"Princess Ming Yue is after all our guest. We will definitely show her our hospitality. Your Highness, let's go and pay our respects our mother first."
Lin Mengya smiled as she deftly broke free from Jiang Ruqin's hold.
Long Tianhao's line of vision did not fall on Jiang Ruqin the entire time since they arrived.
Having been completely ignored, Jiang Ruqin began burning with rage.
Just wait and see. The coming days in the mansion would no longer be as plain sailing as before!
Being covered with dust, the group of returning people went into their respective courtyards to wash up.
Jin Yue hurried back to the Art Courtyard to announce their return and once Lin Mengya changed into clean clothes, she, accompanied by her maids headed to the Art Courtyard.
Just when they entered the door, the girls' laughter could be heard coming from outside.
A frown appeared on Lin Mengya's face when she realized that it was Princess Ming Yue. She was so fast.
"The princess had arrived—"
Instantly, all the eyes in the room turned to focus on Lin Mengya.
Lin Mengya bowed to Concubine De with poise and a gentle smile. Such mannerism was entirely different from the adorable girl she was in the temporary imperial residence.
"I was just saying that Princess Yu was such an outstanding character. From the moment I first laid eyes on Princess Yu, I felt a special affinity towards her."
Ming Yue was sitting beside Concubine De's on the seat which was supposedly Lin Mengya's.
Lin Mengya was not sure if Princess Ming Yue was doing this purposely or unknowingly, but somehow her seat was taken over by her.
"Isn't that so true? My cousin-in-law is indeed such an outstanding talent. My cousin is truly blessed to have married her."
Jiang Ruqin actually put a stop to her mean comments about Lin Mengya and playing along with Princess Ming Ye, she started singing praises about Lin Mengya.
"You're too kind and generous. I'm just the prince's assistant. The prince had made me come forward just because he did not wish to broadcast his work."
The two ladies felt as if they had been punching on soft cotton when Lin Mengya displayed such humility and discretion.
Concubine De shot the two ladies an impatient look.
"Alright, that's enough. Now, Mengya, don't just stand there, come and sit down."
Concubine De did not usually use such a casual and intimate tone when she spoke to her own niece, Jiang Ruqin.
However, she treated Lin Mengya like her own child.
Long Tianhao had sent men to come back to report to his mother all that had happened on Mount Lingju.
From the information she gathered, she clearly saw Mengya's magnanimity and her capability in carrying out important tasks. For this reason, Concubine De was increasingly approving of her daughter-in-law.
"The prince has arrived—"
Just when Lin Mengya took her seat, Long Tianhao appeared by the gate of the Art Courtyard.
By now, he had shed his tattered clothes and cleaned himself up. In this instant, he was back to his exceptional handsome self.
"Greetings of peace to mother. Please forgive me for causing you much anxiety."
Long Tianhao's icy cold expression melted a little only in the presence of Concubine De.
He was at this moment, a man of flesh and blood instead of the usual standoffish man.
Despite the fact that the heart of Concubine De was aching for him, she had to restrain herself from speaking sweet words to him in the presence of all.
She just could not help looking worried on her face.
"Lin Kui had told me what happened to you. Are you injured? Is everything alright?"
Long Tianhao shook his head and answered, saying, "I'm fine, the princess had taken very good care of me."
Ming Yue cast a longing look at on Long Tianhao. She may have been idolizing Long Tianhao before this.
However, after the battle at Mount Lingju, her idolizing of Long Tianhao had turned into an obsession.
Only such a valiant and fearless man could be her perfect match.
Even the Crown Prince of Dajin was a cowardly and useless man who was more like a liability to his nation. How could he even be compared to Long Tianhao?
"I've come under my father's instructions." "Prince Yu had sacrificed himself to save our lives this time. Here is a little token of our appreciation. Hopefully, Prince Yu would accept it."
As she spoke, Princess Ming Yue also instructed her servants to bring out the gift of thanks prepared by King Ming.
The gift consisted of well-preserved thousand-year ginseng, delicately-shaped thousand-year Ganoderma, as well as various kinds of medicinal supplements. The instant the gift box was opened, the subtle aroma from the medicinal supplements filled the entire room.
Jealousy arose in Jiang Ruqin's heart. Only the generous King Ming would readily present such precious gift from his collection!
However, there did not seem to be any changes in Long Tianhao's expression.
To Long Tianhao, he had more of such precious medicinal supplements in his own mansion.
Although he had never inquired about it, it was said that Lin Mengya's storeroom for medicinal supplements was the most well-stocked and complete in the entire capital city.
To be honest, he did not really think much of the gift.
His line of vision fell on Lin Mengya's face.
It was at this moment that he caught sight of a look of excitement that flashed across Lin Mengya's face when she saw the content of one of the boxes.
As he was about to politely turn down the gift, he swallowed the words which he was about to say.
"It is my duty to save lives. It was not necessary for King Ming to be so mannerly."
At his response, Princess Ming Yue broke out into a brilliant smile, like a blossoming flower.
She had heard that Long Tianhao did not usually accept gifts casually.
However, he had been so fast to accept her gift. Didn't this mean—
Now it seemed that the relationship between Prince Yu and Princess Yu was not as solid as the rumors going around.
"In that case, I have accomplished my mission and I can return home accountable. Please excuse Ming Yue, Concubine De."
Ming Yue turned towards Concubine De to give her a courteous bow.
After Concubine De nodded at Ming Yue, Jinyue led her out through the gates of the Art Courtyard.
"Not only is Princess Ming Yue gentle and intelligent, but her family background is also excellent. What do you think, Mengya?"
While Concubine De commented with an indifferent tone, there was a rather odd look in her eyes.
The Crown Prince had shown himself to be an insensible person.
They supposed that he would be reprimanded by the Queen when he went home.
Concubine De was keenly aware of how excellent his son was. In this turbulent time, she had to have a plan for his son early.
"Princess Ming Yue was indeed exceptional. Unfortunately, she had been born into a foreign royal family."
Lin Mengya was well aware of Concubine De's intention. Somehow, an uneasy feeling came to her.
Nevertheless, she knew that she could not betray any of this feeling before Concubine De.
"That's true too. Qin'er, will you go into the kitchen to check lunch is ready. Your cousin and cousin-in-law must be exhausted from the journey, and they must also be famished."
Concubine De decided to drop the matter on Ming Yue, but turned her attention to send Jiang Ruqin away with an excuse.
Finally, there were only three people left in the room.
"You have done very well this time. However, at the time you've attracted too much attention and therefore also jealousy."
Concubine De said with a sincere tone out of her heartfelt concern for her children.
Having been in the palace of decades, she was keenly aware of the Queen's character.
"I am aware, but the situation at that time was such severe that if we didn't come forward, all of us would have suffered a calamity."
For 20 years, they have been concealing their strength and waiting for the right time. Long Tianhao naturally knew that he had to avoid the Crown Prince's vanguard, until the time when they really had no other choice.
In the occasion, it was the situation that had forced him to make such a move.
"Rest assured, mother. At this moment, the Crown Prince would be in no mood to come looking for trouble. He must be racking his brains to think of a way to put an end to what people were saying about him."
Lin Mengya saw this coming and had a plan in her head. Since they returned from Mount Lingju, she had expected the Crown Prince's actions to have been spread across the entire capital city.
The effect of people's love for gossip should never be underestimated.
"He is after all the Crown Prince, a fact we can't underrate."
However, a frown appeared on Concubine De's face as she began to worry. She had not been in the palace and she was clueless with regards to the Emperor's condition now.
"If your father is well, why would you and I end up in this pathetic state?"
Silence ensued. Long Tianhao's expression changed to that of worry and bitterness at his mother's mention of the Emperor.
As Lin Mengya rested her eyes on the mother-and-son pair, her mind was searching for any memory of the Emperor.
Seemingly, the Emperor had fallen ill three years ago.
It had all started with common flu, but somehow, it went from bad to worse, to the point where he was bedridden.
Recently, which was half a year before they were married, the Emperor had utterly collapsed.
He would lock himself up in the bedroom every day to recuperate.
Lin Mengya shook her head at the thought that the royal matters were much more complicated then she imagined.
"My bad to have raised this matter. Quick, come over to have some food. I suppose the two of you haven't had much sleep and food."
Concubine De decided to put aside this heartbreaking matter and stopped talking about it.
It was a pity for Lin Mengya because she wanted to find out more about matters regarding the Emperor.
Lunch was bland but nutritious, however, all three of them did not eat much of it because they were troubled thinking about what they discussed.
After lunch, Long Tianhao went back to his study to handle some matters, while Concubine De had Lin Mengya remain behind in the Art Courtyard.
There was a subtle fragrance of sandalwood filled the entire room. Concubine De had instructed for someone to brew two cups of jasmine tea for them.
The mother and daughter-in-law pair started to chat about family affairs.
"I have heard about what happened to Miss Yue. Although people were talking about this, it's not a bad idea for you to bring both Yue daughters to our home."
There was something which Lin Mengya did not understand. She thought Concubine De would say something to stop her, but now it seemed that Concubine De was agreeable in keeping Elder Sister Yue Ting in the mansion.
"Get some men to prepare a room in a quiet location so Miss Yue could stay in it. Sigh, how would such an unfortunate thing happen to her?"
Concubine De remembered that she had personally met Yue Ting before and at the thought of her, Concubine De could not help but let out a sigh of regret.
Although she was not exceptionally beautiful, she was gentle and sincere. She was definitely a desirable daughter of noble birth.
Unfortunately, she had been completely ruined now.
"Thank you, mother, for being so understanding. Elder Sister Yue is a virtuous and gentle lady. She would certainly be grateful for this arrangement."
Lin Mengya said gently. However, the sense of uneasiness in her kept building.
"Oh yes, I supposed you've met Princess Ming Yue. What do you think of her?"
Finally, they had arrived at the main topic of their discussion. After chatting for so long, Lin Mengya was afraid that was really what Concubine De wanted to discuss.
"Princess Ming Yue is a beautiful and elegant lady. Although she is a member of the western vassal state royal family, she is no doubt a lady of prestigious birth."
Against her true feelings, Lin Mengya sang praises about Princess Ming Yue. However, Concubine De was no aware that she was just being polite.
"I also think that she is a nice girl. Do you think you two can get along well?"