Chapter 245 Mother and Daughter
Nian Zheng felt very uneasy when she returned to the palace.
"Princess, are we still going to Yangzhou?" asked the trusted maid.
"I'm going to go."
Nian Zheng pursed her lips and said, "I have to go and apologize to the princess in person."
Prince Rui was right. It had not been easy for her to get to where she is today, and she couldn't let everything go to waste just because of one wrong step.
As soon as she entered the inner courtyard, the housekeeper came hurriedly to greet her and whispered, "Princess, the eldest lady is making a fuss again. She threw the medicine bowl and kept shouting that she wanted to see you."
"She refused to eat, saying that if you didn't give her an explanation, she would starve herself to death."
Nian Zheng raised a sarcastic arc at the corner of her lips and turned to walk towards the side courtyard.
She hasn't seen her mother since she came to the palace.
She was also feeling annoyed at the moment, so she went to see what her mother wanted to explain.
In the side room, Madam Nian was sitting on the couch with her hair disheveled.
The door was pushed open, and when she saw Nian Zheng coming in, she stood up and asked, "Did you arrange for the bandits to break into the Nian family?"
"The court sent Prince Rui to suppress the bandits. If I were an accomplice, the Prince Liang's Mansion would have been razed to the ground by now."
Nian Zheng said slowly, "Do you think I have such great abilities?"
Madam Nian was slightly stunned.
She wasn't sure either.
This daughter did not grow up with her, but she is quite resourceful.
"Who else but you would break into the Nian family, take me away, and kill your grandfather!"
Madam Nian still felt that if they were real bandits, they would not have just killed the old man without hurting anyone in the mansion.
"So that's the flaw," Nian Zheng sighed softly, regret evident in her words, "I'm still too kind-hearted."
If she ordered the entire Nian family to be killed, would Prince Rui no longer suspect her?
The person who killed people last year was not a bandit, but her confidant.
No one in Jiangnan knew that the leader of Tiesuo Village was secretly communicating with King Liang.
An official and a bandit work together and benefit both sides.
Tiesuo Village helped King Liang do some shameful things.
King Liang sent troops to suppress bandits from time to time, and always reported the news in advance, which not only fooled the people but also concealed the truth from the court.
Nian Zheng had met the village chief several times.
When King Liang was seriously ill, Nian Zheng said to the village chief, "With the change of governor in Jiangnan, your village will no longer have the good life it has now."
The village chief knew her status in Prince Liang's mansion, so he said, "Please, concubine, show me a way out."
Nian Zheng stated her request, "Go to Yangzhou and help me do something. Even if you sacrifice hundreds of your brothers, I will tell you the court's movements. No matter what, I will always save your life."
The village chief hesitated.
Nian Zheng added fuel to the fire, "You have no choice. If you believe me, there is still a way out. If you don't believe me, you will all die without a burial place."
Human nature is despicable like that.
The village chief was willing to sacrifice the lives of seven hundred people in exchange for his own survival.
Nian Zheng did not break her promise. She delivered the message to the mountain stronghold before Pei Jingming arrived.
The village chief ran away with a few of his confidants.
But where could he run to?
How can a mere bandit compare with the soldiers of the imperial court?
Nian Zheng sent the news out and sent the deputy general in the army to rob and kill them.
The village chief should be at the bottom of the cliff now, his body has probably been eaten clean by wolves.
Prince Rui is such a smart man. Like Princess Jia'an, these two people can see through her every move.
Nian Zheng has a different kind of excitement.
"You even killed your grandfather," Madam Nian's trembling voice brought Nian Zheng back to her senses, "Your grandfather loved you since you were a child!"
Nian Zheng's eyes were frozen, "What do you mean by loving me? Do you believe that?"
"If he hadn't coveted the power of Prince Liang's Mansion and wanted fame, would I have been forced to become someone's concubine?"
When King Liang asked for her hand in marriage, she was completely confused.
I finally accepted everything.
But she became a concubine.
Nian Zheng approached Madam Nian step by step, "Have you forgotten? That year, I almost hanged myself from the beam. What did that old man say? If I dare to die, he would sell me to someone else for a ghost marriage."
She didn't even dare to die.
Madam Nian turned her head away guiltily, and after a long pause she stammered, "But you are... now a princess, aren't you? Which girl in our family has such a blessing as you?"
Nian Zheng's eyes flashed with murderous intent, "The daughter of the Nian family is indeed unlucky."
The two younger sisters of the second wife are actually the legal wives.
But they were not living well at all.
"Who in Jiangnan wouldn't want to marry a girl from the Nian family? They won't fight back, and their parents will only teach them the Three Obediences and Four Virtues."
A clay Buddha who can be molded into anything he wants, but has a family of scholars behind him.
Students flocked to it.
So she wanted to kill all the students in Jiangnan.
Madam Nian's mouth was bitter, "The Nian family is not as bad as you say."
"As long as the men in my family don't take concubines, we are already better off than countless other families."
Nian Zheng sneered, "You're just trying to gain fame and reputation, deceiving yourself and others."
"Men in the Nian family don't take concubines, but how many of the maids around you has Nian Zhaofeng touched?"
Compared with other families, we only lack the status, but we enjoy everything we should.
Yet, some people actually take this hypocrisy seriously.
"Your father is dead!"
Madam Nian started to cry, "Why do you have to say such harsh words?"
"Your brother was beaten to death by Princess Jia'an. Now that you are a princess, why don't you avenge your brother?"
Nian Zheng looked at her quietly without saying a word.
Mrs. Nian didn't think she said anything wrong.
"That's your brother..."
"I am very grateful to the princess for helping me kill him." Nian Zheng chuckled cruelly.
"I should set up a longevity tablet for the princess."
Madam Nian widened her eyes.
When she realized what her daughter said, she rushed forward with anger on her face and raised her hand to hit Nian Zheng in the face.
"You heartless thing!"
The servants reacted quickly and subdued her immediately.
"I'm indeed not as good as the men in the Nian family. They are all black-hearted."
Nian Zheng turned around indifferently, her eyes sweeping over the untouched food.
"From today on, you don't have to offer to bring her food."
Madam Nian glared at her, "You want to kill me too?"
"I thought you were seeking death." Nian Zheng reached out and overturned the food on the table.
“If you are hungry, eat what is on the ground. If you do not want to eat, starve yourself to death, and you will soon be reunited with your husband and son.”
"If you want to live, I won't let you die. If you don't want to live, I won't stop you from dying."
"Starve to death, hang yourself, or get hit to death. It's your choice."
Nian Zheng walked out of the room, and the depression in her chest disappeared.
It feels good to hold power in your hands.
Even her closest relatives cannot force her.
This palace is no longer her prison, but her dynasty.
The door was closed and Mrs. Nian's crying was sharp and piercing.
Nian Zheng raised her hand and tucked her temples again.
From then on, she was just the dignified and calm Princess Liang.
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