One hundred and seventeen vying for favor

  Bai Han was demoted from a first-rank university scholar to a third-rank imperial clan office administrator, which still came as somewhat of a surprise to the high-ranking officials in the court. In fact, even if he had been exiled and made into a fourth- or fifth-rank external official, it wouldn't have caused much comment.

  Just as Yan Mo had expected, Bai Han's demotion this time benefited Bai Xinzhu the most. In any case, she got a good reputation for being "generous and magnanimous". For a while, she became the topic of conversation among the people in the capital again after dinner, but this time there were more praise than before.

  Bai Hanlin was demoted, but at least he remained in the capital and his whole family was preserved. As for this, he didn't say much in front of outsiders, and the bitterness and hardship that came with it probably only he knew.

  Afterwards, he had Zhang's family send some valuable items to the Wang estate. Bai Xinzhu did not personally meet with Zhang, and after declaring that she was 'unconscious' for three days, she then claimed to have 'regained consciousness'. The things Zhang sent were all accepted by Yanmo on behalf of Bai Xinzhu without refusal.

  In the White House, He Lan's mouth stitches were also removed. Can't always sew his mouth shut and not let him eat, can he? Wouldn't that be starving him to death?

  After He Lan woke up, due to the tendons in her hands and feet being pulled, she lay in bed all day, and even going to the bathroom had to be taken care of by others. Although she was still alive, it was as if she had suffered some kind of shock, and after waking up, He Lan was clearly awake but like a living corpse, without speech or movement, suddenly like an oil lamp that was about to go out.

  In secret, Bai Han had consulted many doctors, but all of them told him to prepare his coffin as soon as possible.

  Upon learning of the changes in the White family, the ones who were most delighted were not the Cheng Wang Fu, but rather the Qi family, who had once been close relatives of the Whites.

  Since He Lan was punished by the two princes until she became disfigured, Seasonal Lady had been secretly gloating and couldn't close her mouth.

  In the past, He Lan's family relied on their son's official position being higher than hers, and they rarely gave her a good face in front of outsiders, even daring to mock and scold her. Those evil airs weren't accumulated overnight, and since her daughter passed away, the relationship between the two families became even more hostile. The Ji family could be said to have always been enduring humiliation, and many times when they saw someone from the Bai family, they would almost always choose to take a detour, who let the Bai family have a first-rank official for a son?!

  Now Bai Han was demoted, although his official position was not small, but what made Lady Ji proud was the outcome of He Lan's case.

  With He Lan's poisonous tongue, there are countless people who want to sew her mouth shut. Now she has been crippled by Wang De and is like a useless person. This kind of ending for a living person is equivalent to being worse than death. She thought that even if He Lan wanted to kill herself, she probably wouldn't have the strength to do so?

  For half a month, Mrs. Ji saw people with a smile on her face, and in this life, she had never been so joyful. Whoever was from the Ji family, whether it was their children or servants, couldn't help but notice that everyone knew what Mrs. Ji was thinking, which was nothing more than hoping that the White family would soon spread news of a funeral.

  However, Mrs. Ji's joy lasted only half a month.

  Half a month later, the Ministry of War sent someone to inform them to let the Ji family go and pick up the person.

  It turned out that Ji Mingfeng had smoothly entered the Iron Cavalry under Yan Mo's introduction. When he first entered the military camp, this future heir of the Ji family was full of fighting spirit and endured inhuman training every day, just like other hot-blooded men in the Iron Cavalry.

  In the camp, he also met Bai Yuhao, who had entered the camp half a year ago.

  The hatred of the Ji family towards the Bai family, it has been there for twenty years. Until the generation of Ji Mingfeng, although he did not directly participate in the conflict with the Bai family, living in the Ji family, he was influenced by his surroundings and also had a deep hostility towards the Bai family. Moreover, Ji Mingfeng always looked down on the eldest son of the Bai family. He always thought that Bai Yuhao was just a useless scholar, having only a pretty face but no ability or talent.

  As for Bai Yuhao being able to survive and be retained in the Iron Cavalry, Ji Mingfeng couldn't believe that Bai Yuhao was left behind because of his own abilities. He always thought that he was relying on the help of Bai Xinzhu and Yan Moyu, this pair of sisters and sister-in-law, to be retained by the Iron Cavalry. As a result, he became more and more jealous and contemptuous of Bai Yuhao in his heart, and even wanted to drive Bai Yuhao out of the Iron Cavalry.

  The ideal is very good, but reality is cruel for him.

  In the camp, because he was a newcomer, he couldn't train with the old soldiers, and naturally didn't have many chances to take action.

  Ten days passed, and he gritted his teeth to endure the inhumane training in the army. Several times, he couldn't help but think of giving up and going home, but thinking that Bai Yuhao could do it, he relied on this unwillingness to force himself to continue persevering.

  One night, he was tossing and turning in the camp, unable to fall asleep, thinking about how to get Bai Yuhao to leave the military camp. After all, if Bai Yuhao left, not only would the Ji family be happy, but it would also make him more favored by the Ji family. If Bai Yuhao stayed in the Iron Cavalry forever, he would lose face if he ever wanted to go home one day.

  In the middle of the night, he sneaked up the mountain and coincidentally ran into Bai Yuhao blowing wind at the summit.

  At this moment, Ji Mingfeng was thinking of taking advantage of the situation to make a ruthless move against Bai Yuhao.

  But he had calculated everything, except that Bai Yuhao was no longer the weak and timid person who didn't even dare to speak loudly six months ago.

  Although Bai Yuhao's kung fu wasn't top-notch, he had at least been training in the camp for half a year. Ji Mingfeng underestimated him, and perhaps due to bad luck, not only did he fail to hurt Bai Yuhao in the slightest, but he also fell down the steep mountain slope and broke one of his legs.

  Although the military doctor had already treated his injured bones, Ji Mingfeng was no longer qualified to stay in the Iron Cavalry.

  He was then sent to the Ministry of War, where the Ministry of War was asked to inform his family to take him back home for rest.

  Thus, Ji Mingfeng's Iron Cavalry career lasted only ten days.

  The joy of Ji Taifu's wife lasted less than half a month.

  Ji Mingfeng was originally able to join the Iron Cavalry, which was considered a victory for the Ji family. In some respects, the Ji family felt that they were not inferior to the Bai family. But unexpectedly, this glory only lasted for about ten days before it was gone.

  It was a matter of great face, but in an instant it became a shameful thing. Even Madame Qi herself felt that every time she went out, the wives of other officials would see her with a mocking expression on their faces. Some even deliberately came to the Qi house to offer condolences for Qi Mingfeng's injury. In Madame Qi's heart, these people were clearly coming to watch the commotion at their house.

  How can this not make people angry?

  So when she saw Ji Mingfeng, Mrs. Ji didn't have a single word of concern or comfort, and her attitude towards Ji Mingfeng was even colder than before.

  When Ji Mingfeng was carried back home, Mrs. Ji went to take a look and scolded him with sarcastic remarks, degrading Ji Mingfeng as worthless like trash: "How could our Ji family give birth to such a useless thing? You've only been in there for a few days and you're already being sent out? You've completely lost face for our Ji family! You still have the nerve to come back, you useless thing. It's better if you were dead. Even that little bastard from the Bai family is better than you, what face do you have to live in this world?"

  Ji Mingfeng, who was crippled and expelled from the army due to a failed sneak attack, had been harboring resentment and grievance in his heart. At this moment, hearing his own grandmother's cold and venomous words, he felt like killing someone.

  He ended up like this today, after all, for whom? Wasn't it just to avenge the Ji family and relieve their anger?

  In the end, I didn't even get half a comfort, but was scolded so badly.

  In the Ji family, Mrs. Ji was in charge of everything, and her grandson had no room to speak.

  So all the anger and hatred were transferred to others.

  "Grandmother, it's not that Mingfeng is not competitive or doesn't want to bring glory to the Ji family. It's just that Bai Yuhao relies too heavily on the favoritism of Cheng Wang and Cheng Wangfei, and looks down on everyone else."

  "Mrs. Ji sneered, her old face full of mockery: 'You can't even take care of yourself, and yet you have the nerve to talk about others' shortcomings. That little bastard from the Bai family has been in the Iron Cavalry for half a year now, why hasn't he been kicked out yet?'"

  Ji Mingfeng lay on the bed, staring at his injured leg with a face full of resentment. "Grandmother, this is all because of that Cheng Wang and Cheng Wangfei. If they hadn't been biased towards Bai Yuhao, how could he have possibly stayed in the military camp with his weak qualifications? It's also our Ji family's fault for not having a good relationship with Cheng Wangfei. Look at the White family, the old lady did something so outrageous, but in the end, they're still living comfortably in the capital. But look at us, my father is still just a sixth-rank imperial reader. And what about me? Even if I have great ambitions and aspirations, what can I do without Cheng Wang and Cheng Wangfei's recognition? It's not that I'm being disrespectful to you, but you're Cheng Wangfei's grandmother, yet you never seize the opportunity to get close to her. You say I don't think about the Ji family, but why don't you think about Father? If you had pulled Cheng Wangfei over to our side early on, would the White family still have a chance? Would Bai Yuhao still have had the opportunity to be in the Iron Cavalry? And as for my father, he probably would have been promoted several ranks by now!"

  "How dare you!" Madam Ji shouted coldly, her old eyes fixed on Qi Mingfeng on the bed, filled with disgust. "You ungrateful son, you don't strive to improve yourself and reflect on your mistakes, yet you turn around and blame me for my wrongdoings!"

  Ji Mingfeng lowered his head, but the hatred hidden in his eyes was even deeper.

  Mrs. Ji had been displeased from the start, and now that Ji Mingfeng had touched her sore spot, she was furious with shame. She got up and left Ji Mingfeng's room without looking back, her old face cold as she was supported by a maid.

  Ji Mingfeng's words hit her sore spot, and it wasn't exaggerated at all. Obviously, she could have used her identity to get close to the Cheng Wangfu, but why didn't she? Wasn't it because of her grandson's matter?

  At first, she went to Cheng Wang's mansion to seek help from Cheng Wang, but Cheng Wang pretended to be unaware of the situation, resulting in her grandson dying a terrible death in the fire of the prison.

  As soon as she thought of this, she had an unspeakable hatred for Cheng Wang Fu.

  What she resented even more was that the good-for-nothing woman didn't wake up early, which led to her having no way to seek help, and as a result, her great-grandson couldn't escape the disaster. Towards that good-for-nothing woman, she also had an intense hatred. Now, if she were to go in front of that woman and try to build a relationship with her, she would be unable to let go of her resentment. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to bear the hatred in her heart and might do something, so she never appeared in front of the people from the Cheng Wang Fu again.

  Now, reminded by her grandson, she also knows that she has been somewhat selfish and hasn't done her part for the Ji family, resulting in a not-so-close relationship between the Ji family and the Cheng Wang Fu, but instead always benefited the Bai family.

  Now that she thinks about it, she also had a past. If she had gone to see that waste earlier and gotten along with the waste, Mo Bai would have at least had a fourth-grade official title by now. They say that maternal uncles are important, and Mo Bai is indeed the maternal uncle of that waste. As the Crown Princess, how could she not help?

  If she had taken action earlier, the outcome of the White family would not be like this now! That little bastard of the White family wouldn't have even had a chance to join the Iron Cavalry!

  These, actually she herself has a lot of numbers in her heart, it's all because she didn't grasp the opportunity well, blaming herself for not getting along with herself.

  If she goes to Prince Wang's mansion now, I wonder if she can still win over that useless person's favor?

  ……

  Following the imperial court

  After that time at the roast duck shop, Bai Xinzhi has been hiding in the mansion and hasn't gone anywhere. Even though many officials' wives came to visit her, she avoided seeing them. Now she understands that things in life are unpredictable, it's not that you're afraid of ten thousand things, but rather one thing can happen unexpectedly, for the sake of the child, the mansion is still the safest place.

  Her life was quite regular, and apart from eating, drinking, sleeping and taking care of her pregnancy, she had nothing to do but help Yanmo grind ink in the study, accompany him with his official duties, or read books and practice calligraphy by herself. The whole day passed quickly for her.

  But in recent days, due to Liu Xue Lan constantly running to Cheng Wang Fu, Bai Xin Ran had no choice but to change her routine and accompany her.

  In the Fong De Wang Fu, Liu Xue Lan was forcibly locked up for more than half a month and finally got released by a certain man. She kept running to Cheng Wang Fu afterwards. However, Bai Xin had concerns and didn't dare accompany her out. In order to keep Liu Xue Lan staying in one place, she had no choice but to let the guards of Cheng Wang Fu carve a set of 72-tile mahjong with only circles and bamboos, and also brought Blood Shadow along. The three of them played mahjong day and night.

  This gambling has always been addictive, and for mahjong, this new and unusual betting method, it's even more addictive for Liu Xuelan. She spends all day playing mahjong and almost doesn't want to go home. Every evening, a certain man must personally come to the Wang Mansion to catch her.

  As for the women's pastime, Yan Mo couldn't help but laugh and cry. It can be seen that his own wife likes it, and there's no way to stop her, so he might as well turn a blind eye and let them do as they please, as long as everyone in the house is safe and sound.

  That day, Liu Xuelan rushed to Cheng Wangfu early in the morning and started a day of 'mixing'.

  Today was probably a bad day for me, after one round I lost several tens of taels of silver.

  "Blood Shadow, you're really good at hiding your strength, silently winning so many rounds. Tell me, did you deliberately step on dog poop this morning?" Liu Xue Lan said with a mix of admiration and envy, her eyes narrowing as she glanced at the small pile of silver beside Blood Shadow, which was originally hers...

  ...... Xue Ying's expressionless eyes stared at the desktop, and if you didn't look closely, you couldn't see the black line on her forehead.

  Looking at Liu Xue Lan's disgruntled appearance, Bai Xin Ran was particularly speechless and couldn't help but speak on behalf of Xue Ying: "It's just a few dozen taels of silver, look at your losing face, you're really bringing shame to the Feng De Wang family. The other day you won almost 200 taels of silver from me, I didn't say a word!"

  Liu Xuelan pouted and suddenly didn't say another word.

  Bai Xin couldn't help but laugh at the thought, and continued to tease her: "It's really strange, just a few days ago your luck was super good, but today it's suddenly plummeted? Tell me, did you do something with your husband Wang last night? Hehe, doing some things too much can bring bad luck, you know."

  Upon hearing this, Liu Xue Lan's face suddenly flushed red and her eyes stared intently at the mahjong tiles in front of her. She muttered uncomfortably, "I'm a big belly, what can I do with him?" Finally, she turned to Bai Xin Yan with a red face and hummed, "Don't fool me, doing that kind of thing will bring bad luck. Do you think I'm a three-year-old? I don't believe Cheng Wang won't touch you."

  Bai Xing Yan looked at her face with a guilty conscience and two red blushes, almost laughing out loud.

  She couldn't help it and curled up the corners of her mouth, frankly nodding in acknowledgement: "My husband, Wang Ye, didn't touch me."

  Liu Xue Lan's big eyes narrowed into a slit, looking at Bai Xin Ran with a slanted gaze and an expression of disdain. "Who would believe you? You all sleep together, does the Crown Prince not touch you?"

  Bai Xin's face turned red with anger as she smiled and raised an eyebrow: "I'm pregnant, how can he touch me? Do you think everyone is like your Fong De Wang?"

  Upon hearing this, Liu Xue Lan suddenly stretched her neck and became tense: "Xin Ran, I'm not saying it's you, but is your husband, Wang Ye, having some health issues... or did he do something outside, so he can tolerate it?"

  This is too unreasonable! Although she and the surname Xia are not usually doing that kind of thing, every now and then that man will definitely not be able to bear it. Since Wang is so concerned about Xin Ran, there's no reason why he wouldn't touch her. There must be a problem with this.

  If someone else had said these words, Bai Xinduan would have suspected that the other person was trying to drive a wedge between their husband and wife. But since they came from Liu Xuelan's mouth, Bai Xinduan knew she didn't have any ulterior motives, just pure curiosity and concern.

  She played a card and pointed to her belly, laughing: "My physical foundation is not as good as yours, plus my belly looks bigger, so my husband Wang Ye doesn't have the guts to touch me."

  What she said is all true. In the first few months, her reaction was huge and Mo Yu was worried that he couldn't even think about it. In the past month or two, she has been stable, but her belly has grown bigger day by day, and he is worried about hurting the child, let alone having the guts to move her.

  As for what Liu Xuelan said about having physical problems, she can pat her chest and say that it is absolutely impossible. She knows very well how normal the men in her family are. As for what Mo Yu will do outside, she also believes that he will not do anything to betray her. He has been out rarely recently, even if he enters the palace, he won't be delayed for too long. The vast majority of the time is spent in the mansion accompanying her, just these few days because they played mahjong, he didn't want to participate so he worked in the study. They have been married for so long, and he has never stayed overnight outside alone.

  Among men, Mo Yu is the most family-oriented, and he doesn't have time to do anything that would wrong her.

  Liu Xue Lan saw that she didn't seem to be lying, and besides, she also believed that Cheng Wang's affection for Xin Ran was genuine. So she didn't continue to dwell on this topic that wasn't conducive to their friendship. However, in her heart, she had complaints about a certain man...

  That dead man, all day and night thinking about that kind of thing, not even learning from King Xiang, just like a big wild wolf, she's still pregnant with a child, he actually dares to take advantage of her, if she gives birth to the child later, won't she be bullied to death by him?

  She can't even win a game of mahjong now, damn it! From now on, I'll never let him touch a single hair of hers again!

  Meanwhile, a man somewhere else suddenly felt as if his back had been swept by a gust of cold wind, and inexplicably felt a chill...

  It was Liu Xuelan's turn to draw a card, and after one round, she finally drew a useful one. She was so delighted that her big eyes sparkled with joy, her face had two dimples, and the corners of her mouth were raised in a huge smile, looking like a blooming flower. Her laughter was sweet and self-satisfied.

  "Haha...... I finally got it...... Eight Tons!"

  "It's over." Blood Shadow's expressionless face slowly overturned a row of mahjong tiles, and slowly picked up the eight tubes that Liu Xue Lan had just played. He raised his eyelids, and his clear and cold gaze didn't show much joy, staring straight at the silver in front of Liu Xue Lan.

  Liu Xue Lan's smile froze on her face. As if she didn't believe it, she stretched her neck to carefully count the Blood Shadow cards again. After finishing, her face was filled with a sense of loss, and she couldn't help but mutter in disdain, "Blood Shadow, are you deliberately going against me today? You actually dare to play a flat card?"

  Under Blood Shadow's piercing gaze, she still took out a small piece of silver and tossed it at Blood Shadow.

  He calmly took over the silver and placed it at his side, then expressionlessly stretched out both hands to shuffle the cards.

  "I said Blood Shadow, your family's Yin Du wouldn't have also not touched you last night, would he? Otherwise, how could your luck be so good?" Lost the silver, Liu Xue Lan's entire tone was sour.

  Xue Ying's eyes didn't stray as she washed the mahjong tiles on the table, her hands moving with a dexterity akin to juggling, and if Bai Xin hadn't known that she was new to mahjong, most people would have suspected that she had the hands of an old gambler.

  She looked up at Liu Xue Lan and said in a light tone: "Ran into."

  "……?!?" Yu Xue Lan's mouth twitched uncontrollably, and the newly built plaque almost collapsed due to her shaking hands.

  "... Bai Xin was somewhat tearfully amused. This girl, did she have to be so honest? She dared to guarantee that if Liu Xue Lan asked her how many times last night, this girl would definitely tell the truth."

  In order to avoid an awkward situation, she hurriedly cleared her throat and glared at Liu Xue Lan with a bad temper.

  "You're also one of them, aren't you? It's just a few dozen taels of silver, your family's Feng De Wang can certainly afford it. How dare you think of bullying my Blood Shadow clan, and now you're even trying to take advantage of me? Do you have any shame?"

  Liu Xuelan pouted, unwillingly humming a tune. Biased! A typical case of bias!

  She wouldn't dare bully Xue Ying even if she bullied Xin Che...

  It's all because she had a good streak the past two days, so she thought today would be the same and didn't bring out much silver. Now that she's played just one round, she's already lost several dozen taels. At this rate, if she plays another four or five rounds, she reckons she'll even lose her underwear.

  The amount of money is small, but it's related to whether she can come out or not.

  These two days she won a lot of silver from Heart Dye, and after returning home, she was so proud that the man only let her out after winning silver. If she lost silver, would that dead man still let her out?

  Before a new round of mahjong had begun, Yin Du suddenly walked in from outside the courtyard and approached the three women under the pavilion.

  "Your Highness, there is an old lady outside who claims to be your great aunt and wants to see you." Yin Du said seriously, but his eyes secretly drifted towards a certain motionless woman on the other side. He dared say that his family's Blood Shadow had been addicted to playing mahjong for several days!

  Because this morning she suddenly took the initiative to say a sentence to him, she said: "Princess Pongdeok has arrived, notify me."

  He really didn't understand, these few women were obviously gambling, why didn't he stop them, and instead let them get more and more into it. Moreover, Princess Pongdeok would come over from early morning and wouldn't leave until nightfall, and only when King Pongdeok himself came to pick her up would she leave.

  His family was originally well-behaved, but they were all led astray...

  When she heard his words, Bai Xinzhen raised her head from the mahjong table, somewhat surprised. She almost forgot that she seemed to have a grandmother. But what was the old lady doing here?

  It's been several months since she last saw that old woman, and at that time, she was still 'foolish'. The old woman had come to the Wang Mansion for her eldest grandson and even tried to bribe Xue Ying. Since her grandson died in prison, the old woman has not appeared again. As for her hypocritical smile, it is still fresh in her memory.

  What is she doing here again?

  Two days ago, I heard from Mo Yu that Ji Mingfeng was sent out of the Iron Cavalry Army. Is she here for her grandson again?

  Ji Mingfeng's matter, Mo Yu has already told her about it. According to the investigation, Ji Mingfeng had ulterior motives and wanted to harm Bai Yuhao, but ended up failing and even broke his own leg. It can be said that he got what was coming to him, losing out on both ends. A person with such a mindset will always meet the same end, wherever they go. He deserved to be kicked out of the Iron Cavalry.

  A cold glint flashed across her eyes as she turned to Yin Du and said, "You go tell her that I'm not feeling well and it's inconvenient for me to see her."

  Yin Du furrowed his brow: "Princess, I've already told you, but that old woman is making a big fuss, saying she won't leave no matter what. She keeps shouting at the guards, saying she's your great aunt and scolding them for being too slow to serve her. From my observation, she seems like a madwoman. If she continues like this, I'm afraid it will affect Your Highness' reputation."

  Upon hearing this, Bai Xin's face fell: "What, relying on being my paternal grandmother you can come to the Prince of Cheng's residence and act wildly?"

  She remembered it was like this last time too, when that old woman forced them to invite her in.

  She quietly walked towards Yin Du, waved her hand and said in a cold tone: "It's well-known that I'm not feeling well, is it wrong to avoid seeing her? If she makes another scene at our gate, have someone chase her away with a stick! Who can't be unreasonable, must it be only her?"

  Yin Du nodded and responded: "Alright, I'll go and drive her away."

  "Wait." Bai Xincheng suddenly called out to him, his figure retreating in the distance. "This matter must not be told to Wang Ye."

  "Why?" Yin Du scratched his ear in puzzlement.

  "The prince has been extremely busy these past few days, don't bother him with these trivial matters. I'll go talk to him myself later, you won't need to say much to him."

  "Yes, I understand." Yin Du turned around and couldn't help but take a glance at Xue Ying, unfortunately, the woman's gaze remained fixed on the wooden mahjong tiles on the table, not even giving him a proper look.

  He sighed silently and turned to leave.

  Because of this, Bai Xintong's playful mind was reduced by half. I don't know what kind of evil my previous life encountered, but I ended up with so many extreme relatives. My father doesn't look like a father, my grandmother doesn't look like a grandmother, and as for my aunt, she's just a selfish person.

  With Helan's previous lesson in mind, Bai Xinduan was on guard against Ji Taifu and naturally wouldn't easily agree to see her.

  As for why I didn't let Yan Moyu know, it's actually because I don't want Yan Moyu to worry about these boring things.

  It's just like the Bai family's matter, it clearly shouldn't have been so easily turned over, but because she was in the middle, he had no choice but to back down, all for not wanting her to be put in a difficult position.

  For example, Bai Yuhao and Ji Mingfeng, he could have ignored them, but it was because of him that he reluctantly agreed to the requests of both families.

  Although she didn't know what that so-called grandmother wanted from her, she could be 200% sure that it was absolutely nothing good.

  Relying on being a senior just dare to come and bully her, thinking that she is really a soft persimmon that anyone can take a bite of?

  Want to take advantage of her? Don't even think about what you've done to her.

  As soon as Yin Du left, Liu Xue Lan couldn't help but speak up. "Xin Ran, why are there so many old ladies in your house?"

  Bai Xin's face turned red as she rolled her eyes and snapped back at her: "Do you think I want to?"

  Liu Xue Lan sighed, "People always say that women need to rely on their natal family for support. But looking at your natal family, they're all just causing you trouble. Women all want to find a man with 'property and a house, parents deceased'. If every woman had relatives like yours, I think in the future men will also require their wives to have 'talent and looks, parents deceased'."

  Pfft!

  Bai Xin couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of water: "If you dare to say this in front of Lord Liu, I'm sure Lord Liu will split you in two."

  Liu Xuelan touched her nose and quickly changed the subject: "Let's talk about something else, let's continue playing, I must win back the silver I lost today."

  ……

  Outside the gate, Mrs. Ji was accompanied by her maid Cui Zhu and a young servant, but they were refused entry. They didn't want to leave empty-handed after coming all this way, but the guards showed no mercy, making them so angry that they almost burst out in loud curses.

  Yin Du came out, and Madame Qi thought he had brought good news, but unexpectedly Yin Du said to her:

  "Old madam, please leave now, our princess is pregnant and it's inconvenient for her to see you."

  The old face of Ji Ta's wife suddenly became unsightly: "Have you told your princess that I am her paternal grandmother?"

  Yin Du's face turned cold: "Old Madam, you are the queen's what person, small enough to not be in charge, but the queen is now pregnant and has many inconveniences. As a senior, should you show some consideration?"

  "Are you kidding me? I'm the queen's grandmother, would I harm my own granddaughter? I know she's pregnant and struggling, so I came to visit her with my old bones, wanting her to have a peaceful childbirth. What's wrong with that?"

  Yin Du took a deep breath and stood upright at the gate, his face cold as he said: "Old madam, forgive me for being rude, but you should hurry back."

  "Madam Ji furrowed her brow and glared, unwilling to leave: 'You're just a lowly servant, what right do you have to chase me away? Let me tell you, I'm the king's concubine's own aunt, even if the king himself saw me, he'd have to show me respect. You people are so cold and distant towards me, is that acceptable? Aren't you afraid of others finding out and saying you're relying on your master's power to bully people?"

  Upon hearing this, Yin Du's face was covered with a chill. This queen is really pitiful, with one grandmother and one step-grandmother, each thinking they are superior and trying to outdo the other.

  "Someone's coming." He didn't respond to Lady Ji, but instead called out in a low voice to the several guards behind him.

  "Head, what are your orders?" Several guards stepped forward in response.

  "Drive these people away, don't let them get close to the Wang Mansion again! If anyone doesn't listen, beat them to death with a stick and throw them out!" This unreasonable old woman, if she really saw the princess, who knows how much anger the princess would endure.

  Anyway, I've already given orders that anyone who dares to be disrespectful to the princess will be dealt with at will, and I'll take full responsibility for all consequences.

  After finishing speaking, Yin Du looked at Qi Tai's wife with a hint of disdain and then turned around and walked into the gate without looking back.

  Madam Ji felt even more humiliated and resentful. She thought that the first few times she came, King Wang personally received her, but these dogs actually relied on their power to bully people, it was really hateful!

  Standing behind her, Cui Zhu and Xiao Shun saw the guards of Cheng Wang Fu walking towards them. The serious and cold expression was not like joking at all, let alone the other party had a long sword hanging from their waist. Seeing that the situation was not good, they quickly pulled Mrs. Ji into their carriage and ran away.

  "Madam, I suppose today the princess really has some inconvenience, you can come over a few days later." The maid comforted in the carriage.

  Mrs. Ji was trying hard to suppress the anger in her heart. Although she had thought before that it might not be easy to see that waste, she didn't expect that waste to be so unfeeling, she was her own grandmother, and yet she was treated so coldly, and even let a servant show off in front of her, really too much! Indeed, waste is waste, doesn't even understand this little courtesy, heard that the waste has become normal now, in her opinion, that woman is not as good as being a waste!

  In her heart, she was furious, but Mrs. Qi also understood that she and this granddaughter were not close at all. If she wanted others to respect her, she had to put in more effort herself. After all, she had plenty of time; if she didn't see her today, there would be another day when she would...

  ……

  For three consecutive days, Bai Xintong had been informed that Seasoned Lady had come to see her. Finally, unable to bear the annoying disturbance any longer, she suspended the mahjong game for half a day and had Yin Du bring the person to the front hall.

  She tidied herself up a bit and then calmly walked into the front hall with a faint bloodstain.

  Finally seeing the person, Mrs. Ji was satisfied at last. When she saw Bai Xindye for a moment, she was slightly stunned, and then hurriedly smiled and bowed to Bai Xindye: "I have seen the princess."

  She didn't expect that after a few months, this waste would be like a different person. The previous one was like an idiot who hadn't eaten enough, thin and dull, now suddenly plump and radiant, almost unrecognizable.

  "Madam, please get up." White Xin said indifferently from her seat of honor. Her hand was placed on her belly, a gesture she had grown fond of since feeling the baby move for the first time. Feeling the child inside her "excitedly" greeting her made her whole body feel warm and cozy.

  "Thank you, Princess."

  Madam Ji straightened her body, with a warm smile on her face, just about to say some polite words, when she heard Bai Xindye say in a lukewarm tone:

  "Empress Dowager has requested to see me three times, I wonder what is the matter? If it's just a visit, then I thank you for your kindness. But if Empress Dowager has any requests or favors to ask of me, then I can only apologize, as I am merely a woman who manages the household and now with child, unable to help anyone."

  Upon hearing this, Lady Ji's smile froze instantly, and her face gradually turned pale.

  She was stunned for a moment, then smiled again, only this smile had less tenderness than before and more stiffness.

  "The queen said that it's been a long time since she saw you, and she misses you very much. For the past few days, I haven't been feeling well, so I didn't dare to come over and disturb her, fearing that I would pass on my illness to the queen. Now that I hear the queen is about to give birth, I'm worried about her health, so I rushed over to see her one more time."

  "Is that so?" Bai Xincheng hooked up the corner of his mouth, but didn't manage to produce a smile. "Madam Ta really is thoughtful."

  When she heard the words "Madam" on her left and right, Lady Qi's heart was not pleased, but she couldn't say anything unpleasant, so she continued to smile and said: "Your mother passed away early, and there is no one around to teach you about childbirth. I worry about your body every day, afraid that you won't handle things well due to lack of experience... Don't blame me for being nosy, I'm just worried that you'll suffer."

  Bai Xinyan raised her head, gazing at her with a faintly apathetic expression: "The Empress's intentions have been understood by the Princess, and the Emperor has already sent an elderly palace maid to the Duke of Cheng's residence to instruct the Princess, so there is no need to trouble the Empress Dowager."

  After finishing speaking, she didn't go to see Madame Ji's expression. She raised her hand to let Xue Ying help her up and walked in front of Madame Ji. With a smile on her face, she looked at Madame Ji whose expression wasn't very good and said seriously:

  "Although you are my grandmother, there is something I want to make clear to you. We may be blood relatives, but we don't have any affectionate relationship as grandparents and grandchildren. I hope you understand the facts and don't think about things that shouldn't be thought of. I'm not a person who usually acts recklessly, but it doesn't mean I won't act recklessly if needed. I hope in the future, you won't come to our estate uninvited and start yelling at people. After all, our estate is not some street market where anyone can cause trouble whenever they want."

  Digression

  I think many of my dolls want to kill me today ~ [Slipping away with a grey face, because there aren't enough lids ~]

  Be patient for a moment, Baozi Douya will be out soon, following the plot, Liang Zi can't jump over it all at once ~ hehe...