Chapter 200 The Seventh Princess Makes Things Worse
She wouldn't blindly side with the Crown Princess and speak ill of Madam Qiao of the Xuanping Marquis's residence, nor would she bluntly criticize the Crown Princess's family.
Moreover, the Crown Princess's current attitude clearly shows that she is biased towards her own family.
Although the Crown Princess often complained that her family caused her trouble, she still sided with them when something really happened.
Otherwise, when the Crown Princess had a falling out with the Empress's family, she wouldn't have cried and pleaded for her family in front of the Crown Prince.
Others may not know, but she does. The Crown Prince personally went to the palace to plead with the Empress, asking her to consider the Crown Princess's third child and thus resolve the matter peacefully.
But heaven knows, after the Empress saw the Crown Prince off, she smashed the teacup beside her.
Only the Crown Princess's family thought that even the Empress was wary of them.
Bah! They don't even deserve it!
The Crown Princess harbored resentment towards Lady Min Qiao and was thinking of some time to make things difficult for her.
But before she could take any action, Li Sanqi came knocking on her door.
The Empress gave birth to four children. Her eldest son, Li Chengjun, was made Crown Prince at a young age. He is twenty-four years old this year and married Wu, the granddaughter of the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. They have two sons, one five years old and the other three years old.
The second son, Li Chengming, is the fifth child and is currently seventeen years old. He is not yet married.
The eldest daughter was the third in line, nicknamed San San. She was born weak and died before she was one year old.
The youngest daughter, Li Sanqi, is the seventh child in her family and is currently fourteen years old. She is engaged to Lu Ming, the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examination and the grandson of Lu Shanglin, a former Grand Secretary.
Perhaps it was because Li Sanqi embodied the Empress's regret for her eldest daughter who died young, that she was especially favored by her.
Emperor Xiaozhao also doted on this only legitimate daughter.
With the Empress Dowager's favor, Li Sanqi's status among the princesses was unparalleled. Even among the princes, she held a very high position.
The Crown Princess was always kind and gentle to the Crown Prince's seventh sister, Li Sanqi. When she first married the Crown Prince, she even treated Li Sanqi with a touch of ingratiation.
It was only in these few years, after she gave birth to two sons and secured her position as the Crown Princess, that she gained confidence in front of Li Sanqi.
They spoke less cautiously and more freely and casually.
"Seventh Sister is a rare guest, please come and have a seat!"
Upon seeing the uninvited Li Sanqi, the Crown Princess warmly invited him in.
Li Sanqi also stepped forward and affectionately took the Crown Princess's arm, "Sister-in-law, why did you come out to greet me personally? You're carrying my little nephew and niece in your belly, so don't tire yourself out."
"Walking a few steps, how could I possibly get tired?"
The two women, sister-in-law and aunt, entered the house chatting and laughing.
The maid served tea and then withdrew. The two women exchanged pleasantries politely for a while before the Crown Princess finally asked Li Sanqi about her purpose in coming.
Li Sanqi was never one to mince words, and seeing that the Crown Princess had taken the initiative to inquire, he spoke frankly: "I've come to give you a heads-up, sister-in-law. You should spend more time keeping a close eye on your family. If you wait until they cause you trouble, it will be too late."
The Crown Princess frowned slightly. "Seventh Sister, what do you mean by that? Why are you saying such nonsensical things out of the blue?"
Li Sanqi curled her lip, showing great disdain for the Crown Princess's feigned ignorance.
She used to think that her sister-in-law was a dignified, kind, and reasonable person.
As time went on, it became clear that she was a woman who couldn't be presented in public. She would cry to the Crown Prince at the drop of a hat. The Crown Princess, in all her dignity, acted like a concubine.
Not only that, she also lacks a sense of right and wrong and is extremely protective of her own.
Leaving aside distant examples, let's talk about the previous incident between the Wu family and the maternal grandparents' family. It was clearly the old lady of the Wu family who bullied her aunt by taking advantage of her seniority.
As a result of her crying and making a scene, her aggrieved aunt actually went to apologize to the old lady of the Wu family.
Because of this, the Empress Dowager was already somewhat displeased with the Crown Princess.
Now, do I still have to pretend in front of her?
Li Sanqi didn't stand on ceremony with her either, "Don't tell me you weren't aware that your family went to the Marquis of Xuanping's residence and forced Madam Qiao to give the hot spring estate to the Wu family for free."
The Crown Princess was taken aback, her brows instantly furrowing with anger. "Seventh Sister, you'd better watch your words. How could my family have done such a heinous thing? Without evidence, Seventh Sister, you'd better not speak recklessly."
Li Sanqi's face also turned cold. "Madam Zheng of the Duke of Jin's Mansion was there at the time! The Third Madam of the Wu family personally told Madam Qiao to give you the hot spring for recuperation. She also said that it was Madam Qiao's good fortune to be able to offer the hot spring to the Crown Princess."
"Listen to this! I've never heard such shameless talk before!"
"They clearly stole someone else's good stuff and then called it their good fortune."
"Ha, what a big face!"
"How is this possible?" The Crown Princess couldn't believe it. "My third aunt clearly came to negotiate the purchase of the hot springs with sincerity. How could it be considered robbery?"
"Seventh Sister, it's best not to listen to people's nonsense."
Li Sanqi pursed his lips, "Does your sister-in-law really not know what kind of family she has?"
"If she hadn't tried to take other people's things for free, would Madam Qiao have been so ruthless in kicking her out?"
As he spoke, Li Sanqi added, "Sister-in-law, you probably don't know yet, but several people died at Madam Qiao's estate before, and it's said that the Wu family was behind it!"
"First they poisoned people, then they secretly bribed the craftsmen to sabotage the construction of the manor."
"They've collected all the witnesses and physical evidence."
“If they submit the evidence to the authorities, the Wu family will be facing a lawsuit.”
Upon hearing this, the Crown Princess's expression changed drastically. "No! This is impossible! How could they possibly have such audacity?"
"Ha, why not? Your status as the Crown Princess is their source of confidence!"
"With you protecting them, what wouldn't they dare to do?"
Li Sanqi didn't want to waste any more words, and finally warned, "Madam Qiao said that she would let it go this time for your sake. If the Wu family dares to cause trouble again, she won't be so polite."
After saying that, he stood up and started to walk out.
Seeing that the Crown Princess was still sitting there in a daze, Li Sanqi added, "Oh, by the way, I also have a share in that hot spring estate. If anyone dares to make a move again, not only will I not let Madam Qiao off the hook, but I will not let them off the hook either."
After saying that, he left without looking back.
The Crown Princess, who was still in shock at her family's audacity, turned to anger after hearing Li Sanqi's last words!
You, Min Qiao Shi!
I want a hot spring resort, but you won't give it to me!
He turned around and handed the estate to Li Sanqi!
She even encouraged Li Sanqi to question her!
This is intolerable! Do you really think she's so kind-hearted that she'll let herself be bullied?
The Crown Princess's initial resentment towards Lady Min Qiao had now turned into hatred.
Min Qiaoshi was naturally unaware that Li Sanqi's good intentions had backfired on her.
At that moment, she was busy preparing for the banquet.
That day, after Madam Zheng proposed holding a banquet for Qiao Yuanyao to find a suitable match, she told Zhou and her daughter about it.
Zhou was naturally delighted and agreed.
Qiao Yuanyao was initially against it, but seeing her mother's expectant eyes, she couldn't refuse. She had no choice but to reluctantly nod.
With the mother and daughter's consent, the banquet arrangements were quickly put into place.
Madam Min was also worried that no one would come to her door, so she had someone spread the word beforehand.
The niece of Madam Qiao of the Xuanping Marquis's family, twenty years old, with a generous dowry. She does not ask for a high social status, but only for a person of good character and a family with a clean and upright tradition.
Within a few days, quite a few families actually sent people to their homes to ask for invitations.
As the number of invitations dwindled, Madam Min became increasingly attentive to the banquet arrangements.
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