"Tealess and restless? Rotating concubines and maids, aren't you more unrestrained than anyone?" Qiao Ci truly admired this person's shamelessness.
Yes, and a brain that couldn't understand human language.
Was this person brainwashing himself while pua-ing the original host?
That's why he was so ordinary yet confident.
Zhao Shimei's eyes lit up at her words. He blurted out a perfunctory promise, "Princess, I knew you were jealous. Don't worry, from now on, I won't touch them."
Damn it, such an idiot was unbearable.
"The divorce letter has been approved by Father Emperor. From now on, you are no longer the驸马 of my Princess Mansion. Stop coming to me for attention, it's an eyesore!" Qiao Ci finished speaking and ordered the guards at the door,
"From now on, if he approaches the Princess Mansion again, beat him out."
"Yes, Princess."
"Yes, Princess."
Zhao Shimei found it difficult to accept...
His confidence stemmed from the fact that there was no precedent for a wife divorcing a husband in this dynasty, so he still considered himself the驸马. If even the Emperor agreed, then he was truly finished.
He would become the laughingstock of Tenglong Country, the first man to be divorced by a woman!
Seeing that he still didn't leave, the two guards went to push him. Zhao Shimei learned his lesson this time and quickly left dejectedly.
As a result, upon returning to his elder brother's home, he was met with a decree of divorce by imperial edict...
Little Spoon sneakily went to check the scene and giggled.
When the Zhao family heard that Zhao Shimei had been divorced by imperial edict, they descended into chaos, with everyone accusing Zhao Shimei of daring to offend the princess and that the entire Zhao family would be ruined by him!
"Hee hee, Host darling, I thought you would retaliate in kind and pua Zhao Shimei instead~" Little Spoon told Qiao Ci about the chaotic scene in the Zhao family, saying with regret.
"Does he deserve it?" Qiao Ci's expression was indifferent. Such a disgusting man, even looking at him more made her feel sick. Why would she pua him? That would be torturing herself.
"Hehe." Sensing the displeasure in Darling's tone, Little Spoon didn't dare to say more.
Upon returning to the mansion, she ran into Li Su.
"Eldest Princess."
"Mhm, have you been to see Mother-in-law?" Qiao Ci asked, looking at the direction he came from.
"Mhm, Mother-in-law has been looking much better these past few days. I went to keep her company and chat for a while." Thinking of everything Qiao Ci had done for his mother, he felt a lot of goodwill towards her.
"Mhm, you can take Mother-in-law out more often to walk around and get some sun. Don't be so reserved," Qiao Ci frowned slightly.
It had been almost half a month, and the child was still distant and polite towards her. Qiao Ci felt that this child was a bit difficult to handle this time.
Seeing Qiao Ci frown, Li Su hesitated for a moment and asked with concern, "Did something unpleasant happen to the Princess today?"
Hearing him ask about what happened, Qiao Ci recounted the day's events in detail: "Nothing much happened. I first went to ask Father Emperor for an edict to divorce Zhao Shimei. On the way back to the mansion, I encountered Zhao Shimei and drove him away..."
"Cough, cough, Princess, you don't have to tell me your itinerary in such detail." Li Su's ears turned slightly red seeing Qiao Ci earnestly telling him what she had done.
"Oh." Qiao Ci didn't insist.
Just then, a sweet female voice called out, "Eldest Sister, Eldest Sister, you really divorced that Zhao Shimei?"
Seeing that Li Su, the male favorite she had found for Qiao Ci, was also there, Qiao Yue teased, "Hee hee, it's still my sister who treats you best, right? I found such a gem for you. His looks are much better than that Zhao Shimei. Moreover, without household registration, once Eldest Sister gets tired of him, she can just kill him. Never let men dictate our happiness as women."
Qiao Ci: Is such forward thinking acceptable?
Li Su lowered his gaze.
He mocked himself: He was just a slave who could be insulted and killed at will. What was he expecting? Expecting the Eldest Princess to legitimize him, someone with an unknown origin, as the new駙馬?
Had he been in the Princess Mansion for only a few days, and was already so overestimating himself and having wild fantasies?
Sensing the other person's unhappiness, Qiao Ci looked at Qiao Yue and said earnestly, "He is not Zhao Shimei, and I will not get tired of him."
Qiao Yue didn't pay attention to what Qiao Ci said. Instead, she keenly noticed Li Su's strange expression and began to admonish him, "Li Su, is it? No matter how much Eldest Sister dotes on you, you cannot be presumptuous. Otherwise, your fate will be a thousand times more miserable than Zhao Shimei's."
"Qiao Yue!" Qiao Ci's eyes flickered towards Qiao Yue, and she said solemnly, "I don't want to hear such words a second time."
"Eldest Sister~ Aren't you the one who spoils me the most? You're actually scolding me for a male favorite, hmph!" Qiao Yue complained with a face full of grievance and unhappiness.
"This is not scolding you, it is informing you. If you disrespect him like this again in the future, you don't need to come to my mansion."
Li Su, who was lowering his head, felt a slight tremor in his heart.
Qiao Yue looked at Qiao Ci incredulously and shrieked, "Eldest Sister, are you crazy? Are you going to repeat the same mistake? Look how much Zhao Shimei bullied you! Will this male favorite also ride on your head in the future?"
"He won't," Qiao Ci's voice was faint, as if it were meant to be.
"Hmph, you just be blindly confident! If you get bullied again in the future, I won't send you men at the risk of being slandered," Qiao Yue glared fiercely at Li Su beside her, then turned and left in a huff.
"Princess, you don't need to strain relations with your family for someone as lowly as me." Li Su lowered his head, as if burying himself in the dust.
"Who allowed you to be so self-deprecating?" Qiao Ci's tone was filled with undeniable displeasure.
Although Li Su was surprised that she would be angry at his self-deprecation, a warm current still flowed through his heart. He looked up at Qiao Ci, "From now on, Li Su is willing to work like an ox or horse for the Princess."
Qiao Ci looked at him coldly, "I don't need an ox or horse, and you don't need to be self-deprecating. My liking for you will not change whether you are a slave or a prince. I will have the imperial physicians cure Mother-in-law's illness. From now on, whether you want to stay or leave is entirely up to you."
After saying that, Qiao Ci left.
Seeing Qiao Ci angry, Li Su also felt stifled. He couldn't deny that hearing her tell the younger princess that he was her beloved sent a thrill of ecstasy through his heart at that moment.
However, at the same time, he knew that he could not become her beloved, nor could they marry openly. He was an unspeakable undocumented person, a stain that would make her the laughingstock of the entire capital.
Thinking of the Eldest Princess's ferocity and madness upon their first meeting and her subsequent respect and protection, Li Su made a decision in his heart.
No matter what happened in the future, he would live up to the Eldest Princess's love and protection.
That evening, Qiao Ci emerged from the study and saw Cui Liu and Cui Zhu by the entrance of the sleeping quarters, talking animatedly.
As Qiao Ci approached, Cui Liu and Cui Zhu quickly curtsied.
"What are you smiling about?" Qiao Ci felt that the atmosphere was a bit off.
"You'll know when you go in, hehe." Cui Liu, always lively, winked playfully towards the room.
A surprise is best when discovered by oneself~
Qiao Ci had already guessed what was happening and pushed open the door to go in.