The disaster in the State of Dong is indeed becoming more and more urgent. At first, it was just a group of refugees who had no food to eat. If the local officials pacify them in time and handle them properly, it will only be a minor disturbance.
But the local officials are used to corrupting and even the food for disaster relief. Therefore, the decapitation of the corrupt officials raised by the victims made the locals gratified.
So the man who led the people to make trouble established himself as the king and called himself King Lu, rose to the scene. Now he has occupied three states, and there is great momentum to continue to push forward, occupy the State of Zhen, and enter the Capital.
When Cui Xingzhou’s army resisted, it temporarily blocked King Lu’s fierce momentum. However, this gang of bandits seemed to be more suitable for fighting in the jungle. They entered the grass forest with the chasing officers and soldiers. For a while, the soldiers of the State of Zhen who were used to face-to-face hand combat also suffered a lot.
To be honest, these tactics are quite similar to Lu Wen’s original routine of playing with the State of Zhen soldiers and horses.
Instead, Cui Xingzhou, the Mashal, recalled the years he had fought with the thief Lu Wen. If he has nothing to do, he may think about it again or capture King Lu alive to see what kind of person he is.
But now Prince Huaiyang is anxious to get married, and he doesn’t care whether he can capture the thief alive. So he adjusts his controls, buys spies, and tries to end the fight as soon as possible.
The war ahead is tight, so he has no time to return to the State of Zhen in recent days.
The Old Princess Consort was worried about her son’s safety. She had to take care of the big and small affairs of the marriage ceremony, and also had to attend tea parties. As a result, she was so used to being pampered that she fell ill.
But the affairs in the residence need to be managed. So under the approver of the Old Princess Consort, Miantang tried to deal with some.
This day, early in the morning, when she came to pay tribute to the Old Princess Consort, she found two middle-aged women standing in the room.
Miantang listened and realized that these two were the two concubines left by the Old Prince. The one who was slightly fatter was Xiao-Li, and the one with haggard eyebrows was Qin.
These two concubines in the former royal residence did not bully the Old Princess Consort, and each had their own children, so they reluctantly stayed.
But they and their children have no sense of existence in the residence. Miantang has been in the residence for so long that this was the first time she saw them.
Xiao Li is obviously more talkative, and the meaning of flattery is very obvious. Greetings and concerned if the Old Princess Consort’s health has recovered.
It was not until the Old Princess Consort was impatient and wanted them to leave that Xiao Li revealed her intention. It generally meant that her daughter, Cui Wanglan was nearly 14 years old. Although she was not in a hurry to get married, it was time to make a marriage arrangement. It was necessary for the Old Princess Consort to take the trouble to find a suitable marriage for her.
Concubine Xiao Li had reminded the Old Princess Consort of her daughter. She then asked Qin, was it also the time for her son to also make a marriage arrangement?
Cui Xingdi, the son of Qin, was the fifth oldest, three years older than Cui Xingzhou. By right, her son would have been paired. But when he was fifteen years old, he was seriously ill and crippled.
Qin said in a soft voice, “Di’er’s legs are bad, so why bother the lady? He meant to live alone all his life…”
The Old Princess Consort doesn’t like to hear this. Although Cui Xingdi is a son of a concubine, and a cripple, he was still a Young Master in the Prince’s Residence. Originally, before Cui Xingzhou finish his ceremony, it was easy for them to prevaricate if they were unmarried. But now Cui Xingzhou is about to finish their marriage ceremony. If the marriage of the other children are not settled, doesn’t it seem that she is too devious?
Because her son stirred up a big issue regarding his marriage, the gossip in the residence became the main conversation for the rest of the family. Especially recently, there was a rumor that the wedding of Prince Huaiyang was the rise of his mistress outside. Although no one came to verify with Old Princess Consort Chu, she still heard some news, and her good face was put in vain, so she fell ill.
When she saw Liu Miantang, her anger strike in again, and her words were harsher. Fortunately, Liu Miantang didn’t take it personally, but she didn’t spend much time in front of the Old Princess Consort. Most of the time, she was peaceful.
Now, Old Princess Consort Chu cherishes the little reputation left in the royal residence. She must not let the name of the evil hostess fall on her.
So she said to Qin, “He was just crippled, and it doesn’t delay the succession. The daughter of the royal and noble Residence is a little difficult, but the daughter of a small family would definitely like to enter the residence. After a while, I’ll look for it for you, and let Xingdi get married earlier. I have a good idea about the two children now. You both can head back now.”
After the two concubines thanked the Old Princess Consort for her kindness, they left.
When they came out, they saw Liu Miantang. When they met Liu Miantang, they were stunned. They were dazzled by Liu Miantang’s bright beauty. After thinking about it, they guessed that this was the new daughter-in-law that the Prince had brought back.
So the two concubines bowed their heads and left after they greeted Miantang.
Miantang saw their faces. Although they are old now, it could be seen that they should look good when they were young. But as concubines in the residence, it will be alright if their husbands are alive. However, when they become widows, they have to keep their talent away. The future of their children is also in the hand of the hostess of the family.
Miantang sighed a little, and then went into the inner room to greet the Old Princess Consort.
She doesn’t know why, the face of the Old Princess Consort today doesn’t look very good. She didn’t give Liu Miantang the same look as she did a few days ago, and even asked her about her recent food and living.
Miantang replied to every question with a smile.
After talking for a long time, the Old Princess Consort turned around and sighed, “When the Old Prince took concubines, I was also reluctant. Who would like to be a concubine? But now that the Old Prince is not here, I found that the advantage of his concubinage is that he left me some sisters who I could talk with, so I won’t be lonely……”
Miantang was very thoughtful. She vaguely guessed the meaning of the Old Princess Consort’s emotion, and smiled and received, “Usually, I don’t see the Old Princess Consort talking to the Concubines…”
Old Princess Consort Chu was resented by Miantang. She suddenly changed her face and said, “That’s because I’m busy recently! In short, you will be the Princess Consort of the Royal Residence, and you should be more generous. The good looks of women won’t last long, but their virtue will remain the same and be respected. There will be many wives and concubines in the future. You should learn from me and look act as the main hostess.”
Miantang didn’t speak this time. But she felt that she would never be open-minded in her life.
The day Cui Xingzhou took a concubine, will be the day she will leave the residence. She never learned to share her own man with others.
After the Old Princess Consort finishes her words, she went on to the main topic, “You also know that there was a marriage relationship for Xingzhou before. It was his cousin Lian Binglan. But the two children had a misunderstanding, and they broke the marriage agreement. Lian Binglan was delayed by Xingzhou a lot and it is not easy to find another one when she is too old now. You should be clear, according to the truth, she is the first, and you are the last. If there is no you, maybe Xingzhou will not have the idea of breaking the marriage agreement. Now there is a rumor in the city of the State of Zhen that Xingzhou is indecent, and abandoned Binglan for you. This is really bad for his reputation. I have been tossing and turning for a long time, so I thought that it would be better for you and Binglan to serve Xingzhou together so that we can improve the reputation of Xingzhou… ”
Miantang slowly raised her head, looked at the Old Princess Consort sharply, and said, “I don’t understand your meaning…”
Old Princess Consort Chu said angrily, “You are so smart. How can you not understand? I mean, let Lian Binglan and you enter the residence together, both as the legal wife.”
Miantang’s temperament did not change, “As the ancients said, there is no second wife for Princes. If the Prince marries two legal wives, which son will be considered his legitimate son? This so-called legal wife is something that businessmen who live in all corners of the world do. Anyway, one wife is in the south, and another is in the north, so they can be at peace. But two legal wives are together in the residence, and I’m afraid that no matter how virtuous they are, they will become less virtuous in the future. At that time, there will be more and more places for people to talk about in the residence… Such an absurd idea, I’m sure Old Princess Consort could figure it out, right? Could it be that Old Princess Consort has seen Aunt Chu frequently at the tea party outside recently? ”
The Old Princess Consort has been used to Miantang lowering her tone in front of her. Unexpectedly, a gentle and soft little rabbit suddenly burst out today, talking to her with its sharp mouth and fangs exposed.
She was so angry that she sat up, patted the bed, and said, “Are you trying to rebel? How dare you talk to me like this?”
Miantang smiled and stood up. “Fortunately, I haven’t married the Prince yet, so I can’t be regarded as the official daughter-in-law of yours. If I talk back to you like this, it can only be regarded as my rudeness, and I can’t afford to be a guest of the Royal Residence. I will leave the residence now, and let you have a rest.”
With that, Miantang turned and left without taking her own clothes and luggage. She went straight out of the residence with two personal maids.
The Old Princess Consort didn’t respond, but she was so angry that she patted the bed and chest. When she wanted to stop her, Miantang had already gone away in a carriage.
Fang Xie just saw Miantang talking back to the Old Princess Consort. She was very scared. She didn’t ask until she got on the carriage, “Lady, the Old Princess Consort was just talking to you. It’s not good to leave the house with such a sour face, is it?”
Miantang, however, said with a relaxed face, “The Old Princess Consort has a soft ear. She is encouraged by others. If I answer, I will let the traitor succeed. If I don’t answer, I will make the Old Princess Consort unhappy. Since I can’t answer, I will simply make her unhappy to the end. That Lian Binglan speaks ill of me everywhere. I left to show her power.”
A withdrawn marriage certificate can chase away the one who is about to finish the ceremony. Lady Lian is much more capable.
Doesn’t she love to gossip behind others? Then Liu Miantang followed suit. On the second day of discipline, the whole city of the State of Zhen knew how the mother and daughter of the Lian family shamelessly begged the royal residence to withdraw their foreword, accepted her Lian Binglan again, and chased the County Mayor who was granted by The Emperor out. It also saves Lady Lian from acting pitiful everywhere.
Miantang has made concessions to the Old Princess Consort for several days. After all, she is Cui Xingzhou’s mother. It’s not too nice to push too much.
However, everything has a bottom line, and today’s proposal of the Old Princess Consort touches her bottom line. Therefore, she also made clear her attitude and told the Old Princess Consort that this matter was not negotiable.
Liu Miantang did not return to North Street. She has already bought another big house in Lingquan Town, which was originally intended to let the merchants from the shops rest temporarily. So the repairing of the house was fast, and now it is also able to live.
Now, the ready-made big house can let her settle down temporarily.
TL/ N: Thanks for the kofi support~~ here’s extra 2 more chapters for the week. Enjoy🥰
Ruth Ibale On TSFLIP Chapter 1133