"Your Majesty, that Lady Yang always uses the excuse of disciplining the princess in place of her mother-in-law to punish her!"
Luo Peiyu bowed her head and respectfully replied.
Lady Yang was the aunt of Prince Consort Yang and also the mother of his concubine.
Although Luo Peiyu found it absurd and was indignant about the Yang family's various actions, she did not exaggerate.
She stated fairly, "There was no physical abuse, but rather the use of a ruler—"
"Ha! A ruler? She doesn't deserve it!"
Xie Yuan was not persuaded; she became even angrier.
Even if you only lightly tap someone twice with a ruler, it's still considered insubordination!
Xinping is no ordinary daughter-in-law, but a princess.
She may not represent the entire royal family, but the way she has been tormented and humiliated by the Yang family will bring shame upon the entire Helian royal family!
Even if Xinping really did make a mistake, he should be punished by the late emperor, the empress dowager, or the emperor and empress.
The Yang family?
They are not qualified at all!
Even Yang Fuma's mother, Xinping's mother-in-law, was only a subject.
There is no reason in the world for someone of low status to offend someone of high status.
Not to mention Yang, a shrew with an awkward social status.
Luo Peiyu didn't dare to continue.
What followed made people even angrier.
Xie Yuan calmed his breathing slightly and said, "Anything else?"
They even dared to beat and scold the princess! The Yang family is truly something to behold!
Xie Yuan didn't believe that this was the only absurd thing that had happened in the princess's residence.
When Xie Yuan pressed her for an answer, Luo Peiyu didn't dare hesitate and quickly replied:
"The Imperial Son-in-Law Yang and his cousin concubine were childhood sweethearts and had a very deep affection for each other."
"He felt that he owed his concubine a debt by marrying another man, so he tried to make up for it in many ways."
Xie Yuan: ...I'm speechless!
But she really couldn't help it!
"Ha! From what I'm saying, he's actually feeling wronged?"
"Did the royal family use their power to force him to marry the princess?"
Xie Yuan snorted coldly.
That day, upon hearing that Xinping was ranked first on the list of love-obsessed people in the capital, she became somewhat curious about this younger sister-in-law.
Besides sending Luo Peiyu to gather information, she also asked several elderly people in the palace about the situation.
In addition, Xie Yuan also went to see Xinping's birth mother, a concubine who was promoted along with the rest of the group.
This concubine, well, she seems quite normal.
Aside from occasionally showing off that he has a son-in-law from a prominent family, he hasn't made any particularly bizarre remarks or done anything outrageous.
Xie Yuan also learned about the process of Xinping's marriage.
At that time, the late emperor was still alive, although he did not value illegitimate daughters like Xinping very much.
But she is, after all, his own flesh and blood, and he would never abandon her for the rest of her life. (Reading...)
The late emperor then spread the word that he would select a consort for Xinping, and even held a polo match.
If eligible young men from powerful or noble families in the capital were interested in marrying a lord, they could voluntarily sign up to participate in polo.
Although Yang's family had fallen on hard times, he was still surnamed "Yang," which gave him a privileged status as a scion of a prominent family.
He tried every means possible, pulled strings, and even pawned the only ancestral jade pendant in his family to raise money to rent a horse and buy a new set of clothes.
Yang the Imperial Son-in-Law is a scoundrel, but he is quite handsome.
Come to think of it, after more than a dozen generations of genetic improvement, the children of aristocratic families are unlikely to be bad-looking.
When Yang was young, his family was not yet too poor, and he had learned riding and archery.
Furthermore, Yang, the imperial son-in-law, went all in and performed desperately on the polo field, unexpectedly becoming one of the three most dazzling figures.
That's right, Yang Fuma was never the only one.
The late emperor circled the three best performers and then asked Xinping for his opinion.
Xinping witnessed firsthand the fierce competition on the polo field and was also attracted by the three talented and handsome young men.
Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that one of them was surnamed Yang, the very same Yang family from Hongnong that her mother was so proud of.
Xinping's girlish heart was instantly touched.
Of the three candidates, Yang Fuma had the worst overall qualifications, yet Xinping still chose him.
"If Prince Consort Yang didn't want to marry the princess and wanted to get married to his childhood sweetheart, why did he insist on squeezing into the polo field in the first place?"
"Hmph, if you want to climb the social ladder and gain a life of wealth by marrying a princess, then stop complaining."
That's hypocritical and disgusting.
Xie Yuan hit the nail on the head, exposing the hypocritical facade of Prince Consort Yang.
Luo Peiyu nodded secretly. "Your Majesty is wise. What Your Majesty said is absolutely right."
It's a pity that not everyone is as clear-headed as the Empress.
For example, Xinping was truly fooled by what Yang, the Imperial Son-in-Law, said.
Although Luo Peiyu thought Xinping was too stupid, she still told the truth: "The princess believed what Yang Fuma said and thought that she had stolen her love, which is why the Fuma and her cousin, who were lovers, could not be together."
Xie Yuan: ...I have given up all hope for the intelligence of people who are obsessed with love!
"The princess felt guilty, which is why she agreed to let her cousin in."
Luo Peiyu continued, "In addition, the concubine cousin's food, clothing and daily necessities in the princess's residence are also comparable to those of the princess."
Xie Yuan frowned slightly and suddenly asked, "Xinping wouldn't be foolish enough to give her his clothes and jewelry, would he?"
This is absolutely not a matter of magnanimity or lack thereof, nor is it even a personal matter; rather, it is a major issue concerning the regulations of the imperial court.
In ancient times, there was a strict hierarchy, and there were regulations governing all aspects of life, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation.
People of a certain status should wear clothes and jewelry of the corresponding rank, ride in vehicles appropriate to their rank, and live in houses befitting their status.
If it's someone of lower status than yourself, then it's fine; you can even earn a reputation for being "frugal."
However, exceeding one's own rank is considered "usurpation," a transgression punishable by law!
Princesses' clothing was categorized by rank, and some items were even bestowed by the emperor.
Let alone a concubine, even a mother-in-law cannot easily wear it.
Luo Peiyu remained silent.
Well, no need to ask, the concubine really did take Xinping's clothes and jewelry.
"Keep going!" Xie Yuan felt that his "bottom line" was being constantly lowered by a group of awful people.
She even thought that she wouldn't be shocked even if she heard something outrageous.
But Xie Yuan was soon proven wrong.
Luo Peiyu said, "Two years ago, the concubine became pregnant, but the pregnancy was not going well, so the Yang family invited a Taoist priest from Qingxu Temple to perform a ritual."
"That Taoist priest, I don't know how he did it, said that the concubine's courtyard was incompatible with her birth chart and that she needed to move to a new place with better feng shui—"
Before Luo Peiyu could finish speaking, Xie Yuan slammed his hand on the table—
"Peiyu, don't tell me that Xinping gave his main room in the courtyard to that concubine?"
Xie Yuan gritted his teeth and asked the question aloud, but he already had the answer in his heart.
Luo Peiyu nodded slightly, "Xinping cherishes the Imperial Son-in-Law and couldn't bear to see him worry, so—"
She divorced her husband, gave him her clothes and jewelry, and even gave up her own house.
Xinping was able to tolerate it, but Xie Yuan, as the mistress of the Helian royal family, could not and would not tolerate it.
"Guards! Yang, the consort of Princess Xinping, has deceived the emperor and humiliated the princess. Arrest him immediately and bring him to the Dali Temple for questioning."
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