Chapter 161 Men are merely accessories [3]

Madam Qu spoke gently, but every word was like a needle pricking the heart.

Qian Yuexia's smile remained unchanged, but she secretly tugged at Qu Bai's sleeve, stopping him from trying to explain himself.

"Mother's words are correct."

She stepped forward, took the teacup from the maid, and respectfully offered it to her. "Your daughter-in-law will remember Mother's teachings. I just got up early this morning and was hungry, so I had some snacks before coming over, which is why I'm late. Please forgive me, Mother."

Madam Qu did not immediately accept the tea.

Of course, this was a deliberate attempt to intimidate Qian Yuexia and put on airs.

But she didn't dare to assert her authority for too long. Her gaze lingered on Qian Yuexia's face for a moment before she slowly took the teacup and took a small sip.

Feeling slighted, Qian Yuexia immediately retorted, "Mother-in-law, it was only when I was getting ready that I remembered what my cousin, the Crown Princess, had specifically instructed me to do, and I got distracted, which is why I was late."

The moment the words "Crown Princess" were uttered, the atmosphere in the hall changed abruptly.

Madam Qu paused almost imperceptibly in the teacup she was holding.

Qian Yuexia seemed oblivious and continued to laugh, "My cousin said that I don't need to feel inferior because I come from a merchant family. If anyone bullies me, she will stand up for me."

She became increasingly smug as she spoke: "My cousin also came from a merchant family, but now she's the Crown Princess, and those who used to gossip about her background are now trying to curry favor with her. It shows that a person's background isn't important; what matters is the position they can climb to. Don't you think that makes sense, Mother?"

Madam Qu's smile froze on her face, and the fingers holding the teacup turned slightly white.

Qian Yuexia continued to look at her with a smile, her almond-shaped eyes clear and bright, as if she were just casually recounting everyday matters.

You dare to bring up the fact that the Qian family is a merchant family.

I dare to use my cousin's status as the Crown Princess to intimidate you.

Upon hearing the name of the Crown Princess, Madam Qu could only swallow all the words she was about to say...

The hall was eerily quiet; even the maids and servants held their breath.

Qu Bai stood aside, looking at his stepmother's forced smile, feeling a mix of emotions.

He had never seen his stepmother so humiliated.

He never imagined that his seemingly weak wife would have such courage and skill.

for a long time.

Madam Qu slowly put down her teacup, and the smile on her face returned to its natural state: "Your Highness the Crown Princess is absolutely right."

She turned to Qu Bai, not even daring to look at Qian Yuexia: "Please sit down."

After all, she knew how favored the Crown Princess was!

Moreover, she is rumored to be carrying the emperor's grandson, which the emperor and empress value highly.

Qian Yuexia sat down gracefully, accepted the tea offered by the maid, and gently blew away the foam.

She won this round!

And they won beautifully.

For the rest of the time, Madam Qu behaved very gently and even instructed the servants to serve them a sumptuous breakfast.

It was half an hour later when they came out of Madam Qu's courtyard.

Qu Bai remained silent the whole way until he returned to his courtyard, dismissed the servants, and then turned to look at Qian Yuexia.

"You did this on purpose today."

This is not a question, but a statement of certainty.

Qian Yuexia was removing her hairpins when she heard this and paused, looking at him in the mirror: "What are you saying, husband?"

“Delaying time, deliberately being late, and using the Crown Princess’s name to intimidate your mother,” Qu Bai walked behind her, placed his hands on the dressing table, and leaned down to look at her in the mirror. “You planned this all along, didn’t you?”

Qian Yuexia put down the hairpin, turned around and looked up at him: "Does my husband think I did the right thing?"

Qu Bai was silent for a moment, then straightened up and paced around the room a few times: "Do you know that by provoking Mother like this, she will definitely seek revenge in the future?"

"Do you think she will treat us kindly if I grovel today?" Qian Yuexia also stood up and walked in front of him. "From the day I married into the Qu family, she has regarded me as her mortal enemy because of you."

Qu Bai looked at her in surprise: "You...you actually knew all that?"

Qian Yuexia chuckled: "Husband, don't underestimate me and the Qian family."

She sighed, her tone softening: "I know my husband is in a difficult position, having to be filial to his father and deal with his stepmother. But sometimes, giving in too much only makes people take advantage of you."

Qu Bai stared at her and suddenly realized that his wife, who was three years younger than him, was far more meticulous than he had imagined.

"You're using the Crown Princess's name to assert your authority today. Aren't you afraid that if word gets out, people will say you're abusing your power?"

"So what?" Qian Yuexia raised an eyebrow. "Why not lend it to someone with power? Since my cousin is willing to be my backer, wouldn't I be letting her down if I didn't use it?"

Qu Bai was speechless for a moment.

He sighed and reached out to pull her into his arms: "I'm just afraid you'll be wronged."

Qian Yuexia leaned against his chest and whispered, "With my husband's words, Yuexia feels no grievance."

The sun shines brightly outside the window, and the crabapple blossoms in the courtyard are in full bloom.

Qian Yuexia leaned against Qu Bai's chest, but her gaze drifted out the window.

She knew.

Today is just the beginning; there will be many more open and covert struggles with Madam Qu in the future.

But she wasn't afraid.

Having chosen to marry into the Qu family, she was already prepared to fight Madam Qu to the death!

And I must win.

In Madam Qu's courtyard, the scene was quite different at this moment.

"That Qian Yuexia!" Madam Qu slammed the teacup to the ground, shards flying everywhere. "How dare you use the Crown Princess to intimidate me!"

The trusted nanny beside her quickly waved away the others and stepped forward to advise, "Madam, please calm down. Why bother arguing with a merchant's daughter?"

"A merchant's daughter?" Madam Qu sneered. "Look at her behavior today, she doesn't seem like the daughter of a lowly merchant at all. She's even more difficult to deal with than a proper young lady from a respectable family!"

The old woman whispered, "She has a wealthy family to back her up, and she also has the connection of being the Crown Princess, so it's really not easy to deal with her openly."

Madam Qu took a few deep breaths, slowly calming down, a cold smile appearing on her lips: "There's plenty of time. Now that she's entered the Qu family, she'll eventually fall into my hands."

She walked to the window, her eyes gloomy: "Give the order to have our men properly pay their respects to this young mistress."

The old woman understood and nodded in agreement.

The main courtyard of the Qu family mansion.

After dealing with his stepmother-in-law, Qu Bai's concubines made their appearance.

Qu Bai was still a little afraid of such a scene.

Firstly, he felt somewhat guilty towards Qian Yuexia, since he already had so many concubines before marrying her.

Secondly, among all these concubines, there were indeed one or two that he liked.

After all, when he was down on his luck in the Qu family, they were the ones who accompanied him through the most difficult years.

So he made an excuse and left.

After all, it's fine for his first wife and concubines to meet as long as he's not around.

Qian Yuexia is the oldest.

With him around, she finds it harder to set rules.

It must be said that at this point, Qu Bai was still slightly biased towards Qian Yuexia.

Before Qian Yuexia could even vent the pent-up frustration she had suffered at her stepmother's house...

A series of very light yet hurried footsteps came from outside, accompanied by the tinkling of jade pendants, and a breeze carrying various perfumes drifted in.

Qian Yuexia didn't look up immediately, but her fingertips, which were caressing the bracelet, paused slightly.

They've arrived.

She remained silent.

Having dealt with the older ones, now it's time to deal with these "younger" ones.