Chapter 189: Transaction
After much hesitation, Feng Min made a decision.
Xie saw through the clues and dismissed the maids, leaving only her trusted servant, Qiao Ma, by her side.
Soon, the bamboo curtain fell in Nanny Qiao's hands.
"What on earth did you do?" Xie's face was extremely cold. "You accompanied the emperor on this trip to worship the ancestors and pray for blessings, just to meet the Ming prince... Tell me, did you do anything shameless to ruin the family tradition of my Feng family?"
"My granddaughter doesn't have one!" Feng Min immediately denied it.
"Then why did Lady Yingguo suddenly write to you and agree to let you be the prince's concubine?" Xie sneered, "It can't be that you have won her favor and caught her eye?"
Although Chang had expressed his intention to marry into her family a long time ago, that was why she agreed to perform such a scene in Dengtai Tower on the Dragon Boat Festival...
As a result, the play went badly, her reputation plummeted, and she was demoted from a first-rank lady to a princess!
She paid such a huge price for this matter, but later when she tried to test the Chang family's marriage proposal, the other party pretended to be stupid to her, and even implied that she could not see her own identity clearly and had delusions.
She naturally couldn't accept this, but the other party was Madam Ming. No matter how angry she was, she could only swallow this loss temporarily.
But through this incident, she has completely seen through Chang's true face.
Therefore, Xie was very sure at this time. If nothing had happened, Chang would never have made such a concession... Although she was just a concubine, the fact that Chang took the initiative to mention it was enough to show that it was unusual.
Xie was waiting for her granddaughter's answer.
Even though there was no one else in the room, Feng Min still subconsciously glanced around, feeling alert and uneasy.
Xie raised her eyebrows: "Hurry up and tell me!"
"Because..." Feng Min clenched her sleeves tightly, her voice low and trembling: "Because Prince Ming killed someone!"
Xie's expression changed: "Murder?"
"Yes..." Feng Min's face turned pale when he mentioned this for the first time in many days. "It was in the back mountain of Dayun Temple... He killed Zhangsun Qi Niangzi with his own hands."
Nanny Qiao, who was guarding beside the bamboo curtain, was also shocked when she heard this.
It turns out that the person who killed Zhangsun Qi Niangzi was the Ming family's heir! Xie lowered her voice and asked, "Then why did the Dali Temple interrogate the Chang family's young master as the murderer?"
"It was done by the wife of Duke Ying!" Feng Min said, "She had someone secretly deal with the aftermath and framed the young master of the Chang family..."
Afterwards, Chang sent someone to "remind" her not to talk nonsense and taught her how to avoid appearing strange in front of others.
She had done everything he was told, but now the other party only wanted to get rid of her by making her a concubine!
"If that's the case, then how do you know the inside story of this matter?" Xie asked.
Feng Min moved her lips but couldn't speak for a moment.
Xie's face was extremely gloomy: "Were you there at the time, or did you also take action?!"
"No... I didn't!" Feng Min shook her head quickly: "I didn't touch Lady Changsun Qi, I... I just stopped her maid!"
Xie looked at her: "Stop? How did you stop it?"
The case of Zhangsun Qi Niangzi was a hot topic. She had heard that the bodies of Zhangsun Xuan and her maid were found together! "I took a stone..." Feng Min's face changed when she said this, and her voice became even lower: "I hit her with a stone..."
"You are such a fool!" Xie was furious: "What you did is no different from conspiring with the Ming family's heir to murder the eldest grandson, Miss Qi!"
That's the eldest grandson's daughter! "My granddaughter was also forced!" Feng Min's eyes were red, not knowing whether she was afraid or regretful.
At that time, Ming Jin grabbed Zhang Sun Qi Niangzi's neck without any explanation, like a madman, saying things like "If you don't accept my toast, you will be punished", "What about Zhang Sun", "It's useless even if you beg me now"...
Chang Sunxuan's maid wanted to call for someone to rescue her girl, but her clothes were disheveled and she looked miserable. If someone saw her, her reputation would be ruined!
Not only that, Ming Jin urged her in a harsh voice to stop the maid, and she dared not disobey!
She was extremely panicked and scared at the time, her mind was in a mess, and she didn't know how she picked up the stone and smashed it on the back of the maid's head...
Feng Min didn't want to recall the terrible scene that appeared repeatedly in her dreams. She covered her face in pain and fear, shook her head and started crying.
"I don't want to kill anyone..."
"But I really can't help it!"
She was also a victim! It was Prince Ming who tried to force her first, and she was so scared that she cried for help, which attracted Lady Changsun Qi...
The person was also wanted by Prince Ming...it was not her decision!
Xie: "You still dare to cry, do you know that you conspired with him to kill Zhangsun Qi Niangzi... this action will bring about a catastrophe to the Feng family!"
"Don't worry, grandma..." Feng Min paused in her tears and raised her head: "Duke Ying's Mansion will take care of everything! No one will suspect Prince Ming and his granddaughter!"
As she spoke, she mustered up the courage to grab Lie's sleeve and said, "The mistake has already been made. It's useless for grandma to blame her granddaughter... In any case, as long as my granddaughter can marry into the Ming family and become the wife of the prince, it will be a good thing for our Feng family and for grandma, isn't it?"
Crying was useless, so she decided to tell this to her grandmother, hoping that her grandmother would help her think of a way to make her the principal wife of the Prince of Yingguo!
She had taken on so much and paid such a price for it. She had no other choice or way out... She had to become the Crown Prince's wife! Looking at her granddaughter's eyes filled with blind obsession, Xie's face was solemn and she remained silent for a while.
After a while, Xie slowly walked to the couch and sat down.
Feng Min followed closely, kneeling in front of her grandmother and holding her sleeves tightly.
My grandmother is a person who has experienced many ups and downs, and it will be good for her if she marries into the Ming family. I think my grandmother will be willing to give her some advice.
Xie sat beside the couch for a long time before she spoke.
"You don't have to think about the position of the principal wife."
Feng Min looked at her in disbelief: "Grandma..."
Xie: "Do you know why Lady Ying is willing to hire you as a concubine at this time?"
"My granddaughter knows..." Feng Min said, "It's because the case of the eldest grandson Qi Niangzi has not been resolved. It's a critical moment. She is afraid that her granddaughter will say something she shouldn't say..."
It was because she was sure of this that she dared to write to Mingjin to urge him.
"You also know that this is a critical moment." Xie said, "Now the Feng family and the Ming family are not of equal status. In the past, this might have been a good story... But at this juncture, if the Ming family suddenly hired you as their principal wife, this unusual and eye-catching move might arouse speculation and suspicion from those with ulterior motives - have you ever thought about this?"
Feng Min was stunned when he heard this.
She really hadn't thought about that...
"So, no matter how much you threaten us, the Ming family will not and dare not let you be the principal wife at this time."
Feng Min: "Then...what about waiting? Wait until this case is over and the storm has died down..."
Xie sneered: "After this case is over, do you think the Ming family will still care about you?"
"What should I do with my granddaughter?" Feng Min was panicked and unwilling: "Does my granddaughter have to be a concubine?"
"Before the Ming prince married his first wife, you were his concubine, but you were no different from his first wife." Xie's voice was indistinguishable from joy or anger. "Besides, you have the leverage over him. As long as you handle it properly and know when to stop, and give him a child to rely on, your life won't be too bad."
Nanny Qiao, who was standing by the bamboo curtain, was startled when she heard this and subconsciously looked at Xie. What did the princess mean by this...
Feng Min was somewhat shaken after hearing this.
"But the choice is still up to you." Xie said coldly, "You have caused such a disaster, and I, as your grandmother, can't help you at all."
Feng Min heard this without hesitation: "...A concubine is a concubine, as long as my granddaughter agrees!"
Xie looked at her for a moment before saying, "In that case, I will go and see Lady Ying in person tomorrow. Although you will be her concubine, you must let her know that the daughter of our Feng family is not someone that can be bullied by the Ming family at will."
"But if so, won't she know that your granddaughter told you the truth?" Feng Min felt a little uneasy: "I promised not to tell anyone..."
Xie sneered, "Of course I have to let her know!"
"If you are the only one who knows this secret, and you marry into the Ming family someday, with Chang's methods, it won't take long for her to kill you!"
"Let her know that I have this evidence against her just to save your life!"
Feng Min broke out in a cold sweat when he heard this.
Yes! She almost forgot this...
If she was the only one who knew about this, the other party would have no scruples about keeping it secret!
No wonder Chang repeatedly asked people to remind her not to tell anyone...
Feng Min realized it later and felt a chill in his heart.
After all, she was too young, and she encountered such a thing suddenly. There was very little she could think of in her panic.
"Fortunately, my grandmother has thought and planned for me..." Feng Min was extremely grateful at this moment and told her grandmother about this matter: "From now on, I will follow your arrangements!"
Xie nodded slightly at her and said sternly, "To avoid unnecessary complications, do not mention this matter to anyone else."
Feng Min nodded obediently: "Don't worry, Grandma."
After receiving this assurance, Xie reached out and patted her granddaughter's hand, which was very rare.
After returning, Nanny Qiao couldn't help but ask in a low voice: "...Does the county lord really want the girl to marry into the Ming family?"
The girl is young and thinks too simply. How could Lady Yingguo treat the girl well just because more people know the truth?
You must know that the girl is not only holding the handle of Ming Shizi, but she herself has killed someone! Even if the Ming family will not take the girl's life, there are too many ways to torture people in the backyard, and there are countless cruel methods that can make people speechless...
It is impossible that the princess did not think of this.
Xie naturally thought of it.
"She has caused such a disaster. Who knows, the Changsun family will know the truth one day... My Feng family really can't keep her." Xie said, "The best way is to hand her over to the Ming family as soon as possible."
Aunt Qiao: "But..."
Xie: "This is the path she chose herself. No one else can be blamed. What happens in the future depends on her luck."
Nanny Qiao didn't say anything more in the end, she just sighed in her heart.
Fate...What kind of luck can a sheep have when it walks into a tiger's mouth?
The next morning, shortly after dawn, Xie arrived at the door of Duke Ying's mansion.
After meeting Chang, Xie said, "How can you discuss such an important matter as marriage with a young man? The Duke's wife should send someone to deliver this letter to me."
She placed the crumpled letter on the coffee table beside her.
Chang's eyes flickered slightly, and she sighed with a smile that didn't reach her eyes: "It seems that your daughter is really a well-behaved child. She always tells the county lord everything."
"Such a big thing, of course we have to talk about it." Xie smiled slightly: "She was terrified after returning from Dayun Temple. She was at a loss and could only discuss it with me, her grandmother."
Chang also smiled and picked up the teacup: "Since County Lord Jie knows everything, she must also know that your girl is now a murderer... If I hadn't covered it up for her, your Feng family would not be as peaceful as it is now."
Xie: "That is true, but the life and safety of the entire Feng family is not as valuable as the life of the Ming prince."
"That's the truth. My son's surname is Ming, and he is the saint's nephew, so he is naturally more precious." Chang smiled and asked, "So, it should be okay for him to marry your daughter as a concubine, right?"
Xie is not easier to fool than that little girl, so it is still unknown whether this marriage can be successful.
Xie said without comment: "There is only one girl in my Feng family. I personally raised her and she learned all the ways of a mistress. If she is to be a concubine, even if your family name is Ming, it is still a little unfair... Yesterday she received a reply from the Duke's wife and cried."
Chang's smile gradually faded.
So, are you still dreaming of becoming the principal wife?
Not to mention other things, just the fact that when the principal wife dies, the next wife to be remarried is a sequel. Most of the truly powerful families are unwilling to let their daughters become sequels, which is really troublesome.
If she were to say, Xie was also confused. Whether she was the principal wife or the concubine, the fate would be the same anyway. Why couldn't she let it go? Was the title of the principal wife so important?
Just as Chang was sighing, Xie spoke again: "I had already advised Miner when I came here. The situation is different now. People should always know how to advance and retreat."
Chang raised her eyebrows slightly: "So, the county lord agrees?"
Xie: "Whether you agree or not depends on the sincerity of the Duke's wife."
Chang smiled and said, "I wonder what sincerity you are referring to?"
"The position of Tuntian Langzhong in the Ministry of Works is currently vacant. My son has worked in the Ministry of Works for many years and has always been diligent and conscientious. He just needs an opportunity."
Chang sneered in his heart.
He didn't show much on his face, but said with difficulty: "Tuntian Langzhong is a fifth-rank official. If I remember correctly, Feng Zhushi should be a ninth-rank official... Such an extraordinary promotion is probably against the rules."
"If everything is in accordance with the rules, how can we talk about sincerity?" Xie said slowly, "Madam just said that your family's prince's surname is Ming, so he must be more expensive... He is just a fifth-rank official, I think it is not enough to make your family too embarrassed."
After saying this, he stood up from his chair and said, "I will go back and wait for good news from Madam."
Chang smiled and asked the maid to see the guest off.
After Xie left, Chang sneered and said, "I was wrong. Her granddaughter is confused, but she is not confused at all."
What about the main wife, the concubine, whether the granddaughter is dead or alive, the other party can see it clearly and knows that those are secondary and useless...
"Even her own granddaughter can be used for calculation and exchange..." Chang said sarcastically: "She is worthy of being the Madam Xie who took the lead in advocating the abolition of the emperor."
Chang put the teacup down with a bang.
The maid didn't dare say much for a while.
After a while, Chang calmed down and asked, "Has the trial started in the Dali Temple?"
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(End of this chapter)
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