In Shangjing City, the noble ladies were filled with envy and jealousy towards Li Jingshu. They would always gossip bitterly, "Oh, how lucky she was to be born into such a prominent family! As the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family, it was only natural for her to become the Crown Princess!"
"Yes, yes! In the future, she will definitely ascend to the supreme throne of queen and become the mother of the country!"
However, some people retorted: "Don't talk nonsense! The world is unpredictable. Who knows what kind of changes will happen in the future? Maybe one day the situation will change completely!" Although such voices were weak, they caused a ripple in everyone's hearts, as if foreshadowing the impermanence and unpredictability of fate.
Princess Chu Caiwei, the eighth princess, was once a daughter of a wealthy family, but soon after marrying Zhang Ji, she suffered unprecedented neglect and abandonment. Zhang Ji and his mother treated her like a worthless person, imprisoning her in the backyard, fearing that her presence would disrupt the close ties between Zhang Ji, his son, and the Third Prince.
Chu Caiwei's life was extremely difficult, yet frustratingly, no news of her plight seemed to reach the Queen and the Crown Prince. She felt like a prisoner trapped on a deserted island, helpless and hopeless.
One day, when Chu Caiwei overheard the idle chatter of one of the maids who was guarding her in the backyard, a wave of sadness welled up in her heart. The maid said, "I heard that the Crown Prince is about to have a grand wedding with the Prime Minister's daughter. Do you think the one we're imprisoned here will try to make it to the Crown Prince's wedding?"
These words pierced Chu Caiwei's heart like a sharp sword. A flicker of hope reignited within her, her previously silent heart. Perhaps attending the Crown Prince's wedding would give her the chance to see the Queen and the Crown Prince again and reveal her story. But then she thought, now that she was effectively under house arrest, how could she easily leave this forbidden backyard?
Chu Caiwei returned to her room silently, tears streaming down her face. She knew that changing the status quo was not easy! Without help, she would not be able to leave the Zhang Mansion's backyard.
Another burly, fleshy woman spat bitterly and cursed, "Bah! Stop your nonsense! How could our master allow this lowly woman to set foot outside the backyard? Don't you know? The master has always claimed that she is insane. As long as the Empress and the Crown Prince have the slightest concern for her, how could they sit idly by and do nothing?"
At this time, a man with a rough and hoarse voice interrupted, "Alas, back then, this was His Majesty's most beloved eldest princess, yet now she has ended up like this."
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing, and sardonic voice rang out from outside the window: "Humph, it's all because she's shameless! She's completely disgraced the Dazhao Royal Family!"
Someone murmured quietly, "I've heard people say that she seemed to have been schemed against and ended up like this..."
Someone immediately retorted, "What plot? My distant cousin works at Prince Xian's mansion. He heard with his own ears that this woman tried to humiliate Prince Xiao, but ended up shooting herself in the foot!"
Finally, the man spat in anger, "Bah! What a shameless bitch! How could a scumbag like her be qualified to touch a man as noble as Xiao Shizi, who was as virtuous as an immortal!"
"Actually, my young master loved her at first, but you have no idea how fierce she is! That time, she deliberately poured scalding tea on the young master, causing him severe burns. Another time, she took advantage of the young master's unpreparedness and secretly poisoned his food. If she hadn't discovered it in time, I'm afraid the young master would have died long ago! What's even more outrageous is that she even almost made the young master a eunuch. She is simply insane! Tsk tsk tsk tsk..."
Upon hearing this, everyone gasped, shaking their heads and sighing in disbelief. Meanwhile, Chu Caiwei lay lifeless on her bed, her eyes vacant and her expression dazed as she stared at the mosquito net above her head. She was now confined to the backyard of the Zhang residence, completely cut off from the outside world. Zhang Ji and his son claimed that she had gone mad from longing for Prince Xiao.
However, in a bustling and bustling city like Shangjing, who would truly pity her? Her once close friends and family now avoided her as if she were a disaster.
Even the two personal maids, Meixiang and Huixiang, who had entered the palace with her, were not spared. After Zhang Liu stripped them of their martial arts skills, they were thrown like garbage to Zhang Ji, who bullied and insulted them at will.
Mei Xiang endured the pain in her body and staggered over with a bowl of steaming porridge. She carefully placed the bowl on the table and called softly to Chu Caiwei, who lay motionless on the bed, "Princess! Please eat something! This will help you recover!"
However, Chu Caiwei showed no reaction. She just shed tears silently and muttered to herself, "What's the point of living like this now? I might as well just die and have a clean ending..."
Huixiang, who was standing by, was extremely anxious when she saw this and quickly tried to comfort her, "Princess, you must not commit suicide like this! You are a daughter of a royal family and of an extremely noble status. How can you give up your life so easily?" After that, she leaned close to Chu Caiwei's ear and whispered a few words in a low voice.
After hearing this, Chu Caiwei's eyes, once dull, gradually brightened, as if she had regained the courage to live. She struggled to sit up from the bed, grabbed the bowl of porridge, and drank it all in one gulp. By the time she set down the empty bowl, she was already panting, but her complexion looked much better than before.
After catching her breath, Chu Caiwei slowly turned around and whispered to Meixiang, "Go outside and call Mrs. Zhao in!"
Soon, a stout, fleshy-faced woman strode in. Her face was filled with impatience, and she asked in a gruff voice, "What's the matter? Tell me quickly!"
Chu Caiwei didn't seem annoyed when she saw this. She just reached out from under her pillow and took out a crystal-clear and warm jade pendant. She held it carefully in her palm and said to the maid in front of her, "Madam Zhao, my cousin Li Jingshu will be having her coming-of-age ceremony soon. I wanted to give her this jade pendant as a gift!"
Hearing this, Mrs. Zhao hesitated, but Huixiang, who was standing nearby, suddenly interrupted, "Madam Zhao, this daughter of the Prime Minister's family will marry the Crown Prince and become his consort. If you go over now and give her a gift, you can establish a relationship with her. Who knows, she might even be able to look after your family in the future!"
After Huixiang finished speaking, she put a handful of silver into Mrs. Zhao's hand.
When Mrs. Zhao heard this, a bright smile immediately broke out on her face. She thought to herself: After all, Chu Caiwei has not left the mansion. If I help her deliver gifts to the future Crown Princess, I might get more rewards!
Thinking of this, Mrs. Zhao picked up the jade pendant from Chu Caiwei's hand, carefully put it in her arms, and then walked out of the Zhang Mansion gate...
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