Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Hey, what a blast!

There was a strange silence in the air for a moment.

Lu Jiayi looked at Liu Jinshu, and then at Zhang Junyi: her cheeks were flushed, with traces of tears, she was both sad and happy, with sadness tinged with joy, and with uneasy anticipation in her sadness, and with the fear of having her secret discovered in her anticipation.

Then think about the few words that were just blown over by the wind...

The surprise on her face at suddenly seeing her beloved froze.

Even though Princess Jingxuan wanted to ease the awkward atmosphere, she didn't know how to start.

Liu Jinshu also noticed that something was wrong with these people, but he had no intention of getting involved. After meeting Princess Jingxuan, he said he had something to do and left despite Aunt Yao's efforts to keep him.

As soon as he left, Lu Jiayi could no longer suppress the anger in her heart and it was about to explode.

Princess Jingxuan secretly thought this was not good, and hurriedly spoke before Lu Jiayi could speak: "Time is tight, and I didn't have time to inform you. I want to take this opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding between Miss Zhang and Jiayi."

As he spoke, he gently shook Lu Jiayi's hand.

Not wanting to offend Princess Jingxuan, Lu Jiayi suppressed his anger and looked over coldly.

It was obvious that she was waiting for Zhang Junyi to apologize to her.

But Zhang Junyi pursed his lips and refused to respond.

Seeing this, Lu Jiayi sneered twice, and Princess Jingxuan felt a little embarrassed.

Aunt Yao looked around. She didn't know who was right or wrong, but she knew that Lu Jiayi's uncle was definitely a big shot who could not be offended.

She quietly pushed her daughter, but she just stood there like a wooden stick, with none of her usual alertness.

Aunt Yao was secretly annoyed, but couldn't bring herself to scold her daughter in public. So, she smiled and said, "My daughter never meant what she said. She had no intention of offending Miss Lu. Please be magnanimous and don't bother with her. I'll apologize to the young lady on her behalf."

As she spoke, Yingying knelt down and bowed.

Lu Jiayi laughed, "Who are you?"

Aunt Yao's smile froze. "I am Jun Yi and Zhang Bi's aunt."

She specifically emphasized the two words "Zhang Bi".

In the end, Lu Jiayi ignored her hint and said, "So she's a concubine. The rules of the Zhang family are really strange. A slave is actually qualified to apologize on behalf of the master."

Aunt Yao was choked and gasped. She didn't expect this man to be so heartless. Didn't he know the purpose of the princess's visit?

She gave her son a look, indicating that he should say a few soft words to the princess and beg for mercy.

Zhang Bi understood, but not completely.

Yin said solemnly, "Miss Lu has some truth in what she said, but a stepmother is still a mother. Auntie is Zhang's biological mother and an elder. Please be careful with your words, Miss Lu."

"What a well-behaved man." Lu Jiayi glanced at him, her words tinged with sarcasm. "Then may I ask you, what etiquette should be used to welcome the princess?"

Zhang Bi was stunned.

Lu Jiayi suddenly raised her voice, "Open the gate, lay out the red carpet, hang palace lanterns, remove the threshold to facilitate the passage of sedan chairs, and set up dust curtains along the way from the gate to the main hall."

"The head of the household, accompanied by his sons and nephews, knelt in the long street outside the gate to greet her. The female members of the household, dressed in their rank according to their appearance, stood inside the gate waiting. The princess entered through the main gate in her carriage. The head of the household and his sons and nephews bowed their heads and stepped aside. The female members of the household bowed four times, not allowing them to look directly at the princess's face."

She smiled coldly, "May I ask, Master Zhang, is there anything your Zhang family has done right?"

Zhang Bi blushed and had no answer.

Princess Jingxuan quietly tugged at Lu Jiayi's sleeve, her eyes revealing pity.

Lu Jiayi glanced back at him in an angry tone, still insisting, "The princess loves the people and cares for the people, and doesn't want to bother your family too much. She kept all the ceremonies simple, but instead of the wife coming to greet you, a mere concubine is the one receiving you. How can this be justified?"

"Just because the princess is kind and humble doesn't mean you can trample on her dignity and majesty!"

"Elder? Not to mention a concubine in the Shangshu Mansion, even if you are a lady of high rank in your family, you are not qualified to call yourself an elder in front of the princess."

"What achievements have the Zhang family made? What accomplishments have they accomplished? Whose influence have they relied on to make them so arrogant and disrespectful? You neglect the princess and disrespect the royal family. What crime should your Zhang family be punished for?"

The thunderous questioning made Zhang Bi, who was already confused about the situation, even more confused.

He was suddenly pulled here by his aunt. Before he came, he had no idea that the distinguished guest was Princess Jingxuan. He felt something was wrong as soon as they met, but before he could find an excuse to avoid her, his sister appeared chasing Liu Jinshu.

Judging from the way the aunt welcomed her, she definitely knew the princess was coming.

What tricks are you playing again? Can't you just keep quiet for two days?

A deep feeling of powerlessness came over him, and Zhang Bi rubbed his brows tiredly, "Miss Lu is right..."

"Miss Lu is wrong." Aunt Yao was secretly annoyed at her nerdy son's poor tongue. A grown man was actually led by a little girl by the nose with just a few words.

"How dare we neglect Her Royal Highness? My wife is unwell and has appointed me to greet you. If you don't believe me, you can ask my wife."

After so many years of fighting openly and secretly with Madame Chiang, she had already understood Madame Chiang's temperament thoroughly.

To put it nicely, it means considering the overall situation without caring about personal gains and losses. To put it bluntly, it means being too concerned about face and suffering, and would rather hide a broken arm in the sleeve than lose face in front of outsiders.

Aunt Yao was certain that Mrs. Jiang would cover up her lie.

"Who said my mother was sick?"

The clear and loud voice attracted everyone's attention to the door, but Zhang Xiaoman lifted her skirt and stepped over the threshold with sharp eyes and no smile on her face.

Even in her rage, Xiaoman did not forget the etiquette. She first greeted Princess Jingxuan, then turned to look at Aunt Yao.

"Mother was quite energetic when I left. It's only been over an hour, so why did Auntie say she was ill? If she is ill, has she seen a doctor? What is the cause of her illness?"

Suddenly, Cheng Yaojin shows up in the middle of the journey!

Aunt Yao was caught off guard and panicked for a moment, but she quickly calmed down and said, "Since the third lady cares so much about the lady, you should go and visit her as soon as possible to show your filial piety."

The secret to arguing with someone is not to be influenced by the other person's thinking.

Zhang Xiaoman looked around and sneered, "The mistress of the house didn't even know the princess had arrived, but the concubine knew about it long ago and even arranged for a group of servants to be here to serve as marquises. Those who know would say that the Zhang family favors concubines over wives, while those who don't would think that the princess deliberately embarrasses a woman of the second rank!"

After hearing these words, even Princess Jingxuan was shocked and realized that she had done something stupid.

Yao Yi Niang immediately shouted, "How dare you be so rude to the princess!"

Since soft tactics didn't work, she had to resort to hard tactics. Just as she was about to order her men to take Zhang Xiaoman away, she suddenly saw a sky-blue figure standing quietly outside the door.

Chen Lingan!

Aunt Yao took a deep breath, and the rest of the words were stuck in her throat.

He just looked over like that, his eyes as cold as water and as sharp as a knife. Without saying a word, it was enough to make everyone shut up.

Chen Ling'an walked over slowly, clasped his fists and bowed, "Your humble servant pays respects to Her Royal Highness the Princess."

"No need for formalities." Princess Jingxuan's expression was unnatural, revealing her guilty conscience.

Chen Lingan said, "When the princess travels, she must be accompanied by guards from the Jinyiwei or the Jingwei Military Academy. I just checked along the way and saw no guards except for a few eunuchs and palace maids."

"Your Highness's body is precious and cannot afford the slightest mistake. As a female official by His Highness's side, I failed to fulfill my duty of admonishing him and instead accompanied him in his mischief. If the Emperor were to blame you, I'm afraid you would be the one to bear the blame."

But these words were said to Lu Jiayi.

Princess Jingxuan became anxious when she heard this, "Don't blame Jiayi, it was my idea."

She only received Zhang Junyi's invitation last evening and had no time to ask her mother for permission. She was also afraid of missing the opportunity to meet the person she wanted to meet, so she simply left the palace secretly.

Fortunately, Lu Jiayi was there, running around to clear the way for us, and we finally got out safely.

I originally planned to return to the palace at noon. At that time, the masters of each palace were taking a nap, and the servants would also take the opportunity to take a nap. It was the time when the supervision was the least, and no one would notice.

Who would have thought that Zhang Junyi and Liu Jinshu would be seen sticking together and tugging at each other, which directly irritated Lu Jiayi.

What he didn't expect was that he was caught red-handed by Chen Ling'an!

She didn't know what to do anymore.

Fortunately, Chen Ling'an didn't dwell on this point. "I haven't inspected the Zhang Mansion beforehand, so I'm not sure if it's safe. To be on the safe side, please allow me to escort the princess back to the palace."

Princess Jingxuan glanced at Zhang Bi secretly and nodded reluctantly.

Aunt Yao was very anxious. If the princess left, all her plans would be ruined!

"Now that I'm here," she said with a brave smile, "it's rare for the princess to relax, so let's not spoil her fun. Besides, our Zhang family is a family of loyal ministers. I dare to guarantee with my life that there will be no mistakes in the whole mansion."

Zhang Xiaoman was delighted to add insult to injury, "You think too highly of yourself. If anything were to happen, not only you, but the entire Zhang family would have enough heads to chop off."

Aunt Yao no longer cared about the verbal dispute and directly called her son's name, "Bi'er, didn't you draw a painting a while ago? Bring it out and let the princess appreciate it."

I'm also willing to take the risk.

But at this moment, Zhang Bi lowered his brows and eyes, and remained silent like the wooden man Zhang Junyi.

Aunt Yao was so angry!

Chen Lingan smiled coolly.

This smile made Zhang Bi even more ashamed and angry, and he didn't even dare to raise his head.

Princess Jingxuan sighed silently and turned her gaze away from Zhang Bi.

As the Tathagata did when he came, the princess left in a hurry. There was a dead silence in front of the screen wall, like an ancient tomb, and the servants looked at each other in bewilderment.

Xiaoman sneered: "Are you still waiting to get your reward?"

The people on the ground scattered like birds and beasts, leaving only the three Yao family members standing there frozen.

"My aunt made such a big fuss, so she wanted to be the princess's mother-in-law. She was really bold and daring. What a pity, why didn't it come to pass?"

Xiaoman glanced at them and walked away.

Zhang Bi couldn't bear it any longer, his eyes filled with resentment. "I'm going back to the academy today... From now on, Auntie, please don't interfere in my affairs."

"Mother is doing this for your own good," Aunt Yao explained anxiously. "She doesn't want you to become a consort and ruin your career. The princess is interested in you. Just give her a little thought, and she will definitely do her best to help you get promoted."

"Auntie!" Zhang Bi shouted, his face full of disbelief.

But he still couldn't say a harsh word. After a sad sigh, he walked out the door alone.

Aunt Yao was stunned for a moment, then suddenly slapped her daughter hard, "Why don't you apologize?"

Zhang Junyi covered her face and cried in grievance, "Why should I apologize? It was Zhang Xiaoman who beat and scolded Lu Jiayi. I was the one who helped her the whole time, but in the end, she slapped me. She should be the one who should apologize!"

Aunt Yao angrily said, "If I suffer a little injustice, I won't lose a piece of your flesh. What a good opportunity, it was almost successful, but you ruined it all!"

Zhang Junyi argued: "Even if I apologize, she won't be happy. She likes Liu Jinshu!"

"What?!" Aunt Yao swayed, thinking of the moment when her daughter chased out, which was exactly when Lu Jiayi's attitude changed drastically.

"Idiot, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"What do you want me to say? How would I know she would come? If you hadn't insisted on inviting Liu Jinshu, this wouldn't have happened at all!"

"Okay, okay." Aunt Yao laughed angrily, "It's my fault now, you ungrateful bastard! If I hadn't put so much thought into planning for you, would you be able to live the good life you have today?"

"Auntie, you are planning for my brother's future, not me!" Zhang Junyi said, leaving Auntie Yao behind and walked away without looking back.

Soon, the news of the feud between Yao mother and son spread throughout the Zhang family.

Zhang Xiaoman clapped his hands and cheered, "Just wait and see, when the master comes back, Aunt Yao will have a fight with him. This is what they call asking for trouble!"

He also praised Fang's mother, "A veteran is worth two. Thanks to you for stopping Mother and preventing Aunt Yao's evil plan from succeeding. The credit for today belongs to you."

Mother Fang was humble and polite: "It was the young lady and Master Chen who showed up just in time. They calmed the situation down the moment they arrived. No matter how capable Concubine Yao is, she wouldn't dare act wildly under Master Chen's nose."

The two of them flattered each other, which made Mrs. Jiang laugh.

"They say you should look at the Buddha's face rather than the monk's. Lu Jiayi is quite fierce. She turns hostile without even considering the princess, a great Buddha." Xiaoman was curious about her confidence. "Is it because her uncle is the chief steward?"

Madam Jiang smiled and said, "That's not the case. She and Princess Jingxuan have been friends since childhood. The princess's mother was of humble origin and died young. She is also a meek person. Among the dozen or so princes and princesses, she is really inconspicuous."

"If it weren't for Lu Jiayi's fierce protection, I don't know how much harm I would have suffered. Because of this, the princess is particularly dependent on her."

Mrs. Jiang suddenly pointed at Xiaoman and said, "You're lucky. Even after the fight with Lu Jiayi in the dragon boat race, she didn't ask you for the money."

Xiaoman smiled complacently, "It's not luck, it's my honesty that makes it impossible for her to find fault with me. But it seems that she is not an unreasonable person."

From her tone, she seemed to be quite appreciative. Mrs. Jiang smiled and shook her head, without commenting.

Today's situation was so ugly. As a girl from the Zhang family, I may not have the chance to interact with her in the future.

Jinxiu came in through the curtains, suppressing a laugh as she said, "Madam, the master has returned, looking very unhappy. He went straight to Aunt Yao the moment he entered. The servants in the other courtyards have all gone off to secretly watch the fun."

These servants are becoming more and more unruly.

Madam Jiang ordered, "Shoot them all out. Anyone who stirs up trouble will be sold out. It's not right for a servant to laugh at his master!"

"Mom, don't meddle in other people's business." Xiaoman said coldly, "The Zhang family is rotten from the root. No matter how you try to remedy it, it will be useless. Instead, it will cause trouble."

"But I am..." Mrs. Jiang's voice suddenly lowered.

They didn't even care about her, the legitimate wife, so why should she help the Zhang family clean up their mess? Whether the Zhang family was respectable or not, whether they were laughed at or not, it didn't matter.

She is really tired.

As for whether the master would vent his anger on her, Mrs. Jiang was too lazy to think about it.

-

A group of people gathered around Aunt Yao's yard. Some of them even pretended to work with brooms and dustpans, while others ran directly to the bottom of the wall to eavesdrop, not even pretending.

In fact, there was no need to eavesdrop at all. Zhang Wen's roar was so loud that the tiles on the roof rustled, and he could hear it clearly even through the courtyard gate!

Zhang Wen was really going crazy.

I came up with a good line today and was just about to compose a poem to present to him to curry favor with the emperor. However, before I could even put pen to paper, I was called away by Liu Fang.

He said that Liu Jinshu was busy with official duties and his father only saw him a few times a month. Unless there was important state affairs, it would be better not to disturb him easily.

Zhang Wen was confused and didn't feel comfortable asking, so he came out timidly and ran into Manager Lu head-on.

Steward Lu was very polite. He first expressed his deepest apologies for his niece's offense against the daughter of the Zhang family. He also said that he had severely punished Lu Jiayi and hoped that the Minister would not take it to heart.

Hearing this, Zhang Wen was so frightened that he even said he didn't dare.

Then, Chief Steward Lu smiled and praised his concubine Yao, saying that she was the most beautiful woman in Jinling and the most beautiful woman in the country, even surpassing all the ladies in the palace.

Zhang Wen was immediately frightened and broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't care about his manners and kowtowed in panic, repeatedly stating that this was absolutely not the case and that it must be an attack from his political enemies.

But Chief Steward Lu said he was being modest. "I think your concubine must have some extraordinary qualities. That's why Master Zhang is so attracted to her that even the wife of the first wife, who comes from a century-old family, looks down on her like a horse in a stable."

"I would like to remind you, my Lord, that the Emperor and the Empress have a very close relationship and they despise officials who favor concubines over their wives. During last year's imperial examination, an official was deemed the lowest rank for this very reason and was directly demoted to Yazhou."

Although Zhang Wen was frightened, she felt that there was still room for maneuver - as long as Jiang could properly show his respect and love for her in public, then these bad words would be self-defeating.

But what Manager Lu said next directly extinguished the little flame of his hope.

"There's a difference between the monarch and her subjects. The princess belongs to the royal family. To her husband's family, the princess is the monarch. Whether it's the prince consort or the father-in-law or the mother-in-law, they all have to kowtow to the princess. The rules of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in ordinary families don't apply to the princess."

"A concubine's mother is still a mother, haha. A lowly thing from the Imperial Music Bureau actually dared to plot against the princess. I wonder who gave her the courage."

Who gave you the courage...

Is it him?

It’s unfair!

Zhang Wen wanted to explain, but he knew nothing and couldn't explain it clearly!

And Manager Lu didn't come to listen to his explanation.

Zhang Wen even forgot to ask for leave and rushed back to the mansion in a dejected state. When he learned the whole story, he even wanted to kill Aunt Yao.

At this time, Aunt Yao's charming and beautiful face had been swollen, but Zhang Wen was still not satisfied, and kicked her several times viciously. Finally, he was exhausted and sat down, panting heavily.

Aunt Yao collapsed on the ground, clutching her side and saying, "It was all about to happen, but it was all because of Zhang Xiaoman's sudden return with Chen Ling'an. Chen Ling'an used the rules to frame the princess. Even if the princess wanted to stay, she couldn't."

"Are you afraid of him? He's already been reprimanded by the emperor and forced to reflect on his mistakes. Are you afraid of him?"

"The master didn't tell me..."

Zhang Wen angrily said, "You are nothing. Why should I tell you about what happened in the court?"

"I'm doing this for Master's own good. The princess would rather break palace rules to see Bi'er. Doesn't that show how much she cares? Now that Master has this support, why would he need to flatter the Liu family?"

As she spoke, Aunt Yao sobbed again and complained about her grievances. Her voice was so sad, gentle and charming, and it was the voice that Zhang Wen loved the most.

But now it has become evidence of her seducing her master.

Zhang Wen was very indifferent: "It's not your call whether it's an injustice or not. If Chief Steward Lu says you're guilty of a heinous crime, then you're guilty of a heinous crime. Now get out of here and go to the ancestral temple. You're never allowed to return home!"

Aunt Yao's face turned pale as she crawled forward to hug his legs, "Master, Bi'er and Junyi can't live without their mother!"

"Without you, they're more respectable." Zhang Wen kicked her away, his face gloomy. "This is my last favor to you. If you dare to play tricks again, I don't mind having another grave in the mass graveyard."

He slammed the door, shutting out Aunt Yao's shrill cries behind him.

The eavesdropping servants dodged hastily.

Zhang Wen roared, "Are there any rules left? You're all lawless. Qing, just wait to be sold!"

But there was an additional layer of resentment towards Mrs. Chiang: If she had been willing to mediate, how could the situation have become so out of control?

So what if I have to take the blame for the Yao family!

She was born into a noble family and was related to the Pingyang Marquisate and the Liu family. Even the Grand Princess looked at her differently. Even if she made a mistake, she could just apologize and let it go. Who would hold on to her?

She was just too jealous and was so busy gloating over Yao's misfortune that she forgot she was the wife of the Zhang family.

To put it bluntly, they just don't want his career to be smooth so that they can continue to ride on his neck and bully others!

Zhang Wen ran to the main courtyard angrily. When he was about to kick the gate, Manager Lu's warning suddenly rang in his ears.

He suddenly stopped and pulled his legs back - click, his waist was sprained.

Holding back his frustration, Zhang Wen supported his old waist and walked stiffly to the yard of old lady Bian. He started to blame his own mother for being a hands-off manager. She was usually majestic at home, but would shrink back when faced with things outside.

He was just short of saying "bullying at home" outright.

"Isn't it just that I was laughed at a few times when I first came to the capital? Why do you still hold a grudge against me? You, on the other hand, are only concerned about your own happiness and can't help your son at all!"

Old Mrs. Bian's walking stick flew over immediately.

Inevitably, the mother and son had a big quarrel and parted on bad terms.

While there was chaos outside, Mrs. Jiang's yard was full of joy.

Zhang Xiaoman was enjoying himself while eating rice dumplings made with fermented rice wine. He also persuaded Mrs. Jiang to do business in imported goods. He was just looking through the almanac for a good day to start the business when the wife of the Prince of Pingyang suddenly arrived.

Initially assuming they were here because of Liu Jin's letter to Zhang Junyi, Mrs. Jiang was about to explain, but Little Jiang waved her hand, "Brother-in-law has been accused of numerous crimes. He has a disorderly relationship with his wives and concubines, a lack of respect for his family, corrupt official conduct, flattery, and abuse of power, accepting bribes for personal gain, and even abducting the princess... It's quite a commotion."

"The prince asked Elder Chen to seize it and asked me to ask you what you think."

Mrs. Jiang was anxious when she heard this, "This is going to end his career! No, the prince must help me with this!"

"Mother!" Xiaoman, who had been eavesdropping behind the screen, came out. "Why should you help? The master has already decided it's all your fault. When he recovers, I'm afraid mother will be the first to suffer. Have you forgotten all the harm mother has suffered?"

Little Jiang was very surprised that a little girl dared to openly talk about her father's faults, but she saw that her sister did not take it as an offense, but looked very touched.

She silently swallowed the blame that was about to come out of her mouth.

The room suddenly became silent, with only the ticking of the small clock on the table.

After a long while, Mrs. Jiang's frown finally relaxed. "Let him be. I've been very tired lately and don't have the energy to care about his affairs."

So the next morning, except for the one about kidnapping the princess, all the other impeachment memorials were placed on the imperial desk.