When Bai Chuxiao entered the front hall, Bai Linan, the old lady, and several of her sisters and aunts were all there. Bai Chudie knelt on the ground, "Father, this has nothing to do with Die'er!"
Bai Linan looked at the letter in his hand, then went down and slapped Bai Chudie across the face. "You rebellious daughter, how could you do something so disgraceful to the family? The eldest princess even sent a letter to reprimand you. What else do you have to say?"
Bai Chudie covered her face and cried, "Father, I didn't mean to!"
Then Bai Chuxiao walked in and pointed at her, saying, "It's all her fault! She and Fourth Sister pushed our daughter together, which caused her to lose her balance and implicate Second Sister and Miss Li."
Bai Chuyun retorted angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting? You tried to push me and my older sister, but you lost your balance and now you dare to drag us into this?"
"Second sister, second sister, say something for Die'er! This was all their doing, wasn't it? Bai Chuxiao must have been jealous of your brilliance at the banquet, so she plotted to get you into trouble. Second sister, Madam, you must both stand up for Die'er!"
Bai Chudie was unaware of what had happened after the banquet. She only tugged at Bai Chuwan's sleeve, pleading with her. Bai Chuwan, thinking about how she had gained nothing at the banquet, looked even more displeased. She was consumed by jealousy towards Bai Chuxiao and didn't want to say a word.
Aunt Lan also knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, "Please, sir, investigate thoroughly. How could the Fourth Miss have such audacity? She always treats her Second Sister with utmost respect. Why would she push her Second Sister? It must be the Eldest Miss who's behind this."
Madam Xie naturally wouldn't let this opportunity pass, and stepped forward to say, "Yes, sir, Die'er is usually obedient; she would never dare to do such a thing."
She then looked at Bai Chuxiao, her voice tinged with reproach, "Miss, if you dislike Wan'er, you can simply express it within the manor. How could you resort to such a treacherous scheme at the banquet hosted by the Eldest Princess? Isn't this bringing shame upon our Prime Minister's manor?"
Bai Chuyun, unable to contain her anger, jumped out and said, "What does this have to do with eldest sister? Fourth sister was brought there by second sister. If anyone was instigating her, it was second sister. She just wanted to embarrass eldest sister but ended up hurting herself instead. Besides, eldest sister is the champion of this spring banquet, and second sister can't compare to her."
Bai Linan slammed his hand on the table angrily, then looked at Bai Chuxiao, "Alright, stop arguing, you tell me what happened."
Bai Chuxiao said coldly, "What else do you want me to say, Father? Didn't the eldest princess make it very clear in her letter? She also said who was at fault. Isn't my second sister here too? Why is she starting to cause trouble again after returning to the manor? Could it be that she is dissatisfied with the eldest princess's decision?"
She then looked at Madam Xie and Bai Chuwan, and said coldly, "Second Sister, you took Fourth Sister to the banquet, wasn't it just as Yun'er said, that you wanted her to embarrass me? Second Madam, you still dare to talk about insidious schemes, you are truly shameless."
Bai Chuwan was also annoyed, "Elder sister, do you have any evidence that I instructed them? Besides, your mother is your elder, and you actually dared to curse her. You really have no manners."
"Do you have the right to talk to me about rules? After today, everyone in the capital will know that it was Concubine Xie who failed in her duty as the head mistress, causing the Prime Minister's mansion to lose face. What do you say, Father?" Bai Chuxiao said calmly.
Bai Linan looked at everyone in the room and felt they were all a handful. He also remembered the servant's report that Wan'er had been sent back by the Crown Prince and Bai Chuxiao by the Prince of Yan. Both of these daughters were destined to marry into the royal family, and there was no benefit in tearing down their relationship.
He then slammed his hand on the table, "Shut up, all of you! You two sisters are legitimate daughters of the household; you should be harmonious. What kind of behavior is this, arguing and bickering like this? And you, Xie Shi, you should better discipline everyone in the household from now on!"
He added coldly, "As for Fourth Sister, she'll be punished according to family rules. She'll kneel in the ancestral hall for a month to reflect on her actions. From now on, no one is allowed to take her out without my permission."
In Consort Wei's Weiyang Palace, Chu Tianling was leisurely drinking tea.
Consort Wei said worriedly, "How can you still sit still? Now that the Prince of Xiang and the Liu family's daughter, and the Crown Prince and the Bai family's daughter, are both making progress, what are you doing? Do you even care about Miss Bai's daughter? Is there still a chance?"
Chu Tianling curled the corners of his lips. "Mother, at today's banquet, I found Miss Bai quite interesting, but as for Miss Bai the Second, she just seems to have a lot of beauty on her hands."
He and the Crown Prince used to frequent the Left Prime Minister's residence. Bai Chuwan was beautiful, and her father was the Left Prime Minister. He used to think marrying her would be a good idea, but now...
"Oh? I heard she's the champion of this year's competition, that must be pretty good, but she's already engaged to the seventh brother."
"So what if there's a marriage agreement? We're not married yet. Mother, can you think of a way? The eldest daughter of the Bai family suits my taste perfectly."
Chu Tianling's voice turned colder. He was unwilling to accept such an outstanding woman as the seventh prince's. How could the seventh prince compare to him in any way? His other brothers wanted to curry favor with the seventh prince, but his uncle was already the Duke of Zhenguo, commanding a large army guarding the north and possessing military power. He didn't need to rely on the seventh prince's influence.
Seeing her son's reaction, Consort Wei realized he must have truly taken a liking to Miss Bai. "But this marriage was personally bestowed by your father, the Emperor. A promise from the Emperor cannot be easily changed. Moreover, Miss Bai was raised in the Murong family, and the Wei family and the Murong family have some connection. I'm afraid this matter is inappropriate..."
Chu Tianling was puzzled; he truly didn't know what connection the two families had. After Consort Wei dismissed everyone and led the people out of the hall, she looked at Chu Tianling and explained.
"This all happened decades ago. Back then, it was the old Duke Dingguo, who was also the late Empress's father, who led a million-strong army to help your father conquer the world. General Murong was one of the old Duke Dingguo's generals. Your uncle was also under the old Duke Dingguo's command back then, but he was just a captain."
"Then why is it that my uncle has been granted the title of Duke of Zhenguo, while the Murong family is currently only a third-rank military officer?" Chu Tianling asked, puzzled.
Consort Wei said calmly, "When the world was first established, the old Duke of Dingguo was stationed to guard the north, while General Murong was sent by your father to guard the west and was also granted a marquisate. However, after the defeat in the northern battle, he requested to have his title stripped. Your uncle, on the other hand, made contributions in that battle and turned the tide, which is why he was promoted step by step."
"But the war in the north is not the fault of the Murong family. What is the meaning of his actions? However, considering this, our two families have a history of serving under the old Duke of Dingguo. It's just that we rose to power at different times. Now, I think it wouldn't be inappropriate for me to arrange a marriage between us and Miss Bai."
Consort Wei seemed reluctant to say more. "This matter is complex and involves many people, so I shouldn't say anything more to you. However, the Wei family and the Murong family didn't really have much of a relationship back then. If you really want to arrange a marriage, that's fine, since they're just her maternal grandparents' family anyway. In the future, we'll still have to rely on the Left Prime Minister."
"That concubine might have some influence with the Emperor, but the marriage has only just been arranged, and the wedding date is still undecided."
"Do you really want Miss Bai? This is not a easy matter to handle. You might end up losing the Bai family's opportunity completely, which would make things difficult for your father. However, if you win over Miss Bai yourself, this matter will be much easier to resolve."
"Your son replied earnestly, 'Thank you for your trouble, Mother.'"
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