Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Feeling proud, the Duke also felt that it was a pity. If it wasn’t for him indulging his concubine back then, Jinniang would not have been swapped and gotten married so early.
Even if the Crown Prince didn’t mind that Qiao Jinniang had already given birth to a child, neither the Emperor nor the Empress Dowager would give Qiao Jinniang a high position.
Before Qiao Jinniang came, a concierge came to report that Prince Mediocre had come to visit the Duke.
Lu Chen put down the teacup in his hand and said, “I heard that lotuses are blooming in the Duke Mansion. I want to go see it with my uncle.”
Master Zhou got up and said, “Okay.”
The Duke ordered someone to invite Prince Mediocre in. When Qiao Jinniang arrived at the front yard, a servant stopped her and led her to a room beside the lobby.
Here, she could just hear the conversation coming from the lobby.
Prince Mediocre sat on the honored seat, took the tea handed by a maid and said to the Duke,
“Your Excellency, the rumor about me and your Second Miss is widely circulating these days. I appreciate your contribution to the country, so I don’t want to see your daughter to be laughed at, thus I’m willing to marry her as my concubine. I promise I will cherish her all my life.”
Hearing this, Qiao Jinniang wanted to vomit.
The Duke said calmly, “Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. Like you said, it’s just a rumor. A rumor should not be taken seriously. As for whom Jinniang will marry, we’ve our own plans.”
Prince Mediocre frowned. He originally wanted to wait for Duke Anyuan to come to beg him to marry Qiao Jinniang, but he just heard that the Emperor had bestowed Qiao Jinniang to be a county mistress.
In the previous dynasty, there were quite a lot of county mistresses and prefecture mistresses in Chang’an, but now there were only five princesses and less than ten county mistresses and prefecture mistresses, so this title was quite valuable.
Once this imperial decree spread, no ordinary people would dare to spread the scandal about Qiao Jinniang.
Therefore, he came in person to propose to Qiao Jinniang, but to his surprise, the Duke refused.
Prince Mediocre said, “Oh, may I ask what your plan is? Now the entire Chang’an is buzzing about this rumor. I’m afraid that no decent man in Chang’an won’t mind it. If there is such a man, he must be coveting your power, Your Excellency.”
“I don’t mind.”
Lu Chen came from the door and said casually.
Prince Mediocre frowned, but he had to stand up, salute, and give up the honored seat to Lu Chen. “Your Royal Highness, may I ask what you mean?”
Lu Chen sat down, glanced carelessly at Prince Mediocre and said,
“I don’t mind the rumor about Jinniang. A clean hand wants no washing. My uncle has already investigated this rumor. It’s made by Qiao Ruofeng, the daughter of the Duke’s second brother. I came here today to ask Jinniang how she would like to deal with those rumormongers!”
Prince Mediocre gnashed his teeth. Lu Chen must have the same plan as him.
“Oh? It turns out that someone deliberately spread the rumor.
“I’ll be very glad if the rumor can be clarified as soon as possible and Miss Qiao’s innocence can be proven. I’ll take my leave now.”
The Duke ordered the housekeeper to send Prince Mediocre away, and had someone bring Qiao Jinniang here from the room beside the lobby.
Qiao Jinniang asked in confusion,
“If Qiao Ruofeng hates me for splitting apart the family, the rumor she should have spread was that I was once married and abandoned. Why did she spread the rumor about Prince Mediocre and I?”
Lu Chen said, “No matter the reason, how do you think she should be punished?”
Qiao Jinniang looked at Duke Anyuan, and he said helplessly, “It’s about your reputation. As your father, I will definitely not be partial to her. Just speak as you see fit.”
Qiao Jinniang said, “Then follow the law.”
Master Zhou looked at Qiao Jinniang and said, “Then she will have to stay in jail for half a month. As a noble girl, her reputation will be ruined. She’s going to suffer a lot!”
Qiao Jinniang said, “But because of her, I was almost regarded as a slut who seduced Prince Mediocre for money and power. Doesn’t my reputation count?”
Master Zhou smiled. “Well-said. Then I’ll deal with her according to the law.”
Qiao Jinniang saluted and thanked him. “Thank you, Master Zhou.”
“Don’t be so polite. You can just call me Second Uncle,” Master Zhou smiled and said amiably.
Qiao Jinniang glared at Lu Chen.
The Duke hurriedly explained for her. “Brother Zhou, you must be joking, but Jinniang is not that lucky. To tell you the truth, my daughter is a poor girl.
“A few years ago, she married an ungrateful, despicable, shameless, scumbag, and was abandoned by that guy, so she may not be worthy of His Royal Highness now!”
Lu Chen: “…”
At this moment, he couldn’t admit that he was that scumbag!
Seeing Lu Chen look so aggrieved, Jinniang gave a complacent smile.
…
Qiao Jinniang returned to the Jin Garden and continued to learn royal etiquette.
The Duchess looked at her with a look of guilt.
If Jinniang was brought up by her, she would not miss such a good chance to marry into the royal family.
The next morning, Qiao Jinniang was woken up early by Hongling to put on makeup.
After dawn, she left the Duke Mansion and got into the carriage.
Just before the carriage moved, a shrill cry was heard from outside.
“You goddamn slutty whore! Slave-raised b*tch! You drove your own sisters crazy!
Broke the family! Shamelessly seduced Prince Mediocre but sent your cousin to jail!”
“Aunt, Jinniang is not this kind of a person. Please stop it!”
Li Yun tried to stop Second Madam.
Li Yun’s mother, Mrs. Li, also said, “Sister, I know that you are worried about Feng’er, but don’t curse… You just woke up from coma…”
Second Madam said, “Feng’er spent a night in jail. Her reputation has been ruined. It’s all the fault of that scourge, Qiao Jinniang. She will destroy the Duke Mansion!”
Mrs. Li said helplessly, “Sister! Sober up. It was the Ministry of Public Security that took Feng’er away.
“You have to think about your husband’s career. If there is a censor who reports this to His Majesty, his career will be over. You should make up with Jinniang now instead of…”
But Second Madam yelled even more loudly, “Make up with that slave-raised vile thing? Bah!”
This was a time when the morning market started to get lively. As such, there were many nobles, merchants and servants passing by.
Many ordinary people stopped to watch the fun.
“Isn’t that the Second Madam of the Qiao family? How did she become so miserable?”
“I heard that the Minister of Public Security came to her home, took her daughter, Qiao Ruofeng, and threw her in jail yesterday for slandering a county mistress.”
“This lost daughter of the Qiao family is really capable. She seduced Prince Mediocre but forbade others from talking about it. She even threw her delicate younger sister in jail for this!”
“What a scheming and despicable woman!”
Qiao Jinniang got down from the carriage. She was dressed so gorgeously that the gossiping old women thought they saw a fairy that descended to earth.
Qiao Jinniang walked up to Second Madam and said,
“Aunt, if you think Qiao Ruofeng was wronged, shouldn’t you go question the Ministry of Public Security?”
Second Madam said, “My daughter said that you seduced Prince Mediocre, and what she said is true! I saw it with my own eyes!”
Qiao Jinniang sneered. “I only talked with Prince Mediocre for a while on a street, and you call it seducing?”
Then she lowered her head to whisper to Second Madam in a voice that only the two of them could hear,
“Did you know Qiao Ruofeng made out with Prince Mediocre at her grandmother’s birthday banquet in Luoyang?
“Did you know that Prince Mediocre had promised to marry her?”
Mrs. Qiao looked at Qiao Jinniang in disbelief. “Nonsense!”
Qiao Jinniang continued.
“Second Aunt, you can go to the jail and ask Qiao Ruofeng. Did you know that Prince Mediocre came to the Duke Mansion yesterday to ask to marry me as his concubine only half a day after the rumor was spread?
“Second Aunt, think about it carefully, how could Prince Mediocre have come so quickly?
“Besides, did you know that bayberry was my favorite fruit when I was in Lin’an?”