Chapter 15 A slap on her face
Even if she entered the palace to see the queen, she couldn't be sure it was a good thing.
Although Liang was in charge of the entire Marquisate, she definitely didn't have the ability to reach out to the harem, or...
"I know it hasn't been easy for you these past five years. You have many things you don't want to tell me now that you're back, but you still have to tell me about your grievances. I've already ordered someone to renovate your yard right away. I'll choose the people who will serve you after you come back, but I've always been picky and always wanted something better."
Liang's words were flawless, and she dealt with the problem of Su Rui's yard being destroyed and no one serving him.
Seeing that Su Rui didn't respond, she didn't get angry. Instead, she reached out and pulled Su Ye over and scolded him, "And you, why don't you apologize to your sister?"
"Mom, she was the one who harmed Yao'er first, and today she even threw manure at me and Yao'er..."
"Nonsense! I've already made it clear. Yao'er got herself contaminated with nectar, which is why she attracted the bees and insects. You're blaming Rui'er without any evidence. She just accidentally spilled it on you."
As in the past, Madam Liang protected Su Rui in her arms like a hen protecting her chicks, and would not allow anyone to say a bad word about her, not even her own daughter.
For a five or six-year-old child, the confusing nature of this is self-evident.
But now Su Rui just watched coldly.
Until footsteps were heard behind him.
A eunuch wearing the uniform of a sixth-rank eunuch led a group of palace maids and walked into the mansion carrying five boxes of different sizes. People had already gathered outside the door to watch the fun.
Liang's voice was loud just now, and the door was open, so it was heard.
It seemed that Empress Lin's reward had left the palace before her, and Lady Liang had already sent people to wait outside the palace, and they immediately reported back after receiving the news.
This is why this play was urgently prepared.
After a careful look, there were nine palace maids in total, excluding the eunuchs.
Two older ones, three around fifteen or sixteen years old, and four young palace maids who had not yet reached marriage age.
I think it was the person given to her by Queen Lin.
Not only did he agree, but he also gave it so quickly, which shows that she guessed right.
Xier was not a member of the palace, and even Queen Lin did not know that Xier was someone the emperor had placed by her side.
Today, Queen Lin summoned her for a purpose that was definitely not what she said. As for what it was, Su Rui did not know and could not know.
Even though the current emperor and Queen Lin were childhood sweethearts and had been married for many years and lived in harmony, Su Rui had long understood that the bottom of the lake was not necessarily as peaceful as the surface, and that there were more undercurrents.
When gods fight, the more the little ghost knows, the faster he dies.
So, she didn't ask anything, but just gave Queen Lin the opportunity to arrange people around her.
It's all surveillance anyway, so a little more won't hurt.
Moreover, the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion is controlled by the Marquis's wife Liang. Even if she buys people from outside, she will encounter obstacles everywhere and find it difficult to act.
Who dares to stop the person sent by the Queen?
Since we are just talking about the tiger's skin, why not talk about it a little more?
"What's this, father-in-law?" Liang asked knowingly.
"I'm here to give Miss Su a reward." The eunuch called the person carrying the boxes forward and opened them one by one, saying, "Miss Su has served you well. The Empress Dowager is rewarding her with a box of gold leaves, a box of silver grains, one hundred taels of silver, six pieces of floating cloud brocade, and two pieces of fish-tooth silk."
Looking at the five boxes of things, everyone was stunned.
Gold leaves and silver grains are nothing special, but floating cloud brocade and fish-tooth silk are only available in the palace.
Especially the fish-tooth silk, which was a tribute from Silla. Only Queen Lin and the favored concubines in the palace could get some. It could not be seen outside, let alone worn.
Zhou Yao, who was standing at the back, looked at the fish-tooth silk that looked like flowing water in the sunlight, and the jealousy in her eyes could hardly be suppressed.
Why!
Why is it that even though Su Rui is now a lowly military slave, the Queen still rewards her, looks up to her, and her mother still holds her in high esteem, as if nothing has changed?
Five years ago, Su Rui was still the legitimate daughter of the Yong'an Marquisate, and she was always the stepdaughter whose spotlight was overshadowed by her.
Why!
Feeling the resentful gaze behind her, Su Rui quickly turned her head away. Zhou Yao was so scared that she trembled all over and lowered her head quickly, not daring to meet his gaze.
In front of the people in the palace, no matter how much hatred or gnashing of teeth the mother and daughter had to pretend to be virtuous.
Thinking of this, Su Rui bowed to the older palace maid next to the eunuch and said, "Madam, please go back to the palace and thank the Empress for her gift on my behalf."
Although Madam Liang resented Su Rui's ignorance of etiquette for bypassing the eunuchs to thank the palace maids, she had already performed the ceremony in front of so many people. As a good stepmother, Liang could only take the silver barley from Fang Mama beside her and hand it to the eunuch while saying, "This child has just returned and doesn't know the rules..."
Before Su Rui could finish her words to smooth things over, the older maid waved her hand and said, "This servant is unworthy of this position. This servant and the other sisters were given to the young lady by the Empress along with these gifts. We serve the young lady, not the ones who give gifts."
These words were like a bolt of thunder striking Madam Liang's head, and all her movements froze in place.
Were all nine of them sent by Queen Lin to serve Su Rui?
Just now she said she was selecting servants for Su Rui, and Queen Lin sent nine people from the palace right after. Wasn't it like a slap in her face, blaming her for her incompetence?
Liang's face turned pale and red, and she could barely hold her gentle expression. She took several deep breaths before she exclaimed in surprise, "The Empress dotes on you so much. The person she has chosen must be excellent. The ones I have prepared are incomparable."
Liang had no right to refuse and could only save her dignity.
"The Empress's rewards are naturally good, so I'll have to trouble my aunt to arrange them." Su Rui looked at the Marquis's wife Liang with a smile, and pronounced the word "aunt" very clearly.
This reminded everyone that Liang was not the Marquis' wife from the beginning, but was the second wife of Su Rui's aunt, and she was not that concerned about her after all.
Liang's face finally cracked slightly. She gripped the silver barley so tightly that two of her fingernails cracked before she nodded and said, "Of course, of course."
With the arrangements made by Marquis Liang, Su Rui used the excuse of being tired to go back.
Liang sent the eunuch away and was just finishing recording the items to put them into storage when Luo'e, the older palace maid Su Rui had mistaken for a nanny at the gate, stepped forward and said, "Madam, these are gifts from the Empress to the young lady. They should be placed in her private vault."
The person was sent by Empress Lin. Even though Madam Liang was annoyed at the moment, she could only explain patiently with a smile: "Rui'er had just reached the age of marriage when she left for the border, and there was no private treasury yet. It was too late to return this time, so she is temporarily placed in the public treasury for the record..."
"Since there is no private storehouse, it will be the same if we put them in the side rooms." Luo E interrupted Liang, turned around and signaled several palace maids to come forward and move all the boxes and cloth away.
Before leaving, he only bowed to Liang.
After the people left, Madam Liang couldn't help but throw the account in her hand onto the table.
"Mother, this palace maid is too arrogant. She is so rude to you!" Zhou Yao hurriedly came up and took Liang's arm, sharing the same hatred for the enemy.
"What do you know?" Liang scolded. "This palace maid has an extraordinary temperament. She must have entered the palace from a noble family. She probably has a place in the palace."
Zhou Yao's expression changed, and she asked in a low voice, "Mother, are you saying she's a palace lady? How could the Queen give someone like Su Rui to her?"
Liang also didn't know why Queen Lin valued Su Rui so much.
It's obviously just a useless chess piece.
Could there be something else?
"Could it be because Su Rui succeeded this time? Or... is Yun Ji really attracted to Su Rui?"
Thinking of this, and remembering her mother's refusal to let it go when she told her that Su Rui might know about what happened five years ago, Zhou Yao felt unwilling to accept it. She grabbed Liang's sleeve and said again, "Mother, I'm not mistaken. Su Rui looked at Hong Xiu differently today. She must know about the bellyband. She just wants to take revenge on us and destroy us."
"Impossible." Liang didn't believe it. If he could be easily shaken, it wouldn't be Su Rui's turn to be chosen back. What happened five years ago was even more so. The maid was dead, and Su Rui would never know about it.
But what happened now has indeed made Liang waver in his original decision.
Staying too long will cause trouble.
A fierce look flashed in Madam Liang's eyes. "Even if it's possible, wouldn't it be better if it became impossible?"
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