The moment they entered the carriage, the expressions on Xie Jin and Xiao Yu’s faces changed at the same time.
“You’re quite the schemer!”
Xiao Yu immediately shot back.
“And my dear husband is no less impressive, slandering his own princess like that.”
Xie Jin sneered. The sinister look on his face made Xiao Yu uncomfortable for a moment.
Xie Jin was finally beginning to reveal his true nature in front of her.
It seemed that the affection built over more than twenty years of growing up together had completely disappeared.
“You are still Princess Rui for now. I suggest you learn to restrain yourself. You may have won this time, but the fact remains that you saved another man. No matter what happens, that will never change.”
Xiao Yu understood exactly what he meant.
In this situation, where both sides had suffered losses, they had merely become entertainment for others to gossip about over tea.
But this would certainly not be the final truth.
“With the mighty Prince Rui keeping me company, I suppose I can accept that. Besides, you said it yourself—I am still Princess Rui. Everything I say and do represents you as well. The two of us are in the same boat. If one prospers, so does the other. If one suffers, we both suffer.”
Xie Jin raised his eyes and stared at Xiao Yu with scrutiny, as though he were meeting her for the first time.
After a long silence, a heavy snort finally came from his throat.
Xiao Yu stared back without the slightest fear, obvious provocation in her eyes.
“Does my dear husband intend to take away my authority over the household? I imagine the Secondary Consort you’ve chosen will soon enter Prince Rui’s Residence as you wish. Once she arrives, I can simply hand the household authority over to her!”
Wasn’t his plan simply to use another woman from the inner residence to replace her in a perfectly legitimate manner?
She wasn’t afraid.
“You know who I’ve chosen?”
“Lord Qian, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. His eldest son’s wife happens to be General Zhao’s younger sister. My dear husband certainly knows how to choose. A future alliance between civil officials and military generals… Aren’t you afraid His Majesty will become wary of you?”
Qian Susu was Lord Qian’s legitimate granddaughter.
Xiao Yu had heard of her before. She was exceptionally intelligent and was famous among the noble ladies of the capital for her talent.
Among all the names on the selection list, Xie Jin had chosen the Qian family.
Naturally, he must have considered all the intricate connections behind them.
“Princess, your concerns aren’t unreasonable. But if His Majesty becomes suspicious of me, then so be it. After all, if I die, you won’t survive either.”
His words were vicious and cruel, carrying the sinister implication that if he went to hell, he would drag her down with him.
There was no point continuing the conversation.
There were plenty of powerful civil and military families on the selection list, yet Xie Jin had chosen the Qian family, whose influence was neither too great nor too insignificant.
To some extent, this would help reduce Emperor An’s suspicions.
According to what Gu Jiuci had revealed, after Xiao Yu died in their previous life, Qian Susu eventually became the principal consort of Prince Rui’s Residence.
She was also extremely capable.
She managed Xie Jin’s inner residence with remarkable efficiency and made use of Jinniang’s talent for making money.
In the end, Qian Susu became the most important woman by Xie Jin’s side.
One could easily imagine that Xie Jin’s future prospects would eventually surpass those of the other princes.
In this life, however, Xiao Yu was still alive.
Qian Susu would therefore enter Prince Rui’s Residence only as a Secondary Consort.
Yet Xie Jin had already made himself perfectly clear.
Once Qian Susu arrived, Xiao Yu would have to surrender control of the household.
That meant Xiao Yu’s life in the future would become considerably more difficult.
But she didn’t care.
Whatever came her way, she would deal with it.
The rumors about the harmonious relationship between Prince Rui and Princess Rui lasted only briefly. There was also talk praising Princess Rui for being exceptionally generous and tolerant.
However, all of that was soon overshadowed by news of the imperial selection.
After returning to the residence, Xiao Yu sent messages to both the Xiao Residence and Lin Wan, reassuring them that there was no need to worry.
Both sides had sent people several times to inquire about her after hearing that something had happened to her.
Her sister-in-law, Madam Liu, soon sent her another message.
Madam Qin wanted Xiao Yu to return to her maiden home when she had time.
Apparently, Second Young Miss Xiao Rong wanted to enter the palace.
Their father had initially refused, and Xiao Rong had caused a scene for several days.
Madam Qin, however, had secretly contacted her maiden family and gathered silver and grain behind Xiao Xingzhi’s back. By the time he discovered that she had already submitted Xiao Rong’s name, he had no choice but to reluctantly accept it.
The two families had now pooled their resources and gathered five hundred thousand taels’ worth of silver and supplies.
Perhaps it would be enough to compete for the rank of Talented Lady.
Xiao Yu was momentarily stunned.
The imperial palace was a place that devoured people alive.
She truly couldn’t understand what Xiao Rong was thinking, eagerly throwing herself into such a place.
Besides, the Xiao family’s name wasn’t even on the selection list.
Presumably, the amount of money and grain they had contributed had failed to meet the required threshold.
The Xiao family simply didn’t know it yet.
The following day, Xiao Yu returned to the Xiao Residence.
The rear courtyard was in complete chaos.
“Mother, this is the only thing I’ve ever wanted! Why can’t you grant me this one wish? Why? Am I not your biological daughter? Xiao Yu married Prince Rui! The only way I can surpass her is by entering the imperial palace!”
“Rong’er! If you keep causing trouble and your father finds out, he won’t forgive you! Why must you compete with her in everything?”
“Mother, I just want to be better than her! You don’t understand! If I enter the palace and one day gain His Majesty’s favor, I’ll be able to trample her beneath my feet. She’ll have to watch my expression and obey me!”
Xiao Yu entered with Anxiang and Yingxiu just in time to hear those words.
She immediately responded in a leisurely voice.
“Second Sister, what are you doing? Why are you so determined to compete with me? Are you jealous because I married Xie Jin? My life doesn’t exactly seem comfortable, does it? Do you truly want to throw yourself into a place like the imperial palace?”
Everyone in the room froze.
Xiao Rong was sitting on the floor throwing a tantrum, while Madam Qin stood beside her trying to coax her.
Third Young Miss Xiao Lan stood nearby with her lips pressed together, clearly feeling that Xiao Rong had gone too far.
The moment Xiao Rong saw Xiao Yu enter, she calmly stood up and dusted off her clothes, as though the shrew throwing a tantrum moments earlier had been someone else entirely.
“Hmph! Aren’t you only relying on your status as the eldest legitimate daughter? I’m no worse than you! Why are you allowed to marry a prince while I’m not even allowed to enter the palace? I insist on entering! Once I become a favored imperial consort, not only will the Xiao family have someone powerful to rely on, even you will have to watch how you behave around me!”
Xiao Yu burst out laughing.
How had she never noticed before that her second sister was so simple-minded?
Did she really think gaining the emperor’s favor was that easy?
Her imagination was certainly impressive.
With a brain like hers, she could be devoured until not even her bones remained and still have no idea how she died.
“Oh my! It’s broad daylight, yet Second Sister is already dreaming. Unfortunately, I heard the final selection list has already been decided, and your name isn’t on it! You should give up while you still can. Otherwise, if people find out how desperately you want to enter the palace, who would dare marry you in the future?”
Perhaps it would have been better if Xiao Yu had said nothing.
The moment she spoke, Xiao Rong froze.
Then she burst into loud sobs.
“Mother! We weren’t selected! Why?! You must not have gathered enough silver and grain! How could they reject me? I don’t want to live anymore! I—”
“Shut up!”
A furious roar came from outside.
Xiao Rong’s crying abruptly stopped.
She looked up and saw that Xiao Xingzhi had returned.
He was still wearing his official robes and hadn’t even had time to change. Behind him stood the two brothers, Xiao Yan and Xiao Jin.
“You unfilial daughter! And you!”
Xiao Xingzhi turned furiously toward Madam Qin.
“You secretly gathered silver and grain behind my back to pave the way for this wretched girl. Did you ever consider the consequences? Now she can’t enter the imperial palace, but instead she’s been assigned to Prince Chen’s Residence as a mere concubine! You’ve infuriated me beyond words!”
Xiao Xingzhi’s face was livid with rage.
His daughter—the daughter of the Chief Grand Secretary—was now expected to enter Prince Chen’s Residence as nothing more than a low-ranking concubine!
His family’s dignity and reputation would be utterly humiliated.
Who could have imagined Madam Qin would be bold enough to do something like this behind his back?
She had tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to lure it!
“What? A concubine in Prince Chen’s Residence?”
Madam Qin’s voice suddenly became shrill.
She had never imagined this would be the outcome!
“Are you satisfied now? This is all because you, her mother, kept indulging her! What did I tell you from the beginning? I told you not to get involved in matters like this, but you refused to listen! And look what happened!”
“You donated all that wealth only to send her into Prince Chen’s Residence as a concubine! Do you have any idea how many concubines Prince Chen already has? You’re truly incapable of accomplishing anything and only good at ruining things!”
Madam Qin’s eyes widened.
Her complexion alternated between pale and flushed.
Since marrying into the Xiao family, when had Xiao Xingzhi ever spoken to her so harshly?
Now he was reprimanding her in front of all their children.
She had completely lost face.
Yet when she thought about her daughter becoming someone’s concubine, she still found it impossible to believe.
She turned pleadingly toward her two sons.
“Mother, you were foolish!”
Those few words from Xiao Yan completely shattered Madam Qin.
At a moment like this, how could she possibly care about maintaining her dignity?
She scrambled forward on her knees and clung desperately to Xiao Xingzhi’s leg.
“Husband, you have to think of something! Rong’er absolutely cannot go to Prince Chen’s Residence as a concubine! She can’t! She’s your daughter! You can’t just stand by and watch this happen!”
Xiao Rong was equally dumbfounded.
Moments ago, she had confidently declared that she would become a favored imperial consort.
Now she was suddenly being told she would become nothing more than a prince’s concubine.
She burst into tears and rushed forward to beg Xiao Xingzhi alongside her mother.
“Father! I don’t want to go to Prince Chen’s Residence! I don’t want to be a concubine! Father, please save me!”
“Both of you, shut up!”
The endless crying and shouting made Xiao Xingzhi’s head pound.
He grabbed a teacup from the table and hurled it onto the floor.
Crash!
The mother and daughter immediately fell silent.