Chapter 266: Chapter 266: If My Second Uncle and I Fell into the Water, Who Would You Save?
At the same time, the news also reached the main courtyard.
Dowager Cui, with closed eyes pretending to rest, had a maid massaging her legs and shoulders.
"Are they all out?"
"Responding to the Dowager, yes, they have all gone out."
With snow-white hair, Dowager Cui became exceptionally composed after witnessing the younger generation sending off the older. She calmly ordered the maid, "Brew me a pot of tea, use the leaves Yun brought a few days ago."
"Madam, won’t you take a look? Although a servant, still belongs to Prince Guo Mansion."
Dowager Cui didn’t care: "Rong is merely a six-year-old child, does Prince Guo Mansion really care to quarrel with a little girl who knows nothing?"
She played with a parrot for a while.
"Quietly send a message to Xuan Residence."
"Some things are difficult for an adult to handle, having Rong step up could work."
"She’s ostensibly targeting the wet nurse, but isn’t she also hitting the face of Prince Guo Mansion? No hurry, let’s drink the tea first, this tea needs to be slowly brewed and savored."
At this point, Dowager Cui couldn’t help but sigh.
"Xuan Chen, that child, who is close with Bai and Yun, has never missed any respects during festivals and holidays."
"It’s just unfortunate."
"Back then, a single imperial decree disrupted his good marriage. He had no choice but to marry the daughter of Prince Guo. Although it’s not good to complain about the deceased, back then, the imperial decree praised her to the skies. Yet, she was disrespectful and saw no elders."
But what can be done.
When the officials close their eyes and say it’s the best match, then it simply is the best match.
Xuan Chen became a living puppet, manipulated by others. Who was he like in those years?
Now, it has finally come full circle; rekindling his former relationship with Wen Yiran, his spirited momentum has returned.
Before Xuan Chen’s wedding, Prince Guo personally came over, claiming to miss his deceased daughter and the little girl left behind by her, and forcibly took Xuanyao away.
Xuan Chen had no choice but to send his confidants to accompany her, but within a few days, they were all sent back.
He couldn’t rest assured and went to their door himself, but he didn’t even see Xuanyao’s face and was given the cold shoulder for a whole day.
According to the rules, Xuanyao must bow and call Wen Yiran ’mother’ on her wedding day to recognize her as kin.
The actions of Prince Guo Mansion were already clear beyond doubt. They did not recognize Wen Yiran as the new bride. Nor did they allow Xuanyao to recognize her stepmother.
It’s a damaging and underhanded trick.
And they are not ashamed of it.
She scoffed: "Prince Guo truly carries a great air of authority."
Back then, just because his daughter fancied Xuan Chen, it caused an uproar that everyone knew about.
Who doesn’t know he’s a loyal official trusted by Emperor He.
After calculating everything, from beginning to end, both Xuan Family and Wen Family are victims.
What, not satisfied unless Xuan Chen spends his life alone without remarrying?
————
Shen Hua left swiftly.
Distractedly holding a kite, she arrived at the garden, quickly fixing her gaze on a spot.
There, the crying of the children and the pleading of the servants were unbearably loud.
"Commandery Princess, it was the young lady worrying about you that led the servant to bring her here first to see you."
The wet nurse forced a grim smile.
Cui Rong was not convinced: "How come, blaming it on your own master?"
"This... the servant dares not."
"She is naive, but why are all of you from Prince Guo Mansion so foolish? Fond of raising children, is the entire Prince Mansion barren? Why don’t you go rob the streets? Now why are you willing to send Yao back?"
"It’s as if the Xuan Family would starve and mistreat her."
"Commandery Princess has misunderstood." The wet nurse bowed her head to the ground.
The servants kneeling beside her, also all confidants of Prince Guo Mansion, naturally followed the lead of the wet nurse. Together they said: "Commandery Princess has misunderstood."
Listening to this, Shen Hua found it interesting and instructed Yicui to push her over.
Under the pressure, following Shen Hua’s instructions, Yicui pushed the girl next to Cui Rong.
Cui Rong, who was halfway through expressing her thoughts, turned to look at Shen Hua, who suddenly appeared.
Cui Rong felt a jolt in her heart: "I didn’t skip class! I told the teacher!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Hua felt disappointed. She raised her eyes to look at the bright sky: "Let’s go back, I always feel it’s gloomy and about to rain. This weather, I fear, is not good for flying kites."
At that moment, Xuanyao, crying breathlessly, bit the maid, causing the servant to involuntarily loosen her grip from the pain.
Xuanyao scurried over with her little short legs.
Cui Rong was displeased: "Walk back by yourself."
Xuanyao, heartachingly, tugged at her wet nurse: "Wet nurse, does it hurt? Yao will blow on it for you."
The wet nurse hugged Xuanyao tightly, crying her tears dry: "Young lady. Madam passed away early, the Princess Consort can’t always look after you, how will you endure in the future?"
She was originally sent by Princess Consort Guo to the Xuan Residence to nurse Xuanyao.
Now the son-in-law remarries, marrying the girl he has missed for many years, how can the Princess Consort’s heart be at ease?
The son-in-law clearly married the late Madam, why after all these years, his thoughts still linger on that one from the Wen Family!
The Princess Consort, grieving for her deceased daughter, forced the people of Yongchang Marquis Mansion, who couldn’t stop him, to only watch helplessly as Xuanyao left, although young, she also had to fulfill the ’filial piety’ left by the ancestors.
Recently, Xuan Chen in front of the civil and military officials, unreservedly presented this matter to His Majesty.
Later, Emperor He summoned Prince Guo, vaguely leaving a sentence.
——After all, she’s still the little girl from Yongchang Marquis Mansion, she can’t be raised in Prince Guo Mansion forever.
The Prince and Princess Consort were infuriated.
Thus, she brought Xuanyao to Yangling Marquis Mansion.
This was specially meant to slap Wen Yiran in the face.
The Princess Consort also instructed her, to constantly remind the young lady that she has a birth mother, she must not be deceived by Wen Yiran, who has charmed Xuan Chen for over a decade with cunning!
The wet nurse just didn’t expect that something she said to Xuanyao.
——How many stepmothers in this world are kind? The new Madam is wicked, capable of devouring people.
Cui Rong heard everything.
Cui Rong seeing that she still dared to speak more than necessary, immediately stood back with her hands behind her, adopting a thoughtful pose.
She thought of many vicious methods.
Finally, she chose the most vicious one.
Cui Rong sweetly ran over: "Sister Shen. Don’t leave just yet."
"The weather is actually nice, and I heard you hurt your foot, later I will help you with it."
Shen Hua clasped her hands: "Don’t make your intentions too obvious."
Cui Rong pointed with her finger: "How about you take the same set you used against me, and use it against that one kneeling on the ground?"
Shen Hua: "Recently, there’s always a shortage of someone to pour tea and water at home."
Cui Rong: "I’ll come."
Shen Hua raised her head to look at the sky: "I haven’t listened to a song for a long time."
"...I will learn."
"If one day, Uncle and I fall into the water, who will you save?"
Cui Rong without a moment’s hesitation: "Uncle!"
Shen Hua looked at her.
Cui Rong: "What are you! Of course, it’s my uncle!"
Cui Rong firmly said: "It will only be my uncle!"
As she spoke, in a childlike voice she asked: "Now I ask you, if Uncle and I fall into the water, who would you save?"
"I would be on the shore cheering for you."
The wet nurse paused her crying, somewhat dazed. In this situation, for whom was she crying?
Shen Hua furrowed her brows, staring fixedly at the wet nurse on the ground, her tone very displeased.
"Continue!"
"Falling into water is such a serious matter, if you don’t cry, how can I find emotional resonance!"