Chapter 878 Manipulating Princess Kang
Upon hearing this, Yue Shi instantly exploded. Her eyes turned cold as she said, "My son, Yue Anxin, spent several months emptying toilets!"
Xie Minmin felt more and more aggrieved. "Not only do we have to empty the chamber pot, but we also have to clean it. Carrying manure is actually Yun-ge's daily job. Otherwise, he will be punished. We have no choice but to do it in order to survive. Mother, look at my hands. There are so many blisters and calluses."
Yue Shi looked at her daughter's hands and became even angrier: "What did the Emperor make them do?"
Xie Shang was also speechless. Gongsun Ling was really ruthless. He probably knew that they were not ordinary people and dared not hit or kill them, so he resorted to corporal punishment to let them know the consequences of robbing disaster relief funds.
It's also because they are the grandsons of the indigenous people of Northwest China; if they were ordinary people, their heads would have been chopped off long ago.
Jiang Fenghua said gently, "Aunt Kang, there's no need to be angry. In fact, all royal children need to go through trials and tribulations. Only by enduring hardship can one rise above others. I believe that the princess and the prince should have learned about the suffering of the people through this incident, and they will not misappropriate disaster relief funds again in the future."
“Although Uncle Kang and Prince Yun have repaid the money, Prince Yun was still caught red-handed and accused of “embezzlement” because he is Prince Kang’s son. His actions were actually robbery. How could Aunt Kang’s face be saved if the Prince Kang’s son robbed the court’s disaster relief funds on his first return to the capital? If this gets out, Uncle Kang’s son will lose face in the entire royal family, and the Kang lineage will lose face in front of the world!” Jiang Fenghua’s words were all for their benefit.
Yuezhi paused. She had come to rescue her son, daughter, and husband and bring them home, not to claim kinship with them.
She said, "Since they've returned the money and you've punished them, I'll take them back to the Northwest..."
Jiang Fenghua walked up to Yue Shi, took her hand and led her to the other side, and said gently, "Aunt Wang, since you rarely come to Shengjing, please stay here for now. Now that Princess Minmin and Prince Yun have also returned, your family is reunited. Go and explore the city. There are many beautiful sights in Shengjing. It's the season when the flowers are in bloom. Let Minmin take good care of her health. The northwest is windy and dusty, but Shengjing has a mild climate, which is especially suitable for recuperating."
She leaned close to Yuezhi's ear and whispered, "A girl must take good care of her appearance. It's not easy to get married if she has scars. Men will look down on her. Aunt Wang is a woman too, you should understand!"
Yue Shi was stunned. How could she not understand men? Only she herself knew how much Xie Kang had despised her over the years. Everyone else thought they were a loving and harmonious couple, but in fact, their marriage had long been a sham.
Her skin was indeed not as good as Empress Jiang's. Empress Jiang's skin was as white and smooth as tofu, while her skin and Minmin's skin were like tree bark. Women of the Great Zhou all had good skin, even the older ones.
Women living in the Northwest don't have such fair and delicate skin.
Yuezhi seemed to be persuaded. She was old and didn't need to care about her appearance, but Minmin was still young, and she couldn't let Minmin become like her...
Xie Shang kept Xie Minmin and Xie Yun with him so that he could lure Princess Kang to Shengjing. With Yue Anxin in Shengjing, the Yue clan, the native tribe of the Northwest, would not easily betray the Great Zhou.
Therefore, they kept the entire Kangwang lineage in Shengjing City.
The Yuezhi had never interacted with Jiang Fenghua before, yet they were unaware that she was such a beautiful and gentle woman.
Jiang Fenghua's gentle and soft-spoken manner made Xie Minmin feel somewhat uncomfortable. In her memory, Jiang Fenghua had always been a sharp-tongued, fierce, and ruthless person, and even though she had lost her memory, she still disliked her.
Xie Minmin pulled her mother aside, "Don't talk to her, she's very formidable."
Yuezhi glanced at Jiang Fenghua and thought she was gentle and dignified, with a heroic spirit between her brows and a tenderness in her eyes. Her voice was also pleasant to hear. "Such a beautiful woman, how amazing is she?"
Xie Minmin had a lingering fear of Jiang Fenghua, but considering that Jiang Fenghua had lost her memory, she wondered, "Could it be that she changed her personality because of her amnesia?"
Yuezhi asked, "What is Minmin muttering about?"
She was angry to see that her daughter was indeed being tormented to the point of being unwomanly, but being angry wouldn't solve anything.
The Yuezhi asked, "How does Your Majesty maintain your skin?"
Jiang Fenghua smiled slightly, "I... naturally have someone to take care of my skin. After returning to the palace, I will have someone help Aunt Wang with her skincare. They are all palace secret recipes that can't be found outside. I guarantee that Aunt Wang will return to her eighteen-year-old self, back to the time when you and Uncle Kang first met."
Yuezhi blushed unconsciously. She still remembered the first time she met Xie Kang. She thought he was gentle and refined, a gentleman with fair skin and good looks. In particular, his voice was warm, like a piece of music.
Seeing that she seemed to be in love, Jiang Fenghua thought to herself: A woman in her forties like her must also yearn for a loving relationship with her husband. It's just a pity that her image is too improper. Compared to Consort Chang, any man would choose someone like Consort Chang.
Jiang Fenghua understands people in this age group quite well. Almost no couple is like they were when they first met; there's almost no love left.
Princess Kang must really like Xie Kang! If she knew about Chang Mingxiu's existence, I wonder if she would go crazy.
Seeing the Empress pull her mother aside to whisper, Xie Yun was wary and asked his father, "What does the Empress mean? When can we leave?"
Xie Kang glanced at Xie Shang unconsciously, and smiled coldly. He knew that Xie Shang had no intention of letting them leave at all, and that Yue Anxin was someone he had deliberately lured there.
Seeing that Jiang Fenghua had quickly won over Princess Kang, Xie Shang said to Xie Kang, "Since Uncle and Aunt have also come to the hunting grounds, why don't you join us for some fun? It's only the first day. Uncle, you must have played polo with Father when you were young! I wonder who's better between you and Father? How about I play a game with you..."
Xie Kang remembered that Xie Jing was also very skilled at playing ball, and he had never beaten him.
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The next day, the Ministry of Rites organized a hunting competition for everyone.
The royal hunting grounds are usually guarded by special personnel, and are only opened to the royal family for a hunting expedition each year. There are many wild animals in the area, and hunting is usually limited to the outer perimeter, as it is more dangerous to go deeper into the area, and the imperial court has issued a ban on it.
At this moment, the royal hunting grounds were filled with fluttering banners and the sound of wind. The Emperor of Great Zhou had promised many prizes, all of which were the finest items from the Central Plains. The envoys from various countries were very excited and eager to try their luck. Since arriving in Great Zhou, they had been eating, drinking, and having fun every day, living a carefree life.
The emperor and empress sat upright in their high positions, the bright yellow canopy exuding nobility and majesty.
Xie Shang's eyes held a deep, cold intensity, while Jiang Fenghua stood beside him, her demeanor serene and dignified.
As the two were receiving the homage of the officials, Jiang Fenghua finally spotted Empress Sang Yupianpian of Chaoxi Kingdom in the crowd.
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