Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Brother, this is my concubine
Ye Yunzheng had just come out of the study, and the servant reminded him to remember to go to the lady's room, but when he thought of the words the county lady had scolded him today, his face turned slightly cold.
He came to Lanxiang Pavilion on impulse.
As soon as he entered the room, he told his aunt that she was taking a bath. He looked around and sat behind the desk, waiting leisurely.
Jing Yao's documents were very interesting, filled with all kinds of interesting and rare objects, including her own embroidered chicken sachets, straw-woven katydids, and several volumes of storybooks from the market.
"Prince." A timid voice suddenly came from the side. Ye Yunzheng looked up and saw a figure in water-red clothes slowly moving towards him.
Jing Yao's face flushed slightly, and she tugged at her clothes uncomfortably. This light red nightgown was made of a thin veil, and her snow-white flesh could be vaguely seen through. Her chest was bulging, and it swayed slightly when she walked.
"Yao'er, come here." Ye Yunzheng's gentle tone dispelled her nervousness.
Before she entered the mansion, she had heard from others that the prince was a promising young man. At the age of seventeen, he was chosen by the emperor as the third place in the imperial examination and then entered the Hanlin Academy. After that, he went to the south of the Yangtze River and made achievements in a corruption case. Now he has been promoted to the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
Not only that, she is also handsome and elegant. Yun Qiao said that it is better than Cui giving her to a fifty-year-old man.
Jing Yao couldn't help but think of the adult who scolded her today. He was steady and stern, much more imposing than the prince. Although he was also very handsome, he looked difficult to approach.
Ye Yunzheng held her in his arms. She was soft and small, and he liked to hold her like this while reading or writing.
He Qingyun has a strong and dignified personality and was brought up spoiled by her family. Although the two of them were childhood sweethearts and treated each other as equals, he often felt suffocated there recently because of the issue of offspring.
Not to mention that the He family has always treated him with condescension.
The Bo family has not produced a promising son for three generations, and he is the only one in recent decades.
Even though the Bo Mansion had a title, it gradually declined and could not compare to the He family. Old Master He was enshrined in the Taimiao, and Madam He was a county lady. And now the head of the He family was a first-rank minister.
Ye Yunzheng's parents are both deceased, and his uncle and aunt are unable to pave the way for him. It is because of his marriage with the He family that he has the opportunity to enter the He family's private school and has everything he has today.
So he had to see the expressions of everyone in the He family.
Jing Yao yawned, and Ye Yunzheng stood up and blew out the lights. She knew that the prince was going to do that.
The next day, the prince got up before dawn as usual to go to court. Jing Yao remembered her duties and got up without even opening her eyes to help the prince change his clothes.
Ningxiang, who was waiting outside the window, calculated the time and returned to Muyunzhai to report. After a while, the sound of things being thrown was heard in the house.
He Qingxuan was extremely sad. Did she have to share a husband with that concubine for the rest of her life?
Mother Zheng beside her hugged her distressedly and said, "My master, please don't hurt yourself."
"Mom, I regret it. If I had known earlier, I shouldn't have listened to you and let the official take a concubine."
Her relationship with Ye Yunzheng can only be described as mutual respect. She comes from a good family and cannot act like a seductress to please her husband, but she also longs to be loved by her husband and to be together for life.
Her mother advised her that marriages are always like that in the end.
But she simply couldn't bear to serve her husband with another woman.
"I want to go back home and see my mother." He Qingyu said aggrievedly.
It is rare to say that the Lingyun Marquis' Mansion and the He Mansion are both located in Zhuqing Lane. The two mansions are built next to each other and not far apart. He Qingyun is the apple of the county lord's eye. In order for her daughter to go home often, she discussed with the Marquis' Mansion to open a small door to facilitate her daughter's return home.
Naturally, Lord Ling Yun couldn't say anything. After all, the county princess was born in the Prince of Xian'an's Mansion, and that was the only prince of the opposite sex canonized by the late emperor.
This is also the reason why the Gu family can't do anything to her. A maternal family with a strong background is better than anything else.
He Qingxuan returned to the He Mansion and walked forward in a daze with her head down.
"A'xi?" A doubtful and low voice made He Qingxi raise her head.
"Brother." She suddenly came back to her senses. Seeing the newcomer, she felt even more aggrieved and wanted to pour out her grievances immediately. "Didn't you go to the government office?"
He Anting nodded: "Yeah."
The current emperor is diligent in his work and loves the people, and is known for his virtuous character. A few days ago, he left the palace in the name of a private visit. Later, he found out that the emperor was deceived by some minister into going to a brothel, and he even fell in love with a prostitute.
The emperor also knew that this matter was shameful, so he kept it secret for a long time, and only met her privately outside the palace. Unexpectedly, he and the woman fell in love with each other more and more, and they lost track of each other.
Today he made a decision that shocked all the court officials: he wanted to make that woman his queen.
As soon as these words were spoken, the civil service group seemed to be in a state of panic. Memorials of opposition and accusation flooded the emperor's house like snowflakes, and a bloodbath almost broke out in the Wende Hall.
Those old men were all monsters who had “cultivated for a hundred years” and were full of tricks. For a while, they made it difficult for the officials to move forward.
He Anting naturally found it absurd that such a frivolous and coquettish person could be associated with an official. Thinking of this, his face turned much worse.
He Qingyu was completely unaware and started to complain.
"Brother, you don't know that vixen has seduced Zheng Lang into staying in her room every day. Zheng Lang was never like this before, but since she came, he has learned to be like those men who favor concubines over wives and don't take me seriously."
"Not only is she always so arrogant, but she's also disrespectful to me. I don't think I, the young lady, can let her do what she wants."
He Anting's face turned cold when he heard this. Because of the official affairs, He Anting instinctively disliked such a seductive woman.
"Don't say such silly things." He Anting was worried about his sister and didn't want him to get involved in such matters in the inner house. However, he was more or less aware that it was his mother's insistence on interfering in his sister's family affairs that led to such a result. There were some things that his mother and A'an could not say to his brother-in-law, so as the eldest brother, he naturally had to give her a scolding.
"Don't worry about this matter. I will punish my son-in-law. He has a good career. Favoring a concubine and neglecting his wife will hinder his career. He will not confuse the importance of the matter."
He Qingxuan was delighted and wiped her eyes: "Thank you, brother. I knew you loved me the most."
…
Jing Yao wanted to find He Qingyun to ask for permission to go home to visit her mother, but she couldn't find her after searching everywhere. She had no choice but to go find Old Madam Gu. Fortunately, Second Madam Gu was very easy to talk to. She asked her a few routine questions and then let her go.
Jing Yao took the small treasury she had saved and went home in a low-key manner in a small carriage.
The Jing Mansion is located in the Misty Alley where merchants gather. It is a fairly decent house. The doorman told her that the master was not at home, but Jing Yao didn't care. Anyway, no one cared whether she was there or not.
Cui is the housekeeper now. After hearing that she had returned, she refused to come out to see anyone. The entire Jing Mansion seemed to be a little cold towards this young lady.
Walking in the corridor, Jing Yao could smell a rotten and musty smell. She held her breath and walked around several turns until she arrived at a dilapidated courtyard.
"Mammy." She called softly to the old woman who was boiling medicine in the yard. Mammy Yu turned her head back, her face full of surprise, "Sister is back, sister is back."
"Is Mom okay?" She stood on tiptoe and looked behind her.
Nanny Yu's face froze and she sighed, "She was still angry and almost went on a hunger strike. It was only after I persuaded her that she stopped herself from committing suicide."
Jing Yao pursed her lips, a trace of guilt appearing on her round face. She walked to the door and called out cautiously, "Mom?"
Suddenly, a rapid cough and gasp could be heard in the room, followed by a hoarse voice shouting, "Don't call me mother. Why did you come back? I can't bear to be called mother by my madam. Go, go quickly. Now that you have become my concubine, you can enjoy your rich and prosperous life."
Jing Yao's beautiful eyes were filled with mist, and she looked aggrieved. "Don't be angry, don't be angry. Your health is more important. I... I'll leave now."
The nanny was distressed. "Madam just didn't think it through at the moment. Don't worry, it will be fine once Madam calms down. You know, Madam has always been proud and aloof. She never bowed her head even once despite the humiliation that Cui and your father had shown her. Madam is naturally angry because you ran away to become a concubine without saying a word."
Jing Yao also felt wronged, and she was doing it for her mother: "Then I'd better leave first. Nanny, this is for you. This is my monthly allowance that I saved up. Buy medicine for mother so that she can have less dealings with Cui."
The nanny nodded and said, "Don't worry, I will try my best to enlighten you, Madam."
Then Jing Yao left and was listless on the way back. Even Yunqiao's offer to buy her some Yuntuan Gao was useless.
When the carriage reached the side gate of the Bo Mansion, Jing Yao got off, but was stopped by a gentle shout: "Stop."
She turned her head in confusion.
An elegant girl walked in from the gate adjacent to the Bo's house. Her folded skirt fluttered like the wind, but her expression was one of disdain and arrogance.
"Are you the lowly concubine who made my second sister sad?"
The visitor was the fourth daughter of the He family, the third sister of the county lord. The He family had four children, and the first three were born to the county lord.
Jing Yao felt a little uncomfortable when she called her like that. How could she be considered cheap? She was clearly a concubine when she entered the mansion.
He Qingwan glanced at her from head to toe and sneered, "Such a frivolous woman, no wonder she seduced her brother-in-law into favoring his concubine over his wife."
Seeing her aggressive look, Jing Yao was afraid that she would hit her. She pulled the corner of her mouth and tried to slip away, but He Qingwan glared at her: "I'm talking to you, are you deaf?"
Jing Yao has no other skills except pretending to be stupid. Others feel that it is like hitting cotton with a punch and getting no response, so they will naturally lose interest in bullying her.
She then skillfully let it go in one ear and out the other.
He Qingwan was furious, thinking she was a fool, and poked her head: "Hey, say something."
She didn't know where he pressed on her, but Jing Yao felt a pain on her scalp and subconsciously pulled the hand away. Seeing that she dared to resist, He Qingwan became even more furious: "You lowly thing, you've only served your master for two days and you think you can fly to the tree? You're dreaming. A slave is a slave, and I will be a slave for the rest of my life."
I don’t know which words touched Jing Yao’s fragile self-esteem, she became so angry that she subconsciously pushed him hard.
By the time she reacted, He Qingwan had been pushed to the ground, her hair was askew, and she was looking at her in astonishment.
Ah, this...how come my hand has developed consciousness on its own? Jing Yao suddenly felt like a deflated pufferfish, scared.
"What are you doing?"
Jing Yao raised her head and met Ye Yunzheng's cold and displeased gaze. What made her even more startled was that there was a familiar man standing next to Ye Yunzheng. He was tall, calm and dignified. Isn't this the man who lied to her and scolded her?
Before she could react, He Qingwan had already taken the initiative. She was helped up crying and went to He Anting to complain: "Brother, she pushed me. I just asked her a few questions, and she was so angry that she dared to hit me."
Ye Yunzheng hurried to Xu Qian's side and asked in a low voice, "What's going on?"
Jing Yao palely argued, her mind full of confusion: "I...she poked me first."
He Anting narrowed his eyes, watching the two of them whispering affectionately, and asked coldly: "Yun Zheng, who is this...?"
Ye Yunzheng pulled Jing Yao's hand and walked in front of the two of them: "Brother, this is my concubine, Yao'er, and this is the eldest brother of the He family."
Concubine? He Anting lowered his eyes and looked at the little thing in front of him who was hanging his head and didn't know whether to live or die. His eyes were slightly narrowed, and there was a coldness between his brows.
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