The day of Lixia (the beginning of summer) was the first day that Shen Yunjiao was confined to Chunhe Hall.
Early in the morning, Granny Lin made a bowl of hot bamboo shoot and amaranth soup, saying it was a seasonal tonic.
Shen Yunjiao felt like a caged pig, sleeping and eating all day long, her days were incredibly boring.
Fortunately, a guest came to the courtyard in the afternoon.
Princess Pingning stormed into Chunhe Hall, followed by maids and servants carrying large and small bags. Judging from the scene, it looked like she was moving house.
"Cousin-in-law, where is my cousin-in-law?" Jiang Rong asked a servant casually.
"Your Highness, the young mistress is in the west wing."
When Jiang Rong arrived at the west wing, she saw Shen Yunjiao leaning lazily against the door, smiling at her.
She wore a light pink dress, and her face was calm and composed, showing no sign of being saddened by the punishment.
"Sister-in-law, why are you standing at the door?" Jiang Rong asked.
"I've been waiting for you. You came in with a really loud voice, as if you were afraid no one would know you were here," Shen Yunjiao teased.
Jiang Rong smiled shyly, then remembered something important, her expression becoming serious and somewhat cautious: "I heard that my cousin punished you by putting you in solitary confinement. I thought you must be bored at home, so I came to keep you company."
"For no other reason than that." Fearing that Shen Yunjiao might misunderstand, she added a special sentence.
Seeing her cowering appearance, Shen Yunjiao couldn't help but chuckle, "I didn't interrogate you, you don't need to be so nervous."
Jiang Rong was delighted to hear this and quickly stopped Shen Yunjiao's hand, saying, "My dear cousin-in-law, I brought a lot of interesting little trinkets this time, I'm sure you'll like them."
In her previous life, Shen Yunjiao also had a cousin who was similar in personality and age to Jiang Rong and always clung to her.
Therefore, she grew to like the lively and lovely Jiang Rong more and more the more she looked at her.
Shen Yunjiao was also tempted by her words, "Then shall we go inside and play?"
The two of them, like two wild children who hadn't grown up, happily went into the room, lifting their skirts.
Seeing this scene, Granny Lin couldn't help but chuckle.
It makes sense, the girl is all alone in the courtyard, it would be best if someone could keep her company.
As the sun set behind the western hills, the two girls in the side room were having so much fun that they forgot all about it.
Just as Jiang Rong was enthusiastically explaining the rules of the "Shang Daren" card game to Shen Yunjiao, the door was suddenly opened.
Fu Xia, looking somewhat uneasy, entered the room and announced:
"Miss, Miss Fang has arrived."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Rong raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is she the one my cousin brought back to the manor? What's she doing here?"
Shen Yunjiao put down the sign in her hand and calmly replied, "Fuxia, you tell her that I have nothing to say to her."
Jiang Rong also shouted from the side, "Tell her to get out! Tell her to get out!"
Fu Xia obeyed the order and went out.
Shen Yunjiao looked at the girl with amusement: "You have no grudge against her, so why do you hate her so much?"
Shen Yunjiao originally wanted to tease Jiang Rong, asking if she disliked her because Jiang Rong had stolen her dear cousin.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Rong replied without hesitation, "I don't like her because she wants to be the Crown Prince's wife. In my heart, only my cousin's wife deserves to be the Crown Prince's wife."
Shen Yunjiao was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then patted Jiang Rong's shoulder and sighed, "I never expected that I would have such a perfect image in your heart."
"Sister-in-law!" Jiang Rong called out angrily, annoyed by the teasing.
Just as Shen Yunjiao was about to speak to comfort her, she heard a mournful cry from outside the door: "Princess Consort, Ziyu was wrong."
Huh? What's going on?
Shen Yunjiao and Jiang Rong looked at each other in bewilderment.
Fu Xia rushed in, "Miss, Miss Fang refuses to leave and is still kneeling in the courtyard."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yunjiao pondered deeply. In her opinion, something was definitely amiss.
"Let's go take a look?" Shen Yunjiao said to Jiang Rong, and the two got up and walked towards the courtyard.
Fang Ziyu knelt on the open ground in the courtyard. When she saw Shen Yunjiao leading people out of the room, she immediately lowered her eyes and prostrated herself on the ground. "Princess Consort, Ziyu did not mean it. I dared not say such things yesterday, which caused Granny to be punished."
"Please forgive Ziyu, Your Highness."
Shen Yunjiao looked at her calmly and said, "Whether it was intentional or unintentional, Miss Fang should know perfectly well what's going on. Why pretend here?"
Fang Ziyu's expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.
She looked up and said in a feignedly weak tone, "Princess Consort, Ziyu really didn't mean it. If you're still angry, you can whip Ziyu and give her a good beating."
Hilarious! In ancient times, could private punishments be used at will?
Shen Yunjiao knew Fang Ziyu's intentions, of course. She waved her hand and smiled as she said to Jiang Rong, "Go back. Let her kneel if she wants."
"ah?"
Jiang Rong hesitated for a moment, "Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
The direction in which Fang Ziyu is kneeling is directly facing the entrance of Chunhe Hall.
As dusk fell, the servants, coming and going, inevitably saw this and began to gossip.
If this gets back to my cousin, my sister-in-law will definitely be gossiped about again.
"It's alright, let her be."
Shen Yunjiao's cool gaze swept over Fang Ziyu, who was kneeling.
She's not going to get rid of this person today.
Since she wants to act, let her act to her heart's content.
In April, the sky was filled with the sound of rain. Just as Shen Yunjiao returned to her room, a light drizzle began to fall.
Seeing that Jiang Rong kept glancing out the window and showed no interest in playing, Shen Yunjiao said calmly, "Don't worry about it, she'll be helped up soon."
Seeing her cousin-in-law's calm demeanor, Jiang Rong asked in surprise, "Cousin-in-law, how did you know?"
Shen Yunjiao gently tapped Jiang Rong's head with the flower plaque: "Are you silly? She didn't come in the morning, she didn't come at noon, but she waited until this hour to come and kneel. Can you guess why?"
Women have countless ways of vying for favor, and Jiang Rong had seen many of them in the inner quarters. Shen Yunjiao's words immediately enlightened her.
"She wants to kneel down when her cousin returns home, so that he'll feel sorry for her!"
Shen Yunjiao chuckled, "So clever."
"But won't this make my cousin like her even more and hate his wife even more?" Jiang Rong frowned, not quite understanding Shen Yunjiao's intentions.
"No matter what I do, Pei Zhixuan will hate me. Whether he hates me a little more or a little less, it really doesn't matter to me." Shen Yunjiao's gaze drifted to the window.
The rain was getting heavier.
At this point, Pei Zhixuan should have finished his duties and returned home.
—
"Purple Jade?"
A bone-chilling cold seeped into Fang Ziyu's body through the thin fabric of her clothes, and a pair of dark brocade deerskin boots came into view.
Fang Ziyu knew that her savior had arrived.
As soon as Pei Zhixuan entered the courtyard, he saw Fang Ziyu, who was soaking wet.
Despite the torrential rain, laughter and cheerful voices could be heard from inside the main courtyard.
Pei Zhixuan's eyes were deep. He picked up Fang Ziyu by the waist with one hand and walked straight towards the brightly lit room.
Bang!
The door was kicked open.
Shen Yunjiao and Jiang Rong were both startled. Jiang Rong saw Pei Zhixuan's angry expression and silently moved closer to Shen Yunjiao.
"What did you do to Ziyu?"
Pei Zhixuan's deep, cold voice was filled with anger, while the woman in his arms had a flushed face and looked like she had been bullied.
"Your Highness, it's all my fault," Fang Ziyu sobbed softly. "I shouldn't have offended the matriarch of the Pei family; I deserve to be punished."
After she finished speaking, she became somewhat delirious and leaned weakly against Pei Zhixuan's chest.
My goodness, that's such a great actor! If he were an actor in modern times, he'd definitely win an award.
"I didn't punish her; she wanted to kneel herself," Shen Yunjiao said coldly. "Don't come here causing trouble."
"You!" Pei Zhixuan frowned deeply and sneered, "You were laughing and chatting inside, but when you saw Ziyu kneeling alone in the rain, you didn't stop her at all. You're a truly vicious woman!"
Shen Yunjiao laughed. She stood up and walked to Pei Zhixuan, her beautiful face full of mockery. "How old is Fang Ziyu? She knows medicine and kneels in the rain. Doesn't she have a brain?"
"Besides, it's not like His Highness just met me today. Do you think I'm the kind of kind-hearted person? I'd rather Fang Ziyu kneel until her knees are bruised and purple, and she could never stand up again!"
Yes, she is meticulous and vengeful.
Granny Lin's calves were covered in bruises, all because of Fang Ziyu.
I won't let her off so easily. She's not the original female lead, nor is she a saint!
Pei Zhixuan's face was grim and terrifying at this moment. He was thinking that Shen Yunjiao was no longer even pretending in front of him.
"I spoke to you nicely yesterday, but you ignored me completely."
Pei Zhixuan coldly looked at the woman in front of him, "I was stupid to believe you were a law-abiding person."
"A person like you doesn't deserve to stay in the Pei residence. Go back to your Shen family and reflect on your past!"
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