Did Miss become a nun today?

When Meng Qi'an left the palace, he ran into Prince Su at the palace gate.

"Your Highness Prince Su."

"Coming out of the East Palace?"

"Exactly."

"Did you see Miss Xie?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Thank you."

Zhao Zhang was very satisfied. "You are a promising young man. Last night, Changyu broke into the East Palace in the middle of the night and was punished this morning. You must seize this opportunity, otherwise you will not be able to compete with him when he comes out."

He patted Meng Qi'an on the shoulder, "Meng Hanlin, you have a long way to go."

Then, he whispered, "Don't worry, I'm on your side."

*

For several days, Xie Yun Chu hesitated whether to explain things to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. If the Eastern Palace could issue an imperial decree, she would be protected. Anyone who dared to stop her would be disobeying the imperial decree, which would be a serious crime.

After thinking it over and over, I still didn't dare to mention it.

She seemed preoccupied, and spoke absentmindedly. Meng Qi'an had brought her some fresh tea from outside that day, and while brewing it, he asked, "Miss Xie, is something on your mind? If it's convenient, you can tell me about it. Perhaps I can offer some advice."

Xie Yun Chu had no one else to consult, and her decision to become a nun was no secret, so she told the truth.

Upon hearing this, Meng Qi'an twirled his teacup, then after a moment asked, "Miss Xie, are you really going to become a nun?"

"Um."

He seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "Actually, if you want to become a monk, I do have a way."

"you say."

"Your current situation is different from before. You not only have the Marquis's mansion, but also the Crown Prince's palace. It would be difficult for you to become a monk directly; you would have to take a roundabout approach."

"How do we take a roundabout approach?"

"For example..." he paused, "...find someone to marry."

Xie Yun Chu was stunned. Wasn't this the method she had originally planned? It's just that the method ultimately failed.

Have we come full circle again?

"But..." But will this method really work?

She didn't dare call herself clever, so the method she came up with wasn't particularly brilliant.

How could someone as intelligent as Young Master Meng have the same idea as her?

Even if this method works, it will be in vain if she doesn't have a suitable candidate.

I had considered Chen Yan before, but if Pei Changyu were to target Chen Yan's identity, it would inevitably implicate him.

If she were to find someone of similar status to the Pei family, who would be willing to play along with her?

"Isn't there any other way?"

"Xie Yun Chu." Meng Qi'an called her name seriously.

"Actually, you could consider me."

"Although my background is not as good as that of Vice Minister Pei or General Wei, it is not bad either."

"But now that I've entered the court as an official, I can protect you. You can marry me and recite Buddhist scriptures every morning and evening without anyone interfering with you."

"My family is small; my father only has my mother. We don't have the custom of taking concubines. If you enter the household, you won't have to deal with all sorts of trivial matters. There will be morning and evening greetings and social obligations. Even if you don't like it, no one will force you."

"But if you want to become a monk, you'll probably have to wait two years. If the news gets out right after you get married, people will inevitably become suspicious."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, analyzing the pros and cons for her step by step, his hands clenched tightly in his sleeves.

"Of course, if you have other more suitable candidates, you don't necessarily have to choose me."

"I just... saw you were in a difficult situation and wanted to help you, that's all."

Xie Yun Chu understood that she shouldn't trouble others with her trivial matter.

Meng Qi'an added, "Furthermore... Miss Xie, haven't you noticed? The Crown Prince and the Empress are intentionally trying to bring us together."

Have it?

"Recently, His Highness the Crown Prince has often invited me to the Eastern Palace to discuss political affairs, but there are actually not many important matters. They are just issues that were not resolved in court and can be discussed in the council hall."

No wonder she keeps running into Meng Qi'an lately; it wasn't a coincidence after all.

Meng Qi'an laughed out loud, "So, if you marry me, you'll kill two birds with one stone."

"With the Crown Prince acting as matchmaker, the marriage will be a royal decree, and no one else will dare to question it."

"When the time comes, I'll let you leave, okay?"

Xie Yun Chu still felt it was inappropriate. This matter was beneficial to her, but for Meng Qi An, it was a thankless task.

Meng Qi'an saw her concerns and said, "I'm not doing this entirely to help you; it's also for my own sake."

He hesitated, "Actually, my family has been urging me to get married, so my mother brought my cousin from our hometown to live with us..."

At this point, he sighed, "But I've just entered the court and don't want to get married too early. It's a win-win situation for both of us."

Xie Yun Chu's expression lit up. It was truly a stroke of genius. She had been worried that this person was hard to find, but she never expected that there was one right beside her. How come she hadn't noticed him before?

"No rush." ​​He smiled and said, "Take your time to think."

He poured some tea and handed it to me, saying, "This tea was sent from my hometown. Please try it."

Thank you.

The tea I drink today is different from what I used to drink. In addition to the tea flavor, it also has a faint fruity aroma, but it is not strong.

"How does it taste?"

"It tastes good, with fruity and floral aromas, not bitter, but sweet."

Meng Qi'an smiled and said, "I know you're not interested in tea ceremony, but you love fruit tea, so I had the people in my household make some. I was worried you wouldn't like it."

"Young Master Meng, you've gone to so much trouble. I really appreciate it."

"If you like, I'll have some more made next time."

"That would be too much trouble, I wouldn't dare to trouble Young Master Meng." Xie Yun Chu waved his hand.

"It's alright. We're sharing a pot of tea, so we're practically in the same boat."

She chuckled. That made sense; people who weren't on the same boat wouldn't share the same tea.

From that day on, Meng Qi'an visited the Eastern Palace more and more frequently. At first, he would talk to His Highness the Crown Prince about some serious matters, but later he stopped pretending and would be led to her whenever he arrived.

At first, she only talked about interesting things outside, and occasionally about who was impeached or demoted in the court. As she talked more and more, Meng Qi'an could even chat with her for a while. He could even answer her questions about the Buddhist scriptures she was reading. Such knowledge was truly admirable.

Today, he even brought her some newly printed scriptures from outside the palace and read them with her. The two of them studied the scriptures for a long time, and Xie Yun Chu's mood improved a lot.

Prince Su stood in the pavilion on the opposite bank of the lake, staring at the other side with great interest.

"Little girl, so easy to coax. It hasn't been long, and she's already forgotten about her cousin."

Pei Changyu held the teacup, only to find the tea tasted strong and bitter.

Her fingers tightened slightly, but her eyes held a smile. "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

Prince Su said with a mocking expression, "Hmm, no wonder you've risen to the position of Vice Minister at such a young age. You're quite composed. I admire you."

Pei Changyu looked up and saw two people in the pavilion opposite him talking about something. Xie Yun Chu smiled, her eyes sparkling, unlike when she looked at him.

Why are they different?

He clearly took such good care of her that she cried with pleasure, yet he smiled so beautifully at others.

Hasn't he served her enough? Does he need to serve her more often for her to have a place for him in her heart?

Yes, he is different from others. They grew up together and had physical intimacy, so naturally they are different.

He chuckled softly. "Your Highness Prince Su is right. No matter how young the men outside are, they are all scheming to seduce her. At most, they are just mistresses and cannot be brought into the open."