0p0 Chapter 405 is not a pleasant one!
Chapter 405 is not a pleasant one!
After seeing the group off, Mu Xin Nuan felt that talking to them was really tiring. Fortunately, it was their first meeting, so they couldn't sit for too long. Qian Xia felt a tightness in her chest. Why did she feel short of breath after talking to these people for a while?
"Is Your Highness a little tired?"
Seeing Aunt Fang's questioning look, Mu Xin Nuan smiled and shook her head slightly, "I'm not tired, it's just that these people are so troublesome. They always have to beat around the bush before they get to the point, it's really frustrating."
"These officials' wives have always spoken like this. Especially now that there are so many wives around, it's not easy to say anything openly."
"Of course I understand. But experiencing it firsthand still feels a bit troublesome. Oh well, I'm only dealing with a few women, and I'm already this impatient. If it were the prince, who knows how much more troublesome he would be?"
Seeing that she was so young yet so understanding of the prince, Aunt Fang smiled and said, "It is the prince's good fortune to have married the princess."
“I love to hear that. But later, say it again in front of the prince, so he can know how virtuous I am.”
A few words made Aunt Fang laugh.
"Your Highness, if you don't have anyone you absolutely need to see these next two days, you should familiarize yourself with the surroundings."
"Yes, accompany me for a walk around, and tell me about the prince while you're at it."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Mu Xin Nuan had only been wandering around for a quarter of an hour when she saw Granny Song scolding a servant in the garden. A little girl, only eleven or twelve years old, was crying pitifully.
Mu Xin Nuan frowned slightly, but ultimately said nothing and took a detour.
Aunt Fang naturally noticed her displeasure. She was initially worried because this Granny Song was the prince's wet nurse, and it might be inappropriate to have a dispute with her rashly.
To her surprise, the princess chose to ignore it. After taking a few steps, Aunt Fang turned around and saw that Granny Song was also looking up at them with a smug look on her lips that had not yet faded.
When Song Mama first met Aunt Fang's clear and cold gaze, she was startled, but quickly recovered.
So what if she's a female official with a rank? I'm a rank too. Everyone from the palace has a rank, and everyone receives a salary from the court. She's just two or three ranks higher than me. I'm not afraid of her!
With that thought in mind, Granny Song straightened her back a little more, and her slightly provocative gaze made Aunt Fang snort coldly with extreme disdain, and quickly leave the garden.
In the afternoon, after taking a short nap, Mu Xin Nuan woke up and asked, "Has Mu Hua returned?"
"Your Highness, she's back. This servant will go and call her in right away." Rongyue lifted the curtain and summoned Muhua from outside.
"How's it going? How's the land survey coming along?"
"Your Highness, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lu family is indeed from Jiangnan. I heard that Madam Lu, who is ill, did not come with them today. Instead, the eldest young mistress of the Lu family is attending to her illness."
"What a coincidence?"
"Your Highness, that Lady Lu is not very old. I heard that she comes from a military family. She has always been in good health. Now that she is sick, she is most likely faking it."
"Well, since she chose this time to feign illness, I'll just pretend she doesn't exist. There's no need to pay her any attention."
"Yes, Your Highness. As for the eldest daughter-in-law, I have inquired and found out that she comes from a declining noble family in Jiangnan. Compared to the Lu family, her family background is slightly inferior."
"So, the reason these people openly ostracize this young mistress of the Lu family is because they look down on her background?"
"Yes, Your Highness, that's the idea."
"What is Madam Lu's attitude?" Mu Xin Nuan was quite concerned about Madam Lu's attitude. If even she didn't respect this daughter-in-law, then this young mistress's life would probably be difficult.
"Your Highness, Madam Lu also looks down on this eldest daughter-in-law, and has been manipulating her openly and secretly quite a bit. This spring, the second young master of this household married a new young mistress. Madam Lu's attitude towards her is far better than that towards the eldest daughter-in-law. I think she's doing it on purpose."
"After all this talk, what is the name of this eldest young mistress of the Lu family?"
"Your Highness, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lu family is Madam Liu, whose maiden name is Chunxiang. I heard that it was an arranged marriage between the two families when they were children. Originally, both families were willing and had a good relationship. However, the Liu family later declined, so Madam Lu wanted to break off the engagement. But Master Lu and the eldest son of the Lu family disagreed, so they had no choice but to lower their heads and marry this Madam Liu."
Upon hearing this, Mu Xin Nuan frowned slightly. "Another one who flatters the powerful and scorns the weak! Hmph! This Madam of the Lu family seems shrewd on the surface, but in reality, she's shallow-minded! So what if the Liu family has temporarily declined? Even if they can never recover, if they really break off the engagement, what kind of infamy will the Lu family patriarch and eldest son bear? They're utterly stupid!"
"What the princess says is true."
"Have you inquired about this eldest son of the Lu family?"
Mu Hua nodded. "I've inquired about him. He's an extremely talented person. I heard he even passed the imperial examination last year. Oh, the eldest son of the Lu family is named Lu Shaofeng, and the second son is Lu Shaohua. They are both born to Madam Lu. I heard that the second son of the Lu family married a woman from a prominent family in some county in Yan. I'll inquire about her more thoroughly later."
"Yes, you've done a good job. You don't need to serve me these next few days. Just find out everything that's going on here. I know your abilities. Find out as much detail as you can."
"Yes, Your Highness, I understand."
After Mu Hua left, Aunt Fang came in and said, “Your Highness, I have inquired and found that the little maid who was punished by Granny Song today was one of the maids she bought into the manor at the same time. I heard that she offended Miss Jing, who is in charge of the Prince’s study, which is why she was punished by Granny Song.”
"Miss Jing? And who is this? There are maids serving in the Prince's study?" Mu Xin Nuan was quite surprised. She hadn't seen any women in his study when they were in the capital!
"Your Highness, this Miss Jing's real name is Song Jing. She is the niece of Granny Song. She served the Prince in the capital. Later, when Granny Song came to Yan, she was worried about her and brought her with her."
"Don't you trust her?" Mu Xin Nuan's aura suddenly intensified, and the teacup in her hand slammed onto the table. "Hmph! I think she doesn't trust me, her princess consort, does she? Is she worried that once I enter the palace, I'll just send this scheming girl away?"