0p0 Chapter 193 I'm not going anywhere.
Chapter 193 I'm not going anywhere.
Seeing that Xiao Fang's words showed no sign of compromise, Cui Shi, despite having many questions, nodded in agreement.
"Alright, please pass on a message to Consort Lan and ask her to write us a letter when she has time, or to come back and visit us. This is such a glorious thing that we should let people all over the surrounding area know about it."
Looking at her smug, self-satisfied face, Xiaofang nodded helplessly.
"I'll pass on the message. You should also pack your things quickly and leave first thing tomorrow morning!"
After leaving those words, Xiao Fang stepped out the door. Boss Ling eagerly rushed forward to close the door, his hand trembling with excitement as he held up the silver notes.
“I just counted it, it’s about three thousand taels. That’s three thousand taels! Our daughter is really something, giving us so much silver all at once.”
Cui crossed her arms and gave an arrogant snort.
“My daughter, whom I raised with my own hands, could she be wrong? She is a concubine now, and soon she will be a noble consort, and in the future she will be the empress. At that time, you will be the emperor’s father-in-law, and I will ask the emperor to bestow upon me the title of Lady of the Imperial Decree. That will make all the women in the village envious.”
Boss Ling nodded with a broad smile.
"Yes, yes, you're right. I'll go to the casino again and see who dares to boss me around. My daughter is a concubine, and she'll be the empress in the future."
"Bring it here."
Cui snatched the silver note from Ling Laoda's hand and said irritably:
“If we lose all our gambling winnings, we’ll be starving. You stay here and pack your things. I’m going to find Xiaowei. We’ll go home first thing tomorrow morning.”
Although Ling Laoda coveted the stack of silver notes, he didn't dare to forcefully take them from Cui Shi, and could only nod in agreement.
"Then go and talk to Xiaowei properly. We'll have no worries about food and drink from now on. He doesn't need to be that lousy steward in the Crown Prince's mansion and have to put up with that woman Lan Zhi's temper."
Mentioning Lan Zhi only fueled Boss Ling's anger.
"She gave us a thousand taels and tried to shut us up. Now that Lan Hua has become a concubine, she is considered her elder, and she will have to bow to Lan Hua from now on."
"That's right. When Lan Hua becomes empress in the future, she'll have to call our Lan Hua 'Empress Mother'..."
"When that time comes, we'll definitely have to let Orchid teach that ungrateful wretch a lesson..."
"Alright, Lan Hua doesn't want us to reveal her background, so we'll just gossip about it behind her back. I'm going to find Xiao Wei now, you hurry up and get ready."
"Okay."
The thought of returning home in glory with a large sum of money, dazzling the eyes of those neighbors who usually looked down on them, made Old Ling unable to hide his excitement as he packed his things, humming a little tune.
Cui carefully stuffed the silver note into her bosom, straightened the hem of her clothes, and stepped out the door.
Prince's Mansion
After returning from the palace, Lan Zhi thought about these things carefully and still felt that Consort Lan was suspicious.
"Xiangxiu, pour me a cup of cool tea, my heart is burning."
Xiangxiu hurried forward and gently reminded him.
"My lady, you are pregnant now, so it's not advisable for you to drink cold drinks or tea. Let me pour you a cup of hot water instead!"
Ah!
Yes, she is pregnant and cannot drink tea.
She gave Xiangxiu a helpless, bitter smile, then touched her stomach.
"Okay, let's start with a cup of hot water!"
She's not sure if she can get pregnant. If she can't, what will she do when her pregnancy starts to show?
This is a really tricky question.
Wei Jianning, you've left, leaving me with such a huge burden. What am I supposed to do?
……
After waiting outside for a long time, Ling Jiawei finally came out unhurriedly. She quickly stepped forward, grabbed him, and said impatiently:
"Xiaowei, quickly pack your things and come with your mother."
Ling Jiawei first frowned, then looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"Mom, what are you saying? Where am I going with you?"
"Oh, good news! We can't stay in the capital anymore, we have to go back to Yangshu Village."
"Aren't you going to look for orchids anymore?"
"keep the change."
Just as Cui was about to tell Ling Jiawei the truth, she suddenly remembered Xiaofang's instructions before she left, and she stopped herself.
"Just come with me, and I'll tell you what happened when we get home."
As she spoke, she came over and tried to pull at Ling Jiawei, but he impatiently shook her hand off.
"Mom, I'm doing just fine here, why should I go back? If you want to leave, then leave!"
“You have to leave too; you can’t stay here.”
"I'm not leaving..."
Enraged, Ling Jiawei once again shook off Cui's attempts to pull him away and angrily rebuked her:
"Don't try anything funny. You've already caused trouble for Lan Zhi, and now you want to mess with me too? I'm doing a great job now. I'm the steward of the Crown Prince's residence. Why would I go back? Besides, you said you found Lan Hua. Where is she? Has she been up to something?"
Seeing that Ling Jiawei was being rude to her, his mother, Cui immediately flew into a rage and shouted:
“I am your own mother, yet you and Lan Zhi are of one mind. She is not your biological sister; Lan Hua is your biological sister. Now, for the sake of your biological sister's happiness, you must leave the capital. Will you go or not?”
The happiness of orchids?
Upon hearing this, Ling Jiawei was even more puzzled.
"What does her happiness have to do with whether I leave or not? Where is she? Do you know something you're not telling me?"
Cui really wanted to tell him that his sister was now an Imperial Noble Consort, and that he had to kneel and pay his respects to her when he met her.
But she held back the words she was about to say.
Lan Hua has just entered the palace. Although she is favored by the emperor, there are many women who are eyeing her covetously. There must be a reason why she doesn't want her to reveal their relationship. It's better for her not to say anything to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
She simply flung her hand away and arrogantly said:
"Anyway, you can't imagine what your sister has done. Come back with me, and I'll tell you."
Ling Jiawei also raised his hand without any hesitation.
"If you don't want to talk, then I won't listen. I'll say it again: I won't go back with you, not even if you kill me."
After leaving those words, he turned and walked toward the Crown Prince's residence. Cui tried to call out to him, but he once again shook off her hand.
"You really do become like the people you surround yourself with. Just like that Lan Zhi, she's an ingrate."
After muttering to herself, Cui stomped her feet a few times in anger, then turned and left.
Ling Jiawei returned to the Crown Prince's residence in a huff, only to run into Xiangxiu. His gloomy mood vanished instantly.
"Xiangxiu, where are you going?"
"Brother Ling, I'm going to the street to buy some spices."
"I was just about to buy something, let's go together!"
Xiangxiu hesitated for a moment, then nodded with a smile.
"That's quite a coincidence, let's go together!"
Ling Jiawei happily accompanied Xiangxiu out the door.
Walking down the street, he couldn't help but strike up a conversation with Xiangxiu.
"You've been in the capital for so long, are you homesick?"
When the topic turned to home, Xiangxiu did miss her mother, but she shook her head sadly.
“My mother said everything is fine at home and I don’t need to worry about it. I send money back every month. My mother only needs money to live well.”
Ling Jiawei had heard Lan Zhi describe Xiang Xiuniang's true colors, but he still comforted her:
"Isn't it better not to have to worry about home? Unlike me, my parents are a worry, and my sister is a trouble."
Xiangxiu noticed his troubles and quickly comforted him:
“Brother Ling, at least the Crown Princess treats you well, and that’s enough.”
Ling Jiawei smiled again when Lan Zhi was mentioned.
"That's true. If only Lan Hua had half her personality."
"Where did the orchid go? Could it have gone back to the countryside?"
Ling Jiawei recalled what Cui had said earlier, first shaking his head, then nodding.
"Maybe so, but it shouldn't be like this. There's no reason for her to run home alone without telling us. Who knows?"
Although he was very worried about Ling Lanhua's whereabouts, his mother just said that she had found Lanhua, which relieved him of his worries.
Just then, passing by a jewelry stall, Ling Jiawei thought for a moment, then pulled Xiangxiu over, picked up a silver hairpin with glass beads, and waved it in front of her.
"Xiangxiu, this hairpin perfectly complements your outfit today, let's buy it!"