flstandardbreds Chapter 366 Cinderella and Her Stepmother
Chapter 366 Cinderella and Her Stepmother
After being abandoned by her father, Wu Cairen lived a life of meager comfort in the mansion, even worse than a maidservant's. Later, after her stepmother gave birth to a son and a daughter, Wu Cairen's life became even worse. Her stepmother's daughter would act like a spoiled child in front of her father, while her father valued his son more. Gradually, Wu Cairen's father forgot about the existence of such a prominent figure in the mansion.
To prevent Wu Cairen's father from remembering her, her stepmother rarely allowed her to appear before her. During that time, Wu Cairen suffered less abuse.
【Isn’t this a typical Cinderella and her stepmother? 】
Wu Cairen's stepmother was truly clever. She knew she couldn't simply get rid of Wu Cairen to benefit her children, so she gradually let Wu Cairen become disappointed in her father, gradually making her less willing to approach him. This inaction helped the father forget he even had a daughter.
So, Tongzi, just get to the point.
[Cairen Wu is so unpopular now, why do you think she entered the palace?]
Gu Jianchu's grip on the hot water bottle gradually tightened, his eyes were bright and a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.
The Privy Council is a place trusted by the Emperor. For someone from the Privy Council to place someone close to the Emperor at this critical moment is not a wise choice. Furthermore, Wu Cairen's position is not high, and could even be described as very low. Therefore, it wasn't the Privy Councilor who sent Wu Cairen to the Emperor; it was the Councilor's wife who acted on her own initiative.
【When did my host become so smart? 】
[Stop complimenting me and get down to business.]
Gu Jianchu had never thought about this before, nor had he really understood the life stories of these concubines. He only knew who sent them into the palace.
What Xie Ci'an learned was the same as what Gu Jianchu learned.
At one point, I also thought that it was the Privy Council's Vice-Director who sent Wu Cairen into the palace, and the reason why she did not seek a higher position was because she had some concerns. I didn't expect that there was another hidden story.
Xie Ci'an's hands hanging at his sides gradually clenched, and his deep eyes gradually became cold, as if filled with a faint light.
The ministers who saw this lowered their eyes almost at the same time, not daring to look into Xie Ci'an's eyes at all.
Wu Cairen's stepmother always felt that Wu Cairen's existence was a threat to them. They couldn't openly get rid of Wu Cairen under Master Wu's watchful eyes. Since Wu Cairen was of marriageable age, marrying her off was the best option.
[It happened that the Emperor had just ascended the throne, and Lord Wu also wanted to send someone to the palace. The stepmother originally wanted her daughter to enter the palace, but the daughter was unwilling to go and made a scene in front of the stepmother.]
The stepmother thought about it and felt her daughter had a point. What kind of place is the palace? It's a place where people are eaten without leaving any bones. And with so many daughters of high-ranking officials competing for a single man, if one was lucky enough to be favored, it would truly be a disgrace for the whole family. But it's also like living with a tiger. Without the luck to be favored by the emperor, so many concubines would have met their end without a trace.
After much deliberation, the stepmother decided that instead of finding a husband for Concubine Wu, she might as well take this opportunity to insert her into the harem. This would not only add her to the harem, but also remove the thorn in her side. Given Concubine Wu's abilities, it would be impossible for her to be favored in the palace.
Since marrying into the Wu family, the stepmother has been very good at maintaining her reputation. She's been very close to Concubine Wu's aunt, the wife of the Tongzhi. So, the stepmother went to her sister-in-law and, together with her, proposed that Concubine Wu enter the palace. They also spoke of her own interests. Naturally, Lord Wu had no objections, especially since he and Concubine Wu didn't have much of a father-son relationship.
The stepmother intended to suppress Wu Cairen, telling the Tongzhi's wife that the position she had requested for Wu Cairen was too high and too conspicuous, making it difficult for the Tongzhi to lead his life. Upon hearing this, the Tongzhi's wife immediately understood her reasoning and arranged for her niece to be a Cairen.
This wife of the Tongzhi is not a smart person either. She didn't even realize she was being led by the nose.
[I have to admit that Wu Cairen's stepmother is quite capable.]
My stepmother was planning to use the palace struggles to get Concubine Wu killed. I guess she never imagined the situation would turn out this way. No one else in the harem is favored except me, and those concubines haven't even caused any major trouble in the palace.
[That's right, this was something they hadn't anticipated, and what they hadn't anticipated even more was that Concubine Wu would have a chance to leave the palace.]
After leaving the palace, Concubine Wu went straight home. She had nowhere else to go. The day she returned home was the day her stepmother's daughter was engaged to the son of the Earl's mansion. Upon hearing the servants' report, her stepmother quietly left everyone behind and went to meet Concubine Wu at the gate of the mansion. She then expelled Concubine Wu from the mansion, claiming that her daughter's engagement and Concubine Wu's expulsion from the palace were unlucky.
Concubine Wu had nowhere to stay and still wanted to see her father, so she started a quarrel at the gate. Instead of attracting Master Wu, she attracted the guards stationed at the gate. They were all my stepmother's people, and had obeyed her every word for years. My stepmother had anticipated Concubine Wu's potential disturbance and had instructed them to kick her out if she continued to make trouble or tried to break into the house.
Seeing Wu Cairen making a scene in front of the mansion gate, the guards, adhering to the principle of not disturbing the guests in the front yard, beat Wu Cairen out of the alley. During the process of driving her away, the bag of silver you had given Wu Cairen fell out and was snatched away by the guards.
When Consort Wu tried to cause trouble again, the guards tied her up and threw her into the woodshed.
After her daughter's engagement party was over and all the guests had left, the stepmother went to see Concubine Wu and told her that Lord Wu also considered her unlucky and told her to get as far away from her as possible and not to appear in her sight again. After saying this, the stepmother had Concubine Wu thrown away and warned her that she didn't want her life, but if Lord Wu knew that she was unlucky and had made such a fuss, he might even want her life.
[The hopes that Wu Cairen had originally held were completely dashed after hearing Mrs. Wu's warning.]
Fearing that Lord Wu would be unhappy if he learned of this, the stepmother went to Lord Wu and put her in his eyes, saying that the Emperor had released the concubines, but Concubine Wu had not returned home, suggesting she must still be holding a grudge against them. Lord Wu was displeased upon hearing this and even said, "It's up to her, it's just fine if she doesn't come back." With this remark, the stepmother became even more unscrupulous and ordered people to be more vigilant on the streets of the capital, lest Concubine Wu run back.