bayedsolid Chapter 435 Making insinuations
Chapter 435 Making insinuations
"So it's Miss He. How old are you? You look a bit younger than me, no more than ten years old, right?" Mu Xin Nuan looked her up and down.
"Your Highness, my daughter is nine years old this year."
"This kid is quite outstanding. What's your name?"
"Your Highness, my maiden name is Xiang Sheng."
"Xiang Sheng? What a nice name! I'm only a few years older than you, so there's no need to be so reserved. If it weren't for the difference in seniority, I would definitely let you call me 'elder sister'."
Upon hearing this, Madam He's eyes flickered, and the smile on her lips softened slightly.
Madam He was somewhat arrogant, but her arrogance was different from Madam Lu's. Her arrogance stemmed from the upbringing of a century-old family. She wouldn't openly or subtly mock others; as a young lady from a prestigious family, she naturally exuded a certain haughtiness.
Although Madam He was the wife of the prefect, she knew that she had a reputation for jealousy in Yanzhou City. She recalled that when she first met this young princess, hadn't she mentioned her? She wondered if she had done it on purpose.
Now that she heard her mention the issue of seniority, she knew that in her heart, she, the Crown Princess's younger sister, was different from Madam Lu! Even though Madam Lu was an elder, in the Princess's eyes, she was nothing more than the wife of a subject.
His mind raced, and he came up with an idea. Since Princess Chang Le wasn't deliberately targeting the Xie family, nor the Crown Princess, things would be much easier.
Mu Xin Nuan sent Rong Yue to take He Xiang Sheng outside to play. Children don't want to stay indoors even if it's cold outside.
"Madam He, the weather isn't very nice today. Is there something important that you brought Miss He along?"
Madam He understood that they were getting to the point, so she cleared her throat and said, "Your Highness, I know that my aunt's words and actions were inappropriate. But now that my uncle has punished her, what do you think?"
Mu Xin Nuan didn't play games with her and put down her teacup. "Mrs. He is referring to Mrs. Lu, isn't she?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Speaking of this matter, I am truly furious! As an elder, one should act like one, but look at what she has done!" Mu Xin Nuan said indignantly. "I hit it off with Sister Liu at first sight. On our first meeting, the Prince also met Young Master Lu, so we invited each other to have a few drinks together. Upon returning to the manor, Madam Lu gave me a severe dressing down! This is not blaming Sister Liu; it is clearly slapping me in the face!"
"Your Highness, please calm down. Although what she did was wrong, she has been punished now, don't you think?"
"Madam He, I have no idea whether she was punished or not. But do you know that she was so devoted to protecting that Yang woman that she almost caused Sister Liu to miscarry?"
Mu Xin Nuan probed with her words, naturally wanting to know whether Madam He knew about what Madam Lu had done to Liu Shi before.
Madam He was visibly taken aback, and said in disbelief, "There's such a thing?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Madam He couldn't help but think of the dissatisfaction her aunt had expressed towards her eldest daughter-in-law. But even so, it was impossible for her to harm the child in her womb.
Mu Xin Nuan carefully observed every change in her expression, even the slightest blink of her eyelashes.
"It seems that Madam He really doesn't know. Very well, Aunt Fang, please tell Madam He the whole story again."
"Yes, princess."
Aunt Fang recounted in detail the problem with the incense in the room, and then Yang's deliberate slander, which made Madam He tremble with fear!
Although she was quite capable, she never intended to use those methods on her daughter-in-law!
Especially upon hearing that Madam Lu had actually ordered someone to tamper with the incense, which not only harmed Liu's body but also affected Lu Shaofeng! How dare she? Good heavens! As the matriarch of a family, to scheme against her own eldest son in such a way is simply appalling!
Madam He was startled. How could this cousin be so foolish? From now on, not only would Liu Shi not speak up for her, but even Lu Shaofeng would no longer be able to do so.
They actually wanted to prevent Lu Shaofeng from having any children. Isn't that ridiculous?
"My God! I had no idea she had done all this?"
"Madam He, to be honest, when I learned of this, I intended to have a proper talk with Madam Lu. But Aunt Fang persuaded me otherwise, saying it was, after all, a private matter for the Lu family. But I just couldn't shake the feeling of unease. How could someone as gentle as Sister Liu be bullied like this?"
"Your Highness is right. I will go and persuade her again later to let her rest and recuperate. Once she is fully recovered, she should take care of her plants."
Mu Xin Nuan was satisfied with this answer, which meant that she would appropriately remind Madam Lu to consider the matter carefully and to completely relinquish control over the inner quarters of the Lu family.
"I only learned today from what the Princess said that the eldest young mistress is pregnant. I should pay a visit another day."
Seeing that Madam He was so tactful, and understanding that she was trying to win over Madam Liu, Mu Xin Nuan smiled and said, "To be honest, Madam He, Mr. Liu has been frequently coming and going from the Prince's residence these past few days. According to what the Prince said, this Mr. Liu is a man of great talent."
"Mr. Liu?" Mrs. He's heart skipped a beat. Although she was somewhat disdainful of the Liu family's decline, she had received a letter from her sister instructing her not to treat this Mrs. Liu too poorly. Fortunately, she had followed her sister's advice and had not offended her, otherwise...
Judging from what the princess said today, is the prince planning to give Mr. Liu an important position?
Madam He was overwhelmed with emotion and inwardly cursed Madam Lu for her poor interpersonal skills!
In Yan, everything is decided by the prince! Even the prefect must obey the prince's orders here!
If the prince wanted to rely on someone or promote someone, it would be a piece of cake for him. But she went and directly offended the Liu family! How will they maintain their relationship in the future?
"I heard that the Princess Consort is a skilled zither player. Originally, I was thinking of inviting the Princess Consort to listen to Xiang Sheng's zither playing so that I could give her some pointers. However, once this girl arrived, she was so engrossed in playing that she didn't even realize she was back."
Having understood the prince and princess's thoughts, Madam He naturally had no more reservations and changed the subject, starting to chat again.
"Look at what Madam He is saying. When I was nine years old, I was probably even more mischievous than your daughter!"
"Your Highness, the Prince says he needs you to come to his study."
Upon seeing this, Madam He dared not remain seated any longer. She quickly rose to take her leave, and upon leaving the Prince's residence, she turned directly towards the Lu residence.