Chapter 60 Commentary
Madam Xiao's face stiffened for a moment. She looked at Xiao Yuxuan and said:
"You're such a stubborn child. I only said a few words to you, why are you still kneeling? Get up now!"
Xiao Yuxuan remained kneeling upright, her face still showing no sign of grievance. She glanced at Aunt Meng briefly before looking away, seemingly ashamed, and gently turned her face away.
Aunt Meng's heart suddenly softened a little.
This child, even knowing that she was sent by the princess to support her, is still so sensible, acting as if she doesn't want to trouble her.
Having said all that, seeing that Xiao Yuxuan still hadn't made a move, Madam Xiao felt a little embarrassed.
She was about to speak when Aunt Meng interrupted her:
"I remember Miss Xiao is not yet of marriageable age, is she? Children of this age are most concerned about their reputation and respect. Madam Xiao is not someone who has never given birth before. How come she completely forgets all of this when it comes to her own daughter?"
Her words were sharp, but the reasoning was simple.
Families that value their reputation would never reprimand their daughters in front of a group of servants. If a daughter is particularly sentimental, she might do something foolish after being scolded.
Madam Xiao's face suddenly flushed. She herself came from a prominent family, and now that she realized what she had done, she felt that she had acted inappropriately.
But for some reason, just now, as soon as she saw Yuyao crying so miserably, she couldn't care about anything else. She always felt that Yuxuan should give way to the simple, kind, weak, and sensitive Yuyao.
After Aunt Meng finished speaking, she walked to Xiao Yuxuan's side, gently grasped her wrist, and though the force was not strong, it did not allow her to refuse.
Xiao Yuxuan was helped up by her, and Aunt Meng personally straightened the wrinkles in her clothes from kneeling.
“Miss Xiao, even a daughter has her knees worth gold. You should consider whether the person kneeling is worth such humiliation. Don’t belittle yourself.”
Aunt Meng's tone carried a hint of disappointment.
This child is too weak and kind, which is why he faces difficulties in the Xiao family.
In her opinion, one should be like the eldest princess in her youth, never holding grudges overnight, taking revenge on the spot, and retaliating tenfold or a hundredfold to feel truly at ease.
Upon hearing this, Madam Xiao and Xiao Yuyao's cheeks burned even more, not with shame, but with anger.
Not worth it? But who made Xiao Yuxuan kneel down? She chose to belittle herself, it wasn't that they were being mean!
Xiao Yuxuan nodded thoughtfully.
Having been reborn, her greatest wish is to completely bring Xiao Yuyao down from her high position and then live a peaceful life until her death. She is willing to pay any price for these two goals.
But today, Aunt Meng told her not to belittle herself.
She had always adhered to the simplest method—an eye for an eye—but then again, wasn't everything Xiao Yuyao did demeaning herself?
By using weakness, innocence, and pitifulness to gain sympathy, pity, and compassion, Xiao Yuyao is putting herself in a passive position, as if everything she has is given to her by others and can be taken back at any time.
In her previous life, she was murdered and died young, but she also heard that the Fourth Prince, who later became the Crown Prince and Emperor, had a large number of concubines in order to win over the court officials.
Although Xiao Yuyao was the Empress, she had no children of her own and had to address the concubines in the harem as sisters.
With neither the Xiao nor the Lin families having outstanding descendants, and both gradually declining, will Xiao Yuyao truly live a happy and smooth life?
Madam Xiao, unable to bear seeing her daughter being helped up and comforted by a lady-in-waiting from the Princess's side, walked over to Xiao Yuxuan and said:
“Yu Xuan, Mother said she’s not blaming you. Aunt Meng is here too, so why don’t we let her hear what she thinks about this matter?”
Although family scandals should not be aired in public, Madam Xiao was still furious at Xiao Yuxuan's temperament. "Fine, so you want to curry favor with the Princess? Let the ladies-in-waiting around the Princess hear just how wicked this child's temperament is, so that the Princess will see the truth!"
These past two days, Xiao Yuxuan has been favored by the Eldest Princess, which seems to constantly remind them that the Xiao family is blind to her talent.
Yu Yao is clearly more sensible and charming, so why would the Princess like Yu Xuan? Madam Xiao didn't understand and even tried to get Aunt Meng to side with her.
Li's mother shook her head in disapproval.
What's wrong with you, Madam? Are you having a headache and getting confused? How could you say such things in front of outsiders?
However, Madam Xiao did not understand Li Mama's good intentions. Instead, she couldn't wait and personally explained the whole story.
“Aunt Meng, you be the judge. I have already provided Yu Xuan with a lot of things, yet she still instructs her maids to steal the jewelry that Yu Yao’s brothers gave her… It’s because I’m always busy managing the household and taking care of the boys’ studies and daily life that I’ve neglected to discipline her, which is why I haven’t been able to correct her petty ways in time.”
She was busy complaining to herself, unaware that her precious daughter Xiao Yuyao's face was growing paler and paler.
Madam Xiao was unaware that Xiao Yuyao had personally visited the Princess's residence. How could she not know how much the Princess valued Xiao Yuxuan?
In her view, if the Xiao family members were all blindly siding with her, then the Princess's Mansion was blindly siding with Xiao Yuxuan. Her mother's words were only making the Princess's Mansion feel even more sorry for Xiao Yuxuan and pushing her into a pit of fire!
Xiao Yuyao hurriedly stepped forward, her eyes glistening with tears, and bowed to Aunt Meng:
"Aunt Meng, this morning at the Princess's residence, I was momentarily confused and behaved inappropriately, offending many people. I hope the Princess, Aunt Meng, and Miss Lanxin will forgive me..."
She bowed respectfully to Aunt Meng and Lanxin, expecting them to avoid it, but to her surprise, they accepted it without hesitation.
Xiao Yuyao could only grit her teeth, then lowered her voice and said:
“My mother is just worried sick, afraid that my fifth sister will go astray. Actually, everyone treats my fifth sister much better than they treat me. Aunt Meng, there’s no need to worry…”
Hearing her words, Madam Xiao was deeply moved. Look how reasonable Yu Yao is; even at this moment, she is still speaking up for Yu Xuan.
Aunt Meng calmly glanced at her:
"Miss Xiao, you should have Lord Xiao invite another imperial physician to take a look."
Madam Xiao and Xiao Yuyao were taken aback, somewhat puzzled.
Xiao Yuxuan subtly curled the corners of her lips into a smile.
She noticed it yesterday: Aunt Meng probably spends a lot of time with the Princess, and sometimes her expressions and tone of voice are somewhat similar to the Princess's.
Sure enough, Aunt Meng continued:
"When I was young, I also learned some rudimentary medical skills. Miss Xiao seems to be having hysteria, otherwise she wouldn't be saying such inexplicable things."
“Any member of the Xiao family with a discerning eye and a righteous heart would naturally dote on their daughter. The fact that they haven’t kicked you out is already a sign of their kindness and compassion. How dare you even think of comparing yourself to their daughter?”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com