Quickly wear salted fish, she won by lying down

Chapter 1609 Substitute Bride 13
With this in mind, Linlang decided to contact the Prince of Qinghe and ask him about the situation.

She couldn't ask the Dowager Princess Qinghe what was so special about Prince Qinghe, but Prince Qinghe was her husband, and such rumors posed a deadly danger to him. He probably didn't want to be in unknown danger without even knowing it.
That evening, Prince Qinghe was preparing to stay at Linlang's place. Linlang dismissed the servants and asked Prince Qinghe, "Does Your Highness have any enemies?"

Prince Qinghe was surprised that Linlang suddenly asked this question today. You know, before, the couple didn't have much to say to each other. They would go straight to the point and rest after they finished. Why did the princess have something to ask today?
The Prince of Qinghe replied, "I rarely have contact with the outside world. Apart from showing my face at court once a month as required, I usually stay in the Prince's mansion, writing, painting, and tending to flowers. How could I possibly have any enemies?"

Unlike some members of the royal family, like his brother, who were promiscuous, he preferred to live a leisurely life every day, which others would consider the kind of retirement life that only the elderly would lead. How could someone like that have any enemies?
Linlang then told her about Liu Mama's visit and how he said she liked Consort Ding, and said, "After thinking it over, I realized that Liu Mama's spreading of this rumor to me was extremely malicious. If I were to hear it and become unhappy, I would argue with you recklessly, and if the rumor spread, it would inevitably bring about the downfall of the Prince's Mansion. In addition, Consort Ding in the palace would probably also be in trouble. So this person must be a common enemy of you and Consort Ding, otherwise why would she spread such a rumor? Of course, this is just my guess. It is also possible that you two really have this relationship, and the other person is just being kind, afraid that I have violated some taboo of yours, and is deliberately reminding me out of kindness."

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Qinghe immediately frowned and said, "Consort Ding? Are you referring to the daughter of the Duke of Cheng? When did I ever like her? I've only seen her at some banquets. Who spread such rumors about me and her?"

When Linlang heard Prince Qinghe personally deny the matter, she immediately understood that the person who spread the rumor wanted Prince Qinghe and Consort Ding dead, and that the two must be each other's enemies.

The Prince of Qinghe was clearly aware of this as well, and he was frowning as he wondered who was trying to harm him.

Then Linlang said again, "Do you know why the Dowager Consort went through the motions of marrying me for you?"

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Qinghe frowned even more and said, "What do you mean by 'marrying you perfunctorily'? You are, after all, the daughter of a marquis. How can marrying me be considered perfunctory?"

Linlang said, "My family has fallen on hard times, and I was rejected by my fiancé before. Normally, someone with my qualifications wouldn't be a good match for you, but the Dowager Princess didn't marry you someone with better qualifications. That's why I'm curious."

Prince Qinghe shook his head and said, "This is not a perfunctory response. I think your family's conditions are decent, and you yourself are also decent. I know about the annulment of the engagement, so it's not your fault. It's the Wang family that broke their promise."

Linlang said, "I also overheard your mother whispering to her confidante that you have something special about you, which is why she just settled for someone like me. She said I'm not as good as Granny Jiang, and she doesn't like me at all. That's why I said your mother was just going through the motions when she arranged for you to marry me. I don't care whether others like me or not, but I'm curious, what is it about you that she says is special that makes her settle for a wife like this?"

Not wanting to ask the Dowager Princess Qinghe, Linlang went directly to Prince Qinghe, hoping he might know about her special abilities.
However, he probably doesn't know that. Otherwise, he would know what's wrong with him. Given his personality, he doesn't seem like the type to harm a good girl.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the Prince of Qinghe frowned even more deeply and said, "I have something special about me? How come I don't even know it myself?"

Before today, Prince Qinghe thought he was just an ordinary, leisurely prince. But suddenly, he heard so much information surrounding him: unknown enemies, and the "special" things his mother mentioned. If the Princess hadn't told him, he would have known nothing. How could an ordinary person like himself have so many labels? Prince Qinghe immediately said, "I will interrogate Granny Liu immediately to see who told her to spread these deadly rumors, and I will also ask my mother what my special qualities are."

Linlang shook her head and said, "I'm afraid you won't get anything out of her. After what Granny Liu told me, I immediately realized that she was spreading this rumor to get you killed, and she clearly had ill intentions. So I sent people to keep an eye on her, but we couldn't find any contact between her and the person behind it. That person is obviously very well hidden. Granny Liu herself probably doesn't even know who asked her to spread the rumor. But you can ask your mother and get some answers for me."

It's hard to say for sure about Linlang. Even Granny Liu herself probably doesn't know who made her say those words, because she might have been brainwashed remotely. So, if Prince Qinghe were to interrogate her, he wouldn't get anything out of her.

Sure enough, the Prince of Qinghe said that even so, he had to investigate. The next day, he went to ask Granny Liu for details. After explaining the situation, the Prince of Qinghe asked, "...Why did you say that to the Princess?"

Liu Mama was not guilty at all and was quite frank. She was just a little surprised that Prince Qinghe knew about this, but thinking that the princess might not be able to resist asking the prince, she immediately said frankly, "I was afraid that the princess might offend the prince, so I reminded the princess. I didn't mean any harm."

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Qinghe angrily retorted, "When have I ever liked Consort Ding? How dare you spout such nonsense in front of the Princess?"

Liu Mama was quite surprised to hear this and said, "Before Consort Ding entered the palace, didn't the prince say that he liked Consort Ding, but her family was greedy for wealth and status and wanted to send her to the palace for the imperial concubine selection, so she has been in great pain all this time?"

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Qinghe was speechless. He frowned and rebuked, "What nonsense! When did I ever say I liked Consort Ding? When did I ever suffer for her? Where did you get these memories from?!"

Granny Liu looked wronged and said, "These things clearly happened, why is Your Highness denying it?"

Seeing Liu Mama's resolute expression, which didn't seem like she was lying, Prince Qinghe was taken aback. He wondered how Liu Mama could so firmly believe what she was saying, which was obviously fabricated. Could it be that the person she imagined herself to be like that?

Thinking of this, he decided to ask his mother what made him special.

If both Granny Liu and his mother firmly believe that such a thing happened, and he is completely unaware of the terrifying aspect behind it, then Prince Qinghe will be terrified. Who could so silently and subtly brainwash the people around him, making him appear completely different in their eyes?

Could this person also brainwash himself, so that one day in the future, the image of himself in his mind will become the image that the other person wants to design, and then he won't even know his true self anymore?
Just thinking about it made Prince Qinghe's head buzz. After all, he thought his life would be one of leisure and comfort until old age. When did so many deadly threats appear around him?