Chapter 119 Not a Rumor, But a Conspiracy
When Jiang Fenghua heard the rumors outside, she didn't show much emotion on her face. Her eyes were deep, her brows furrowed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and remained calm.
Lianye said anxiously, "Your Highness, why aren't you reacting? Look at what they're saying about the eldest young master outside! Those people really know how to make things up out of nothing."
"Stop bothering the Princess. She will make her own judgment." Hongxiu quietly ground the ink for her, and Lianye stopped making a fuss and stood obediently to the side.
Jiang Fenghua enjoys practicing calligraphy. When she practices, she can calm down and think. At this time, her mind is full of thoughts. Because she has experienced too much, she habitually thinks about everything from the perspective of interests. Seeking money is one kind of interest, and ruining someone's reputation is also related to interests. The key is who will benefit in the end and who will lose because of this.
At first glance, it seems like a love triangle between a few men and women, but upon closer examination, it's not that simple.
She finished her last stroke, placed the wolf-hair brush on the brush rest, and said calmly, "It's not entirely baseless. At least Sang Yu Pianpian did live in the Jiang residence, my elder brother and Li Cheng did have a fight, and Zhang Yumo and Li Cheng were engaged but have now broken off the engagement. All of these things happened, right? They were just taken advantage of, and people used this as an excuse to distort the truth. Moreover, these rumors only started circulating after the princess of Chaoxi Kingdom left Shengjing City. If you think about all of this together, this is not a rumor, but a conspiracy."
Someone is hiding behind the scenes, weaving a large net to drag the Jiang and Zhang families down with them.
Although Jiang Jinyan plotted against Li Cheng, the Zhang family ultimately succeeded in breaking off the engagement with the Li family.
When Jiang Jinyan did this, he only wanted people to know that Li Cheng was not of good character. He did not take the initiative to ask the Zhang family to break off the engagement with the Li family. He had long thought of getting rid of the marriage between the Zhang family and the Li family and did not want to get involved in unnecessary entanglements. But now rumors are circulating about Jiang Jinyan and Zhang Yumo.
What else could this be but a long-planned scheme?
It's quite clear that those around them know Sang Yu Pianpian's identity, know that Zhang Yumo and Jiang Jinyan are connected, and want to attack the Jiang family and her, the Princess Consort of Heng.
She thought Su Tingwan didn't have the brains for this, otherwise she wouldn't have been sent to Jingci Nunnery to recuperate.
Jiang Fenghua carefully considered everyone who had appeared around her. Neither Old Madam Su nor Yun Fang could have come up with such a radical solution.
They only know how to use insidious and despicable methods to ruin someone's reputation.
Another person connected to Su Tingwan came to her mind—Ji Chen.
She had only met Ji Chen twice. If it weren't for the terrifying experiences of her past life, she would never have connected Ji Chen to her.
She and Ji Chen had no vested interests. Jiang Fenghua sneered, "Since you dare to touch my Jiang family, then please accept the wrath of this princess!"
Ji Chen and Xie Shang became sworn brothers simply because Ji Chen valued Xie Shang's status as a prince. In his previous life, Xie Shang indeed trusted Ji Chen greatly. After becoming emperor, he even bestowed upon Ji Chen a title of prince of a different surname, entrusted him with important responsibilities, and allowed him to enjoy unparalleled wealth and honor.
In this life, she will keep Ji Chen away from wealth and glory, and send him back to his paradise.
He probably underestimated her ability to whisper sweet nothings in her ear.
Jiang Fenghua smiled, as if she had never whispered anything in Xie Shang's ear.
She began to look forward to her performance, but given Xie Shang's trust in Ji Chen, this might be a bit difficult. It was unclear who Xie Shang would lean towards between his wife and his friend.
Su Tingwan is the woman Xie Shang likes, but Ji Chen is always seen with her. Xie Shang is not only not jealous, but also seems to be entrusting Su Tingwan to his care.
Given Xie Shang's jealous nature, this is quite unreasonable.
Jiang Fenghua had Lianye carefully dress her up, and looking at her pure and lovely appearance in the mirror, she was almost captivated by her own beauty.
Her face was lightly powdered, her makeup understated, like a shy flower bud about to bloom, attracting attention.
Jiang Fenghua walked to the front yard and sat comfortably on the armchair, with her maids on either side of her, quiet and obedient.
Butler Cheng presented the Prince's mansion's account books one by one. "This month's revenue is good. The Princess's suggestions last month were indeed very useful, which added another layer of revenue."
Jiang Fenghua read through the books one by one carefully. In the golden sunlight, she seemed to be surrounded by a halo, which was mesmerizing.
She said in a deep voice, "It's all thanks to everyone's cooperation with me, Princess Consort. Steward Cheng, please make the arrangements. Everyone's bonus will be doubled this month."
Butler Cheng was surprised. "The Princess Consort raised their wages last month and gave them extra bonuses. This month, she doubled them again. I'm worried that if we don't have this money next month, what will they think? It will be bad for the management of the Prince's Mansion. Let's be cautious about distributing it."
"Butler Cheng thinks this way because of our status. Even without bonuses, everyone will work out of fear of the Prince's Mansion. But I, the Princess Consort, don't want them to be afraid. I want them to submit and even admire. Only with rewards will they be motivated." She added, "What is taken from the people should be used for the people. This is what they deserve. Without rewards, no one will work hard."
Steward Cheng was stunned for a moment. After hearing the princess's words, he admired her even more. The royal family was already of a high status, and they had never been so approachable before.
Since the princess took over the household management, everyone has indeed been smiling more, working more proactively, and achieving higher completion rates, resulting in increased income for the royal residence.
Steward Cheng said, "This old servant will go and make a register right away. When the time comes, please ask the Princess to distribute them in a unified manner. We should make sure they all remember who bestowed this favor upon them."
"Go ahead. If Steward Cheng needs anything, just send someone to find me." Jiang Fenghua smiled slightly, her brows revealing a natural clarity, her eyes shining brightly.
She was slender and graceful, and her every move exuded nobility and elegance; she was an absolutely stunning beauty.
After finishing the accounting matters, two maids accompanied her gracefully to the backyard.
The courtyard was deep and secluded, with dappled light and shadow. A pair of sharp, wolf-like eyes seemed fixed on Jiang Fenghua. He sighed at the Prince Heng's good fortune, realizing that Su Tingwan's beauty was far inferior to Jiang Fenghua's, no wonder he changed his mind so easily.
Ji Chen was preparing to participate in the imperial examinations the following spring and was staying at the Prince Heng's residence. He sat leisurely on the long corridor with a book in his hand, reading aloud, "Guan Guan cry the ospreys, on the islet in the river; a fair maiden, a gentleman's good match..."
Jiang Fenghua could only sneer inwardly. She straightened her back and walked slowly forward, as if she hadn't heard Ji Chen's reading. Read louder, it would be best if Xie Shang could also hear what his sworn brother was doing in the Prince's mansion.
Hongxiu and Lianye had both been studying since childhood and knew that the poem "Guanju" was a poem in which a man wooed a woman. They never expected that this young master Ji would be so flirtatious as to recite the poem in public.
Unaware of Jiang Fenghua's intentions, they helped her quicken their pace, wanting only to leave this place.
At this moment, Yunfang suddenly walked up to Ji Chen carrying a stack of clothes. "Young Master Ji, your clothes are washed. Please take them back yourself!"
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