Chapter 285 Yao Qingling, that despicable person
On the Lantern Festival, Qingling got dressed up early in the morning.
The Imperial Garment Bureau delivered the phoenix coronet and embroidered robes for a Lady of the Imperial Decree. Qingling put them on and gently stroked the gold-threaded floral patterns, feeling radiant with light.
She never imagined that one day she would wear such clothes.
It wasn't because she was someone's daughter or someone's wife, but because of herself.
"Miss, you look so beautiful in this dress, just like an empress." Lou Yue stared at her, completely mesmerized.
Xia Chan retorted, "Have you ever seen the Empress?"
Lou Yue honestly shook her head. She had met the Grand Princess and the Princess Consort, but the ladies-in-waiting in the palace... she hadn't met any.
Qingling glared at them with a smile: "Don't talk nonsense."
Lou Yue covered her lips and glanced around, afraid of causing trouble.
Xia Chan said, "However, Miss looks so elegant in this dress. No wonder they say clothes make the man."
She meticulously arranged Qingling's clothes, ensuring there were no mistakes.
"But Miss, are you nervous about going to the palace?"
Qingling wanted to scratch her head, but her hair was tied up in a hair crown, so she held back and said calmly, "A little."
The Duke's mansion has a multitude of rules, and the palace will only have more. One might easily get into trouble if one is not careful.
"But it's not like I'm the only one going. The other ladies will be going too. I'll just hide in the crowd and not be the one who stands out."
When Yao Qingling entered the palace, she only brought Xia Chan as her maid.
Once the carriages entered the area around the Imperial City, they could not go any further and had to queue at the palace gate.
Qingling got off the carriage, and sure enough, there were many people waiting in front of her.
She arrived neither too early nor too late, and waited quietly.
The ladies in front, accompanied by their families, chatted amongst themselves while waiting.
Qingling recognized several of the ladies, but she didn't join in the fun on this occasion.
These ladies, whose husbands held high official positions and whose families had powerful backgrounds, had high standards and always looked down on others. They only fawned over the Grand Princess.
When Qingling was a businesswoman, she had to be careful when interacting with them. To put it nicely, she was maintaining relationships, but in the eyes of those ladies, she was just trying to curry favor with them.
But now that she has the status of a Lady of Imperial Decree, if she continues as before, she will lose her dignity and disgrace the Emperor's favor.
The ladies and young women were also looking her over.
Qingling wore a quiet smile, not putting on an arrogant attitude, but simply acting as if she was there to broaden her horizons.
Madam Qin swayed gracefully as she approached Qing Ling, a smirk playing on her lips, her face contorted with disgust: "I heard that Madam Yao obtained the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady by using her own family as stepping stones to rise to power. How does that feel? Do you have nightmares at night?"
Lady Qin's husband was the Marquis of Wu'an. Her family members were involved in a case, and all the men were sent to the army, while the women were confiscated and made slaves.
Besides Madam Qin, many other relatives of people here disappeared during this New Year. Their faces showed no smiles, only a lingering sense of disorientation.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that far fewer people were entering the palace for the Lunar New Year compared to previous years.
Qingling pursed her lips and said calmly, "If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear. I sleep soundly every night."
Madam Qin sneered, "In the past, the Marquis's mansion purchased its daily necessities from your Hui Ba Fang shop. Besides my family, many other people were also regular customers of your shop. Madam Yao, let me ask you again, how is your shop's business now?"
"You made money off us and then turned around and harmed us. Yao Qingling, you really are something else."
When Yao Qingling was collecting information on the corruption of those who committed crimes, she knew she would offend people. After Hui Bafang was unsealed, business was still good on the first floor, but there were very few VIPs on the second floor.
What she did was like taking a bowl to eat, then smashing it afterward—she went too far.
To gain something, you must be prepared to lose something else.
Yao Qingling believed she could afford to lose this, otherwise she wouldn't have done it that way.
Qing Ling smiled slightly: "Madam, please be careful with your words. The Marquis of Wu'an's residence is not involved in the case, so how could it be considered a crime?"
The woman's expression changed, and she snorted. Just as she was about to say something more, the sound of a carriage clattering came from behind.
Everyone turned to look, and Yao Qingling saw the emblem of the Duke of Zhan's mansion. She paused, lowered her eyes, and quietly stepped aside.
Madam Qin didn't dare block the way, so she took a step back to let the carriage pass.
Princess Deyang's carriage could enter the palace directly, let alone wait in line.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and the Grand Princess of Deyang looked at Qingling with a cold and sharp gaze.
Qingling felt as if she were being pricked by needles all over her body, and kept her head down so as not to look up and meet her gaze.
But from inside the carriage came Zhan Xingxiang's charming voice: "It's Sister Qingling."
Qingling looked up and saw Zhan Xingxiang waving excitedly at her.
Qingling smiled slightly at her, but the Grand Princess Deyang coldly said, "Let's go."
The carriage drove in.
"Ha, Yao Qingling is really something. First she offended the Grand Princess, and then she offended so many famous women. Is she trying to show off her abilities and how different she is?"
"Could it be that she's resentful because the Grand Princess never brought her into the palace and didn't reveal her status, and that's why she's making a fuss about getting a divorce?"
"Don't tell me why Master Zhan is still so hung up on Zhou Zhining. Zhou Zhining is a filial daughter; everything she does is for the Zhou family. She's different from some people. Besides, Zhou Zhining used to be a frequent visitor to the palace, low-key and humble, unlike some people who, after gaining power, act like petty people, adorned with gold and silver, practically wearing their desire for fame and fortune on their foreheads. They gave up being a proper official's daughter to become a merchant's daughter..."
The women's words were sharp and sarcastic, even the cicadas felt they were an insult to their ears.
She gritted her teeth and endured it, speaking in a high-pitched voice to Qingling, "Miss, don't listen, they're jealous of you."
Qingling is not a saint, so he naturally felt uncomfortable listening to those gossips.
This phoenix coronet and embroidered robe are official attire, yet they found fault with the gold and silver embellishments, and had no other means to attack her.
That's not a big deal, but what she can't stand the most is that they compare her to Zhou Zhining.
It was like this before, and it is like this now.
The Zhou family committed many sins, but Zhou Zhining refused to admit her mistakes, feeling that her family should not have acted this way. As a result, she kept causing trouble, and things only got worse.
Yao Qingling's crackdown on corruption was wrong; she betrayed her family and deserves to die.
"Heh, really... Wait a minute," Qing Ling frowned slightly and glanced at Madam Qin, who was gossiping the most enthusiastically.
She whispered, "When we get back, we should investigate the relationship between Madam Qin and Jin Mantang."
Xia Chan nodded: "Mm."
She didn't ask why.
After waiting in line for a while, with several people ahead of her, a matron came out and walked up to Qingling: "Are you Madam Yao?"
Qingling nodded: "Yes."
"Come with me," the old woman said, turning to lead the way. Qingling hesitated for a moment, then followed the old woman under everyone's watchful eyes.
Those ladies were all shrewd and immediately recognized her as Granny Kong, who served the Empress.
The Empress's people came out to greet her; what a grand occasion!
Oh no, will that scoundrel Yao Qingling speak ill of them to the Empress?
Madam Qin opened her lips, feeling a stinging, nauseating sensation as if she had swallowed a bee.
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