mtlumby2d Chapter 389 Change of plan
Chapter 389 Change of plan
"Fifth sister, I just received news that in addition to the King of Chu and my maternal grandfather, the Prince of Che and Miss Ling will also be traveling south today. Don't you think that's strange?"
"Are Prince Che and Miss Ling going too?"
A hint of surprise flashed across Song Ruozhen's clear eyes; she had never heard of this before.
"I think it must have been sent on short notice. When we went to my maternal grandfather's for dinner earlier, he didn't mention it either. Could it be that Her Majesty the Empress is trying to bring them together?"
Song Jingshen's eyes were complicated. "But Fifth Sister, you don't need to worry. The King of Chu's heart is with you. No one else can do anything about it. Besides, there's Grandfather here."
Grandfather isn't stupid; he certainly won't let Ling Qian'er have a chance!
Song Ruozhen couldn't help but sigh, "My grandfather is so old, yet he still has to act as a love protector for me. It must be so difficult for him!"
Actually, she didn't care about Ling Qian'er. Chu Junting had previously said that he suspected there was something wrong with the Ling family, and there were two possibilities for this decision.
One suggestion was made by the Empress, and Chu Junting went along with it, taking this opportunity to investigate Ling Qian'er's background.
Secondly, this was a plan from beginning to end. The Ling family was very secretive, and it would take a lot of effort to find out everything behind it.
Seeing Song Ruozhen fall silent, the two brothers couldn't help but worry, "Fifth sister, are you alright?"
"It's alright. You all said that besides Miss Ling, there's also Prince Che. Prince Che just deposed his principal wife a couple of days ago. Maybe he's planning to take this opportunity to marry Miss Ling," Song Ruozhen said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, both Song Zhiyu and Song Zhiyu were taken aback; they had never considered this possibility.
"He just deposed his principal wife and immediately started thinking about marrying a new one?"
Song Ruozhen shrugged. "Given Prince Che's temperament, what's so strange about it?"
At this moment, whispers arose from the area outside where goods were being moved, tinged with a few sighs, but mostly with schadenfreude.
"Third Master Gu is really something else. He was so tough before, moving out as soon as he had a falling out with the Gu family. Now that Grand Tutor Gu has severed ties with him, he wants to go back. Isn't that just making a scene?"
"How precious is the 'get-out-of-jail-free card'? With this 'get-out-of-jail-free card', as long as the Gu family doesn't make any big mistakes, generations of their descendants can live peacefully. Yet he allowed an outsider to steal it, causing Grand Tutor Gu to have to travel south at his advanced age. Tsk tsk."
"I heard that even his wife has divorced him, and even the favored concubine Zheng in the mansion is causing trouble. He's truly abandoned by everyone."
Generally speaking, male members of the household would not be expelled from the family register unless they committed a grave offense. Gu Qingzhe has truly become famous this time.
Hearing this, Song Jingshen said, "I heard that he went to the Wang family yesterday, hoping to persuade Wang to change her mind, but he was driven away before he even saw her. The two children also refused to talk to him."
"It's strange, the gold medal incident happened a while ago, why didn't Wang divorce him before, but now she's divorcing him?" Song Zhiyu asked in confusion.
Song Ruozhen glanced at him in surprise. Third Brother is quite clever today!
"Naturally, he remained obstinate even after the incident. I heard that he had already hurt Wang's feelings over the years, and this was just the fuse."
A mother's love is strong; Wang was trying to protect her child, but she was also truly heartbroken.
Suddenly, a servant's voice came from outside, "Young Master, His Highness the Prince of Chu and Grand Tutor Gu are looking for you!"
As Song Jingshen stepped onto the deck, he saw Grand Tutor Gu, Prince Chu, Prince Che, and Ling Qian'er opposite him.
"Jing Shen, be careful on your journey," Grand Tutor Gu instructed.
"Grandson, please be careful. Grandfather, please take good care of yourself. The journey has been arduous."
Song Jingshen instructed his attendant to deliver the things he had prepared for his maternal grandfather, saying, "I often go out to do business and know what is needed on a ship, so I prepared a set for my maternal grandfather as well."
"You've put your heart into it." Grand Tutor Gu's eyes showed satisfaction; Ruyan's children were all being taught very well.
Chu Junting said, "Don't worry, I will take good care of Grand Tutor Gu."
A smile flashed in Song Jingshen's eyes. Sure enough, the King of Chu's heart was with his own sister.
Hearing this, Ling Qian'er's eyes flashed with displeasure. She hadn't heard much about Song Ruozhen in the capital before, but she never expected that she would become a formidable rival after her return.
She had seen that girl before; apart from being pretty, she wasn't anything special. Why was the King of Chu so smitten with her, and so devoted to her?
The King of Chu holds important military secrets. Among all the princes, he has the highest prestige in the military camp and is the one whom the Emperor trusts the most.
She needs to find a way to get into the Chu Prince's mansion in order to have any chance of getting her hands on these things, and the best way is to become the Chu Prince's consort.
Unfortunately, Song Ruozhen became a stumbling block!
"Since we're heading south anyway, and we're all setting off on the same day, it's actually on the same route. Why don't you all come aboard my boat for a ride?"
Song Jingshen looked at Ling Qian'er thoughtfully, seemingly very interested in her, which was why he had specially invited her, and his smile was exceptionally sincere.
Ling Qian'er noticed Song Jingshen's gaze and thought that this guy was like a toad trying to eat swan meat. He didn't even know his own status and thought he was good enough for her.
"No need, I think it's fine as it is," Ling Qian'er said.
Chu Tianche looked at Ling Qian'er beside him, his mind racing. After Qian Yalin's last outburst, there was no hope left for Song Ruozhen and him.
Ling Qian'er is indeed a good candidate. She comes from a good family and is good-looking. Anyway, his position as princess is currently uncertain, so he must find a suitable candidate from among noble ladies.
Chu Junting's attitude last time made him suspicious. If the Ling family really had a problem, he would start with Ling Qian'er. Once he found out the problem, he would tell his father, which would be a great achievement.
If there are no problems, marrying her would be a great help, which is why he took the initiative to request permission to come today.
"I also think it's quite nice here, no need for trouble."
Upon hearing this, Song Jingshen felt it was truly excellent and turned his gaze to Chu Junting and Grand Tutor Gu.
“In that case, Your Majesty and Miss Ling can stay here, while Grand Tutor Gu and I will go sit over there.”
Ling Qian'er was stunned, "Jun Ting, this..."
“Miss Ling, Grand Tutor Gu is actually Young Master Song’s maternal grandfather. They only recently recognized each other. They are just going to catch up now. They will return when they dock for rest.”
Chu Tianche felt like this was a windfall, wasn't this a chance for him and Miss Ling to be alone together?
As the boat slowly approached the dock and began to sail on the calm river, Song Ruozhen finally stepped out of the cabin.
However, as soon as he came out, he saw an unexpected figure, and his clear eyes were filled with astonishment.
"Your Highness, what are you doing here?"
Chu Junting smiled as he looked at the girl in front of him. Although she had changed into a maid's clothes, she was still very cute and looked even younger.
"I was traveling south anyway, and I just happened to stop by to visit you. I can go back after I get to Pingyang City."
Song Ruozhen understood; she hadn't thought of that before. "Then what about the stuff on your ship..."
"Don't worry, we've left people there, and besides, they don't have the guts." Chu Junting raised an eyebrow and said, "You know about Prince Che and Ling Qian'er traveling together?"
Song Ruozhen nodded, "I just heard about it, was it decided at the last minute?"