novelraw Chapter 1108 - 1082: Honor in Troubled Times 150
Chapter 1108 - 1082: Honor in Troubled Times 150
Mrs. Liu couldn’t believe it at all.
"Brother, do you think I’m a fool? Just trying to fool me like this, who is the Crown Prince to send a Changshi just for the Second Miss? You must be joking."
Mrs. Liu shook her head, "If you said the Crown Prince has taken a liking to the First Miss, I might believe it, but with the Second Miss’s looks..."
Liu Cai really wanted to hit Mrs. Liu: "What about her looks? Do you think the Empress and the Crown Prince are only interested in beauty? If they truly fancied good looks, would your First Miss measure up? Do you think those slender horses from Yangzhou are not as good-looking as your First Miss? Or do you think all the ladies in the Capital are just decorations? The Crown Prince chooses his consort for talent and virtue, not looks. The Crown Princess Consort must be virtuous and capable of managing the entire Eastern Palace, and must be able to assist the Crown Prince. Whether the Crown Prince likes her is secondary. If he truly fancies a pretty girl, there are plenty of positions in the Eastern Palace for them. You are such a fool! What kind of hypnotic medicine did your First Miss feed you to make you so partial to her?"
Liu Cai’s words woke Mrs. Liu.
She used to think that the First Miss’s good looks would make her the natural choice for Crown Princess Consort if chosen from the Lu Family. But now, thinking about it, the Empress and the Crown Prince are not superficial. The Crown Prince values talent and virtue in selecting a consort, not appearance. If he truly wanted a good-looking wife, he could still take a concubine after marrying the Crown Princess Consort. The Eastern Palace could accommodate many women.
Realizing this, Mrs. Liu finally believed Liu Cai.
"Brother, what should we do now?"
Liu Cai huffed, "Quickly bring your daughter back, and treat her well from now on. You must protect your daughter. Once Zhen’er marries into the palace, you will be the birth mother of the Crown Princess Consort. Who in the Lu Family would dare to disrespect you? Even the Old Madam would have to defer to you. As for the First Miss, she is the eldest daughter. Traditionally, the younger daughter shouldn’t marry before the elder. Use this as your argument and send her off early. Remember, you are the birth mother of the Crown Princess Consort, and the legitimate mother of the First Miss. You decide her marriage. Now, you hold the leverage over her, not the other way around."
Mrs. Liu was a bit stunned.
She had never thought of it this way. Over the years, she had been intimidated by the First Miss’s maternal Gao family causing trouble repeatedly. She had always deferred to the First Miss, prioritizing her in everything, to the point of neglecting herself and her own daughter. She never fought for anything for Lu Zhen.
She had never considered that there might be a day when she could have power over the First Miss, and not fear the Old Madam or the Gao family.
Liu Cai, seeing Mrs. Liu’s ineffectual demeanor, angrily slapped her on the back: "Straighten your back! What are you afraid of now? For power, you are the birth mother of the Crown Princess Consort. Who can do anything to you? As for wealth, sister, you need to know, our Liu Family has never feared comparison with any other family’s wealth. When you married into the Lu Family, your dowry was far more abundant than that of the previous Gao woman. Over these years, your dowry subsidized the First Miss, and what of her? She’s an ingrate who never regarded you as a mother, only knowing how to be competitive and willful. I say, you should cut off her allowances. Doesn’t she always miss her deceased mother? Let her go to her maternal family for dowry."
"Can this really work?"
Mrs. Liu was still somewhat hesitant, somewhat timid.
Liu Cai loudly said, "It will work. If I say it will, it will. If you don’t believe me, test it out. Let me tell you, I am staying in the Capital for a while, not leaving. I am here to back you up. Be bold and do it. If anything happens, let someone inform me. Humph, if the Old Madam dares to cause trouble again, I’ll bring people over to set things straight. Let’s see what the Lu’s will do about it."
"Then I’ll try."
Although Mrs. Liu was not particularly kind to her own daughter, Lu Zhen, she was very close and trusting of her only brother. This is why Xiao Ying asked Zhang He to invite Liu Cai.
After all, Mrs. Liu is Lu Zhen’s birth mother. Xiao Ying couldn’t simply dismiss her. He had to attempt to change Mrs. Liu’s ways. If she could be swayed, all the better; if not, the royal family had plenty of secret medicines to make her physically weak and ill, thus unable to meddle—just a trivial matter.
Liu Cai instructed Mrs. Liu on some matters, then stood up and said, "I must go see Zhen’er. This time, both our mother and your sister-in-law prepared things for her. Our mother was extremely delighted to hear that Zhen’er was chosen as the Crown Princess Consort."
At this point, Liu Cai reprimanded Mrs. Liu one more time in exasperation: "You really have a hole in your head. Your own daughter becoming the Crown Princess Consort doesn’t make you happy, yet you insist that it should be the First Miss? And what good would it do you if the First Miss became the Crown Princess Consort? If she truly succeeds, you and your daughter might not even survive. You have no sense, you’re driving me crazy."
Mrs. Liu saw Liu Cai to the door and quietly said, "Brother, come back after visiting the First Miss. I’ve already asked someone to prepare a guest room."
Liu Cai waved a hand, "I know, I know. Of course, I’ll come back. I have to support you, don’t worry. Even if I have to put all our family’s business aside, I’ll stay in the Capital until Zhen’er gets married."
After Liu Cai left, Mrs. Liu went back to her room. Her attendant, Mrs. Yu, softly spoke to her, "Madam, what Uncle said is quite right. Over these years, how much have you endured from the Old Madam and the First Miss? Even the Gao family walks into our house like it’s theirs, asking for whatever they want, scolding you at will. Madam, you have been kind and didn’t mind, but they’ve become increasingly arrogant. I say, Madam should stand up for herself. Think about it, our Second Miss will be the Crown Princess Consort soon, with the Empress and Crown Prince backing us. Who would dare disrespect us? If you don’t suppress the First Miss and the Old Madam now, when will you?"
Mrs. Liu frowned, "Can this really work?"
Mrs. Yu nodded, "It will."
She gently patted Mrs. Liu’s back, "Madam, the Second Miss is now estranged from you. You must vent for her and quickly arrange for her dowry, to show her that you still have a motherly heart. Let her feel the warmth. You must realize that the master is unreliable, the Old Madam even more so, and the First Miss... can you really count on her? You can only rely on the Uncle and the Second Miss now. Don’t let the Uncle grow cold towards you. If he stops supporting you, you’ll truly be in dire straits."
The mention of possibly losing support from the Liu Family truly alarmed Mrs. Liu.
She had been yielding to Lu Shan and used to making compromises with her own daughter. But her upbringing had been typical of a boudoir lady, placing family above all, her closest tie being her brother. The idea of losing Liu Cai’s support weighed heavily, akin to the sky falling.
"Then, I’ll try standing up for once."
Mrs. Liu gritted her teeth, deciding to test if Liu Cai’s words were indeed true.