15
Cannot Accept but Must Accept
Unintentionally, Lin Qingran voiced the doubt in her heart, feeling somewhat perplexed.
They were clearly discussing matters, so why were they looking at her?
Hearing this, Xiao Heng and Mu Feng exchanged glances. Though inwardly unsettled, neither showed any emotion on their faces.
“It’s nothing, just that Miss Lin doesn’t seem to fully accept my views?” Mu Feng smiled. “Actually, it’s understandable if you can’t accept it. After all, there are many court affairs Miss Lin doesn’t comprehend. However, after marrying the Crown Prince, you’ll likely be drawn into these whirlpools with no means of escape.”
Mu Feng’s words were blunt, pulling Lin Qingran into the Crown Prince’s faction, partly due to her future status as Crown Princess.
Xiao Heng didn’t stop Mu Feng from saying these things, instead calmly adjusting his inner garment.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t curious about Lin Qingran’s reaction at all—he was simply more composed and didn’t show it.
“It’s not that I can’t accept it. Crown Prince gege and the Young Marquis know their limits and won’t do anything improper. After marrying into the Eastern Palace, I’ll naturally become part of it. Even if I can’t accept something, I’ll have to accept it.” Lin Qingran spoke softly, appearing rather timid.
[Would saying I don’t accept it make any difference? We’ll all be grasshoppers tied to the same string sooner or later—none of us can escape. To avoid an early death, wouldn’t it be better not to marry and just be a lazy bum, steering clear of those threats?]
[The Imperial Observatory has already selected the date, and the Ministry of Rites is making preparations. This marriage is probably inevitable, right?]
[In that case, if I slack off and don’t get involved in anything, I probably won’t provoke that bastard.]
With this thought, Lin Qingran felt slightly relieved.
As long as she didn’t foolishly provoke the major antagonist like the original host did, and maintained good relations with the male and female leads, she could survive even if the major antagonist failed later on.
Then, Grand Tutor Lin wouldn’t turn against the major antagonist, and the Lin family wouldn’t be destroyed.
At this moment, Lin Qingran felt that as long as she slacked off, lay low, and acted lazy, she could probably avoid these outcomes.
Xiao Heng had now heard Lin Qingran’s inner thoughts about marriage twice. He suddenly felt he had never truly understood this person—outwardly she appeared deeply affectionate, yet inwardly she didn’t want to be with him at all.
Of course, he didn’t have such feelings for Lin Qingran either, but knowing her thoughts now left him somewhat unwilling.
“It’s good that Ranran thinks this way.” Xiao Heng suddenly spoke cryptically, his gaze fixed intently on Lin Qingran beside him.
Next, he instructed Mu Feng to thoroughly investigate Liang Peng’s affairs.
Since Lin Qingran knew Liang Peng would encounter trouble, there must be clues to be found around him.
Not only Xiao Heng thought this way—Mu Feng did too. He would leave the palace later to verify this, and also investigate why Lin Qingran knew about these matters.
Could there truly be such a thing as foreknowledge in this world?
“Crown Prince gege is absolutely right.” Lin Qingran forced a dry laugh.
[Good my foot! I don’t want to stand with you at all—you’re the major antagonist! Opposing the male lead, do you think you’ll come to a good end?]
“Maybe I should just cling to the male and female leads? But my daughter must really dislike me now—I need to make her stop hating me. No matter who was at fault before, I’m the one who has to bear the consequences now. I hope I can build a good relationship with my daughter soon.”
“Speaking of which, my daughter is so sweet and soft—if I were a man, I’d like her too. No wonder these guys are fighting over her.”
My daughter?
Xiao Heng was puzzled again, unsure what “my daughter” meant. Knowing Lin Qingran often said inexplicable things, he didn’t dwell on it and focused on what he could understand.
Mu Feng also didn’t understand Lin Qingran’s meaning, but he was currently distracted, thinking about how to start investigating Liang Peng.
And the other people under the Crown Prince—he wondered if any of them had issues.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t ask directly. Otherwise, he’d really like to ask Lin Qingran about the others, preferably by making a list and having her check them one by one.
But this was just a thought in his mind. If he said it out loud, he wouldn’t be able to explain to Xiao Heng why he could hear his fiancée’s inner thoughts.
The three of them chatted intermittently after that, mostly Lin Qingran and Mu Feng talking while Xiao Heng listened, occasionally responding.
Mu Feng left the palace during lunch, as he wasn’t staying in the palace today.
This Young Marquis Mu Feng held a very special position in the palace. Normally, external men were absolutely not allowed to stay overnight in the palace, yet Mu Feng could, and there was even a specific palace reserved for his stays.
Originally, Mu Feng’s grandmother and the Empress Dowager were biological sisters, and the two were very close.
The Empress Dowager wasn’t Emperor Kangyuan’s birth mother. Her own son had suffocated during a difficult birth and died, after which she never conceived again.
Emperor Kangyuan’s birth mother was a palace maid whom the old emperor had favored while drunk. He had forgotten about it until he learned the maid was pregnant.
To save face, the old emperor eliminated the mother but kept the child. The palace maid was executed on the same day she gave birth.
Coincidentally, the Empress Dowager had just lost her child. Feeling that the swaddled Emperor Kangyuan, having lost his mother, was as pitiful as her, she begged the old emperor and thus raised him by her side.
Because the Empress Dowager and Mu Feng’s grandmother were close, Mu Feng often entered the palace with his grandmother and gradually got to know Xiao Heng.
During his first palace visit, the Empress Dowager thought Mu Feng resembled the son she had lost, mainly because both had a red mole by their ear.
Therefore, the Empress Dowager doted on Mu Feng immensely, even more than her grandson Xiao Heng, the Crown Prince. Not only did she reserve a grand hall for his overnight stays in the palace, she also had it maintained daily. Whenever she came across any precious items, she would save a portion for Mu Feng.
Mu Feng was also eloquent, always bringing joy to his conversations with the Empress Dowager. Thus, he held a transcendent status in the palace, was treated differently, and could stay in the imperial palace anytime.
Emperor Kangyuan had once subtly mentioned this issue, but the Empress Dowager paid no heed, saying that if the emperor wanted to drive him out, he might as well drive her out too.
Emperor Kangyuan couldn’t bear to speak harshly to the mother who raised him, especially since the Empress Dowager had given him affection that even the old emperor hadn’t. He deeply respected her.
Consequently, Emperor Kangyuan could only turn a blind eye and allow Mu Feng to stay in the palace.
Fortunately, Mu Feng didn’t cause trouble and even became close with Xiao Heng, becoming his right-hand man.
These were mentioned in the book, so Lin Qingran couldn’t quite understand why Mu Feng and Xiao Heng’s friendship spanning over a decade of growing up together would ultimately shatter completely over a woman.
Of course, it wasn’t the female lead’s fault—after all, her heart belonged solely to the male lead. So it must be the author’s problem, Lin Qingran thought.
In the afternoon, while Xiao Heng was resting, Lin Qingran sat in the corridor of Lizheng Hall lost in thought, the two of them not disturbing each other.
She lingered in the palace until dusk before finally dragging her weary body out of the palace.