Madam Chen was so angry that her face turned ashen, and she couldn't help but curse, "The Li family is really going too far!"
It's one thing for Princess Kang Le to be so willful and vicious, but how come her sister-in-law is also so unreasonable!
"No, this matter cannot be left like this. I will talk to your father tonight and have him find out from the Li family whether they want to make enemies of our Chen family!"
"Last time at the summer banquet, I let it go because you weren't skilled enough, and I accepted the loss. But this time, we just bumped into each other in a shop, why are you still bullying us? Does she think our Chen family are just ordinary people, to be manipulated at will?"
Miss Chen wiped away her tears with her handkerchief and continued to add fuel to the fire, "Mother, you know perfectly well that damned girl from the Li family is especially good at flattering. What if she speaks ill of me to the Third Princess or His Highness the Crown Prince? Will I be rejected?"
"Hmph!" Madam Chen's eyes flashed even more fiercely as she cursed, "This world doesn't belong to the Li family! How can she just do whatever she says? Your selection of a concubine concerns the future of our family. When your father returns, he will definitely find a way to help you!"
"Your father is a high-ranking official! He hasn't fallen so low as to be bullied by a peasant!"
Miss Chen and her younger cousin exchanged a glance, both looking rather excited.
As long as the family is willing to step in, not only will the little Princess Kang Le be doomed, but the Li family as a whole will probably be finished!
Just then, the courtyard gate suddenly became lively.
When everyone looked outside, they saw Vice Minister Chen, dressed in official robes, striding in with a furrowed brow and beads of sweat on his forehead.
"Oh dear, sir, why are you back so early today?" Madam Chen quickly stepped forward to greet him.
Miss Chen also cried out in a spoiled tone, "Dad, you're finally back! I was bullied today..."
Unfortunately, before she could finish speaking, Minister Chen's hand had already slapped her down.
"Slap! Slap!"
Minister Chen slapped Miss Chen twice, once with his left hand and once with his right, causing her to fall to the ground, completely bewildered and unaware of what day it was.
Madam Chen was startled and cried out, "Master, why did you hit our daughter? The imperial concubine selection is just around the corner. How can our daughter face anyone with her face injured!"
As she spoke, she rushed forward and struggled to help her daughter up.
As a result, Minister Chen was furious. Seeing his wife defending their daughter so fiercely, he actually kicked his wife hard in the back.
Madam Chen was in pain and fell down with her daughter. She was so shocked and angry that she forgot to speak.
This was the first time she had ever been beaten in over twenty years of marriage!
"Chen Zhimin, are you insane! Are you going to kill your wife and daughter and marry someone else? Don't forget, my family isn't exactly humble either!"
Madam Chen struggled to get up and tried to pounce on Minister Chen.
The woman's innate skill, the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, was about to strike Chen Shilang's hands and face.
Vice Minister Chen felt a little regretful; he shouldn't have hit his wife as well.
But he was really angry!
"Alright, stop fooling around! Don't you even see what trouble your good daughter has gotten into!"
He ripped the madwoman Madam Chen apart with both hands, then lifted his official robe and sat down, his nose flaring with anger.
Miss Chen had already gotten up, and seeing her father like this, she was so frightened that her legs went weak.
She hid behind Madam Chen, too guilty to say a word.
Madam Chen looked up and saw that all the maids and servants in the room had run away, and no one had seen her being beaten. So she tidied her hair and sat down, suppressing her anger.
"Today I want to hear why you went crazy as soon as you walked in the door. If you don't give me a clear explanation, I will not let this go!"
Vice Minister Chen sneered, "I was busy at the yamen just now when Chief Steward Yi suddenly came to deliver a message. The Emperor personally ordered that your good daughter be removed from the list of concubines!"
Mrs. Chen was both shocked and anxious, and Miss Chen even started to cry.
"What exactly happened? You are the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, how can your legitimate daughter not be eligible to participate in the selection of imperial consorts?" Madam Chen gritted her teeth in anger. "Has the Crown Princess already been chosen?"
Lord Chen glanced at the culprit's daughter and said angrily, "I begged Steward Yi for a long time before he said a few words."
"These are all your well-mannered daughters who spouted nonsense in the jewelry store, saying that after they enter the palace and become the Crown Princess, the Third Princess and the Princess will kowtow to them every day to avenge the humiliation of writing poems that slapped them in the face!"
"As a result, not only was she caught red-handed by Princess Kang Le, but the news even reached the ears of the Emperor and the Crown Prince. The Emperor was furious and immediately disqualified her from the selection!"
"Waaah, I didn't say that, I didn't say that!" Miss Chen stomped her feet and cried, feeling extremely wronged. "I only scolded Princess Kangle, I didn't scold the Third Princess, I... I just said it casually to vent my anger."
Vice Minister Chen really wanted to slap her twice more, but things had already come to this point, and he was too lazy to get angry anymore.
"Now that things are like this, it doesn't matter whether you scolded the Third Princess or not. What matters is that you can no longer enter the palace to participate in the selection."
"Master, Master! Daughter is your only legitimate daughter, you can't just abandon her! Should we go to the palace to beg the Emperor, or... or should we apologize to the Li family!"
Madam Chen, disregarding the beating she had just received, quickly begged her husband to come up with a solution.
Minister Chen sighed inwardly and said coldly, "No need. The Emperor didn't blame our family too much after all. Besides removing our daughter's eligibility to participate in the selection, he also asked our family to send another girl to participate."
“I have decided to send my second brother’s eldest daughter to the palace. She is beautiful and has been proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting since childhood. Most importantly, she is poised and dignified. Even if she does not bring honor to the family after entering the palace, at least she will not cause trouble for the family.”
"What?!" Mrs. Chen and her daughter exclaimed almost simultaneously, shaking their heads frantically.
"No, no! Father!" Miss Chen ran over and hugged her father's leg. "I am your own daughter. I want to go to the palace. Waaah, I can't send my cousin here!"
Impatient with their commotion, Minister Chen shook off his daughter, stood up, and scolded, "If you hadn't behaved so badly outside and brought shame to the family every time, you wouldn't be in this situation."
"From now on, follow the nanny's instructions carefully and I'll find you a good husband!"
Having said that, he turned and walked out. Occasionally, he caught sight of the little maid cowering in the corner of the wall, so he called out to a nanny, "Send Miss Biao back, and never let her come to our door again!"
The old woman quickly knelt down and kowtowed, and didn't dare to get up until Minister Chen left the courtyard.
Mrs. Chen and her daughter embraced and wept bitterly, filled with deep regret.
My cousin, however, darted around for a while, and when they weren't looking, she took off a pair of gold bracelets from her wrist and stuffed them into her pocket.
This was lent to her by her cousin when she was about to leave in the morning, because she was afraid her cousin would embarrass her.
She insisted on keeping it so she could sell it when she got home; it would at least be enough for half of her dowry.
She wasn't a legitimate daughter, and had never been loved or cared for, so she had to fend for herself...
Finally, Jiayin accompanied her sister-in-law out of Baiyunjian and then went to Baiguoyuan and a hot pot restaurant.
The hot pot restaurant had long since switched to barbecue, but business was slow due to the hot weather.
Fortunately, Pagoda Fruit continued as before, and its business even improved.
After all, chilling various fruits in cold water is a great way to beat the summer heat.
Finally, Wan'er returned to the Earl's mansion to handle some trivial matters, while Jiayin went to Cyclamen.
Two updates today!
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