The two chatted for a while before Du Yiyi suddenly told Su Xiaoqi with a mysterious expression, "Sister, my father is arranging a marriage for me."
Du Yiyi was fifteen years old and had already come of age. It was the right time for her to get engaged.
Su Xiaoqi wasn't too surprised but was curious about the person and his character.
As she thought about it, she asked. Unexpectedly, Du Yiyi, who was usually direct and forthright, became shy. "Um, well, you might not have met him yet."
Su Xiaoqi rarely saw her in such a state. She initially wanted to tease her a bit more, but then she considered this was an important event in her life.
As her sister (more than a sister by blood), she had to think of her best interests and not make her feel awkward. So, she said, "Why don't you tell me his name? I won't ask for details. That way, your brother-in-law can inquire about his character."
"He, his name is Liang Jingning." Du Yiyi's heart fluttered.
In fact, she hadn't properly met the groom-to-be. The last time he visited their home, she had hidden behind a screen and glimpsed him. He was quite handsome.
Furthermore, he seemed to have some talent in the capital, and he was even participating in this imperial examination.
Su Xiaoqi's heart skipped a beat.
Liang Jingning. With the surname Liang, he was clearly a member of the royal family. Judging by the generation, he was in the same generation as Liang Jingchen and Liang Jingyu.
She first sifted through her memories of this name and found nothing remarkable. She let it go for now.
However, she made up her mind to ask Shen Yun to help inquire about him later.
Logically, Du Yiyi's marriage was a matter for her parents to handle. As her newly recognized sister, she shouldn't interfere carelessly.
But Du Yiyi was her best friend since she had arrived here, and she always wished her well.
Her family was loving and harmonious, so there was nothing for her to worry about there.
But for women in this era, marriage was akin to a second birth. Therefore, she had to carefully vet Du Yiyi's suitor.
Du Yiyi was broad-minded. After mentioning her engagement casually, she stopped talking about it. Instead, she leaned close to Su Xiaoqi's ear with a smile and said, "Little Qi, you won't believe how lively the capital has been these past few days."
Su Xiaoqi thought for a moment and then, with a flash of insight, asked, "Is it that the Yong'an Marquisate and the Ning Prince's Estate are in conflict?"
Du Yiyi pouted, "Yes, the Ning Prince's Estate only has two daughters and one son, and yet they all cause trouble."
Su Xiaoqi's heart gave a jolt, and she couldn't help but look at Zhang Yu, who was standing by the bed.
She thought Shen Yun had told Du Yiyi the reason for her injury. They had agreed not to tell anyone.
Zhang Yu, however, gently shook her head and mouthed, "Fell down."
Su Xiaoqi's heart relaxed.
Regarding her injury, she and Shen Yun agreed it was best not to publicize it. They had merely stated that she had accidentally fallen while strolling in the courtyard, scraped her skin, and was recuperating.
This was to avoid escalating the situation, which would be inconvenient when they dealt with the Ning Prince's Heir.
She particularly didn't want Du Yiyi and the Yu State Duke's household to know, for fear they would worry too much about her.
Moreover, Du Yiyi had such an unrestrained temper. If she found out that the Ning Prince's Heir had injured her, she would likely give him a cold shoulder whenever she saw him.
Knowing it was a false alarm, Su Xiaoqi immediately replied, "Oh, what happened?"
Du Yiyi, unaware of Su Xiaoqi's thoughts, smiled and said, "First, the Grand Princess accused the Ning Prince's Estate's Princess Qionghua of bullying Princess Huian in secret. Initially, there was no witness or evidence, and Princess Huian could only cry, not daring to say anything.
"The day before yesterday, the Grand Princess suddenly found a witness, someone from the Yong'an Marquisate. Their family claimed someone had personally seen Princess Qionghua beating and abusing Princess Huian.
"When the Empress heard this, how could she tolerate it? She immediately ordered Princess Qionghua to be summoned to the palace.
"Princess Qionghua tried her old trick, denying everything and even attempting to manipulate Princess Huian into lying for her.
"However, this time Princess Huian did not comply.
"She recounted all of Princess Qionghua's misdeeds one by one.
"Upon hearing Princess Huian's account, Princess Qionghua immediately burst into tears and shifted the blame.
"She claimed it was all done by her cousin, Miss Liu, and that she was forced into it."
"She's lying," Su Xiaoqi remembered the first time she and Du Yiyi had seen the scene.
Du Yiyi slapped her thigh and agreed, "Exactly. Of the two sisters, she was the ringleader. Her cousin was just a simpleton, only knowing to follow instructions."
Both of them thought so, but the powerful figures present at Ci'an Palace did not think the same, or perhaps, she was still a county princess of the Ning Prince's Estate, and punishing her too severely would wound the Ning Prince's Estate's reputation.
However, dealing with the legitimate daughter of a minor official was a trivial matter, not worth mentioning.
Therefore, someone mediated the situation and directly blamed Miss Liu.
The Liu family was ordered to send her to a manor outside the city and confine her.
And the ringleader, Princess Qionghua, continued to live in the Ning Prince's Estate, remaining their pampered county princess.
Perhaps she would cause trouble in the capital again one day.
"Really, if only I had gone..." Du Yiyi gritted her teeth, unwilling.
If she had gone to the palace with them, she would have made sure to expose Princess Qionghua.
"It seems the Ning Prince's Estate is highly favored, and their status cannot be easily shaken," Su Xiaoqi said, and seeing Du Yiyi still indignant, she advised, "Actually, there's no need to worry. Even if the Emperor and Empress forgive the Ning Prince's Estate, there is someone who will not let them off."
Du Yiyi's face brightened into a smile, "That's true. No matter how favored the Ning Prince's Estate is, they are still subjects. How could they be as close as family?"
Su Xiaoqi felt a chill hearing this. This was not modern times, and freedom of speech was just a myth.
If one dared to speak ill of the Emperor, and was reported, according to the Laws of Daliang, it would be an offense of great disrespect, punishable by exile for minor offenses and confiscation of property and beheading for severe ones.
Du Yiyi stuck out her tongue, realizing she had spoken too rashly. But she wasn't afraid, muttering, "We're just saying this among ourselves."
Su Xiaoqi smiled, "Saying it to me is fine. I'm just afraid that if you get used to saying it, you might let it slip in front of unrelated people."
Sometimes people were like that. They didn't intend to say that particular sentence, but the conversation would lead them to it, and inadvertently, they would commit a taboo.
Seeing Su Xiaoqi's serious expression, Du Yiyi quickly promised that she would not speak carelessly in the future and would think carefully before saying anything.
Su Xiaoqi knew she had a sense of proportion and did not dwell on it.
The two chatted for a while longer. Du Yiyi repeatedly confirmed that Su Xiaoqi's injuries were not serious and that she would attend the Bathing Buddha Festival before she took her leave.
To prove her words were true, Su Xiaoqi specifically got up to see her off.
As she got into the carriage, Du Yiyi suddenly lifted the curtain and said, "My maternal grandmother has been asking about you these past few days.
"She asked why you haven't visited her. You didn't want me to tell her you were injured, and now that you're better, you must remember to go."
Su Xiaoqi nodded. She hadn't visited the old matriarch in the past few days, and the old lady was indeed very concerned about her, sending a lot of gifts through Nanny Lin.
She had hidden the fact of her injury from the old lady, not wanting her to worry.
She had originally planned to use her injury as an excuse to recuperate. Now that she was healed, it was time to pay her respects.
The Grand Princess had also sent people to check on her these past few days. She needed to thank them in person and also inquire about Princess Huian's situation.