Chapter 176 – The Meeting of the Sister-in-Laws

This nephew died unexpectedly, and everything seemed so coincidental, but Cui Xingzhou felt that it was too coincidental.

It’s better to say that the nephew was killed than to say that he had bad luck.

If the inference was correct, Aunt Lian was just a fool who had been exploited.

Besides, Aunt Lian was detained in the royal residence, so the Lian family naturally wanted to come out and find her. When Lian Hanshan came to inquire whether the prince had ever seen Lian-Chu, Cui Xingzhou did not conceal it and directly stated the activities she committed.

Lian Hanshan’s face changed greatly upon hearing this, but he said, “She… Even if she had such courage, she wouldn’t dare to commit such a conspiracy against her sister! She… She is being used! Your Highness, for the sake that she is your aunt, let her go back to the mansion first.”

But Cui Xingzhou also said with a gloomy expression, “She has come to my house several times for selfish reasons to stir up trouble. If it weren’t for her pleading with my mother about your nephew this time, my mother wouldn’t have been poisoned and almost died. Although she is my aunt, she has no seniority. I can never lose my only mother because of this aunt… If you can’t uphold the family tradition, then don’t blame me for not giving you face even though I am a younger generation!”

Lian Hanshan understood the meaning of Cui Xingzhou’s words and would never allow Aunt Lian to appear in front of his mother again in the future. If Lian-Chu was transferred to the government for public prosecution, then she would bear the reputation of killing people, and by then he and her children would be ruined!

Although Lian Hanshan was usually controlled by Lian-Chu and appeared somewhat weak, he was the head of the Lian family. At present, he gritted his teeth and promised Prince Huaiyang that he would use the excuse of Lian-Chu being seriously ill and send her back to her hometown’s estate, only letting the servants watch over her and never returning to the State of Zhen again.

Upon hearing this, Cui Xingzhou’s eyebrows remained motionless, and said, “If you could manage your wife well, that would be great. If she continues to bring rumors to my house in the future, don’t blame me for being cruel and not recognizing relatives.”

Lian Hanshan’s face turned pale upon hearing this, and he only stood up and ordered someone to twist Lian-Chu, block her mouth, and hurriedly pick her up in the carriage.

That night, the carriage headed straight to the riverbank and was delivered all the way to the village estate.

The manor was also in disrepair for a long time. After being thrown into a dilapidated hut, Lian-Chu was taken care of by two sturdy rural women. Lian-Chu knew that her husband had placed her here. When she was released, she took off the rags in her mouth and began to curse Lian Hanshan for having no conscience and colluding with Cui Xingzhou.

The two women were carefully instructed by the master, and when they saw Lian-Chu scolding fiercely, they went in, grabbed her hair, and slapped her ears.

Lian-Chu was beaten by a bear-like woman, and for a moment, she cried to the point of breaking her throat. However, her husband had already hardened his heart and wanted to maintain the reputation of the family. He intended her to die old in this village, which could also be considered as an explanation for the Huaiyang Prince’s Residence.

Speaking of Old Princess Consort Chu, after seeing her health improve, she also knew the process of her poisoning. She spoke in the same way as Lian Hanshan, saying, “Your aunt, who was a coward person, how can she harm others? I’m afraid she was used by others. How can you send her to such a dilapidated place? Even a good person can also be tortured badly.”

The scene where she said this was when Liu Miantang and Cui Fu were serving the soup.

Cui Fu knew her mother’s weakness, so she didn’t answer and only pretended not to hear. However, Liu Miantang remained indifferent and said, “Since that’s the case, then Old Princess Consort should choose all the birthday materials all at once. Otherwise, the Prince will go to the capital in two days. If he has any incident, there will be no one in the family to make the decision.”

Although Old Princess Consort Chu was easy to talk with, she was still the Old Princess Consort of the royal residence. How could she be used to hearing people talking to her so rudely? Even if she heard that Miantang had lost her memory and forgot about her marriage, she was so angry that she pounded the bed and said, “What are you talking about? Are you expecting me to die, so that you can become the true hostess of the residence?”

Liu Miantang also slammed the bowl heavily and said, “That’s why the dog aunt made you sick. Your Highness came back all day and night and saved your life. But you don’t even try to ask what important things your son delayed for you but first inquire about the living conditions of that dog aunt. Your Highness is very filial. He knows that if he turns his aunt over to the government, the world will say that the Old Princess Consort treats her sister indifferently, so he deals with it according to family rules. But if you are soft-hearted, I think you should prepare all your birthday materials as soon as possible, and follow the wishes of the traitor.”

The Old Princess Consort was scolded for a moment and lost her composure. Her half-open mouth couldn’t close for a long time, and she couldn’t believe it and looked at her daughter.

Cui Fu has always defended her. If she had heard Miantang dare to contradict her mother like this before, she would have glared at her and taught her a lesson.

But today, she doesn’t know if Cui Fu’s ears are blocked. She didn’t look up. She was all focused on blowing the hot soup in her hand as if she was about to blow it until the end of time.

Old Princess Consort Chu knew that Liu Miantang was always sharp, but her daughter-in-law used to pretend and still looked gentle and submissive in front of her. She had never spoken so harshly before, which was irresistible!

And… Why didn’t she call herself mother? Does she not recognize her as her mother-in-law anymore?

For a moment, Old Princess Consort Chu was cursed with tears in her eyes, pitifully looking at her daughter-in-law.

After Liu Miantang finished speaking these words, she was prepared to be scolded by the Old Princess Consort for her rebellious behavior.

But she didn’t expect her mother-in-law to look like a little angry woman, silently popping tears.

Now the female bandit leader of the Mountain of Yang has completely lost her temper. She lost her mother at a young age, and the biggest impression she left of her mother was silently holding herself in tears.

Now that Princess Consort Chu remained silent with tears rolling in her eyes, Liu Miantang couldn’t resist it for the first time. She looked at Cui Fu at a loss, hoping for her to mix with the mud.

Although she knew that Cui Fu had moved and changed her sitting position, she continued to blow hot soup without any distractions.

Miantang couldn’t help but soften her tone and say, “You just recovered from your illness. Don’t cry and ruin your body. I’m just saying the truth, not cursing you.”

The Old Princess Consort choked up this time and said, “You… You don’t even call me mother, Do you don’t recognize me anymore… Am I adding a burden to you… Sob sob sob…”

Miantang had no choice but to grit her head and say, “Mother… You’re not unaware that I’ve lost my memory… If there’s something I did that is inappropriate? Just let me know.”

Old Princess Consort Chu said, “You used to be much more friendly to me… Zhao Quan also prescribed more medicine for you. When will you recall your memories?”

Cui Fu finally finished blowing the hot soup and handed a spoonful into the mouth of the old princess consort, saying gently, “Actually, Miantang hasn’t changed much, just talking without hesitation. Mother, don’t inquire about the affairs of Lian-Chu in the future. We don’t think we have this relative.”

After listening to her daughter’s words, Old Princess Consort Chu slowly stopped her choking, but instead added a lesson to Miantang and asked Servant Li to give the princess consort another etiquette lesson starting tomorrow.

However, when she said this, the servants reported that the Fifth Master’s wife had come to see the Old Princess Consort.

This Lian Binglan was much more witty than her mother, never mentioning her mother who was driven to the countryside from beginning to end. She just fulfilled her duty as the wife of the Fifth Master and said nothing more than to greet her legitimate mother on behalf of her distant husband.

Miantang heard Cui Xingzhou mention it and said that after Lian Binglan returned to the State of Zhen, she had little contact with her mother’s family and did not participate in banquets much. She put on a posture of closing the door and living her own life.

Miantang was quite amiable to this sister-in-law, and after a long day of detailed conversation about her daily life, she not only inquired about the recent itinerary of the Fifth Master but also asked about private topics such as when she would have children.

Even Lian Binglan couldn’t get up several times to bid farewell.

Finally, with great difficulty, Liu Miantang exhausted her excitement and allowed Lian Binglan to leave the residence.

When Lian Binglan returned to the mansion, her face was solemn. She first returned to her room, waved her hand, and asked all the maids and nannies to step down, before uncovering a portrait on the wall and tapping on the wall panel.

At this moment, a hidden door suddenly opened on the wall, and Cui Xingdi, who was supposed to be buying goods and doing business in the State of Xiang, shook his wheelchair out of the door.

Lian Binglan looked gloomy and urgently said, “What should we do? I think Liu Miantang suspects us! You didn’t even discuss it with me and used my mother to make a raft. Now she has been thrown into a rural farmhouse by my father, and life is worse than death. Are you going to harm me next?”

Cui Xingdi still said with a gentle and humble expression, “What does Liu Miantang ask you?”

After listening to Lian Binglan finish speaking one by one, Cui Xingdi smiled and said, “It’s a good thing that she asked, indicating that she hasn’t caught any of your tricks. If she doesn’t ask anything, you really should worry. Your mother is a fool, and being discovered can only make people think she is being used, but there is absolutely no doubt that she will think that it was related to her daughter. Do you think there is a more suitable candidate than her?”

He said while reaching out to pull Lian Binglan’s hand, but Lian Binglan took a few steps back and sat down on the bed, hating and saying, “You promised me well at the beginning. You said you would compensate me for everything I deserve, but your so-called compensation is to make me alienate the Lian family and then involve my mother.”

Cui Xingdi’s eyes darkened a bit, but he still smiled politely, “If it weren’t for the North Sea Incident, wouldn’t you be the Princess Consort of Prince Huaiyang now? I’ve never forgotten my promise to you, but your mother’s foolishness has caused my plan to fall short. Who is to blame for not being able to drag Cui Xingzhou into the capital this time?”

Lian Binglan was so angry that she trembled all over. She rushed forward and wanted to give Cui Xingdi a big slap, but Cui Xingdi squeezed her hand. The force of that hand was so strong that Lian BInglan was in pain that she made a sound!

He slowly stood up from his wheelchair and said word by word, “Never think of hitting me, because the people who wronged me, I will make them pay back a thousand times.”

 

TL/ Notes: Hello readers, hope you enjoy the novel so far. We are coming to the finale next week. If you have more to share, feel free to leave a comment of feedback~