“Master, look!” Xiao Xuanzi presented a confidential letter and spoke.
Chu Liuchen took it and drew the letter out of the envelope. After reading it, he raised the corner of his thin lips and said, “Let them take actions! And find out the spoiler!”
There was a faint scent of medicine in the air.
“Master, do you mean that we should wait and see?” Xiao Xuanzi asked with his eyes wide open.
“Since neither of them wants peace, I’ll let them take action!” Chu Liuchen looked down with a smile and spoke. His long black hair was hanging loose, making him look elegant and beautiful.
Under the soft light, the handsome young man smiled gently.
“Make them fight against each other. If the spies take any unusual actions, kill them all!” Bloodthirsty words came out through his pale lips.
“What about Duke Xing’s Mansion?” Xiao Xuanzi hesitated for a moment and asked.
“Keep an eye on them. The consort selection will be held after the Spring Festival. I don’t want to see my brothers do anything to Duke Xing’s Mansion at this time.” Chu Liuchen stood up and said in a gloomy voice, “Just get rid of anyone daring to do anything to Duke Xing’s Mansion!”
“Even if the one is sent by a master in the imperial palace?”
“Yes!”
The etiquette instructor from the Imperial palace came to Duke Xing’s Mansion the next day. Old Madam instructed some servants to invite the four Misses over.
The etiquette instructor, who sat in the seat on the right of Old Madam and looked at the four Misses of Duke Xing’s Mansion up and down several times with picky eyes, was obviously examining them.
Old Madam smiled quietly and cast her eyes on Shao Yanru from time to time. She was very satisfied with her eldest granddaughter, who was not only ravishing with a good reputation but also refined in manners. However, recently she had been implicated by her mother.
Thinking of this, Old Madam secretly regretted it. If she had known it earlier, she would have raised Shao Yanru by herself. In this case, now Shao Yanru’s reputation would not be tarnished by her mother.
Ru’er had always been kind and gentle. Although she had made some minor mistakes, it was because her mother didn’t teach her well. Thinking of this, Old Madam somehow thought of Infanta Qinghua and turned her eyes to Shao Wanru, who was sitting in the rear. She really didn’t like this granddaughter.
However, no matter how much she disliked her granddaughter, she had to admit that her youngest granddaughter was not less beautiful than her eldest granddaughter and even seemed to be more ravishing than her eldest granddaughter, which displeased her a lot.
Her eldest granddaughter was bound to be selected in this consort selection. Duke Xing couldn’t keep waiting. Her eldest granddaughter had full assurance of success before, but now her eldest granddaughter had to join the game of fighting for the throne. In this case, of course, her eldest granddaughter should marry into Prince Yue’s Mansion or Prince Zhou’s Mansion as the Princess.
Until now, Old Madam had not decided into which manor her excellent granddaughter should marry. What about her youngest granddaughter in front of her?
Nevertheless, one thing was certain. Old Madam didn’t want Shao Wanru to marry into any prince’s mansion. It was impossible for two sisters from the same mansion to marry two brothers from the royal family. Even for her eldest granddaughter’s future, she shouldn’t give Shao Wanru any chance to marry a prince. But could she prevent her ravishing youngest granddaughter from marrying a prince?
Old Madam frowned gloomily and looked at Shao Wanru coldly with a scrutinizing look from time to time.
Who would Shao Wanru marry after the consort selection?
With such a gorgeous look, Shao Wanru would definitely be selected. In addition, Shao Wanru was her granddaughter as well as the granddaughter of Rui’an Great Elder Princess. Judging from these, she could tell that once Shao Wanru was selected, Shao Wanru, who was of high status, would definitely be a Princess.
If Shao Wanru was selected, Ru’er would have no chance!
She would not allow such a thing to happen.
It was strangely quiet in the room. Shao Wanru seemed to sense that she was being examined by more than one person including Nanny Xi and Old Madam, who were sitting in the seats of honor. However, Shao Wanru lowered her head with a calm look and stared at a floor tile in front of her without any emotion.
Her cold eyes were hidden behind her long black eyelashes, which fluttered slightly, so others could only see half of her gentle and delicate face.
She, who was dressed in a set of plain clothes with her skin as white as snow and delicate lips, gave a sense of breathtaking beauty.
Nanny Xi finally fixed her eyes on the Fifth Miss Shao in front of her. After examining her carefully, she coughed in a low voice and spoke.
“Fifth Miss Shao.”
On hearing herself called, Shao Wanru raised her head, smiled at Nanny Xi, who was sitting in the seat of honor, and asked softly, “Nanny, what can I do for you?”
“Fifth Miss Shao, I heard that you have been cultivating in seclusion for your mother. Have you finished your three-year cultivation?” Nanny Xi picked up a file on the table and looked through it according to official principles, and then asked with a serious look.
“Not yet!” Shao Wanru said.
Nanny Xi smashed the file on the table and said with a cold face, “Fifth Miss Shao, do you know about the principles of moral conduct? How can you attend the consort selection before finishing observing mourning for your parents?”
Her harsh words directly pointed out that Shao Wanru was unfilial.
“Nanny, you are wrong. I can’t decide whether to attend the consort selection or not. What’s more, I heard that the consort selection has not been held yet. I will have finished my three-year cultivation when the consort selection begins,” Shao Wanru said unhurriedly.
When Nanny Xi asked her the first question, she knew that this nanny harbored an evil intent towards her. Now she could tell that the nanny was targeted at her as she expected.
Every girl’s marriage was arranged by her parents and the matchmaker, and girls had no voice in their marriage, not to mention in a major event like the consort selection. How could she decide whether to attend the consort selection or not?
There were some officers in charge of identifying the candidates, and they wouldn’t allow a girl, who was still observing mourning for her parents, to attend the consort selection.
Nanny Xi just intended to pick on her and use this as an excuse to cause her trouble.
“Fifth Miss Shao, it seems that you really want to attend the consort selection?” Nanny Xi raised her eyebrows and asked. Although she did not push Shao Wanru on the previous question, she showed an evil intent by saying that.
It was really unusual that an etiquette instructor kept picking on her student.
Shao Wanru glanced at Old Madam who was sitting beside Nanny Xi, only to find that she acted indifferently. Shao Wanru sneered in secret. So Old Madam decided to just stand by and watch this Nanny Xi humiliate her?
“Nanny, as a Miss, I can decide whether to attend the consort selection or not. All the candidates on the list have been confirmed by Her Majesty. Nanny, do you mean to doubt Her Majesty’s decision and think that Her Majesty has been deceived by someone!” Since no one would help her, Shao Wanru became increasingly serious and cold.
She raised her eyes and looked at Nanny Xi with a faint smile.
As a servant of the Empress, how dare Nanny Xi doubt the Empress’s decision? Nanny Xi was choked by Shao Wanru’s words and couldn’t answer at the moment. But then she became angry from embarrassment. As a servant of the Empress, she had always been the one rebuking others, but now she was choked by a girl’s words.
“How dare you!” Nanny Xi shouted.
Shao Wanru smiled at her and didn’t look humble nor timid. She stood up, bowed deeply, and said, “I don’t dare. But do you come here to rebuke me or to educate us on instructions from Her Majesty? If it’s the former, I’ll go back and examine myself critically right away. Regarding why our mansion entered my name for the consort selection, please rebuke our mansion!”
After saying that, Shao Wanru bowed deeply to Nanny Xi again and then turned to leave.
It was obvious that Nanny Xi, who came from the imperial palace, was here to pick on her. In this case, she decided not to stay here with her.
Seeing that Shao Wanru dared to give her a cold shoulder and intended to leave after a short conversation, Nanny Xi was so angry that her face turned livid. She pressed her hand on the table and was about to lose her temper.
Old Madam put down the teacup in her hand heavily. On hearing the crisp sound caused by the teacup hitting the table, Shao Wanru stopped.
“Wanru, sit down! How can you lose your temper after such a short conversation?”
“Okay!” Shao Wanru paused, but she still obediently turned around and sat back in her chair! Nanny Xi, who came from the imperial palace, tried to show severity at their first meeting and even took advantage of the Empress’s power. However, she didn’t expect that she also humiliated Duke Xing’s Mansion and even Old Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion by saying that.
How could Old Madam bear to be humiliated in front of her granddaughters?
“Nanny Xi, Wanru is selected as a candidate for the consort selection on instructions from the Empress Dowager and the Empress. Don’t you know that?” Old Madam said coldly.
She had intended to pretend that she didn’t notice their conversation so that the nanny sent by the Empress could humiliate and suppress Shao Wanru. However, she didn’t expect that the whole Duke Xing’s Mansion would be involved, and she didn’t want to see an etiquette instructor act domineeringly in her mansion.
The Empress was very noble. Although Nanny Xi, who served the Empress, was highly favored, Nanny Xi couldn’t be so presumptuous in her mansion. In particular, Nanny Xi kept doubting Shao Wanru’s being selected as a candidate in front of her. Didn’t Nanny Xi try to humiliate her by doing that?
Old Madam, who had always been obeyed by others in Duke Xing’s Mansion, had never been humiliated like that, so she became displeased at once!
Seeing that Old Madam got furious and hearing that she mentioned the Empress Dowager, Nanny Xi didn’t dare to stir up any other trouble. She turned to Old Madam and said with a flattering smile, “I came in a hurry, so I didn’t know that there are four Misses in your mansion going to attend the consort selection. I just learned it after checking the file. If I made any mistake, please forgive me, Old Madam!”
Since Nanny Xi had made a concession, Old Madam would not keep arguing with her. Moreover, she indeed needed to ask Nanny Xi for a favor. She nodded at once with her face softening, reached out to point at the rest of her granddaughters in the parlor and introduced them to Nanny Xi one by one. After the introduction, she said with a smile, “I’ll have to trouble you in the following days!”
“Don’t mention it. This is what I should do. The Empress sent us out to teach several good Misses from aristocratic families the rules and etiquette in the imperial palace!” Nanny Xi said with a smile, looking completely different from the one intending to stir up trouble fiercely just now.
She suggested that the Misses of Duke Xing’s Mansion would definitely be selected. On hearing that, Old Madam smiled and said with a nod, “Although you are sent by the Empress, I still need to express my gratitude to you, Nanny Xi. Do you think we should start the course today or tomorrow?”
“Let’s start the course tomorrow, and the Misses can have a rest today!” Nanny Xi thought for a while and said, seeming to be very considerate of the Misses of Duke Xing’s Mansion and looking very kind. If it weren’t for Shao Wanru’s experience just now, she probably would have thought that Nanny Xi was actually very kind.
“That’s great!” Old Madam said and nodded with a smile. Coincidentally, she needed to arrange something, and now she thought that she could make it in time!
Shao Wanru narrowed her eyes and looked at the two of them, who were sitting in the seats of honor and talking happily, with deep eyes…