Chapter 306: Chapter 306 Responsible
Princess Nanzhang’s status is noble, she would not go out to greet the Right Minister’s Wife.
The Third Madam went out to greet her.
Not far from the entrance to Qihao Hall, they met the Right Minister’s Wife, her complexion haggard, and even with makeup, she could not hide the bruises under her eyes.
The Third Madam exchanged a few pleasantries with the Right Minister’s Wife, then led her into the mansion to pay respects to the Old Madam.
The Old Madam played with the Buddha Beads in her hand and said, "The Right Minister’s Wife looks so haggard, why would you come to my Duke Zhen Country Mansion unless there’s something urgent?"
The Right Minister’s Wife took out that Jade Pendant and said, "Could this Jade Pendant belong to your mansion?"
Mrs. Wang took the Jade Pendant and handed it to the Old Madam for inspection.
The Old Madam glanced at Princess Nanzhang and said, "Isn’t this...?"
Princess Nanzhang’s face showed displeasure, "This Jade Pendant indeed belongs to our Master, but before the expedition, it was given to Young Master Xie. How could it end up in the Right Minister’s Wife’s hands?"
Princess Nanzhang recognized the Jade Pendant at a glance, having seen it for over a decade.
She thought it was a family heirloom of the Duke Mansion, always hoping the Elder Master would give it to Xie Jingchuan, until the Elder Master handed it to Xie Jingchen. She only then realized this Jade Pendant was given by Xie Jingchen’s mother to the Elder Master.
She loathed this Jade Pendant immensely.
The Right Minister’s Wife was slightly taken aback.
This Jade Pendant turned out to be Young Master Xie’s.
"If there’s anything, let’s sit down and talk," the Old Madam said.
Mrs. Wang instructed the maid to serve tea.
After the Right Minister’s Wife sat down, she said, "Yesterday, my little daughter accidentally fell into the water, and the matter of her being taken advantage of, you must have heard of it."
"This Jade Pendant was forcibly pulled from the person who took advantage of her."
Everyone in the room, from the Old Madam down to the maids, was stunned.
The Right Minister’s Wife continued, "Our Prime Minister recognized this as General Xie’s belonging and wondered how this Jade Pendant, which should be at the border, was on that man’s person, so we came to inquire."
The Second Madam, looking at the Jade Pendant, said, "This Jade Pendant was given by the biological mother of the Young Master to the Elder Master. The Young Master doesn’t often go out, so he shouldn’t have lost it."
The Right Minister’s Wife looked at the Second Madam and said, "The man wearing this Jade Pendant was highly skilled in martial arts; with a flick, he knocked out two of our mansion’s servants and even went to Baihua Building. I believe in the character of the Young Master; he would never indulge in such places."
Initially, everyone thought it wasn’t Xie Jingchen.
But when the Right Minister’s Wife said this, everyone was convinced it was him.
Yesterday, wasn’t the Young Master going to the Baihua Building? No one knows what happened, and the Baihua Building was sealed off.
To investigate, it was precisely his group of mischievous friends that went.
Nobody knew about Su Jin’s disguise as a man, including Princess Nanzhang.
The only ones who knew were Princess Shouning and the Empress, as well as Duke Chong.
But if Su Jin, dressed as a man, went to Baihua Building to save Princess Shouning and told Princess Nanzhang about it, wouldn’t it incite her to find fault with Su Jin?
With Su Jin’s bad temper, if anyone troubled her, she would surely reveal the incident of Princess Shouning being taken to Baihua Building and whipped.
This is called "You play the first of the month, I play the fifteenth."
It’s such an embarrassing thing; it should not be mentioned if possible, so they hadn’t informed Princess Nanzhang.
"Could it really be Chenchen?" The Second Madam’s voice was a bit shaky.
Xie Jingchen was someone they watched grow up; he would never be someone who could openly act inappropriately towards women.
The Right Minister’s Wife’s heart raced; she didn’t want the person who saved her daughter to be Xie Jingchen.
Not to mention Xie Jingchen had an illness, he had only recently married.
And he married a fierce bandit, though who knows how their relationship is, outsiders saw that it was profoundly deep and passionate.
Even the Empress Dowager and the Empress often suffered setbacks; if her daughter married in, she would only be pushed around.
The Right Minister’s Wife’s heart pounded anxiously, unsure of what to do.
The Third Madam’s eyes shifted slightly, smiling as she said, "I heard that although the man’s actions were frivolous, it wasn’t entirely inappropriate towards Miss Zhou. At the time, Miss Zhou fell into the water and was already unconscious. The frivolous act was meant to save her, but the way of saving was... a bit reckless."
Princess Nanzhang, however, said, "Even if it was to save someone, you cannot neglect the consequences. Saving someone while ruining a young girl’s good reputation."
"How will Miss Zhou marry in the future?" Princess Nanzhang said angrily.
The Second Madam looked at Princess Nanzhang, "Sister-in-law, you don’t mean to have Chenchen take responsibility, do you?"
"There’s no one in our Duke Zhen Country Mansion who dares to do but dares not to bear. Even a bandit, who knows nothing, was married into our Duke Zhen Country Mansion, let alone a young lady from the Right Minister Mansion?" Princess Nanzhang said with conviction.
The Right Minister’s Wife was at a loss for words.
Her daughter’s life was already ruined.
Princess Nanzhang passed the Jade Pendant to the Right Minister’s Wife saying, "This Jade Pendant fell into your daughter’s hands, showing her fate with Chenchen. Let this Jade Pendant serve as the engagement token from my Duke Zhen Country Mansion to Miss Zhou. We shall choose a day to marry Miss Zhou into our household."
The Second Madam hurriedly said, "Sister-in-law, shouldn’t we discuss this with the Young Master and the Eldest Young Madam?"
"What’s there to discuss?!" Princess Nanzhang’s face was full of anger, but her heart was quite satisfied.
"He acted inappropriately, so he should take responsibility unless you have a better solution?" Princess Nanzhang looked at the Second Madam.
The Second Madam’s face was momentarily stuck.
She had no better solution.
Princess Nanzhang was upset with the Eldest Young Madam and was just waiting for an opportunity to deal with her.
Bringing in another wife for Chenchen, with the Eldest Young Madam’s temper, Agarwood Pavilion would definitely be chaotic.
If she dared to act out, the family rules of the Duke Zhen Country Mansion were no joke.
The Right Minister’s Wife looked at the Jade Pendant and said, "My daughter will not be a concubine."
Princess Nanzhang laughed and said, "The Right Minister’s Wife needn’t worry; our Duke Zhen Country Mansion will not wrong Miss Zhou. She will enter on equal standing with the Eldest Young Madam."
The Right Minister’s Wife reluctantly raised her hand to take the Jade Pendant.
Not long after sitting down, she got up and left.
Right after the Right Minister’s Wife walked away, Princess Nanzhang burst into laughter.
"That old fox, the Right Minister, his daughter is no simple character," Princess Nanzhang said.
"There will be excitement in the Duke Zhen Country Mansion in the future."
The Third Madam couldn’t help but say, "The Right Minister’s daughter competing for favor against the daughter of Marquis Dongxiang, Marquis Dongxiang will not easily let the Right Minister off."
This reminded Princess Nanzhang.
If Marquis Dongxiang does target the Right Minister, how can the Right Minister, merely a civil servant, withstand Marquis Dongxiang’s unreasonable behavior? Plus, with his daughter marrying as her daughter-in-law, without her support, the Right Minister’s daughter is no match for Marquis Dongxiang’s daughter.
The Right Minister will inevitably lean towards Duke Chong.
If Duke Chong gains the Right Minister’s power, it would indeed be like adding wings to a tiger.
Princess Nanzhang was thrilled beyond measure.
The Old Madam glanced sideways at her, dousing the enthusiasm, "I see the Right Minister’s Wife was not quite willing to marry off her daughter. With the Right Minister’s cleverness, he will surely come to annul the engagement."
The smile on Princess Nanzhang’s face froze.
Such a good thing, how can the Right Minister be allowed to ruin it?
She will not allow it!
Princess Nanzhang gave Mrs. Zhao a knowing look.
Mrs. Zhao understood.
She left to spread news through several maids and servants that the Right Minister’s daughter was about to marry Xie Jingchen as an equal wife.
The deed was done.
The Right Minister would have no choice but to accept it.