In the cold palace, Concubine Cen was searching for her maid, who had served her for a long time. Even after the maids and others around Concubine Cen were taken away, the maid continued to serve her.
"Where did he go?" Concubine Cen was still looking.
There are always a few sober people in the cold palace, and some people send food to the people in the cold palace.
Concubine Cen asked those people where her palace maid had gone.
"She's been transferred to another place." A eunuch who came to deliver food to the concubines in the cold palace said, "You've been banished to the cold palace, so why are you still expecting others to serve you?"
That eunuch had seen too many such things. Sometimes, even if the concubine hadn't been banished to the cold palace, or even if she was out of favor, the palace maids would try to find work in other empresses' palaces. They didn't want to follow a concubine who was left out in the cold.
In this harem, the concubines who are not favored have a hard time, and the palace maids who follow the concubines who are not favored also have a hard time.
"How is that possible?" Concubine Cen didn't believe that the palace maid was transferred away, or that the palace maid volunteered.
"It's time to face reality," the eunuch said. "Once you enter the cold palace, few people can leave."
The eunuch said this to Concubine Cen on purpose. He was not sympathizing with her, nor was he trying to take anything from her. He was just trying to get Concubine Cen to accept her fate and make less noise, so that the others wouldn't have to hear her screams all the time.
“…” Concubine Cen opened her eyes wide and looked at the eunuch.
The eunuch didn't say anything else and just left.
"Come back." Concubine Cen wanted to ask more questions, but there was no way the eunuch would pay any attention to her.
When the Imperial Concubine learned that the maidservant beside Concubine Cen had run away, she was not surprised at all. Concubine Cen always liked to follow all kinds of rules. She treated the other concubines and the people around her the same way. How could those people be so loyal to her?
Concubine Cen might still think that she was nice to those people and that they just abandoned her.
"She will have such a day too." The imperial concubine sneered.
At the beginning, a palace maid betrayed her master and was with the emperor. The palace maid became a beauty, and the beauty also showed off in front of her former master.
Concubine Cen also said that they were all sisters and there was no need to care so much. Concubine Cen would see things in a way that was beneficial to her, and would have a completely different attitude towards things that were not beneficial to her.
"She deserves it." Shufei said. She had always been outshined by Xianfei in the past.
As for virtuous and kind people, Concubine Cen could also speak from the titles of others. For example, Concubine Cen once said Shufei, saying that Shufei had the word "Shu" in her name, so Shufei should be like this and like that.
This made Concubine Shu very dissatisfied. Even if Concubine Cen was the virtuous Concubine, she was not the queen. Concubine Xian was just a concubine, a concubine, and a concubine was not in charge of so many things.
"Maybe she still wants to come out." The imperial concubine didn't think that Concubine Cen didn't have this idea. Maybe Concubine Cen thought that the emperor would figure it out soon and let her out.
Haha, the imperial concubine doesn’t think so.
Some of the things Concubine Cen did in the past were too extreme. The Queen fell ill and died, and she was depressed. The Queen was pregnant before. How did the Queen lose her child? Is it related to the Cen family? The Cen family knows.
The Emperor and Empress were married, and the Imperial Concubine didn't believe the Emperor wouldn't care about the Empress. It was just that the Cen family was so powerful back then that no one else could do anything about it.
The emperor wanted to keep Concubine Cen in the cold palace so that she could feel the coldness of the cold palace. The queen had never been in the cold palace, but her experience was not good.
Who are the girls of the Cen family? If they want to follow the three obediences and four virtues, then that’s all they need to do.
Concubine Cen did all those things and said it was all for the emperor. In fact, Concubine Cen did not pay attention to the distinction between wives and concubines. Concubine Cen always said that others had no rules, and the one who had the most no rules was Concubine Cen.
The Imperial Concubine really disliked people like Concubine Cen who used trivial matters as a token of authority. Even when others did nothing wrong, Concubine Cen would always use that little thing to criticize them. It was as if Concubine Cen was the best woman in the world and all other women were no match for her.
The imperial concubine had also been criticized by Concubine Cen, but she did not take what Concubine Cen said seriously.
"Come out?" Concubine Shu didn't think Concubine Cen could come out. "Isn't she fine in there?"
In any case, Concubine Shu doesn't want Concubine Cen to come out. If Concubine Cen comes out and the Cen family rises, then Concubine Cen will only become more arrogant.
However, since the emperor had already appointed Prince Su as the crown prince, the third prince could not become the crown prince, and the third prince could not become the emperor, so Concubine Cen had no chance of getting out. Unless the third prince came to plead for mercy after the crown prince ascended the throne, then the crown prince, who had become the emperor, could still refuse the third prince's request.
It was their father who banished Concubine Cen to the cold palace. The prince had reason not to release Concubine Cen. The prince could also say that if he released Concubine Cen, it would seem that he was not respectful enough to the emperor.
"It's very good." The imperial concubine nodded.
The Cen family, Old Master Cen, and the others didn't think it was good for Concubine Cen to be in the cold palace. It was just that Concubine Cen had become a discarded pawn. Even though the Cen family still had people in the emperor's harem, Old Master Cen had someone try to mention some things to the emperor. Old Master Cen just wanted the emperor to remember Concubine Cen's good points.
However, the emperor did not remember what Concubine Cen said at all, and he did not let Concubine Cen out.
Old Master Cen just felt that something was wrong and wondered what the emperor was going to do to the Cen family.
It's impossible to just leave it hanging like this and wait until the prince ascends the throne to deal with it.
Old Master Cen knew that the Emperor would definitely deal with the Cen family before the Crown Prince ascended the throne. The Emperor would not leave the Cen family to the Crown Prince to deal with. Of course, bad things should be dealt with early. If there was mercy, then he could wait for the Crown Prince.
"How's the situation in the northwest?" asked Mr. Cen.
"What else can I do? It's just like that." Old Madam Cen sighed, "The Xu family won't marry a girl from our family."
Old Madam Cen simply believed that the Xu family lacked vision. If they had a bit of discernment, they would have come directly to propose marriage. Old Madam Cen still felt that her daughters were all good. Princess Rongning could research those things, and if the Cen family's daughters learned more, maybe they could also do it.
Old Master Cen and Old Madam Cen had different ideas. People like Princess Rongning were rare. Ordinary people simply couldn't become someone like Princess Rongning. No matter how talented the Cen family's daughter was, she couldn't research those things.
"Don't even mention the Xu family." How could Mr. Cen not know the attitudes of these families? It was simply impossible for these families to let their family members have more contact with the Cen family.
Mr. Cen had been pretending to be sick for so long, and few friends and students had come to see him. Those people had already had other ideas. The emperor did not directly suppress the Cen family, but the Cen family was no longer the Cen family it once was. Most of the Cen family's power had been eliminated by the emperor.
The emperor was just torturing them like this. Old Master Cen suspected that the emperor wanted them to feel the fickleness of the world and experience the pain of being tormented by others.
Sometimes, it’s okay to be hit by the lowest point all of a sudden, but I’m afraid of being worn down by it slowly.
"Just find someone who's about the same," said Mr. Cen. "The most important thing is character. He has to be a good person."
When something happens to the Cen family, those people will not let the Cen family girl die of illness. This is the most important thing.
But Mr. Cen opened his mouth but didn't say anything like that. He still hoped that his granddaughter could marry into a better family, and that those families could still help the Cen family. If the Cen family really fell, and the Cen family girl was divorced or died of illness, that would be what the Cen family girl deserved.
Those girls from the Cen family enjoyed so many good things from the Cen family, so they had to pay something back to the Cen family.
"Yes." said Mrs. Cen.
In the Northwest Capital City, Su Qiuya has not been able to get pregnant yet and is taking medicine again.
Qing Yi Niang also felt that medicine is three-quarters poison, and it would be fine to recuperate for a period of time, but if it continued, it would most likely be Su Qiuya's problem. When Qing Yi Niang was in the Marquis' Mansion, she did not drink the recuperation medicine all the time in order to get pregnant.
The doctor has said that you can't take medicine casually.
So Qing Yi Niang followed Su Qiuya, wondering where Su Qiuya had gone and whether Su Qiuya had done something behind their backs. Qing Yi Niang followed Su Qiuya to a pharmacy, and after Su Qiuya left, Qing Yi Niang asked the medicine seller what medicine Su Qiuya had bought.
"It's medicine for conditioning the body." said the medicine seller.
Su Qiuya had long thought that Aunt Qing might have doubts, so in order to avoid being discovered, Su Qiuya had already made two preparations. Su Qiuya came to this pharmacy specifically to buy tonic medicine for the body, not medicine to make people pregnant.
Su Qiuya didn't deliberately buy several medicines from the same pharmacy. If that were the case, others would know there was a problem after asking a few questions. Su Qiuya bought medicine from the place where she first saw a doctor, and sometimes asked those people to deliver it to a specific place.
Su Qiuya took great pains to prevent Aunt Qing and Liu Yanbo from knowing.
Su Qiuya couldn't guarantee that Liu Yanbo would stop wanting other women after he knew about her physical problems. What if Liu Yanbo told her that he couldn't live without children and wanted to take a concubine?
It would still take two or three years. Su Qiuya couldn't let Liu Yanbo know so quickly. She also couldn't let Qing Yi Niang know. If Qing Yi Niang knew, she would even more likely say that she would buy Liu Yanbo a maid.
These people simply couldn't consider her, so Su Qiuya thought about considering herself more. She had to arrange her own affairs and not let others bully her.
Aunt Qing is not a reliable mother-in-law, and Liu Yanbo sometimes can't help but listen to Aunt Qing's words.
The fact that Liu Yanbo was fooled by Aunt Qing for so many years shows that there is a problem. Su Qiuya does not want to become an ex-wife, nor does she want to become a stumbling block in the eyes of Aunt Qing and Liu Yanbo.
Su Qiuya sometimes thought that it was fortunate that Liu Yanbo didn't have such a high talent for studying. If Liu Yanbo had really been able to study, he would definitely not be so kind to her, and he would definitely have other ideas.
Men are like that. No matter how much a woman suffers following these men, men will only say that they give women a high-quality life and that women can enjoy a lot of things, so women have nothing to worry about.
When Qing Yi Niang came out of the pharmacy, she quickly caught up with Su Qiuya. She found that Su Qiuya was just buying some seasonings, and then she went back.
"How could it be so simple?" Aunt Qing wondered if Su Qiuya had discovered her whereabouts.
But Su Qiuya is not a good-tempered person. If Su Qiuya finds her, she will definitely quarrel with her, Qing Yi Niang thought so.
In order to avoid being discovered by Su Qiuya, Aunt Qing waited for a long time before returning home.
When Aunt Qing returned, she saw Su Qiuya was back to business. She was kneading dough. Their shop sold noodles, flour, and some snacks.
"Kneading the dough again?" asked Aunt Qing.
"Yes." Su Qiuya nodded. "There are many people eating noodles in the shop, so we have to make more. If we wait a while, it will be too late."
Su Qiuya couldn't rely on Aunt Qing to knead the dough. Kneading dough was not an easy task. If the dough was not kneaded properly, the noodles made from the dough would not be so delicious.
In order to make a bowl of delicious noodles, Su Qiuya worked very hard. If they wanted to survive in the capital city, they had to have their own specialty.
If they don't have a specialty, they can't expect others to remember their shop.
Aunt Qing only thought that Su Qiuya kneaded dough every day. What good could such a Su Qiuya have? Aunt Qing did not think about their current status. How could they be qualified to think about so many things?
"You have to think about other snacks and food next time. You can't always make noodles." Aunt Qing said.
Su Qiuya glanced at Aunt Qing. Noodles were a more common food. No, noodles were also a luxury. How many of the poor people in the countryside were willing to spend money on noodles? Only in towns, county towns, and prefectural capitals did people eat noodles.
It’s not that Su Qiuya doesn’t like to cook other things, it also depends on her cooking skills and whether others are willing to buy the food.
Su Qiuya has long known that no matter how exquisite the food is, it is not as good as making simple food delicious. Many people don't have that much money, and they can't spend money on exquisite but unpalatable pastries. Simpler ones are better.
"Noodles are better." Su Qiuya said, "You can also make rice noodles."
“…” Well, this daughter-in-law is like this, Aunt Qing won’t say much.
Mrs. Mei Ershao had received another letter. The Liu family had been in the capital for more than half a month. After Mrs. Mei Ershao learned that Liu Yanbo had severed his relationship with the Marquis of Jingning, she tossed and turned, worried about the impact on herself.
Under such circumstances, Mrs. Mei Ershao asked someone to quickly deliver the letter to the northwest. And sure enough, the messenger did speed up and delivered the letter to Liu Yanbo very quickly.
When Liu Yanbo saw the contents of the letter, Mrs. Mei Ershao asked them whether the eldest wife had done something unforgivable and whether the eldest wife had persecuted them.
Mrs. Mei Ershao didn't think that it was the people from the second house who were harming the first house, but rather that it was the people from the first house who were at fault.
"My sister knows that we have severed our relationship with the eldest wife." Liu Yanbo told his family the contents of the letter as soon as he returned home.
"The relationship is broken off," said Aunt Qing. "She is a daughter who married out, so it won't be affected. When she got married, the Marquis' Mansion didn't break off the relationship with her."
Aunt Qing believed that her daughter was still the daughter of the Marquis's family, and if her daughter encountered any problems, she could still go to the Marquis's family.
"That's right." Liu Yanbo nodded. His sister was indeed the daughter of a marquis.
"..." Su Qiuya felt that Aunt Qing and Liu Yanbo were stupid. It would be fine if the Second Young Master Mei's wife was a person with a good temper, but the key point was that the Second Young Master Mei's wife was not a person with a good character.
Su Qiuya had been married to Liu Yanbo for so long, and she knew that Mrs. Mei hadn't given them anything at the beginning. She also knew that Mrs. Mei rarely gave them anything, and that Mrs. Mei liked to complain. Who would want to have more contact with someone like Mrs. Mei?
In any case, Su Qiuya didn't want to have a relative like Mrs. Mei Ershao, and these people in the family actually said so.
Su Qiuya did not break their fantasy. Life is what people live. If Mrs. Mei Ershao's condition was really good, then Mrs. Mei Ershao would not have written to them.
"Your father used to be quite fond of your sister," Aunt Qing said. "If she had said a few more words, perhaps it would have been helpful."
Qing Yi Niang thought that since they were dissatisfied with the marriage arranged by Liu Mu, the Marquis had agreed to it. This showed that the Marquis still liked Mrs. Mei, the Second Young Master, and Qing Yi Niang took this as her belief.
In reality, the Marquis simply didn't want to discuss the matter. He thought it would be best to help Concubine Qing and Madam Mei Er Shao, saving them from further trouble. Madam Hou, the head of the household, approved of what Concubine Qing and the others had done, so the Marquis of Jingning saw no need to get involved.
So, the wife of the Second Young Master Mei was able to marry the Second Young Master Mei so smoothly. Concubine Qing thought that her high status in the mansion made her feel that the Marquis valued them. The Marquis simply had other ideas. Marquis Jingning preferred to consider the overall situation and liked family harmony, which led to Marquis Jingning not interfering in many things.
Since Liu's mother didn't interfere much, Marquis Jingning didn't say much.
After all, the wife of the Marquis of Jingning did a great job back then. She was very dignified and virtuous, and she managed the huge Marquisate very well. The Marquis of Jingning trusted the wife very much. The Marquis of Jingning always said that she would do things according to the ideas of Concubine Qing and the others, so the Marquis of Jingning naturally didn't say much.
"Mother." When Liu Yanbo heard what Concubine Qing said, he knew that Concubine Qing wanted to go back to the Marquis' Mansion. "We can't go back."
"I can't go back, I can't go back. What if I go back?" Aunt Qing said, "You only get this little."
Every time Aunt Qing thought about how her son only got a small share and not more, she felt sad.
"Back then, under the circumstances, it was already a lot." Su Qiuya said. She really didn't think there was any need for the Jingning Marquisate to give more to Liu Yanbo.
"What are you talking about?" Aunt Qing looked at Su Qiuya, "Are you afraid of them?"
"I'm not afraid of them, I'm afraid of you." Su Qiuya said, "I didn't do anything, and you're still thinking about me."
"Look..." Aunt Qing pointed at Su Qiuya, "I said I would buy a maid, but she insisted on buying a mother-in-law. I said a few words, and she refuted and contradicted me. Is it because I am a concubine, not a proper mother-in-law, that she treats me like this?"
Aunt Qing said bad things about Su Qiuya in front of Liu Yanbo. She just wanted to make Liu Yanbo think that Su Qiuya was not a good person.
"A half-grown maid can't do anything." Su Qiuya said, "Can't we, as masters, live worse than the servants?"
"You ask her to do something, and she will do it." Aunt Qing said.
"You don't want to buy a maid at all, you want to take a concubine for your husband." Su Qiuya said directly, she turned to look at Liu Yanbo, "If you want to take a concubine, just tell me, I can give you a concubine. If not, we will divorce!"
Aunt Qing thought Su Qiuya was crazy. How could Su Qiuya say that she wanted a divorce? No, she absolutely couldn't let Su Qiuya and her son get divorced. They still wanted Su Qiuya to open a shop.
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