Chapter 159 They couldn't take anything with them. ...
"Princess, spare me! Princess, spare me! This old servant was only following orders. Please spare my life!"
"Do you truly know you're wrong, or are you just afraid of death?"
Granny Wen's body trembled violently, and she didn't say a word, but kept kowtowing.
"Raise your head and look at me."
Granny Wen looked up, trembling. "What does Your Highness need? This old servant will do my best. I only beg Your Highness to spare my life."
"I ask you, do you know anything about Qiu Yan's affairs in the manor?"
"Know."
"Everyone in the manor knows, except me?"
"It's the prince consort. He forbade us from telling the princess."
"The other three people with me are currently in the manor."
"No, they were driven out of the manor by the prince consort, and this old servant does not know where they went."
Is this really true?
"If there is even the slightest falsehood, the princess may punish me as she sees fit."
Xiao Qiluo looked at Granny Wen. She had been by Cui's mother's side for many years and knew a lot about the old woman.
Why is the prince consort so revered in the household?
These words made Granny Wen break out in a cold sweat. She wanted to faint, but the princess's dagger was right against her neck, as if she would kill her if she dared to faint.
At first, they were afraid of the princess, but seeing how she humbly fawned over her husband and accepted all her mother-in-law's admonitions without any semblance of a princess, those of them who were related to the Cui family gradually became bolder.
As long as they claim to be relatives of the prince consort and elders of the princess, they can manipulate the princess.
Xiao Qiluo listened to what Granny Wen said and gave a mocking smirk.
Because she had been submissive in the past, these people followed the example of the prince consort and tried to manipulate her.
No matter how they treated her, she dared not resist. Everyone knew that the princess cared most about her husband, and she was most afraid that he would ignore her.
There were also stories of how Cui's mother badmouthed her to her children behind her back, saying that Xiao Qiluo was not good enough for her precious son, Cui Fang. She even mentioned the throne, saying that her son had married the emperor's only daughter, so it wasn't that he was unfit for the position.
Xiang Bei was also quite surprised. It turned out that the male lead's family had already had these ideas so early on. It seemed that the male lead might not have been unaware of what his family had said.
Perhaps the succession in the original story was orchestrated by the male protagonist. Did the Cui family really come to exploit the extinct lineage of the royal family?
"She even coveted my father's throne for her son?" Xiao Qiluo was quite surprised.
Her mother's words enlightened her; she hadn't expected that her good husband's family had such profound thoughts.
Granny Wen dared not respond, but glanced cautiously at Xiao Qiluo. To save her life, she said everything.
"It was the old lady who instructed this old servant to invite the princess over. The princess's attendant, A-Luo, along with Steward Zheng's wife and the head housekeeper from the back courtyard, went to the old lady to complain about the princess. They were driven mad by the fact that the prince consort was keeping a mistress, which is why they attacked them and tried to kill them."
Xiao Qiluo chuckled twice and looked at Granny Wen, "I used to treat you all like family, but a bunch of ungrateful bastards actually think of themselves as my family. Granny Wen, you know the rules best. In the past, you could always explain my crimes in a very logical way. Now, tell me, what is the punishment for the offenses committed by the above?"
Granny Wen remained silent, and Xiao Qiluo raised her hand and slapped her again.
"What, do you think I'll still tolerate you riding roughshod over me like before?"
"This old servant dares not; this old servant has always obeyed orders in the past."
"You mean someone else has been so disrespectful to me? Then tell me, who exactly instructed you to do this?"
Granny Wen stammered for a long time but couldn't come up with a name.
"Since you can't say it, then come with me. In a little while, you'll tell me all about those people's crimes."
Xiao Qiluo reached out and grabbed Granny Wen by the neck, tightening her grip under her terrified gaze. "Don't you dare go back on your word once we're inside. The old woman might not be able to protect you. If you think you're tough enough, you can try not listening to me."
"This old servant dares not, I will obey the princess's orders."
Xiao Qiluo released her grip, and Granny Wen was so frightened that cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She didn't dare to utter a sound and obediently followed behind Xiao Qiluo.
When she received the first slap, she was thinking that she would complain to the old lady later. Now she didn't even dare to think about complaining, for fear that the princess would take a dagger and slit her throat.
Xiao Qiluo went to the old lady's courtyard.
Looking at that familiar door, Xiao Qiluo stood frozen in place. Before this, she had been deliberately left outside by Cui's mother many times.
Regardless of wind or snow, she was made to stand at the door for an hour or two. Recalling the past, Xiao Qiluo felt a nameless anger rise in her heart.
Don't be afraid, your mother is here. That old woman isn't your real mother; I am. A child with a mother protecting him has nothing to fear.
Upon hearing her mother's words, Xiao Qiluo immediately smiled. Thankfully, her mother had returned.
With her mother around, she was a daughter protected by her mother.
This wasn't Xiao Qiluo's first time visiting the old lady's courtyard, but the closer she got, the more unpleasant memories surfaced in her mind. Even though Xiao Qiluo tried her best to control her thoughts, her body still trembled unconsciously.
This is the main courtyard of the princess's residence, which should have been the princess's residence. However, the prince consort said that his mother was in poor health and that this place had good feng shui, so in order to be filial to his mother-in-law, he gave it up for Cui's mother to live in.
She felt a pair of warm hands stroking her back.
Don't be afraid! Your mother will protect you. Don't worry about them; the more afraid you are, the more rampant they will become.
Xiao Qiluo took a deep breath, and as she approached, the voices from Cui's mother's room became clearer.
I don't know what funny thing they said, but they burst out laughing.
A maid came out and frowned when she saw the princess coming alone, followed by Granny Wen who had gone to call for help.
"Princess, why are you moving so slowly? The old lady is your mother-in-law. Is this how you treat her? If the prince consort finds out..."
"What can the prince consort do even if he knows?"
This maid was also someone from Cui's mother's side. It was strange, though, that all the slightly favored maids in the mansion seemed to like Cui Fang. Whenever they mentioned him, their tone was tinged with shyness.
Xiao Qiluo ignored the maid and walked straight over. She was here to teach others a lesson, not to be taught a lesson herself.
Seeing the princess about to enter, the maid quickly reached out to stop her.
"Princess, I must first inform the old lady and obtain her permission before you can enter."
"What did you just call me?" Xiao Qiluo asked with a smile.
The maidservant was puzzled, but still answered, "Princess."
Xiao Qiluo raised her hand and slapped the maid. "You know I'm a princess, but don't you know this is the princess's residence? I'm just walking around in my own home, do you need to interfere?"
The maid was slapped to the ground, covering her cheek as she looked at Xiao Qiluo in surprise.
It turns out what those people said was true; the princess really has gone mad.
"Is that Madam Xiao?" the old lady's voice came from over.
"Come in."
Xiao Qiluo lifted the curtain and went in. A teacup was thrown at her feet, and the tea spilled on the ground and onto her shoes.
“Every time you come, you make a ruckus and have no manners at all. Seeing you gives me a headache. Oh, oh my head.”
The old lady supported her forehead with her hand and began to groan.
Her brother-in-law, Cui Hao, quickly ran over to massage her shoulders, saying, "Mom, let me give you a back massage."
"My son is so thoughtful."
The younger sister-in-law, Cui Bao'er, sneered at Xiao Qiluo, twisting the handkerchief in her hand and saying, "Mother sent someone to invite my sister-in-law over, but she's taking so long, making us wait. What an air of superiority."
Xiao Qiluo looked up and saw that the dagger hidden in her sleeve was already in her hand, and she was stroking the patterns on the dagger.
Cui Bao'er's head was adorned with a full head of pearls and jade, all of the most fashionable jewelry of the time. The Cui family, despite its prestigious surname, was nothing more than a declining branch of the family, who had raised Cui Fang thanks to the kindness of the main branch.
With their family's wealth, how could they afford these things?
Xiao Qiluo ignored them, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the room before finally settling on the few people kneeling to the side.
Pig-headed Ah Luo, an old woman with half her face swollen, and Steward Zheng's wife.
"Xiao, what are you standing there for? Kneel down!" Seeing Xiao Qiluo standing there without saying a word, Cui's mother immediately became angry and shouted loudly.
"Sister-in-law, you've upset Mother. Why don't you kneel down and kowtow to her to apologize?" Cui Bao'er said disdainfully.
Cui Hao, her brother-in-law, didn't say anything, but just looked her up and down with his shifty eyes.
Xiao Qiluo laughed in anger, angry at her own stupidity for having been suppressed by these idiots before. She was also angry at her own lack of self-respect; she was a princess, yet she had fallen to such a state, with hardly anyone in the manor respecting her and yelling at her without any manners.
"My mother is the current Empress. Who is she to me as my mother?"
The room fell silent instantly. Cui's mother seemed unable to believe what she had just heard, her hand trembling as she pointed at Xiao Qiluo, "Fine, you've finally spoken your mind. I'm your mother-in-law, is it beneath you to call me 'Mother'?"
"A vulgar old bastard, having enjoyed a few good days thanks to me and donned a golden robe, has forgotten that he was once a vermin in the gutter?"
"You've gone too far! You've gone too far, Granny Wen! Please administer the family punishment!"
Xiao Qiluo had already walked up to Cui's mother. "Family rules? Which family rules? Your impoverished Cui family's family rules?"
"Granny Wen, come in."
Upon hearing Xiao Qiluo's voice, Granny Wen hurriedly entered and respectfully greeted, "Princess."
Slap him!
After hesitating for a few seconds, Granny Wen walked over to Mother Cui, closed her eyes, and slapped her.
Cui's mother was stunned; she hadn't expected that Granny Wen would listen to Xiao Qiluo.
Did I say stop?
Granny Wen raised her hand and struck again.
"Your Cui family's rules are not worthy to be applied to me. I think your Cui family is plotting a rebellion."
The word "treason" stunned everyone.
Although Cui's mother had said many things about treason in private, she would never dare to say them out loud in public.
The group of people who had come to complain, including A-Luo, shrank back into the corner when they saw that Xiao Qiluo even dared to hit Cui's mother, afraid that she would see them.
"Sister-in-law, how dare you..."
Xiao Qiluo grabbed Cui Hao, who was speaking, and said, "I forgot about you. I heard that you've been using my name to bully men and women outside. So you know that I'm still a princess, yet you encourage your mother to bully me at home. Do you really think I'm easy to bully?"
"No, no... Ah!"
Xiao Qiluo plunged the dagger in her hand directly into Cui Hao's eye.
The screams were enough to send chills down your spine.
When Cui Bao'er saw the blood, she screamed.
"And you, my little sister-in-law." Xiao Qiluo turned around and walked up to Cui Bao'er, who was stunned, and saw a puddle of water at her feet.
Xiao Qiluo suddenly laughed, "You can't even stand this?"
She now held a pair of scissors that Xiang Bei had given her. Since her sleeves were already wide, no one expected that the scissors weren't brought by her.
"I heard that my aunt often loses her hair and is very distressed about it. You even cut the hair of all the maids around her, right? I'm here to help my aunt solve her problem."
"No, no, no..."
"Don't move, the scissors are very sharp. If they accidentally cut your neck, it'll be right here."
Xiao Qiluo pressed the scissors against Cui Bao'er's carotid artery and whispered in her ear, "Just a light cut, and the blood will spray all the way to the roof. Do you want to see that?"
Everyone was terrified and dared not utter a word.
Cui Bao'er was so frightened that she collapsed into a chair.
Xiao Qiluo directly plucked off all the jewels from her head and cut off all her hair.
It was her first time cutting someone's hair, so the cut wasn't very good. In some places, the scalp was showing, and in others, there was blood.
But no one dared to speak; they all stared at her in terror.
Previously, I had only heard from A-Luo and the two old women that the princess had gone mad and even tried to kill someone.
Hearing about something and seeing it with your own eyes are definitely different.
"Alright, Auntie, take a look. Do you like it?"
Xiao Qiluo handed the mirror that her mother had given her to Cui Bao'er.
Looking at the clear mirror and her own image, Cui Bao'er screamed and then fainted.
Xiao Qiluo scissors and sniped away, laughing, "Who do you think is next?"
The crowd fell even deeper into silence.
"Mother-in-law, I see you have gray hairs. Would you like me to trim them for you?"
"No, no."
"Go to hell." Taking advantage of Xiao Qiluo's inattention, Cui Hao grabbed a vase from the side and smashed it over the back of her head.
Xiao Qiluo didn't even turn around before Cui Hao was kicked away, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"My son!" Mother Cui exclaimed, looking at the scissors that were being held against her neck.
"Mother-in-law, I need to discuss something with you," Xiao Qiluo said, looking at Cui's mother.
Her attitude didn't seem like she was discussing anything at all.
However, I could guess what she wanted to say; she definitely wanted me to step in and have my son deal with that woman outside.
Cui's mother believed she had guessed Xiao Qiluo's thoughts. She thought that as long as Xiao Qiluo was alive, she would definitely teach her a lesson when her son returned.
"What...what do you want to say?"
"This is the princess's residence. The main courtyard should rightfully belong to me, the princess. It wouldn't have been a problem to give it to you, but you have made me very unhappy. So I'm giving you one hour to move out, and then you and your children must personally clean this place up."
The scissors had already cut the old lady's neck, and blood was flowing down. She desperately leaned back, shouting, "I'll move it, I'll move it right away!"
“Mother-in-law, you can only move your own things out. If you move anything that you shouldn’t have, that’s not allowed.”
Xiao Qiluo grabbed the old lady's hand, which was covered in jeweled rings, and pinched her fingers with scissors. "Snap."
The old lady was also terrified and wet herself. Although her fingers were not cut off, she was still scared half to death.
Xiao Qiluo covered her nose, let go of her hand, and took two steps back in disgust.
"Granny Wen, light the incense. If they don't move out within an hour..." Xiao Qiluo moved the scissors in her hand.
Fearing that Xiao Qiluo would really kill her, Cui's mother would agree to anything. She was determined to live and wait for her son to return so she could teach Xiao Qiluo a lesson.
Granny Wen, being very perceptive, brought Xiao Qiluo a clean chair and had her sit in the courtyard. When the things were brought out, they had to be shown to Xiao Qiluo.
It just so happens that her brother-in-law, Cui Hao, has lost an eye and his ribs have been broken by the Empress Dowager. He is currently unconscious and lying at her feet.
Xiao Qiluo toyed with the dagger in her hand, feeling somewhat irritated. She really wanted to kill these people outright, but letting them die like this would be too easy for them.
Especially since she is now Xiao Qiluo's mother-in-law, even in death she benefits from it.
Xiao Qiluo had already thought about how to write the letter of divorce in her mind. Once these people moved out, she would write a letter of divorce to divorce Cui Fang. Even if these people died, they should not have her name on it.
Seeing the vase that the steward had brought out, Xiao Qiluo grabbed Cui Hao's hand and chopped off his right thumb with a dagger.
Cui Hao woke up in pain, saw his thumb, and then fainted again from the pain.
Xiao Qiluo watched Cui Hao's painful wails, feeling nothing at all. These people had tormented her in countless ways before; sending them all to their deaths was far too lenient on them.
Xiao Qiluo calmly looked at the words in front of her and said, "Mother-in-law, you're not being honest. Is this vase yours?"
The vase certainly didn't belong to Cui's mother; it was part of the princess's dowry. However, after taking it, she treated it as her own.
"My Hao'er," the old lady said in a trembling voice, but she dared not step forward, fearing that Xiao Qiluo would chop off her hand as well.
That madwoman is capable of anything now.
She felt sorry for her son, but she felt even more sorry for herself.
Just as the steward was about to put it back, Xiao Qiluo said, "Wait, aren't these vases a pair? How come there's only one left?"
“The other one was given to a relative on the maternal side by the old lady,” Granny Wen quickly said.
Madam Cui glared at Granny Wen and defended herself, saying, "That's my brother from my maternal family."
Xiao Qiluo didn't speak, and the dagger pinned Cui Hao's hand to the ground. Cui Hao woke up again, looked at his hand, and shouted with all his might, "Mother, quickly call my elder brother back."
The old lady wanted to leave, but she couldn't, as Granny Wen was helping the princess keep an eye on them.
Cui Bao'er tucked her jewelry into her bosom, and Xiao Qiluo looked at her with a smile.
"Sister-in-law, I bought this with my own money," Cui Bao'er quickly said.
Where did you get the money?
Cui Bao'er didn't say anything.
Xiao Qiluo said, "Put it down!"
Cui Bao'er was unwilling to accept it, but when she saw the dagger in the princess's hand stuck in her second brother's hand, she immediately burst into tears, "Mother, save me!"
Cui's mother was barely able to take care of herself, let alone save her.
There were hardly any things here that truly belonged to the Cui family; everything she ate, drank, and used came from the princess's residence.
They can't take anything with them.
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