Chapter 023: Talent and Virtue

Xia Xue simply changed her clothes and went to pay her respects to the old lady.

The elderly in other families prefer to be quiet when they get older, leaving the housework to a capable daughter-in-law and living out their days.

But the old lady of the Xia family is different from ordinary people. Even though she hands over all matters, big or small, to others for the sake of appearance, deep down, she wants to control everything in her own hands.

Just like the housekeeper, the Xia family's real estate and shipping were handed over to the first wife, the Xia family's clinic was handed over to the second wife, and all matters in the Xia family's mansion were handed over to the fourth wife. Because of her low status, Aunt Jia could only manage the land and property that Xia Xue's mother brought from her natal family.

But no matter which branch they belong to, they still have to report to the old lady when encountering major events, and let the old lady make the decision.

So although the old lady doesn't take care of the household in name, she actually manages it very closely.

"Greetings to grandma." Xia Xue bowed.

"It's Xue'er who's back. Come quickly and let grandma see her."

Of course, Xia Xue didn't think that the old lady liked her very much. The reason she liked her now was naturally because Chu Zhenxuan was doing well.

Xia Xue stepped forward, and the old lady held Xia Xue's hand, "Well, you are a little fatter than before. The Prime Minister's Mansion is really a good place to raise people."

Xia Xue:......

He has obviously lost a lot of weight, but the old lady can see that he has gained weight and she can't help but accept it.

"Grandma is right. The Prime Minister is very good to his granddaughter."

"Well, a good marriage for three years without even a single egg."

"Besides, shouldn't a foreign daughter-in-law kowtow to the old lady first? This princess kowtowed three times when she came here!"

An untimely voice sounded, Xia Xue turned around and saw a new face.

Different from the petite and delicate girls from the south of the Yangtze River, the girl in front of him had slightly yellowish skin, her hair was combed into a flowing bun but with a circle of braids, her thick eyebrows seemed untrimmed, and her pair of big eyes, bright enough to make people dazzled, were blinking, like a female hero.

It's a pity that her mouth is totally inconsistent with her temperament.

"Who is this?"

"This is Cai Deqizhu, the princess of Hu State, who will soon become your eldest cousin's wife." The eldest lady hurried forward to introduce her.

"puff."

Xia Xue really couldn't hold it back.

"Does the princess have a brother named Caideqijia?"

Cai Deqizhu's face darkened, "How do you know?"

"Then the princess was born on the tenth day!" Xia Xue raised her eyebrows.

"My brother and I were both named after Zamp."

Xia Xue covered her mouth and laughed, "The princess picked a good name. Qizhu means 'puppy' in Tibetan, Qijia means 'dog shit' in Tibetan, and 'Ciren' means the tenth day of the first lunar month."

"Zanpu really values ​​you and your sister so much."

Cai Deqizhu's face darkened instantly, and he stood up suddenly and grabbed Xia Xue's shoulders.

Cai Deqizhui's grip was so strong that it hurt her.

"This is so rude, let go!" the old lady shouted angrily.

The report the spies gave her was that this princess was an extremely marginalized figure. Not only did Zanpu ignore her, but even her father, the prince, ignored her.

Besides, she is just a princess of the Hu Kingdom, a small country like Hu. So what if the princess comes?

Cai Deqizhu was unaware of it and was still arrogant after coming to the Xia Mansion. Today, after hearing Xia Xue explain her name, the old lady felt relieved.

"Qizhu, let go!" The eldest lady stepped forward anxiously.

"In the past, people often made fun of my name on the grassland, but I beat them all down."

"This is Da'an. If you use force privately, you will be held accountable." Xia Xue still smiled calmly.

[Xia Xue: Bibi, buy me a nerve-paralyzing drug so that she can stop grabbing my shoulder.]

【Xia Xue: Damn it, it hurts so much. 】

【Bibi: The mission is urgent, at least two hundred are needed.】

【Xia Xue: Stop talking nonsense and hurry up! 】

She has to pay both thousand. If she continues like this, her shoulder will be broken. If she had known earlier, she would have learned martial arts since she was young so that she could fight back or something.

At this moment, a figure flashed by, Xia Xue's ears felt cold, and her shoulders were instantly freed.

Then a shrill scream came.

Everyone looked over quickly.

Cai Deqizhu was seen rolling on the ground holding the hand that had just grabbed Xia Xue. Chu Zhenxuan, dressed in black, looked down at her with a cold gaze.

"Prince!"

The old lady stood up hurriedly.

"I asked Madam to come back just to suffer?"

"Of course not. We all love Xue'er very much. Qizhu just came from the grassland and doesn't know the rules. She just wants to play with Xue'er." The eldest lady hurried forward to explain.

"Play a little? Yes, ma'am?"

The moment Chu Zhenxuan turned his head and looked at her, there was a hint of tenderness in his eyes.

Xia Xue glanced at the curled up Cai Deqizhui, whose lower and upper arms were folded in half. This injury was probably at least a comminuted fracture of the elbow joint, which was a waste of her medicine.

"I don't know what the princess is thinking, but if the prime minister hadn't arrived in time, my hand would have been broken."

Xia Xue covered her face and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"But, the princess will become a member of our Xia family after all, so please, for the sake of my grandmother, don't worry about it."

Xia Xue's words were naturally artistic. She first said that Chu Zhenxuan saved her and then sold her grandmother's favor. The implication was that she deserved the reward for her talent and virtue.

Everyone knows that Xia Xue's eldest cousin Xia Tianyu is very much in love with Cai Deqizhu. If Xia Tianyu reacts later and uses Cai Deqizhu's identity to complain to the emperor and accuses Chu Zhenxuan of doing something that is not conducive to the unity of the two countries, then Chu Zhenxuan will have a good reason.

The old lady is naturally an intelligent person and knows how to make choices at critical moments.

A prime minister who is at the peak of his power and an unfavored princess of the Hu Kingdom, even a fool would know how to make the choice.

Chu Zhenxuan nodded, "I am here to visit Grandma. I just saw Xue'er being bullied and was in a state of panic. I hope Grandma will forgive me."

The old lady stepped forward and patted Chu Zhenxuan on the shoulder, "Good boy."

He then glared at the eldest lady fiercely.

"Everyone is watching. Your daughter is so unruly. Why don't you take her away and ask her to reflect on her mistakes? She is not allowed to leave your garden before the wedding!"

The eldest lady nodded quickly and called on the servants to carry Cai Deqizhu.

Cai Deqizhu shouted, "I don't accept it! Qizhu doesn't accept it!"

The other families all laughed out loud after hearing what the old lady said. The old family had taken advantage of them in many ways over the years, so when would they not add insult to injury?

At this time, the second wife spoke up, "I think Tianyu is the same. It would be great if he could just guard the border, but he had to bring back a princess from a barbarian land. People who know about this would think that our Xia family is even more powerful, while those who don't would think that our Xia family has ulterior motives and wants to join the Hu Kingdom."

The old lady's heart skipped a beat.

This year Xia Tianyuming was promoted from the fifth rank to the fourth rank and was commended by the emperor. However, the emperor summoned him back to Beijing to get married and did not say when he could go back. If the emperor used this as an excuse to not let him go back and replaced him with a civil servant, wouldn't he lose his military power?

It's so confusing. It's really confusing.

Why didn’t I think of this!

If we have a real relationship with the Hu Kingdom, no matter how well the emperor says on the surface, he won't pay too much attention to the Xia family in secret. After all, there is a risk of treason!

Why didn’t she think of that!!!