A daughter from a prominent family is desired by many, yet the daughter of the Yong family is sought by none. Noble families consider her nouveau riche and vulgar, while scholarly houses pride them...
Back at the Prince's Mansion, Zhao Shu still claimed to be recuperating and refused to see guests. Zhou Hanyan also stayed at her mansion, eating and drinking for free and refusing to leave. There was no other reason than that the Prince's Mansion was free, and there weren't many elders to restrain them. They could do whatever they wanted and get up whenever they wanted.
Unlike her, Zhao Shu remained very busy even though she closed her doors to visitors.
Zhao Bi chose to remain silent. She wasn't in a hurry; he would come back to cause trouble sooner or later. When he did, she would just crush him into oblivion once more. She didn't care about his affairs right now because keeping him around was of great use.
Many people are talking about Guan Yurong and Liuli, those two shameless women, and they also sympathize with Wei Tingsi, feeling that these two daughters have chilled the hearts of the heroes who protect their country. They are saying very harsh things.
The criticism Zhao Shu faced back then is now ten times worse for her and her husband, who will never be able to recover. The unpleasant reputation will follow them for life, and it will also affect their families, impacting the marriages of at least two generations.
This shows how ruthless Madam Xie was; once she struck, she would ensure her enemies could never recover.
Actually, she didn't have much of a grudge against these two people. When things were still going on, she felt uneasy thinking about it, but once the sadness passed, she realized it wasn't a big deal. Maybe this is what they mean by "it's easy for people to talk when they're not in the same boat."
Whether it was Zhao Bi, Guan Yurong, or Liuli, she put them all aside. After entering the mansion, everyone gathered together to pay their respects to her.
She listened attentively to the long greetings, which pleased her. She inquired about the household matters, but there were no major issues. Her gaze then fell upon a child.
The child was five or six years old, and looked like a fairy. He was extremely cute, with a pair of pure eyes, and stood respectfully beside his parents.
"Alright, Xinwei, stay. Everyone else, you may leave." She kept Xinwei behind.
Shengxia and other head maids were naturally also serving nearby, and neither Green Ivy nor Little Guozi left either.
Xinwei handed the child to Zhuang Erdan, then stood below with her head bowed, saying, "Princess."
"I said I'd stand up for you last time, but it didn't work out. Now I have time, so I'll give you Xiao Guozi. You can take your revenge however you want." She felt quite guilty for not going to help her get revenge back then, as she had planned everything perfectly.
Xinwei knelt down with a thud, and tears fell. Over the years, she had been tormented by her conscience, feeling that she was not good enough for Zhuang Erdan. She wanted to die, but she couldn't let go of her child. Zhuang Erdan was good to her, and she felt even more guilty. For the past five years, she had hardly had a normal day.
She was constantly thinking about revenge. She was overjoyed last time, but the princess was busy with other things, and she was disappointed for a long time. However, she knew that the princess was busy and did not disregard her words.
As expected, the princess remembered, and it was entirely up to her to decide. Apart from excitement and gratitude, she couldn't find any other way to express her feelings at that moment.
She kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "This servant thanks the princess so much. I will never forget your great kindness."
"Get up." Zhao Shu personally helped her up. "Now that you've taken your revenge, live well. Leave the past behind and look forward. You live for yourself and for the people who love you, not for the past. Do you understand? The child is still young and needs his mother. And Granny is old. Zhuang Erdan is her nephew, so naturally he has to fulfill his filial duty. You are his wife. If you don't take good care of Granny for him, I won't allow it. Do you understand?"
This era is mostly unfair to women. Women who lose their reputation, regardless of who is right or wrong, must die. They must endure ridicule, neglect, injustice, and harsh criticism before they die. Xinwei's courage is commendable for surviving, and Zhuang Erdan is also a good person who did not despise her.
Upon hearing these words, Xinwei burst into tears. In the end, she didn't even know what she had said to Zhao Shu. She cried so hard that Shengxia took her away.
After she was led away, Zhao Shu sat down, and Green Ivy quickly brought a brocade cushion and placed it behind her so that she could lean against it more comfortably.
"Little Guo, you'd better get this person done for me tonight."
"Yes, Princess." Xiao Guozi was already itching for a fight. He had long wanted to teach Jiang Jingzhan a lesson. This young master of the Marquis's mansion dared to make a move on the princess. He was simply courting death!
By evening, Xinwei had calmed down, and Xiao Guozi sent someone to lead her out of the palace. Just in case, Xiao Guozi brought ten men with him, two of whom were to protect Xinwei, and the other eight were to capture Jiang Jingzhan's men.
The Ningguo Marquis's mansion is no longer what it used to be; its fortunes have declined drastically. The only person who is still a notable figure is Jiang Qian, who is currently quelling a rebellion in Shuoyang and fighting against Yang Zhong's clansmen. It can be seen that this person will have a promising future. As long as he knows how to conduct himself and doesn't help those he shouldn't, he won't die too badly.
Eight guards slipped into the Ningguo Marquis's residence without anyone noticing and dragged Jiang Jingzhan and his henchmen out. When Jiang Jingzhan saw Xiao Guozi, he was furious, "Eunuch Guo, I have no grudges or enemies with the Yongwang Mansion. What are you doing?"
Xiao Guozi walked over with his whisk in his arms, and Xin Wei followed behind him. Her gaze swept across the room and landed on a man behind Jiang Jingzhan. The man had long forgotten her. To him, Xin Wei was just someone he had bullied during a mission, something that happened every day and he didn't need to remember her at all.
Xinwei's tears streamed down her face. She had hated him for five years, suffered heartache for five years, and felt like she was living a life worse than death for five years. Yet the other person didn't remember her. What was the point of all that hatred and resentment in her heart?
The desire for revenge, in the end, is nothing more than one's own inability to forgive oneself.
Seeing that Xinwei's emotions were unstable again, Xiao Guozi immediately ordered his men to tie up the man, and then led Xinwei back to the palace. He stayed behind so that Jiang Jing could die knowing why.
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