Chapter 10
Cui Susu, who was about to come and confess her crime to Madam Jiang, happened to hear Xu Baoyin's words, "Aunt, please fulfill my wishful thinking about Erlang," and her heart trembled.
Thinking about it, her father died early, and she and her mother had been living in Zhang's house for many years. Unlike Baoyin, whose father was a high-ranking official in the court, her mother was a sister of her aunt, and Baoyin had two brothers to support her in the future. She was far inferior to Baoyin in terms of family background.
Not to mention that my aunt has always been polite in her love for me, but she truly loves Baoyin, and the difference in their relationship is immediately apparent.
It would be inappropriate to go into the room again and bother my aunt and make her dislike me.
Cui Susu started to have wild thoughts. The more she thought about it, the more wronged and sad she felt. She actually went back to her yard sobbing.
Zhang Mingzhu saw her daughter's red eyes from crying and asked anxiously, "But did your aunt blame you?"
Cui Susu shook her head. "Baoyin is in my aunt's room, so it's not easy for me to go in. But after hearing Baoyin tell my aunt that she likes Erlang, it's even harder for me to go in."
Zhang Mingzhu knew that her daughter had been sensitive since childhood, and she must have overthought something.
"What's the big deal? There are so many young ladies who like Erlang. You don't need to be sad about such a thing. Your grandmother loves us both. If you want to marry Erlang, it's just a matter of your grandmother's words."
Cui Susu turned from sadness to joy, but still a little worried.
"But what if my aunt wants Baoyin to be her daughter-in-law?"
"You're just too naive," Zhang Mingzhu whispered to Cui Susu. "If you're determined to marry Erlang, you'll have to risk your life. You already lost face last night by hiding the longevity lock, so why not find a way to make it a done deal with Erlang? Your grandmother will definitely decide for you."
Cui Susu blushed when she heard this, and hesitated, not wanting to use such despicable means.
Zhang Mingzhu saw through her daughter's embarrassment and said, "Your grandmother is old. If she were still alive, she could still protect us mother and daughter. Even if you didn't marry Erlang, she would have found a good marriage for you. But if your grandmother passed away, your aunt would have the final say, and your marriage would be difficult to say. And even now, if you were asked to become a princess like Shi Ning, you would be reluctant."
After listening to her mother's advice, Cui Susu made up her mind to follow her mother's words.
*
Prince Xiang’s Mansion, the residence of the Crown Prince.
Princess Xiang came to visit her son with a bowl of milk and bird's nest. When she entered the courtyard, she saw from afar the maids dressed in red and green, playing and playing under the eaves. Her face suddenly became a little worried.
I just heard that the Chu Palace was in chaos because a maid had sneaked into the Prince's bed and gave birth to the Prince's eldest grandson on the day of his wedding. The whole Chu Palace was in chaos and there was no peace.
Princess Xiang stopped and asked Nanny Wang behind her.
"How come the maidservants in this prince's house are dressed more respectably than the young ladies from official families out there?"
When Nanny Wang came to the Prince's residence before, she couldn't stand the maids here. She was used to taking advantage of her seniority and was always looked up to by others because she was with the princess. However, the maids in the Prince's residence had never flattered her. Now, she finally got the chance to discipline these ignorant little goblins in the Prince's residence.
"Your Majesty, you don't know that the maids in the Prince's household are more valuable than the other maids in the mansion. They take care of the Prince's daily needs, and he is always gentle to the girls. Even if they don't serve him well enough, he not only doesn't blame them, but he also doesn't allow the maids who take care of them to beat or scold them. Day after day, they think of themselves as rich girls. Moreover, they ask the storekeepers for clothes and jewelry, and the storekeepers dare not refuse them. They say that the Prince likes them to wear bright and eye-catching clothes, and the storekeepers dare not disobey the Prince."
Princess Xiang originally did not want to punish these maids severely. She just wanted the nanny who took care of them to teach them well so that they could concentrate on fulfilling their duties as maids.
"Since Mingji treats them so kindly, I won't punish them. I'll prevent Mingji from resenting me, his mother, for interfering in the affairs of those around him. I'll just ask the nanny who takes care of them to teach them some more rules and keep them in check so they don't have any other thoughts."
Nanny Wang was not willing to give up, so she picked out the most proud maid in the prince's house who always contradicted her and started a fight with her.
"Your Majesty is right. There's no need to hurt the relationship between you and the Crown Prince because of these maids. It would be fine if it were just any other maid, but there's one maid named Yu Lian who's really arrogant. She relies on the fact that she's the most beautiful maid in the Crown Prince's house and that the Crown Prince loves to joke with her. Yu Lian thinks she's got the upper hand and doesn't do any work all day, focusing entirely on combing her hair and dressing up. I've seen her being mistaken for his concubine by the gentlemen who come to visit him, so I kindly reminded her to dress more modestly. But she calls me an old bitch, and I don't argue with her. I just stop talking to her."
Princess Xiang ordered someone to bring Yu Lian to see her. At first glance, she was indeed a beautiful woman, with eyes and eyebrows that looked a bit like her godson Zhang Xihua. It was this resemblance that made Princess Xiang want to give Yu Lian a lighter sentence.
Seeing Yu Lian growing her nails, Princess Xiang took this opportunity to ask her, "What kind of job can you do in this prince's house with such long nails?"
Yu Lian said weakly, "My nails are used to split thread. I am good at sewing. When the old princess was alive, I was appointed to serve the prince. After entering the prince's residence, I was responsible for his clothes, shoes and socks."
Thinking of her late mother-in-law, Princess Xiang's eyes became moist. When she first married into the Prince Xiang's Mansion, she was not used to the food in Taiping Mansion, so the old princess specially found a cook from her hometown to cook hometown food for her in various ways. When the old princess was alive, she treated her well in every way. Since this maid named Yu Lian was assigned by the mother-in-law to serve her son, it would be reluctant to refuse the mother-in-law's kindness.
"You must serve Mingji well, but from now on you are not allowed to dress up like a peacock with its tail spread out."
Yu Lian kowtowed in gratitude while saying, "Please ask the Crown Prince for mercy on my behalf. I don't want to dress so glamorously all the time, but it's the Crown Prince who insists on me doing so. I only want to serve the Crown Prince for a few years, so that I can be released from the palace and find a good husband."
Princess Xiang gave Nanny Wang a deep look. Nanny Wang shuddered with fear and asked Yu Lian, "Did you scold Nanny Wang and call her an old bitch?"
Yu Lian said, "It was Nanny Wang who first called me a slutty little bitch. Nanny Wang slandered me for thinking about the Crown Prince and wanting to seduce him. I can swear to heaven that if I have such thoughts, my whole family will die miserably."
Yu Lian was swearing when a maid ran out of the study with disheveled clothes.
The maid ran while crying, and happened to run into Princess Xiang and others under the shade of a tree in the yard. She was so frightened that her legs went weak and she knelt on the ground.
Deqing, the eunuch who served Zhu Mingji, came out of the study and was about to scold the maid, but when he saw that Princess Xiang was furious, he hurried over to greet her.
Princess Xiang asked, "What's going on?"
Deqing said, "This maid named Cuicui was dishonest. She took advantage of the time when she was pouring tea for the prince to fawn on him. When I undressed myself, the prince ordered me to kick her out."
Princess Xiang thought Cuicui was indeed quite pretty, and fortunately Mingji did not make a mistake.
"Such a vixen should be beaten to death immediately. Let the other maids in the palace see what happens when they play tricks on their masters."
Cuicui crawled to Nanny Wang's feet, hugged Nanny Wang's legs and cried, "Mother, please ask the Queen for mercy for your daughter. It was because of your words that I seduced the prince——"
Nanny Wang, who was already sweating profusely, quickly covered Cuicui's mouth tightly. It was no wonder that she was cruel. She wanted to protect her two remaining daughters who were maids in the palace.
"You are the one who is greedy for fame and fortune, so don't drag your family into this. Your two sisters were born from my womb just like you, so why are they so honest and well behaved, while you are the one who brings trouble to the family?"
Princess Xiang understood why Nanny Wang said bad things about Yu Lian. It turned out that Nanny Wang wanted her daughter to make it in the prince's residence, and it would be better to get rid of Yu Lian, who was the most beautiful.
"The palace has no room for servants like you with impure thoughts. Kill Cuicui and reward Nanny Wang with fifty taels of silver. Take Cuicui's body and your two daughters and go back to your hometown."
Nanny Wang quickly knelt down and kowtowed to Princess Xiang, begging for mercy.
Princess Xiang was unmoved and ordered people to drag Wang Ma and Cuicui, mother and daughter, away.
Zhang Xihua stepped into the courtyard and saw an old nanny and a maid being dragged out with their mouths gagged with cloth. Puzzled, he saw the figure of Princess Xiang and hurriedly greeted her.
Princess Xiang gave Zhang Xihua another red envelope.
Zhang Xihua refused to accept it, saying that she had already received a red envelope from Princess Xiang on New Year's Day.
Princess Xiang smiled and said, "You came to my house to pay New Year's greetings on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and you came to pay New Year's greetings again today. I, your godmother, just received a New Year's gift from my family. I am very wealthy now. You can take this red envelope."
After receiving the red envelope, Zhang Xihua explained his purpose.
Princess Xiang said, "I was worried that Mingji's longevity lock might be lost in your house. If a maid had found it and blamed Mingji for it, Mingji would have been speechless. Fortunately, you kept the longevity lock for him, and I feel relieved. The farm has sent us some game today. Xihua, have lunch before you go home."
Zhang Xihua agreed.
Princess Xiang asked Deqing to lead Zhang Xihua to the study, and reminded Deqing: "You must keep an eye on Mingji and don't let Mingji bully Xihua."
Deqing agreed with his mouth, but he was worried inside. How could he control the prince? If he could, the prince would not have fought so many times with the second son of the Zhang family.
Zhang Xihua had just entered the study, and the warmth inside made it difficult for her to wear her padded jacket.
Seeing Zhu Mingji wearing a thin silk dress and sitting behind the desk practicing calligraphy, Zhang Xihua coughed lightly.
Zhu Mingji didn't raise his head, thinking it was Deqing who had returned. He said, "Send people to guard Zhang's residence and Chen Fuzhou's residence. That idiot Zhang Xihua might fall for Chen Fuzhou's trick again and run off to that bitch Shen's residence. Then he'll get his ass kicked out by her."
Zhang Xihua snorted twice, "My stupid asshole got stuck in my ass. Shouldn't the prince applaud?"
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