Chapter 502: Fang Jinxiu is Petty

Chapter 502: Fang Jinxiu is Petty

There has always been a gap between them, not just in terms of bloodline and status.

Lady Zheng finally realized that her favored adopted daughter was inherently petty.

Precisely because she was inherently petty, she would care about bloodline, envy status, and believe that harming Jinyu would allow her to get everything she wanted.

But what could be done? She had grown up this way, ultimately due to Lady Zheng's failure to educate her properly. She had indulged her as a little daughter, sheltering her from the wind and rain, arranging everything for her.

Yet, she had never told her that to become the Crown Prince’s consort or even the Empress, one must possess grace far beyond the ordinary.

The more she thought about it, the more she regretted it.

Lady Zheng: "Jinxiu was somewhat willful back then, doing many bad things. It was all my fault; I didn’t teach her well. I shouldn’t have let her be friends with Wang Fuzhen. I saw early on that the child was arrogant and domineering, leading Jinxiu astray."

Zheng Jinyu was shocked. Even now, Lady Zheng was still desperately trying to find excuses for Fang Jinxiu and shift the blame.

One moment she blamed herself for not educating Jinxiu well, the next she blamed poor choice of friends and being led astray by others.

She couldn’t help but think of a TV show she watched in her previous life, where a certain program criticized a spoiled child.

No matter what wrong the spoiled child did, his grandmother always found him blameless.

One moment she scolded his parents for not taking good care of him, the next she blamed his classmates and friends.

In short, whenever he made a mistake, everyone around him was at fault, but he himself was never wrong.

"Whether you taught her well or not is your responsibility. Enough, I don’t want to hear these excuses. At this point, I don’t care about these things. If you have something to say, just say it directly."

Lady Zheng seemed to want to continue rambling, just as Cui Yongnian said, she was now talkative, grabbing anyone to chat endlessly.

But seeing Zheng Jinyu getting angry, she forcibly suppressed her urge to speak.

"Your eldest brother has been appointed as the Governor of the Southern Region. He has two children with your elder sister-in-law in the north and says he won’t return for a while."

"Hmm, I’ve heard. The Emperor has just ascended the throne, and not everyone supports him. The political situation is unstable. Appointing your eldest brother as the Governor of the Southern Region is to prevent small southern countries from taking advantage of the chaos."

Lady Zheng nodded, "It’s good that they are together. Originally, I arranged a marriage for your second brother, but the girl was reluctant because of our family’s issues. Now that you are an Empress, the other party is satisfied, and the wedding can take place next month."

Zheng Jinyu smiled faintly, "That’s good."

"The marriage for your Third Brother is also settled. After your second brother’s wedding, we’ll arrange your Third Brother’s in half a year. The courtyard where you used to live was originally intended for your Third Brother’s wedding. But your father, that stubborn mule, insisted on separating from me, and the courtyard was divided to the neighboring area."

Zheng Jinyu frowned unhappily, "Do you want me to intervene and have my father give the courtyard back to you? Don’t forget that I am now the Empress. Who dares to live in a place where I once resided? Are you trying to usurp my blessings?"

"Oh, no, no, the Empress’s chamber cannot be moved, I understand. It’s just a pity for your Third Brother."

She understood the rules. Whether it was the Emperor or the Empress, places they had lived in could not be occupied by others during their lifetimes. There were many such customs.

Zheng Jinyu snorted coldly, "Don’t you have better courtyards on your side?"

Lady Zheng was taken aback, why did she suddenly turn sour?

"Except for the main house, the best courtyard in the entire estate is the one where Fang Jinxiu used to live. What? Has it been so long since she got married, and you still can’t bear to clean out that courtyard for your Third Brother’s wedding?"

"Oh? This... Jinxiu isn’t having a good time at the Lu family. She often comes back to stay with us. If we give it to your Third Brother, where will she stay when she returns?"

"In the guest room. Didn’t she say before that marrying into the Lu family makes her a Lu family woman, and returning to the Zheng family is like visiting relatives? Since she is a relative, she is a guest. Where else would a guest stay if not in the guest room?"

Lady Zheng was speechless, unable to argue against the logic.

Seeing her lower her head in silence, Zheng Jinyu became even angrier. She understood the principles better than anyone, yet she couldn’t control her favoritism towards Fang Jinxiu.

Always so stubborn, willing to tear the family apart, refusing to listen to anyone’s advice.

The hall suddenly fell silent, neither Zheng Jinyu nor Lady Zheng spoke.

After a long while, Lady Zheng suddenly changed the subject.

"Your Fourth Brother has also found a girl in the south. Your eldest brother took charge and sent a matchmaker to the girl’s family. He wrote back to your father and Concubine He, who agreed. However, Concubine He seems unhappy. But as a concubine, she has no say in such matters, so your Fourth Brother’s marriage is also settled."

Zheng Jinyu was still immersed in her anger and didn’t want to speak to her.

Lady Zheng continued, "Now that you are an Empress, you are the best among your siblings."

Zheng Jinyu pursed her lips.

Lady Zheng added, "Little Fifth has also excelled, becoming a city gate commander at a young age. It must be because the Emperor favors you that he rewarded your brothers."

Zheng Jinyu replied coolly, "You’re overthinking it. Little Fifth became a city gate commander because he distinguished himself by allowing captives to enter the city."

Allowing tens of thousands of captives to enter the city was no small feat, and there were naturally those who opposed it.

But they managed to suppress the opposition.

"Your eldest brother’s friendship with the Emperor dates back to when they were six years old, training together. Even without me, the Emperor wouldn’t neglect your eldest brother."

Zheng Jinyu had already explained this to her, but Lady Zheng still stubbornly believed there was some connection.

"That may be true, but it’s also because the Emperor wants to elevate your family’s influence."

Zheng Jinyu: "..." Think whatever you want.

"All your siblings are doing well now, except... except Jinxiu, who is having the hardest time."

Zheng Jinyu was taken aback.

Oh, so you were waiting for this.

"Everyone is getting better, but she... sigh! She was originally a good wife, but was schemed against by Wang Fuzhen and demoted from wife to concubine. Jinxiu... Jinxiu truly has a hard life!"

Zheng Jinyu shot her a glance, as if to say, don't even think about me promoting her.

She didn’t interrupt Lady Zheng further, allowing her to continue her rambling complaints.

"That Fang Erya is no good either. Instead of getting along well with her own sister, she went to fawn over Wang Fuzhen, and ended up joining forces with her to go against Jinxiu. Originally, Lu Shen, considering that Jinxiu had given him two sons, had agreed to restore her position and elevate her from concubine back to wife.

But then that Fang Erya interfered, insisting that Jinxiu had killed her child. In his anger, Lu Shen dismissed the matter and told her to discuss it with Wang Fuzhen. Do you know what kind of person Wang Fuzhen is? She’s vicious even at her young age; when the Empress was still in her natal home, she almost fell victim to Wang Fuzhen’s schemes.

Tell me, how could Jinxiu possibly be a match for someone like her? How could she possibly agree to promote Jinxiu, right?"