Chapter 44 Why Did I Provoke Her?
When Wen Weizhu learned that there was only a girl and an old nanny in Yun Shen Pavilion and no men, she suspected that Meng Lingge had discovered them and had sent a wild man to dress as a woman in an attempt to deceive them.
She wanted to rush in and expose Meng Lingge's scheme, but Consort Jiang didn't believe her and told her that there was a truly beautiful girl inside, and forcibly dragged her back.
Tell her not to make any more mistakes while the princess is still angry.
Wen Weizhu was forced to return to her own courtyard. One moment she fantasized that the princess would see through the wild man's disguise, and the next she thought that if she really was wrong, the princess would not pursue her mistake because she was so concerned for her elder brother.
Unfortunately, both of her hopes were dashed. After Princess Anshun returned to her residence, she did not even see her once. Instead, she accused her of fabricating stories and ruining the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, and ordered her to be beaten with twenty strokes of the cane and confined to her quarters for six months.
This punishment was truly the worst it could have been for her.
From childhood to adulthood, because she was the only girl in the Prince of Anshun's mansion, she was never punished, let alone scolded by the princess.
She is sixteen years old this year and got engaged at the beginning of the year.
The groom was Xiao Songyan, the eldest son of the Vice Minister of Revenue. They were a good match in terms of social standing. Moreover, Xiao Songyan was handsome, humble, and polite. Besides his parents, he only had one younger sister. She would become the mistress of the house after marrying into the family. She and her mother were very satisfied with the marriage.
But now that she has been punished by the princess before the wedding, if this gets back to the Xiao family, even if they don't cancel the engagement, they will still look down on her.
In addition to being confined for six months, the time when she regained her freedom was just when she was about to marry into the Xiao family.
The princess has gone to great lengths to stop her from harming Meng Lingge, disregarding her self-respect and reputation.
Perhaps because she was a young girl, or perhaps because of her mother, Consort Jiang, the servants who were beating her held back and did not seriously injure her.
It hurts, but it's not unbearable yet.
The key issue is that it was too humiliating.
Consort Jiang personally applied the medicine to her, tears streaming down her face as she did so: "I thought the Princess would at most scold you and punish you by cutting off a few months' allowance. I never imagined she would be so cruel. She can hit such a delicate young lady like that without warning. You're about to get married. What if you're left with scars?"
"Mother, are you sure you saw clearly? Was that wild man really a girl? Did you have someone check him out? Did you also check the other rooms in the yard?" Wen Weizhu lay on the bed, still unwilling to give up.
Although she only glanced at him from outside the courtyard, the man was incomparably handsome, tall and slender, and even had a light beard; he was clearly a man.
How come the princess and her mother turned into women after they went in?
Consort Jiang was so angry that she tightened her grip a little. "You've already been beaten and punished, why are you still asking this? I've said it several times, she's a genuine young lady, and the courtyard isn't very big. The Princess Consort had Granny Chu and her men search the place thoroughly."
"hiss……"
Hearing Wen Weizhu's soft moan of pain, Consort Jiang softened her movements, while continuing to complain.
“It’s not that I’m criticizing you, but you’re going to marry into the Xiao family at the end of the year, and you won’t be staying in the Prince’s mansion for much longer. It’s obvious that the Princess Consort likes that Meng Lingge, so why do you have to provoke her? She will probably be in charge of this mansion in the future. If you please her, the mansion will help you out. If you offend her, not only will the Princess Consort be unhappy, but it won’t be easy for you to come back to see your mother once she’s in charge.”
The sudden arrival of a princess consort at the Prince's residence made her unhappy.
But we still have to endure it, since we'll still be living under their noses in the future.
Wen Weizhu rested her chin on her hands, buried her head on the pillow, and sobbed.
“But the princess used to love me the most. She said she would treat me like her own daughter. Why does all that mean nothing now that Meng Lingge is here? As long as I drive Meng Lingge away and that fool marries another incompetent woman, the princess will treat me well again.”
"Are you stupid? You believe everything the princess says. Saying she treats you like her own son is just a polite thing to say because she thought you were well-behaved at the time. If she really liked you that much, she would have given you that bracelet long ago. How could it be Meng Lingge's turn? No matter how good she is to you, she can never surpass her son and daughter-in-law."
Consort Jiang looked at her daughter's injuries, feeling both heartache and helplessness. Her family was not poor, and they had accumulated some wealth for Wen Weizhu over the years, but her daughter was still dissatisfied, always thinking about what the princess deserved.
If she doesn't give up on this idea, she'll definitely cause more trouble in the future, and then I'm afraid the good marriage that's already been arranged won't be able to be saved.
After applying the medicine, she helped Wen Weizhu put on her clothes, sat down on the edge of the bed, held her daughter's hand, and said earnestly, "Listen to your mother, during your confinement, just rest in this room, do some needlework, read some books, and in six months you will be married into the Xiao family in a grand manner and become a proper lady. As long as you are obedient, the princess will not make things difficult for you anymore, and Meng Lingge will not be able to hold you accountable again."
"Mother, I understand. I'm injured and confined to my home, so I can't do anything even if I wanted to."
Wen Weizhu looked impatient.
Mother always boosts the morale of others while diminishing her own.
Meng Lingge has only been a beginner for a few days.
She was the mistress who grew up in the Prince's mansion, and even her eldest brother and third brother had to give her some respect. Why should a newcomer bully her?
This time, she was too hasty and not careful enough, causing the princess to make a wasted trip and lose face, so she was punished to vent her anger. If she had really caught Meng Lingge, that wild man, Meng Lingge's fate would be much worse than hers!
There's plenty of time; she'll find another opportunity to get something on Meng Lingge's head.
If the foolish older brother divorces Meng Lingge, it will be even harder to find a suitable noblewoman. Marrying a girl from a humble family with no background would make him completely at her mercy.
Then all those good things belonging to the princess will be hers.
Consort Jiang noticed the greed in her daughter's lowered eyes and knew that Wen Weizhu hadn't listened to her. She wanted to offer more advice, but Wen Weizhu said she was sleepy, blatantly telling her to leave.
Consort Jiang sighed, got up and left.
She lived in the same courtyard as Wen Weizhu, and the mother and daughter spent almost every day together. However, Wen Weizhu didn't seem to have much affection for her.
As far as I can remember, Wen Weizhu never acted coquettishly or acted like a little girl in front of her.
Perhaps she was too immersed in her role, because Wen Weizhu only showed her considerate and obedient side in front of the princess. Consort Jiang felt that this was precisely why Wen Weizhu couldn't accept the fact that the princess had a daughter-in-law and thus ignored her.
Her daughter couldn't grasp reality, but she couldn't help but be clear-headed.
Once outside the room, Consort Jiang instructed Wen Weizhu's two personal maids not to let her out, no matter what excuse Wen Weizhu gave.
He then summoned a servant and ordered someone to add a large lock to Wen Weizhu's room, which finally put his mind at ease.
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