Chapter 209 Unfaithful to Women
The Marquis of Jing'an's Residence
After seeing off Eunuch Qian, Marquis Jing'an dismissed everyone around him, leaving only his good-for-nothing eldest son behind.
Looking at her son, she was furious: "You attacked the princess again?"
Ji Chang'an's eyes darted away, and he did not answer his father's question directly.
Seeing his son's state, Marquis Jing'an kicked him.
"I clearly warned you last time that no matter what, she is still your wife, and a princess at that. How dare you lay a hand on her?"
Marquis Jing'an kicked his son, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. Ji Chang'an rolled to his feet and knelt at his father's feet.
“Father, I know I was wrong. I will never lay a hand on her again.”
Marquis Jing'an only had this one son in his life, and he spoiled him rotten when he was young. As he grew up, he became somewhat violent. He was quick to apologize, but he might not change his ways in private.
Marquis Jing'an sighed and sat down in his chair: "I know you're angry that Li Mingshu is unfaithful and gave birth to a bastard with white hair, but she is, after all, the daughter of the Prince of Chu and the current Emperor's cousin."
Although they are currently confining her to the inner quarters and preventing her from leaving, it's impossible to keep her confined there year after year. The King of Chu is no pushover; even the current emperor is still wary of her father.
If the King of Chu finds out that you laid a hand on her, do you think you'll get away with it? You'll be lucky if he doesn't skin you alive!!!
A sinister glint flashed in Ji Chang'an's eyes: "What if she gets sick and accidentally dies? Especially a disease that can't be brought to light!!! Father! I..."
Marquis Jing'an looked at his son with some surprise, never expecting that the person beside him could be so ruthless. He hurriedly interrupted his son's thoughts.
"You bastard! Do you even know what you're saying?"
Marquis Jing'an sighed as he looked at his foolish and cunning son: "Why do you think His Majesty bestowed a marriage upon you and the princess?"
Ji Chang'an sneered, "Who cares about an arranged marriage? If it weren't for her, how could my Qin'er have died? That unfaithful slut deserves to die!!!"
Marquis Jing'an sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation. Back when His Majesty bestowed the marriage upon him, his son had just been having an affair with his wet nurse's daughter. He had originally intended to bring her into the inner quarters as a concubine.
However, the emperor's decree of marriage was too sudden, and the bride was the eldest daughter of the King of Chu, who was a powerful prince with real power and military authority.
They couldn't afford to offend the Marquis's family. That wet nurse's daughter was nothing more than a woman who had climbed into someone else's bed. She had even caused a scandal involving an illegitimate child so close to her wedding date. If they had married a young lady from an ordinary family, they could have kept it a secret and it wouldn't have been a big deal.
However, they were marrying the eldest daughter of the King of Chu, a princess of high rank. If the King of Chu found out, he could take the opportunity to annul the marriage.
If the emperor finds out about this and it ruins the emperor's plans, then his reign as Marquis of Jing'an will be over.
There was no other way but to make it seem like the person had died.
Unexpectedly, his son held a grudge against the princess. Ever since the princess gave birth to a little girl with naturally white hair, his son has kept her confined to the inner quarters, constantly beating and scolding her.
His wife was also short-sighted. After trapping the people in the inner quarters, she sent away the princess's attendants one by one and schemed to seize the hundred-bearer dowry that the princess had brought.
He knew all about these things, but ultimately it was his own family that benefited. The emperor was also quite wary of the Prince of Chu, so he went with the others. Although he had never held a position with real power in his many years in officialdom, he could still understand some of the situation.
“I’ll say it again: your wet nurse’s maid was killed by an accident on the orders of your mother and me. This has nothing to do with the princess.”
"An'er, you are not young anymore. Let me tell you today that the reason the Emperor married the Princess to you was because he was wary of the power of the Prince of Chu."
Our Jing'an Marquis's mansion is now powerless and without influence; all we can rely on is His Majesty. If you go too far and give the Prince of Chu an opportunity, he can file a lawsuit in the capital without us even having to wait for him to deal with us.
The Emperor will be the first to punish you, but as long as the Princess remains in the capital, the Prince of Chu will not dare to act rashly, understand?
Ji Chang'an remained silent, but Marquis Jing'an spoke more forcefully and asked again, "Do you understand? The border is in dire need of personnel, and the leader is none other than the heir of the Qi family under the command of the King of Chu. If you don't want to be beaten up again, you'd better behave yourself for now."
Ji Chang'an then replied, "I understand, Father."
Marquis Jing'an sighed, wondering if his foolish son had listened to what he had just said.
After sending the people away, Marquis Jing'an decided to go to the inner quarters himself.
Pushing open the courtyard gate, Marquis Jing'an immediately frowned. It was already dark, but there wasn't a single light in the princess's room.
The place was quiet and seemed uninhabited. Marquis Jing'an, accompanied by his attendants, went into the inner room and knocked on the door.
"Princess, are you ready to rest?"
Li Mingshu held her daughter, and the two of them hid in the corner of the bed. When they heard that the person who came was not Ji Chang'an, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Mingshu got out of bed, opened the door, and bowed: "Greetings, Father-in-law."
Marquis Jing'an stood outside the door without going in, the faint light from the lantern carried by his attendant illuminating the room inside.
Their lives were incredibly austere.
Marquis Jing'an sighed. No wonder the emperor sent someone to deliver a message to him today. With the state of this room, no one would believe that the Marquis Jing'an family hadn't mistreated the princess.
"It was my oversight. I always thought the princess was recuperating and didn't notice the servants' negligence. Tomorrow I will have your mother-in-law fill in the missing servants, and the usual allowances will continue as before."
Li Mingshu, with a calm expression, curtsied and said, "Thank you, Father."
Marquis Jing'an nodded: "It's getting late, so I won't disturb you and Wangshu's rest any longer. I'll talk to your mother-in-law about it. Please forgive any oversights at home, Princess."
Li Mingshu nodded without saying a word. After watching Marquis Jing'an leave the courtyard, she turned back and hugged her daughter.
The little girl in her arms raised her head and asked in a childish voice, "Mother, was that Grandpa just now?"
Li Mingshu nodded: "Mm."
The little girl asked in her childish voice, "Then why didn't Grandpa come to see Yue'er before? Did he not like Yue'er?"
Li Mingshu couldn't hold back her tears, which streamed down her face. "I'm sorry, Yue'er, it's all my fault."
The little girl was a little anxious when she saw that she had made her mother cry, and hurriedly reached out her hands to wipe away her mother's tears.
"Moon won't ask anymore, won't ask anymore. Mother, don't be sad, don't be sad. It doesn't matter if you don't like Moon, as long as Mother likes Moon, that's enough. Moon only likes Mother. Mother, don't cry, don't cry."
Li Mingshu held her obedient daughter, wiping away her tears: "Yue'er, let's wait a little longer, just a little longer. When the time comes, Grandpa will come to save us, he will come..."
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