Chapter 117 Xue Xunfang, an old friend from Jiaozhou, requests an audience.
The carriage of the Marquis of Jinyang's residence stopped outside the Vice Minister's residence. The gatekeeper, seeing that it was an unfamiliar lady who had arrived with maids on either side, dared not be negligent and respectfully asked, "May I ask what brings you here, Madam?"
Madam Xue said to the gatekeeper, "I have come to see the Princess of Xin'an County. Please inform her of my arrival."
Seeing the gatekeeper's troubled expression, Madam Xue added, "You just need to tell the county magistrate that my old friend Xue Xunfang from Jiaozhou is requesting an audience. If the county magistrate does not grant it, I will leave."
"Alright, madam, please wait a moment."
About fifteen minutes after the gatekeeper left, he returned to the gate with a maid.
Madam Xue was still weak, and after standing for only a short while, she was covered in cold sweat. When she saw the maid coming from behind the gatehouse, her heart finally settled down.
The maidservant approached Madam Xue and bowed to her: "Madam Xue, the county princess requests your presence for a talk."
"Thank you for your trouble, young lady."
The maid led the way, and perhaps because she noticed that Madam Xue was unwell, she did not walk very fast.
She did not take Xue to the main courtyard, but instead went to a garden at the back.
Although it was late autumn, the flowers in the garden were still in full bloom. Among the flowers stood a pavilion, where a woman over thirty years old with a gentle demeanor sat.
After leading Madam Xue to the garden, the maid bowed to the woman in the pavilion and then silently withdrew.
"You may all leave now," Madam Xue said to the maid beside her.
The maid who was supporting her was a little worried, but she didn't dare to say anything and could only obediently walk out of the garden.
After everyone around had left, Madam Xue took a deep breath before stepping forward. She walked to the stone steps of the pavilion and suddenly knelt down.
"Your Highness, I have no other choice but to come and bother you."
The woman in the pavilion gazed at Madam Xue silently for a long time before suddenly asking, "How long have we known each other, Madam Xue?"
Madam Xue looked up and met the gaze of the Princess of Xin'an, and said, "It has been twenty-eight years."
The two looked at each other like that, and finally Princess Xin'an sighed softly: "You're not feeling well, get up and sit down."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Madam Xue slowly stood up and walked into the pavilion.
After Madam Xue sat down, Princess Xin'an pushed the cup next to her to her.
Without hesitation, Madam Xue picked up the cup and took a sip. She paused slightly after taking a sip, then looked down at the contents of the cup.
"Do you still like ginger honey water?" Princess Xin'an asked.
Madam Xue's eyes reddened slightly: "I like it."
"When did you recognize me?"
“It was a long time ago. I was pregnant at that time and was brought to the capital by the Marquis. I saw you from afar a few times during festivals, and later we met by chance a few more times and I recognized you.”
"Why don't you come and acknowledge us?"
“I never intended to disturb you.” Looking into Princess Xin’an’s eyes, Madam Xue repeated, “Whether you believe it or not, I never intended to acknowledge you. If I hadn’t been desperate today, I wouldn’t have come here.”
"Xunfang, of course I believe you." Princess Xin'an's tone became even gentler. "Tell me, what exactly happened that made you, the wife of the Marquis of Jinyang, so disheveled?"
"This matter is complicated, and it probably starts from when I married the Marquis."
"Then go ahead and speak. I have time to listen carefully."
So, Madam Xue recounted all the grudges and grievances between her and Ji Chan, including how her two children died tragically because of Ji Chan.
After saying her piece, Xue was already in tears.
For a moment, she also regretted it. If she hadn't driven Ji Chan out of the Marquis's mansion, perhaps many of the things that happened afterward wouldn't have happened.
But now, it's too late for regrets.
With tears in her eyes, Madam Xue said, "My fight with Ji Chan resulted in my poor Yingying dying alone in Xiling. She was only seventeen years old. Her death wasn't enough; the people from the Mingjing Division even said that the Marquis was colluding with the Shen family and took him away directly. Now, I have no one to rely on."
After hearing her finish speaking, Princess Xin'an asked again, "The Mingjing Division is not unreasonable. If they find that the Marquis of Jinyang has nothing to do with the Shen family, they will naturally release him. Why are you so panicked?"
"It's still because of Ji Chan." When Xue mentioned A Chan now, she was no longer able to be angry. She even felt a little unspeakable fear of the name.
"Can she control the Mingjing Division?"
"The county princess probably never paid attention to the small things happening outside, so she didn't know that Ji Chan had seduced Bai Xiuming earlier by some means. When Bai Xiuming went to Xiling this time, she followed him all the way and then came back together."
Last time I confronted Ji Chan in court, Bai Xiuming inexplicably sided with her. Now that they've only just returned to the capital, Bai Xiuming is already targeting the Marquis. Who would believe it wasn't Ji Chan secretly instigating this?
Princess Xin'an pondered for a moment before saying, "Your stepdaughter is quite capable."
Although what Xue said was just her speculation, it was not difficult to prove.
Madam Xue smiled bitterly, not hiding her thoughts: "I thought he was an easy target, but who knew he was poisonous. Now the Marquis is in Bai Xiuming's hands, his life or death is just a word from him. Ji Chan hates me and the Marquis to the core, and she will never let him go."
"So what do you want me to do for you?"
Upon hearing the words of the Lady of Xin'an County, Madam Xue's face lit up with joy: "I dare not ask for too much, I only hope that the Marquis can leave Mingjing Division safely."
"Alright, I agree to this. You can go back and wait. Marquis Jinyang will return home in a couple of days."
"Thank you very much, Your Highness. I will never forget your great kindness."
Without asking what methods the Princess of Xin'an would use to get the Mingjing Division to release the people, Madam Xue immediately wanted to kneel down and kowtow, but was stopped by the other party.
"Don't be so polite in the future. You're still sick, don't worry too much, just focus on getting better. Those two children are pitiful; if something happens to you, who will remember them?"
“The county magistrate is right.”
"Go back now. Once you're feeling better, I'll invite you out for a walk to relax."
Madam Xue wiped away her tears and nodded emphatically: "I will do as the county princess says."
"You don't need to worry too much about your stepdaughter. I'll find a chance to see her another day and see if she has three heads and six arms and can scare you out of your courage."
Madam Xue felt bitter. She had never believed in superstition before and always thought that she could easily get rid of Ji Chan, but she failed every time.
Now, she only hopes that the Lady of Xin'an County can show her the right path.
After speaking with Madam Xue, Princess Xin'an summoned her maids and asked them to escort Madam Xue away.
As she walked out of the Vice Minister's residence and saw the Marquis's carriage, Madam Xue felt a sense of relief. She hadn't expected things to go so smoothly today, and her previously heavy body seemed to have become much lighter.
Just as she was being helped into the carriage by her maid, a sedan chair stopped in front of the Vice Minister's residence, and a thin, middle-aged man with a short beard stepped out.
The maid who saw Madam Xue off at the door saw the man and hurriedly went up to him with a smile: "Young Master, what brings you to visit the County Princess today? She said yesterday that you've been very busy lately and haven't been seen at all."
The visitor was none other than the eldest brother of the Princess of Xin'an, the heir apparent of the Prince of Ying'an.
"What are you busy with at home, little sister?" Prince Ying'an followed the maid into the Vice Minister's residence, his gaze only sweeping over Madam Xue before looking away.
"The county princess met an old friend, who is still in the garden at the moment."
"Okay, take me there."
Seeing the Prince of Ying'an arrive with his maid, Princess Xin'an stood up to greet him: "Brother, what brings you here to see me today?"
“My father’s favorite opera troupe came to Beijing, and he insisted on holding a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet at home and inviting people to watch a ghost play with him.”
Princess Xin'an heard the complaint in the words of the Crown Prince of Ying'an and couldn't help but laugh.
"You're still laughing? Father even said he wanted to recommend the ghost opera troupe to His Majesty. Tell me about him, His Majesty is about to celebrate his birthday, and the name 'ghost opera' sounds unlucky. I don't know what he was thinking?"
"But ghost plays are really good. Maybe His Majesty doesn't care."
The Crown Prince of Ying'an looked helpless: "I knew you would say that. It was you who led Father to like ghost plays in the first place."
Princess Xin'an simply smiled and did not argue with her brother.
"Father asked me to tell you to go early on the day of the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet. You haven't been to the Prince's mansion for a while, and he and Mother are thinking of you."
“I would have gone ahead of time even if you hadn’t told me.” As she spoke, she seemed to remember something else. “By the way, I’d like to invite two people to the chrysanthemum viewing party. I wonder if you could pass on a message to my sister-in-law and ask her to deliver two invitations for me?”
Princess Ying'an no longer manages much affairs. All matters, big and small, in the Prince's residence are arranged by the Crown Prince's wife, who is also the sister-in-law of Princess Xin'an. The invitations for the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet were also sent out through her.
"You're just ordering me around. Tell me, who do you want me to invite?"
"One is Lady Xue, the wife of the Marquis of Jinyang, and the other is Ji Chan."
"Lady of the Marquis of Jinyang?" Prince Ying'an frowned slightly as he recalled the person he had just met. "Today in court, I heard that the Marquis of Jinyang's residence was involved in the case of the Prince of Xiling. When did you become so close to her?"
Princess Xin'an said casually, "Brother, have you forgotten? I accompanied my husband to Jiaozhou for three years more than ten years ago. That's when we met."
Prince Ying'an did not take his sister's words to heart, and only said, "Fine, you can invite whomever you want, but you have always been naive, so be careful not to be fooled."
"Understood. If the Marquis of Jinyang is not released in a couple of days, I will not invite her to my father's chrysanthemum appreciation banquet."
"what ever."
Prince Ying'an seemed to have other matters to attend to, and after exchanging a few more words with her, he left.
After everyone had finally left, Princess Xin'an sat back in the pavilion, gazing at the still verdant trees in the distance, her eyes gradually growing deep.
Xue Xunfang... what a nuisance.
However, she is a clever person, so it's no wonder that she was able to become the wife of the Marquis of Jinyang.
I'll help her out this time; as for the rest, we can wait and see.
As night fell, the Vice Minister's residence became quiet.
In the main courtyard, Princess Xin'an leaned against Xu Zecheng's chest and spoke to him softly.
"My lord, the Lady of Jinyang Marquis came to see me today."
"That Xue..."
"Xue Xunfang".
"What does she want from you?" Xu Zecheng asked.
“She wanted me to save the Marquis of Jinyang,” Princess Xin’an said quietly. “I heard that the Marquis of Jinyang offended Bai Xiuming and was arrested. She wanted me to help her out of consideration for our friendship of more than 20 years, and I agreed.”
“She does dare to speak up,” Xu Zecheng said in a slightly somber tone.
"Oh, it's just a small matter. Besides, although the Marquis of Jinyang is not very capable, he is still a nobleman. He might be able to help my husband. I can't refuse her."
"Very well, I'll lend a hand. As for the Xue family, you can decide for yourself."
"Don't worry, I know my limits."
The couple whispered to each other for a long time before finally falling asleep in each other's arms.
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