Chapter 245 - A summer resort

The frosty relationship between Jinguo Grand Princess and her husband was not a secret in the imperial circle.

Otherwise, how dare Mr. Qiao and Ji Mingfei thumbed their noses at Jian Likuang, the Prince Consort?

In the past, Jinguo Grand Princess did not like Jian Likuang, but she still cared about his feelings in public for the sake of Jian Yiyou and Jian Xubai.

This time the Prince Consort was completely humiliated on his birthday. If it wasn’t for the fact that Jinguo Grand Princess was nearly fifty years old, the officials in the imperial court would think that she wanted to change her husband again.

Anyway, Jian Likuang was already disgraced.

He was the legitimate son of the original wife of Jian Pingyu, Elder Duke of Yan. Although his mother, Elder Lady of Yan Madam Duanmu died young, his stepmother, Madam Wen, who came from a humble family treated him as her own child and loved him very much because she never expected a baby since she had got married. In this sense, he was born in a noble family and nursed in luxury`.

However, since he got married with Jinguo Grand Princess, he had become a laughingstock of the court and the commonalty He had swallowed such humiliation for nearly twenty years. Now he was at the end of his patience!

The next day, Jian Likuang killed Mr. Qiao by himself unexpectedly. It was said that Mr. Qiao’s hands, which were born for playing konghou (an ancient plucked stringed instrument), were almost chopped into minced meat by Jian Likuang!

The scene was extremely terrifying, featuring splashing flesh and blood and white bones!

This was a typical murder of love as well as a tragedy, and the murderer was the Prince Consort. Therefore, the case spread all over the capital almost in an instant!

As expected, the spearhead of public opinion was directed at Jinguo Grand Princess!

“You are not a kid!” The Empress Dowager was in a fret, summoning her eldest daughter into the palace to reprimand, “How can you let such a thing happen? It was just a matter of a birthday banquet. You can ask your subordinates to arrange a banquet for him. Can’t you afford the money or send the message? Why do you have to insult him like this? After all, he is your official husband! Now, you see the consequence!”

Jinguo Grand Princess took on a ghastly expression, “He killed my man just because I didn’t arrange a banquet for him on his birthday. If he is trifled with slightly next time, will he turn to kill me? This is clearly the problem of Jian Likuang. Why do you blame me?”

Then she sneered, “He is a good-for-nothing. He can argue with me if he is really capable! Why did he kill Mr. Qiao?”

“If you are capable, you should go to the Imperial Study to smooth out those written statement of impeachment on you.” The Empress Dowager also sneered, “Now people above the court and masses below all sympathize with Jian Likuang deeply. Everyone says that you are the culprit for insulting him to excess. Some radicals even asked to relegate you to a common citizen. The emperor needs quiet and rest. Naturally, all these memorials are piled up in front of the Crown Prince. You know that the Crown Prince is still young and can’t compete with all the officials in the court. You are his aunt. Don’t you feel shameful to bring trouble to him?”

Jinguo Grand Princess then fell silent.

“Take it down a notch!” The Empress Dowager was silent for a while, and softened her voice, “I know you feel bad, but so many years have passed. You have become a grandmother. Why do you let the resentment of your early life stick into your throat?”

“If you can forget the thing of past, Mother, then why do you keep the old clothes of Dowager Consort An all the time?” Hearing her words, Jinguo Grand Princess said faintly, “I heard that when Elder Lady Duanmu arrived at the imperial capital some days ago, you specially summoned Xubai’s wife into the palace to learn some lessons. In fact, the death of Dowager Consort An is even earlier than those things happened to me, isn’t it?”

She seemed to sneer, “Mother, you can’t get the past things off your mind, so how can you persuade me?”

The hall was deathly still for a moment.

After a long time, the Empress Dowager said, “Musician Qiao died of a violent illness, so his death has no relationship with the Prince Consort. And servants in the mansion spreading rumors should be punished seriously. In addition, you should clear up those unruly and piggish subordinates in your mansion. They live off you while secretly helping others!”

The Empress Dowager truly had unearned reputation. Even though all the officials in the court knew that she was telling lies with her eyes open, they just let this matter settled after Jinguo Grand Princess dealt with several servants who “spread rumors” in her mansion. After all, there were only few brave and upright men.

What’s more, no matter Jian Likuang or Mr. Qiao, they had little relationship with all the civilian and military officers at court.

There’s no need for these officials risking their life and family’s future to fight against the Empress Dowager and her daughter.

Therefore, even if this matter spread quickly and became a major controversy, it was held back by the authority in the twinkling of an eye.

At this time, it was the late fifth lunar month, and the annual vacation in a summer resort was coming again. The families who were about to accompany the emperor were also on the go.

Song Yixiao had been to Cuihua Mountain in the past, yet this was the first time she managed relevant affairs as the hostess of Duke of Yan’s mansion. To make sure that everything was in order, she specially asked her mother-in-law for advice. On the way to the back hall, she saw the waterside pavilion from a distance, and suddenly thought of the great musician of konghou.

Within just a few days, Mr. Qiao’s death was almost no longer mentioned.

Like the willow caressing the lake, the ripples were just stirred, and then submerged in waves.

Jinguo Grand Princess was always obsessed with and showed great love for him in the past. However, when she met her daughter-in-law, the corners of her eyes and eyebrows were flat, not showing the slightest sadness. She even reminded her daughter-in-law, “My mother allowed Elder Lady Duanmu to accompany her to Cuihua Mountain for summer vacation. If you have packed up your belongings, you might as well go to see her in case that she needs your help.”

Song Yixiao immediately said, “Mother, thank you for your advice!”

After pondering for a while, she said in distress, “It’s just that Grandaunt has kept a good distance from us since she went to the Changle Hall that day. These days, we could not see her, and she even refused to accept the fruits in season we sent! I don’t understand how we offended her.”

“Is it that she feels satisfied with the Prince of Zhao?” Hearing this, Jinguo Grand Princess blinked her eyes and said, “Anyway, she saved Xubai. No matter what the choice of the previous dynasty is, as a junior you should express your good will and fulfill your duty for Xubai, so that others won’t criticize against Xubai!”

Song Yixiao approved of her opinion instantly.

After that, Jinguo Grand Princess said nothing more, and sent her away after giving some household words.

Song Yixiao returned to Duke of Yan’s mansion, arranging Qiaoqin and Jinxun to the side courtyard of the Elder Lady Duanmu to help. As was expected, both maids were sent back after a while.

They came back not just because that Elder Lady Duanmu refused their help. There was the other reason, “When we arrived, there were already some people offering help. We don’t know who they are, but the carriage at the end of the lane is with the mark of the Su Family.”

“It seems that my mother-in-law is right. Maybe Grandaunt really takes a fancy to Prince of Zhao. Otherwise, how can she be so close to the Su Family?” Song Yixiao sighed in her heart while she could do nothing.

That night, after Jian Xubai came back, she thought about this matter again and again, and finally told him about it. In fact, these days, Jian Xubai knew this very well in his heart, and her words just confirmed his conjecture. He pinched the middle part between his eyebrows, and then said lightly, “Just do as my mother said. No matter what differences of opinion the previous dynasty hold, she is our elder after all!”

When he said this, his eyelids drooped subconsciously, covering the extremely complex emotions in his eyes.

A few days later, Emperor Xianjia obeyed the Empress Dowager’s will and came to the temporary palace in Cuihua Mountain, accompanied by his empress and concubines, imperial families and some civilian and military nobilities.

It took a day and a night for the mighty team to reach their destination. In fact, they were all sitting in beautiful carriages and served by many servants on the way, but the delicate womenfolk showed their frustration after they got off the carriages.

After they rested for a day or two, Cuihua Mountain began to spring into life.

During the summer vacation people felt much more leisure and free than when they were in the imperial capital, yet they still needed to worry about the way of the world. For example, the eighth day of the sixth lunar month was the birthday of Jian Yiyou.

Originally, a peer’s birthday was not a big event, and people could just prepare gifts according to the rules.

The problem was that last month Jian Likuang killed a man a day after he was humiliated on his birthday. Jian Yiyou had always been close to his father, so people more or less had a grudge against him when they thought that they needed to express their congratulation to him half a month later after that event.

Unfortunately, this time something really happened at the birthday banquet. When Shen Qimo was served during the feast, she suddenly ran out of the hall and vomited!

Seeing this, Commandery Princess Qingjiang and Lady of Earl Shouchun frowned at the same time. Although Song Yixiao hadn’t expected a child yet, she had received this kind of education before she got married. Her heart also sank when she saw this: Shen Qimo was probably pregnant!

She subconsciously looked at Princess Changxing, only to see that the woman of noble birth held her head in one hand and played a golden cup with the other. She looked at the figure of Shen Qimo who was supporting herself against the rail vomiting outside the hall. There was no emotion in her eyes.

Song Yixiao suddenly thought, “Changxing is much quieter than she was in the past.”

If it was in the past, Princess Changxing would have hopped mad and gathered up her skirt to kick Shen Qimo in the belly.

Just like she used to go to the Prince of Hengshan’s mansion to stir up trouble for her.

Now, in the face of her husband’s pregnant concubine, Changxing just looked indifferent, and her childish eyebrows were full of coldness and alienation.

Obviously, she gave no heed to this.

“How can Yiyou be such a fool?” Today everyone was in low spirits. After this, they didn’t want to incur misfortune from Princess Changxing, so they melt away early. After going out, Commandery Princess Qingjiang sighed with exhaustion, “He married a princess in less than a year. What’s worse, how can Concubine Shen be pregnant when Changxing does not expect a baby?”

Song Yixiao also thought that Jian Yiyou had gone too much. Even if Changxing was not a princess, what he had done was against the rules, not to mention that Changxing was the daughter of the emperor.

While Jian Yiyou did not act tactfully, Jinguo Grand Princess was not foolish. After receiving the news the next day, she ordered her servants to give Shen Qimo a bowl of aborticide to make sure that Qimo bled. After the imperial doctor confirmed the abortion, she summoned her son and scolded him strictly, forcing him to make a formal apology to Princess Changxing, and then told him to admit his guilt to Empress Su and ask for punishment in her temporary palace with Changxing!

Emperor Xianjia was not dead yet, so how could he let his only legitimate daughter be bullied?

Jinguo Grand Princess could not believe that her son was so stupid. It was true that Emperor Xianjia always treated his sister with leniency. However, it did not mean that her children had the same status in front of him.