Chapter 74 Threat
Upon hearing this, Madam Xiao looked at Xiao Fuguang and spoke.
"Fu Guang, you mean there's something fishy going on here."
Xiao Fuguang nodded.
"Noble Concubine Yao is deeply favored by the Emperor and has assisted in the management of the six palaces for many years. It is impossible for her not to know the temperament of every concubine in the palace. Perhaps it is no coincidence that you, mother, met Concubine Cui."
Mrs. Xiao nodded when she heard this.
"Now that you mention it, it's true. Imperial Concubine Yao was very polite to me today. Even though I rejected Prince Rong's proposal of marriage, she politely invited me to dinner. There wasn't a trace of anger on her face or in her eyes. This doesn't seem like the behavior of a powerful concubine."
Xiao Fuguang spoke thoughtfully.
"Mother, I'm afraid we should be careful about this Concubine Yao."
"As for Consort Cui, she comes from the Cui family, a large family. She must have been spoiled by her family. After entering the palace, she must have overestimated herself and may have been used as a pawn."
The carriage finally arrived at the Xiao family.
As soon as Lin Qingwan and Xiao Fusu saw the Xiao family's carriage appear, they hurried out to greet them.
"Mother………"
"elder sister!"
"Fu Guang."
Xiao Fuguang got off the carriage.
He spoke first.
"I've brought my mother back, don't worry."
Then he reached out to help Mrs. Xiao.
Mrs. Xiao was supported by her two daughters, one on each side, and a warm feeling surged in her heart.
Despite the twists and turns in the palace, all the unhappiness seemed to disappear when he saw the worried and concerned eyes of his family.
"I'm sorry to have worried you. I'm fine."
Madam Xiao smiled and comforted her, but her face was still a little pale.
Several people entered the mansion together.
Xiao Fuguang helped Mrs. Xiao to her room and looked at his mother's tired appearance.
Xiao Fuguang spoke.
"Mother, you take a rest first."
Mrs. Xiao had already felt exhausted all over, so she nodded and rested.
Xiao Fuguang, Lin Qingwan and Xiao Fusu walked out together.
Lin Qingwan spoke softly.
"Fu Guang, what happened? My mother's face doesn't look right."
Xiao Fuguang took them to the lobby and told them everything that happened in the palace and what he and his mother had analyzed in the carriage today.
Lin Qingwan spoke helplessly after hearing this.
"It's really hard to gain a foothold in this imperial city! If you're unknown, anyone can step on you. If you have a little bit of reputation, everyone will want to suck your blood like a fly."
Xiao Fuguang spoke thoughtfully.
"Sister-in-law, has anyone sent a visiting card to the mansion these days?"
Lin Qingwan nodded when she heard that.
“There were quite a few posts, and I chose some to meet with.”
Xiao Fuguang spoke slowly after hearing this.
"From now on, the Xiao family will close its doors to visitors. We will say that my mother caught a cold while drinking tea with the imperial concubine in the palace, and it's not appropriate for her to see guests now."
Because Mrs. Xiao caught a cold.
Xiao Fuguang did not return to the Imperial Master's Mansion for the next few days, but stayed at home to accompany his mother.
In the palace.
Fengyi Palace.
The Queen ordered.
"Mammy, please bring some supplements to the Xiao family tomorrow and visit Madam Xiao on my behalf."
Upon hearing this, Nanny Fang looked at the Queen and spoke.
"Your Majesty is intentionally trying to win over Madam Xiao."
The Queen spoke slowly after hearing this.
"Xiao Fuguang's personality is very suitable for the prince."
Upon hearing this, Nanny Fang spoke worriedly.
"But it seems to me that Imperial Concubine Yao is also trying to win over Madam Xiao."
A cold look flashed in the queen's eyes when she heard this.
"Whenever it comes to me and the Crown Prince, they always have a hand in everything. After so many years, I've gotten used to it."
"Let someone thoroughly investigate what exactly happened in the Imperial Garden that day?"
Upon hearing this, Nanny Fang looked at the Queen and spoke.
"My Lady, what you mean is that what happened that day might not be what we saw."
The queen nodded slightly.
"Cui Zhaoyi was born into the Cui family, so she does have some capital for arrogance. After her achievements, she won the emperor's favor and was directly granted the title of Zhaoyi. However, she is a simple-minded person and shows everything on her face. There is no need for her to insist on Madam Xiao's life. There may be something we don't know about it."
Yikun Palace.
Cuizhu brought Concubine Yao a cup of hot tea.
"Empress!"
"The Xiao family has been closed to visitors these days. The reason is that Madam Xiao came to the palace to accompany the Empress for tea and caught a cold."
"There are already some bad voices out there."
There was a hint of coldness in Concubine Yao's eyes. She reached out to take the teacup and took a sip slowly.
"It seems that Xiao Fuguang has become suspicious."
"No wonder the Queen is vying for this person. She is indeed quite clever."
"How's Cui Zhaoyi doing?"
Cuizhu spoke slowly.
"The Emperor has confined Consort Cui to her palace, and no one is allowed to visit her. Not even a fly can enter. I haven't heard anything yet."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Yao placed the teacup on the table with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes.
"Is this grounding?"
"This is obviously to protect Concubine Cui."
"Forget it, it's just a piece of meat. Can it be born? Can it be raised? It's still a matter of time."
"I'll go to the Xiao family tomorrow and tell them that I'm concerned about Madam Xiao's health and invite her to the palace for tea."
Xiao family.
Xiao Fuguang was accompanying Mrs. Xiao to take medicine.
"That's great, mother. The doctor said that if you take another dose of medicine, your cold will be completely cured. Then we can go out for an outing as a family."
After hearing this, Mrs. Xiao curled up the corner of her mouth into a smile and looked at Xiao Fuguang with a loving face.
"Okay, I'll do as you say. When mother gets better, I'll go for an outing with you guys."
The mother and daughter were talking.
Liu Yue came quickly.
"lady."
"Miss."
"Someone's coming from the palace. Concubine Yao invites you to have tea."
When Madam Xiao thought about what happened when she entered the palace, her eyes were filled with deep worry, and she held Xiao Fuguang's hand.
"Fu Guang."
Xiao Fuguang patted her hands.
"Don't worry, mother. Everything will be fine. I just want to meet Concubine Yao."
In the palace.
Yikun Palace.
Imperial Concubine Yao, dressed in gorgeous imperial concubine attire, sat in the main hall with a faint smile on her face, but her eyes revealed a majesty that should not be underestimated.
Xiao Fuguang walked into the Yiku Palace and took a look at Concubine Yao.
"Your humble servant greets the Imperial Concubine."
Concubine Yao gently raised her hand to signal her to stand up.
"Princess, please get up quickly."
"Come here, give the princess a seat and serve tea."
Xiao Fuguang bowed slightly, and there was nothing wrong with his gesture.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Concubine Yao looked at him with a gentle expression, like a kind elder.
"My Lady, I missed Madam Xiao so much after she returned home that day that I specially invited you to the palace. Firstly, I wanted to ask about Madam Xiao's condition, and secondly, I wanted to catch up with Miss Xiao."
Xiao Fuguang bowed slightly, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My mother's condition has improved, but she has not been in good health. I will ask her to leave the house less often in the future."
Upon seeing this, Concubine Yao spoke.
"The princess is blaming me. If I hadn't invited Madam Xiao to the palace for tea that day, she wouldn't have been frightened."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Fuguang stood up again, bowed and spoke.
"Your Highness, you are too serious. Mother said that what happened that day was just an accident, and Your Highness doesn't need to blame yourself."
Upon hearing this, a hint of satisfaction flashed across Concubine Yao's eyes.
"I hope the princess doesn't blame me. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her. I also discussed her marriage with Madam Xiao that day. Now that I've seen her again today, I'd like to mention it again. Prince Rong has been in love with her for a long time. Why don't I ask the Emperor to grant a decree to marry her to Prince Rong? From now on, she will be his concubine and can also protect his family."
After hearing this, Xiao Fuguang glanced at Concubine Yao and quickly lowered his eyes.
"I'm grateful for your kindness, Your Majesty. However, I'm afraid that Fu Guang will disappoint you. Master said that Fu Guang can't get married within this year, otherwise she will bring bad luck to her husband. Fu Guang must not harm Prince Rong."
It was the same set of words again. Concubine Yao spoke patiently with a smile on her face.
"It's just that the marriage is set first. The wedding can wait a year."
After being mentioned so many times, Xiao Fuguang no longer wanted to endure it. When he thought about the fact that this woman had a hand in his mother falling into the water, and even that it was this woman who planned it, Xiao Fuguang looked at Concubine Yao with a firm gaze.
"Your Highness, Fuguang has no intention of getting married."
"It's better to look at what happened at the banquet that day. Your Majesty also saw it. No matter who Fu Guang chooses, he will offend people. I hope Your Majesty will understand."
The mother and daughter were really stubborn, and Concubine Yao's expression turned cold.
"My Lady, the reason Consort Cui humiliated Madam Xiao and even pushed her into the water that day was simply because the Xiao family had no men to rely on. My Lady is so stubborn, aren't you afraid that something might happen to your family?"
This is a threat. Xiao Fuguang stood up and saluted.
"Thank you for your reminder, Noble Concubine. I understand. Now that I'm in the palace today, I'll pay my respects to the Empress. I also thank the Empress for taking care of my mother. I'll take my leave now."
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