Princess Menglang is hard to change, the whole capital is embarrassed for her

Chapter 364 5 Fingerprints on the Face

Xiao Chenze hurried as fast as he could, and was about to catch up with Shen Li and Fang Jitao, but he saw them walking to a place where no one could see them. Shen Li reached out and pulled Fang Jitao's sleeve, and in the blink of an eye, the two of them disappeared.

He stared straight ahead, snowflakes blown wildly by the wind, hitting his face and body.

Just like his mood at the moment, chaotic and noisy.

I stood quietly in the snow for a while, and behind me I heard the rustling sound of footsteps on the snow and the sound of someone complaining.

When he turned around, he saw Chu Qianxue and a group of people coming out from that side.

Xiao Chenze turned around and left to another place.

Zhenguogongfu.

As soon as Old Madam Chu returned home with Chu Qianxue, she ordered someone to call Madam Cui over.

It has been six or seven days since Cui returned to Beijing, and she has been very busy.

Everyone in the capital knew that the women of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion had been in the northern border for more than ten years. Now that they had finally returned to the capital, the aristocratic families in the capital began to take action.

He went to the Duke's Mansion again to deliver an invitation, inviting the female members of the Chu family to visit at an appropriate time.

They sent people to deliver valuable gifts, and some families even came to visit in person.

They all came to the Duke's Mansion under the pretext of being overjoyed to see each other after a long separation to try to get close to him.

The news that Xiao Chenze was about to be named the crown prince had spread quietly. Everyone was worried that they couldn't find a way to establish a relationship with Xiao Chenze, but coincidentally, the Chu family came back.

Then, all of a sudden, everything that should come and shouldn’t come came.

Even the Lan family came along, bringing generous gifts. Old Madam Chu was so happy to see Lan that she took her hand and asked about the health of the old man and old lady of the Fang family, the marriage of Fang Jitao and Cui Lan'er, and the Fang family's daughter.

It seems that the old lady is very optimistic about the Fang family.

The Duke of Zhenguo has two sons, both of whom are now guarding the border with him in the northern border.

If possible, Old Madam Chu wants to marry Fang's daughter into the Chu family.

Cui was extremely unhappy.

The one she favored was her niece from her mother's family, and the other was the daughter of Guan Yonghou's family.

The Fang family is Shen Li's uncle's family. Shen Li took away her daughter's position as the prince's consort. How could she possibly accept the Fang family's daughter as her daughter-in-law?

There are no doors.

Cui was in her courtyard talking to her sister-in-law when the maid ran in anxiously, panting, "Madam, Madam, something's wrong."

"How can you talk to the lady like that, you little bitch with a bad mouth?"

Nanny Zhong beside Cui shouted.

The maid staggered in fear and timidly said, "The old lady brought the young lady back, and she beat her. Also, she was poisoned by Miss Shen in the palace, and the Empress Dowager pleaded for her and gave her the antidote. Now the old lady is furious and asked the servants to call you over quickly."

"What did you say?" Cui was shocked and stood up. "Shen Li poisoned Xue'er? And the old lady even beat Xue'er?"

Cui's anger suddenly surged to the top of her head, and she cursed, "Has she lost her mind? Others bullied Xue'er, and instead of helping her, she even hit Xue'er in return?"

Cui's sister-in-law's surname was Liao. When Liao heard this, she quickly pulled her sleeve and said, "You are crazy. Keep your voice down. If someone hears and the old lady hears, have you forgotten her methods?"

Cui's throat choked, and she was so angry that she couldn't breathe out. Her eyes turned red.

"She's the eldest daughter of the Wang clan of Langya. Even the Empress Dowager had to be taught by her in order to survive in the harem," Liao whispered. "You're not unaware of how many concubines died at her hands, thanks to her advice, in order to protect the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. You dare to scold her? Do you want to die?"

Cui's tears flowed down, "Sister-in-law, I..."

After she had spoken just a few words, she began sobbing. "I've been a humble servant in this family for so many years, and for what? Wasn't it just to secure the position of legitimate heir for the children, so they could be content and not suffer any hardship? But look, she actually beat Xue'er for an outsider. How can she be such a grandmother? How can such a thing be justified? Sob."

"Okay, stop crying. I know you feel wronged. But you've endured it for so many years. Now that you've finally returned to the capital, you must remember that walls have ears. Otherwise, if you offend your mother-in-law, who can say how she will punish you? What if she sends someone to send you back to the northern border?"

Tears were still hanging in Cui's eyes. She stared at her sister-in-law in a daze and forgot to speak for a moment.

"Okay, wipe your face first and go check it out. Xue'er is also feeling aggrieved," Liao said. "Something happened at your house, and it's not good for me to stay here, so I'll go back first. Remember to send me a letter later to tell me what happened, so that your brother and I won't worry about it."

Cui nodded, hurriedly sent someone to send her sister-in-law away, and asked someone to come and help her fix her makeup. Then she took Nanny Zhong and the maid to the old lady's yard.

It snowed heavily today. As the snow fell, the maids swept the snow in the middle of the road to both sides to prevent it from accumulating.

When we were in northern Xinjiang, we often saw snowfall heavier than this.

Every time this happened, the yard was filled with laughter.

Everyone was sweeping the snow, building snowmen, or rolling it into balls and having a snowball fight. Despite the cold weather, everyone was steaming from the playful activity, creating a lively atmosphere.

But today, although it was the first heavy snow since returning to Beijing, no one dared to make a fuss.

As I walked along, the maids and servants all kept their heads down and did their work in an obedient manner. No one even spoke in a low voice.

The old lady had just come back in a rage, and now she was punishing the young lady by making her kneel. The servants didn't dare to offend the old lady at this time, and even Cui Shi was nervous when she saw this scene.

Stepping into the old lady's yard, several wintersweets were in full bloom, and a faint floral fragrance floated in the air.

The maid standing at the door saw Cui and quickly lifted the curtain and said to the inside, "The lady is here."

No one answered from inside.

Cui's heart was pounding as she lowered her head as she entered the house. She looked up and saw her mother-in-law, a sullen face, sitting in the main seat facing the door. Her daughter, kneeling on the ground, looked at her with a look of grievance.

"I greet you, mother-in-law," Cui took two steps forward and bowed to Old Madam Chu. Then she glanced at Chu Qianxue and said nervously, "I wonder what trouble Xue'er has gotten herself into again? Mother-in-law, please don't be angry. I will teach her a lesson."

When she was anxious, she spoke without thinking.

The old lady was clearly already teaching Chu Qianxue a lesson, but she came over and said she wanted to teach her a lesson herself. Does that mean the old lady didn't teach her well enough?

The old lady didn't speak.

Madam Ping coughed lightly and whispered, "Madam, please sit down and listen to what this old servant has to say to you."

There was a very obvious five-finger mark on Chu Qianxue's face. Cui felt as if her heart was being torn apart and she felt extremely distressed.

Then Madam Ping said, "The young lady spoke rudely to Miss Shen today and suffered a loss at her hands. The Emperor originally wanted the old lady to stay in the palace for one night so she could chat with the Empress Dowager. But the young lady made such a fuss, and the eldest prince and the Empress Dowager were unhappy. And judging by the situation, even Eunuch Chang in the palace is openly or secretly on Miss Shen's side, not to mention everyone else. The old lady was angry that the young lady got into trouble whenever she went out, and she was also worried that she would be criticized in the palace and suffer losses, so she simply decided not to stay in the palace and returned together."