HomeDestined to be a PhoenixChapter 718: Foolish or Not

Chapter 718: Foolish or Not

Bai Qingyan’s hand tightened around her teacup as she frowned and asked: “Who took the Crown Prince there?”

Didn’t Old Fang advise against it? Although Old Fang was rather petty, before the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he absolutely wouldn’t let the Crown Prince do something like… bringing a courtesan back to his residence. If the censors caught wind of this matter… it would not end well.

Bai Jinxiu was startled: “That… I didn’t investigate in detail.”

Bai Qingyan placed the lid on her cup: “Who took the Crown Prince there needs to be investigated thoroughly! The Crown Prince couldn’t have suddenly decided to visit pleasure quarters on his own! Has the background of the person carried into the Crown Prince’s residence been investigated clearly?”

Bai Jinxiu nodded and pulled out a thin piece of letter paper from her sleeve, handing it to Bai Qingyan: “This is what I had someone investigate. The girl who entered the Crown Prince’s residence is called Hong Mei, and she’s a courtesan who only performs arts.”

Bai Qingyan set down her teacup and took the letter paper, unfolding it. It detailed Hong Mei’s background and origins, which appeared quite clean. It said that due to her family’s poverty, she was sold to human traffickers. Unexpectedly, the trafficker saw that Hong Mei was clean and beautiful, so he had improper thoughts… and sold her to a brothel.

However, this Hong Mei had an extremely stubborn character and swore she would die rather than sell her body. The brothel madam saw that Hong Mei was beautiful and had spent a large sum training her in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Fearing the girl might hang herself, she could only let Hong Mei sell her arts, but not her body.

Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince in disguise took a fancy to Hong Mei. After one night of pleasure, the Crown Prince sent people to carry Hong Mei into the Crown Prince’s residence. Naturally, the person who went to redeem Hong Mei did not reveal that it was the Crown Prince.

Hearing Bai Qingyan chuckle softly, Bai Jinxiu asked: “Does eldest sister think there’s a problem?”

“What brothel madam is so kind-hearted as to truly let a girl sell arts but not her body?” Bai Qingyan thought of her sister’s fate in her previous life, her gaze growing increasingly dark. “Go investigate whether that brothel madam is truly a kind person. See if this madam has had any other courtesans who only sold arts besides Hong Mei. Then we’ll know whether this Hong Mei… was deliberately arranged by someone, or if it was truly a coincidence that she caught the Crown Prince’s eye.”

“Alright, I’ll immediately send someone to investigate thoroughly!” Bai Jinxiu said.

“How has Fu Ruoxi been lately?” Bai Qingyan asked Bai Jinxiu.

“Although Fu Ruoxi achieved merit during the chaos at Wude Gate, she’s now idle at home, so her household is inevitably quiet. However, following my eldest sister’s instructions, I’ve been secretly looking after the Fu residence, so no one without eyes dares to trouble the Fu family.” When Bai Jinxiu mentioned the Fu residence, she inevitably thought of Dong Qingfang, who was engaged to the eldest legitimate son of the Fu family’s main branch. “Eldest sister, Cousin Dong Qingfang from the Dong residence came to see me a few days ago…”

“Qingfang?” Bai Qingyan was quite surprised. After thinking for a moment, she asked: “She… wants to break off the engagement with the Fu family’s main branch?”

Bai Jinxiu nodded: “Exactly. Cousin Qingfang wanted me to ask Mother to intervene and help her speak about breaking off the engagement with the Fu family. However, I declined. If it were First Aunt from the Dong family who asked, Jinxiu would certainly request her mother’s help. But Cousin Qingfang is a daughter of the Dong family… it would be improper for her to bypass First Aunt Dong and instead have my mother overstep her bounds to break off the engagement.”

Qingfang isn’t an unreasonable girl. Why would she do this?” Bai Qingyan sat up slightly and asked.

“Cousin Qingfang said that First Aunt Dong values the Dong family’s reputation… she doesn’t care at all about how the marriages of concubine-born daughters like them turn out. Originally, when the niece from the Fu family’s eldest son’s mother’s natal family didn’t want to marry the Fu family’s eldest legitimate son, she framed her. Even when First Aunt Dong knew about it, she never sought justice for her, only saying that since she had already been embraced by the Fu family’s eldest legitimate son, she must either marry him or seek death with a white silk rope!”

Since the Dong family was ultimately Bai Qingyan’s maternal family, Bai Jinxiu was reluctant to speak ill of First Aunt Dong in front of Bai Qingyan, so she omitted Dong Qingfang’s complaints about the Dong family’s First Madam Song Shi: “Cousin Qingfang said that concubine-born daughters in the Dong family have low status, and she had no other choice but to seek help from me.”

Bai Qingyan already knew most of the details about what happened between Dong Qingfang and the eldest legitimate son of the Fu family’s main branch.

It was nothing more than the niece of the Fu family’s eldest son’s mother’s natal family not wanting to marry the eldest legitimate son, so she schemed to frame Dong Qingfang. Dong Qingfang also went along with it. Who could have predicted that the Fu family would fall into great misfortune, and the main branch would also be ostracized by others?

Could it be that Dong Qingfang originally thought the Fu family’s main branch was a good marriage prospect, but now felt it wasn’t a good match and wanted to make other plans?

“Eldest Miss…” A servant from Qinghui Courtyard lifted the curtain and entered, bowing behind the nanmu and jade bird screen: “Eldest Miss, the Dong family’s First Madam has arrived with the three young misses!”

Bai Qingyan knew that the news of her coughing up blood at the Crown Prince’s residence had probably reached the Dong residence, and her aunt and Qingfang couldn’t sit still.

“Eldest sister…” Bai Jinxiu rose to help Bai Qingyan lie down on the bed. “Although First Aunt Dong and the cousins aren’t outsiders, it’s still better if fewer people know about this kind of thing.”

Bai Qingyan nodded, lifting the white cashmere blanket from her legs and going with Bai Jinxiu to lie down on the bed.

Bai Jinxiu had servants bring several braziers and place them near the bed, then she went out to Qinghui Courtyard to welcome the Dong family’s First Madam Song Shi and the three Dong family cousins.

Seeing First Madam Dong Song Shi enter with Liu Shi’s accompaniment, Liu Shi was putting on quite an act, currently wiping tears with her handkerchief. Bai Jinxiu quickly stepped forward to pay her respects.

“How is your cousin?” Dong Qingfang hurried forward to grasp Bai Jinxiu’s hands, inquiring.

Dong Qingfang’s eyes were red, clearly having cried on the way over.

“Eldest sister is fine now, don’t worry!” Bai Jinxiu’s eyes were also moist and red as she patted Dong Qingfang’s hand, then stepped aside to let her mother, Liu Shi, and First Madam Dong Song Shi enter the main room.

First Madam Dong Song Shi entered and removed her cloak, then went into the inner chamber. Seeing Bai Qingyan’s slender arms supporting her body as she tried to rise with a maid’s assistance, Song Shi quickly stepped forward and pressed Bai Qingyan down: “Don’t get up! We’re family, so let’s not bother with these empty courtesies!”

Bai Qingyan lay back down, her pale lips parting slightly with breath as faint as gossamer: “Aunt, forgive A’Bao for not being able to rise to greet you…”

Dong Qingfang looked at Bai Qingyan and, lifting her skirts, stepped forward to stand behind Song Shi. Seeing Bai Qingyan’s pale and gaunt appearance, her eyes became even redder: “Cousin…”

“It’s nothing!” Bai Qingyan smiled at Dong Qingfang. “I’m sorry for making you all worry!”

First Madam Dong Song Shi held Bai Qingyan’s hand and turned her head to secretly wipe away tears: “Tell me, are you foolish or not! Why did you block that arrow for the Crown Prince? Don’t you know what condition your body is in? If your grandmother knew about this… wouldn’t it be taking your grandmother’s life?!”

Such words would never be spoken to Bai Qingyan unless by someone extremely close to her.

When the Crown Prince was in danger, only in the eyes of close relatives would Bai Qingyan’s safety be considered more important than the Crown Prince’s safety.

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