flstandardbreds Chapter 341: All the mechanisms are exhausted
Chapter 341: All the mechanisms are exhausted
As soon as I entered the door, I saw a bunch of things in the house.
"Mother, what are you doing?"
Su Li pointed at the pile of things and asked.
Qin's face was gloomy. She sighed softly and said, "Li'er, the people in the palace just left. These were sent by Concubine Jiang."
Sent by Concubine Jiang?
There was a box of silks and satins, and some exquisite silk flower jewelry; they were all ordinary things, nothing special.
Concubine Jiang had already greeted her in the palace yesterday, so Su Li was not surprised at the moment and just said:
"Mother, Concubine Jiang has been very thoughtful. Prince Su already has close ties with the General's Mansion, and there's also the relationship with Brother Huan. If Xu Jing is added to the mix, it would be too much."
Qin sighed, "I know that times have changed. But I'm afraid Jing'er will have to endure some hardship. For the past six months, she's been so happy preparing a lot of dowry, and she's been so busy."
"She's definitely been busy. Mother, do you know what she's been doing in private..."
Before he finished speaking, Xu Jing came running in from outside the door and said before entering:
"Auntie, auntie, is there an imperial decree from the palace? Why didn't you ask me to come out and receive it?"
As she spoke, she hurried in with an excited look on her face. Seeing Su Li there, she nodded somewhat listlessly, then rushed towards Qin.
"Aunt, what does the palace say? Can we set a date for the wedding?"
"Jing'er! Sit down and talk slowly. The illness is not fully healed yet!" Qin pulled Xu Jing to sit down.
Xu Jing's face was filled with excitement, and her sickly face flushed. She glanced at the room full of rewards and couldn't suppress her joy.
"Aunt, are these sent from the palace?"
"Yes!"
Seeing Xu Jing's excitement, Qin couldn't bear it.
"Aunt, you promised me that you would prepare a generous dowry for my wedding. Aunt, do you keep your word?"
"It counts! But, Jing'er, listen to me first..."
Qin tried to pull Xu Jing's hand, but Xu Jing pushed it away. She suddenly raised her voice and shouted:
"I won't listen!"
She walked up to the pile of rewards, a smile still on her lips, but tears were already falling like beads from a broken string.
"I've checked. The eighteenth of next month is an extremely auspicious day, perfect for a wedding. Calculating the date, someone from the palace should be coming to take my measurements and tailor my clothes. I also need to ask for my name, otherwise I'll be late."
She turned her head suddenly, looked at Qin with tears in her eyes and said:
"Aunt, where is the imperial edict? Let me see it quickly."
Seeing that she looked a little crazy, Qin rushed over with a heartache and hugged her, crying:
"There's no imperial edict. Jing'er, there won't be any imperial edict. Jing'er, don't do this. You're scaring your aunt."
"No, Auntie, you lied to me!"
Xu Jing suddenly became angry and pushed Qin away.
"Aunt, even if Lin Wantang hadn't died and I couldn't become the principal wife, a concubine would be fine! Aunt, please tell Consort Jiang that I'm willing. Whether it's a concubine or a maid, yes, even a maid is fine! Aunt, I can't lose this marriage. Without it, I'll have nothing!"
Xu Jing was so smart that she guessed it when she heard someone from the palace coming in her own courtyard but her aunt didn't send anyone to call her.
But she doesn't want to admit it!
She is the most talented woman in Shengjing City. In order to become a powerful person, she tried her best and even killed people to silence them. But in the end, she was told that it was all in vain!
No!
Today, Xu Jing was rejected in marriage, and tomorrow she would become the laughing stock among all the noble ladies in Shengjing.
"Aunt, I beg you! Even if I beg you, please help me, help me."
Xu Jing collapsed to the ground, tearing and holding Qin's hand.
"Jing'er, it's not that I won't help you, it's just that the palace hasn't explained the situation clearly, and I don't know what went wrong!"
"Humph!"
Su Li sneered,
"Xu Jing, stop howling like a ghost here. You brought all of this upon yourself. Don't you want to know why? I'll tell you!"
Qin turned to look at her, "Li'er, tell me quickly! Let's see if there's any room for maneuver."
Su Li walked over, pulled Xu Jing's hand away, and helped Qin stand up.
"Mom, do you know why Xu Jing saw a ghost out of nowhere?"
"Why?"
"That's because she did so many bad things and she feels guilty!"
Su Li told Qin about Xu Jing harming Lin Wantang. Qin was bewildered upon hearing this and kept asking Su Li:
"How is this possible? How is this possible? Jing'er is so gentle and virtuous, how could she do such a wicked thing?"
"Mother, not only does my daughter know about this, but A-zhe knows too. Concubine Jiang, Concubine Li, and the eldest princess in the palace all know about it now. It's precisely because they know Xu Jing's vicious heart that Concubine Jiang and His Royal Highness Prince Su don't want her!"
"No!"
Xu Jing suddenly got up from the ground.
She had just cried deliberately to win Qin's sympathy, hoping that Qin would come forward to help her fight for something. But now, after hearing Su Li's words, she knew that her affairs had been exposed, and she roared in anger.
"It was Lin Wantang herself who didn't want to marry Prince Su and tried to run away from home several times. As her good sister, I was just helping her. As for the coachman, he was hired by Shuanghong. How could I have known that he would be tempted by her beauty and kill her on the way? Aunt, I didn't do it! I didn't mean to harm Lin Wantang! I didn't!"
Su Li took a step forward and shouted angrily:
"You're still trying to shirk responsibility! Xu Jing, this is clearly your own fault, you can't blame anyone else! Concubine Jiang didn't say it explicitly, she was doing it to save the Marquis's reputation, and you actually want my mother to plead for you? Our Marquis's Mansion can't afford to lose this person!"
Xu Jing was so angry that she was shaking all over. Suddenly, she knelt on the ground with a thud.
"Aunt, you must have a way, right? It was all Shuanghong's fault. It has nothing to do with me!"
Shuang Hong, who followed behind him, was so frightened when she heard this that she fell to the ground and shouted:
"Madam, it's not me! Miss, how could you do this to me! Madam, Miss, help!"
Xu Jing ignored her and just pulled Qin Shi to cry:
"Aunt, I've already called off two engagements. I'll be twenty after the New Year, and I can't wait any longer."
Qin's heart was struck by a series of attacks, and she was still in a daze. Initially, she didn't believe Xu Jing could do such a thing, but when she thought of the ghost in her courtyard for no reason, the ruthless expression on her face when she slapped Shuang Hong that day, and now she had resolutely abandoned Shuang Hong to save herself, her heart couldn't help but feel cold.
Shuanghong grew up with her!
How could she bear it?
"Broken off two engagements? Over 20? Isn't that your own fault?" Su Li sneered.
"Sun Zhonghuai is a top scholar, and Shen Yanqing is elegant, upright, and noble. Which one of them is not a perfect match? Which one of them was not chosen by your mother after careful selection? But what about you? You think Mr. Sun's reputation is damaged, and you think Lord Shen's family background is not high enough!"
"When Prince Jing was at the top of the government, you tried to seduce him. Later, when Prince Su gained power, you tried to seduce him. Xu Jing, you are so utilitarian, but don't you know the saying that goes, 'Too clever to be too clever, you may end up losing your life?'"