mtlumby2d Chapter 8 A Woman with Deep Schemes
Chapter 8 A Woman with Deep Schemes
"what…"
Xu Jiaojiao let out a soft cry and took several steps back, barely dodging the hairpin in Lianxin's hand, but fainted due to excessive fear.
Lianxin suddenly turned violent, throwing Shi Nuan Pavilion into chaos.
Those who stepped forward to apprehend the person did so, while others covered for the princess, and still others fled in panic.
Amidst the chaos, Xu Jiaojiao quietly opened her eyes a crack and silently admired Lianxin's broken state as she was pinned to the ground and wailed.
She is not a good person.
Those who offend her will be punished!
In the ruthless Prince Chen's mansion, her gentle, virtuous, kind, simple, honest, and innocent qualities could not help her live a better life or get everything she wanted.
She wants to be superior to everyone, even if it means resorting to any means necessary!
That night.
The princess sent over a new dress, instructing her to rest well and make sure to perform well at the welcoming banquet tomorrow.
In addition, the princess bestowed many other gifts upon her in order to appease her.
Seeing the silks, satins, gold, and jewels carried into the courtyard, Xu Jiaojiao was in a good mood and gave Lianye a gold ingot as a reward.
After this incident, Lianye and she were now in the same boat.
Don't use the suspect, but don't use it.
Since Lianye has been identified as a confidant, it is natural to try to win him over.
On the outskirts of Beijing, a military encampment.
After listening to the spy's report, Zhao Yunzheng looked at the jade beaded flowing fairy dress on the table. His cold face was expressionless, making it impossible to guess his emotions.
When he first met Xu Jiaojiao, he thought she was a beautiful, charming, innocent and kind woman who would try to bandage his wounds even if she misunderstood him as an assassin.
In hindsight, he was wrong.
This woman devised a plan with her maid, which not only saved her from the predicament of her torn skirt, but also eliminated her rivals and earned her a large reward—a triple win.
Although that maid was indeed treacherous and deserved to die, Xu Jiaojiao was ultimately too scheming.
Seeing that her master was looking at the dress without saying a word, Yingyi mustered up her courage and asked, "Should this dress be sent to Shi Nuan Pavilion?"
A hint of ambiguity flickered in Zhao Yunzheng's eyes.
Undeniably, this woman is very intelligent.
But he really disliked women with such deep scheming minds.
His sharp gaze shifted from the skirt, and he said calmly, "No need, just throw it away."
Shadow One: "???"
The master ordered this dress to be hastily made within a day, and then just threw it away?
How wonderful!
……
The next day.
Before dawn, Xu Jiaojiao got up to prepare.
Although the welcome banquet was in the evening, today was her first time meeting Prince Chen, so she had to present her best self.
Opportunity favors the prepared mind!
Mingkun Academy.
The princess did not sleep all night.
Even the finest cosmetics couldn't cover the bruises under her eyes.
Granny Wang watched with a pained heart: "Why does Your Highness torment yourself like this..."
The princess smiled bitterly, her melancholy gaze fixed on the white jade plum blossom hairpin in the makeup box.
Finally, she reached out and picked up a phoenix-headed gold hairpin from the side, handing it to the maid: "Wear this one."
The prince has been away from the mansion for half a year.
With this triumphant return, the Prince's mansion's backyard, which had been quiet for half a year, is about to become lively again.
She rubbed her fingertips together: "Granny Wang, the Prince may return to the manor at any time. Send someone to inform him and have Consort Zheng, Consort Bai, Consort Zhou, and Consort Cao go to the front hall to serve him. They will greet him immediately upon his return."
After a pause, the princess added, "And Madam Xu, bring her along too."
Granny Wang hesitated slightly: "This Xu is just a concubine. She is not qualified to welcome the Prince back to the manor. Would it be inappropriate for Her Majesty to invite her?"
The princess's eyes darkened, a fleeting glint of shrewdness in them: "It's alright. The prince has never paid much attention to the women in the inner quarters. He might not even notice Madam Xu."
Upon hearing this, Granny Wang's doubts deepened.
Since the prince doesn't notice, what's the point of calling Madam Xu here?
Since the princess had already said so, she couldn't say anything more and immediately went to call someone to pass on the message.
This is the Stone Warm Pavilion.
After what happened yesterday, Lianye was completely convinced by Xu Jiaojiao.
In her eyes, this mistress was not just a pretty face; she was quite different from the other women in the Prince's mansion.
She believed that Master Xu would surely win the favor of Prince Chen.
Moreover, Master Xu is very generous.
In just three days, the reward she received was equivalent to ten years' worth of her monthly salary.
After the messenger left, Lianye muttered with a puzzled expression, "Master, the Princess Consort already made an exception by asking you to perform a dance at the welcoming banquet, and now she's made another exception by asking you to greet the Prince. What is she trying to do?"
What else could it be for?
The goal was simply to create a direct confrontation between her and Prince Chen's two concubines and two secondary consorts.
It should be noted that the Queen Consort has been oppressed by the Empress Dowager in recent years, resulting in a lack of prestige.
The four men in the household were not exactly benevolent; each was adept at changing their tune depending on the wind, and their attitude towards the princess was hardly respectful.
Therefore, the princess's life has not been easy these past few years.
The princess's actions were simply a way of reminding her to understand what she should do, and incidentally, using her as a pawn.
She has not yet been favored by the emperor, and if she wants to live well in this mansion, she has to rely more on the princess's care, so she has no right to refuse the princess's arrangements.
Xu Jiaojiao stared at the bronze mirror, raised her hand and took out a pair of earrings from the makeup box, holding them up to her cheek: "No matter what the princess wants to do, since she has given the order, I will definitely go to the front courtyard."
Lianye said worriedly, "I just hope it's not a scam."
Xu Jiaojiao chuckled to herself.
It's unlikely to be a scam, but there's certainly some undercurrent of tension.
Having finally chosen her earrings, Xu Jiaojiao looked at the beauty in the bronze mirror, her eyebrows like crescent moons, her teeth white and her eyes bright, and smiled with satisfaction: "Let's go, come with me to the front yard."
When Xu Jiaojiao arrived, there was already a woman dressed in white, with a refined and gentle demeanor, in the front hall.
Xu Jiaojiao recognized her; this person was Bai Yiru, the second daughter of the Minister of Rites, and a concubine of the Bai family.
Bai Yiru was married into the Prince's mansion along with the Princess when the mansion was established.
This woman is proud and noble, the most talented woman in the Prince Chen's mansion. However, she has a cold personality and always keeps to herself. She neither competes for favor nor flatters, and for the past three years, the mansion has been peaceful.
Xu Jiaojiao bowed slightly: "This concubine greets Sister Bai."
Bai Yi glanced at her indifferently, stared at her for a moment, then turned away without much expression and sat down to sip her tea.
Although he didn't express any emotion, his disdain for Xu Jiaojiao's pretense was a silent warning to her.
Xu Jiaojiao walked to the very end of the table and sat down, seemingly unconcerned, and glanced at Bai Yiru silently.
The woman had a beautiful face and could be described as elegant and refined. She maintained her deliberately aloof persona quite well.
Unfortunately, Bai Yiru was too impatient and arrived so early.
Therefore, the so-called non-competitive and unassuming nature, and the tranquility of mind, are simply not yet manifesting themselves in their true form...
Just then, a commotion arose outside.
A pretty woman dressed in colorful brocade walked in.
This person had an flamboyant appearance, like a blazing fire, and attracted Xu Jiaojiao's attention the moment he entered the room.
The woman's gaze swept across the entire front hall, lingering briefly on Bai Yiru before finally settling on Xu Jiaojiao.
Her disdain and contempt were blatantly written on her face: "Oh, nowadays even any Tom, Dick, or Harry can come to greet the prince..."