The Eldest Daughter Reborn: She Provoked the Obsessive Crown Prince and Couldn't Escape

"Ah Song is dead? How did he die? When did it happen? What's his wife doing now?" Fu Luan quickly got up and asked.

Hua Luo replied, "A Song died long before the Yongning Marquis's wife's wedding, saying he hanged himself..."

"The Second Young Master is now in charge of the household, but he is in the military camp. At home, the Chief Steward is in charge of external affairs, and the four housekeepers are in charge of the internal affairs."

"Her Majesty the Empress was unwell previously, and..."

Hua Luo paused, then sighed and said, "In addition, they felt it was unnecessary to disturb Her Highness over a mere servant, so they delayed reporting until yesterday..."

“Yesterday? Then…” Recalling what she and Yuan Li had done yesterday, Fu Luan’s face turned even redder than when they were doing it yesterday!

Hua Luo blushed and said, "Yesterday, when the Emperor came to see Your Highness, we servants did not disturb you..."

"He was burned beyond recognition back then, but he never thought of suicide. Now that Fuling has healed him, how could he die? Especially since he died when his daughter was about to become the Lady of Yongning Marquis..."

“His wife must think Ah Song’s death was suspicious and wants me to seek justice for her family, right?” Fu Luan speculated, turning her back to him.

Hua Luo quickly shook her head: "If only she were as kind as the Empress! She... said that her daughter was taken advantage of by the eldest young master, became pregnant as a result of rape, and was forced into marriage because of the pregnancy. Ah Song was so angry that he tried to kill himself!"

"Now she says her daughter is married and her husband is dead, and she can't survive as a woman. She wants our Marquis's Mansion to give her three sums of money: one to pay off her daughter's debts, one to buy her husband's life, and the third to support her in her old age!"

"If we don't give her the money, she'll report us to the authorities! The chief steward and his wives argued with her for days, but they had no other choice but to send someone to the palace to let the Empress decide!"

Fu Luan's face darkened. "Hmph, her good daughter has taken a liking to Fu Yuan and is begging to stay by his side, saying she'd even be willing to be his maid! Now she, as his mother, is saying her daughter is at a disadvantage!"

"Fu Yuan deserves it. He looks down on noble ladies and insists on having an affair with a maid! Now that his mother-in-law has blackmailed him, I have to clean up the mess!"

"Hua Luo, as the Grand Chamberlain, personally lead people to convey my message to Madam Xu..."

"I previously said I would take care of Ah Song's entire family for the rest of their lives. All their work will be waived, and their monthly wages will be doubled. If she stops now, my promise will still stand."

"If she is still not satisfied and tries to extort money from me, the Fu family, the Chang'an Marquis's residence, and the Yongning Marquis's residence, not only will all the benefits I previously promised be null and void, but I will also kick her whole family out and sue her for extortion!"

"Give her three sums of money? I think she's addicted to being a 'second-tier master' and is dreaming!" Fu Luan spat out with a look of disgust.

Hua Luo accepted the order and went to the palace. Half a day later, she returned to Changqiu Palace to report on her duties. "This servant has given instructions to her family as Her Majesty the Empress had instructed."

"The rest of her family were alright; after receiving the order, they all said they dared not disobey Her Majesty's decree. Only this Xu Shi, ignorant of her place, kept shouting that Her Majesty had condoned the eldest young master's rape of her daughter, ruining Cuiyun's life. She also said, and said..."

Hua Luo bit her lip, as if a thousand filthy words were stuck in her throat, unable to be uttered.

Fu Luan laughed and said, "Is there anything inconvenient or unspeakable between us? I've heard all sorts of vulgar things, so please feel free to say them!"

"They say you and Ah Song had an improper and unclear relationship when you were betrothed, otherwise..." Hua Luo didn't finish speaking before she knelt down with a "thud," "Otherwise, how could a noble lady, a noble lady who was once the Crown Princess, be so kind to a servant outside the second gate! Moreover..."

Hua Luo raised her eyes, but Fu Luan continued with a smile, "Besides... I've actually married a man who's about the same age as my father, so people actually believe the nonsense that 'I'm having an affair with Ah Song, who's in his thirties,' right?"

Hua Luo hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Fu Luan personally helped Hua Luo up and sighed, "You know our servants; they can say even worse things than this!"

"Back then, it was all thanks to those gossipy men and women, otherwise I would have been worried about how to ruin Zhengzheng's reputation! What happened to the Xu family afterwards?"

Hua Luo then continued in a low voice, "This servant sent someone to slap her in public and kick her out! Her indenture is still in our household, so I doubt she'll dare to talk nonsense or act recklessly outside!"

Fu Luan nodded, then, as if remembering something, asked again, "Hey, does Cuiyun know about these things?"

“This…” Hua Luo thought for a moment and replied, “The Lady of Yongning Marquis is pregnant, and the imperial physician said it would be best not to let her know about her father’s death, so…”

Fu Luan sneered, "This imperial physician is really something. How can he not let his daughter know that her own father has passed away?"

"Make one more trip and reward her with some jewelry and valuables. Tell her the whole story, from the time her father died to the time her mother was kicked out, especially the part about her mother saying that she was raped and became pregnant and forced into marriage!"

After a moment's thought, Hua Luo understood Fu Luan's meaning.

Upon hearing the news of her father's death and the fact that Madam Xu was causing a ruckus at the Marquis of Chang'an's residence, Cuiyun vomited on the spot.

Although the fetus was not harmed, from that day on, her health deteriorated day by day; the sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl looked ten years older, even more aged than many women who were actually in their thirties!

"Who is that?"

"The Lady of Yongning Marquis, isn't she? She looks like it!"

"That can't be right. I heard that Lady Yongning only recently came of age."

"Hey, women age so fast when they get pregnant!"

"She's way too old! She looks old enough to be the mother of the Marquis of Yongning!"

"You wouldn't dare talk nonsense! Lady Fu was a great beauty back then, which is why she was able to give birth to the 'Number One Beauty of the Great Wei'! Who looks like her..."

That's why they say a wife is a 'bride'.

"Stop talking, stop talking... You're making everyone angry and they've left!"

At the funeral banquet for the Prince of Yan, the women were gossiping among themselves; whether Cuiyun was unwell or heard the ridicule around her, she clutched her stomach and left the banquet early.

Yuan Jiu, the ninth son of the Yuan family, loved brewing wine... Now that the imperial court has held his final "funeral feast" for him, Yuan Jiu can finally rest in peace.

Following Fu Luan's advice, Yuan Li buried Yuan Jiu as the "Prince of Yan" and restored his original name "Yuan Ge," which was given to him by his mother, Consort Su.

From then on, there was no more "Yuan Shi Xiao Jiu" in the world, only the "Yuan Ge" of the King of Yan.

"Before Sixth Brother died, the Empress, dressed in white, played 'Hao Li,' a farewell song for a commoner; now that the Prince of Yan is gone, the Empress..."

Fu Luan poured the wine she had brought in front of Yuan Ge's grave and offered a plate of oranges. Before she could even speak to him alone, Yuan Jia's voice came from behind her...