Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 636 - 636 637 The Woman Zeer Fancies_1

Chapter 636: Chapter 637: The Woman Ze’er Fancies_1 Chapter 636: Chapter 637: The Woman Ze’er Fancies_1 Muniang glanced at the woman and realized it was Mrs. Jiang, the daughter-in-law from the second branch. Although Yu Ming was a concubine’s son at Marquis Chen Mansion, his mother, Lady Feng, was still a favored concubine. Before Yu Jin and Yu Ze returned, Marquis Chen had always valued Yu Ming, so naturally, the bride he married would not be of low status. Moreover, Lady Feng had painstakingly selected her, deliberately choosing a legitimate daughter from a distinguished family to match her son.

Muniang looked at her with a hint of understanding of her dissatisfaction and then, with a slight curl of her lip, said with a smile, “Sister-in-law speaks as if she is ignoring the honor of my position as the Princess. Lady Feng, is this how you instruct your daughter-in-law, allowing her to have the audacity to disrespect her superiors?!”

Lady Feng’s body shook; she truly hadn’t expected the seemingly gentle and weak Qiao Muniang to be so forceful. Right from the start, she was setting her authority, and Lady Feng had originally wanted to just watch the drama unfold. Now the fire was unexpectedly directed at her. Immediately, she glared at Mrs. Jiang and said, “My Lady, please forgive her. It’s the fault of my servant for not instructing her properly.”

Muniang snorted, “Mrs. Feng still knows to call herself a servant; then she should stop doing things beyond her station. Mrs. Jiang’s words today are not only against me; could it be that she thinks the Marquis Chen Mansion lacks the discernment to have chosen a wild pheasant to be the Princess?”

No doubt, this comment slapped an even bigger accusation on Mrs. Jiang, one of disrespect toward the Marquis Chen Mansion—a much more serious crime than disrespecting Qiao Muniang. Lady Feng was shaking with anger. Although ‘servant’ was merely a self-reference, who in the house would dare to treat her as a concubine? Wasn’t she always revered as the second lady? Yet Qiao Muniang insisted on rubbing salt in her wounds!

Even though Lady Feng and Mrs. Jiang, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, were fuming inside, they didn’t dare openly oppose Muniang and could only meekly lower their heads, “The Princess is right in her reprimand.”

With a faint smile, Muniang walked over to Mrs. Jiang and said, “Sister-in-law is so distressed now merely because she cannot accept that I, a commoner, married a legitimate son, while you, a lady from a prestigious family, married a concubine’s son. It’s a shame that your lofty background cannot outshine that of a wild pheasant like me. If you were discontent from the beginning and looked down upon a concubine’s son, why marry into this family? It simply gives Mrs. Feng the unnecessary embarrassment.”

Having said that, she gave Mrs. Feng a meaningful look, tinged with a hint of sarcasm, and then she walked away.

After this round of instigating discord, Mrs. Feng’s countenance toward Mrs. Jiang turned sour, glaring at her fiercely; how dare this young woman despise her son!

“I didn’t mean that, Mrs. Feng…” Mrs. Jiang hurriedly explained.

But Lady Feng coldly shook off her hand, “Get away from me. Who are you to disdain my son? If you really can’t stand it, we can simply divorce you and you can go off and try to climb higher. I will not be bothered with you further,” then she left without another glance, slamming the door behind her.

Mrs. Jiang stamped her foot in frustration and quickly followed.

Jian Yue slowly drew back the curtain and came out, her eyes thoughtful as she watched the retreating figures of Lady Feng and Mrs. Jiang. Her maid, Qiao Xin, said with a smile, “The Princess is so articulate, overturning Mrs. Jiang in just a few words, causing friction between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. It has truly been an eye-opener for me. With such skills, the Marquise need not worry about her.”

“I have always thought that this girl was not easy to deal with, only acting docile toward me. I hadn’t expected her to be so sharp when she reveals her claws.”

“The Princess shows obedience to the Marquise, which shows she knows her place, understanding whom she can provoke and whom she cannot. The Marquise need not be on guard against her,” Qiao Xin said.

“Hmm, she is indeed a good child, I’ve heard her business has reached Capital City, have you found out any news?”

“What’s there to inquire about? Now the entire Capital is buzzing about the plays from Mei Garden, from the noble families to the common folk, who isn’t talking about the stories from the plays during their leisure time? At first, everyone thought it was just an ordinary troupe, but who could have expected such influence? Moreover, the Princess’s Embroidery House also specially sells various embroidered products related to characters from the plays to make money. With the Princess managing things this way, earning a fortune a day is no problem at all. This servant has roughly estimated, Princess’s own wealth is so substantial, even Marquis Chen Mansion can’t compare.”

Jian Yue chuckled, “Could the woman that Ze’er has his eyes on be anything less than exceptional? Do you really think he would marry a brainless vase like Lady Feng’s son!” Her tone was tinged with a hint of pride.

Qiao Xin immediately flattered, “That’s right, the Prince Heir’s taste is naturally extraordinary. With our Princess managing things this way, becoming wealthy enough to rival the state is just a matter of time, and it will also be of great benefit to the Prince Heir.”

Jian Yue nodded, “Indeed, for Ze’er to have such a wife is truly his good fortune.” Clearly, she had acknowledged Muniang.

The Empress had set up the banquet inside Chrysanthemum Garden. All kinds of autumn chrysanthemums were competing in full bloom. As they entered, the sound of young girls’ soft laughter could be heard. Palace Attendants walked Jian Yue and Muniang in, and all eyes immediately fell on Muniang. Three years ago, she had left behind a legendary impression in the Capital. Women who envied her said that Yu Ze’s interest was merely a whim and that he would grow tired of her in a few days. Yet, three years had passed, and Yu Ze had no women beside him but her, and even Jian Yue seemed to like her more and more—which was shocking to many.

Respectfully trailing behind Jian Yue, Muniang greeted the Empress, “Wishing my Lady great peace.”

The Empress, with joy still on her face, replied, “Rise quickly. At the beginning of the year, I accompanied His Majesty on a tour and got along quite well with Marquis Chen’s son’s wife. I am truly relieved to see you again today, please take a seat.”

“Thank you for your grace, my Lady.”

Muniang sat down gracefully, her eyes sweeping across the room, catching the various expressions, mostly unfriendly, but she didn’t mind. Her main reason for coming was to meet He Fangfei, but He Fangfei was clearly determined to put on airs for the Empress, not having appeared even as the banquet was about to begin.

The Empress’s face darkened, and she directly ordered the feast to begin.

“Originally, His Majesty also wanted to come and enjoy the beautiful chrysanthemums, but he has just completed examination duties, and the list of successful candidates will soon be announced. He is contemplating the questions for the follow-up palace examination, so he couldn’t spare the time to come over,” said the Empress with a smile.

Speaking of the examination, who knows what kind of talented people will emerge this year? I’ve heard that there are not a few renowned scholars participating in this examination. Surely it will be an exciting affair, and I wonder who will emerge as the top scholar and win first place,” a noble lady said with laughter, covering her mouth with a handkerchief.

“I’ve heard that Assistant Minister Feng’s eldest son is also taking the examination this time, but I wonder how he has fared. Your Feng Rui is diligent in his studies; surely he will make a name for himself this time, won’t he?”