"Alright, let's get down to business." Yuanhua smiled.
Bai Wei curtsied: "Yes."
Yan Jinsi was stunned by the blow.
"Her Highness Consort Yan is indeed very thoughtful; it is indeed necessary to divide things up properly," said Madam Zou with a smile.
She's been riding high lately.
She overpowered the eldest princess, and finally vented all the pent-up anger she had endured for the past ten years. Besides, the old lady is getting old, so isn't she the one who should be in charge of managing the household?
"The late Madam's dowry has already been inventoried last time. However, the main house's backyard has been occupied by usurpers over the years, so it must be thoroughly cleaned up. But the Princess is different from ordinary concubines. However, she doesn't have her own princess residence, so how about finding another courtyard in the mansion for her to settle down?"
“After all, when it comes to food, clothing, and daily necessities, we can’t just follow the rules for ordinary concubines, that wouldn’t be right,” Yuanhua said with a smile as she discussed with the old lady and the second lady.
Calling Rong Ning a lowly concubine with every other word is truly humiliating.
The old lady found it very agreeable: "Your Majesty's thinking is very thoughtful, that's exactly right. I'm old and can't manage the household anymore, so you, the second son's wife, will have to take on the responsibility from now on."
“Now, neither Xu’er’s wife nor Ji’er’s wife are in the capital. But the eldest branch of the family still needs to be managed by the two of them. You are only temporarily managing it now, so remember that.” The old lady looked at Zou Shi seriously and said.
"Yes, yes, although my daughter-in-law is not from a noble or high-ranking family, she knows the rules. Everything in the eldest son's house belongs to her nephews." How could Madam Zou not covet it? But she also knew that she couldn't get it.
But being able to manage the government is good enough; there's plenty of money to be made.
Rong Ning did not show up at all.
Yan Jinfei didn't say a word from beginning to end.
They suddenly went from being born of the principal wife to being born of a concubine, and even if they were still princesses, they were not as good as before.
Especially for Yan Jinfei, whose reputation was already damaged, this situation makes her marriage extremely difficult.
Yuanhua and the others rushed back just as the palace gates were about to close.
After recounting what had happened that day, Yuanhua smiled and said, "The eldest princess didn't show up, but the two princesses looked extremely unwell. I also saw the prince consort. He also looked unwell."
"Heh, how can it be good-looking? Even though he used to live under someone else's roof, at least the head of the Yan family was in charge. Now, he's a concubine's husband living in the Yan family, his position is illegitimate." Yan Nangui was in a very good mood: "Tsk, why am I so happy?"
"What else do we need to do?" Yuanhua asked.
Yan Nangui pondered for a moment, then gently shook his head: "No need."
“But… that’s not what they said about the cause of the late Madam’s death…” Yuanhua said cautiously.
"The cause of death... it's been too long, and all those involved are gone. Unless Rong Ning or the old lady themselves admit it." Yan Nangui shook her head: "Actually, I could have asked His Majesty for this back then. But I didn't." She smiled.
“I don’t ask for that. It’s not that I don’t want to care, but no matter what the cause of my mother’s death was, I will not let her go. Now that her status is much lower than before and she is restricted in every way, isn’t that better? I want her to suffer while she’s alive. Otherwise, even if I know the cause of my mother’s death, what can I do? She was still a royal princess after all, and it’s impossible for her to pay with her life.”
On the contrary, the matter escalated, and it was revealed that the matriarch of the Yan family also had problems. That was when Yan Lingyun was truly ruined.
No matter how much she hated them, she couldn't ignore these things.
However, an investigation is still necessary. She may not do anything, but she must make Yan Lingyun aware of what his own mother has done.
It's fine if we don't make a scene, but if we can find out, we need to let Yan Lingyun know.
The next day, when paying respects at Fengxiang Palace, Consort Ye indeed brought up these matters.
“Once a woman is married, she shouldn’t concern herself with her parents’ affairs. Yesterday, Consort Yan even sent someone to the Yan family, and I heard they were giving her a good talking-to. Consort Yan, you’ve always been unruly in your actions.”
"If I break the rules, it's the Empress who should hold me accountable. Why are you always the one to step forward? You always forget your place. You're a concubine, and so am I. Where do you get the audacity to always question me?" Yan Nangui said calmly, letting out a sneer.
"You've done something wrong, so why can't I ask you about it? You're a concubine, and I'm an imperial concubine! Why can't I ask you? You're defying your superior!" Imperial Concubine Ye said angrily.
"Alright." The Empress glanced at Consort Ye: "Consort Yan sent someone out yesterday with my permission. Are you asking about Consort Yan's responsibility or mine? When your family is in trouble, it's natural to lend a hand. Consort Yan didn't go out on her own, so why can't she?"
"Her Majesty the Empress is really biased these days," Consort Ye sneered.
"Are you accusing me of being a bad Empress? I wonder what you consider a good one. If you think I'm doing a bad job, let's invite His Majesty over and have a proper discussion. If you're right, then His Majesty, please depose me," the Empress said angrily.
"Your Majesty, I dare not," Consort Ye snorted.
"If you dare not, then shut up. I am here, and I will not tolerate your arrogance. Even if you were to go to the Empress Dowager's place, you must observe the proper order and etiquette."
Consort Ye fell silent.
Everyone fell silent, trembling with fear.
After a long pause, Consort Xiangxian finally said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Sister Ye has always been one to speak her mind. Your position as Empress was personally bestowed by the Empress Dowager and His Majesty. There was no doubt about it. How could Sister Ye dare to object?"
"Sister Ye, it's true. Now we're in the palace, unlike in the manor. When we sisters bickered, things were much more complicated now. One wrong word could lead to trouble."
Consort Ye was furious and wanted to retort, but she didn't dare to because she was facing the Empress.
It wasn't that she was afraid of the Empress, but rather that she was afraid of angering His Majesty.
"What Consort Ye said makes sense. I am indeed worried about my family now, but things at home are as they are, and I really can't interfere too much in the future. I will trouble Consort Xiangxian to mediate. Your Majesty, why do you always talk about deposing me? If you are deposed, who will be the Empress? I will not accept whoever is the Empress."
“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress is the mother of the nation. Who is more suitable than you? If Sister Yan is not convinced, then I am too,” Consort Murong said with a smile.
The Empress laughed and said, "Alright, alright, I was just angry for a moment, let's not talk about it anymore."
While his wives and concubines were living in harmony, Yan Jia Rong Ning's illness was truly quite serious.
It was a great humiliation. All the fear, anxiety, and anger she had felt during this time had turned into a single surge of energy.
He was so angry at her that he felt like he was about to explode.
Even when she was a child and her sisters outshone her, she never felt this bad.
But it was no use; no one cared whether she was in pain or not.
Or rather, they wanted to make her suffer.
The Yan family wants her to suffer, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor want her to suffer, and Yan Nangui wants her to suffer.
As long as I'm not dead, it's just unbearable.
But she had lived a distinguished life, how could she bear to die?
Such a noble person suddenly became a concubine of the Yan family, and a rejected concubine at that; she became a royal outcast, and a rejected outcast at that.
This truly terrified and angered her...
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