Chapter 53 Many Powerful Officials Live Under the Emperor's Feet
No one knows what Chu Yunjin said to the Princess.
All that is known is that when they returned to the front hall, the Princess looked rather grim, while Chu Yunjin appeared calm.
Wen Shiyu frowned slightly, his eyes deep, his gaze constantly shifting between the Princess and Chu Yunjin, wanting to know what Chu Yunjin had said that made his mother's expression so unpleasant.
The hall fell silent.
Princess Jin and the other princesses and noble ladies remained silent, their expressions varied.
Chu Yunshan sat in the corner, too afraid to speak.
Chu Yunjin walked to the seat next to Yan Jinyue and sat down. She calmly poured herself a cup of tea and took a sip.
"Thank you all for attending the banquet today." The eldest princess sat in the main seat, casually glancing around, her disinterest evident. "Today is my birthday, and I should have been happy to have a joyful day. However, because Jingyi was so ignorant, she publicly contradicted the sixth princess and the princess consort of Yan, causing a very bad influence. If this matter were to reach my brother's ears, I'm afraid he would misunderstand that I have been indulging my children's insubordination and disregard for imperial authority. Therefore, I have decided to give Jingyi a small punishment."
Wen Jingyi looked at her in astonishment: "Mother?"
"Guards!" the princess commanded. "Take the princess to my courtyard and punish her by making her kneel and copy the Classic of Filial Piety twenty times. She can get up after she finishes copying it."
"Mother!" Wen Jingyi's face turned deathly pale.
"Mother!" Wen Shiyu's face changed, and he knelt down with a thud, pleading urgently, "Even copying the Classic of Filial Piety twenty times couldn't be finished in a day and a night! My sister is frail, how can she kneel for so long? Please, Mother—"
"I often urge her to read and write. If it takes her a whole day and night to copy the Classic of Filial Piety twenty times, it's because she's deliberately being lazy." The Eldest Princess looked coldly at Wen Jingyi. "Today you dared to contradict the Sixth Princess and the Princess Consort of Yan in public. If you continue to be so presumptuous before the Emperor, showing no respect for hierarchy, how can I maintain order in the future if I don't punish you?"
She turned to her personal maid and ordered, "Take the princess away! If anyone dares to plead for her again, repeat it twenty more times."
The head maid of the Princess's residence stepped forward and respectfully asked Wen Jingyi to get up and leave with her. Wen Jingyi's face turned pale and red in turns, showing both fear and embarrassment. She glared resentfully at Chu Yunjin and suddenly covered her face and left.
Wen Shiyu clenched his fists and turned to look at Chu Yunjin with a fierce expression, wanting to know what she had said to their mother that led to her sister being punished so severely.
After Wen Jingyi left, everyone fell silent. No one knew what method Chu Yunjin had used to make Wen Jingyi suffer such a severe punishment—perhaps she really brought up the Prince of Yan?
But now that she has forced the Princess to punish her own daughter, isn't she worried that the Princess will hold a grudge?
After all, the eldest princess was the emperor's sister and the empress dowager's most beloved daughter.
Although she was a princess consort of equal noble status, she was only born into the Ministry of Rites and could not compare to the Wen family, which was large and powerful, with the Prince of Yan as its biggest backer.
Once the Prince of Yan leaves the capital for the border, it will be easy for the Princess to cause her trouble.
And then there's the Empress Dowager in the palace, who could summon her to the palace under any pretext and torment her to the point of wishing she were dead.
Isn't she worried at all?
Chu Yunjin was clearly not worried.
After presenting the congratulatory gift, she ate and drank as usual, completely ignoring the stares from everyone at the table—actually, it was because she hadn't even met everyone yet, and didn't know who to greet even if she wanted to.
Apart from Yan Jinyue, everyone else I knew was a mortal enemy, especially the Princess Consort of Jin.
The reason Chu Yunjin was in a good mood was not because Wen Jingyi was punished, but because the eldest princess had obviously wavered and believed her words.
Even if she doesn't believe it completely, as long as she has even the slightest doubt, she can take the initiative to find the truth based on that doubt. If the plot progresses smoothly, the eldest princess will naturally turn against the Wen family, and then the empress dowager will protect the eldest princess and no longer support the Wen family.
As for how far they would turn against each other, Chu Yunjin didn't care. If the princess was a person of principle, she might even thank him for reminding her once she discovered Wen Consort's conspiracy.
The snacks on the table all looked delicious.
Chu Yunjin picked up a piece with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. A woman next to her said calmly, "Why was Sixth Sister's engagement with General Pei canceled?"
Um?
Chu Yunjin raised her head and looked in the direction of the sound.
A woman dressed in a light green brocade robe sat at the table, her gaze fixed on Yan Jinyue's face. Her expression showed neither mockery nor hostility, but rather simple curiosity.
Beside her sat a young woman dressed as a married woman, whose face seemed somewhat familiar... Chu Yunjin frowned slightly, suddenly realizing that this woman looked like Madam Pei.
“Pei Yi’an is corrupt. He brought back a pregnant woman before he was even married, and he expects me to be magnanimous and treat that little slut as an equal. I’m really giving him too much credit.” Yan Jin’yue sneered. “Third sister, you don’t need to worry about me. Anyway, I’m still young. There are plenty of excellent men in the capital. Even if Pei Yi’an is gone, there are other men. Marriage is not a problem.”
So she was the Third Princess.
Chu Yunjin's gaze swept over the Third Princess's face, memorizing her features to avoid not recognizing her the next time they met.
Princess Yan Xiyue, born to Consort Ning, is three years older than Yan Jinyue. Two years ago, she married Su Zixuan, the son of the Duke of Dingguo, while Pei Zhilan, the daughter of the Pei family, married Su Ziyan, the second son of the Duke of Dingguo.
Chu Yunjin sighed silently.
No wonder people say that there are many powerful and wealthy people under the emperor's nose.
There are so many powerful and wealthy people in this imperial city.
Besides the emperor, princes, and princes, the imperial city also housed members of the imperial clan, the eldest princess, princess consorts, dukes, prime ministers, grand tutors, and the residences of various ministers, marquises, and earls. Anyone with some power and status in the court, and whose sons were outstanding, was a prime candidate for the emperor's son-in-law.
Of course, the emperor did not bestow marriages arbitrarily; he also had to balance the power of various factions.
The Prince of Yan married the legitimate daughter of the Minister's family.
The Prince of Jin then married the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family.
The Sixth Princess betrothed Pei Yi'an, while the Third Princess betrothed him to the Duke of Dingguo's family.
And surprisingly, the Duke of Dingguo was related to the Pei family by marriage.
If the Pei family pledges allegiance to the Prince of Jin, does that mean that the Duke of Dingding's mansion also pledges allegiance to the Prince of Jin?
wrong.
Duke Dingguo's Mansion...
Chu Yunjin's mind was a little confused for a moment, probably because there were too many relationships between the characters, and she couldn't think of them all yet.
Forget it, I'm too lazy to think about it anymore.
Why don't you ask Yan Cang when you get home tonight?
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