Lin Mengya hurried back to the Qinglan Courtyard with her servant girls. Hearing the news, Lin Zhongyu rushed to her room and found that Lin Mengya looked sulky.
"The Crown Prince is nasty and vicious! Sister Princess, please don't be angry."
The Crown Prince flirted with Lin Mengya, which made Lin Zhongyu and all her servant girls angry.
"No, I'm not angry. I'm just trying to think of a way to pay him back."
In her previous life and her current life, Lin Mengya hated self-righteous men most.
She could still remember that when she was in college, a bossy boy who thought that he was rich took liberties with her.
In the end, she stole a human skeleton and secretly put it in the boy's bed. She scared the crap out of him.
Now, the Crown Prince was courting death by taking liberties with her.
"Princess. The Prince said that the Crown Prince will have dinner in our mansion. Please prepare for it."
The butler said outside the room. Lin Mengya nodded and Baizhi came out to answer him.
How dare he stay for dinner! A weird smile appeared on her face and she believed that the Crown Prince would remember this meal for a lifetime!
In the small side courtyard of Prince Yu's Mansion, Crown Prince was looking at his aunt with frowns. Shangguan Qing looked sad and depressed.
The room was neat and tidy, but it was too shabby, and there was no decent furniture.
Even the tea cups they used were the simplest coarse porcelain cups and the tea was the insipid bitter tea.
His aunt and cousin were wearing simple clothes. Compared with Lin Mengya who was wearing the silk dress, they looked like the beggars on the street.
When he was a child, his mother was busy competing with the concubines of the Emperor. As a result, his aunt, who always went to the imperial palace to keep him company, took his mother's space.
He especially inquired about his aunt when he went to Prince Yu's Mansion.
But he didn't expect that they were so miserable. Lin Mengya's gone too far this time.
"Crown Prince, mother and I are bullied and humiliated by Lin Mengya. Please help us!"
Lin Mengwu wept and told barefaced lies to the Crown Prince. But she didn't mention her mistakes at all. She insisted on staying in Prince Yu's Mansion and coveted Lin Mengya's husband.
"Wu'er, don't be ridiculous. Your cousin will do great things and he shouldn't get involved in the affairs of the inner chamber."
Shangguan Qing loved the Crown Prince. She only had a daughter and the only boy of the Lin family was the child of the bitch.
He always got in her way and had never been close to her.
Now her nephew was in Prince Yu's Mansion and he would definitely help her to punish Lin Mengya. This bitch would soon lose her power and be disgraced!
"Wu'er is right. Since I'm here, I will not let my aunt be bullied by others. But after all, Lin Mengya is the master while we're the guests. I can't get involved in all the affairs. I come here today to discuss something with my aunt."
The Crown Prince suppressed his dissatisfaction and suddenly thought of something important.
Shangguan Qing and Lin Mengwu looked at each other and didn't know what the Crown Prince wanted to say.
"Wu'er will be sixteen years old in 3 months, won't she?"
He habitually picked up the teacup, but then put it on the table in disgust after seeing the turbid black tea.
Shangguan Qing suddenly became worried but Lin Mengwu felt shy and her beautiful face turned red.
"Bright King of Tubo will come to the capital city in a few days and his son and daughter will also come here with him. The princes of Tubo are young and talented. Mother wants to choose a good husband for Wu'er."
"What?!"
Shangguan Qing and Lin Mengwu shouted at the same time. They stared at the Crown Prince in disbelief.
"Many princesses in the imperial palace are of marriageable age and many daughters of the princes are also above sixteen years old! Why do you ask Wu'er to marry the prince of Tubo?"
Shangguan Qing said sharply. But she caught a flash of discontent in the Crown Prince's eyes and suddenly realized that she made a mistake.
She immediately softened her tone.
"Please forgive me for being impolite. I only have one daughter and if she marries the prince of Tubo, I'll miss her very much."
Lin Mengwu was angry and shocked but she dared not contradict him. She tried hard to hold back her tears.
She was unwilling to marry the prince of Tubo. People living here were barbarians and she heard that some tribes were still eating the raw meat and drinking the blood. She would be doomed and could never come back here after getting married to the barbarian prince.
"Yes, you're right. Mother just makes a proposal and the prince of Tubo has the final say. All the princesses in the imperial palace and the daughters of the princes will come to the party. We don't know who the prince will choose."
The Crown Prince was telling the truth but his mother had already sent the portrait of Lin Mengwu to the princes of Tubo.
Tubo was a barbarian land but every man was a soldier. The little boys and old men with white hair could also fight the enemies.
It would be easier for him to ascend the throne if Lin Mengya could get married to the Prince of Tubo.
If Lin Mengwu could get married to the prince of Tubo and then become the Empress, she would be of great help to him.
But she couldn't tell these things to his aunt. She was just a short-sighted woman.
Shangguan Qing caught a flash of shrewdness in the eyes of the Crown Prince. And she immediately understood his intention.
She immediately felt resentment towards her elder sister.
At that time, she fell in love with Lin Muzhi who came from the military general's family. But in order to become the Empress, her sister persuaded her father into marrying her off to a sick man!
Fortunately, the sick man died young, otherwise, she might also become a widow who lived alone now.
But her elder sister was too selfish. Muzhi found the bitch on the battlefield and married her despite objections from his family.
Wu'er was her lifeblood and she would not sacrifice her daughter's happiness to satisfy her sister's ambition!
"If this is the case, it'll take a load off my mind."
Shangguan Qing pulled at the sleeve of her daughter and gave her a reassuring look.
She regained her composure and gradually had a vicious idea.
Her daughter would not get married to the prince of Tubo. But she must exploit this opportunity.
"Don't worry, if Wu'er doesn't want to marry the prince, mother and I will respect her opinions. After all, she is my cousin and different from ordinary girls."
The Crown Prince lied and said vaguely. He looked narrowly at Lin Mengwu.
She was not so beautiful as Lin Mengya, but she was a pretty and charming beauty.
He was sure that the barbarian prince, who had never seen the girls of the central plains, would definitely fall in love with her at first sight.
At that time, it was not up to her to decide her destiny!
"Pay respect to the Crown Prince, Mrs. Lin, and Miss Lin. The dinner is ready and the Princess asks me to invite you to come over and have dinner."
Baiji, who was pretty and sweet, was standing outside the courtyard and repeating the words of Lin Mengya honestly.
Three of them immediately stopped talking about the prince of Tubo.
The Crown Prince freshened up and walked out of the courtyard. Shangguan Qing and Lin Mengwu followed him out one by one.
Three of them came to the main room which was used to entertain the guests with their own servants.
Long Tianhao and Long Qinghan were sitting in the right-hand seats and Concubine De was in the place of honor alone. The seat of the host was still empty.
The Crown Prince naturally took the seat of the host. Shangguan Qing and Lin Mengwu also sat down at the dining table. But they found that the hostess was missing.
"Pay respect to Concubine De. Do you get used to living here?"
The Crown Prince pretended to be kind and friendly and chatted with Concubine De. But in fact, he hated this woman who had been competing with his mother for the past many years.
Concubine De was the favorite concubine of his father and her son was also in high favor. He and his mother both hated this woman.
"Thank you for your concern and care. I'm all right and everything is fine."
Concubine De said perfunctorily and didn't show any emotions.
She looked noble and elegant as if she was still in the imperial palace. She had been thrown out of the imperial palace but the Crown Prince couldn't find any traces of depression on her face.
"Good. My mother is in the imperial palace and she misses you very much."
Long Tianhao caught a flash of coldness in the eyes of the Crown Prince.
"Crown Prince, please forgive me. We're not prepared and don't know what food you like. So I have to prepare more dishes. It's simple and please enjoy it."
Lin Mengya was late. She was wearing an aquamarine dress and looked more beautiful and charming.
The coldness on her face disappeared and the lively smile made her more brilliant.
She was as sweet as a young girl and they couldn't find any maturity of young women in her. She looked more beautiful and charming than Lin Mengwu.
The Crown Prince and Long Qinghan couldn't help looking at her.
But she smiled and sat next to Long Tianhao.
"Prince, if the Crown Prince doesn't like the dishes that I prepared, please intercede for me."
Long Tianhao was surprised at her sweet tone.
He tilted his face and saw Lin Mengya's bright eyes. What was her plan?
The superb dinner was served. The servants quickly put different dishes on the dining table.
It was a family feast but the dishes on the table were placed according to the standard. There was a eunuch standing beside the Crown Prince. He tried every dish before asking the servant to distribute food to the Crown Prince.
"This dish is crystal clear and I've never eaten it before. What's the name of this dish?"
There was a golden object on the plate of the prince. It was crisp outside and sweet and soft inside. The Crown Prince was interested in it.
"The name of this dish is caramelized sweet potato. This is just an ordinary home-cooked dishes. You can have a try."
Lin Mengya dropped her eyes to conceal the smile in her eyes.
In addition to the caramelized sweet potato, there were also dishes made of radishes, apples, and potatoes on the dining table. These dishes looked normal but they were fine and delicious.
The Crown Prince drank the wine that Lin Mengya carefully prepared for him. She elegantly covered her mouth and held back her laughter.
Suddenly they heard a faint pop coming from somewhere. It attracted the attention of everyone present.