Zhou Ying was indeed annoyed, not because she couldn't leave the mansion or attend various banquets, but because her aunt was too foolish.
I've told you so many times, don't compete with those two concubines for favor, and don't always cause trouble in such unseemly ways, but the concubines just won't listen.
When she heard she was pregnant, it scared her for a long time. At her age, is pregnancy a good thing? Does she not want to live?
Regardless of whether Aunt Gao or Aunt Meng disposed of it, she still wanted to say thank you.
Just when that incident was finally over, her father actually saw her pushing the pregnant Aunt Meng down the steps. How could he be so stupid?
She already has herself and her brother, so why is she competing for favor with two concubines she bought? Isn't that just lowering her own status? And ruining her past relationship with her father, isn't that foolish?
As night fell, she found a way to avoid the servants and go to see her mother. Upon meeting her, she immediately launched into a lecture: "Mother, can't you behave yourself?"
Liu Fangniang was particularly hurt: "Even you think I did something wrong?"
"Isn't that right? If Father wants to go to their courtyard, he should go with him. You're so old, why are you jealous?"
Liu Fangniang never expected to hear these words from her daughter, and her expression was particularly hurt.
You wouldn't understand.
"I don't understand? All I know is that we can't afford to lose. Wouldn't it be better if you just waited patiently for my brother and me to make our plans? We'll have everything we need in the future, so why rush things now?"
"You always talk about your plans, but have they been implemented? You're just two children, how can you guarantee success? I know you think I'm stupid, but have you ever tried to understand me?"
Zhou Ying wasn't there to listen to her mother's nonsense, so she looked particularly impatient.
But Liu Fang's mother kept nagging, "Your father and I have been close since childhood. He promised that he would definitely marry me and that there would be no one else, but what happened..."
She gave a sad smile: "In order to marry the daughter of the Prince of Cheng, he tricked me into going to Jiangnan with a lie. I was supposed to be the principal wife, but in the end, I can only be a concubine!"
Zhou Ying had heard these words a thousand times. In the past, she felt sorry for her mother when she heard them, but now she felt nothing.
"From wife to concubine, I endured it all. After all, his heart was still with me. Those grievances were gradually soothed by his favoritism towards me and his neglect of his wife. But we were too complacent and forgot that his wife also had a temper..."
Even now, when Liu Fangniang talks about it, she still can't help but shudder.
"Only then did I realize that I had no right to do anything; everything I had could be destroyed at the whim of others."
Zhou Ying also fell silent. She had grasped this principle before her mother, so she couldn't afford to lose again. She had to make something of herself and make Song Xia kneel before her.
“Ying’er, I know you and your brother have great ambitions, but my situation is different from yours, and what I want is different from yours. After all these years, how can I easily let go of your father? He is the person I have loved since I was a child. How can I be willing to let him change his mind? How can I be willing to let him give up the promises we made?”
"Mother, if my brother and I succeed, Father will come back to you."
“That’s different!” Liu Fang’s mother said excitedly. “What I want is for him to come back to me on his own initiative, not for him to be forced to come back to me because of you and your brother.”
Zhou Ying asked, puzzled, "What's the difference? He'll always come back, won't he?"
"Sister Ying, you've never been in love, you don't understand."
Zhou Ying got angry: "Yes, I don't understand. I don't understand why love is so important. Is it more important than the power in your hands? What did it matter if you and Father were in love back then? I only learned one thing from that incident: power is in the hands of the Madam. She can decide our fate at will. Your love with Father can't do anything."
Liu Fangniang was speechless after being rebuked. She knew her daughter was right, but she just couldn't let it go.
"Mother, please stop being so stubborn and stop causing trouble, okay? If you cause any more trouble and the Madam scolds us, what will my brother and I do? Please think about our reputation, okay?"
Liu Fangniang lowered her head dejectedly and agreed with utter dejection, "Fine, I promise you, I will stay here in Qinyaxuan and do nothing."
Seeing her like this, Zhou Ying felt sorry for her: "Mother, these days won't last long, you have to believe in your daughter."
"Ying'er, I'm sorry, I can't help you at all."
"It's alright, as long as you're well, Mother."
Liu Fangniang took out a jewelry box: "You and your brother can take these. You will definitely need money when you are out and about. Since I can't leave the courtyard now, they are useless to me."
“Mother…” Zhou Ying couldn’t bear it, but she still accepted the money because she and her brother were really short of money.
Getting close to the prince or inquiring about current affairs is not so simple; everything requires money to get things done.
She only had two sets of her dressing case left; she sold the rest. She also gave her brother all the things from her grandmother's side. If only things had been like this before.
Before, they were never as destitute as they are now. It's hateful that the Liu family is so useless and audacious. They actually took the imperial gift and pawned it, and then the madam obtained evidence. In the end, all their money was confiscated by Father and put into the public treasury.
For the past three years, my mother has been very strict with the household affairs, and the monthly allowances have been paid according to the rules, with no extra money given, not even much to my father.
If you calculate what your mother gave to Aunt Gao and Aunt Meng over the past three years, it's more than what she gave to them. Those two sluts are really lucky. Don't think she doesn't know that all respectable women are destined to be sold into brothels. Otherwise, where would she get so many ways to seduce people?
Just like Mother said, the bond between Mother and Father is beyond the reach of ordinary people. If they don't use tricks, how can they compete with Mother?
She's arrogant now, but she won't be arrogant for long. Once her and her brother's plan succeeds, none of these people will have a good life.
Even Song Xia is the same. What about the county princess? What about the Prince of Cheng's mansion? They may have won the emperor's favor now, but will the next emperor be able to do so?
His Majesty is already so old, how many more years can you remain arrogant?
Zhou Ying had no idea that after she returned to her Yingyue Pavilion, all the things she had said to Liu Fangniang were repeated verbatim by the servants who were hiding outside the window and were told to Song Xia.
“Madam, they have really gone too far. They even want to climb the social ladder and surpass you. It’s just wishful thinking. Madam, why don’t we take this opportunity to arrange a marriage for Miss and see how she tries to scheme?”
Song Xia smiled faintly: "No, let them scheme. What great things can they accomplish with the princes they can get in touch with? I want to see how arrogant she is after climbing up the social ladder. It will be even more interesting when she falls down."
She had been paying attention for three years, so she knew exactly what the brother and sister were planning. It has to be said that they were very bold and had a very good idea, but unfortunately, the prince they came into contact with was not the one who would ascend the throne in the future.
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