in2ebook Chapter 36 After eating something dirty, he rinsed his mouth.
Chapter 36 After eating something dirty, he rinsed his mouth.
Princess Consort Chen's brow twitched, and she looked up.
The speaker was Madam Cheng, the wife of the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud.
Cheng was on good terms with the Lady of Yongkang, so it is likely that she said this to vent her anger on behalf of the Yongkang Marquis's family.
Zheng Antong was confined to his quarters by Prince Chen for framing Xu Jiaojiao. This matter was known even in the palace, so it's not surprising that these powerful families knew about it.
However, by openly mocking her in front of Princess Chen, Cheng was clearly being used as a pawn without even realizing it.
Princess Consort Chen looked up at Lady Yongkang and saw that she avoided eye contact with her.
In contrast, Xu Jiaojiao kept her eyes downcast and remained silent, seemingly oblivious to the slander from others.
Jia Rong, who was standing next to Xu Jiaojiao, frowned, finding the words particularly unpleasant.
The Ningde Marquis's mansion opened its gates wide to welcome guests, but the Ningde Marquis's wife didn't say a word. This hapless little shrimp, who appeared out of nowhere, was jumping around aimlessly.
If she hadn't been wearing a veil, she would have definitely snapped at this person.
Princess Consort Chen smiled faintly: "It seems that Madam Cheng has put in a lot of effort for this first birthday banquet. I wonder if Madam Cheng prepared the food and drinks, arranged the seating, or handled the entire event?"
“How could I…” Madam Cheng was about to say how could she possibly handle the affairs of the Marquis of Ningde, but she realized halfway through her sentence that the Princess Consort of Chen was mocking her for meddling in other people’s business.
Cheng's face flushed red instantly, but because the other party held a high position and was someone she couldn't afford to offend, she forced herself to endure it.
Seeing that Madam Cheng would not say anything more, Princess Consort Chen smiled and sat down with Xu Jiaojiao.
After sitting for a while, Xu Jiaojiao found the ladies' gossip tedious and, since Jiarong had been standing behind her for quite some time, she quietly informed the princess and then led Jiarong and Lianye to the Marquis's Garden.
Lady Yongkang saw her leave and gave Cheng a look.
Madam Cheng, who was already in a bad mood, immediately understood. Shortly after Xu Jiaojiao left, she and Lady Yongkang also left the house.
Xu Jiaojiao and her companion found a quiet pavilion to rest, and also planned to continue discussing the matter of opening a shop.
As soon as he sat down, Jia Rong breathed a sigh of relief: "These ladies all appear dignified and refined on the surface, but I never expected them to be so filthy and insidious in private."
Jia Rong felt extremely uncomfortable listening to the ladies in the room talking openly and subtly about how to solidify their positions in the household and how to subtly deal with the concubines.
We're both women, why make things difficult for each other?
Ultimately, it's all the men's fault for being unfaithful, so why do women have to hurt each other?
The Empress Dowager was physically and emotionally wounded by the infighting among the concubines, so she has been locked in the palace for many years, suffering endless torment.
She saw it all and felt extremely sorry for him, only hoping that Mingyu would be a good man and wouldn't let her suffer like this.
These words surprised Xu Jiaojiao.
She originally thought that people like Prince Chen and Princess Jiarong, who held high positions, would be more accustomed to such things.
But the truth is that she discovered that Prince Chen and Jia Rong both loathed the infighting among the women in the inner quarters.
Moreover, although Prince Chen is ruthless and calm in the face of adversity, he, like Jia Rong, is extremely emotional, with very clear likes and dislikes.
It seems that a major upheaval occurred during their childhood.
Thinking of this, Xu Jiaojiao comforted her, "As the mistress of the house, they naturally don't want to be trampled on by the concubines. As long as they don't intentionally frame or hurt anyone, it's understandable that they use some tricks to protect themselves. If Sister Jimu doesn't want to hear it, then we won't listen. Let them say what they want."
Jia Rong was stunned.
Unexpectedly, Xu Jiaojiao, as a concubine, would speak in favor of the wife.
Sigh, Xu Jiaojiao is so kind, how could she be a match for those treacherous women? No wonder my second brother protects her so much.
Just then, a girl dressed as a maid walked into the pavilion where Xu Jiaojiao and Jia Rong were resting, and looked at Jia Rong fiercely, saying, "Which household do you belong to? How dare you sit on equal footing with your master! Don't you have any manners at all!"
Jia Rong retorted sarcastically, "You don't look like a maid from the Ningde Marquis's residence. So, which residence are you from? Why are you meddling in other people's business?"
The maid blushed as she choked, and instinctively looked at the person behind her.
Xu Jiaojiao followed her gaze and indeed saw the provocative Cheng Shi and the deep-set eyes of the Lady of Yongkang Marquis beside her.
Tsk, it really is a persistent ghost.
It seems she's in trouble.
She couldn't afford to lose face, especially since Jia Rong was still there. No matter what, she had to protect Jia Rong and not let her suffer any injustice. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to explain to Prince Chen, and it would also lower Jia Rong's opinion of her.
Thinking of this, her sharp gaze swept contemptuously over Madam Cheng and Lady Yongkang, then landed on the maid: "Who do you think you are? Do you think you're qualified to point fingers at my people?"
Madam Cheng stepped forward, her tone indignant: "Xu Jiaojiao, you're nothing but a concubine, yet you think you're something special? You're putting on airs like a mistress and giving people attitude. Don't you even look in the mirror and see if you're worthy?"
Xu Jiaojiao put down her teacup, not even giving Cheng a proper look, and frowned in disgust: "If you ate something dirty, go rinse your mouth. Don't keep your mouth full of feces, it smells awful."
Jia Rong laughed out loud and waved his hand in front of his nose in a cooperative gesture.
Madam Cheng was furious. She thought Xu Jiaojiao would only dare to be fierce to the maids, but she didn't expect her to actually talk back to her!
She pointed at Xu Jiaojiao's nose and cursed, "You little slut! It's one thing to shamelessly seduce Prince Chen, but you even dare to act arrogantly in public!"
Xu Jiaojiao clicked her tongue lightly: "What I do is my business, what's it to you? You must eat a lot of salt every day, why are you so idle?"
Although Cheng was angry, he was rendered speechless by her rebuttal.
As the wife of the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the mistress of the household of a high-ranking official of the third rank, Madam Cheng couldn't bring herself to use vulgar language to scold Xu Jiaojiao in front of the servants.
She was so angry that her chest heaved uncontrollably, and she looked like she was about to faint.
Lady Yongkang, who was standing behind Madam Cheng, stepped forward and said, "Madam Xu, Madam Cheng has nothing to do with you and has no right to interfere. So what about me?"
Lady Yongkang spoke in a cold and hard tone, clearly displaying the demeanor of someone in a superior position.
Xu Jiaojiao nodded slightly: "Greetings, Lady Yongkang. I hope you are well."
She verbally bowed, but Xu Jiaojiao did not get up, her attitude extremely perfunctory.
Lady Yongkang was taken aback by Xu Jiaojiao's rudeness towards her.
Thinking of the grievances her daughter had suffered in the Prince Chen's residence, Lady Yongkang's mood worsened: "Hmph, well? As long as you are in the Prince Chen's residence, I am destined to have no peace!"
Xu Jiaojiao glanced at Lady Yongkang with a puzzled look: "In that case, we can only trouble you, Madam."
Jia Rong couldn't help but laugh out loud again.
I really didn't expect that this beautiful lady, who looks so delicate, would have such a sharp tongue!
Lady Yongkang's eyes flashed with malice: "Xu, stop being so sharp-tongued! I advise you to behave yourself and stop using your underhanded methods to seduce Prince Chen, and don't even think about shaking Tong'er's position! If I find out you've hurt Tong'er again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
She narrowed her eyes, her tone chilling: "Xu, you are just a concubine who was promoted from a maid. You have no one to rely on in this world. Have you thought this through? Do you really want to go against the Yongkang Marquis's mansion?"