Tianliangyuan

Chapter 168 I'm not humiliating you

When Cheng Yuan came out after changing her clothes, she had obviously fewer hairpins on her head, and she had also changed to a simpler hairstyle that was more in line with her status.

However, Cheng Yuan was clearly unhappy.

She felt as if, after changing into these clothes, she had returned to the days when she was forced to be exiled along with her people.

Dingxiang's mood instantly improved when she saw Cheng Yuan looking noticeably dull and gray.

Who gave this woman the audacity to covet their son-in-law!

This is the lesson!

She doesn't even know her place. Not only is she ungrateful for the young lady's life-saving grace, but she also dares to try to seduce the young master with her beauty. She's utterly despicable!

Seeing Cheng Yuan like this, Xu Zhaozhao felt much better. Moreover, it was obvious that Cheng Yuan had become less confident after removing her gorgeous clothes.

To put it bluntly, Cheng Yuan is insecure and can only rely on her glamorous appearance to prove that she is no worse than others.

Now that she had been brought back to reality, she felt a deep sense of shame, as if she couldn't face anyone.

“Miss Cheng, it’s good that you have a sensible old servant taking care of you. I hope you can cherish it. Brother Yunze takes good care of you because of the kindness you showed to Lord Cheng back then, but he is an official and he has to be careful about his influence. Feifan, the censors in the Censorate will also be watching him and may impeach him every day.”

The old servant reacted faster; it was obvious that Miss Xu had deliberately reminded them.

If Qi Yunze is impeached because of this, who will dare to help the girl in the future?

At that moment, the old servant was so moved that he almost cried.

“Miss, Miss Xu is right. We don’t have many old friends left in the capital. Now, the only ones willing to help us are these two gentlemen. You can’t be petty anymore. Many noble ladies in the capital are just waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves. We absolutely cannot let anyone make a mistake and implicate these two gentlemen.”

That's very sincere and makes a lot of sense.

Whether Cheng Yuan listens or not is up to her.

"I came here today just to take a look around. Also, I was thinking that I have some businesses. If you don't mind, you can come to me to find a job. Now that we're back in the capital, we have to look forward. Do you want to depend on Brother Yunze for the rest of your lives?"

"It's alright now that Brother Yunze is still unmarried, but what if he gets married? Also, Miss Cheng is not young anymore. If she lives a good life and has a stable income, she can find a good husband in the future."

The old servant nodded repeatedly. After this great escape, she knew that it was impossible for her young lady to be with either of these two men, not even to become their concubine.

Since that's the case, we need to pull ourselves together and plan carefully for the future.

Xu Zhaozhao brought these things up out of genuine concern for Cheng Yuan, not out of a desire to humiliate her.

But Cheng Yuan doesn't think so.

She always felt that Xu Zhaozhao was just showing off her status as a member of the Marquis's family and was deliberately trying to humiliate her!

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Xu. Don't worry, I won't bother Sanlang anymore. I know you are his fiancée, and your two families are well-matched. What am I, Cheng Yuan? I am just the descendant of a disgraced official. It is already a great blessing that I have been able to return to the capital alive. How could I dare to hope for anything more!"

Cheng Yuan had said similar things countless times, to some officials, soldiers, and wealthy young men in Jizhou.

Every time she finished speaking, she would receive their sympathy and encouragement. They even thought it was unfair of God, how could a woman like her suffer such torment?

Unfortunately, this time they encountered Xu Zhaozhao and several other heartless people.

“Miss Cheng is really overthinking things. I didn’t mean anything by it. I just wanted to offer you a way to make a living. Since you don’t need it, then just consider it me being nosy. Back then, Master Cheng was quite famous in the capital. Although our Xu family rarely had any dealings with the Cheng family, in the eyes of our elders, they were considered to be officials in the same court back then.”

As Xu Zhaozhao finished speaking, Shaoyao stepped forward and presented a small box, saying simply, "There are five strings of cash in here. Miss doesn't mean to belittle Miss Cheng, but you two, mistress and servant, still need to make a living. Prince Qi is a playful person, and if he is suddenly sent away one day, he may not be able to take care of you. This money is enough for your emergency use."

Five strings of cash is quite a lot.

Five thousand copper coins

If they weren't picky eaters, three or four copper coins would be enough to feed the master and servant for a whole day.

Therefore, as long as Cheng Yuan is willing to spend frugally, even if she is unwilling to go out and find work, she can at least ensure that she and her servants are well-fed and clothed for three to five years.

Cheng Yuan really wanted to stand up for herself and say she didn't want her dirty money!

But she really couldn't refuse.

The old servant beside her immediately grabbed her hand and shook his head at her.

They are doing alright now, but what about the future?

It has to be said that the old servant had more survival experience and knew how difficult it was to make a living.

After they left the courtyard, Cheng Yuan began to smash things inside the house like a madwoman.

After the old servant's repeated attempts to persuade her failed, he finally grabbed her and they both burst into tears.

"That bitch! She's deliberately trying to humiliate me! Five strings of cash? When did I, Cheng Yuan, ever care about five strings of cash back then?"

"Miss, my poor miss! Just bear with it, there's nothing we can do. We're like a fallen phoenix, worse than a chicken. Money may be a stinking thing, but we can't live without it!"

Cheng Yuan cried for a while longer before staring blankly at the box. It was just this kind of thing, containing a lot of money, enough to keep her from going hungry for a while.

But it was this box that almost shattered the last vestige of her pride.

Why is she so unlucky?

"I shouldn't have left this money behind. Even if Sanlang doesn't care about me, there's still Brother Yunze. I don't believe he can bear to watch me starve and freeze to death!"

The old servant held her and cried again.

“Miss, the situation is beyond our control! We are indeed powerless and have no choice but to accept it. Moreover, Xu Zhaozhao is right. Prince Qi is engaged. Otherwise, he would not have listened to Madam Qi’s arrangement to move us out. If the prince marries in the future and a powerful mistress takes charge of the household, the prince will probably not have much money left.”

To put it bluntly, if Prince Qi becomes afraid of his wife in the future, how will he be able to take care of this place?

Besides, they only took in and resettled the child under the guise of repaying a debt of gratitude, but that reason can't be used forever.

Cheng Yuan's eyes were swollen from crying.

"Xu Zhaozhao, you're ruthless! Just wait, I, Cheng Yuan, will not be down on my luck forever. Sooner or later, I will make you kneel down and beg me!"