“Jingde Township Lady, isn’t that Xie Yushu?”
The person who made this thing was actually Xie Yushu!
The Emperor actually chose her to be a royal merchant!
She's just a village girl, an abandoned woman—what right does she have?
Chu Mingzhu slammed the teacup on the table in anger, and the Qinggu Youlan glass cup, which she had just received and hadn't even warmed up yet, shattered into several pieces!
Several small shards of glass pierced Chu Mingzhu's palm, causing it to bleed.
"What's wrong with you! This is a tea set bestowed by the Emperor!"
If the Emperor were to punish me, it would be a serious offense!
Consort Chu was surprised by her sister's outburst and immediately reprimanded her. Then, seeing that Chu Mingzhu's hand was still bleeding, she quickly ordered someone to summon the imperial physician.
Fortunately, the people around me were cautious and reminded me.
"Your Highness, this is a tea set bestowed by the Emperor. If word gets out that the Second Miss broke something given by the Emperor, it might not be good. Moreover, it's the first day of the lunar month, and if people hear about it, it could cause trouble!"
Consort Chu then remembered that seeing blood was unlucky during the New Year!
If ordinary people avoid it, how much more so would people in the palace?
The palace is not like other places. There are countless people secretly waiting to find fault with her. Things in the palace can be big or small. Even the smallest thing can be used by someone with ulterior motives and could cost her her life!
So he secretly had someone collect the broken cup and bury it under the osmanthus tree in the yard, thinking that he would quietly replace it when Han Zhongyu sent it over later.
Then she had the nanny beside her treat Chu Mingzhu's hand injury.
After the glass shards were removed and the wound bandaged, Consort Chu dismissed the servants, leaving only her trusted maid to guard outside the door. She then asked...
"What exactly happened?"
Even if the General's Mansion has fallen on hard times, you're still a second-rank princess. How can you be so impulsive and rash? Don't you have any semblance of a noble lady?
Although Chu Mingzhu was scolded, she knew that she had violated a taboo in the palace, so she did not dare to act aggressively anymore. She just resentfully told Xie Yushu about the grudge between them!
Of course, there's also the matter of Old Mrs. Xiao and Xiao Yan coming to her to save Xiao Yuanhang!
Consort Chu felt her vision blurring upon hearing this. When she learned that Old Madam Xiao and Xiao Yan were still living in the Marquis of Anle's residence, and that Chu Mingzhu was treating them like her own mother-in-law and sister-in-law, she slammed her hand on the table in anger, sending pine nuts flying all over the floor.
"You're confused!"
Consort Chu was truly enraged; her lips trembled with anger, and for a moment she didn't know where to begin her tirade.
It took him a while to regain his composure, and he scolded her with exasperation.
"Do you even know you're a young lady? Why are you rushing to send something to the Xiao family like that! You're lowering yourself!"
The Xiao family survived two years of severe drought, but they were just one hundred or two hundred taels of silver short of starving to death!
Furthermore, the guards your father left you were meant to protect you and Jinyu, yet you ordered them to kill a village girl.
Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut!
It's fine if they go! The first people they sent didn't come back, so why didn't they investigate before sending more people, resulting in another batch being lost!
Four veterans from the battlefield went to kill a village girl and never returned. Don't you think something is wrong with what's happening here?
Do you even have a brain?
Even if she hadn't been divorced by Old Madam Xiao, you are a princess, and even if she had the good fortune to become a village lady, her rank would still be below yours, and she would have to obey you obediently. In the end, you would still be the wife and she the concubine!
"She's just a concubine. Once she's in the inner quarters, she's at your mercy."
Consort Chu, a master of palace intrigue, was so angry at Chu Mingzhu's series of outrageous actions that her head was throbbing with pain!
Chu Mingzhu, of course, belatedly realized that she had lost both her wife and her money. She was scolded by Consort Chu, but only dared to cry and remained silent. Finally, she asked a question...
"What about Xiao Yuanhang's matter? That old woman and her divorced daughter are still waiting in the mansion!"
That's why I came to you – I was also unsure of what to do!
Xiao Yuanhang was reportedly in a fight with a classmate and was imprisoned.
Xiao Yan was divorced by her husband's family and came here asking me to find her a son of an official!
Saving Xiao Yuanhang is one thing, but how could they even bring themselves to talk about Xiao Yan!
"A divorced woman, instead of being sent to the family temple, is brought to the capital to be humiliated, and yet she still dreams of finding a son of an official? I wouldn't even dare to think that!"
"How dare you say that! If you hadn't lowered yourself and gone to such lengths to curry favor with the Xiao family, would this have happened!"
Xiao Yi was personally trained by my father, who has shown him great favor. Even if you do nothing, when he returns, I will mention your matter to the Emperor. For the sake of his reputation, Xiao Yi will have to marry you. What's the rush?
When Chu Mingzhu heard Consort Chu say that she was anxious, she was both ashamed and angry, and spoke without thinking.
How can I not be anxious!
Since I came back, the daughters of officials who used to be on good terms with me are now avoiding me like the plague. The women in the family don't see me as they used to. They all look down on me because I went to the Imperial Laundry. Can I say that I didn't go and that Qiao'er went in my place?
And why do you blame me entirely?
Back then, my father told Xiao Yi that he wanted me to marry him, but you always blocked the way, saying that Xiao Yi had no connections and that you should find me a son from a prestigious family.
"If you're so capable, then you go find me one. You think you can be so high and mighty just because you're a favored concubine, and I deserve to be your pawn..."
When Chu Mingzhu got angry, she disregarded rules and regulations and said whatever came to mind. Seeing that she was becoming increasingly absurd, Consort Chu slapped her across the face.
"Shut up! Don't you know where you are? Do you want to die?"
"Waaaaah..."
Chu Mingzhu had never been slapped before, and after a moment of shock, she burst into tears.
Consort Chu sat down, rubbing her forehead, and after catching her breath, she secretly thought of a solution. Although Chu Mingzhu was disappointing, she was still her only sister and she couldn't just abandon her.
This was the first time the two sisters had argued so fiercely; one cried, the other remained silent. After a while, Consort Chu, seeing that Chu Mingzhu's crying had subsided, finally spoke up.
"Alright, that's enough. Your eyes are all swollen from crying. How are you going to get out of this room later?"
A while ago, I heard that they had won a battle in the Northwest. Although the harem was not allowed to get involved in the specifics, the Emperor was in a very good mood during that time. Xiao Yi must have made a contribution, and I estimate that Xiao Yi will be recalled soon.
Since Grandma Xiao and Xiao Yan are here, please treat them like guests!
First, calm the two of them down.
Regarding Xiao Yuanhang's matter, don't just listen to Old Madam Xiao's side of the story. Send someone over to see what's going on first. Don't interfere directly. If it's really just a fight with a classmate, then give some money to get him out. If it's something else, come back and report to me first.
As for Xiao Yan, keep her in the manor and keep an eye on her; don't let her ruin your reputation.
If you arrange a marriage for a divorced woman, wouldn't that make an enemy of her? When Xiao Yi comes back, you can say that you don't dare to make the decision on your own and let Xiao Yi handle it. That way, you won't offend either of them.
Our family isn't what it used to be; we can't withstand any more storms now. You and I both need to be patient. When your nephew becomes successful, you'll have your day to hold your head high!
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