Lu Peishan of course knew that the Crown Prince had almost married Princess Mu Jin, and that the Crown Prince regretted it, which was why Wei Yu was jealous.
However, she genuinely thought Wei Yu was foolish.
At such a time, Wei Yu should be helping the Crown Prince resolve his troubles, yet she was consumed by jealousy. She truly lacked any grace, a disgrace to her title as Crown Princess.
No matter how intelligent she was, she was ultimately just a young girl.
Young girls were most easily ensnared by love.
The Crown Prince rubbed his forehead, his head aching. "You've forgotten, Father Emperor once betrothed me and Princess Mu Jin."
Lu Peishan appeared to suddenly understand. "So the Crown Princess is angry with Your Highness over this matter? But this happened a long time ago, didn't it?"
The Crown Prince hesitated for a moment before ultimately deciding not to reveal his true thoughts.
The Emperor had already betrothed Princess Mu Jin to Prince Yue, who was his brother.
Wei Yu was right; no matter his intentions, coveting his brother's wife was indeed against human ethics.
If this were to get out, the censors would have something to talk about again.
Lu Peishan walked behind the Crown Prince and reached out to massage his temples.
She had practiced martial arts, her hands were strong, and she knew the acupoints precisely. Her touch was neither too light nor too heavy, just right. The Crown Prince sighed in comfort, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Although this matter passed long ago, the Crown Princess is always suspicious because Princess Mu Jin lived in the palace for a period when she was young, and we were childhood sweethearts."
Lu Peishan's hands paused slightly. This was the first time she had heard of this.
"If..." she said slowly, "if Your Highness had married Princess Mu Jin back then, the Prince of Xin of the Eastern Ling Kingdom would now be Your Highness's father-in-law. With Prince Xin's support, Your Highness's position would be as stable as Mount Tai. It's a pity, a true pity."
The Crown Prince's eyes widened in surprise. He turned to look at Lu Peishan and couldn't help but squeeze her hand again.
"It's not you who misunderstands me," Lu Peishan said gently, "Princess Mu Jin could not bear children. No man would dare to take such a risk, let alone Your Highness. As the future Son of Heaven, how could Your Highness be without a legitimate heir?"
The Crown Prince felt extremely comfortable hearing this. Why couldn't Wei Yu be as understanding as Consort Lu?
"However..." Lu Peishan's voice lowered, "Princess Mu Jin is not yet married to Prince Yue. If something were to happen now, it's not impossible."
The implication in her words was clear.
The Crown Prince's heart skipped a beat.
This was his virtuous helper!
"Do you have a way?" the Crown Prince asked.
Lu Peishan smiled. "It's actually very simple. Your Highness doesn't need to speak of any affection with Princess Mu Jin. Even if Princess Mu Jin has feelings for Your Highness, the imperial decree of betrothal has been issued, and she has neither the ability nor the courage to defy it again.
As long as Your Highness has some 'incident' with Princess Mu Jin, a woman's reputation is more important than her life. By then, even if Prince Yue doesn't mind, the Emperor will not let him marry Princess Mu Jin."
The Crown Prince hesitated. "But this way, Princess Mu Jin will hate me, and it will be difficult to explain to Prince Xin..."
"Your Highness misunderstands, it's not about consummating the marriage," Lu Peishan stated clearly. "A woman's reputation isn't necessarily lost through intercourse. If something unexpected happens, like being caught bathing or changing clothes, or if a man and woman spend a night together, even if nothing happens, her reputation will be ruined. Accidents happen, and it has nothing to do with Your Highness. Your Highness is also a victim!"
The Crown Prince's eyes lit up. He couldn't help but stand up and kiss Lu Peishan. "You, you are truly intelligent!"
Lu Peishan giggled. "Naturally."
The Crown Prince laughed heartily, all the day's gloom vanishing.
"By the way," the Crown Prince suddenly remembered He Rufang's matter and instructed Lu Peishan, "Today at Prince Yue's manor, I took a fancy to a young lady. Prepare yourself and send someone to bring her back. She will be titled..."
The Crown Prince pondered for a moment. "Let's title her a Liangyuan for now."
Lu Peishan frowned, her confusion evident. "A young lady from Prince Yue's manor? Is she a maid? Liangyuan seems a bit high for a maid."
"She's not a maid. She's a distant cousin of the Princess of Ding'an, who came with her. She's very beautiful, truly stunning."
The Crown Prince recalled He Rufang, a gentle smile unconsciously appearing on his face.
Lu Peishan saw this and thought to herself: A woman the Crown Prince calls stunning must indeed be stunning! However, relying on beauty to win favor is fleeting; it doesn't pose much of a threat.
Lu Peishan didn't take it to heart.
She was just curious.
"A distant cousin of the Princess of Ding'an? Your concubine heard that the Princess of Ding'an and Her Highness the Crown Princess don't get along, and they clash whenever they meet. How could it be such a coincidence that a young lady caught Your Highness's eye? Could it be that the Princess of Ding'an deliberately upset the Crown Princess to get revenge for her blindness?"
The Crown Prince shook his head. "The Princess of Ding'an brought this young lady here for a grand purpose. Not only is she staying at the Ding'an manor, but the Old Imperial Consort also wants to recognize her as her adopted daughter and elevate her status. I suspect the Xiao family intends to present this young lady to Father Emperor."
Lu Peishan was startled. "Then Your Highness still..."
"It's not a problem," the Crown Prince said with a smile. "Today, the Princess of Ding'an likely just wanted to introduce Miss He, to let her gain some reputation in Duanjing. I've already publicly stated that I've taken a liking to Miss He, so the Xiao family won't be able to present her to Father Emperor anymore."
Lu Peishan nodded and praised him. "Your Highness acted decisively."
The Crown Prince chuckled twice, recalling Xiao Yun's excuse. "Prince Ding'an also told me that Miss He is fated to be a widow, hoping I would retreat. Hmph, he never dreamed I had someone follow him. He actually secretly met with Little Seven and wanted to give Miss He to Little Seven..."
"I didn't expect Prince Ding'an to have so many intricate schemes," Lu Peishan said mockingly. "Isn't he like brothers with Prince Yue, their relationship the best? Why is he also scheming like this to curry favor?"
The Crown Prince sneered. "He can't sit still anymore. With Princess Mu Jin's recognition of her family, who knows how many fickle opportunists will emerge. I want to see who among those around me is human and who is a ghost!"