Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Shall I go pick up my sister-in-law then? ...
Bai Xuerou was asked to go back and rest, and the matter of Ling Zheng's burial was thus resolved.
Afterwards, she used the excuse of recuperating to rest in the hospital, leaving all matters to Ling Xun to handle. During this time, the Zhenbei Army was also busy, and many people revealed their true colors. These were all people who had followed Ling Ji'an in conquering the world and had made contributions, so they could not be dealt with casually. They all had to be dealt with, so she was busy on both sides and had no time to spare.
Wu San Niang tried to bump into him several times, but couldn't even exchange a word. She couldn't help but complain to Wu Shi, "I don't know what that person is doing. It's been half a month, and he should be better by now. Doesn't she care about anything at home? The Prince is busy all day long, and she doesn't even offer to help."
That's right, Ling Xun is now a prince.
Just as the others had discussed, the imperial court did not object to Ling Xun inheriting the title. Three days after Ling Zheng left, he received the imperial edict.
Ling Xun is now the rightful Prince of Zhenbei.
The Prince of Zhenbei, who was sixteen years old.
In addition, his achievements made him even more dazzling to Wu San Niang.
"Don't say things like that again," Madam Wu stopped her, and meeting Wu San Niang's curious gaze, she sighed softly, "She's had a hard time too."
Although the incident that night was kept secret from others, Madam Wu, who had been in charge of the household for over a decade, still had some suspicions.
Thinking of what Ling Ji'an said to her before he died, and comparing it with his words, she couldn't help but feel pity for Bai Xuerou.
However, there was no need to say this to Wu San Niang. Wu Shi earnestly instructed, "Among all the people in this mansion, Ling Xun respects his third sister-in-law the most. If you want to win his favor, you cannot be negligent towards Bai Xue Rou in the slightest. Do you understand?"
Wu San Niang naturally understood, but the more she understood, the more resentful and dissatisfied she became.
“Of course I know, but as you saw, Aunt, no matter how close I try to please her, Bai Shi remains unmoved. I really have no other choice.” She clung to Wu Shi’s arm.
Madam Wu also knew about this matter and was somewhat puzzled. She knew Bai Xue Rou's personality; she was not a mean-spirited person who would hold grudges. She was gentle and kind and always understood the difficulties others faced.
Even if the Wu family intended to marry Ling Zheng back then, she shouldn't have held a grudge. So why has she always been indifferent to Third Sister?
Could there be some other reason she is unaware of?
"No matter what she does, just be respectful to her as usual, and Ling Xun will eventually see it," Madam Wu reassured her.
Wu San Niang whispered, "I'm afraid she'll say bad things about me."
Madam Wu patted her and scolded, "Don't make wild guesses. It's not good if people find out." She added, "Don't worry, Chunniang isn't like that. Even if she really doesn't like you, as long as you don't do anything bad, she won't talk about you behind your back."
"I hope so," Wu San Niang muttered, then changed her mind under her aunt's gaze, saying, "I know, Auntie, don't worry, I will never say anything to outsiders."
Wu San Niang was the most beautiful among her sisters since childhood. She was pampered at home and received preferential treatment when she went out because of her appearance. In particular, since she had an aunt who was the Princess Consort of Zhenbei, no one dared to neglect her in the slightest.
She had almost taken other people’s friendliness for granted, so when she encountered Bai Xuerou, who was indifferent to her despite her attempts to please her, she found it increasingly difficult to accept and even felt some resentment.
If it were anyone else, Wu San Niang would definitely ignore them completely, but that's just how it is.
She felt upset just thinking about it.
Before they knew it, it was the Ghost Festival in July. The mansion was preparing another religious ceremony. Bai Xuerou only made a brief appearance before returning to Zhiwei Courtyard.
In the evening, Ling Xun came looking for her.
"Sister-in-law," he called out.
It had been raining for the past two days. Bai Xuerou stood under the eaves looking at the sky and then at him coming over.
He's been wearing silver-gray lately, brightening up the somewhat dim sky, reminding me of all those fleeting memories from that night—
She rarely dreams, but these days she keeps dreaming about that night, and the more she dreams about it, the clearer the details of that night become.
Bai Xuerou blinked and waved it away.
"I'm here," Bai Xuerou replied.
Ling Xun hummed in agreement and stepped forward to stand beside Bai Xuerou. Lately, she had been standing under the eaves looking at the sky, which, in the end, was because she was feeling uneasy.
"I just received the letter. Qingrong has already set off for Chang'an." He had just received this good news and immediately came to tell Bai Xuerou. As he spoke, he looked at her and saw that her eyes widened and her previously indifferent expression almost immediately came to life.
Qingrong is Bai Xuerou's younger brother, three years younger than her. He is eighteen years old this year, and he has studied under a great Confucian scholar. He travels and studies abroad for many years.
"Qingrong is coming?" Bai Xuerou asked in surprise.
"Yes, Master received the news and wanted to come see you with his wife, but he didn't like Chang'an after all. Since Qingrong had just returned home from his studies, he asked him to come see you. Qingrong and Xin set off one after the other, and Xin has arrived now, so they should be on their way."
As Ling Xun spoke, he took out a letter from his sleeve and gave it to Bai Xuerou.
He was referring to the contents of his letter, which naturally came with Bai Xuerou's letter.
After receiving the letter, Bai Xuerou opened it and burst into tears after reading it.
The letter contained her parents' concern and instructions. After being separated for more than half a year, the two elders missed her very much. However, her father's personality was similar to hers; neither of them liked trouble, so he was unwilling to come to the vortex of Chang'an. Her mother was a little annoyed with her father for this, but she also asked her to understand.
Upon seeing this, Bai Xuerou couldn't help but laugh again.
Her parents' enduring love healed the gloom in her heart. While there are people like Ling Zheng in the world, there are also those like her own parents, who understand, care for, and accompany each other.
Ling Xun watched, finally feeling relieved.
Bai Xuerou has been in a bad mood these days, which makes him worried. At first, Bai Xuerou claimed to be sick as an excuse not to pay attention to Ling Zheng's funeral, but if this continues, her depression will accumulate and she may really get sick.
“Qingrong is coming. Sister-in-law, where do you think would be a suitable place for him to stay? There are plenty of courtyards in the outer area. Let’s choose a place for him to stay. How about he stays next door to me?” Ling Xun suggested.
After inheriting the title, he moved directly to the front courtyard because he had not yet married.
The courtyard next to the main courtyard is naturally in an excellent location.
Bai Xuerou carefully read the letter again, not wanting to miss a single word, while gently shaking her head.
“That’s not appropriate. My family also has a residence in Chang’an,” she said.
"Alright. Let's pack up in advance then," Ling Xun said.
"Mmm." Bai Xuerou responded softly, her mood improving almost instantly.
“That house was bought by my father when he was an official in Chang’an. No one has lived there for many years. Although it has been maintained every year, it still lacks a sense of life,” Bai Xuerou said, thinking. “I will go and take a look tomorrow.”
"I originally wanted to go with my sister-in-law, but I have something to do. Would it be alright if I picked her up?" Ling Xun asked with a smile.
Bai Xuerou's mood finally improved, and he was happy to see her like that.
“Of course. But since you’re busy, you don’t need to go. There are guards here,” Bai Xuerou said, knowing he was worried about her.
"It's alright. I was going out of the city anyway, and I'll be back this afternoon, so it should be on my way anyway," Ling Xun said.
Bai Xuerou thought about it and said, "That's fine."
After this incident, Bai Xuerou finally cheered up and even went to tell Madam Wu about it the next day.
Although Madam Wu no longer manages affairs, she is still an elder, and Bai Xuerou will maintain respect and courtesy towards her unless absolutely necessary.
Madam Wu felt a pang of gratitude, for since Ling Ji'an's death, the concubines in the household had somewhat neglected her.
With Ling Ji'an gone and Ling Zheng, who took over, having no connection with her, they naturally couldn't be bothered to give this mistress any more face.
Madam Wu naturally knew what they were thinking. Although she didn't care, it was still quite remarkable that Bai Xue Rou was still the same as before under such circumstances.
Wu San Niang didn't think there was anything to praise about it; being filial to one's elders was something one should do. But she also knew that what should be done and what one should do were two different things.
Bai Xuerou is either deeply scheming or genuinely kind.
Hearing that Bai Xuerou was going to tidy up the Bai family mansion in preparation for her younger brother's arrival, Wu San Niang didn't mind. However, Wu Shi, after hearing this, thought for a moment, then put her arm around Wu San Niang and said, "This girl is always bored in the mansion with me, and has nothing to do. If you don't mind her clumsiness, why not let her go and help you?"
Wu San Niang was somewhat unwilling, but since Madam Wu had spoken, she immediately smiled obediently and looked at Bai Xue Rou expectantly.
Wu San Niang came under the guise of caring for the ailing Wu family, so she naturally couldn't just play around. Before Ling Zheng's accident, she could accept invitations to banquets or accompany Bai Xue Rou and other female relatives—
All four young ladies in the household are married, and of the six young men, all except Ling Xun are already married.
With five sisters-in-law, there were plenty of opportunities to go out.
However, since Ling Zheng got into trouble recently, no matter what they think in their hearts, everyone has calmed down on the surface and stayed obediently in the Prince's mansion.
She had indeed been feeling down for several days, but she didn't want to go out with Bai Xuerou. However, since Madam Wu had spoken up, she didn't know what to say.
Upon hearing this, Bai Xuerou glanced at Ling Xun and agreed with a smile.
She did become somewhat distant from Wu San Niang because of what happened in the novel, but it wasn't that she disliked her. After all, she was a lively and clever young girl, so if she wanted to go, then so be it.
However, Ling Xun has quite a bit of luck with women.
He's handsome and has that kind of status, so he'll likely have no shortage of women around him in the future. I wonder what choices he'll make.
Ling Xun lowered his eyes slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing across them.
He thought he had made his aloofness obvious enough, but seeing Wu San Niang's reaction, it seemed it wasn't enough.
Since Ling Ji'an left, the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion has no longer had the custom of having breakfast together. After saying this, Madam Wu said that there was no need to come to her for such matters in the future.
"I just want to live a peaceful life right now. You can make your own decisions about anything," she said to Bai Xuerou with a smile.
Bai Xuerou smiled and said that as an elder, she couldn't shirk her responsibilities.
The two chatted and laughed until Bai Xuerou and Ling Xun finally left.
After they returned, they were to have breakfast first, and they agreed that someone would come to invite Wu San Niang when it was time for them to leave.
“Aunt, you’re just too good-tempered. As an elder, it’s only right that you take charge in the household,” Wu San Niang muttered, still somewhat resentful that Wu Shi had readily relinquished her power as head of the household.
If she were still in charge of the household, she would be more comfortable in the Prince's mansion.
Helpless, Madam Wu looked at her pampered and somewhat naive niece. She wanted to teach her a lesson, but then she thought, wasn't Madam Wu just as carefree before she got married? It was only after she learned her lesson that she gradually understood.
The five concubines in the Prince's mansion are not easy to deal with.
When she first married into the family, even though she was favored by the Prince of Zhenbei, Lady Wu suffered a lot of injustices in silence before she gradually rose to prominence.
A daughter's happy days are only a few years long, why criticize her so much?
“You know, Chunniang is indeed good-tempered, but the one who just passed away is not. He already has a lot of complaints about his younger brother who shares power. If I hold onto the power of managing the Wangfu, what do you think he will do?” Madam Wu explained to Wu Sanniang in detail.
Wu San Niang seemed to be deep in thought, about to talk about filial piety, but then stopped.
Born into a family of the Wu clan, no matter how naive she was, she knew that rules could only bind a few people, and there would always be exceptions.
"But isn't he afraid of what people will say?" she said.
Madam Wu couldn't help but laugh at her naivety, saying, "What is he afraid of? The Prince's Mansion is powerful, and there are plenty of ways to do things without getting dirty. It's not even certain whether anyone will find out. All the speculation will just be talk. What can you do if there's no evidence?"
"Even if something happens, the Zhenbei Army has hundreds of thousands of troops. Who can do anything to them?"
Wu San Niang's face paled slightly as she listened, and she couldn't help but say, "But, is there really no other way? Is this all we can do?"
“It’s nothing more than the survival of the fittest,” Madam Wu sighed. “Those common people who feared the power of the Wu family thought the same way. But now, the Wu family is still the Wu family, while those common people are long gone, their bones buried somewhere.”
Wu San Niang fell silent.
The Wu family is so large, it's natural that not everyone in it is a good person; she knew that all of them.
But after her initial sadness, Wu San Niang thought of Ling Xun again, and her heart burned even more intensely.
If she could marry Ling Xun, wouldn't she also be able to seize power within the Ling family...?
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