Chapter 50 Just as bad as Li Shangxuan

Yang Qing said, "You heartless bastard! I've always been so good to you, and you've teamed up with that scoundrel Chu Ying to bully me. Ugh, I'm never playing with you two again."

Lian Tang just smiled.

Yang Qing went to the East Hall, which was filled with jewels and noble ladies.

Madam Mu was also there. She held Yangqing's hand, her attitude unchanged from before, still as warm as ever. She only sighed, "I originally thought Yangqing would become my daughter-in-law, but she is a woman of great destiny, and my family cannot keep her."

The second wife was smug and beaming. Although she had felt resentment towards Li Shangxuan because of the Ming family's daughter, the flattery from so many people suppressed that resentment. She only pretended to be humble and said, "Our Yangqing is just an ordinary person. I don't know how she gained the favor of the royal family. I was wondering about it yesterday."

Yang Qing thought to herself, if she had known that Li Shangxuan would keep bothering her, she wouldn't have played with him when they were little, out of pity.

Rongyue has been aloof since childhood, Chuying only plays with girls and is still the same now, and Liantang doesn't play with strangers, let alone a prince.

Sixth Brother was the same age as them, but he was very slovenly when he was a child, with two snot bubbles on his face every day. Li Shangxuan disliked him and refused to play with him.

It was all good intentions that led to trouble.

When Yang Qing's face was almost frozen from smiling, the second wife finally let her go.

After the birthday banquet ended, Yang Qing couldn't wait to return to her room.

She won't go out for at least five days, no, at least ten days; it's too tiring.

As I entered the house, I saw Nan Nan lying by the window, sunbathing. Her two jewel-like eyes were closed, and she looked like a ball of cotton.

Yang Qing tiptoed in, and before the little guy could react, she scooped him into her arms and kissed him several times.

Winter is approaching, and the kitten is especially sensitive to the cold. Its fur is getting thicker and thicker, and it feels incredibly soft to the touch.

Yang Qing kissed it and touched it, but she still wouldn't let go.

At first, the kitten was willing to cooperate, but after a while it started to struggle and didn't want to be held. But Yangqing wouldn't let go, so it had no choice but to lie in Yangqing's arms with a look of utter despair.

Yang Qing rubbed its fluffy head, thinking to herself, "Why can't Li Shangxuan be this cute?"

Ideally, one should be like Nan Nan, obediently listening to her and letting her manipulate them.

Unfortunately, that's impossible; it would be good enough if he didn't try to manipulate her.

Recalling what had been said during the day, the Imperial Observatory set the date for next autumn. There wasn't even a year left before she was completely falling into Li Shangxuan's clutches, being subjected to his every whim.

In his previous life, he wasn't like this at the beginning. On his wedding night, his face turned extremely red.

About half a year later, he finally let loose completely and showed his dog-like nature. But in this life, he was already so thirsty before even getting married.

After thinking it over, I realized it was all Li Heyun's fault.

If this wicked thing hadn't wanted to capture her, why would she have asked Li Shangxuan for help?

Then let him know about matters between men and women at a very young age, and let him become addicted to them?

That's absolutely despicable.

No, simply stripping her of her title won't quell her hatred.

It's impossible for him to become the crown prince. When she sees Li Shangxuan again, she'll definitely use this to bother him. Even if she can't deal with Li Heyun now, she'll teach him a lesson after he ascends the throne.

Liu Ye'er brought over steaming hot milk, which Yang Qing drank, but she was somewhat disappointed.

Drinking this is completely useless; she hasn't grown any taller at all.

Chu Ying is such an annoying person. If she hadn't said that, I wouldn't have to worry about my height.

However, she was a very wicked person, both in mind and heart, but she was quite lucky. Madam Chi did her best to plan for her daughter, and she later married a leisurely marquis. The couple's relationship was not particularly good, but there were no major conflicts either.

Chu Ying is someone who only thinks about having fun with her friends, and she takes a very relaxed view of marital matters, paying little attention to them at all.

The man can do whatever he wants, as long as he doesn't interfere with her wonderful life.

Yang Qing suddenly felt quite envious of her good attitude. After all, she could only talk a good game, but in reality... if Li Shangxuan had someone else, she didn't know how sad she would feel.

Liu Ye'er put away the bowls and cups, and hesitated, "Miss Ming has sent another invitation to you, Miss, to go out and play tomorrow. Should we ignore it?"

Although Yang Qing had told her not to pay attention to Ming Luoqi, this was the eighth time, and it wasn't good to refuse so frequently, so Liu Ye'er still asked.

Yang Qing's ears started ringing whenever she thought of Ming Luoqi.

She quickly waved her hand and said, "Don't worry about her, just pretend you didn't see her."

Good heavens, she doesn't want to go out with this woman who's all talk.

Liu Ye nodded in agreement. In a few days it would be Yang Qing's birthday. She took out an embroidery pattern to show Yang Qing and helped her learn how to sew. The group then planned to make a new dress for Yang Qing.

Although they couldn't sew, they were skilled at embroidery.

Yang Qing looked down and smiled, "It's very beautiful."

He added, "Perfect timing! Didn't we just get a few bolts of fabric a few days ago? You can use them to make your own."

Liu Ye'er quickly replied, "We can afford the cost of a few bolts of fabric; Miss, you don't need to pay extra."

Yang Qing: "You said it yourself, it's just a few bolts of fabric. They're just sitting there anyway. Our sewing team in the manor doesn't have the time, so we might as well make them for you."

Liu Ye smiled and stopped refusing. "What you say is true, Miss. But that's a fine material bestowed by the palace, so we must be careful and not waste it."

Yang Qing nodded. Having been busy all day, she didn't think about doing anything else and told Liu Ye'er to turn off the lights and go to sleep.

The newly changed quilt is so soft; lying on it feels like lying on a cloud.

There was only one downside to this beautiful winter day: Yangqing was holding the kitten in her arms, but the little thing was very clever. As soon as she loosened her grip slightly, it slipped out and ran away.

She took back what she had said earlier; this cat was clearly just as bad as Li Shangxuan.

＊＊＊＊

Before Yangqing's birthday even arrived, bad news spread from the border.

Perhaps, this is truly bad news only for the Chi family.

The second daughter, Yanyun, was robbed when she went out and did not return for several days.

There's a lot that can be done in just a few days.

The second wife was both angry and anxious. When Yang Qing had her accident, they were able to keep it a secret for months. Yan Yun's husband's family was too incompetent. Couldn't they even keep it a secret for a few days?

The news even reached the capital city, thousands of miles away.

Yan Yun was already in poor health, and she didn't even dare to imagine what the consequences would be for her daughter after such a blow.

Furthermore, Rongyue is in a hurry to arrange a marriage, and it really can't be delayed any longer. Yangqing is going to marry the Crown Prince, not to mention that Chuying and Liantang are waiting behind her.

The Second Madam has been enjoying herself for so long that not only are the people she usually associates with her, but even princesses and duchesses treat her with great respect.

But I never expected that her good days would end so quickly. Then I thought, if she was in such a state in the capital, how could she possibly survive in Yanyun's place?

For a moment, she beat her chest and stamped her feet, crying and cursing. Not only was the timid Lian Tang scared, but Rong Yue and Yang Qing also hurriedly hid, afraid that they would be caught in the crossfire.

Yang Qing was extremely surprised. This kind of thing had never happened in her previous life. If it had, she would have paid attention to it and reminded Yan Yun to take precautions.

She couldn't explain it either; sometimes things are just like that, a matter of a single thought.

Both of them had planned to go out, but it rained. When she was in a good mood, she would go even in the rain, but when she was in a bad mood, she wouldn't go.

Yang Qing was also confused about what was going on with Yan Yun. The border was too far from the capital, and the message had passed through so many people, so it was bound to be different from the truth.

Rongyue said, "Fourth Sister has always been in poor health and rarely goes out. How could she encounter robbers in such a secluded mansion? In my opinion, someone must be behind this."

Yang Qing said, "If someone is causing trouble, we can't intervene. The most urgent thing now is how to deal with this matter. I think that my second brother-in-law's family has let this matter spread like this, so they probably don't want to continue living together."

Rongyue didn't speak, her brows furrowed slightly. She wanted to say no, but then she remembered how disgusting those people's gossip was.

Yan Yun was born with a weak constitution. If she were to divorce and return home, wouldn't she be furious if she heard these things?

As she hesitated, Chu Ying suddenly chimed in, "But just come back. Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged men are everywhere, aren't they?"

Rongyue and Yangqing were startled by the sudden voice, but Liantang, who hadn't spoken, had seen her beforehand and was prepared, so she wasn't frightened.

Yang Qing pouted and said, "You make it sound so easy. The winter ceremony is in two days, and we'll be going to the palace too. Just listen to how those people talk, and you'll know how annoying they are."

She felt that if Yanyun were to divorce and remarry, she shouldn't let her return to the capital to choose a husband; they should find a new place instead.

Those casual remarks, whether intentional or unintentional, can sometimes be the most vicious curses. It's nothing for Yang Qing to be angry; she's healthy and won't faint even if she gets angry.

But Sister Yanyun...

Yan Yun has been married for six years. In Yang Qing's memory, Yan Yun takes medicine three times a day at home, more often than she drinks water.

If you get so angry that you suffer a serious illness, then there will be no one to reason with.

Yang Qing has always believed that it's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death.

She was also an empress. The two busiest times for an empress throughout the year are the Spring Ceremony, also known as the Silkworm Ceremony, and the Winter Ceremony, which is held after the harvest in autumn to give thanks to God for His blessings.

On such a big occasion as the Lunar New Year, the Empress didn't have to worry about anything, as the Ministry of Rites, the Court of State Ceremonies, and the Imperial Observatory were there to help.

The so-called winter ceremony involved gathering the female relatives of these officials in the palace, where they would sing praises and then have a meal together.

In Yang Qing's view, it was meaningless; this kind of formalistic gratitude to heaven might not even be known by heaven.

However, this is indeed a good occasion for families to socialize.

Chi Yangqing had visited twice since her coming-of-age ceremony at fifteen. She was alright, managing to listen to the esteemed ladies offer their blessings one after another. Chu Ying, on the other hand, couldn't sit still and had to close her eyes and nod her head, mimicking a chicken pecking at rice.

But you can't really blame her. The palace was warm and cozy with the floor heating. It's easy to feel sleepy when you're warm.

Yang Qing then focused all her attention on her, and whenever she closed her eyes, she would tug at her sleeve, which turned into an unspoken game between the two sisters.

Although this game is also boring, it's still much more fun than listening to those rich ladies talk.

The most laughable part is that most of those ornate parallel prose pieces are ghostwritten, and many people misread words due to nervousness, leading to embarrassing situations.