Chapter 993 Rui’an Great Elder Princess, an Anchor to Shao Wanru
Madam Jiang questioned closely, with her eyes flas.h.i.+ng.
“How could the two conditions not be enough? Get up and get ready. It’s all because of you. How could you be so malicious as the Madam of Marquis Xing? I wouldn’t have let my second son marry you if I had known you well. I thought you were a decent woman and have never expected you to be a troublemaker!” Old Madam, with a shameful rage, pointed at Madam Jiang and scolded her angrily.
Madam Jiang didn’t dare to say anything more and stood up with the help of an old maid nearby.
“Mother…”
“Go, go away immediately! I’ll be angry when I see you!” Madam Jiang said grumpily. She turned around and walked inside, leaving Madam Jiang there.
Madam Jiang’s eyes turned cold and gloomy. She looked at Old Madam’s receding figure with hatred, gritting her teeth.
“Mother, go back and have a rest. Let’s wait for grandmother’s response.” Zhao Xiran also stood up. Old Madam could leave, but she couldn’t. So, she could only come over and hold Madam Jiang’s arm gently.
“Good-for-nothing as well.” Madam Jiang shoved Zhao Xiran out of the way and scolded her angrily. Her son was filial before he got married, but he must have forgotten his mother’s miserable situation because he had a wife now. Since Madam Jiang returned to the mansion, he had just visited her once in pa.s.sing when he came back home. After that, he seemed to be so busy that Madam Jiang had never seen him again. It must be Zhao Xiran who incited her son to stay away from her.
Zhao Xiran, caught off guard, was almost pushed to the ground. Fortunately, the smart maid beside her flung out an arm and stopped her from falling.
However, Madam Jiang, holding an old maid’s hand for support, left without casting a glance at her.
Behind her and for a long time, Zhao Xiran looked at her back thoughtfully and did not speak. The situation of the Madam Jiang was a little strange. It seemed that she had to let her husband investigate her. Madam Jiang could do whatever troublesome things she wanted, so long as she didn’t bring trouble to the Marquis Xing’s Mansion.
From this point of view, Zhao Xiran and Old Madam were on the same side.
“They’re all so useless. I wouldn’t have let my son marry her if I had known she was such a worthless daughter-in-law. What’s the point of marrying her? She can’t help me deal with that woman nor could help Hua’an inherit the t.i.tle of n.o.bility.” As soon as she returned to her room, Madam Jiang showed her fierce face and sat down heavily on the chair.
She was familiar with some people in her yard, but there were many newcomers. Madam Jiang learned Zhao Xiran changed some of her servants in the yard, so she felt quite displeased.
Since only she and the old maid staying with her in the Yuhui Nunnery were in the room, she acted recklessly.
This old maid was not the one who served her in the Yuhui Nunnery at the beginning, but now Madam Jiang wouldn’t care about such trivial matters.
“Madam, don’t worry. You can take care of the matters in your courtyard in the future. The most important thing now is how to deal with Princess Chen!” The old maid comforted her in a low voice. She stood by the window and looked out. When she made sure no one outside noticed them, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“What’s so good about that woman? How could she marry Prince Chen? My daughter is the most outstanding and beautiful one. Were these people blind?” Madam Jiang slammed her hand on the table and said with hatred.
Her daughter was born to be the Empress. But though she married the old Emperor, she lived a frustrated life in the deep Palace. How could Madam Jiang be content with her current situation?
She raised her daughter with great care. How could Shao Wanru, an ignorant girl who had grown up outside their mansion, be compared with her daughter?
“Madam, if Prince Chen dies, Princess Chen will be nothing!” The old maid’s voice became even lower.
Madam Jiang laughed, somehow more and more loudly, and was even bent double with laughter. “Yes… yes… that’s a sick man. He’ll die, and so will the little b.i.t.c.h die without even knowing why. That will be great… Absolutely great…”
Madam Jiang seemed to see Shao Wanru being tortured to death without no one to rely on. She laughed uproariously with a hint of madness.
“Madam, Madam, please lower your voice!” The old maid was anxious. She knocked on the window to make some noise and said, “We’re in the Marquis Xing’s Mansion, not the Yuhui Nunnery. Madam, please be careful. Otherwise, you won’t have a chance!”
Her words reminded Madam Jiang, and she immediately stopped her crazy laughter. Her face, radiant with joy just now, immediately became gloomy again. “Is that sick man going to die?”
“As long as you do as I say, he will!” The old maid nodded.
“That’s good. This G.o.dd.a.m.ned girl is bold enough to fight against me… Let’s see if she’s lucky enough to stay alive!” said Madam Jiang with a sneer.
“Madam, listen to me…” The old maid whispered into her ear. Her voice was so soft that only Madam Jiang, who leaned over, could hear it. While listening attentively, she nodded again and again…
Once again, the Marquis Xing’s Mansion sent Nanny Yu to the Prince Chen’s Mansion. When Nanny Yu entered Prince Chen’s Mansion again, she saw Rui’an Great Elder Princess instead of Shao Wanru.
When Nanny Yu saw Rui’an Great Elder Princess sitting on the princ.i.p.al seat, her heart almost jumped into her mouth.
Even Old Madam was scared to see Rui’an Great Elder Princess, and she was just a servant.
Old Madam and Rui’an Great Elder Princess had been vying against each other for many years, and it was usually Old Madam who had the advantage. But now, if they competed each other again, Rui’an Great Elder Princess would be the one to gain the upper hand.
Therefore, Nanny Yu came forward respectfully to salute.
Rui’an Great Elder Princess looked at her carelessly and asked, “Old Madam is ill?”
For a moment, Nanny Yu was at loss what to say. She swallowed hard and said, “Your Highness, yes, our Old Madam is not feeling well…”
“What a coincidence! Princess Chen doesn’t feel well either. There is an imperial physician here to check her up. How about taking him to the Marquis Xing’s Mansion to examine her? Don’t blame Princess Chen for not being considerate to her elders. See? Now she is ill, but she also has to care for her grandmother!” Rui’an Great Elder Princess interrupted Nanny Yu.
Her speech silenced Nanny Yu again.
Old Madam just pretended to be sick. How could she let the imperial physician see her?
“It’s not necessary to bother the imperial physician. Old Madam is not seriously ill. She fell back into her old illness because of her bad mood recently. She has already taken medicine. It’s just that she insists on talking to Princess Chen. Elderly people sometimes are as stubborn as children. She must see Princess Chen, so I must come here and invite Princess Chen over!” Nanny Yu said in fidgets.
“But Princess Chen is also sick, and she is seriously ill. I’m afraid she can’t go back. I have to stay here to take good care of her, lest she doesn’t cherish herself and run around. If she gets sicker, it will be troublesome.” Rui’an Great Elder Princess said lazily. She picked up the teacup on the table and gently wiped away the tea foam with the lid.
“Your Highness, may we trouble Princess Chen, just for once? Old Madam…” Nanny Yu was so anxious that sweat appeared on her forehead.
“Pa!” Rui’an Great Elder Princess put the cup down heavily with a thump, making the table shake slightly. “How dare you say ‘for once’? Old Madam doesn’t want to let go of Princess Chen even when she is ill. What does she want Princess Chen to do? Forgive the Madam of Marquis Xing and all her wrongdoings?”
“I…” Nanny Yu was speechless.
“Go back and tell Old Madam. Don’t get so many fancy ideas into her head. Since this matter involves state law, it’s beyond the reach of the Marquis Xing’s Mansion. So, please tell her to stay away. It’s not as easy as she thinks!” Rui’an Great Elder Princess mocked mercilessly.
“Your Highness, Old Madam indeed has something important to tell Princess Chen. It’s about the n.o.ble t.i.tle of Marquis Xing’s Mansion.” Nanny Yu gritted her teeth and had to take out her last trump card. After all, when Rui’an Great Elder Princess was here, she couldn’t invite Princess Chen over even in the name of Old Madam.
“The n.o.ble t.i.tle of Marquis Xing’s Mansion?” Rui’an Great Elder Princess seemed to be interested in it.
“Yes, it’s the t.i.tle of n.o.bility. Old Madam wants to ask Princess Chen’s opinion, so she specially invites her.” Though in cold sweats, Nanny Yu forced herself to respond calmly.
“To whom does Old Madam want to pa.s.s this t.i.tle?” Rui’an Great Elder Princess raised her eyebrows and asked.
Nanny Yu paused for a moment. It was a tricky one to answer. She couldn’t say that Old Madam chose Shao Yuanhao, could she? She could see through Old Madam’s mind about this. She preferred the First Young Master, never the little Young Master. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have stood by and watched the Madam of Marquis Xing raise the little Young Master for years.
Old Madam had been a permissive grandma, which perfectly ill.u.s.trated her intention.
Of course, Nanny Yu could not say this to Rui’an Great Elder Princess, so she just said, “I don’t know about this. It’s all up to Old Madam!”
“Old Madam wants to ask Princess Chen for advice, and Princess Chen has to listen to me. In this way, does it mean I can decide who can get your mansion’s t.i.tle of n.o.bility? That’s great. I happen to have nothing to do now, so I have time to discuss the inheritance of the n.o.ble t.i.tle with Old Madam in your mansion!”
Rui’an Great Elder Princess said and was about to get up.
Nanny Yu was so scared that she broke out in cold sweats on her forehead. If she brought such a powerful tyrant to Old Madam, she would spit blood out of anger.
“Your Highness…”
“Let’s go!” Rui’an Great Elder Princess stood up and was about to go out with her servants.
“Your Highness…” Nanny Yu trotted to catch up with her and screwed up her courage to say, “Your Highness, please stay.”
“Don’t you want me to go?” Rui’an Great Elder Princess stopped and asked coldly.
“No… No, I don’t dare. But Old Madam is ill and can’t stand being angry. If something bad happens to her, I can’t bear the responsibility. Please stay here, Your Highness.” Nanny Yu knelt with a thump. She really didn’t dare to invite Rui’an Great Elder Princess back at the time.
Old Madam’s condition had gone from bad to worse. Even though she was her trusted servant, she could not bear the terrible consequences if anything bad happened to her. When talking hurriedly to Rui’an Great Elder Princess, Nanny Yu watched Nanny Gao standing nearby with a pleading look.
“Anything bad? I’d really love to see it!” Rui’an Great Elder Princess said with indifference.
Nanny Gao got the message asking for help from Nanny Yu’s eyes, so she came up and persuaded with a smile, “Your Highness, Princess Chen is still ill, and there are no other elders in the mansion to take care of her. If you leave, there will be no one to take charge of the affairs here!”
Rui’an Great Elder Princess, her eyes flickering a little, seemed to be touched by her words. Then, she turned to look at Nanny Yu who was still kneeling on the ground. “I heard that the Madam of your mansion has come back from the Yuhui Nunnery. Let her come here!”