County Lady
After saying this, Cang Yi turned and went into the house to pack up the jewelry that Taishi Zheng had left with her earlier. She said to her, "Zheng, do you have anything else here that you want to give to Mingyue? Take a look, should we give it to her together? Or..."
Zheng looked inside through the door of Yinjianju.
She surveyed the simple furnishings of the house, devoid of extravagance. It felt like a world away from the lavishly appointed mansion. Yet, it was this simple bedroom, so fitting for its owner, that made it feel more like a warm home. So, was this where her eldest sister-in-law and eldest brother lived?
Suddenly thinking of Cui Zhijian, Zheng could find no trace of him in the depths of her memory. I heard he was a warrior? It seemed that on the day of the bride's wedding, he was on night duty at the palace and hadn't shown up.
So much so that, to this day, Zheng has not been able to have a proper face-to-face meeting with him.
Pulling her thoughts back to the house, Tai Shi Zheng smiled sheepishly. "I'd better not meet up with Zhi Chou's wife for the next few days. We might be incompatible, so there's a bit of a clash. But the gift still needs to be given. I can't favor one over the other just because we've had a conflict. We'll have to meet each other eventually, right? But could you, my sister-in-law, please help me take this to her? My eldest sister-in-law is always so harmonious with others. I'm sure Zhi Chou's wife won't refuse you."
Cang Yi laughed secretly when he heard this.
I think there is finally someone in this mansion who can deal with the eloquent third daughter-in-law.
She turned and pointed at the boxes of jewelry, complying with Taishi Zheng's request. "It's no trouble at all. It's just a small favor. Come and see which box is going to Ginkgo Pavilion? We won't take it with us. I'll give it to her when I have time."
"Well... let's go with the box in the middle." Tai Shi Zheng said, pointing casually.
But even she herself didn't know what was in the box. Zheng had chosen a set of expensive, unostentatious jade ornaments for Cang Yi. As for the rest, they were all ordinary gold jewelry, so there was no need to be fussy about the gifts she sent to Ginkgo Pavilion. They were all the same.
"Okay." After hearing what Taishi Zheng said, Cang Yi put the middle box aside, picked up the others and walked out the door.
Seeing this, Zheng obediently took the wooden box from her hand and called out sweetly, "Sister-in-law, I'll get the things. Please lead the way—"
In this way, the two sisters-in-law finally left Yinjianju.
Wait until the two of them walked onto the small garden that led to the east and west courtyards, and between the main and second houses.
Tai Shi Zheng couldn't help but look towards Cang Yun Pavilion where he rested this morning.
It would have been fine if she hadn't looked, but when she did, she saw that Zou Shuangtong had lost his usual majestic demeanor and was standing in the pavilion with a humble look, peeling pears for others. Zheng wanted to take a closer look at the person sitting behind Zou Shuangtong, but found that she couldn't see the person's face clearly.
Outside the pavilion at that time, groups of maids and servants surrounded the pavilion in three layers inside and outside.
Wow, this second house has such a big event?
Zheng couldn't help but wonder at this scene. She asked her eldest sister-in-law, "Isn't this Uematsu's wife? Look at this scene... Could it be that Second Aunt is there? Isn't she just here to enjoy the scenery? Why would she need so many people?"
Cang Yi turned around and stopped for Zheng.
But without Cang Yi's careful identification, she knew that there was only one person who was needed in the Bo Mansion and worthy of such a grand ceremony.
Cang Yi told Zheng, "The one with Uematsu's wife wasn't my second aunt. It should be Qi Yijun, the eldest daughter-in-law of the second branch, the Princess of Lingshan County. However, these messengers are all retainers of the Prince's Mansion, not our family's servants."
"The Princess of Lingshan County? It's her. But sister-in-law, I really want to ask, can our uncle's mansion accommodate so many people?" Tai Shi Zheng couldn't help but be surprised.
Hearing Zheng's tone, Cang Yi replied, "Of course there's not enough space. The people you see now were all sent by the Princess of the County. They serve here during the day and return to the Prince's Mansion at night. But Zheng, do you know the County Master?"
This Prince's Mansion is really rich and powerful... But since you can't adapt to the life in the Earl's Mansion, why do you want to marry here?
Tai Shi Zheng thought about it and realized that this was not the first time he had met Qi Yijun.
In the past, they would often run into each other at palace banquets, but that was about it. Zheng's impression of him was simply that of someone who kept people at a distance. Qi Yijun always liked to appear in front of others with an arrogant attitude, and when he left, he remained calm and composed.
Therefore, the noble ladies in Tokyo rarely interacted with her.
Some even called her weird.
But Zheng was unwilling to judge Qi Yijun in this way. Whoever wants to be like that is fine. It is not someone else's turn to lecture her.
She just said: "I'm not familiar with it."
But turning around, Tai Shi Zheng looked back at Cang Yi and said, "But sister-in-law, isn't it a good thing that we met them? This way we don't have to go to the second house to bother them one by one. After giving the gifts here, we can go home earlier. You don't know that my family can't live without me. When she sees that I have been away for a long time, she will rush around looking for me in the yard. Clingy-"
Zheng deliberately muttered something, which made Cui Zhijun, who was studying far away in Yinzhu Yatang, feel a chill down his spine.
Hearing about the couple's close relationship, Cang Yi couldn't help but envy them, saying, "Erlang is considerate and reliable, and Zheng, you're gentle and kind. You two are so compatible, your future will surely be even better. Let's go quickly, I'll take you to greet them so you can return home soon."
"Well, sister-in-law, you are such a nice person." Tai Shi Zheng responded.
Cang Yi lifted her foot, but before she started, she added, feeling uneasy, "But Zheng, I still need to warn you. I know your family isn't just any ordinary family, and they're not afraid of certain things or people. But the one in the pavilion is a royal relative, and a county lady with a title. We have to follow their rules in everything we say and do. Do you understand? But don't be too afraid. Zhilin's wife is of noble status, and generally won't bother with us."
Is she a royal relative?
She is still a relative of the emperor...
Cang Yi was always so careful and cautious, living on thin ice, which made Zheng feel really distressed. However, since her sister-in-law had given her a kind reminder, Zheng had no choice but to follow her words and said, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, I will definitely follow their rules--"
After hearing what Tai Shi Zheng said, Cang Yi nodded, but he was still worried.
She walked a few steps with trepidation.
-
When they arrived at Cangyun Pavilion, the retainers of the Prince's Mansion saw that it was the young ladies of the main house who had arrived. Instead of greeting them, they looked at them with disdain. Taishi Zheng simply couldn't bear to watch. He saw them bullying others by taking advantage of their power. They had been bullying for so long that they had forgotten how to treat others kindly.
No matter how poor Cang Yi was, she was still the young wife of the eldest son of the Bo family, married through formal marriage, not some concubine without any status or title.
Treating her like this would only lead others to criticize the county lord for her incompetence in governing.
But Qi Yijun didn't think so. She didn't even look up at the person outside the pavilion. But Cang Yi, although older than Qi Yijun and the oldest of her cousin's generation, still politely bowed to her, "I greet the county lady and wish her well."
Qi Yijun ignored him.
Zou Shuangtong stood aside, peeling pears without stopping. The long pear peel in her hand extended all the way to the table.
This caught Zheng's attention, and she couldn't help but admire her superb craftsmanship.
Even peeling pears couldn't curb Zou Shuangtong's sarcastic mouth. When she was with Qi Yijun, she seemed to have the power of a fox or a tiger. Taking advantage of the county lady's prestige, she said, "How strange, cousin. In the past, you always walked around us. Let me see, which direction is the sun rising today? How come you have the courage to come up and say hello today?"
After Zou Shuangtong finished mocking Cang Yi, he turned his gaze to Tai Shi Zheng.
And what about Qi Yijun? She still didn't raise her eyes to speak, she just turned a page of the book in her hand.
Zou Shuangtong narrowed her eyes, looking like she was about to avenge what happened that day in Lingyuxuan. "Ah—so Yun's wife is here too. It's only been a few days, and you two sisters-in-law are already together? It seems like you have a pretty good relationship. It seems that my cousin's wife has someone to back her up, and she's confident. But Yun's wife hasn't said a word for a while, and she didn't even bow when she saw our county lady? Isn't that a bit too rude?"
Zheng glanced up at the fox, who was taking advantage of his position, and the tiger, who was being allowed to grow stronger, and said with an innocent look, "How unruly? Uematsu's wife shouldn't say that. I remind you, if you say that, you're implying that the county lady is unruly."
Zou Shuangtong was completely bewildered by Taishi Zheng's words. She immediately retorted, "Brother Yun's wife, what nonsense are you talking about in broad daylight? You don't know your place, so how dare you blame our county lady?"
"Why are you so anxious? How dare I say anything nonsense in front of your county lady?"
Taishi Zheng continued to smile calmly. Standing amidst the oppressive gazes of her retainers, she spoke with ease, "As for me, I'm following your rules. I didn't say anything, simply waiting for your county mistress to pay her respects. But you insist on finding fault, accusing me of being unruly. Isn't that a slap in the face of your county mistress?"
Taishi Zheng was so bold that Cang Yi was really worried for her. Cang Yi also didn't understand what Zheng meant by this... So, even if she wanted to help, she really didn't know how to start, so she could only worry.
At that time, Zou Shuangtong seemed to have a huge order in his hand, wanting to kill Zheng.
She was in the upper hand and was about to teach him a lesson.
Zheng lifted her skirt and dismissed the retainer, then walked into the pavilion and sat opposite Qi Yijun.
But Qi Yijun seemed to be still unfinished reading the book, and she still didn't intend to look up. Zou Shuangtong took this as her tacit consent, put the pear down, and slammed the knife on the table. "Brother Yun's wife, you are so insolent! Let me see who is breaking the rules! The county lady hasn't even told you to come forward, let alone sit down!"
"Tsk, why do I need her consent to decide whether I sit down or not?"
Zheng's smiling face never stopped.
She just thought it was fun to joke with the person in front of her.
"Ah, maybe Mrs. Uematsu doesn't know. If we really count by seniority, I'm your county lord's elder!"
"What do you mean you don't believe it? Then let me calculate it for you. Your county lady's grandfather was a brother of the late emperor, and your county lady's father was a cousin of the present emperor. So the present emperor is your uncle, and what about me? I am a cousin of the present emperor. So, although the county lady and I are not even remotely related, we are still of different generations. So, how can an elder bow to a younger person?"
Taishi Zheng's monologue had caused Zou Shuangtong, who had been so self-righteous, to fall from the upper hand to the lower hand. She could only hope that the county lady would be more resolute and teach the man in front of her a lesson, so as not to lose face for the second house.
At this time, Qi Yijun's book finally turned to the last page.
Qi Yijun raised her eyes and gently pressed a word on the book with her slender fingers. When she spoke, she exhaled a burst of coldness, without a trace of touching emotion. She only said: "Your Highness has said so much, what exactly do you want today? You are not here to cause trouble for me on purpose."
Then, when Qi Yijun called out "young prince", the retainers all looked away, Cang Yi breathed a sigh of relief, Zou Shuangtong was confused and even a little surprised, only Zheng looked at Qi Yijun and sneered calmly.
Your Highness?
What an unfamiliar title! I haven't heard it in many years since the saint passed away...
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