Chapter 142 Princess Ning'an
The winner of the Dragon Boat Banquet was the youngest son of Earl Zhongyi and the younger brother of Queen Shen.
What a coincidence, the second one is Jiang Shuyi’s second brother.
Queen Shen almost cried with joy, thinking that the family finally had a pillar. She turned around and saw Jiang Shuyi's face was not happy. She was afraid that she would be jealous and harm her brother, so she quickly said, "It's not like your brother hasn't won the first prize before, why are you unhappy?"
Jiang Shuyi glanced at her in confusion and said, "Why should you be happy or unhappy? Do you really think that those children from noble families are not as good as them? Before I became favored, my brother never won the first prize, but after I became favored, he won the first prize every year. Only a fool can't see the reason."
Queen Shen's expression immediately turned ugly.
"It's fine if they give in to your second brother, but how could they give in to my fifth brother?"
It was true that she was the Empress, but her family was not prominent and she was not favored, so it was impossible for anyone to go easy on her brother because of her.
Jiang Shuyi smiled, "Because the Majesty's younger brother is so arrogant. He is the second brother who really refuses to yield to me. He was so angry that his face turned red. The second brother has been spoiled and become incompetent and conceited in recent years. How could he beat the Majesty's young and ambitious younger brother? Isn't he the leader?"
Queen Shen clutched her handkerchief tightly: "Then it is still the fifth brother who is capable."
Jiang Shuyi was too lazy to refute because she also disliked her second brother.
Although there is no age restriction for dragon boat racing, generally only young men participate. He has been married for many years but still wants to join in the fun. Others can tell at a glance that he just wants to show off, so they have to give in to him for Jiang Shuyi's sake.
In her previous life, Jiang Shuyi felt that this could highlight her status, but now she feels a little embarrassed.
She called the eunuch to tell him, "Tell the second brother that he is not allowed to participate in the dragon boat race in the future."
*
There are other Dragon Boat Festival games after the dragon boat race. Today the palace gates are locked late, and some clan members will wait until after the evening family dinner before leaving, while most officials and their families will leave before dark.
Pei Yan went to discuss the matter of the county lord with the Grand Princess of Wei. Jiang Shuyi stood alone on the high platform, watching the lively scene that surged in and out like a tide, feeling a little sad.
Once you leave the palace, you will never see it again.
"My Lady Concubine."
Someone called her from behind. Jiang Shuyi turned around and saw that it was Princess Ning'an. She snorted and continued to look at the audience.
Princess Ning'an lowered her head and said softly, "Your Majesty, I'm sorry. Just pretend you didn't hear what my mother said at the banquet. I won't let my daughter enter the palace."
Jiang Shuyi leaned over the railing and looked into the distance, smiling indifferently: "Even if the princess asked, His Majesty would not agree. You and the eldest princess have been using me one after another, and His Majesty is a discerning person."
"Use?" Princess Ning An was puzzled: "What do you mean by use?"
Jiang Shuyi looked at her again: "Why bother pretending? Do you dare to say that you didn't deliberately let me catch you talking to Zhang Feng? You used me to get out of trouble, and I don't want to bother with you, but you even want to force your daughter in as well. Do I look like a living Bodhisattva?"
Princess Ning'an frowned slightly: "Your Majesty, you must have misunderstood. I didn't even know that Zhang Feng would come to the palace banquet. How could I have planned for Your Majesty to interrupt our conversation?"
As for the latter, she did not argue.
She did know what her mother meant, but she had no way to resist.
It was her mother who accepted her and divorced her, protected her from being bullied by the Zhang family, and was unwilling to accept Miao'er. She was heartbroken and hoped that Miao'er could change her mother's mind, but other than that, there was nothing she could do.
But things are different now. Since the Zhang family is already in trouble and Zhang Feng is bound to die, she doesn't have to worry about being retaliated against if she lives outside.
If her mother still did not accept Miao'er, she would buy a house in the capital and live with her daughter outside. With the salary of a princess, she would be able to live a good life.
I just feel a little sorry for my mother...
Seeing that her expression did not seem fake, Jiang Shuyi could not help but wonder if Pei Yan had made a wrong inference.
What if he isn't as bad as him?
But thinking about the words and actions of the Princess of Wei just now at the banquet, she became more certain: "If it's not you, then it must be the Grand Princess. She was the one who asked me to find you. You and your daughter have set me up. If Zhang Feng gets angry and hurts someone, I will be in trouble by you."
Princess Ning'an was stunned for a moment, then understood.
It turned out to be the mother.
She was not stupid. Recalling that her mother had gone against her normal behavior a few days ago and had taken her to the Zhang family to seek peace, she vaguely understood that today's events were all a setup by her mother.
There is no upright person in the Zhang family. No matter how Zhang Feng acted in the past, her father-in-law and mother-in-law never cared. But when she said she wanted a divorce, her father-in-law suddenly came to life and started to teach his son a lesson. Her mother-in-law also advised her to be patient for the sake of the child. There is no man who is not unfaithful. This is the fate of women. Princesses and princesses are no escape.
Princess Ning'an does not believe in fate and asks her mother to help her get a divorce. If she continues to live in the Zhang family, she will die.
Her mother didn't want her to divorce, thinking that people would talk about her, as she was not the only daughter in the family, and the reputation of her other brothers and sisters would be affected. She was also scolded for being incompetent, having status and looks, but not even being able to control her own husband.
But seeing that she really couldn't survive in the Zhang family, he finally helped her divorce out of affection.
Miao'er was her only comfort during the eight years she lived in the Zhang family. She was sensible and obedient. Even though she knew that her mother probably would not be able to take her with her after the divorce, and that she would be left alone in the Zhang family and have a hard time, she still firmly persuaded her mother to divorce.
How could Princess Ning'an abandon her?
She threatened to commit suicide and finally made her mother agree to take Miao'er back. The Zhang family took the opportunity to spread rumors, saying that the princess was domineering and jealous, and that she acted like a tyrant after marrying into the family and bullied the whole family. They wanted to divorce because of jealousy, and also relied on her status as a royal relative to snatch away all the bloodline of the Zhang family.
These remarks were easily suppressed by the mother, and then the news spread in the capital that the prince of Duke Su was addicted to brothels and humiliated his wife, causing the princess to not even dare to ask for her dowry in order to escape.
Insults came one after another, and they were all true. After Duke Su was reported for his family's bad traditions for several days, he had no choice but to fight for his life and expel Zhang Feng from the family. Fearing that his title would be abolished, he quickly submitted a memorial to the emperor to make his second son the crown prince.
But Zhang Feng started to come to the princess's mansion to cause trouble, and the Zhang family didn't care. They had already severed the relationship with the outside world, and the trouble had nothing to do with them.
Princess Ning'an was often scolded by her mother as a debt collector, but she just listened quietly because it was indeed her fault.
But in her heart, she knew her mother had a way to solve the problem.
That's how it is today.
After Princess Ning'an realized that it was her mother who did it, she was too ashamed to say anything to the Imperial Concubine.
She took the peony jade pendant from her waist and handed it back to Jiang Shuyi with both hands: "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I feel guilty for accepting this jade pendant. Please take it back."
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