Chapter 41: A Little Worry for an Old Friend
Princess Qinghuan's words also reached Pei Zisu's ears, but seeing that Jiang Shiyuan did not respond, he knew that she did not want to talk more, so he changed the subject and asked.

"We saw a few people when we entered the palace just now. The princess invited them into the palace, but what's the important matter?"

"They are just a few scholars who were talking nonsense in Wenxuan Pavilion. I happened to hear them, so I had them all rounded and questioned. If they really have some bad intentions, there is no point in keeping them."

Talk nonsense?

Based on Jiang Shiyuan's limited understanding of Cheng Dengping, it was hard to imagine that he was so outrageous and had ill intentions. He was even helpless when his second sister kept asking to go back to her parents' home every now and then. How come he was suddenly so courageous now?

Could there be someone behind this?

So Jiang Shiyuan added a reminder.

"People outside don't understand why, and they always think that the Princess's Mansion is a bit overbearing. Princess, you'd better take your reputation into consideration and ask clearly before making a decision."

Hearing Jiang Shiyuan's words, Princess Qinghuan and Pei Zisu both chuckled. They looked at her as if she were a fairy who was not of this world. Princess Qinghuan patted her shoulder with fondness in her eyes, and then she replied calmly.

"If I were someone who cared about reputation, I wouldn't be in the position I am today, don't you think so, General Pei?"

Although Pei Zisu did not answer, the meaning in his eyes was very clear.

To them, all reputations are false, and only what they hold in their hands is the most important. Therefore, whether they are cruel and ruthless or sinister and stubborn, as long as the final result is what they want, they don’t care about the process.

"But since you've asked, I'll give them a chance to prove their innocence. Don't really scare our delicate Ah Nian, that would be bad."

Jiang Shiyuan also felt that his words were not clever enough, so after taking a look at Princess Qinghuan in front of him, he decided that it might be better to wait until another time to mention the matter of Cheng Dengping to her.

She wiped away the worry on her brow and looked at the koi in the pond, which were swimming happily and freely. However, what she wanted most at this moment was to prevent the situation where she did not kill Bo Ren but Bo Ren died because of her. Therefore, her emotions were not as high as before.

Pei Zisu saw something fishy, ​​but he didn't dare to ask in front of Princess Qinghuan. Just then, Nanny Shen came over, bowed and spoke when she saw the three of them.

"This old servant greets General Pei and Miss Jiang. Princess, breakfast is ready, but it needs to be delivered now."

"Well, let them send it directly to Yincuitang."

"Yes, princess."

After entering the inner room, the three of them sat down and soon the breakfast was served on the table.

This is the princess's residence and the rules must be followed, so everyone eats at separate tables so that everyone's taste can be well catered for. The food placed in front of Jiang Shiyuan are naturally her favorites. When Princess Qinghuan saw this, she couldn't help but say a few more words.

"These are all your favorites, try them."

Jiang Shiyuan nodded. The cook in the princess's mansion was a skilled cook. After she had eaten a few bites of food, her appetite, which had been difficult to swallow, improved a lot. Seeing her like this, Pei Zisu's eyes were filled with doting, and then he spoke without any politeness.

"Princess, I have an unwelcome request."

"explain."

"The dishes cooked by the cook in the mansion are quite suitable for my cousin. If I stay in Xijing City for a long time, I won't be able to find such a suitable cook in a short time. Could you please, Princess, grant me a favor and bring her back to Ning'an Garden?"

Hearing this, Princess Qinghuan smiled brightly.

"The house was taken, and the cook was not spared. This princess thinks that General Pei is trying to take advantage of me alone?" "The princess and my cousin have a very good relationship. Naturally, I have to imitate the princess more in order to win the favor of the beauty."

"I didn't expect that General Pei is also a lover. Okay, I will fulfill your wish. I will ask the cook who is responsible for making these dishes to go to Ning'an Garden. As for the servants in the garden..."

Upon hearing this, Pei Zisu clasped his fists and replied.

"Please don't worry about this, Princess. Your aunt has already taken over this matter, and I think everything is almost ready."

Princess Qinghuan nodded, but did not force it. She just looked at Jiang Shiyuan and said with envy.

"Ah Nian is so lucky."

Jiang Shiyuan smiled. As for these things, it was indeed her cousin who had taken the lead. She accepted it with peace of mind, as if she didn't think it was a big deal. While she was eating, she suddenly heard Princess Qinghuan mention something.

"The Queen Mother's birthday is in two months. She said that we shouldn't hold a big celebration this year, so it's hard to choose an expensive gift. I remember that the Marquis's wife's birthday is in a few days. Ah Nian, what gift do you plan to give?"

"What my aunt wants most is to have a baby in the family, so none of us can match my cousin's wife's gift, so I plan to give her something pleasing to the eye. I'll go to Guanghua Temple in a few days, take out a white jade Guanyin statue from the storeroom, and then send it to her."

Princess Qinghuan seemed a little distressed about this.

"But the gift I gave you last year was similar to yours. If I give you another one this year, I'm afraid the Queen Mother will be angry and say that I don't value it. I've been thinking about this gift for the past few days and my head hurts. Please come and give me some advice."

The gift for the Empress Dowager’s birthday should not be too expensive or too cheap.

Jiang Shiyuan had an idea in his mind, but he didn't know whether he should speak it out. But seeing that Princess Qinghuan was worried, he thought about it and decided to recommend the talented person regardless of relationship, so he said it.

"I remember that the Queen Mother once praised an embroiderer in Xiangzhou for her exquisite craftsmanship. She once embroidered a landscape painting of Xiangzhou as a tribute to the Queen Mother, and was highly praised. How about Princess following her example and giving the Queen Mother an embroidery painting of her hometown? Maybe it can help the Queen Mother relieve her homesickness."

"You mean to embroider the scenery of Wangzhou? But it will take three to five years to complete such an embroidery. It's probably too late to think about it now."

Jiang Shiyuan smiled and then explained.

"The scenery of Wangzhou can be grand or exquisite. It doesn't necessarily take that long. One of my aunts is from Wangzhou. I once heard my third sister, who was raised by her, say that the August in Wangzhou is the time when the lingguo flowers are in full bloom. I'm sure the Queen Mother knows this. How about embroidering a picture of the lingguo flowers blooming under the moon?"

Princess Qinghuan became interested and asked a question.

"Lingguohua? What does it look like? This princess has never heard of it before."

"I heard that this flower can only be found in Wangzhou, so it is rare in Xijing City. I'm sure the Empress Dowager misses it very much and will like this gift."

"That's a good idea. I'll arrange it right away and let the embroiderer do it."

Pei Zisu was listening at the side and probably understood what Jiang Shiyuan meant. These days, she was always seen bringing her third sister with her when she went out and came in. She just wanted to ask for some connections for the little girl. If this embroidery could be made by her and could get some praise in front of the empress dowager, then her status would also rise.

After knowing this, Pei Zisu added something to help.

"Princess, why don't you let Anian's third sister give it a try? It seems that she is also a leader in this field."

(End of this chapter)