Chapter 24 I'll Be the Emperor's Cousin From Now On
Qi Yuanhong left the study, looked up, and saw that the sun had already risen, a little dazzling, but the feeling of being in the sunlight was wonderful, though it seemed he could never go back.
His mind was now filled with thoughts of Jiang Yu's possible connections with high-ranking officials in the capital, yet he had chosen to divorce her. This was probably the worst and most disastrous decision he had ever made.
He glanced back at the study, his heart filled with boundless hatred, but he didn't show it in his eyes. Only when he was far away from the Qingshan Marquis's residence did his face turn gloomy.
Over here, Uncle Qingshan gently comforted Su Yuezhen:
"I know you're proud and look down on Qi Yuanhong, but who told you to do that kind of thing before? Other things are fine, but losing your virginity means you won't be able to marry into any of the big families in the capital."
Qi Yuanhong comes from a poor family and has no connections. If he wants to gain a foothold in officialdom, he must rely on our family; otherwise, he won't dare to treat you badly. You should try to control your temper when you're with him; it's always best for a couple to live harmoniously."
Su Yuezhen pouted, "Granddaughter knows, but..."
She looked at Uncle Qingshan with her big eyes, appearing aggrieved. Uncle Qingshan said helplessly, "What else is it? Tell me."
"It's...it's Song Yushu, Grandfather, could you please find him?" Su Yuezhen said cautiously.
"Nonsense!" Uncle Qingshan scolded. "You are not allowed to think about Song Yushu anymore. He's a lowly actor, just a plaything. Don't you want to live a proper life anymore?"
Su Yuezhen pouted, "I don't necessarily have to get married. Wouldn't it be great to be like Princess Wenxin?"
Upon hearing her words, Lord Qingshan trembled with anger. "You actually want to be like Princess Wenxin? No wonder..."
Princess Wenxin is now twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old and has never married. She keeps several male favorites in her princess residence.
“How can you compare to Princess Wenxin? Princess Wenxin is the same mother as the current emperor,” Uncle Qingshan rebuked.
Su Yuezhen didn't think she was any different from Princess Wenxin. She stubbornly said, "My aunt is a Noble Consort. My aunt is so favored, my cousin, the Eighth Prince, will definitely become emperor. I'll be the emperor's cousin in the future, so why can't I..."
"Smack!"
Uncle Qingshan slapped Su Yuezhen hard across the face. "You're becoming more and more lawless. You'd better not say those words again, or I won't be able to save your life."
Because a flock of magpies flew to the Qingshan Marquis's mansion on the day Su Yuezhen was born, and a master said that she carried auspicious omens and would bring good fortune to the mansion, she was the darling of the entire Qingshan Marquis's mansion from birth. No one in the entire mansion even spoke harshly to her, let alone got beaten.
At this moment, tears streamed down her face as she looked at Uncle Qingshan with sorrowful eyes. Uncle Qingshan sighed deeply and said cruelly to the door, "Take the Fourth Miss to the ancestral hall and make her kneel for a day and a night as punishment."
Su Yuezhen cried even harder, flung her handkerchief aside, and ran out. Granny Yang, who was waiting outside, quickly followed. Seeing that Su Yuezhen was running towards her own courtyard, she hurried to catch up and whispered, "Fourth Miss, the Lord has asked you to kneel in the ancestral hall."
Su Yuezhen stopped and turned to shout at Granny Yang, "What's it to you?"
Granny Yang shut her mouth and carefully followed behind her. All the way, she was thinking about how to bring up the matter to Su Yuezhen about looking for her son, Yang Tianfu.
Before they knew it, they arrived at Su Yuezhen's courtyard. Su Yuezhen went into the bedroom crying. Granny Yang stood at the bedroom door, hesitated for a long time, and finally clenched her fists and went into the bedroom. She knelt down in front of Su Yuezhen with a thud, "Please, Fourth Miss, send someone to look for my Tianfu."
Su Yuezhen was already feeling wronged, and seeing Yang Mama like this made her even angrier. She grabbed a cushion from beside her and threw it at Yang Mama's face.
“I sent someone to find him, but he didn’t handle things properly. Jiang Yu didn’t die and caused such a big mess. I haven’t even punished your whole family yet, and you’re already pressuring me.”
It didn't hurt much when the cushion hit Yang's head, but she lost a lot of face. She was the personal maid of the Lady of Qingshan, and when the Imperial Concubine was eight or nine years old, she started serving her. Later, she was assigned to Su Yuezhen.
In the entire Qingshan Marquis's mansion, she was the most respected servant. Even when the Imperial Concubine sent gifts to the mansion, she would receive one. Now, her master had smashed her things; who knows what the people in the mansion would say about her?
Suddenly, Granny Yang realized that all her years of diligent service to her masters had resulted in her son's disappearance, with no way of knowing whether he was alive or dead, and she had also lost all face.
But she was a servant, and servants had to accept whatever their masters gave them. She lowered her head, held back the tears in her eyes, kowtowed to Su Yuezhen, and said, "It was this servant who overstepped her bounds."
"Get up," Su Yuezhen said.
Granny Yang stood up. Just then, the steward's voice came from outside, "Fourth Miss, the Lord said that you must kneel in the ancestral hall for a day and a night."
Su Yuezhen stood up abruptly and shouted out the window, "I'm not going."
Silence fell outside. Granny Yang stood silently to one side, head bowed. In the past, she would have certainly urged Su Yuezhen to go to the ancestral hall, even if it was just to make a show of it. The Earl of Qingshan was the head of the household; his authority was not to be challenged. Even Su Yuezhen, a person blessed with auspicious signs, was no exception.
Sure enough, a short while later, several burly old women rushed in and dragged Su Yuezhen toward the ancestral hall. Su Yuezhen struggled fiercely, shouting, "You dog slaves, I will take your lives, you just wait!"
Several burly old women ignored her and escorted her to the ancestral hall. Granny Yang didn't go with them, but instead sent Su Yuezhen's personal maid along. She left the mansion and returned home.
These servants, who were prominent figures in the mansion, also owned property outside the mansion, and she even had two maids serving her at home.
She pushed open the gate and went inside, only to see her husband, Yang Demao, standing in the courtyard, looking anxious. Upon seeing her, Yang Demao immediately came forward and asked, "How is it? What did Fourth Miss say? Did she send anyone to look for Tianfu?"
Granny Yang entered the room looking utterly dejected. Yang Demao, seeing that she remained silent, stamped his feet in frustration. He followed her in and asked again, "What happened? Say something!"
"The Fourth Miss doesn't care," said Granny Yang, looking dejected.
"Why don't you care?" Yang Demao was both anxious and angry, his eyes almost popping out. He continued, "Didn't you say before that even if Tianfu was arrested by the government, you would still save him?"
"Yes, that's what she said back then, but now she doesn't care anymore. What can I, a servant, do?" Granny Yang's eyes were red; that was her son, whom she had only given birth to after many years of marriage!
"Then go find Madam Bo and ask her to help us find them. Our Tianfu can't just disappear like this without any explanation!"
Granny Yang wiped away her tears. "The mansion is still in chaos. Who would care about the life or death of a servant's son?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Demao kicked over a stool with a bang. Granny Yang sat there weeping; they, as servants, no matter how respectable they were, were still servants.
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