Chapter 42 Expelled from the Family
Inside Ruixue Tower, Xie Sangning's slender fingers were holding a letter secretly sent from the palace.
A few lines on the paper:
"His Majesty intends to select a consort, and the decree will be issued next month. All officials of the fifth rank and above who have unmarried daughters must select one as a candidate."
"Oh…"
Based on the Empress's meaningful words that day, Xie Sangning was certain that this was aimed at her.
Within the General's Mansion, Xie Sangning was the only unmarried woman of marriageable age with sufficient status and the right to catch the Emperor's eye.
She was not engaged.
This would both satisfy Pei Yan's despicable desires and completely eliminate any possibility for her to influence the court or threaten imperial power through marriage.
Xie Sangning suddenly closed her eyes.
In the Qing Kingdom... women are merely objects.
An object for passing on one's lineage.
They are merely bargaining chips and decorative items in men's power games!
"Bang!"
Xie Sangning slammed the letter down on the table, barely managing to suppress the murderous aura that was about to burst forth from his body!
Just then, Ru Chun walked in and reported, "Miss, there are some rumors circulating outside that concern you."
Xie Sangning raised an eyebrow. She hadn't done anything bad recently. Could it be that the second wife had caused trouble again at this crucial moment before the imperial examination?
"There are two rumors circulating. One is that Liu Shi, the youngest daughter of the Liu family, is seducing princes everywhere, two-faced, and behaving like a prostitute. The other is... she was originally in love with the First Prince, but because of your interference, their relationship soured, and out of love turned to hate, she went and seduced other princes..."
?
Xie Sangning laughed. When did she ever have any connection with the First Prince?
Ru Xia was furious after hearing this: "Miss! Why is Liu Shi using you as a shield! Does she think you're easy to bully!"
No, no, this rumor certainly didn't originate from Liu Shi.
First of all, I don't know her at all. Using me, the most famous person in Jinling City recently, as a scapegoat will only make things escalate further.
Unless she's incredibly stupid, how could someone who can navigate so effortlessly among several princes be stupid?
Xie Sangning, on the contrary, felt that the eldest prince himself had released the news.
First, it cut off any possibility of Liu Shi getting involved with other princes.
Secondly, she wanted to make everyone believe that the Crown Prince and Xie Sangning were related, thus binding the two together through public opinion.
If one were simple-minded, one would directly hate Liu Shi, making it even more difficult for Liu Shi to survive in the capital, and indirectly helping the eldest prince avenge his betrayal.
That's truly despicable behavior.
This piqued Xie Sangning's interest in Liu Shi's poetry.
"Let's go, let's go take a look at Master Liu's house."
——
Outside the Liu family's house, countless women were throwing rotten eggs and vegetable leaves at the man's house.
Inside the main hall, Master Liu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. His official hat was askew as he pointed at Liu Shi, who was kneeling below the hall, and cursed, "You wretched child! Look at the mess you've made! A disgrace to the family! A disgrace to the family!"
"I don't even dare to go to the yamen today! You've disgraced the Liu family and the ancestors of eighteen generations!"
Liu Shi knelt upright, her face so pale it was almost transparent, and her lips were bitten until they bled.
She wasn't worried about the uproar in the city, nor about her father's roar.
What she was worried about was whether Miss Xie from the General's Mansion would believe the rumors!
Pei Yi's move was extremely insidious!
"Disgusting! Rogue!" Master Liu spat as he roared, his fat trembling with rage. "In all of Jinling, which young lady is as shameless and promiscuous as you?!"
"Who do you think you are! You dare to covet the throne?! You think you can become a concubine in the palace? Behave yourself and wait to get married, that's your destiny!"
"life?"
Liu Shi suddenly raised her head, her face full of mockery:
"My fate is to be like my eldest and second eldest sisters, sold as an object by you to those fat, wealthy old merchants as concubines, to be ruined for a lifetime, and then have the money you get used to fill your bottomless pit that can never be filled?"
"I have no ambition to become a prince, nor will I seize this only ladder to climb! Do I want to rot in the mud like them, waiting to be drained of my last drop of blood?!"
Liu Shi straightened her back, her pale face devoid of tears.
She watched her father, who was flying into a rage, as if he were the protagonist of a farce.
"A concubine? Yes, if that day ever comes, not only you, but even those in Jinling who once scorned me will have to kneel down respectfully and address me as 'Your Majesty'!"
“This Jinling City…” she murmured softly, each word filled with despair, “With my background, an unkind father, and no brothers to rely on, what path can I take besides this body and my fairly clever mind?”
"Are you calling me promiscuous?"
Liu Shi suddenly raised her eyes and looked directly into the contemptuous eyes of Master Liu, her eyes burning with flames.
"Why not curse the rules of this Qing Dynasty! Curse this world! Curse this cannibalistic system that blocks all paths to survival for women and only allows them to be appendages of men!"
Her voice suddenly rose in pitch:
"Men can study for the imperial examinations, go into business and wield power, and have multiple wives and concubines! Women? They can only be locked in the backyard, like dodder flowers waiting to be picked by men, withering away at any moment! Since that's the case—"
"Then, using all my intelligence, beauty, and even dignity to curry favor with the most powerful man in this world is my only way to survive!!"
"Reputation? Slander?"
Liu Shi let out a cold laugh, tinged with madness, "I don't care! As long as I can climb up, I'm willing to bear all the infamy! I'll use every ounce of my strength to achieve this goal, risking everything! How can that not be considered hard work?!"
"You've gone mad! You've gone mad! You've rebelled! You've completely defied the heavens!" Master Liu trembled with rage at her outrageous words, pointing at the gate and roaring, "My Liu family has maintained a clean reputation for generations, and we will not tolerate a shameless, immoral beast like you! Get out! Get out of here right now! Take this! I'll pretend I never had a son like you!"
A pre-prepared letter of severance was thrown hard by Master Liu, hitting Liu Shi squarely in the cheek.
Liu Shi was knocked to the side, her face burning with pain.
She didn't cry, and she didn't even frown.
She simply bent down slowly and picked up the letter severing ties from the ground.
She carefully smoothed out the creases on the paper as if it were a rare treasure, then solemnly folded it and tucked it into her sleeve.
After doing all this, Liu Shi slowly straightened up, her spine ramrod straight, and walked step by step toward the gate.
"Squeak—"
She pulled open the heavy door herself.
Outside the door, the already gathered crowd erupted in a torrent of harsh curses!
"You bitch! Get out of Jinling!"
"You lowly bastard! You're a disgrace!"
"Smash her to death!"
Before she could finish speaking, a rotten egg that reeked of stench smashed hard into her face!
Dressed in white, covered in mud.
On the long street, an undeniably luxurious carriage slowly came to a stop.
Xie Sangning's gaze swept past the throng of people and landed precisely on the white figure who, despite being covered in rotten eggs, still stood tall and straight.
A smile curved her lips, a hint of scrutiny and interest in her expression.
"Like spring." A cool voice rang out in the carriage.
"This servant is here."
"Help me out of the car."
Xie Sangning, supported by Ru Chun's hand, stepped down from the carriage with composure and elegance.
Today, she wore a dark red brocade dress with gold thread, over which she wore a white fox fur coat. Her entire appearance was elegant and luxurious, completely out of place in this street filled with stench and hostility.
Her appearance caused the previously noisy and bustling crowd to fall silent abruptly!
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