Tianliangyuan

Chapter 107 Has she always been this manipulative?

How could Li, who became Xu Wen's wife and served as an official's wife for many years, possibly be someone who listens to only one side of the story?

Moreover, she was already dissatisfied with her niece's actions this morning, and now that she heard her niece complaining, she felt that her niece must have done something excessive.

Li Shi didn't want to ask Xu Zhaozhao directly, so she summoned her two concubine daughters for questioning.

Xu Tingting did not hide anything and told all the details of her time in the palace.

“Mother, my second sister was only trying to help us. I saw my cousin trying to get up to perform her talent and I wanted to stop her, but I didn’t dare to shout. Luckily, my second sister was prepared and had Dingxiang push her back down. Otherwise, our manor would have been embarrassed.”

Upon hearing this, Li Biyao became furious: "How can you speak like that, cousin? How did I embarrass myself? Even the Empress said I could perform to my heart's content. I was just thinking of going up and playing a piece myself. How did that make me look bad?"

Xu Wanwan said with a look of disdain, "Come on! Miss Qin's performance was enough to draw countless praises. Are you going to go up and compete with her now? With your piano skills, do you think we can't tell? If no one else was playing, it would be fine if you were just throwing out a brick to attract jade, but now that the jade has already been presented, if you put up this brick, aren't you just trying to make a fool of yourself?"

Xu Wanwan's words left her no face at all!

And what he said was all true.

Li Biyao, however, did not like to hear it.

She felt that her piano skills were already very good, and the lady who had taught her at home before had said that she played very well. When she came to the Marquis's mansion, the old lady had also praised her. How could she not be worthy of being called a refined lady?

By this time, Li understood the general situation and couldn't help but feel angry.

“Biyao, I’ve taken care of you in every way because you call me Aunt. How you were to behave at today’s palace banquet was discussed with you beforehand. Your two cousins ​​were able to sit still and not move, so why can’t you? I think Wanwan is right. If you go up there, it will be truly embarrassing!”

Since Li Biyao arrived, Madam Li has never spoken harshly to her.

I simply couldn't hold back any longer today.

How incredibly stupid must someone be to think they can be compared to Miss Qin, who is known as a talented woman of the capital?

She's way too confident!

Didn't you notice that after Miss Qin came down, no one went up to perform for a long time? Even when someone did perform later, they used a phoenix zither instead of a seven-stringed zither?

This shows that all the ladies present were inferior in musical skill, and none of them were willing or able to compete with her.

But Li Biyao just couldn't see that and foolishly rushed forward.

How utterly stupid!

"Alright, I understand now, Biyao. You were indeed wrong. If it weren't for the Second Miss's prior arrangements, you would have completely disgraced the Marquis's mansion. I have reminded you more than once that now that you are staying at the Marquis's mansion and traveling outside, you are not only representing the Li family, but also the face of my Marquis's mansion. If you continue to act willfully, then I will have no choice but to send you back."

Li Biyao was now truly anxious: "No! Aunt, I know I was wrong, I will change, I will never dare to do it again."

Whether it will be changed or not, who knows?

Xu Wanwan turned her head away and rolled her eyes.

This cousin is such a hypocrite! She started being sarcastic and sarcastic right in front of my second sister. If there hadn't been outsiders present, my second sister wouldn't have let her off so easily.

After leaving Li's place, the two sisters went to talk to Xu Zhaozhao.

Today's events are ultimately Li Biyao's fault.

Seeing that the sisters were quite dissatisfied with Li Biyao in their words, Xu Zhaozhao knew that this person must have angered the public.

"Is she always this green when she's with you guys? Uh, does she talk like that?"

Xu Zhaozhao originally wanted to say whether she was usually this manipulative, but she was afraid that the two of them wouldn't understand, so she had to change her wording at the last minute.

Xu Wanwan tilted her head and thought for a while: "If my second sister hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed. But now that I think about it, this cousin always seems to like praising one person while putting down another. Sometimes she says things that sound a bit strange, like she's being modest, but something just feels off."

Xu Tingting nodded: "Exactly, I also think that this cousin Li speaks a bit strangely. Every time she speaks modestly, it sounds more like she is bragging."

Xu Wanwan's eyes widened: "Yes, yes, that's it. It doesn't sound like a normal person talking."

Xu Zhaozhao was now certain that Li Biyao was a green tea bitch.

This kind of person loves to put on airs in front of men. At first glance, what they say seems fine, but upon closer inspection, it's all about other people's faults and their own self-sacrifice.

Tsk tsk, I wonder who will be more powerful if Li Biyao and Jiang Ning go head-to-head!

Xu Zhaozhao really wanted to grant Li Biyao's wish, but considering that she was Li's niece, it would be troublesome if she were to be involved in the struggle for the crown prince's position in the future. So, she decided to let her give up on this idea.

"My two sisters, what does this cousin Li usually like?"

"She seems to like everything. Oh, and she also mentioned Ziyuan Garden. She even asked us why we live in such a big garden. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now that I think about it, I feel like there was something provocative in her words."

After hearing the two sisters repeat Li Biyao's original words, Xu Zhaozhao knew that her cousin could not stay in the Marquis's mansion for long, and that she should find her a marriage partner as soon as possible.

Before the matter of Li Biyao could be resolved, news spread from the palace.

The emperor recently favored a young lady, who was the daughter of a collateral branch of the Jiang family whom Consort Jiang had previously kept in the palace to talk to.

Whether it was because the emperor unexpectedly favored this Miss Jiang, or for some other reason, in any case, the emperor only granted her the title of Baolin, and even then, he only allowed her to stay with Consort Jiang, without giving her a separate residence.

Now, both inside and outside the palace were bustling with activity.

Some people wanted to see Consort Jiang make a fool of herself, thinking that the Jiang clan disliked Consort Jiang for not giving birth to a prince, so they wanted to offer another beautiful woman to the emperor.

Some people believe that Consort Jiang lost favor and asked her family to find another beauty to enter the palace in order to consolidate her favor.

Regardless of which version is being told, it is ultimately detrimental to Consort Jiang.

As the rumors intensified, a flood of gifts poured into Consort Jiang's palace. Moreover, it was said that Emperor Yong'an never favored Consort Jiang again after that incident.

This shows that the emperor's affection for Consort Jiang remained unchanged, and all the rumors were dispelled.

Was it really just an accident?

When Xu Zhaozhao thought of Jiang Baolin's face, she couldn't help but feel a little curious. So she found an excuse and arranged for her people to send a precious peony to the Jiang residence.

Wang Ruolan called Li Shi over to talk and immediately brought up Li Biyao's matter.

“Li Biyao is your niece. If there is anything in the manor that is not well taken care of, you should let me know in time, so as not to neglect the guest again.”

The word "guest" defined Li Biyao's identity.

Li sensed the hidden meaning in her elder sister-in-law's words and probed, "Biyao has always lived in a small place with her parents and has never seen the world. If she says or does something wrong, elder sister-in-law, you can teach her a lesson."