Chapter 591: He Ying’s Accusations (2)
“Ay… Miss Ying, don’t cry. My head hurts now.”
He Ying hastily stopped her waterworks. She grabbed the matriarch’s hand and began making malicious accusations.
“Mother, don’t believe in Sister-in-Law. She must have been pretending today. If she wasn’t, then why would the doctor say she was fine? That Great Doctor Miao is clearly on the side of Sanlang’s wife. She treats him well and serves him good food and drinks in the estate every day. So, he’s already biased towards their side. Perhaps it was all just an act prepared by Sister-in-Law and Sanlang’s wife just for us to watch. Oh, our poor Miss Zhen, her purity has been stolen away.”
She began to sniffle and sob again as she spoke.
The matriarch was getting swayed by her daughter. Her wrinkle-filled face was grim. It was clear that her mood had taken a turn for the worse because of He Ying’s words.
He Ying noticed that her mother was beginning to waver, so she continued, “Mother, you know that Brother doesn’t like me. Brother is coming back soon. When Brother returns, he’ll definitely oppose this marriage. If that happens, then Miss Zhen’s whole life will be ruined! This must all be part of Sister-in-Law’s plan.”
Although she felt that her daughter’s words were rather twisted, there were also some truths in them.
The matriarch had actually started to think more deeply on the matter.
“Mother, I’m your only daughter and Miss Zhen is your only granddaughter from my side. When I was young, I didn’t get to grow up beside you. Every day, what I hoped for the most was to see you and Father. At that time, when I stayed with Grandmother, I would always get laughed at for not having parents. After Father passed away, Mother is the only one I have now.”
He Ying’s words triggered the deep sense of guilt within the matriarch’s heart.
The matriarch was wavering even more now.
“Mother, weren’t you the one who requested the Empress Dowager to arrange a marriage for Sanlang at that time? Sanlang and his brothers are all junior members of the family. If you arrange a marriage for them, would they be able to refuse? Dalang is almost thirty, but he still doesn’t have a legitimate son. Do you want him to become the laughingstock of the capital?”
When a man got older but remained without a heir, he would certainly be criticised by outsiders.
For people around the same age as He Dalang, if they had gotten married at a young age, their children would already be over ten years old. If their first child was a girl, then she might even have come of age.
“Mother…”
“Alright, alright, I understand. Stop nagging me. I’ll send in a request to meet the Empress Dowager and enter the palace tomorrow.”
He Ying was pleasantly surprised when she heard the promise. Her eyes lit up and she said, “Mother, you’re so kind to me and Miss Zhen. I haven’t felt such warmth for many years.”
This remark was undoubtedly meant as a dig at the matriarch’s weakness again.
The matriarch was exhausted, so she waved her hand to signal He Ying to leave.
He Ying had already accomplished her goal, so she didn’t need to stay any longer. The corner of her lips curved up. “Mother, you should have a good rest. I’ll go prepare some nourishing soup for you.”
After He Ying left, the matriarch sighed and summoned Senior Servant Liu. She ordered her to take her personal jade token and send it to the palace.
Senior Servant Liu was in disbelief. The matriarch was actually going to enter the palace to ask for the Empress Dowager’s help because of what Eldest Madam had said.
She hesitated to speak as she clenched the jade token in her hand. However, she swallowed her words when she saw the matriarch’s pale complexion.
She bobbed towards the matriarch and left.
Muxiang was standing beside them, so she had naturally heard the matriarch and He Ying’s entire conversation.
She smirked, not intending to interfere with this matter. It would be better if the main branch and second branch were ruined. Once she became He Changdi’s wife again, it would be an easy matter to take control of House Jing’an in that state.
After she left Qingxi Hall, Senior Servant Liu grew even more worried the more she thought about it. Eldest Madam talked and behaved recklessly. If He Changqi really married Pan Nianzhen, wouldn’t the entire House Jing’an be ruined by them?
She summoned a trustworthy maidservant and whispered into her ears. Then, she ordered her to quickly send her message to Songtao Court.
When the maidservant arrived at Songtao Court, Chu Lian had just finished teaching Xiyan to cook mutton soup. Senior Servant Gui brought the messenger inside. Chu Lian carefully examined the maidservant from head to toe a couple of times, feeling that she looked slightly familiar.
“Who ordered you to come here? For what reason?”
The maidservant promptly kneeled down and recounted everything Senior Servant Liu had told her to say.
Chu Lian’s eyes widened as she listened to her. She hadn’t thought that Eldest Madam would actually dare to involve the Empress Dowager in her plans.
How ridiculous!
Moreover, the matriarch had actually gone with her nonsense.
Chu Lian dismissed the maidservant. She thought about it and felt that she couldn’t just ignore this matter. Thus, she gathered her servants and went to Prince Wei’s Estate.
When they reached the main entrance of Prince Wei’s Estate, Chu Lian had someone send in a message for her.
A few moments later, Senior Servant Lan personally came to greet her.
Senior Servant Lan happily led Chu Lian into the estate.
“For Honoured Lady to come at this time, is there an urgent matter?”
Chu Lian told her truthfully, “Momo, to tell you honestly, I really did come to seek Princess Wei’s help.”
Senior Servant Lan smiled. “Honoured Lady is really lucky. Princess Wei just returned from Mount Lanxiang yesterday. She just happened to be free today and didn’t go out.”
There was a temple at Mount Lanxiang, said to be the place where Empress Xiaoxian became a nun. The members of the imperial family would visit the temple once or twice every year to pray. It had already become a tradition.
“Is Royal Princess Duanjia here as well?”
“Royal Princess is still at Mount Lanxiang! The young prince is accompanying her, so you won’t have to worry about her, Honoured Lady.”
Mount Lanxiang was famed for its beautiful scenery and it was close to the capital. It was currently early spring, when Mother Nature awakened from her long slumber. Thus, it was the best time for an outing.
Royal Princess Duanjia had invited her to go together a few days ago. However, Chu Lian had rejected her offer because there were too many things happening in the estate.
