in the household and destroy the escort agency—it was a young girl. But he didn’t know what she looked like until he first saw her face in Tongzhou. He felt she was exactly as he had imagined, just like the cat he kept on Longhu Mountain. Although it constantly made him furiously angry, whenever it did something bad it always acted perfectly justified and arrogant, never pretending to be pitiful or frightened in an attempt to beg for mercy or curry favor.
Chen Mingyu was different from her. She always wore a kind and generous expression. Even after doing bad things, her face remained unchanged and her heart unperturbed. That time she pushed Miss Song Six forward, clearly because she feared being implicated by Song Chuyi, yet afterward she could change her expression in such a short time to cover it up. This kind of scheming frightened him, even though he knew he should marry a scheming Grand Princess Consort who could protect herself in the man-eating Eastern Palace in the future, and also protect his mother.
After the events at the hunting grounds, even for Elder Chen’s sake, he couldn’t possibly harbor the slightest favorable impression of this young lady anymore—those who repay kindness with enmity are always more terrifying than bad people who simply never do good deeds.
Therefore, when Song Chuyi asked him this time, he spoke his decision without hesitation: “If Elder Chen feels he absolutely must have a Chen family daughter to firmly bind me, then he’s likely to be disappointed.”
Song Chuyi narrowed her eyes and smiled. This time she smiled genuinely with curved brows and eyes: “That’s wonderful then. Since Your Highness doesn’t fancy her, why not decide her marriage early? That way Your Highness won’t have to worry about her becoming your Grand Princess Consort in the future.”
Zhou Weizhao slowly but firmly shook his head: “I’m afraid you can’t easily interfere in this matter. Right now, not only is Consort Fan interested in you, but she also hasn’t planned to give up on this Miss Chen. Yesterday, Old Madam Chen just took Miss Chen into the palace and met with Imperial Grandmother and Consort Fan.”
Did that mean that on Consort Fan’s list of candidates for Zhou Weiqi, besides herself there was also Chen Mingyu?
This was truly economical thinking—choosing all legitimate granddaughters from important ministers and elders’ families, all extremely favored. Her intentions were as obvious as Sima Zhao’s heart.
And now, making a move against Chen Mingyu would certainly risk alarming Consort Fan and Zhou Weiqi. Song Chuyi had never been someone who couldn’t adapt. After thinking for a moment, she abandoned this plan and turned her thoughts to other matters.
She couldn’t move against Consort Fan and Zhou Weiqi, and temporarily couldn’t move against Chen Mingyu either, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t clear away some other flies. It was just a matter of changing the order of priority.
For instance, wasn’t Shen Qingrang currently a fly blocking her path?
He Shi was timid and didn’t dare cause trouble, but Shen Xiaohai wasn’t. Otherwise, even knowing that her reward was extraordinary and might have deeper meaning, he still dared to deceive Song Yi. This time, Old Madam Song’s decisive rejection probably wouldn’t have any deterrent effect in his eyes either.
If she didn’t thoroughly extinguish his hopes, who knew when he would jump out again to cause trouble.
“What a pity.” She shook her head looking at Zhou Weizhao, not concealing her malicious intentions at all: “I was originally thinking that Miss Chen and Seventh Young Master Shen would be quite a match. Both are people desperately trying to climb upward. Putting them together, they could certainly live very harmoniously.”
Zhou Weizhao couldn’t help coughing once, somewhat speechless at her statement. After a long while, he asked her with great interest: “So what now? What devious scheme do you have now?”
He was different from the typical noble sons who read the Four Books and Five Classics and the words of sages. He was raised on Longhu Mountain, brought up like a Daoist priest. His master didn’t teach him many lofty principles in daily life, only telling him that in life, the most important thing was to follow one’s heart.
And since someone had already bullied you right to your face, if you didn’t retaliate in kind, that couldn’t be called following your heart. Moreover, he felt Miss Song Six truly should be angry—being chased around every day like an exhausted rabbit with hungry wolves biting at her heels, anyone would be furious.
Song Chuyi didn’t immediately answer him. She turned to look at Qing Ying who had just entered and instructed her: “When we leave later, tell Ma Changjiang and the others to keep an eye on Seventh Young Master Shen’s movements recently.”
In both her past and present lives, she could be said to understand Shen Qingrang. This person never knew how to write the word “contentment.” What he couldn’t get, he wanted; what he obtained, he felt there was something better ahead. This time, having been rebuffed and embarrassed at Old Madam Song’s, he would only feel humiliated and uncomfortable. Recently he should be everywhere seeking pleasure and drowning his sorrows in wine—like most of the idle wastrel sons in the capital who lived off their families, he was skilled at everything from cockfighting to dog racing, and now was probably frequenting various teahouses and wine shops.
Qing Ying cheerfully agreed. In her eyes, Shen Qingrang was even more detestable than Chen Mingyu. Usually he buzzed around like a fly, but at the hunting grounds, as soon as he heard about Song Chuyi’s fate, he instantly ran off who knows how far. How could such a person be marriageable? Moreover, seeing Song Chuyi’s disgust toward him, one knew such a person was definitely not good. Now seeing that Song Chuyi intended to deal with him, Qing Ying felt immensely pleased.
“Since I can’t move against this Miss Chen for the time being, Your Highness surely can’t refuse to help me with another favor, can you?” Song Chuyi sighed: “There are too many flies around. If I don’t deal with some promptly, life will become impossible in the future.”
Zhou Weizhao was amused by her troubled appearance at this comparison, turning the teacup in his hand with a smile as he asked her: “So how do you want me to help?”
“It won’t take much effort.” Song Chuyi quickly continued, as if she had long prepared her draft and was ready to speak impromptu: “Since Seventh Young Master Shen wants a wife of high position, power, and noble status, I’ll find a way to get him one. However, Your Highness knows my people—they have some means when mingling in the marketplace, but when it comes to such matters, they’re hardly of use. To find a well-matched young lady for Shen Qingrang really requires Your Highness’s help.”
Find someone of noble status, but not like her past life self who was single-mindedly devoted to him. Let Shen Qingrang also understand what it means to have a fierce wife at home, what it means to suffer.
And let Shen Xiaohai see whether Duke Yingguo’s residence had the fortune to handle all noble young ladies of prestigious status.