Chapter 15

The Lady Liang’s entourage left the house in a grand and hurried manner, heading straight for the Duke An’s mansion.

She calculated the time, waited for about a quarter of an hour, and then left, ensuring that the news of the Second Young Master of the Duke Yue’s sudden illness would reach the Duke Zheng’s mansion, but not before the Duke Zheng’s mansion had time to send someone to inquire.

This was the first time Qiao Ling had been so close to Lady Liang since arriving at the Duke Yue’s mansion. She never imagined that they would be in this situation together.

There were only three people in the carriage: Qiao Ling, Zhang Yuying, and Lady Liang.

Zhang Yuying kept her eyes fixed on her nose, remaining silent.

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

After a long time, Qiao Ling broke the silence. “My aunt mentioned in the booklet she gave me that the Duke Zheng’s mansion is the maternal family of the Imperial Concubine, and that the Prince Lu is the Imperial Concubine’s only son. Therefore, according to etiquette, the Duke Zheng’s mansion is actually the Prince Lu’s maternal family.”

She then asked, “When I first met the old matriarch, I heard her say, ‘If the Emperor had any intention of making him the heir, the Imperial Concubine wouldn’t be just a concubine. He himself must know this, which is why he’s so reckless.’ What did she mean by that?”

Zhang Yuying carefully observed Lady Liang’s expression, unsure whether she should speak.

Lady Liang didn’t think much of it. She was currently feeling annoyed with the Prince Lu and the Imperial Concubine.

She snorted and said, “Do you know which family the current Empress comes from?”

Qiao Ling replied, “The Duke Dingguo Zhu’s family.”

Lady Liang nodded, seemingly satisfied. “You should know that when the current Emperor established his dynasty, he appointed nine Dukes, twelve Marquises, and several Earls, granting them hereditary titles. At the same time, he established a system for evaluating these titles. If a family is not capable of fulfilling the responsibilities associated with their title, it can be revoked.”

“Traditionally, the Empress has always been chosen from among the noble families, with the daughters of the Duke families making up the majority. However, three of the nine Duke families do not participate in the selection of the Empress, which further reduces the number of candidates…”

Qiao Ling asked, “Mother-in-law, why don’t those three families participate?”

Lady Liang patiently explained, “It is said that the first Emperor formed a sworn brotherhood with the ancestors of those three Duke families. Perhaps out of consideration for this, the three families seem to have reached an agreement with the royal family, and their daughters never participate in the selection of the Empress.”

“Huh?” Qiao Ling was puzzled. “If they were sworn brothers, it shouldn’t be a big deal, right? Some families even like to marry within their own circle!”

Lady Liang glared at her. “Why are you meddling in this? Why don’t you go and persuade the Emperor and the three Dukes to change their minds!”

Qiao Ling’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, Mother-in-law, you’re angry, which means you don’t know either!”

Lady Liang glared at her with fury.

Qiao Ling, like a rabbit with its ears twisted, immediately became submissive, lowering her head and saying, “Mother-in-law, please continue.”

Lady Liang then continued, “Only six Duke families participate in the selection, and most of them are not large families. Therefore, by the time the selection is narrowed down, there are only one or two candidates who are of the right age. The current Empress, Lady Zhu, comes from the Dingguo family. She is truly a rare beauty in the world. Nowadays, those ordinary women…”

She glanced at Zhang Yuying with disdain and said, “They wouldn’t even be worthy to carry Empress Zhu’s shoes!”

Seeing that neither of them said anything, Lady Liang lost interest in teasing them. She sighed and said, “Empress Zhu entered the palace a few years ago and finally became pregnant. However, fate was not on her side. She died in childbirth, and the imperial heir was not saved.”

“At that time, the Emperor was still young, and the court was urging him to establish a new Empress. However, the Emperor was deeply in love with the late Empress and said he would follow the ancient practice of leaving the position of Empress vacant for three years. He chose the daughter of the Duke Zheng to enter the palace as Imperial Concubine, but he did not make her Empress.”

“The Duke Zheng’s family was also one of the six Duke families. The Imperial Concubine was the eldest daughter of the family. In terms of lineage and appearance, she was actually qualified to be Empress. At that time, almost everyone thought that she would become Empress after the three-year period was over. However, no one expected…”

Qiao Ling couldn’t help but finish her sentence, “She didn’t become Empress.”

Lady Liang shrugged. “The Emperor didn’t lie to them. He just said he would leave the position of Empress vacant for three years. He didn’t say that he would definitely establish a new Empress after three years, nor did he say that he would definitely make Lady Chen the Empress.”

“However, the Chen family was truly heartbroken.”

Lady Liang felt a little bit of schadenfreude because of this recent conflict. “If the Imperial Concubine had never held the position of Empress, it would have been fine. After all, there was no Empress in the palace. Since the Imperial Concubine entered the palace, she has been acting as Empress. But the Imperial Concubine has a son.”

“When the King Lu was still in the Imperial Concubine’s womb, the Duke Zheng’s family went crazy with worry. Our dynasty has always advocated for establishing the heir through the legitimate line. The ‘legitimate’ refers to whether the child is a princess or a prince, but the ‘eldest’ refers to the eldest child born to the Empress. It doesn’t matter if it’s a princess or a prince.”

“If the Imperial Concubine had been made Empress before the child was born, even if she had given birth to a princess, the Duke Zheng’s family would have spared no effort to support her as the heir apparent. However, if she had not been able to ascend to the throne, then the child would be considered illegitimate. According to the order of birth, he would be inferior to his Older sister, not to mention his two Older brothers.”

Qiao Ling understood. “If the Emperor had intended to make the Imperial Concubine’s son the heir, he would have given her the position of Empress while she was pregnant. If he truly valued the Prince Lu after all these years, he would also give the Imperial Concubine the position of Empress. In this way, even if the Prince Lu wasn’t born as a legitimate son, he could be considered a legitimate son after his mother became Empress.”

She suddenly realized, “No wonder the Prince Lu is so crazy!”

Knowing that he would most likely not get that position, he no longer bothered to pretend to be a virtuous gentleman. In this way, when the new Emperor ascended the throne, perhaps he, a notorious prince, would be favored because he posed no threat.

“This damn bastard! This way, there’s nothing we can do about him?!”

Qiao Ling couldn’t help but curse, causing Lady Liang and Zhang Yuying to look at her in shock.

Then Qiao Ling said in a very domineering and powerful tone, “I’ll find someone to deal with him!”

Lady Liang: “…”

Zhang Yuying: “…”

Lady Liang said, “Why don’t you just stab him to death when you see him next time?”

Qiao Ling puffed out her chest and said, “Mother-in-law, do you think I wouldn’t dare?”

Lady Liang saw that she was serious, as if she really thought she could do it. She was stunned. “He’s a prince…”

Qiao Ling angrily said, “A prince shouldn’t be such a bastard! I haven’t done anything to him, right? How has he been targeting me?!”

“I. Have. Not. Done. Anything. To. Him.”

Lady Liang said, “Didn’t you take in Zhang Yuying?”

Qiao Ling said seriously, “But Yuying wasn’t his to begin with!”

Lady Liang was speechless.

Then Qiao Ling added, “She’s mine, hehe!”

Zhang Yuying looked at her with a smile in her eyes, her gaze full of tenderness.

Finally, Lady Liang said weakly, “He is the Emperor’s son after all…”

Qiao Ling said, “The Emperor is no good either, raising such a son! If he were as much of a bastard as the King Lu, I would find someone to deal with him too! Ugh ugh ugh!”

Lady Liang and Zhang Yuying covered her mouth, one on each side, their faces filled with fear and anxiety. “Shut up, you crazy woman!”

Do you know what you’re saying?!

At that moment, the carriage stopped.

Lady Liang knew they had arrived. She glared at Qiao Ling, let go of her, then slightly disheveled her hair, rubbed her eyes, and asked Qiao Ling to help her out of the carriage.

Chen Xu didn’t tell his family about the conflict he had with the young master of the Duke Yue’s mansion, Jiang Yu.

Because in his mind, it wasn’t a big deal at all.

If Jiang Yu had been injured, then it would be worth mentioning. But it was just a servant, what was there to talk about?

“At worst, he’ll just have to compensate Jiang Yu with a few things!”

“If even then, Jiang Yu refuses to let it go, then he’s just being unreasonable.”

After returning from the Imperial College, Chen Xu went to greet his elders at home and then went back to his own room. The rest of the Duke Zheng Mansion had no idea what he had done outside.

When Lady Liang and Qiao Ling arrived at the mansion with a fierce expression, Lady Pei, the wife of Duke Zheng, was puzzled. They had not sent a notice beforehand, so why were they visiting so abruptly?

The maidservants hurriedly helped her change into her receiving clothes and said, “It seems like they’re not here for a friendly visit!”

Lady Pei started to wonder, “Who has upset her?”

After quickly getting ready, she went out with a smile, “Lady Jiang…”

Lady Liang didn’t bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point, her expression sharp, “Where’s Chen Xu? Bring him here immediately! You, the Chen family, are so calm after hurting my son like this?!”

Lady Pei was stunned after hearing this, her expression immediately turning serious, “What are you talking about?”

Lady Liang said coldly, “Just call him over, and you’ll see.”

Lady Pei had interacted with Lady Liang before and knew her temperament. Seeing this, she felt puzzled but smiled and comforted her, “Lady Jiang, please sit down. I’ll send someone to call him over. If this boy has caused trouble outside, I’ll immediately make him apologize to you and kowtow…”

After saying this, she quietly instructed the servants to find Chen Xu.

She stayed to entertain the guests.

Her gaze swept over the exceptionally beautiful girl, but she didn’t linger.

Then, Lady Pei gestured to Qiao Ling, “I presume this young lady is the future wife of the Duke of Yue?”

As she said this, she felt a little strange. Didn’t they say that Lady Liang and her daughter-in-law didn’t get along? Why were they visiting together today?

Lady Liang slightly tilted her head, and Qiao Ling politely bowed to Lady Pei.

The latter stood up, took her hand, and examined her carefully, smiling as she took off the bracelet on her wrist, “What a gentle and amiable young lady! You two arrived so suddenly, I didn’t have time to prepare any gifts. I’m just giving you this to make do, don’t be offended.”

Zhang Yuying glanced at Lady Liang subtly and saw her cheek muscles twitch briefly due to anger.

Qiao Ling also understood that Lady Pei’s words were veiled barbs, but she didn’t play that ambiguous game. Her style was to make sure that if she wasn’t embarrassed, then the one who would be embarrassed was you.

As she put the bracelet on her wrist, she looked up and asked innocently, “Lady, are you intentionally trying to make me feel awkward with my mother-in-law?”

Lady Pei: “…”

Lady Pei raised her eyebrows in surprise, “Miss Qiao, why would you think that?”

Qiao Ling immediately sighed in relief, “You scared me! I thought you were like those gossiping and instigating women who actually believe there’s something unpleasant between me and my mother-in-law!”

Lady Pei: “…”

Lady Pei’s expression paused for a moment before she smiled again, “I’ve also heard those rumors outside, Miss Qiao. Rest assured, such things will naturally stop with the wise.”

But Qiao Ling snorted coldly, “Who doesn’t know that those rumors were spread by His Highness the Prince of Lu to slander me and my mother-in-law? Only those gullible fools would believe them!”

Lady Pei: “…”

Lady Pei pretended to be shocked, “What, so this actually has something to do with His Highness the Prince of Lu?!”

Qiao Ling was even more surprised, “How come you don’t know that His Highness the Prince of Lu deeply hates me for taking in Miss. Zhang and wants to get rid of me? He’s always been petty!”

Lady Pei: “…”

Lady Pei forced a look of shock, “When did His Highness the Prince of Lu become involved with Miss. Zhang?”

Qiao Ling immediately pulled Zhang Yuying forward, “Recite that poem you wrote praising His Highness the Prince of Lu to Lady Pei!”

Lady Pei: “…”

Qiao Ling continued, “Lady, I didn’t mean to question your character because the Prince of Lu is your grandson!”

Lady Pei: “…”

Lady Liang watched coldly as Qiao Ling effortlessly turned the tables on Lady Pei. She felt a strange sense of schadenfreude.

Cunning people are indeed treasures misplaced!

Zhang Yuying recited the poem with proper intonation and rhythm. Halfway through, Lady Pei’s face started to turn green. Thankfully, the servant had brought Chen Xu, finally rescuing her from that awkward situation.

Faced with Lady Liang’s accusations, Chen Xu refused to take responsibility, “I just hit a servant, what does it have to do with Jiang Yu? Besides, if the servant hadn’t bumped into me and broken my jade pendant, why would I have hit him?!”

Lady Liang seemed speechless.

Qiao Ling looked indignation, “The servant accidentally broke your thing, you can ask your younger brother to compensate you. But when your younger brother apologized to you and expressed his willingness to compensate you, even asking you to stop, you ignored him and beat his servant in front of him. What was your intention?!”

Chen Xu said with a sense of entitlement, “I was furious at the time. That jade pendant was very precious to me. A slave broke it, how could I not be angry?”

Then, he changed his previous nonchalant attitude and looked apologetic, “But I didn’t expect that it would scare Jiang Yu sick. It’s really… I’ll compensate him with a few more clever servants, aaaaaahhhh—”

Before he could finish the last word, Qiao Ling drew a knife from the waist of the accompanying servant behind her and swung it towards his head!

The blade cut through the invisible air, making a heart-stopping sound, carrying a fierce killing intent, directly aimed at Chen Xu.

Everyone was shocked.

Chen Xu screamed and stumbled backward, taking a few steps before bumping into the table. His legs gave way, and he fell to the ground.

Everyone heard a loud “Bang,” and when they came to their senses, the knife was less than an inch away from Chen Xu’s head, firmly lodged in his hair.

With a bone-chilling sound of wood splitting, the rosewood table behind him shattered into pieces.

Lady Pei was stunned.

Chen Xu’s face was pale, his legs trembled, and he even wet his pants in fear.

A stream of urine flowed from between his legs, slowly spreading out.

Qiao Ling calmly retrieved the knife, returning it to the servant’s waist. Then, she proudly reported to Lady Liang, “Mother-in-law, I scared him off!”

Lady Liang glanced at her, her face stern, and simply grunted, “Hmm.”

Lady Pei finally came to her senses. Looking at the shattered table and then at her grandson who seemed to have lost his soul, her face turned green, “You!”

Qiao Ling, mimicking Chen Xu’s previous manner, said boldly, “He scared my younger brother first!”

Lady Pei was furious, “You’re just…”

Qiao Ling continued to be bold, “Why are you glaring at me? At worst, we’ll just pay you for a few tables. My mother-in-law is incredibly wealthy!”

Lady Pei was enraged, “You…”

Seeing this, Lady Liang, on the other hand, remained calm. She first glared at Qiao Ling, “Why are you so disrespectful? Go back!”

Then, she said to Lady Pei, “Children are bound to be mischievous. We, as elders, will go back and teach her properly. It’s alright.”

Qiao Ling obediently returned to her original position.

Then, Lady Liang sighed, her voice troubled and melancholic, “Lady Pei, I’ll scold her severely when we get back. Don’t be angry. It’s just that I have my own difficulties.”

Lady Pei, panting heavily, said expressionlessly, “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Lady Liang said sincerely, “You know, the Duke is not my biological son. This so-called daughter-in-law is naturally distant, and it’s difficult to discipline her many times.”

She was distressed, every word she spoke came from the heart, “Especially, you should know that she’s a poor girl from the countryside. She clearly hasn’t read many books and doesn’t understand what it means to be virtuous. To be honest, her temperament is quite arrogant, and her words are quite sharp. She’s not easy to deal with…”

Lady Pei: “…”

Qiao Ling: “…”

Even Zhang Yuying couldn’t help but scratch her face.

Qiao Ling passed behind Lady Liang, her figure flickering, and whispered through gritted teeth, “Mother-in-law, don’t take advantage of the situation to sneak in your own agenda…”