Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Qiao Jinniang found that the Tasty Pavilion’s business became a lot worse.
Not only Tasty Pavilion, the business of the cosmetics, jewelry and clothing shops that were frequented by noble ladies in Chang’an had become slack as well.
While all this happened, many people came to visit the Duke every day, sending gifts and begging for the Duke to intercede for them.
Qiao Jinniang went to the Duchess’ courtyard, and when she walked in, she came across a noble lady.
This woman was the wife of the Duchess’ brother, Duchess Dingyuan. Jinniang saluted.
“Hi, Auntie.”
Mrs. Zheng said indifferently, “Arise. It’s been almost half a year since you came back. You should try to persuade your mother to stop being angry with your father.
“Your father is only thirty-six years old and has no concubine, but your mother doesn’t allow him to take a concubine and refuses him when he wants to enter her courtyard.
“There are a lot of women in Chang’an who want to marry your father. Tell your mother not to put on airs anymore and not to give those little b*tches a chance.”
“Sister-in-law, why are you talking about this matter with Jinniang? She’s still a child.”
The Duchess was displeased.
Mrs. Zheng said, “I’m doing this for your own good. Just because you already have had a son doesn’t mean that your position is secure!
“Now that you are having a cold war with the Duke, those little sluts will take advantage of it! ”
Qiao Jinniang looked at Mrs. Zheng. She didn’t see any kindness of her mother in this woman’s eyes.
There were only calculations in her eyes. “Besides, Jinniang is not young. She is already a mother. It is time for her to know about these things.
“If you don’t want to be reconciled with your husband, he won’t be willing to help your nephew.
“Your brother only has this son! Do you have the heart to see him suffer?”
Qiao Jinniang didn’t want to listen to this and was about to leave…
Then she heard Mrs. Zheng suddenly said with an inexplicable confidence that was very similar to Qiao Ruoshui’s.
“I heard Jinniang can’t find a husband, right? Didn’t you want Jinniang to marry my son last time?
“If Bo’er can return to Chang’an unscathed this time, I will agree to Jinniang marrying my Bo’er, and I won’t mind her past.”
Qiao Jinniang was confused. Who is this “Bo’er”?
She went out every day these past few days because her father tried to fix her and Xu Mingwei up.
From what he said after he saved Qiao Ruofeng, she knew that Xu Mingwei was a good man.
But she didn’t want to marry far away.
When did her mother decide to marry her to this “Bo’er”? She never heard this from her mother.
The Duchess angrily smashed the teacup to the ground and said, “Just because I’m polite to you doesn’t mean I’m a pushover, Sister-in-law!
“Zheng Bo was involved in selling illicit salt. This is a case personally handled by the Crown Prince in person. How can the Duke save him?
“The Duke has been helping the Zheng Family enough over the years. It’s not that the Duke is unwilling to save Zheng Bo but he can’t!
“He told me that since Zheng Bo was not the principal offender, he will at most lose his office or his title of nobility.”
Madam Zheng said angrily, “No, Bo’er can’t lose his office or his nobility title!”
The Duchess said coldly, “This case is handled by the Crown Prince himself, and it’s about the foundation of the country. I heard that two men have already been decapitated.
“Zheng Bo should be thankful that he wasn’t the principal offender.
“I heard that some people even tried to assassinate the Crown Prince in the Shu Region. If it weren’t for Xie Yun who had blocked the knife for the Crown Prince…
“His Majesty is already furious about this matter. Everyone in the royal court who is implicated in the matter is scared. Do you want to implicate the Duke Mansion into this matter?”
Qiao Jinniang was shocked. The jerk and Xie Yun were almost assassinated?
Although she would curse Lu Chen to die every day, she actually never wanted him to die.
If he died, what would happen to Tuan’er?
Mrs. Zheng said, “You can turn to Ruoshui for help. Ruoshui has married Prince Mediocre and Bo’er is her brother… no, cousin! Can’t she help Bo’er?”
Mrs. Qiao glared at Mrs. Zheng. “Sister-in-law, don’t say anymore. I will help the Zheng Family if I can, but I can’t help Zheng Bo this time!”
Madam Zheng stood up angrily and said,
“Are you still angry that I didn’t allow Jinniang to marry Bo’er?
“But think about it, although Jinniang was born by you, she was brought up by slaves!
“How can this kind of stuff be my daughter-in-law?”
The Duchess said angrily, “Sister-in-law, wake up. Do you think the Zheng Family is still the same family before my grandparents died?
“Twenty years have passed, the Duke Dingbei Mansion has now become an insignificant family in Chang’an!
“I proposed to my mother that I wanted to marry Jinniang off to Zheng Bo just because I thought that since Zheng Family is my natal family, they would treat Jinniang well.
“But after the Duke found out that Zheng Bo had taken ten concubines in the Shu Region, I immediately gave up the idea.”
Mrs. Zheng sarcastically said, “Oh, did you forget you’re from the Zheng Family? Now that you’ve become Duchess Anyuan, you look down on your own family?
“But no matter how much the Zheng Family has declined, Qiao Jinniang, this abandoned village woman who has already given birth to a child, isn’t worthy of becoming my daughter-in-law! ”
The Duchess was so angry that her hands trembled. Even Duchess Dingbei was like this. No wonder Duke Dingbei Mansion was declining day by day.
Qiao Jinniang was puzzled. The first two times she saw Mrs. Zheng, she was very polite and courteous.
But today she found that Mrs. Zheng’s rude yet inexplicable confident demeanor was exactly the same as Qiao Ruoshui’s!
After Mrs. Zheng left, the Duchess said to Qiao Jinniang,
“Don’t take her words seriously. She is such a snob. She was so rude just now because we refused to help her. If we are still useful to her, she will even be willing to kneel and kowtow to us.”
Jinniang asked, “Mother, was His Royal Highness assassinated?”
The duchess nodded and said, “Yes, but the Crown Prince is fine, but Xie Yun, who blocked the knife for him, is dying.”
Qiao Jinniang was worried about Xie Yun. Although Xie Yun lied to her about his sex, he was very kind to her.
Hearing that he was seriously injured, she hurriedly wrote a letter asking about Xie Yun’s situation and sent it to the Shu Region.
…
The Shu Region had been raining for several days.
In the palace, Lin Mo took the letter that was sent from Chang’an and handed it to Lu Chen. “Your Royal Highness, it’s Qiao Jinniang’s letter.”
Lu Chen raised his head and took the letter from Lin Mo with a smile.
The news of him being almost assassinated had spread to Chang’an. This letter must be for him…
“Miss Xie, thank you for reading the letter.
“I heard that you blocked the knife for that jerk and your life is now in danger? It’s really not worth it. How are you doing now?
“I have sent you a thousand-year-old ginseng and Tianshan Snow Lotus.
“Hope you get better soon. Take care.”
Lu Chen clenched the letter in his hand.
Lin Mo leaned forward to take a look and jested, “I didn’t expect Miss Qiao’s handwriting to be quite good… Xie Yun would be happy to see this letter.”
Lu Chen put the letter above the candle and burned it into ashes:
“Qiao Jinniang, you wait! I’ll fix you when I return to Chang’an!”
Lin Mo heard Lu Chen’s murmurs and thought to himself, ‘It’s uncertain who will fix whom.’
Since Qiao Jinniang dared to write such a letter, she was definitely not afraid of Lu Chen.
Lu Chen didn’t look like a Crown Prince at all in front of Qiao Jinniang.. If he was as resolute and awe-inspiring as he was in Shu in front of Qiao Jinniang, she would have been dealt with long ago.
