Chapter 166 Men are merely accessories [8]
He made her lose face in front of the concubines.
She confessed to him, "My husband, I love you so much. For you, I am willing to suffer any injustice."
Aunt Xin, in order to win favor, wanted him to punish Qian Yuexia.
But because she loved him, Qian Yuexia didn't care about Aunt Xin's disrespect towards her, and even said that she would treat Aunt Xin well in the future, just like he did.
Such a stark contrast.
How could Qu Bai not be moved?
How could I not love Qian Yuexia?
Qu Bai hugged Qian Yuexia tightly to show his loyalty: "You are the rightful wife, she will never be as good as you. In a few days when she is feeling better... I will have her come to pay her respects to you."
Qian Yuexia smiled.
This time, it was a genuine laugh.
She knew she had won this round again.
All she wanted was the power and status of the matriarch of the Qu family.
All Qu Bai wanted was for her to have a child.
After that, she didn't even want to acknowledge him!
Qu Mansion.
As for Aunt Xin's words...
There was no need for Qian Yuexia to take action; Madam Qu and the other concubines handled it themselves.
They could tolerate being the young mistress who had just entered the family, but they couldn't tolerate being manipulated by someone of lowly status.
It's the kind of thing where killing external ghosts can be delayed, but killing ghosts around you cannot be delayed.
Just as Qian Yuexia had thought.
After Aunt Xin returned home, she was repeatedly harassed.
That day.
Qian Yuexia held the freshly brewed pre-rain Longjing tea in her hand; the clear tea liquor reflected her calm and unwavering eyes.
She only needed to sit under the crabapple tree in her own courtyard, and through the many courtyards, she could almost hear the silent wails of Aunt Xin in the west courtyard.
It's been over a month now...
Aunt Xin was living in misery every day.
That's great!
This newly arrived young mistress, despite her noble status, was treated like a vase on a pedestal. As a newcomer, even if people were dissatisfied and scrutinizing her, they mostly just observed or tried to trip her up in a harmless way.
Even Madam Qu, her stepmother-in-law, had to be treated well in public!
The real bloodshed and violence belonged to those concubines.
The women in the inner quarters of the Qu family could tolerate, or even tacitly accept, the arrival of a formally married young mistress who would dilute their already limited attention and affection, because this was in accordance with the "rules".
But they absolutely could not tolerate being fooled by someone of their own rank who was far inferior to them.
The feeling was like sleeping next to someone's bed every day, unaware that a venomous snake disguised as a vine was coiled beside them, not only stealing their most precious treasure but also making them all look like a group of fools scrambling for scraps.
The underlying principle is similar to the ancient admonition: "Killing external evils may be delayed, but eliminating internal evils is urgent."
Aunt Xin is now the "ghost in my life" that must be eliminated immediately.
Her existence was not only a betrayal of emotions, but also an insult to the intelligence and status of all the women in the inner quarters.
The first to make trouble for Aunt Xin were Aunt Hua and Aunt Li.
These two were Qu Bai's long-time "favored concubines," at least on the surface.
The two women had been rivals for years, each considering themselves the unwavering balance in Qu Bai's heart, and regarding each other as their greatest rivals.
But the scene of paying respects in the main hall that day was like a bucket of cold water mixed with ice, chilling them to the bone from head to toe.
They were then horrified to realize that the woman Qu Bai truly cherished was someone he was willing to confront directly with his legal wife for.
It was actually that lowly concubine, Aunt Xin!
Two people who have always been at odds have actually joined forces.
They went to Aunt Xin's courtyard every day, and their words, one after another, struck at Aunt Xin's sore spots.
Or they would deliberately smash things in Aunt Xin's courtyard.
Or they deliberately belittle Aunt Xin's humble origins, implying that even her actions are beneath her dignity.
As long as Aunt Xin cries.
"Look at her, putting on that pitiful act again," Aunt Hua sneered. "No wonder she can bewitch the master. We can't even imitate her. She's more like a courtesan than we brothel girls."
Aunt Li circled around Aunt Xin, her gaze sharp as she scrutinized the fabric of her clothes and jewelry: "This fabric, it must have arrived from the brocade shop last month, right? I...tsk, Master really put in the effort, we don't even have any."
Aunt Xin was already in poor health.
They also suffer this kind of mental torture every day.
The deeper her hatred for Qian Yuexia became!
All of this was caused by her, so she must take revenge.
Actually, her body wasn't really suited for pregnancy.
But she wanted to get pregnant, then deliberately have a miscarriage so she could blame it on Qian Yuexia.
Qu Bai wouldn't hold a grudge against Qian Yuexia over trivial matters.
But she refused to believe that Qu Bai didn't care about such a big matter!
Even Madam Qu had a rather negative opinion of this Concubine Xin.
who is she?
She was the matriarch of the Qu family.
In this inner quarters, everything from major personnel changes and financial transactions to minor details like every plant and the dispatch of servants should theoretically be under her control.
Aunt Kexin, a lowly concubine whom she would almost never even glance at, had actually been hiding so well right under her nose!
In fact, Qu Bai's favoritism towards an actress was beneficial to her stepmother.
But Madam Qu could not tolerate that she and Qu Bai had kept it from her.
What chilled her to the bone even more was Qu Bai's attitude.
"Is this the only thing Qu Bai is hiding from himself? Or is he not a good-for-nothing at all?" This thought, like a venomous snake, suddenly darted into her mind.
Regardless of whether Qu Bai was hiding it or not?
She can't do anything physically for now, but she can fall for her aunt...
"Aunt Xin has been feeling unwell lately and needs to rest." She casually instructed the head maid beside her, "Tell the kitchen that her diet should be light and bland, and that she should temporarily avoid greasy and nourishing foods, lest she be too weak to handle them."
These few words implied that Aunt Xin's daily meal standards had been reduced to the bare minimum, perhaps even worse than some of the more favored maids.
"Furthermore," Madam Qu picked up the newly brewed tea and gently blew on it, "the top-quality bird's nest, ginseng, and donkey-hide gelatin in the storeroom are all precious items and should be used wisely. Since Aunt Xin is ill and has a weak stomach, using these tonics would be a waste. Let's make a note of them for now and deal with them when she's feeling better."
This directly cut off Aunt Xin's supply of tonics.
The orders were relayed down through the ranks and executed with swift and decisive action.
Which servant in the mansion isn't a master at tailoring their treatment to the individual?
The attitude of the mistress of the Qu family was so clear.
The newly arrived young mistress and Qu Bai's concubines all disliked the concubine.
They naturally know what to do.
As a result, Aunt Xin quickly felt the chill brought by these "rules".
The lunch that was delivered was no longer a delicate four-dish-and-one-soup meal, but a bowl of thin porridge with almost no rice grains, a dish of dark, murky pickled vegetables, and a plate of greens that were clearly leftovers from others.
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