Chapter 16

Lady Pei, with a green face, sent the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law away. Turning back, she picked up the feather duster from the vase and went towards her grandson.

Her grandson was her own grandson, but she wasn’t just limited to this one grandson!

In terms of status, Lady Liang was the Grand Lady of Duke of Yue and Lady Pei was the Duke of Zheng. However, that was because the Duke of Yue’s title changed hands quickly, not because the Duke of Yue’s family lineage was higher. In reality, Lady Liang was actually Lady Pei’s junior.

The former was in her early thirties, while the latter was nearing sixty. They were two generations apart!

And Qiao Ling, needless to say, was Lady Pei’s granddaughter-in-law in terms of age!

Imagine Lady Pei, as the mother of the Consort, even the Empress Dowager showed her some courtesy. Now, she was confronted at her doorstep by two juniors who stripped her of her dignity and left. What a humiliation!

“Tell me, what happened?!”

Chen Xu, escaping from the near-death terror he had experienced, felt the dampness beneath him and was replaced by anger and shame.

He insisted on his previous explanation, “Grandmother, I really didn’t mean to!”

Lady Pei was furious, her feather duster about to strike, but she glanced at the puddle on the ground and held back, not getting too close, “While I’m still willing to listen, you better tell me the truth!”

Chen Xu knew his grandmother’s temperament. If he angered her, she might really have him dragged out and punished. With no choice, he finally confessed, “It was my cousin who asked me to help…”

It all came back to the Prince of Lu.

Lady Pei knew the knot in the heart of the Consort in the palace.

And Lady Pei also knew the resentment in the heart of the Prince of Lu outside the palace.

Combining the information revealed in the words of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law from the Duke of Yue’s mansion today, Lady Pei quickly understood and felt powerless. Her arm involuntarily dropped.

But soon, she regained her composure, “Someone, lock this wretch in the ancestral hall and make him kneel there to reflect on his mistakes!”

Pausing for a moment, she continued, “The servants who followed him are also foolish. Drag them all out and beat them!”

Perhaps because they had just shared a common enemy, the atmosphere on the way back was much more relaxed than when they came.

Zhang Yuying still kept her head bowed respectfully, looking at her nose and her nose at her heart.

But Qiao Ling kept glancing at Lady Liang every few moments.

Finally, she made Lady Liang angry, “What are you looking at me for? Are you trying to show off to me and wait for me to praise you?”

She couldn’t help but say, “Didn’t you two troublemakers cause this whole thing?!”

Qiao Ling immediately said, “I’m sorry, Mother-in-law, it’s my fault.”

Seeing this, Lady Liang couldn’t help but snort, “It’s not your fault. Is it my fault? You played the hero-saving-the-damsel-in-distress act, and everyone thinks you’re brave and righteous. But in the end, it’s us, mother and son, who have to bear the consequences. Aren’t we wronged?!”

Qiao Ling immediately said again, “You’re right, it’s my fault, Mother-in-law.”

Lady Liang continued, “Yes, the Prince of Lu is a bastard. He only uses these underhanded tactics. These things happened, the blame lies with him, not with you. But our mother and son have suffered this unwarranted disaster. Do we have to be saints and consider your two troublemakers and put our own reputation and safety aside?!”

Qiao Ling said meekly, “Mother-in-law, you’re right. It’s all my fault. I caused trouble and implicated you and my younger brother. Please scold me some more. This time, I won’t talk back to you.”

Lady Liang didn’t feel happy, but instead, she became even more annoyed. She pointed at her and said, “Don’t act like this! If others see you, they’ll think I’m bullying you!”

“If the Old Lady knew, she would surely spread it far and wide, letting everyone in the God know that I, this fierce and domineering mother-in-law, is bullying my daughter-in-law?!”

“What, are you going to speak? Are you mute now? You were so eloquent before. Speak!”

Qiao Ling said sincerely, “Mother-in-law, I’m truly sorry. I didn’t expect this to involve my younger brother. He’s your only child, you can’t be too careful with him. Don’t worry, I caused this, and I’m already thinking of ways to solve it. I understand your anger. I deserve it. Please scold me some more…”

If she really fought back, Lady Liang would fight with the Old Lady, even if it meant breaking off relations.

But seeing her cowering and accepting the mockery, Lady Liang lost the desire to argue.

Finally, she waved her hand in annoyance and sneered, “Get away from me! If you hadn’t been lucky enough to have a compatible birth chart with the Duke, you, a cunning woman from a poor family, would even be able to speak to me? Huh, you’re not worthy!”

Qiao Ling: “…”

Qiao Ling sniffed and choked back a sob, “Mother-in-law, don’t be so harsh…”

Lady Liang: “…”

Qiao Ling continued to sob, “You’re making me a little sad.”

Lady Liang said impatiently, “Good, you should be sad!”

Qiao Ling silently lowered her head.

Lady Liang continued to berate her, “Speak! Why aren’t you speaking? You’re so eloquent, aren’t you? You shouldn’t be called Qiao Ling, you should be called Qiao Batian!”

Qiao Ling: “Okay, Liang Batian.”

Lady Liang was speechless and glared at her.

Qiao Ling was startled and quickly covered her mouth, “Sorry, Mother-in-law, I was just thinking that!”

Lady Liang: “Qiao Batian, shut your mouth!”

Seeing her about to speak again, Lady Liang immediately said, “Alright, shut up! Shut your mouth!!!”

So, Qiao Ling silently hung her head in dejection.

After a while, Lady Liang took the initiative to speak, “You’ve learned swordsmanship? I saw those moves you did earlier, you seem to have some skills.”

Qiao Ling said cautiously, “Mother-in-law, don’t look at my swordsmanship as ordinary. But the master who taught me swordsmanship is quite amazing…”

Lady Liang started to get annoyed again, “You never tell the truth. With your background, how could you have a great master! Alright, shut up!”

So, Qiao Ling lowered her head again, dejectedly.

When they reached their destination, Lady Liang walked out of the carriage without looking sideways, her noble and cold demeanor as she went towards her courtyard.

Zhang Yuying said cautiously, “Lady, shall we go back too?”

Qiao Ling nodded dejectedly, “Okay.”

Suddenly remembering something, she said, “Prepare pen and ink for me, and find some stationery.”

Zhang Yuying understood, “Are you going to write a letter to your family, Lady? I didn’t dare say it before, but you should have written long ago.”

Qiao Ling hummed in agreement.

Zhang Yuying quickly prepared stationery and envelopes and asked her, “Lady, do you prefer a hard brush or a soft brush?”

Qiao Ling said, “Soft brush.”

Zhang Yuying then found a few rat whisker brushes for her and rolled up her sleeves to grind ink for her.

Qiao Ling used a paperweight to hold down one end of the stationery, dipped her brush in ink, pondered for a moment, and finally began to write.

“I’ve arrived in the God of God.”

“Everything here is good.”

“Yuying is good, the people in the Duke of Yue’s mansion are good, and the people I met on the road are all good.”

“Only the King Lu is not good. He keeps causing me trouble.”

“Before I left, you said that you have reliable connections in the God. Please help me find a way to deal with him.”

“Warmest regards to you.”

The final signature was Qiao Ling.

Zhang Yuying stood by the side grinding ink—Heaven as my witness, she really didn’t intend to peek!

It’s just that Qiao Ling was right next to her, and the stationery with a few lines of writing was laid out on the table. Her eyesight was good, and her reading speed was fast. Unintentionally, she glanced at it and took in the contents of the letter.

Zhang Yuying froze in place, speechless.

“Only King Lu is not good, he Keeps causing me trouble.”

“You said you have connections in the God, they are very reliable. “

“Help me find a way to deal with him. “

How could it be, Lady, when you said you were going to solve this with Lady Liang, it wasn’t just a polite remark?!

You really want to deal with him?!

What kind of connections are those, are they really that powerful?!

Zhang Yuying stared dumbfounded as Qiao Ling folded the stationery and put it in the envelope. Then, she removed the lampshade and dripped wax on the seal.

She managed to find her voice, “Lady, the saying goes, ‘Bear with it for a while, and the storm will pass. Take a step back, and the world will be vast…’ “

Qiao Ling looked at her approvingly, “That’s right, people should live more freely, and their hearts should be more open!”

Then, she turned and left.

Zhang Yuying: “…”

Zhang Yuying: “Forget it, let her be.”

She knew her Lady’s background and origins were probably extraordinary, but to say that she could just deal with a prince if she wanted to was too much.

As for the phrase “we have connections in the God, very reliable,” it was probably just bragging from the people she came from, not to be taken seriously.

When they saw the letter, they would just laugh it off.

That’s what Zhang Yuying thought.

Lady Liang returned to her residence and was about to enter when she saw her son, Jiang Yu, peeking out from behind the curtain.

She frowned and, following the principle of equality for all living beings, gave her son a white look, “What are you looking at? Didn’t I tell you not to come out?”

Jiang Yu’s handsome face had a touch of youthful innocence, and he looked behind her, “Where’s my elder sister-in-law?”

Lady Liang said impatiently, “She’s not your elder sister-in-law! They haven’t even gotten married yet!”

Jiang Yu looked at her with a strange expression and said, “But I feel like you don’t hate my elder sister-in-law that much, Mother!”

Lady Liang rolled her eyes again, “I told you, she’s not your elder sister-in-law yet!”

Jiang Yu’s matter couldn’t be hidden from the Old Lady.

After learning about it, she couldn’t help but frown. After a moment, she relaxed and went to the government office to find the Duke of Zheng.

The current Duke of Zheng was the father of the Consort in the palace, and thus the grandfather of the Prince of Lu. He was younger than the Old Lady.

The two families were not close but had a long-standing friendship. They were also colleagues, so when they met, the Duke of Zheng couldn’t help but bow first, “Lord Gan…”

The Old Lady smiled and returned the greeting, but she asked, “If Cheng Lingjun knew that your son deeply resented you, what would you do?”

This was a rather abrupt question.

The Duke of Zheng was taken aback, “This…”

He stroked his beard, and after a moment, he gave an answer, “I would probably first think about the reason. ‘If you don’t teach, it’s the father’s fault.’ Perhaps there is something wrong with me as a father?”

The Old Lady asked again, “If Cheng Lingjun knew that there was a servant beside your son who deeply resented you?”

The Duke of Zheng didn’t speak. He even looked a little disdainful.

Almost the moment the Old Lady asked the question, he had the answer in his heart.

But he would never say it openly.

How could a servant compare to a son?

His son was his own flesh and blood. Even if he held resentment towards his father, he could only hold his nose and accept it.

But what was a servant like that? A mere household servant, daring to harbor resentment towards his master?

Such a ungrateful wretch should be directly killed to eliminate the threat!

That’s what he thought in his heart, but he still said politely, “Naturally, I would do the same.”

The Old Lady laughed and bowed to him again before turning and leaving.

She came suddenly and left just as suddenly. Especially the words she spoke were particularly abrupt.

The Duke of Zheng stood still, squinting his eyes, lost in thought.

When he returned home from work, he asked his wife, “Did anything happen at home?”

Lady Pei had sent away the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law who were like a pair of jinxes. She was fuming with anger inside. First, she sent her grandson, Chen Xu, to kneel in the ancestral hall, and then she had the servants around him dragged out and beaten.

Now that her husband asked, she finally had a chance to vent. She didn’t exaggerate, but told him everything that happened today.

The Duke of Zheng immediately understood the Old Lady’s meaning.

The Prince of Lu could resent the emperor for not placing high hopes on him, and he could be an arrogant and domineering prince.

He was his biological son. As long as he didn’t rebel or kill his father, the emperor would be lenient towards him. In the future, the new emperor would also be lenient towards him to show his benevolence.

But for the Emperor, the Duke of Zheng family was his subject. Thunder and rain, all were the emperor’s grace. How dare you follow the Prince of Lu and let him run wild?!

The Emperor didn’t have the thought, “I let the Duke Mansion daughter enter the palace but didn’t give her the position of empress. I’m so sorry to the Duke Mansion family.”

The Duke of Zheng Mansion family harbored resentment, and he would only think, “Who do you think you are? You want to hold me down and make me establish the future heir you want? You deserve to die!”

The Duke of Zheng sat in the hall. Outside, it was early summer, but he felt like he was in an ice cave.

After a long time, he asked his wife, “It was Xu Ge’ er who caused the trouble. He wanted to do this, could his servants stop him? Why did you make Xu Ge’ er kneel in the ancestral hall but beat those servants instead?”

Lady Pei looked at him in surprise, not understanding why her husband would say that.

She was displeased, “Xu Ge’ er is still a child. What does he know? It must be the servants around him who weren’t careful and didn’t take good care of him, so this happened!”

The Duke of Zheng stared at his wife for a while, then his stiff back relaxed, and he suddenly laughed, “It’s really perfect, hahahahahaha..”

Lady Pei didn’t understand, and even became a little angry, “What’s so funny?!”

The Duke of Zheng had already stopped smiling. He said sternly, “Drag that little bastard out and beat him. Give him twenty lashes to teach him a lesson!”

Lady Pei was anxious, “Twenty lashes? How will Xu Ge’ er go to the Imperial College?!”

The Duke of Zheng immediately said, “Send someone to the Imperial College to ask for leave. Just say that he can’t go because of today’s incident.”

Then, he called over a trusted servant, “Prepare generous gifts and go to the Duke of Yue’s mansion.”

The trusted servant was present when the Old Lady spoke to the Duke of Zheng today, so he naturally understood his master’s meaning, “Should we also send a gift to the Old Lady?”

The Duke of Zheng shook his head gently, “No need to create unnecessary trouble.”

The Old Lady returned to her mansion and saw Fang Yi, smiling brightly, like a happy bird, rushing forward, “Old Lady! Guess what happened just now!”

The Old Lady looked at her with a smile, “Could it be that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have made up?”

“How did you know?”

Fang Yi was extremely surprised, but soon she said matter-of-factly, “You are so wise, it’s not strange that you know.”

As she helped the Old Lady take off her outer robe, she told her about the incident at the mansion today, “When Madam and Miss Qiao left together earlier, I was still worried. I was relieved to know that they came back safely. But who would have thought that, not long after, Madam sent a lot of things over. It seems like they have forgiven each other!”

The Old Lady laughed as she listened to her speak in such a crisp and lively voice, “I really enjoy talking to you young people. It makes me feel energetic!”

Fang Yi was flattered, “As long as you don’t find me annoying.”

She continued, “Miss Qiao just went out. She must be going to choose a decent gift for Madam!”

Qiao Ling entered the jewelry shop, hoping to find something decent that wouldn’t be too disliked by Lady Liang.

Zhang Yuying could only sigh inwardly. With Lady’s meager savings, wanting to choose something that Lady Liang would like… it would be better to buy a pair of good socks…

Qiao Ling went into the shop, and Zhang Yuying led Jinzi and waited outside.

Next to the jewelry shop was a teahouse. The storyteller had just left, and the customers in the teahouse were spitting out their opinions about what they had just heard.

“I heard that in the past, the Emperor could have three thousand concubines!”

“Three thousand? It would take ten years to sleep with one each night!”

“After all, the Emperor is the Son of Heaven. How can he be like us ordinary people?”

Someone asked in a low voice, unable to suppress their curiosity, “Do you think there are that many women in the Emperor’s palace today?!”

No one could say.

They just guessed, “There must be at least a thousand!”

Everyone was amazed.

Only the young man sitting at the very edge snorted disdainfully, “A thousand? Then he really has a thousand arms to hold a thousand pillows!”

Everyone: “…”

Zhang Yuying: “…”

The once lively teahouse was instantly deserted.

Zhang Yuying couldn’t help but pull Jinzi away from him.

The young man was completely unaware of how disrespectful his words were. He even found it strange that everyone left the teahouse so quickly.

Then he saw Zhang Yuying and his eyes lit up, “Sister, I greet you!”

Zhang Yuying looked around, making sure no one was paying attention, so that she wouldn’t seem connected to him. Then, she reluctantly returned the greeting.

The young man walked closer.

Zhang Yuying was surprised to find that he was a very handsome man.

He had already started talking, “My name is Gongsun Yan. I’ve come to the Divine Divine Capital  to visit my relatives. I wonder what your name is, sister, and where is your home?”

Seeing him about to pester her, Zhang Yuying quickly pulled Jinzi away.

Visiting relatives…

She wondered which family he was going to visit.

She thought, “Poor thing.”

With such a shameless relative, how could he avoid being wiped out…