When her son was mentioned, Madam Ji became furious and shouted outside, "What's the point of the wedding ceremony? Just send him straight to the bridal chamber!"
The maid outside fell silent, but it was the Second Madam, Madam Wu, who spoke up. Madam Wu said, “Eldest sister-in-law, my fifth niece-in-law is to be included in the family genealogy. How can you not be here? Although there aren’t many guests in the manor, there are still people watching over us. Our Marquis’s manor is a respectable family. How can we mistreat our niece-in-law? Although she comes from a humble background, she is an upright and law-abiding citizen. You can’t let people gossip about our manor. I’ve said that you have to go today, whether you want to or not.”
Standing outside the door, Madam Wu was beaming with pride. So what if she was the eldest sister-in-law? Her son still married a commoner who had no support whatsoever, and a woman of questionable character at that.
Upon hearing this, Madam Ji was so angry that her veins bulged. Ignoring the broken porcelain on the ground, she stepped on them and left. Zhu Yun hurriedly knelt down on the broken porcelain and hugged Madam Ji's legs. "Madam, Second Madam is right. You can't not go. The Marquis approved the marriage. If you don't go, wouldn't you be slapping the Marquis in the face? You can't hold a grudge against the Marquis now, Madam."
If she doesn't back down, what will happen if the Marquis's heart remains with those vile women? In this inner quarters, how can she live if she loses her husband's heart? Because of the Fifth Young Master's marriage, the Madam has been arguing with the Marquis's mansion for quite some time.
Looking at Zhu Yun's bleeding knee, Madam Ji helped her up, her face as cold as ice. "Get up."
In a short while, she had already composed her chaotic mind, put on a polite smile, and opened the door. "Second sister-in-law, you've gone to a lot of trouble. When A-Zhan gets married in the future, I, as his elder sister-in-law, will definitely choose a good family for him."
Wu's smug face instantly changed color, her teeth clenched to powder, but she couldn't say anything.
The bride, Qingge, finally achieved her wish of becoming a phoenix on a branch of a tree. Under the bright red veil, her eyes were charming and shy, and her smile was full of happiness. However, on the other side of the big red flower, her face was cold and her expression was ashen. She found the smiles on the faces of the people watching the ceremony particularly irritating, a naked mockery that she had married a plaything.
He hated the unreasonable Princess Jun of the Yongwang Mansion, and he hated his father's cruelty in actually making him marry this woman. He regretted hitting the Yongwang Prince; he had only done it for fun, finding an excuse to beat him up, and it was only because someone else had instigated it.
"Husband and wife bow to each other." For the final bow, the bride had already bent over, but he remained motionless for a long time until he heard "Husband and wife bow to each other!" again. Only then did he react and slowly lower his head.
Qingge's face, which was full of a happy smile, gradually turned cold, indicating that the road ahead would not be easy.
The Marquis of Ningguo and his wife, sitting in the high hall, wore kind smiles. Both of them looked extremely amiable. Even Ji Shi, who had just been furious, now had a very sincere and happy smile on her face. However, only she knew how deep the bitterness in her heart was buried.
"Send her to the bridal chamber." With a loud shout, Qingge was sent to the bridal chamber. Jiang Jingming escorted her to the bridal chamber, and before the maids and servants could say any auspicious words, he stepped out of the bridal chamber. He never wanted to enter this place again in his life. He was going to marry the fourth daughter of the Marquis of Zhiyuan's mansion.
Just as he had expected, he got completely drunk. On their wedding night, he spent the night in his concubine's room. Qingge was alone in the bridal chamber, her veil still on. Her family had no influence, and the maids and servants, seeing that the new lady was so unloved, ignored her completely. She was alone in the bridal chamber, silently weeping until dawn.
Much later, on her deathbed, she recalled the misfortunes of her life, all of which began on the day a princess asked her if her father had offended her. She should have vehemently denied it then, saying that the unfaithful man had been instigated to beat Prince Yong, and that it had nothing to do with her. But alas, she never had the chance again; there is no medicine for regret in this world.
When Jiang Jingming woke up, he was still groggy when his father dragged him into the ancestral hall. He began to hate his father even more, hating his ruthlessness, even more than he hated Zhao Shu.
In the dimly lit ancestral hall, Jiang Jingzhan was also reflecting on his actions. When he saw Jiang Jingming enter, a smile appeared on his lips, a smile that was full of meaning. "Fifth brother, your uncle was only thinking of the Marquis's mansion. Don't blame him. Actually, I'm not surprised at all that you married your wife. After all, you're not the heir apparent, so it doesn't really matter what kind of woman you marry."
"Your Highness! Your Highness!" Jiang Jingming repeated these two words intently.
Zhao Shu did not attend Jiang Jingming's wedding banquet. She only sent Xiao Guozi to deliver a gift. Then she lay in the courtyard reading a book. Huo Danlan was making clothes for her beside her. Originally, she wanted to help, but Huo Danlan wouldn't let her and insisted that she rest.
Xiao Zhu Zi was much faster than before. In just a few days, he found out all the details about the concubines who had come to Zhao Shu to ask her to leave the mansion. When he handed the information to Zhao Shu, she glanced at it. These concubines were quite well-behaved and honest. They never caused trouble. They didn't enter the mansion to sell themselves to bury their parents. They were given to them by the Empress Dowager at the beginning. However, the mansion kept bringing in new people, and they had no chance anymore.
"Release them, and I'll give you a few dozen taels of silver." If the problem could be resolved peacefully, she suddenly didn't want her hands stained with blood anymore. Yes, Zhao Shu was such a fickle person, but some people, if she said she wouldn't let them go, then she absolutely wouldn't let them go.
After one concubine was successfully released from the mansion and even received several dozen taels of silver, more concubines came to Zhao Shu to beg for her release. Similarly, they were all carefully investigated before being released. If there were any problems, well, you can go and be reincarnated early.
Suddenly, the entire palace was filled with panic again, as they recalled the concubines and courtesans who had died mysteriously some time ago.
Prince Duan discovered today that he no longer frequently encountered his concubines on the road, and he dared not rashly go to the brothel. He could only stay with Consort Wei and occasionally rest with Consort Zhang.
However, he began to wonder if he was getting old.
To confirm his suspicions—no, to refuse to admit that he was no longer capable—he frequented brothels.
However, he began to become despondent, restless, and began drinking heavily every night.
Consort Zhang also noticed Prince Duan's unusual behavior. She was somewhat excited and expectant. If the prince really couldn't function anymore, would he stop looking for young women? Would he then be able to stay with her forever? After all, she knew his preferences so well.
However, before she could be happy for long, Prince Duan suddenly rushed into the arms of a stunningly beautiful man. A lone lamp moved slowly along the deserted street at a fast pace. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that a stunningly beautiful man was hurrying along, his face filled with panic, as if he were extremely afraid of walking at night.
Prince Duan was drinking from a jug of wine, walking unsteadily, with his guards following at a distance. When they saw someone walking in front of them, that person had already bumped into Prince Duan's arms.
No, it was Prince Duan who was placed in that person's arms. A strange fragrance wafted over, and Prince Duan felt his body burning hot, wanting to find someone to comfort him.
"Master, you are ill. How about I prescribe some medicine for you?" The voice was an extremely pleasant male voice. He was startled and wanted to push the person away, but found that he had no strength at all.
Xiao Zhu, hiding in the shadows, breathed a sigh of relief. He had been following Prince Duan for quite some time in order to find an opportunity.
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