Harem Daily Life

The King of Han was demoted to a marquis, and His Majesty did not bestow any title upon him. The plaque of the King of Han's residence has been removed and replaced with a plaque that reads "Marquis of Yanzhou Residence".

"Why did the Marquis change his title? We're setting off in a few days anyway, so what difference does it make?" Princess Han, who had been demoted to Marquis's wife, was still resentful, and her tone became sharper.

Marquis Jing's face was ashen. He had been summoned to the palace and made to kneel for three days, during which His Majesty had berated him mercilessly, showing no regard for their relationship. He had truly lost all face.

His colleagues' ridicule followed. He was a prince in charge of a region and had few connections in the capital. After this incident, everyone came to kick him while he was down and mock him. The filthy looks they gave him made him unable to lift his head.

"His Majesty has already issued the decree. If we do nothing, wouldn't that only make His Majesty resent us even more? Anyway, it's just a matter of a plaque, so don't say anything more."

Lord Jing was filled with resentment, and his tone was unfriendly.

Lady Hou glared at him: "Fortunately, this matter did not affect Mu Bai's marriage. The Fourth Princess is also kind and righteous, and she pleaded for us. Otherwise, we would have been ruined by that bitch Jing Yuwei!"

Seeing that the Marquis remained silent, the Marquis's wife said, "We still need to prepare a thank-you gift for the Fourth Princess. I will personally deliver it to the palace. Mu Bai's marriage is the most important thing for us. Marquis, you should spend less time on Jing Yuwei. She is not worth it!"

"Alright, that's enough!" Lord Jing was agitated, but more than anything, he was resentful. Over the years, he had painstakingly cultivated Jing Yuwei, and she had lived up to his expectations, bringing him a great deal of wealth. The thought that the child was now crippled, her beautiful appearance now marred by a major flaw, was truly heartbreaking.

Years of hard work have been wasted and can no longer be used; it's like having your heart ripped out with a knife.

"You can prepare the thank-you gift yourself. I won't go to the palace. I've been scolded so badly these past few days, I'm too ashamed to go back. But you should come back quickly, we still need to discuss Yuwei's marriage."

Lady Hou was taken aback: "What marriage? To whom?"

Lord Jing glanced at her: "Of course it's that beast. Otherwise, would he have ruined my daughter for nothing? Humph, I want him to serve Yuwei for the rest of his life, and I want the entire Zhou family to guarantee Yuwei's future."

Lady Hou was displeased at the thought of having another cripple in her household. Since someone else had taken over, she was naturally happy to accept, so she did not object and immediately led people to prepare gifts before hurrying into the palace.

In Consort Liang's palace, upon hearing that Lady Jinghou had arrived, she rolled her eyes and looked at He Qian, whose leg was covered with a dressing on the bed: "Make her wait a little longer; we can't let her see me so easily."

He Qian smiled and said, "Is Mother still angry? The imperial physician said that these are just superficial injuries, abrasions, nothing serious."

Consort Liang gave her a reproachful look: "Even if the injury is minor, it's still an injury on you, a princess. She's no longer a princess, she's just a marquis's wife, so you have to be careful."

He Qian smiled again, and ultimately listened to Consort Liang's words, not rushing to summon Lady Jinghou.

Lady Jinghou waited for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before a palace maid came out and beckoned her in. She composed herself and followed the maid into He Qian's bedchamber.

"Oh dear, the Fourth Princess has really suffered a great injustice. Let me see if she is injured anywhere." Lady Jinghou's anxious expression made Consort Liang realize a trace of her sincerity towards He Qian.

"Oh dear, she's been kneeling for several hours. It was cold at night, and the ground was icy cold and hard. No wonder she got hurt." Consort Liang made way for Lady Jinghou to sit down so she could see He Qian's knees covered in ointment.

"It's all Jing Yuwei's fault, causing the princess to suffer." Lady Jing blamed Jing Yuwei for everything and cursed her several times.

"Our family is unfortunate to have such a daughter. She refuses to be a proper young lady and insists on going down the wrong path. Now, our royal family has been stripped of its title, and His Majesty has confiscated our silver and ordered us to leave the capital." Lady Jing wiped away two tears. "We originally planned to hold a grand wedding for Mu Bai and the Fourth Princess in the capital, but now it seems that the Marquis and I will not be in the capital when you get married."

Consort Liang also felt some regret about this, but what she was most worried about was that this matter would affect His Majesty's regard for the Fourth Princess, and that the scale of the marriage would have to be lowered.

She glanced at He Qian. The child looked more and more like Consort Li from back then. Perhaps His Majesty would take pity on their past relationship and allow He Qian's marriage to be conducted in the same manner as the eldest princess?

With a hint of anticipation, Consort Liang pondered silently.

"Madam, don't worry. Father is in a bad mood right now. Maybe in two months he will change his mind and summon you to the capital again. However... the Marquis's mansion should also learn a lesson from this. No matter who Yuwei takes a fancy to, she should pursue him openly and honestly. Why... resort to such despicable means?"

Although she had some vague guesses in her heart, He Qian had not confirmed them. She said these words for two reasons: first, to warn the Marquis's mansion, and second, to try to find out who Jing Yuwei was going to drug.

Lady Jinghou was a shrewd woman, and she could easily understand the meaning behind the Fourth Princess's words. She coughed lightly and said, "Yes, this child is not close to me and will not tell me anything. If she had expressed her feelings to me earlier, I would have risked my reputation to ask for a marriage for her. But now there is nothing that can be done. She can only marry into the Zhou family merchant family."

Consort Liang and He Qian exchanged a glance, both somewhat displeased.

"Wouldn't this be too mismatched?" If He Qian marries into the family in the future, she and Jing Yuwei will be sisters-in-law. It would be embarrassing for her brother-in-law to be of such a low status.

Lady Jinghou sighed, "There's nothing we can do. So many people have seen their shameful affair, and Yuwei is crippled and useless. Where can we find a good marriage?"

Consort Liang and He Qian both fell silent. Lady Jinghou, worried that they might be unhappy, said, "But please rest assured, Your Highness and the Princess, after she gets married, she will move out of the Marquis's mansion and establish her own household. There is no need for any contact between us."

With Lady Jinghou's promise, Consort Liang finally stopped looking sullen.

Today, Lady Jinghou brought a full box of gifts to the palace, which was quite respectable and helped to salvage some of the Jing family's image with Consort Liang. However, as soon as Lady Jinghou left the palace and got into her carriage, she became gloomy.

"It's all that slut Jing Yuwei's fault for causing all this trouble. If it weren't for her, why would I need to send an extra box of gifts to apologize to the Fourth Princess!"

Lady Jinghou was so angry that her breathing became labored. Fang Mama, who was standing beside her, advised, "Aren't there still those merchants? We can just plunder some of them, give away as much as we can, and then bring it back."

Lady Jinghou's eyes darted around, and she smiled, "Tell the coachman to hurry up, the Marquis is waiting for me, I'm going to the Zhou family."