Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress
Chapter 362 - 359: Suddenly Realizing_1

Chapter 362: Chapter 359: Suddenly Realizing_1

Lu Ping stood at the gate of the Princess of Zhen’s residence, watching Xiao Rongyan and his servant depart into the distance. He felt a bit regretful. Xiao Rongyan, with his noble and steady demeanor, looked nothing like a merchant. Instead, he seemed more like a well-read scholar, exuding elegance and refinement.

If Xiao Rongyan were not just a merchant, he would be well-matched with their eldest daughter.

Just now, seeing the two walk side by side from behind, they looked like a perfect pair, handsome and beautiful.

Lu Ping retracted his gaze and entered the residence with Bai Qingyan, asking softly, "Eldest Miss, should we investigate that shop assistant?"

"No need. It should have been an accident. After all, no one knew in advance that we would take that road. And I just happened to stop at that inn," Bai Qingyan replied.

Lu Ping nodded and clasped his fists. "I will arrange for someone to spread the news that the Eldest Miss will return to Shuoyang the day after tomorrow."

Bai Qingyan nodded.

·

At the residence of Left Prime Minister Li Mao, news arrived that Bai Qingyan would return to Shuoyang the day after tomorrow. He called two advisors to discuss. One advisor suggested taking this opportunity to eliminate Bai Qingyan completely.

But the other advisor believed that Bai Qingyan would not be foolish enough to carry the letters with her. Besides, the Bai family in Dadu had the Eldest Princess, making it hard to infiltrate.

Li Mao sat under the flickering candlelight, listening to the advisors’ endless debate. He tapped the table in front of him. "We cannot act rashly. Even now, we do not know if Bai Qingyan really has those letters. We should test it first while Bai Qingyan is still in Dadu."

The older advisor in green robes said, "Left Prime Minister, I have an idea."

"Let’s hear it," Li Mao said, looking at the advisor in green robes.

"Since we couldn’t get any information from Wen Zhenkang’s wife, and she says she keeps the letters with a reliable person, who is not the Princess of Zhen, we do not know if the Princess of Zhen has those letters. Why not... turn this potential enemy into an in-law?" the green-robed counselor suggested.

Li Mao frowned and waved his hand. "The Princess of Zhen has sworn never to marry. She rejected the Prince of Daliang with this excuse. She would never marry into the Li family."

"Left Prime Minister, I am not referring to the Princess of Zhen. I mean...the Lord of Gaoyi!" the green-robed advisor said slowly.

Li Mao’s brows tightened as he looked thoughtfully at the table.

"The Lord of Gaoyi is of age, and your youngest son is three years older than the Lord of Gaoyi and is not yet engaged. This way, you and the Princess of Zhen become in-laws. Even if she holds those letters, she will not act recklessly," the green-robed advisor explained.

"What if the Eldest Princess and Bai Qingyan do not agree?" Li Mao asked, lowering his gaze. Though his youngest son did not have the notorious reputation of Lu Yuanpeng, he was not exceptional either. Would the Eldest Princess and Bai Qingyan agree?

"The Left Prime Minister can directly request an imperial decree from His Majesty," the green-robed advisor smiled. "This way, even if the Eldest Princess and the Princess of Zhen do not agree, they cannot disobey an imperial order. Once the two families are in-laws, you can gradually test if the letters are in Bai family’s hands."

The advisor in white shook his head. "What if the Princess of Zhen and the Eldest Princess disagree with this marriage and hand over the letters to His Majesty or the Crown Prince out of anger?"

Hearing this, the green-robed advisor’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Li Mao. "The Left Prime Minister can have his wife enter the palace and ask Consort Yu, the Crown Prince’s biological mother, to mediate. First, have the children engaged; then, after the mourning period for the Lord of Gaoyi, they can marry. If the Princess of Zhen and the Eldest Princess disagree, there will still be room to maneuver."

The green-robed advisor’s eyes gleamed brighter. "The Princess of Zhen will likely come to threaten the Left Prime Minister to find a way to break the engagement. Then, the Left Prime Minister can ask to see the letters in exchange for canceling the engagement. If the letters are in the Princess of Zhen’s hands, and she only wants peace, we should not provoke her over King Liang and risk trouble."

The advisor in white nodded in agreement. "Even if the letters are not with the Princess of Zhen, it would not be a loss for the Left Prime Minister’s son to be engaged to the Lord of Gaoyi."

Li Mao squinted at the glass lampshade on the table. After thinking for a while, he nodded. "This is a viable plan."

"Now, we must figure out how to present this to His Majesty to secure his agreement," the two advisors pondered.

Li Mao had another idea. "Actually, there’s no need to request an imperial decree. We can release the news that I intend to ask His Majesty to arrange the marriage of my youngest son to the Lord of Gaoyi. If the Eldest Princess and the Princess of Zhen disagree, they will come to find me."

The advisor in green did not agree. "What if the Eldest Princess hears the news and hastily arranges a marriage for the Lord of Gaoyi?"

Hearing this, Li Mao smiled and stared at the flame within the glass lampshade. He calmly said, "If they do that, it proves... the Princess of Zhen does not have those letters."

The green-robed advisor suddenly realized.

Yes, if the Princess of Zhen had those letters, she would directly confront the Left Prime Minister upon hearing the news. She would not rush into arranging a marriage for the Lord of Gaoyi.

If the Eldest Princess and the Princess of Zhen hurriedly arranged a marriage, it would prove that the Bai family did not have the letters. The Princess of Zhen must have learned about the letters somehow and was bluffing the Left Prime Minister.

However, Li Mao did not think Bai Qingyan would go to such lengths to bluff him. What he feared was... Bai Qingyan using the threat of those letters for a larger scheme.

For example, if Bai Qingyan indeed had the letters, she would be seeking mutual peace. Li Mao believed that as long as he did not provoke the Bai family for King Liang, he would not suffer any loss.

The green-robed advisor straightened and bowed to Li Mao. "The Left Prime Minister’s strategy is brilliant. I admire it greatly."

Li Mao tapped the table forcefully. "The Princess of Zhen will return to Shuoyang on the twenty-second. Spread the news tonight. Make sure it reaches her residence by morning. We need to clarify this matter early so I can rest easy."

The white-robed counselor clasped his fists. "Rest assured, Left Prime Minister, the news will reach the Princess of Zhen’s residence by morning."

Li Mao nodded and raised the tea cup in front of him. "Go make arrangements!"