Dressed as a concubine instead of a concubine

"Where did Princess Zhaohua go?"

Meng Xiyue didn't see her in the mansion the whole morning and couldn't help but ask.

"She's back in the palace."

Xie Junyi replied softly, "She knows she has let you down and said she doesn't have the face to see you."

"You asked her to go back."

Meng Xiyue looked up at him. With Princess Zhaohua's personality, she was not someone who would retreat. Besides, she really liked living in Prince Qi's Mansion, so how could she possibly go back on her own initiative?

Xie Junyi put down the pen in his hand, "I asked her to come to the palace just to accompany you. Since she can't do it well, it's better for her to return to the palace."

"It's not her fault. After all, everyone thinks I did it, so how could she be an exception?"

Meng Xiyue smiled bitterly. She had only known her for a few days, and Song Jiayi was her cousin and a noble lady in Beijing, so naturally she didn't believe her.

"You must have felt very wronged at that time. I'm sorry that I couldn't stand by you the first time."

He hugged Meng Xiyue in his arms and apologized again.

Meng Xiyue's heart trembled slightly, "It's all over."

"I know you don't like the ladies in the capital, and you don't want to integrate with them. From now on, I won't force you. Just stay in the mansion and be at ease."

Xie Junyi has figured it out. He likes her for who she is. If he lets her become like the noble ladies in the capital, will she still be herself?

With his protection, he will definitely be able to fight for her status. She just needs to stay by his side obediently.

Meng Xiyue lowered her eyes and said nothing.

He just continued, "Don't do business with Zhou Chengjing anymore."

"No." This time, she retorted without even thinking.

How could she get money if she didn't do business, and how could she survive without money?

"Whatever you want, I can give it to you. Why do you have to show up in public to do business and damage your reputation?"

"That's different. What you give is yours, and the money I earn from business is my own."

Meng Xiyue was firm in her attitude and was unwilling to give in. "Besides, I didn't show up in public. I just drew the pattern for him, not hawked it on the street."

"Whether you hawk or not, as long as you do business with Zhou Chengjing, you are a businessman in the eyes of outsiders, and businessmen are the lowest class."

Xie Junyi frowned. He didn't understand why a woman like Meng Xiyue was so obsessed with doing business.

"How can doing business be the lowest class? Why do you have to divide people into different classes? There is nothing shameful about being self-reliant. Besides, without the support of the merchants and farmers, can you, the high-ranking royal relatives, live so freely?"

Meng Xiyue became more and more excited as she spoke. After living in this era for so many years, she still hadn't learned what respect and inferiority meant.

"It's fine if you say this in front of me, but you must never mention it in public."

If such treasonous words were heard by someone with ulterior motives, it would bring disaster.

Meng Xiyue's eyes were red. "What's the big deal? You just like to chop off heads, so just chop them off."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but let her tears fall. This feudal society was suffocating her and she didn't know how to break free.

In modern times, she was forced by her mother not to do what she liked. When she came here, she was oppressed by feudal ideas. Why is it so difficult to live a good life?

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she became.

Seeing her like this, Xie Junyi couldn't stand up anymore. He hugged her tightly with both hands and said, "Don't say stupid things. If you want to draw jewelry, then go ahead. But you can't go to see Zhou Chengjing privately."

He didn't really look down on her doing business. He and Zhou Chengjing were also good friends and he never discriminated against her identity as a businessman.

But he was afraid. He slowly discovered that she was not a weak and helpless woman, but a strong and independent person.

He had been having trouble holding her to begin with, and now that she was able to fend for herself, he became even more panicked.

It seemed that if one day she wanted to leave, she could spread her wings and fly away without any worries.

He wanted to break her wings, but he couldn't bear it at the last moment.

Forget it, let her live more freely.

Seeing that he had given in, Meng Xiyue nodded and said, "I have been communicating with him through letters, and we have only met a few times."

But it seemed that she had forgotten what she had just said the next day, and brought Qianxiang to Shicuizhai again.

When Li Niang saw her, she changed her previous attitude and started serving tea and pouring water. When she heard that she wanted to see Zhou Chengjing, she quickly sent someone to inform him.

Not long after, Zhou Chengjing appeared.

Meng Xiyue looked at him with a slightly cold expression, "You are finally willing to show up."

"You should know my dilemma." Zhou Chengjing felt extremely embarrassed. He knew that he had let Meng Xiyue down, but he could not openly disobey King Qi's order.

Meng Xiyue snorted coldly. If she didn't know his dilemma, she wouldn't be here today.

"I'm giving this back to you. It's of no use at all."

Meng Xiyue placed the jade pendant he had given her before on the table. The contempt in her eyes made Zhou Chengjing blush.

"It's my fault that I didn't explain it clearly. Who could have thought that it would be such a coincidence that I haven't been in the capital for the past two months."

The jade pendant was originally given to her to make it easier for her to find me in the future, but it happened that I was out.

"Take the jade pendant. I have already informed the store. If you see this jade pendant in the future, you can withdraw money from the Zhou family's store at will."

This promise is quite heavy. You have to know that the Zhou family’s shops are spread all over the Yuanqing Kingdom. Having this jade pendant is equivalent to having a mobile vault.

But Meng Xiyue shook her head and said, "If you really want to compensate me, then give Mei Ran five hundred taels of silver and tell her that it is the money I funded her to open a school. Tell her to accept it."

"Okay, from now on all her school expenses will be paid by me, Zhou Chengjing." Zhou Chengjing said solemnly.

Meng Xiyue nodded with satisfaction. This was what she meant.

"Also, you can't mention anything else except the fact that I painted jewelry for you."

Zhou Chengjing naturally understood what she meant, and he said after a moment of silence.

"If you tell us your identity, the suffering between you and King Qi may be much less."

Meng Xiyue smiled helplessly, "With the blessing of Master Mo Ran's status, can I become his principal wife?"

"No." Zhou Chengjing took a breath of cold air. He didn't expect that her target was the queen.

"Everyone knows that Prince Qi is expected to inherit the throne. The position of Princess Qi is of great importance. It cannot be done without a strong background to support it."

It turned out that his wife was even further away than he thought. "That's it. It's impossible to achieve it. If that's the case, having this status will only add to my troubles."

Now that her identity is revealed, how can she travel freely around the world in the future?

Zhou Chengjing lowered his eyes. He could not help at all in this matter. Even with his status as the daughter of the Zhou family, he could not even be the concubine of Prince Qi.