Although she was later taken back to the Xia Mansion, her stepmother never hired anyone to teach her proper etiquette.
Not to mention how to manage the household and how to take care of the business.
She has not earned a good reputation as a lady from a noble family in the capital. Even if she were to seriously look for a partner in the future, it is likely that she would not be able to find a good match.
Xia Qinghe was just thinking about it when she heard Zi Yi say angrily, "You don't need to think about it, you know it was Madam who whispered in my ear, otherwise how could the Master be so cruel!"
Before she could finish her words, the door was slammed open with a bang.
Before he could see who was coming, a sharp voice exploded in his ears: "Xia Qinghe, you bitch, I let you into Prince Ning's Mansion to give you face, don't be ungrateful!"
Xia Qinghe looked up and saw her stepmother Zhang coming in aggressively, followed by her father Xia Hongsheng.
Xia Qinghe stood up and looked at them coldly: "Mother, please don't force me. If you continue to force me, I will hang myself in front of the mansion gate!"
"I don't think you and father would want to be known for the Xia family abusing and torturing a concubine's daughter to death, right?"
"You bitch, I just gave you a heads up, and you're taking advantage of me!"
While cursing, Zhang said to Xia Hongsheng, "Master, look at this! This mansion has raised such an ungrateful person! He's simply an ungrateful person!"
Xia Hongsheng also looked worried: "Qinghe, you have grown up now, don't be so petty anymore."
"You also know that my father has few connections in the officialdom. Only by making more friends with powerful people like Prince Ning can my father make smooth progress in his official career."
"Since you are a member of my Xia family, you should share your father's worries and contribute to this family. It is your blessing that Prince Ning has chosen you!"
"Blessing? If I remember correctly, Prince Ning is two years older than my father, right?"
Xia Qinghe sneered: "In the past, when I was bullied, I hoped that my father would seek justice for me, but he turned a deaf ear to me. Now that you need help, you think of me?"
"This... Your father is usually busy with government affairs and rarely manages household affairs. You should be understanding."
Xia Hongsheng's expression was a little unnatural, but it was replaced by a fierce look in an instant: "If you don't care about family affection, don't blame me."
"Master, stop wasting time talking to her! Tie her up and send her to Prince Ning's mansion."
Zhang on the side shouted outside, and immediately several burly old women rushed in.
She immediately pointed at Xia Qinghe and shouted, "Tie her up and send her to Prince Ning today to consummate the marriage!"
Upon hearing this, several old women immediately rushed towards Xia Qinghe with hemp ropes in their hands and ferocious looks.
Seeing that they were about to use force, Zi Yi hurried forward to block Xia Qinghe behind him and shouted:
"Stop! The Prince Regent has already agreed to marry my daughter into his family, and he will come to pick her up soon!"
"The Regent?"
Xia Hongsheng stopped the woman who rushed forward, turned to Xia Qinghe and asked, "Is what this girl said true?"
Xia Qinghe suddenly burst into tears and said softly, "We are both concubines. Prince Ning is also the regent. What does it matter? Since he can't give me a proper status, I might as well marry that old man in Prince Ning's mansion."
"Oh, my dear daughter, how can this be the same?"
Thinking that Xia Qinghe had indeed come to Beijing with the Prince Regent, Xia Hongsheng already suspected that the two had some connection.
Now, after hearing the angry words of Xia Qinghe, the little girl, Xia Hongsheng became even more convinced of this matter.
He quickly coaxed, "The Prince Regent has immense power over the government and the country. How can that outdated Prince Ning be compared to him?"
Zhang also said leisurely, "Being able to enter the Prince Regent's Palace is a blessing you have accumulated over several lifetimes. Your mother is just a vixen, born to be a concubine. How dare you dream of swan meat!"
Xia Qinghe glanced at her and said, "Being a concubine is a little unfair, but as long as I can be with the prince, Qinghe doesn't care about my status. It's just that my stepmother's words are so harsh, it's really disgusting."
Zhang didn't react for a moment, and it took her a while to come to her senses. She stood up and cursed:
"You bitch, do you know what you are talking about? Are you crazy? How dare you talk to me like that?"
As she spoke, she raised her hand to slap Xia Qinghe as usual.
Xia Hongsheng quickly pulled her back and whispered, "Qinghe's status is different now. She's about to marry into the Prince Regent's Palace. If you attack her, wouldn't that be like slapping the Prince Regent in the face?"
"Even if she enters the Prince Regent's Palace, she will be nothing more than a concubine."
Zhang said, her tone showing no disdain or contempt for Xia Qinghe.
"A concubine's status is lowly, her life is like an ant's. Even if she is favored by the Regent, so what? Could it be that she is still dreaming of flying up to the tree and becoming a phoenix?"
"Women's opinion!"
Xia Hongsheng scolded, "Now that the Prince Regent's Palace has no principal wife, if Qinghe is allowed to give birth to a child, it will be like ascending to heaven in one step."
At this point, his expression was filled with excitement. "Great, great! The day when our Xia family will rise to prominence is not far away."
Zhang pursed her lips: "It's not certain whether I can be favored..."
Xia Hongsheng glared at her, then turned to look at Xia Qinghe and said with a smile:
"Silly child, why didn't you tell me earlier? If you knew you and the Prince Regent... your father wouldn't listen to your stepmother and insist on sending you to Prince Ning's residence. This matter... let's not let the Prince Regent know!"
At this time, Zi Yi had calmed down and served warm tea to Xia Qinghe.
Xia Qinghe skimmed off the tea foam, moistened her throat with it, and said, "If Father tells me not to make this public, I'll marry obediently. I'll bring a dowry of five thousand taels! Plus two shops and two farms! Otherwise, I can't guarantee that the Regent won't find out about your dirty plans!"
"How dare you! What a big mouth!"
Before Xia Hongsheng could say anything, Zhang had already jumped up to object.
Xia Hongsheng's face darkened. "I know I wronged you before, but it's wrong of you to ask for such a high price."
Zhang continued, "Xia Qinghe, I underestimated you! I gave you this opportunity because I think highly of you. Do you think it can't be someone else?"
"Mother, you're not planning to marry off another sister, are you? I'm afraid you don't understand the Regent's temper. If he comes to pick her up in a couple of days and finds out that someone has been substituted for her... Mother, you can give it a try."
Zhang was furious: "Don't try to scare me!"
Xia Hongsheng looked at Xia Qinghe's confident expression and lost his temper for a moment: "I don't think what she said is false. It's just five thousand taels of silver plus two shops. Just give it to her."
As he spoke, his eyes swept over Xia Qinghe.
Apart from anything else, his daughter looked very much like her biological mother, with almond eyes, rosy cheeks, and a charming figure, which made her very lovable.
Maybe the Regent really likes this.
Zhang glared at Xia Qinghe and said, "You better not lie to us, or I'll make sure you're in big trouble!"
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