Chapter 47: You Still Don't Know How Good a Man Can Be

This was Lin Yue’s first time visiting the Grand Princess’s estate. The mansion was vast, with corridors and courtyards winding round and round.

Finally, she was led to a small, artificially created lake where the Grand Princess was waiting. The Grand Princess sat inside a pavilion by the water, flanked by stacked Taihu rockery and surrounded by lush, graceful bamboo, creating a picturesque scene.

Now fifty-five years old, the Grand Princess looked even more spirited than the Empress Dowager. Her eyes, in particular, shone brilliantly, giving her the appearance of a remarkably astute and capable woman.

When she laid eyes on Lin Yue, a flash of astonished comprehension crossed her gaze. She promptly dismissed her attendants and struck up a conversation with Lin Yue.

"You must be wondering why I summoned you here. The truth is, I was asked a favor by someone."

Listening to this, Lin Yue nodded inwardly, thinking: *What does that have to do with me? We aren’t even close. Can’t you just get straight to the point?*

The Grand Princess: "..." What had she just heard?

Lin Yue’s lips hadn’t moved at all. Could this be her inner voice?

"Lin Yue?" the Grand Princess called out.

Lin Yue immediately replied, "Please speak, Aunt. I am listening."

*Listening or not, what difference does it make? You’re my elder, and I’m just here to complete a task. I have to play the part of a dutiful niece-in-law.*

The Grand Princess: "..."

It was no illusion; she was genuinely hearing Lin Yue’s innermost thoughts.

The Grand Princess rubbed her hands together in excitement, her eyes blazing with exhilaration. After living for fifty-five years, she had finally encountered such a rare and wondrous phenomenon.

As someone who had wanted to know what ghosts looked like since the age of three, she had waited a full fifty-two years for this! It was just that, given her advanced age, she couldn’t throw a public fit of joy. In her younger days, she would have rushed out to set off ten blocks of firecrackers!

"Ahem!

"Here is the matter: Minister of Works Tan Jian has asked me to put in a good word for him. He wants to know if his son can replace the Crown Prince in escorting the military provisions. Not only would this help share the Crown Prince's burdens, but Tan Jian also has a son-in-law stationed right along the supply line connecting the border to the capital. This way, they could coordinate even better."

"I considered how this matter concerns Jingyun, so I called you here to ask if it would be appropriate to bestow this duty upon the Tan family."

A polite smile surfaced on Lin Yue’s face: *Can they? How could they possibly? When power eventually slips away, the Tan family will become the capital's inside agents, while Mu Lixin's army dominates the outside. The world might still look like it belongs to the Xiao clan, but in reality, it will have fallen into the hands of the Tans or the Mus.*

*Such a foolish question—I don't even want to answer it, yet you actually managed to ask it out loud?*

*Tsk tsk, when people grow old, they ought to accept their age. Why meddle in such foolish matters? Honestly.*

The Grand Princess: *...* Who was old? How dare she call her old! That was simply unforgivable! If the Emperor hadn't personally begged her, she wouldn't have bothered playing the role of an old fool. Hmph!

"I was merely asking for your opinion! If you agreed, I would go act as a lobbyist. If you disagree, why on earth would I bother with such an ungrateful task?"

Lin Yue: "..."

*Oh ho, quite the fiery temper. Truly worthy of being a Grand Princess.*

"Well, this matter is absolutely out of the question. Jingyun is fighting a war at the border, and he relies on Mu Lixin to cooperate and relay messages promptly. If someone from the Tan family gets involved, it would be equivalent to giving Mu Lixin an ally, leaving Jingyun at their mercy."

The Grand Princess: "Why didn't you just say so earlier!"

Lin Yue: "..." *Didn't you just ask?*

The Grand Princess shouted toward the rockery, "That old bastard Tan Jian can go die! He wants to hog all the good things!"

Lin Yue looked over at the protruding rockery, completely bewildered: *Is she cursing people into thin air?*

Xiao Jingxian inside the rockery: "..." ???

His Grand Aunt’s explosive temper was truly not to be trifled with; the next second, she would spill your secrets right to your face.

Sure enough, the Grand Princess continued, "If you have ulterior motives, just say so. What a piece of trash."

"If he can't even understand something this simple, he's wasted all those years being a 'high-ranking official'."

Xiao Jingxian wailed internally: *Please stop scolding, Aunt. Shouldn't I just leave now?*

He beat a crestfallen retreat, thinking to himself that he still hadn't figured out whether Tan Jian could actually be executed.

As he walked away in doubt, Liu Jian glanced back at the Grand Princess's estate, musing that the Emperor had gone to such great lengths simply to catch a glimpse of the Prince of Ding's consort from afar.

*Sob, sob... The Emperor is so wretched. The woman he loves is his younger brother’s wife, and he can’t even openly bring her into the palace.*

No, he had to figure out a way to help the Emperor achieve his wish.

Inside the garden pavilion, the Grand Princess said to Lin Yue, "I know Jingyun has been at the border for three years. It's only natural for you to feel lonely."

"However, even with someone protecting you, you must be careful not to get pregnant."

"Though the child would technically be my grand-nephew either way, I don't want to see you throw your life away for it."

Lin Yue’s worldview shattered to pieces: *What the hell?*

*Is she implying I'm cuckolding my husband?*

*Damn it! Dealing with Xiao Huaiqing is already annoying enough, and now there’s a Grand Princess. Do you people in the royal family all have lost screws in your heads?*

The Grand Princess: "..." ??? *You're the one with a screw loose! Your whole family is unhinged!* *I'm doing this for your own good, and yet you dare curse me!*

"Lin Yue, you won't find many elders as open-minded as I am!"

"You should cherish this, you know?"

"Take me, for instance—all three of my children belonged to the Prince Consort, so he could die in peace."

Lin Yue: "..." ??? *So when you were young...*

The Grand Princess looked proud. "When I was young, I didn't have that many! Aside from the Prince Consort, I only kept twenty-or-so male concubines in private!"

"Quite a few of them were my personal guards. Not only were they young and handsome, but they also had robust physiques. And best of all... they came whenever summoned and never dared to disobey!"

Lin Yue: "..." *I get the logic, but aren't you a bit too aggressively liberated as a woman?*

*Tsk tsk!*

"Anyway, as long as you don't go too wild, even if your affair comes to light, I'll do my utmost to spare your life."

"Otherwise, you'll have only one dead end."

"It's simply not worth it for one man!"

"Ten men, on the other hand, might be worth considering!"

Lin Yue decisively stood up: "Farewell!"

*Go have your mental episodes by yourself! This lady is busy accumulating merit and strictly declines the approach of any men!*

The Grand Princess: "..." !!

Watching Lin Yue flee in panic, the Grand Princess chuckled and scolded, "Silly girl."

"You still don't know the wonderful uses of men."

A young lass with her husband away from home had actually gotten mixed up with her husband's eldest brother. And that eldest brother happened to be the Emperor—domineering, tyrannical, and impossible to replace on a whim!

Tsk tsk! How truly pitiful!

Seeing Lin Yue storm out, Nanny Zhang hurried forward to support her. "My Princess, what is wrong?"

"Why are you so flustered? Did the Grand Princess say something?"

With a cracked expression, Lin Yue said, "Damn it!! She told me she used to keep male concubines—over twenty of them!"

Nanny Zhang quickly clamped a hand over Lin Yue’s mouth and anxiously glanced around. Seeing that no one was watching, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. "How dare her aging ladyship bring up those reckless affairs from her youth?"

"Now that she's old, she has grown completely unrestrained."

Lin Yue sighed. Indeed she had!

Most importantly, she had scared her out of her wits.

"To the palace! I need to see the Crown Prince."

"The Grand Princess said that Minister Tan asked her to lobby for him so his son can take over the provision-escorting duty."

"This is extremely unfavorable to the Crown Prince. I must go stop it."

Hearing this, Nanny Zhang said suspiciously, "Everyone knows the Grand Princess despises meddling in court affairs. Why would Minister Tan ask her to intercede?"

Lin Yue replied in utmost depression, "Heaven knows."

"Let's hurry!"