Chapter 85 The palace maid is making things difficult for her, and the Queen Mother wants her to break off the engagement?
It was late at night, but the lights in Wanxiangyuan were still on.
It was already three o'clock in the morning. Xu Susu asked Sang Ruo to bring her a cup of ginseng tea. The abacus in her hand was clattering as she continued to calculate.
Most of her dowry from the Xu family was given to Xie Ming'an long before she married into the Xie family. Now when she looked at the account book, she found that the dowry was gone and the account was still in deficit.
Fortunately, he still had some wealth and goods in his hands that he could use as Ayao's dowry.
Today I met my brother Xu Zhixing, a man who is almost forty years old. He burst into tears when he saw me. He took out an abacus and started to calculate the accounts, saying that he must avenge himself and Ayao.
Looking back, seeing her daughter supervising her to take medicine every day, Xu Susu suddenly felt hope and expectation in her heart.
Even for Ayao, she had to stand up and hold on for a few more days.
What Xu Susu didn't know was that Xie Yao next door had also almost stayed awake all night.
She remembered that in her previous life, when her uncle was looking for a lawyer for her, he said that her grandfather and mother died one after the other.
Although her uncle did not elaborate, Xie Yao could guess that after her grandfather passed away, given Xie Mingan's shamelessness, he would definitely use her mother's name to compete with her uncle for the Xu family's property.
Back then, Xu Susu was deceived by him and became pregnant before they got married. She only married into the Xie family after giving birth to him.
In the eyes of Mrs. Xie, she was a useless merchant's daughter who was only paying for her son.
But no matter what her background was, my mother was Xie Ming'an's first wife.
In this world, there are people who poison their wives and kill their daughters.
The evil of human nature can be so cruel.
Xie Yao's eyes were filled with murderous rage.
To deal with Xie Mingan, she must first work with her mother to sever ties with the Xie family.
She suddenly called for seven taels.
"What do you want, young lady?"
Xie Yao raised her eyes, her eyes were clear and bright: "Before, have you bought the things I asked you to buy?"
On the day she bought the seven taels of silver from the matchmaker, she gave him a large sum of silver and asked him to buy some things.
Qi Liang nodded: "Miss, everything is ready, only the east wind is missing."
"Okay," Xie Yao nodded, "Then get ready, it will be used soon."
Xie Mingan thought that his mother would die soon in the Xie family and he would be able to take back the power of household finances.
He also hoped that after she married Xiao Yizi, the Xie family would become a relative of King Jingbei and benefit from the Xiao family's influence.
The day of her wedding with Xiao Yizi was the happiest and most relaxed time for Xie Mingan.
She prepared a big gift for her father.
There are only seven days left until the wedding.
On the second day after the Winter Solstice, Madam He waited for Madam Gui to leave the Xie family. Before noon, Aunt Zhidai from the Empress Dowager's Palace arrived.
Zhidai is the head maid of Ningshou Palace. Yesterday, she came to announce the empress dowager's decree to teach Xie Yao etiquette at the Xie family.
Xie Mingan, who had not yet recovered from the poisoning, came over with a pale face and welcomed her into the house.
This action made Xie Yao feel a little strange.
In the morning, Madam He and others wanted to go see Wenchangbo to say goodbye, but were turned away. The servants told them that Wenchangbo had not yet recovered and it was difficult for him to see guests.
No matter how special Zhidai's status was, she was just a palace maid. The whole family came to welcome her yesterday because of the Empress Dowager's decree, but she didn't have the decree today.
But why did Xie Mingan take the initiative to come and greet her?
Zhidai and Xie Mingan exchanged a few words and came to Xie Yao's house in Wanxiangyuan.
She was about thirty years old, wearing a dark blue palace dress, her hair was neatly combed, and she was holding a box the size of a medicine box.
"Thank you, Second Miss. I am here to teach you etiquette. There are so many people here, you have to ignore the others and concentrate on learning." Zhidai said.
Xie Yao's fingertips moved slightly.
Her perception on the battlefield was very sharp, and at this moment, she felt Zhidai's hostility towards her.
Xie Yao didn't show any strange expression on her face, she just waved her hand and said, "You all go down first."
Zhidai glanced at the maids behind Miss Xie Er, and seeing that they were all well-behaved and polite, she didn't say anything more.
Her gaze lingered on Honeysuckle for a moment longer, and she felt that the maid looked somewhat familiar.
When only she and Xie Yao were left in the room, she took a step forward, her tone suddenly cold:
"Second Miss, let me be frank. Although Prince Jingbei is not of royal blood, he is a king of a different surname, and his status is even more transcendent. Since you are marrying him, you must restrain your temper and learn the rules well."
Xie Yao calmly said yes.
"The prince's legs are injured and he has difficulty moving. After the wedding, Second Miss will have to take care of him personally. Second Miss, please try it in advance. Treat this servant as the prince and help him from the wheelchair to the bed, but don't hurt him."
Zhidai continued, sitting down at the table and imitating the appearance of being unable to walk.
Xie Yao did not refute that there were countless servants in the palace, and it was not her turn to help Xiao Yizi. Instead, she stepped forward, hooked Zhidai's shoulders with one hand, and used the other hand to exert force. With a "hey", she lifted her up and threw her onto the bed.
Zhi Dai sat steadily on the bed, her mouth twitching in surprise: "I've heard that Second Miss Xie is very strong, but you——"
Xie Yao didn't let her finish: "Aunt Zhidai, did I hurt you?"
Zhi Dai skipped the topic, took out a thin bamboo ruler from her sleeve, and said, "Second Miss, stand up again and let this servant see."
Xie Yao's back was straight, and he had the heroic air of someone who had been through life on the frontier.
Zhidai slapped her on the shoulder.
"The Second Miss is going to get married, not to a martial arts arena. Your shoulders should be heavy, your waist should be soft, and your steps should be light. Your Highness is not feeling well and is in a bad mood. What would your Highness think of you looking so radiant?"
Xie Yao didn't dodge, because it didn't hurt anyway.
She wanted to see what Zhidai's purpose was in speaking so harshly.
"That's what Auntie said."
However, she still felt that Xiao Yizi preferred her when she looked radiant.
She continued to act according to Zhidai's words. She had already mastered these etiquette rules under the guidance of Lu's mother after she married into the Lu family in her previous life, and there was nothing wrong with them.
"One more thing. Miss, you will inevitably be in and out of the palace in the future. I will first teach you how to stand, and then how to salute the Emperor and the Empress Dowager."
Zhidai wanted to teach Xie Yao how to kneel and salute, but Xie Yao bent her knees just right, neither appearing fawning nor too stiff, even steadier than the wife of Marquis Anping whom she had taught a few years ago.
Isn’t it said that the second young lady of the Xie family grew up in a border women’s camp since she was young? How come she is so familiar with all the rules?
After practicing for half an hour, she began to study the tea ceremony.
Seeing that Xie Yao did a good job, Zhidai became a little anxious.
Her eyes darkened a little, but her words remained stern: "Not only does this tea have to be brewed properly, but the prince likes it 70% hot. You have to test the temperature yourself first."
How could Zhidai, a maidservant serving the empress dowager, know how hot Xiao Yizi liked his tea?
At this moment, Xie Yao guessed Zhidai's purpose.
She deliberately made things difficult for him, saying how many rules there were to marrying Xiao Yizi, and even her attitude was humiliating. She also showed off in front of him how much the Queen Mother valued Xiao Yizi, hoping to make him give up and refuse the marriage!
Xie Yao thought of her previous life.
In the last few months before her death, she saw Lu Shenyan very few times, but she heard him mention the situation in the capital.
The Empress Dowager and the Emperor have become irreconcilable.
When she was sent back to Zhuangzi, she found that the streets in Beijing were under martial law.
If Lu Shenyan wanted to leave the capital, he had to identify himself to the generals guarding the city and repeatedly ask for leniency before he was reluctantly allowed to leave.
Yes, the Queen Mother is not the Emperor’s biological mother. The two have had conflicts for a long time, and the conflicts have become increasingly intense.
The marriage was granted by the Emperor, but Aunt Zhidai, who taught her etiquette, was sent by the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager did not want her to obey the imperial decree and marry Xiao Yizi.
Her marriage to Xiao Yizi was a game between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
Xie Yao pretended not to understand, her expression remaining calm: "Thank you for your guidance, Auntie. I'll take note of it."
Seeing that she didn't respond, Zhidai opened the wooden box she was carrying and took out an object.
"When the prince was still the heir of the Marquis of Jingbei, the empress dowager gave him a jade pendant. Later, the Five Bandits rebelled and forced the emperor to take refuge in the empress dowager's palace. The prince led the troops to suppress the rebellion and used this pendant as a token of his love to protect the empress dowager and the emperor."
Xie Yao took a look and saw that it was a white jade pendant with simple cloud patterns carved on it. It had smooth edges and corners and looked quite old.
Zhidai's eyes became even colder and filled with intimidation.
"The Queen Mother's intention is to say that the Prince has shown great kindness and loyalty to her. Since the Second Miss has married the Prince, if she disobeys him or brings disgrace upon him, she will be disrespecting the Queen Mother, a crime punishable by the death of her entire clan! I am giving you this as a reward, so you must remember this servant's words."
This was a warning to Xie Yao, hinting to her how important Xiao Yizi was in the Queen Mother's heart. If she didn't do a good job as the Princess of Jingbei, the Queen Mother would not let her go.
After saying this, Zhidai wanted to see on Xie Yao's face the timidity and fear that an ordinary woman would have when hearing this.
Marrying the Prince of Jingbei is already a scary thing. If one also has to bear the Queen Mother's demands, a timid person might regret breaking off the engagement on the spot.
Xie Yao lived up to her expectations and finally responded.
"Aunt, can you please say it again? If you disrespect the Queen Mother, you will be executed along with your entire clan?"
Zhidai: “…”
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