West Wind Cutting Works The Eldest Daughter Should Get Married, First-Rank Imperial Concubine The Eldest Daughter Should Get Married, First-Rank Imperial Concubine The Eldest Daughter Should Get Married, First-Rank Imperial Concubine Volume 1 Chapter 78 Collection

  Xia Tingning and Baili Rongjin returned to Qinglan Garden together, as soon as they entered the house, Xia Tingning couldn't care about anything else. She rubbed her sore waist and lay down on the bed.

  She gently massaged her own waist, it was really killing her, she had been enduring since earlier. She finally managed to relax a bit.

  Baili Rongjin smiled lightly as he looked at his wife, who was pouting and frowning, and quietly walked over to take off his boots and get into bed. He reached out his hand to massage Xia Ting's waist for her. He knew she had a tough day today, and hadn't slept well the night before. After getting up in the morning, she had been busy until now, and it was no wonder her waist was sore.

  Xia Ting leaned back on the soft pillow, closed her eyes with a comfortable expression, and Rong Jin's massage was just right, making her tense waist relax instantly. The soreness from maintaining good posture for a long time also disappeared a lot.

  "Ba Li Rong Jin asked softly while gently massaging, 'How does it feel? Is it better now?'"

  Xia Ting nodded and opened her bright eyes, saying "It's much better now, the soreness has subsided." After speaking, she closed her eyes again and rubbed against the soft pillow.

  Baili Rongjin's eyes sparkled with a smile as he gazed at Xia Tingcong's movements, leaning in closer to her. His hands didn't stop moving because of this. He spoke warmly, "Tingcong, just now Father and Mother didn't punish your second brother and sister. Do you feel wronged?"

  Xia Ting heard the words and opened her eyes, smiling lightly at Bai Li Rong Jin "What's there to be wronged about? I didn't suffer any losses."

  Several confrontations were all Ruan's loss of face, and he was so angry that he almost kicked his feet. He didn't suffer any losses at all, where did so many grievances come from? Moreover, looking at the dark face of Baili Dusty, she knew that Ruan would have a good scolding to eat when he returned.

  At this thought, Xia Ting's face suddenly lit up with a joyful smile.

  Baili Rongjin also slightly raised the corner of his lips and explained, "Mother and Father King are not biased towards her, there is actually a reason for this."

  Xia Ting said with a faint smile and raised an eyebrow, "It's because of Chancellor Ruan."

  Baili Rongjin's eyes narrowed slightly, somewhat surprised. "You know?" He hadn't expected his Cong'er to think of this level.

  Xia Ting smiled slightly and said, "Think about it carefully and you'll understand."

  She had inquired about the situation of the Jing Wang Fu before she got married, so naturally she knew that Ruan Shi was from the Chengxiang Fu and was the eldest daughter of the current Ruan Chengxiang. Her status was not ordinary, at least it was not comparable to that of a concubine's daughter from a fourth-rank official family like hers.

  Baili Rongjin gently massaged Xia Tingcong's waist, explaining, "Prime Minister Ruan had no sons in his life, only daughters, so he doted on these legitimate daughters. Many officials holding important positions in the court were Prime Minister Ruan's protégés, and their power was not small. Aunt is still in need of these people to stabilize the court and counterbalance the Liu clan. The king is loyal to Aunt, after all, it's not good to clash with Prime Minister Ruan at this time. That's why Mother and Father didn't punish your second brother and sister today."

  He chose to tell his wife about some things in the imperial court, because he felt that Ning'er was not a woman who didn't understand anything. On the contrary, she seemed to see through the struggles and intrigues of the imperial court very clearly.

  Xia Ting nodded in understanding, after all, one was the legitimate daughter of the Grand Preceptor's estate, and the other was the illegitimate daughter of a fourth-rank official. If her father and mother-in-law were to punish Ruan Shi because of this illegitimate daughter, it would be no different from losing face in front of Ruan Chengxiang, and it would be strange if the other party didn't feel resentful. If by any chance the other party became angry and inadvertently gave Liu Shi's family an opportunity to take advantage of the situation, that would truly be a bit troublesome.

  Who called herself a lowly-born daughter, unable to show her face? Although in her eyes as a modern person, all lives are equal, with no distinction between high and low. But this is ancient times, and that Lord Ruan is a genuine native of the ancient world, how could he have such advanced ideas of equality for all people in his mind?

  Duke and Duchess would really punish Ruan Shi, only to make the other party feel that this is a slap in the face. A concubine's daughter actually stepped on his legitimate daughter's head. Even if it was caused by Ruan Shi's repeated provocations, he would only think that this is not a big deal at all. In this dynasty, there is no such thing as fairness, whoever has a noble status is right. Even if they are really wrong, as long as it's not something earth-shattering, the most they'll do is say a few words and consider it punishment enough.

  Xia Ting let out a soft sigh in her heart, feeling a bit uncomfortable, but after thinking about it carefully, she let go. Things in life can't always be as one wishes, can they? Although Ruan Shi didn't receive severe punishment, things won't be too easy for him either. Just like how the Duke didn't want to lose face in front of Ruan Chengxiang, the other side definitely wouldn't want to create animosity between them either. The two will mutually restrain each other, and in order to maintain a balance, Ruan Chengxiang must have told Ruan Shi to calm down for now.

  Baili Rongjin looked at Xia Tingcong quietly, with a hint of sympathy in his voice. "Don't take it to heart either. Although we can't do anything about her now, once the imperial examination is over this year, she won't be able to act so recklessly anymore."

  What's going on? Xia Ting raised an eyebrow "Are you saying that there will be another change in officials at the imperial court?" And those who were changed were still people of Ruan Chengxiang.

  "Indeed, after this year's imperial examination, the selected individuals will be assigned to various positions. Some of the original official posts will also undergo changes. Uncle will take advantage of this opportunity to replace those key positions in the court with his own people. Chancellor Ruan's power will be greatly weakened, and if the Ruan family still doesn't know how to restrain themselves, Father Emperor won't let them off easily."

  He only revealed a bit of information, but his wife was surprisingly sensitive and grasped the key point in an instant. This made him even more delighted, as his wife had wisdom that was not inferior to that of men.

  Xia Ting Cong came back to his senses and asked, "So, does that mean Your Majesty doesn't trust Grand Councilor Ruan anymore?" Otherwise, why would he take the opportunity to strip him of power?

  Baili Rongjin reached out and pulled Xia Ting into his arms, saying softly, "Uncle is indeed dissatisfied with him. Since Chancellor Ruan has no sons, he can only rely on his daughters in this life. And if he wants to continue to have power and status, the best way is to marry his daughter to a prince and help him ascend to the throne. So Chancellor Ruan carefully selected the popular eldest prince and married his eldest daughter, Ruan Yuling, to him as his consort. Moreover, some of his actions in recent years have become more frequent, and last year he even tried every means to marry his second daughter into our mansion, all in order to win over the emperor for the eldest prince."

  Xia Ting blinked her eyes, this she understood. The emperor held the military power, and it was natural that those princes wanted to win him over. But what she found strange was "Why not marry my second brother and sister to you? You are the crown prince after all." Logically speaking, she should not have been married to her second brother Bai Lichuan.

  "In their eyes, I may be gone any day. This position of Crown Prince will eventually fall to someone else, and Qi'er and Chen'er are still young. Moreover, Father Emperor doesn't have the idea of distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate children, so they've set their sights on my second brother."

  He had also thought that he might not live long in this life, who would have expected him to meet her? This woman who changed his life.

  Xia Ting tilted her head and said, "Them? Are you saying that the Crown Prince is also involved in this matter?"

  But thinking carefully, it's also possible that whether or not to win over the emperor is related to whether he can smoothly ascend to the throne. It wouldn't be strange for him to collude with Ruan Chengxiang.

  Baili Rongjin nodded slightly, "Not bad, at first the king did not agree with this marriage because he didn't want to support the eldest prince. But later something happened and second brother had no choice but to marry second sister."

  Xia Ting heard the words, and her mind suddenly rose with the thought of gossip. She opened her bright eyes and said, "Something's happened? Could it be that my second brother and sister-in-law were caught in the act by someone?" Otherwise, why would Father nod his head in agreement?

  When Xia Ting heard Cong Da's bold question, Baili Rongjin was both surprised and amused. How could his Cong'er ask such a thing without even blushing?

  After clearing his throat, Baili Rongjin said, "It's not as exaggerated as you think. It's just that we were caught secretly meeting in the forest and now there's suspicion of impropriety. Chancellor Ruan pressured him tightly, and with Madame Xu chiming in on the side, Father King had no choice but to agree. But because of this, he also offended Madame Xu."

  Xia Ting Cong puffed out a laugh, "I really didn't expect that my second brother and sister would end up like this. Doesn't the Emperor resent Chancellor Ruan? This looks like it was all planned by someone else."

  "However, it's not possible to be unprovoked. It's just that there is no evidence and it's not good to have a falling out with Ruan Chengxiang. The only thing Father King can do is not let the second brother and sister participate in major events within the mansion, not giving her the opportunity to take power, thereby informing others that Jing Wangfu has not been pulled over."

  Xia Ting nodded, how could Ruan Chengxiang be so narrow-minded? The best way to deal with the imperial throne dispute is not to get involved. Although if supporting it successfully, the position and power would naturally go without saying. But what if it fails? Wouldn't they be slaughtered by the new emperor's family? After all, no one would leave a dissident alive. This muddy water isn't that easy to wade through.

  After shaking her head in her heart, Xia Ting continued to ask, "What about Mrs. Xu? What is her status in the mansion?"

  After seeing this Mrs. Xu today, she has been wondering in her heart all along. How did this person become the only concubine of Public Father?

  "Mother-in-law was originally a maid by Father's side, and one time when Father was drunk, he accidentally took her in. He then made her his concubine. Even after Father fell out of favor, she remained by his side. Later on, Father fell in love with Mother, and was deeply moved by her determination to marry him despite his circumstances. Before marrying Mother, he wanted to find a good family for Mother-in-law to marry into, so that he could marry Mother alone. However, Mother-in-law happened to be pregnant at the time, and she begged pitifully to stay by Father's side. Although Mother was suspicious when she found out, in the end she allowed her to stay. After marrying Mother, Father did not take any more concubines or maids, and only visited Mother-in-law once or twice a month. Gradually, Mother let go of her suspicions."

  Xia Ting heard the words and asked in confusion, "Is she pregnant? And what about that child?" Logically speaking, at that time, Gong Ye and his mother were not yet married, so this child of Xu Niang should be the eldest, right? How could Rong Jin be the eldest son?

  Baili Rongjin stroked Xia Tingcong's hair and replied, "That child was lost in less than three months. Although Father was heartbroken, Mother had just become pregnant at that time, which dispelled the gloom from Father's mind. The relationship between Mother and Father deepened day by day, to the point where Father didn't even visit Concubine Xu's quarters for several consecutive months. Even if he did spend a night there occasionally, he would give her medicine to induce abortion the next day. However, despite this, Concubine Xu still became pregnant. Although Father suspected that she might not have taken the medicine, Concubine Xu insisted it was an accident. Father couldn't bring himself to abort the fetus, so he let her give birth."

  Xia Ting listened attentively and then asked, "Is that child Baili Dustuan?"

  Baili Rongjin nodded slightly and continued, "After having children, Father couldn't ignore Madame Xi anymore. At least every month, he would go to her place for a few days to avoid the servants in the mansion from gossiping. However, this time if Father stayed overnight at her place, not only would he immediately order her to drink the abortion medicine, but he would also personally supervise her drinking it. Unexpectedly, three months later, Madame Xi became pregnant again. The first time could be attributed to an accident, but the second time Father no longer believed it. It was only because of their past relationship and the fact that she had given birth to a son that he didn't blame her. However, from then on, he never spent the night at Madame Xi's place again. If not for her humility and low profile over the years, and with my younger brother and sister growing up, Father finally forgave her. For the sake of the children, every month he would take a short break to visit her for dinner before returning."

  Xia Ting was stunned, and it turned out that there was such a reason in the middle. This Mrs. Xu is indeed a good move, just saying that Father's overnight stays have decreased significantly, and he must be given a falling child soup, and yet she still got pregnant. She really couldn't help but sigh that the other party's means were not small at all.

  Suddenly, however, she remembered another matter and asked Xiatian, "You said earlier that Father was angry with Mother because of Second Brother's affair. What is Father's attitude now?"

  "Last time, Father was very angry and hasn't forgiven the other party until now. Since Second Brother and Sister entered the house, he hasn't gone to see Concubine Xu again. Now it's only maintained by a little of the original affection. Moreover, Father probably also saw through the other party's thoughts and secretly warned Second Brother several times. What Concubine Xu doesn't know is that even if I really don't live long, Father won't give the position of Crown Prince to Second Brother. He promised Mother that this royal mansion will only be left to Mother's children to inherit."

  Upon hearing this, Xia Ting finally understood the situation in the Jing Wang Fu. She said that after all, Xu Niang wasn't a stunning beauty who could topple cities and countries, so how did she become the only concubine of the old master? It turned out to be for this reason. However, it was also understandable, since Xu Niang had accompanied the old master during his decline. With such a deep emotional connection, plus having children together, it wasn't surprising that the old master merely cold-shouldered her. If she hadn't committed any unforgivable mistakes, it would be difficult to do anything to Xu Niang.

  Xia Ting sighed silently, thinking that as long as the other party didn't harbor any evil intentions, she wouldn't bother with them. But if she were to catch wind of something fishy, then it would be no use blaming her.

  Baili Rongjin smiled faintly again, "You must be exhausted today, why don't you take a nap? I'll wake you up for dinner tonight." He had gotten married the day before and today was his honeymoon, so he could spend some time with her.

  "But I haven't taken over the garden yet."

  She should have gathered the people of Qinglan Garden and familiarized herself with the major and minor matters in the garden after returning from the main hall. However, due to her sore waist, she thought of resting for a while before dealing with this matter. But now that she had chatted with Rong Jin for half a day, if she slept for a while longer, it would probably be dark already.

  "It doesn't matter, we can deal with it tomorrow too. Let's sleep for now." After saying that, she stretched out her hand to help Xia Tingjing remove the hairpins and other accessories from her hair, putting them on the bedside table so as not to disturb her.

  Xia Ting didn't pretend anymore after hearing the words, and after taking off her outer clothes, she crawled into the soft satin quilt. She was really exhausted, so let's sleep well first and talk about it later.

  Baili Rongjin also took off his outer robe and lay down beside Xia Tingcong, gently wrapping his arms around her.

  The warm sunlight in the afternoon, through the window screen, sprinkled a few pieces of gold on the marble slab. Everything in the house formed a warm and cozy picture scroll.

  But the Xus and others returned to their own garden, as soon as they entered the house, Bai Lichuan suddenly fired a cannon at Ruan Shi. Others saw the situation and just sat quietly, not saying a word.

  Ruan was scolded until she was in tears and ran back to her own room with a belly full of grievances.

  Baili Chuan didn't stop him, and with a flick of his sleeve, he sat down, his face as black as the bottom of a pot. Ji Niang gave him a cup of tea in a very proper manner and comforted him in a soft voice.

  Baili Chuanxuan's face finally looked a bit better, and his gaze towards Ji Niang also carried some relief. "It's still you who understands things." Unlike his legitimate wife, today was really going to drive him mad.

  "Ah, husband, what are you saying? This is all I should be doing." That foolish Ruan Shi, she will eventually push her down from the position of legitimate wife. But not now, she knew that if her husband wanted to ascend to the position of heir, he still needed the support of Ruan Shi's family. She would wait, wait until everything settled, and then she would make her move.

  Baili Chuanxun heard this and was even more satisfied with Ji Niang.

  At this time, Baili Ruyao spoke up and said, "Mother, this sister-in-law is so fierce, what should we do from now on?"

  She didn't expect to end up in such a sorry state today, not only failing to teach the other person a lesson but also causing her father to feel disappointed in her, which even led to a reduction in their monthly allowance for food and clothing.

  Baili Chuanxuan's face also sank upon hearing this. With today's commotion, the king might also start to dislike him. Then how could he ascend to the position of crown prince?

  Ji Yiniang also looked at Madame Xu, hoping she could come up with a good idea.

  Xu Shi fell silent for a moment, then finally spoke up and said "Your father is probably not going to pass on the position of Crown Prince to Xuan Er. Judging from today's situation, he should be wanting to leave the royal estate to your elder brother's son to inherit, that's why he let Xia Ting learn how to manage the affairs of the estate."

  She has followed the king for so many years, and can more or less guess what's on his mind. If she doesn't resort to some tricks, even if Baili Youyan dies, Xuan'er will still not get the position of crown prince.

  Baili Chuanxun's eyes suddenly clouded over upon hearing this, Father King only remembered his elder brother, and even if his elder brother had died, he still wanted to leave the royal mansion for his son to inherit. He was also Father King's son, why couldn't he inherit the royal mansion? Why did all the good things belong to his elder brother?

  Auntie Qi also panicked and hastily said, "Mother, what should we do now? The other party has already entered the house and they even consummated the marriage last night. Who knows if she's already pregnant?"

  If this were to happen and someone else gave birth to a son, wouldn't that mean your husband would be completely cut off from the royal family?

  Baili Ruyu was also anxiously watching Xushi, she had always stood on the side of her own elder brother. Although Father King had always treated her as a legitimate daughter, outsiders would not have the same thoughts as Father King. A concubine's daughter is just that, if her brother couldn't become the heir, then how could she marry into those prestigious families in the future?

  "Xu's calm and composed tone said 'What's the hurry? Even if she really is pregnant, this ten-month pregnancy will still have some unexpected surprises.'"

  Ji Yiniang heard this and cautiously said "Do you mean...". Is that to say we need to resort to some trickery to prevent them from giving birth?

  Xu's voice was low as she picked up her teacup, "I remember Qinglan Garden has recently taken in several new maidservants, and there are also those who came with Xia Tingcong as her dowry. You should find an opportunity to buy one or two of them over. If Xia Tingcong is indeed pregnant, then think of a way to get rid of it. And every day, add some contraceptive medicine to her food."

  "Mother, why didn't you take birth control pills?" Wouldn't that be more convenient?

  Xu Shi glanced at the other person and said, "In this mansion, there is a regular medical examination every month. If we take birth control medicine, wouldn't others find out? When the time comes, if Wang Ye finds out, the first suspect will be us." She would never do such a foolish thing, she would rather go through some trouble every day to let someone feed the other person food containing contraceptive drugs, and not take the easy way out, giving Wang Ye an opportunity to suspect her.

  Baili Chuanxuan's eyes lit up, this was a good idea. As long as his sister-in-law didn't give birth to a child, he still had a firm grasp on the position of heir.

  Baili Ruyu has already begun to calculate which maids in Qinglang Garden she wants to buy. She must be those with a big heart and not very honest, such people are easier to control.

  Ji Yiniang also nodded secretly in her heart, indeed, her mother had considered it more thoroughly, even thinking of this. At that time, as long as the other party couldn't give birth to a son, her husband would have an opportunity.

  For a moment, everyone in the house showed a thoughtful expression.

  Ruan's wife cried and ran back to her own room, slamming and smashing many things.

  Qiu Man could only persuade her on the side, "Second Young Master's wife, don't be angry. Second Young Master must have just been momentarily confused and not really blaming you."

  This fine porcelain was smashed like this, what a great loss of silver.

  Ruan Shi smashed more and more fiercely, and only after smashing all the things in the house did she finally sit down on the stool with a slightly relieved expression.

  Qiu Man hastily summoned a few maids to sweep away all the broken porcelain pieces in the house. She also poured another cup of tea for Ruan Shi.

  Ruan Shi sipped her tea and listened to Qiu Man's words of persuasion, finally calming down the anger in her heart.

  Sitting in the room, waiting left and right for Baili Xuan to return, she would rather admit her mistake again. Who knew that what she waited for was the maid coming back to report that Baili Xuan had stayed overnight at Seasonal Mother's place today.

  She was so angry that she slammed the tea set on the table and lay down on the bed crying.

  Digression

  Friends, it's more literary now!