Chapter 558: Being Forced to Leave

Chapter 558: Being Forced to Leave

Madam Lu, with a flattering smile, said to Fang Jinxiu, "It seems that your mother still cares a lot about you. I told you, she wouldn't really be angry with you."

Fang Jinxiu replied, "If she weren’t angry, why would she ignore me for so long?"

This…

"Oh, she’s definitely angry, but she’ll get over it eventually."

"Of course," Fang Jinxiu said with a smug expression.

…

Madam Zheng and Lady Ye entered the palace. Both tacitly avoided mentioning their encounter with Fang Jinxiu, focusing only on the child and Zheng Jinyu herself.

The conversation had been going quite smoothly until Madam Zheng thought of the young Miss Lu from the Lu family who had accompanied Fang Jinxiu. This reminded her of the absence of concubines in the imperial harem, so she brought up the topic with Zheng Jinyu.

"Now that you've been blessed with a prince, Her Majesty, the Empress, the Emperor will likely consider selecting new concubines soon."

Zheng Jinyu's smile froze on her face.

Madam Zheng, seemingly unaware, was wholeheartedly concerned for Zheng Jinyu.

"When choosing, it’s best to select women who are gentle and not from overly prominent families. It would be ideal to choose someone with familial ties—daughters of the Zheng family, daughters of the Cui family, who are your cousins or sisters-in-law. This way, you’ll get along better and support each other in this vast palace. Having someone to rely on in the palace is crucial."

Zheng Jinyu strongly suspected that if Fang Jinxiu weren’t married, Madam Zheng would have found a way to bring her into the palace to support her and provide mutual aid.

"Forget it," Zheng Jinyu said coolly. "Bringing in cousins and sisters-in-law will only strain relationships."

"Oh? Why do you say that? These are all our own sisters, how could it harm relationships?"

Zheng Jinyu thought to herself how generous she was, having served her husband, Zheng Ji, alongside Lady Luo without any issues.

"I’m different from you. I am extremely jealous by nature. Women who try to steal my man won’t meet a good end."

Both Madam Zheng and Lady Ye froze in place.

"If I were to accidentally kill someone, their parents would blame you for bringing them into the palace."

Madam Zheng was so frightened that she went limp and slid off the stool.

"Her Majesty, how can you say such things? If the Emperor were to hear, he might label you as jealous."

"Then let him hear it if he wants."

"Ah? My lips tremble in terror."

Zheng Jinyu didn’t wish to argue anymore and said coldly, "If you don’t want to listen, then leave. I need to rest."

Immediately, a palace maid came to escort Madam Zheng out.

Madam Zheng still wanted to say something but was dragged away by Lady Ye.

Outside, Lady Ye said to Madam Zheng, "Mother, didn’t you see that Her Majesty was clearly upset? Why did you continue speaking?"

"Her being unhappy is one thing, but how can a man not have concubines? Especially when her husband is the Emperor, having a harem is quite normal. I was only trying to give her advice so she wouldn't be at a disadvantage."

"That’s your opinion, but Her Majesty doesn’t see it that way."

"I am her mother, how could I possibly harm her? Her strong-willed nature wouldn't permit it. A woman who is prone to jealousy will surely be detested by her husband."

The two were in the middle of their conversation and didn’t notice when Xie Peiyu had approached.

"Mother-in-law, who are you saying is jealous and will be detested by her husband?"

Madam Zheng’s voice abruptly stopped.

The two hurriedly performed a formal bow to Xie Peiyu.

After bowing, they said, "We were just chatting, not talking about anyone specific."

"Oh, I thought you were talking about the empress."

Madam Zheng: "..."

"If you must talk about her, don’t do it in front of her. She is extremely jealous, and if you talk about her behind her back, she will be unhappy. If she is unhappy, she will cause trouble for me."

What?

Madam Zheng was completely struck dumb and didn’t dare say another word. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they left the palace grounds with her daughter-in-law.

Outside the palace, Lady Ye said to Madam Zheng, "I told you, the Madam is different from ordinary women. Perhaps the Emperor will skip the concubine selection for her."

"But which woman...?"

"Oh, mother, I've said it before, the Madam is different from ordinary women, why do you always compare her to them? My husband told me that the Empress learned in one year what it takes an ordinary woman ten years to learn."

Madam Zheng suddenly recalled Jinyu's extraordinary abilities.

Perhaps, perhaps…

...

Recently, all the candidates for the spring exams had entered the capital. The officials' attention seemed to be focused on this year's candidates.

These candidates were fortunate because typically, a change in the throne leads to a change in officials.

The new emperor would eliminate his rivals and promote new people.

Where would these new people come from?

No one was newer or cleaner than the exam candidates that year.

Not only were the officials focusing on them, but the candidates themselves were confident that their chances were much greater than in previous years.

Xie Peiyu, holding many pieces of evidence, was waiting for the right moment, biding his time for these candidates.

He wanted new people to replace the old, and he planned to use the old officials as stepping stones for the new ones.

The spring exams began with intense preparation, and at home, Madam Zheng burned incense, praying that her ancestors would bless Zheng Hongqi and Zheng Hongxu, ensuring their success in this year's exams.

Finally, the exams concluded, and everyone anxiously awaited the results.

The day before the results were posted, Madam Lu visited Fang Jinxiu again.

"You should go and check the results tomorrow to see if your second and third brothers passed."

Fang Jinxiu shook her head and sighed, "Forget it, my second brother still resents me because of his wife’s miscarriage. As for my third brother, he has been completely swayed by that despicable Wang Fuzhen. He believes I drove her away, and now he despises me."

"Ah?" This person is peculiar.

They don’t want something themselves, yet can’t bear to see others desire it.

Especially given all the conflicts between Wang Fuzhen and our family, Madam Lu despised her and couldn’t bear to see her live well.

Madam Lu spoke angrily, "That damned little vixen, how can she still attract men even as a discarded wife?"

Just then, Lu Shen entered, "Mother, who are you talking about?"

Madam Lu began to complain to Lu Shen, "Who else but Wang Fuzhen? That little vixen has been keeping you out. Could it be because of the Zheng family’s third son?"

This struck at his pride, and Lu Shen was furious, "That adulterous pair, they must have been involved long ago."

Fang Jinxiu said, "She was determined to become my third sister-in-law. Back then, she grew close to me because of my third brother. If she hadn’t plotted to win him over, none of this would have happened."

She said this offhandedly, but as soon as the words were out, she realized it made sense.

Now, she had one more person to blame.

Previously, she blamed Zheng Jin Yu, thinking that if she hadn’t returned, she wouldn’t have ended up this way.

Now, she blamed Wang Fuzhen, thinking it was all because Wang Fuzhen was after a man and deliberately got close to her, causing all the trouble.

It made her grind her teeth in fury.

"Lu Shen, you’re a man, are you just going to let this go?"