Xiao Yuan raised his eyes, his sharp gaze shooting at him: "Why did you only come to report this today?"
Ming Shu hurriedly said, "I didn't know what Madam Liu's purpose was, but today I heard from the servant who went with me that Madam Liu and the princess were disrespectful to Madam Su when they went to the incense shop, and were kicked out of the shop by Madam Su. That's when I thought of it."
It's obvious to anyone that Liu Qiao'er insisted on following Chen Siyi to the incense shop because of Su Xuerong.
After all, the sachet that Xiao Yuan had placed in the room had already caught her attention.
A look of disgust flashed in Xiao Yuan's eyes. He stood up and said, "I'm going to see my aunt."
Upon arriving at Qingfeng Pavilion, where Cui Shi resided, they heard Cui Shi's cold voice from the main room: "It's not that I don't want to help you, but you can calculate how many years you've been in the Prince's mansion. Has the Prince ever even given you a second glance?"
Cui felt that Liu Qiao'er was completely useless.
Out of respect for her deceased husband, she allowed his eldest brother's daughter to enter the royal palace, hoping to find her a good family to marry into.
As a result, Liu Qiao'er actually wanted to climb the social ladder by marrying Xiao Yuan, which really infuriated her.
They originally intended to send her directly back to the Liu family, but unexpectedly, with the outbreak of the civil war, the county where the Liu family lived became a battlefield, and the family disappeared without a trace. They had no choice but to leave Liu Qiao'er at the Prince's Mansion.
But Cui warned her that unless Xiao Yuan himself was willing, if she found out that she had used tricks to get into his bed, she would not let him off easily.
Liu Qiao'er had lived in the Prince's mansion for several years and had personally witnessed the fate of those maids who tried to climb into his bed.
Despite Cui's amiable appearance, she is extremely ruthless in dealing with these despicable people.
She was frightened and didn't dare to resort to those underhanded methods.
Before Su Xuerong appeared, she had also heard about the situation of that Princess Fang.
When Xiao Yuan needed something from Marquis Ningyuan, he accepted the marriage alliance and married Fang Mingzhu, that sickly woman.
It is said that Fang Mingzhu's health was too weak, and many doctors said she would not live past the age of twenty-five. Xiao Yuan was actually forced to marry her by the Fang family, so that the eldest daughter of the Fang family could have a respectable status before she died.
However, after the wedding, Fang Mingzhu refused to go to Hangzhou on the grounds of being unwell and stayed in Yingtian Prefecture to recuperate.
Marrying such a princess is tantamount to having no real power.
Liu Qiao'er had never met Fang Mingzhu, but she felt that she was definitely prettier than that sickly woman.
Moreover, although Xiao Yuan was married, he had no concubines or maids by his side, so she felt that her chances were very high.
She wanted Cui to make decisions for her, even if it meant becoming a concubine.
Once she becomes someone close to Xiao Yuan, she can find a way to climb up the social ladder, eventually reaching the position of a concubine.
After Fang Mingzhu dies, she'll find a way to get Xiao Yuan to officially recognize her as his wife...
Unexpectedly, she discovered the sachet that Xiao Yuan always carried, and upon seeing Su Xuerong in person, she suddenly felt as if she had been punched hard in the face, losing her mind and thus speaking rudely to Su Xuerong.
After being disliked by Chen Siyi, she immediately went to Cui Shi to cry and beg Cui Shi to stand up for her and not let herself be bullied at will in the Prince's Mansion.
How could Cui not understand the meaning behind her words?
Isn't it because she discovered that Chen Siyi's arrival posed a considerable threat to her?
"Qiao'er, let me tell you the truth. Although the princess has fallen on hard times, she will never become anyone's concubine. Your jealousy will only make you a laughingstock!"
Cui sneered, "Do you think everyone is like you, willingly becoming someone's concubine?"
I really don't know how my brother-in-law's family raised their daughter, that they could raise such a shameless person!
If she hadn't been unable to find the Liu family's whereabouts, she would have had Liu Qiao'er sent away long ago.
Liu Qiao'er sobbed, "Madam, I wasn't talking about the princess, but that widow who runs the incense shop!"
"Today I accompanied the princess to the incense shop, and naturally I treated her with the utmost courtesy. But I never expected that widow to look down on me like that. Seeing that my status was lower than the princess's, she actually tried to kick me out of the shop... Waaah, old lady, now even commoners dare to treat me badly. I, the cousin of the royal family, am truly just a name without substance..."
Cui's face immediately turned cold, and she slammed her hand on the table beside her: "Commoner? What is the background of your Liu family?"
Her late husband was the top scholar in the imperial examination of the previous dynasty and served as a Grand Secretary in the Hanlin Academy.
But Liu's eldest brother was just a scholar who had never achieved any official rank. Liu Qiao'er had become so used to being fawned over in the Prince's mansion over the past few years that she had forgotten her true origins.
Liu Qiao'er panicked: "Madam, that's not what I meant. What I meant was, I told that widow that the prince is my cousin, but that vile woman still spoke rudely to me..."
"Who is your cousin?" Cui stared at her with icy eyes.
She had already ordered Liu Qiao'er not to refer to herself as Xiao Yuan's cousin in public, but she still refused to listen.
Liu Qiao'er was frightened by her gaze and lowered her head, no longer daring to utter a sound.
Cui said coldly, "From today onwards, you will stay in your own courtyard and not go anywhere. After the Princess arrives in Hangzhou, if she is willing to tolerate you, I will keep you. But if the Princess does not tolerate you, I will arrange for you to marry someone."
The sound of Liu Qiao'er crying in panic came from inside the house.
Xiao Yuan listened to the commotion inside but didn't go in; he left quietly.
Su Xuerong was unaware of the trouble she had caused in the Prince's mansion. She patiently made the incense ball that Chen Siyi wanted and even specially made a string of incense beads.
A few days later, Chen Siyi came again.
Seeing that the annoying woman was not following behind her, Su Xuerong invited her directly to the inner courtyard.
Chen Siyi observed the inner courtyard.
Various flowers are planted on both sides of the small hanging flower gate. A simple shed is built under the wisteria tree, with a set of bamboo table and chairs placed in the middle, and an exquisite Ru kiln tea set on it.
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