Chapter 723: Stealing a Chicken, Losing the Rice (Two Chapters in One)
A storm started abruptly and ended strangely.
The two wives of the Jiang family, who had always been praised by others, did not gain any benefits today, but made everyone remember deeply the newly arrived Princess Shengping.
Compared to the gloomy faces of Mrs. Jiang Da and Mrs. Jiang Er, Daohua was eating and drinking, and had the leisure to enjoy the performances of musicians.
Everyone has their own thoughts on this.
Kang Naixin also whispered to Wu Xirong: "Today's big show is really unexpected!" As she said that, she nodded her chin in the direction of Daohua, "If this person is not foolish and bold, then he really deserves to be looked at in a different light."
No matter what the Yan family relies on, she also looks up to Princess Shengping because of her calmness and composure at the moment.
Wu Xirong looked at the rice flowers and said speechlessly, "It's a pity that my second brother still came to give me instructions. With the rank of Shengping County Master, there's no need for me to take care of her!"
Among the ladies in the capital, she seldom cared about other people's feelings because of her prominent family background. She did not need to be too cautious when dealing with people from the Jiang family or the Guo family. However, she knew she could not directly confront the two wives of the Jiang family like the Princess of Shengping did.
Kang Naixin nodded in agreement. They were only a little stronger among the ladies, and they had to be very obedient when facing the ladies of other families. Unlike Princess Shengping, her opponent was already a lady of the same level.
The key point is that today, the two wives of the Jiang family have not been able to do anything to her.
Daohua ignored the various ambiguous looks cast at her, and just glanced at Jiang Wanying who was staring at her coldly, and Guo Xueming who had an uncertain expression.
People in the capital are very successful. Born at the feet of the emperor, they are all very careful about their reputation. Except for those who are not very smart, they will not easily reveal their likes and dislikes.
Take today's incident for example. It was a dispute between her and the Jiang family. The Yan family was a new elite in Beijing and had no conflicts of interest with other families. Everyone should just watch the show. No one who really wanted to please the Jiang family would end up making things difficult for the Yan family.
The only families that really have conflicts of interest with the Yan family are the Jiang family and the Guo family.
These are the only two companies she needs to pay more attention to.
Lunch slowly ended with everyone chatting and drinking, and everyone began to leave one after another.
Because of the conflict with the Jiang family, Madam Li didn't want to stay in the princess's mansion anymore, but it would be impolite to take people away after dinner, so she took Daohua and others to find a secluded pavilion to sit down.
Mrs. Li looked at her daughter and couldn't help feeling worried.
My daughter is in trouble today because of Ye Yang.
Now it’s just the Jiang family. When the matter between my daughter and Ye Yang is made public in the future, the situation my daughter will face will probably be even more complicated and difficult than today.
Among the Empress Dowager, Empress, and all the other royal relatives in the palace, which one is easy to get along with?
Daohua sensed Madam Li's worry, so she took her arm, leaned on her shoulder, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Mom, don't worry. Have you forgotten? I have Master's support behind me. I'm not afraid!"
Mrs. Li thought of Gu Jian, and her expression relaxed a little, but her brows were still furrowed.
To be honest, although Ye Yang is a good man, if she had to choose, she would rather her daughter marry an ordinary family than be constantly involved in various struggles and conspiracies.
Beside, Han Xinran looked at Daohua with some hesitation in wanting to say something. She felt that what her elder sister said to the two wives of the Jiang family during the dinner today was a bit too much. Since Mrs. Li didn't say anything to Daohua, it was not a good time for her to express her opinion.
Yan Yihan and the other two remained silent.
Yan Yishuang looked very calm. As the status of the Yan family improved, she gradually realized her own identity. The guests invited by the eldest princess today were all nobles and were not within her range of choice for a son-in-law. Therefore, even if she could not make friends with other girls, she did not care at all.
Yan Yihan had similar thoughts. She had carefully observed the ladies at today's banquet. Perhaps because of their good family backgrounds, they were all a little arrogant. Even if they approached to make friends, others might not pay any attention to them. It would be better for them to stay in the pavilion.
Although Yan Yile was somewhat unhappy about being confined to the pavilion, she also knew that she was able to come to the Princess's Mansion because of the influence of the eldest wife, and she would not be stupid enough to go against Madam Li at this time.
"Miss Yan, may I have a moment to talk?"
Just as everyone in the Yan family was thinking about it, Guo Xueming suddenly appeared outside the pavilion.
Daohua let go of Madam Li's arm, looked at Guo Xueming, pondered for a moment, and stood up with a smile. Seeing Madam Li's worried expression, she smiled and said, "Mother, I'll go over to the side and talk to Miss Guo."
Mrs. Li glanced at Guo Xueming. Although she was somewhat reluctant, she knew that her daughter would inevitably encounter such things in the future, so she finally nodded.
Daohua left the pavilion and walked with Guo Xueming to the osmanthus tree in the distance: "Miss Guo, if you have anything to say, just talk here." They could see each other from the pavilion, so Madam Li and the others didn't have to worry.
Guo Xueming waved his hand to signal the maid to step back, then looked at Daohua again.
Daohua raised an eyebrow and asked Wang Man'er and Bishi to step back a little: "Can you tell me now?"
Guo Xueming frowned and looked at Daohua: "Miss Yan, I know that cousin Yeyang likes you, but you shouldn't rely on his power to cause trouble for him everywhere!"
Hearing Guo Xueming's rebuke out of the blue, Daohua was stunned for a few seconds, then smiled speechlessly and said, "Miss Guo, do you have a fever?"
Guo Xueming frowned even tighter: "Miss Yan, I'm not kidding you."
Daohua put away her smile and said coldly, "I'm not kidding you. If you didn't have a fever, why would you say that to me just now? You have no right to say that to me!"
Guo Xueming choked, evading the question and continuing to accuse, "Miss Yan, the reason you dared to confront the two Jiang wives like that today is because you relied on your cousin Ye Yang's liking for you. Do you know how much trouble you'll cause him by doing this?"
As he said this, he looked at the rice flowers with a bit of contempt.
"You have limited experience and background, so you may not know that cousin Ye Yang needs to negotiate with many parties to continue his title as a prince. Even if he is not close to the Jiang family, he cannot offend the Jiang family."
"What you said at the banquet today was really too extreme. Given the way the Jiang family behaves, they will definitely cause trouble for you in the future. When that happens, it will be up to Cousin Yeyang to clean up the mess for you."
"By doing this, you are pushing Cousin Yeyang against the Jiang family. If Cousin Yeyang offends the Jiang family, and the Jiang family chooses to support Xiao Yechen to inherit the title of the royal palace, then you will cause Cousin Yeyang to lose everything."
"I really don't know if you, Miss Yan, truly love Cousin Yeyang. Otherwise, how could you harm him like this without even realizing it?"
Daohua was so angry that she laughed: "Miss Guo, people should know their own limitations. Don't you think you're worrying too much? It's not your turn to take care of Xiao Yeyang's affairs."
"Also, even though I come from a poor background and lack experience, Xiao Yeyang likes me. Even if he has to clean up my mess, he'd be happy to do it."
Guo Xueming was furious: "Miss Yan, you are at least a daughter of an official family. You keep talking about your likes and dislikes all the time. You are too shameless!"
Daohua sneered, "Miss Guo, you do know the rules and etiquette, but what kind of status do you have standing before me now? Even your grandfather and your father never interfered too much in Xiao Yeyang's affairs, yet you, a girl, are interfering. Who on earth has no shame?"
Guo Xueming was furious. Knowing that Daohua was very articulate, he didn't want to argue with her any further, so he just said coldly, "Miss Yan, if you really like cousin Yeyang, you should leave him as soon as possible and don't let him continue to sink. There will be no future for you and him."
Hearing this, Daohua was really furious. She looked at Guo Xueming with a cold gaze: "You and your mother are really the same. She used shady tricks in the hall, and you are here shamelessly talking nonsense. I really can't believe that you are from the Dingguo Mansion!"
"Whether Xiao Yeyang and I will have a future is up to the Emperor, but there is one thing I can tell you for sure: even if Xiao Yeyang didn't choose me, he wouldn't marry you."
"Ms. Guo, you should be more sober and realistic. Considering the relationship between Xiao Yeyang and the Guo family, he hasn't even looked at you straight in the eye until now. This clearly shows that he doesn't like you!"
"Aren't you a lady from a noble family? Aren't you the most polite and well-mannered? Then why are you still clinging to a man who doesn't like you? Where's your modesty, your pride, and your vision?"
"What? Being strict with others but lenient with oneself is the way things are in the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion? No wonder the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion is getting worse day by day. With women like you and your mother in the inner courtyard, it's a wonder it can continue to prosper!"
Guo Xueming stared at the rice flowers in a daze, his hands hanging at his sides, clenched tightly together. His arms were shaking slightly from the excessive force.
This was the first time in her life that she was treated as useless by someone. Anger, shame and other emotions intertwined in her heart. Looking at the beautiful face in front of her, she wanted to slap her.
However, she held back.
It wasn't because of her status, but because she knew she couldn't beat Yan Yiyi.
Thinking of this, my chest felt even more blocked!
"Yan Yiyi, I know that for a family like yours, cousin Yeyang is a piece of fat meat. Once you bite him, you won't let go. But I advise you to be careful. Don't forget that cousin Yeyang's mother is still alive. Your Yan family has opposed my Guo family many times. Tell me, will my aunt agree to cousin Yeyang marrying you?"
These words really made Daohua stunned.
There are only a few people who can influence Xiao Yeyang's marriage: the emperor, the empress dowager, Prince Ping, and Xiao Yeyang's mother.
She almost knew the attitudes of the first three. The relationship between her and Xiao Yeyang was initiated by Granny Gu, and the Emperor and Prince Heping would definitely agree in the end. As for the Empress Dowager, as long as the Emperor insisted, she would at most use her status to embarrass them.
These three are not a big problem, but Xiao Yeyang's mother
Because she knew so little information, she was really a little unsure.
When Guo Xueming saw Daohua's eyes flickering, the anger in his heart finally subsided a little. He snorted coldly, turned around and left without saying anything more.
This Yan Yiyi was too articulate. If she continued, she was afraid that she would be blamed in return!
"Girl, are you okay?"
Wang Maner and Bishi waited until Guo Xueming and the maid left, and immediately came to Daohua.
Daohua shook her head. "What could be the problem? Guo Xueming wants to show off his power as a cousin, but it depends on whether I agree or not."
Thinking of how Miss Guo had been left powerless to fight back by her own daughter, Wang Man'er and Bishi smiled at each other.
"Madam has looked this way several times. Let's go back."
Daohua nodded and walked towards the pavilion.
When passing by the ladies from various families, Daohua discovered that unlike before when they looked at her secretly, these people now began to point fingers at her, and many of them had obvious contempt and ridicule in their eyes.
"No wonder she dared to confront the two Jiang family ladies at the banquet. It turns out she was relying on the power of the young prince!"
"Look at her appearance, you can tell at once that she is not content. The young prince is alone in Zhongzhou, so it is inevitable that he will feel lonely. When someone seduces him, he can't control himself."
"Do you think she has already done that with the young prince?"
"Oh, stop it, it's so embarrassing! Some people behave indecently, please don't pollute our ears!"
“That’s right!”
Intermittent discussions drifted into their ears, and Wang Man'er and Bishi's faces were filled with anger.
"How can they say that about a girl?"
Daohua also had a gloomy face. She didn't really care about what others thought, but in this ancient time where everyone shares the same fate, if she had a bad reputation, it would bring trouble to the Yan family!
Damn the Jiang family!
Without even having to think about it, she knew that this was spread by the Jiang family.
Seeing the ladies from various families believing it without a doubt, Daohua's eyes darkened. She thought that the Guo family might have also contributed to the situation.
Before Daohua could enter the pavilion, Madam Li, who had heard the rumors and no longer wanted to stay, came out with Han Xinran and the others: "It's getting late, let's go and say goodbye to the princess."
Main courtyard.
When Princess Huijia heard that Madam Li was leaving, she did not try to keep her. She glanced at Daohua and signaled her personal maid to escort them out of the house.
Wu Xirong watched the Yan family members leave and pulled Kang Naixin: "Tell me, is the story between Shengping County Princess and Xiao Yeyang true?"
Kang Naixin thought for a moment and said, "That's probably right. When Madam Jiang Er revealed the news, she even asked Madam Guo to testify. These two families are rivals, so no one would help the other to conceal it. I think it's probably true."
"Also, don't you think that Princess Shengping was too confident at the banquet today? The Yan family wouldn't dare to confront the Jiang family." He said, shaking his head, "I always thought Xiao Yeyang didn't like women."
Wu Xirong shook her head speechlessly.
With the intentional or unintentional promotion of the Jiang family, in just one day, all the prominent families in the capital had heard about Xiao Yeyang and Daohua.
The gap between Xiao Yeyang and the Yan family is obvious, and everyone unanimously believes that it was Daohua who seduced Xiao Yeyang.
Cining Palace.
When the Queen Mother heard the news, she was so angry that she smashed a set of white porcelain. "Stupid! The Emperor had no objection to Ye Yang marrying the Yan family girl. He only held back the marriage because he was concerned about the opinion of Prince Heping."
"Now, everyone knows about Yeyang and the Yan family girl. The Yan family girl was personally appointed as a county lady by the emperor. Because of the high-yield grain, the Yan family now has a certain reputation among the people and officials. The emperor will also grant the marriage for his own face. They are helping Xiao Yeyang!"
The Queen Mother was really furious. She wanted to control Xiao Yeyang and restrain the Ma family by manipulating Xiao Yeyang's marriage so that the Queen could focus on raising the Tenth Prince. This would prevent the Ma family from thinking that the title of Prince Ping's Mansion must belong to Xiao Yechen and become arrogant.
Unfortunately, this plan has now fallen through.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
