"Oh, child, what are you saying? You still have to call me Grandma. You're a grown girl, yet you speak so sarcastically. No wonder they called off the engagement. If my son married a woman like you, I wouldn't want her even if she came with a dowry," someone sneered, eyes disdainfully sweeping over Meichen.
Zhao Jiaqi would never forget that voice. Without even looking, she knew it was Cao Meihua.
Meichen didn't indulge her either, retorting with a cold laugh, "Pah! With a mother-in-law like you, forget marrying, I'd become a nun before I'd even spare your son a glance. Fan Fu struts around with his nose in the air, unaware that he's a prince by title but a servant by fate!"
She dreamt of good things all day. This old hag was truly shameless, coming uninvited. Such shamelessness would make one invincible.
Cao Meihua’s eyes narrowed. "You fickle creature, whoever marries you is unlucky. I feel dirty just speaking to you!"
She had almost forgotten the unpleasantness in the village, but Cao Meihua, speaking so brazenly in front of everyone in the courtyard, filled Meichen with shame. She wished she could tear Cao Meihua's mouth to shreds.
"Speak with proof, otherwise, slandering a general's sister can lead to imprisonment. Madam, have you considered your words carefully!"
Zhao Jiaqi, leaning on Qiufen, walked out of the warm chamber and stood on the steps under the eaves, looking down at the people below. She spoke, her voice neither heavy nor light.
Cao Meihua was truly a persistent nuisance. If not for her clever grandson who knew how to play the game, she wouldn't be here in the capital causing trouble.
"Indeed, falsely accusing and framing a royal family member can result in severe punishment, even beheading. Lesser offenses might earn thirty heavy strikes," Prime Minister's wife Zhou Qiangwei also said with a light smile, citing Yun Kingdom's laws.
"Madam, thirty heavy strokes, each one hitting the waist, leaving flesh and blood blurred. While it might not kill, it can cripple a strong man. As for a woman... hehe." The maid beside the Prime Minister's wife stared at the people below and said chillingly.
The final chuckle was particularly eerie, making Cao Meihua tremble, and even Zhao Jiaqi felt as if this maid had come from the underworld.
Terrifying!
Zhang Hongqin, with great foresight, stepped forward to smooth things over. "Your Highness, forgive me, Miss Fan, forgive me. My mother-in-law is just a country bumpkin who knows nothing. She's also ill with madness, and her condition seems to be acting up. I will take her home now to prevent her from disturbing the Princess and the General's wedding!"
Zhang Hongqin seized this opportunity to belittle her mother-in-law and immediately dragged her away, saying fiercely, "Think carefully. Zhao Jiaqi is a Princess Consort. If you dare argue with her, you, your son, and your grandson will all die!"
Unwillingly, Cao Meihua struggled, shouting, "So what if she's a Princess Consort? I'm still her grandmother. I'd like to see what she can do to me!"
She tried to break free from Zhang Hongqin's grasp, cursing wildly, "You little brat! If Zhenzhu's face hadn't been so horribly scratched, I wouldn't have brought you, a concubine, out with me."
These words were heard by everyone in the courtyard. Most pretended not to hear. Inner-court matters were full of scandal, and they were merely gossiping.
But who would dare to argue with a favored prince of the court about filial piety? Unless they were out of their minds.
Zhou Qiangwei frowned and asked her, "She's your grandmother?"
"My husband is an orphan, and his mother was driven out of the family by her under the guise of partition when she was still pregnant with my husband. Without a pot or a grain of food, she was even forced to hand over the filial support money... Therefore, they were completely disowned, and my husband's name was struck from the family register. Now that my husband is a prince, they come crawling back... Heh!"
They say not to air one's dirty laundry, but if she didn't clarify things today, who knew if some malicious person might try to slander them to the Emperor in the future.
The crime of unfilial conduct was no trifle. Although they weren't afraid, they couldn't bear such a reputation.
"So that's how it is. It's best to cut ties with such ill-intentioned people to avoid future trouble!" Zhou Qiangwei detested those who fawned over the high and trampled on the low.
Zhao Jiaqi smiled and said, "His grandson has ingratiated himself with Prince Xian and is now Prince Xian's most capable strategist, highly favored!"
Zhou Qiangwei said dismissively, "Hmph, in the end, he's just a lackey!"
Lackey!
Fan Mingyue, standing by the flower pond, chewed on these three words. Her fists clenched tightly, and her poisoned eyes shot a deep glare at Zhou Qiangwei, etching her face into her heart.
The Emperor's beloved princess was getting married, and no one dared cause trouble at the wedding banquet. Fan Xudong successfully married the princess into the family, and the wedding night revelry was merely a perfunctory gesture.
But Fan Zehao was mischievous. He got the groom drunk and, only when he could no longer walk in a straight line, did he let him go. As he left, he winked with a wicked smile, wondering if he would dare to ruin his affairs again in the future.
The next day, as Zhao Jiaqi was lifting her bowl of rice, Pingting stormed into the room, pouting and glaring angrily at Fan Zehao.
"Brother, you're something else!"
Fan Zehao glanced at her sideways, still serving himself vegetables. A smile played on his lips. "She's only just entered the family, and you're already complaining that the second brother isn't capable?"
Pingting's face suddenly flushed. That wasn't what she meant; her brother was deliberately misinterpreting her words.
"What kind of brother are you? Others wouldn't dare get the second brother drunk, but you went ahead and did it!"
Now Zhao Jiaqi understood. Fan Xudong had gotten drunk last night and hadn't consummated the marriage.
Under the table, Zhao Jiaqi kicked the man beside her. What a brother, truly wicked.
"You're so flustered first thing in the morning. Aren't you afraid of getting wrinkles?" Zhao Jiaqi said, then turned to order Qiufen, "Go get a bowl and chopsticks for the Princess!"
"Don't worry, I'm married to the second Fan anyway. If he dares to dislike me, I'll make him sleep on a tree branch!" Pingting said haughtily.
Sleep on a tree branch?
Let alone sleeping, it would be an accomplishment just to stay upright. As expected of a princess, she was so domineering!
"Sister-in-law, when are we returning to our fiefdom?" Pingting's eyes sparkled when she mentioned the fiefdom.
Her apricot eyes gleamed at Zhao Jiaqi. She forgot to eat, waiting for her reply.
Speaking of the fiefdom, Zhao Jiaqi suddenly remembered the matters of the four families that the Prime Minister's wife had mentioned yesterday, and her appetite for the delicacies on the table vanished.
She replied listlessly, "Early March, right after the New Year. The river will have thawed by then, and we'll travel north by boat."
Pingting calculated, and there were still half a month left, which was enough. She nodded eagerly, abandoned her bowl and chopsticks without eating, and left. "My silly second husband is still fast asleep. I need to wake him up and take him to the palace!"
She came like the wind and left like the wind, her speed astonishing.