Inside the hall, the servants all had their heads bowed, afraid of hearing something they shouldn't and losing their lives. Yin's cold expression, slightly furious eyes, and the faint imperial aura emanating from him made the Jue Luo clan tremble with fear.
Fei Yanggu discovered that Yin's imperial aura was controlled with ease. He had to admit that His Majesty's eyes were the sharpest, even noticing the hidden temperament of the Fourth Prince.
"Madam, go and change your headdress first," Fei Yanggu ordered directly.
Upon hearing Fei Yanggu's words, Yin's furrowed brows relaxed. Only when he saw that Qingyan was being protected by Yin did Fei Yanggu truly feel relieved; Yin had not disliked Qingyan because of the Jue Luo clan.
Jue Luo obediently let her maid, Zhun, help her change the Dongzhu headdress. Originally, she was worried that she would be bare-faced, since the jewelry was prepared by Fei Yanggu.
"Madam, if the Lord has you in his heart, wouldn't he be able to go back if he treats the Princess better?" Shi Hua looked at the cheerful Jue Luo Shi. The jade jewelry in front of her was custom-made by Linlang Pavilion, the most famous jewelry store in the capital.
Linglang Pavilion is the most dazzling shop this year. Located in the bustling Dashilan area, nowadays, from imperial concubines to socialites in the capital, almost everyone likes to have their jewelry custom-made at Linglang Pavilion.
“Shihua, Qingyan is a girl, and she is of no use to me at all. Why should I make plans for her?” Jue Luo Shi became annoyed. Originally, she was thinking of manipulating Qingyan to seek benefits for the mansion.
Her sister-in-law from her maternal family came to her for help. The Fourth Prince was living in the Ulanara Mansion, and her sister-in-law hoped that her niece could come and keep him company. Fei Yanggu didn't return to the mansion at all, and she couldn't refuse.
These past few days, my sister-in-law has been planning to have her niece come over directly. If her niece finds out that the Fourth Prince isn't at the old house, how will she have the face to go back to her parents' home for the New Year?
"Madam, it was your maternal uncle's idea that you should act as matchmaker. His Majesty is even more determined to make the princess the primary wife of the Fourth Prince. Aren't you going against His Majesty's decree?" Shihua disliked her maternal uncle and only appeared before Madam when there were difficulties. Otherwise, she never took care of Madam at all.
Jue Luo smiled bitterly. This was tradition. The way she treated Qingyan was simply following the custom of noble ladies. After marriage, daughters were always treated this way.
Fei Yanggu walked into the inner chamber and overheard Shi Hua and Jue Luo's conversation. His eyes became even more hostile.
"For your own family, you're even willing to ruin your daughter's lifelong happiness?" Fei Yanggu sneered. If Jue Luo dared to utter another word, he would make sure she was ignored.
Hearing the voice behind her, Jue Luo Shi dropped the ivory comb from her hand onto the table; she hadn't agreed.
"I wanted to discuss this with you. You never come back, and my sister-in-law is pressuring me too much!" Jue Luo Shi didn't realize that there was anything wrong with what she was doing; it shouldn't have been her fault.
Qingyan leaned awkwardly against Yin, the rose cake in her hand crumpled beyond recognition. She couldn't face Jue Luo Shi and really didn't know how to look at her.
Yin patted her little head, telling her she didn't need to think about so much; these things weren't her concern.
"I..." Qingyan lowered her head, truly unable to calm down because of Jue Luo Shi.
Looking at his youngest daughter's timid appearance, Fei Yanggu felt even more distressed. He had previously hoped that the Jue Luo clan would change their opinion of Qingyan, and perhaps he could move back to the Ulanara residence, in which case no one outside would say anything.
As Qingyan grew older, Feiyanggu thought more about Qingyan's life after marriage. Without a mother who treated her well, if Qingyan suffered any grievances in the future, even if Feiyanggu wanted to help, she would still have to go through Jueluo's arrangements.
The wives of Saito and Eshuo might conspire to sabotage Qingyan in order to curry favor with the Gioro clan. It's not uncommon for sisters-in-law to fight in other people's residences.
The younger sister-in-law drugged her sister-in-law, resulting in the woman not having a legitimate son for many years. When Fei Yanggu heard the rumors in the royal family's residence, he thought of his lovely daughter.
"Father, don't be angry!" Qingyan raised her little face, not because she was sensible. She didn't want Fei Yanggu and Jue Luo Shi to have a falling out. She could only take care of Fei Yanggu for a few short years. After she got married, Fei Yanggu would still need someone by his side, and Jue Luo Shi was the best choice.
Fei Yanggu picked Qingyan up from beside Yin. He couldn't understand why the Jue Luo clan had hurt Qingyan time and time again.
“Father, I’m fine!” Qingyan comforted Fei Yanggu from the side.
Fei Yanggu gently ruffled her hair. The Jue Luo clan's actions were a provocation against the entire royal family; only the direct descendants of the royal family could possess and wear the Eastern Pearl. The censors would surely react strongly in the Hall of Supreme Harmony upon hearing this. He couldn't afford to give Qingyan any dangerous leverage.
"Yin, keep an eye on Qingyan later." Fei Yanggu thought that the best way was to let the Jue Luo clan cause trouble for Qingyan again.
Yin nodded. Fei Yanggu hadn't even changed out of his court robes; he had simply placed his court hat on a rack to the side.
"Master..." Jue Luo looked at the set of pearl jewelry and couldn't help but feel panicked. Fei Yanggu's gaze poured cold water on her, and she realized that what she had done was far too audacious.
"You're awake now! Who was causing all that trouble?" Jue Luo's proper demeanor led everyone to believe that someone had spoken ill of her in front of her; otherwise, she wouldn't have acted so blatantly.
It's possible for a woman to pretend for a year or two to win a man's heart. Jue Luo Shi had been married into the Ulanara household for over a decade, and she had always been so discreet and virtuous, never making a mistake due to neglecting the rules.
"I...I was out of my mind." Jue Luo stammered, her eyes pleading with Fei Yanggu to save her face.
As a junior, Qingyan felt uncomfortable watching Jueluo Shi being reprimanded. Yin gave Qingyan a wink, knowing that if Qingyan didn't plead for her, the servants would definitely gossip about her.
Young Qingyan could not have imagined the calamities that youthful ignorance often brings in the future. In his previous life, he had watched his unpredictable moods as a child and endured decades of hardship before finally attaining the throne. Only Yin knew the extent of the suffering involved.
“Even if Qingyan is young, you cannot use the rewards given to her.” Fei Yanggu sighed. He had to clean up the mess his wife had made.
"Father... I don't need that headdress, why can't Mother wear it! Mother looks very pretty in it!" Qingyan tilted her little head, her clear eyes revealing confusion.
A crisp sound rang in the ears of the servants. Some of them even wanted to inform the noble families so that they could find something to do with Qingyan and ruin her reputation. People outside would be very interested in hearing rumors about the royal family, and they wouldn't care about the age of the person involved.
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