"..."
Everyone in the room fell silent.
The atmosphere was oppressive and very strange. The third wife, being rather naive, immediately showed a look of disappointment, while Madam Wen gave a disdainful sneer.
"..."
Qingxing stood beside Jiang Shuwan, staring blankly at the changes in their faces. Before entering Madam Pei's courtyard, she had pestered Jiang Shuwan to tell her about this method.
This is absolutely a brilliant idea.
She thought that everyone would be overjoyed when her young lady revealed this method, but she didn't expect them to have this kind of expression.
This is so strange.
On the other hand, the fourth wife was also feeling terrible. Her emotions went from full of hope to despair, like a rollercoaster.
She covered her face, all the hopes in her heart fading away.
The whole thing is like a silent, lifeless statue.
Finally, it was Wen's turn to shine. She twirled her prayer beads with a sarcastic yet smug look on her face. "Ha! I wondered what her idea was, but it turns out to be this."
Jiang Shuwan pretended not to know and asked, "Why do you say this, Madam? In my opinion, holding a selection of concubines is a very good method. No matter how determined that cripple is to want the woman rather than the money, he wouldn't dare to compete with His Majesty for a woman, would he?"
As she was speaking, the third wife cautiously tugged at her sleeve.
The third wife looked at her and whispered, "Young Master's wife, you don't know this, but when the old master passed away, he said that no woman from the Marquis's family was allowed to participate in the imperial concubine selection for three generations. Besides, how old is His Majesty? His Majesty is a few years older than the Fourth Master."
After the third wife finished speaking, she realized she had misspoke and slapped herself, saying, "Oh dear, look at my foul mouth! How could I have spoken ill of His Majesty?"
"Third sister-in-law, what you said was a bit harsh, but the reasoning is sound. What you said is not wrong. His Majesty and Fourth Sister are of different generations."
"Of course, most importantly, our Marquis Jian is now in the Emperor's favor and holds the Imperial Guard to protect His Majesty's safety. This is the most important position in the world."
"In this way, we even sent Fourth Sister to His Majesty's bedside. Anyone who didn't know better would think that our Marquis's Mansion wanted Fourth Sister to give birth to a prince so that we could compete for that immense wealth and power."
Wen smirked and looked at Jiang Shuwan with a smug grin.
She thought she had Jiang Shuwan's weakness, so she laughed especially happily.
“Those from small families lack vision and perspective; they only see the immense wealth and do not see the hidden dangers behind it.”
"Of course, it's also fortunate that you come from a small family, otherwise I would have thought you had some grudge against the Marquis's mansion and wanted to kill us."
Wen stared at Jiang Shuwan with a mocking gaze, the contempt in her eyes could be smelled from three miles away. The head maid behind her also joined in the mockery of Jiang Shuwan.
"Madam, you are truly wronging the young mistress. She has finally managed to marry into the Marquis's mansion and is deeply in love with the young master. How could she possibly harm the Marquis's mansion?"
"Then what do you think she meant? Why would she suddenly ask Fourth Sister to participate in a talent show? Who would believe she had good intentions!"
"Ah, I must say that the madam is more knowledgeable and better at managing the household. The young mistress, on the other hand, is clever enough to earn a few taels of silver, but she's quite muddle-headed when it comes to important matters."
"Oh dear, look at this old servant's disrespectful mouth. I didn't mean to speak ill of the young mistress. Please forgive me, young mistress."
As she spoke, the head nanny curtsied to Jiang Shuwan. She was originally the head nanny of the mansion, and ever since Jiang Shuwan entered the mansion, she had been helping Madam Wen to scheme against Jiang Shuwan.
Her scheme failed, and she was dismissed from her post by Jiang Shuwan. Now that Wen Shi is under house arrest, she, the head nanny, has lost all face and dignity, so naturally she hates her to the core.
The head maid bowed to Jiang Shuwan and, without waiting for Jiang Shuwan to speak, quickly handed a cup of tea to Madam Wen. "Of course, we must also ask Madam to forgive the young mistress. The young mistress comes from a humble background and is not knowledgeable, so it is understandable that she said some nonsense."
"We're all family, and the closest of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Madam, you'll need to give us some guidance in the future, right, young mistress?"
Jiang Shuwan: "..."
What's the meaning?
The master and servant were working together in unison; they probably felt they had found a weakness in her.
If we say she's shrewd in small matters but muddle-headed in big ones, then we can use that as an excuse to get Wen Shi to lift her confinement and take back control of the household affairs.
Jiang Shuwan's gaze was cold. She didn't want to indulge the two sarcastic people and was about to retort.
Then, the fourth wife, who had been sitting in a chair and crying silently, suddenly rushed to Wen's feet.
She actually knelt down before Madam Wen, a woman of the same generation.
Madam Wen was also frightened and retreated repeatedly, "Fourth sister-in-law, what are you doing? Are you trying to put me in an unjust position?"
The fourth wife is in such a terrible state, yet she's still being asked to kneel before her. Who knows what people will say about her if word gets out?
As Wen was speaking, she tried to help her up, but the fourth wife grabbed her hand and looked at her pleadingly.
"Madam, entering the imperial harem through the selection of concubines is a path to death. What about marrying a prince?"
"His Majesty is getting old and is not keen on sex. I heard that this selection of consorts is mostly for the princes. What if I marry a prince? Is there any chance of survival?"
"Even being a concubine is better than marrying that cripple, Madam! Please, please give Shushu a way out! She really can't marry that cripple, she'll die..."
What kind of daydream are you having!
Wen directly lifted the curtain on the fourth wife, who was crying like a baby. Her face was cold, and her voice was even colder.
"His Majesty is getting old and his energy is waning. The princes are either attending court or holding important positions. Even our fourth prince, who is disliked by thousands, is stationed on the borders. He even led troops to fight the rebellion in the north and made great contributions!"
"You're really delusional, thinking you can marry a prince? Let me tell you! Forget about it. No matter who Fourth Sister marries, His Majesty will suspect the Marquis's family."
"If the Marquis's mansion loses the Emperor's favor, Fourth Miss will also face difficulties. At that time, we'll all just wait to die!"
Wen spoke sternly, glancing at everyone.
"Have you all forgotten the old master's dying words so quickly? The old master said that as long as the Marquis is the commander of the Imperial Guards, the Marquis's mansion must never form a marriage alliance with the royal family, otherwise it will be wiped out in an instant and die without a burial place!"
Wen's words exploded in the room like thunder, making everyone's eardrums ache.
For a moment, everyone fell silent, except for the fourth wife's sorrowful, choked sobs.
Madam Pei sighed; the old lady was also very depressed.
She beckoned Jiang Shuwan over, and grasped Jiang Shuwan's hand, filled with emotion.
“Good child, I know you want to save Fourth Sister, but as your wife said, the Marquis’s mansion cannot form a marriage alliance with the royal family.”
Jiang Shuwan =_=: "..."
no!
Are you all in such a hurry?
She only said that she could send Pei Shushu to the talent show, and everyone started talking nonstop.
Can't you just let people finish speaking?
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