Chapter 1214 Fulfilling the Promise
“Greetings, Your Highness.” Shao Jie’er suppressed the fear in her heart and stepped forward to bow gracefully. Liuxiang still followed her closely.
Chu Qing’s cold gaze fell on Shao Jie’er, which made her nervous and terrified. “What does Chu Qing mean by looking at me like that? Did he discover something?”
“You’ve been in the mansion for some time, haven’t you?” Chu Qing finally spoke.
“I have been in the mansion for several months.” Shao Jie’er lowered her head and did not dare to have Chu Qing see the fear in her eyes.
“How have I been to you?” Chu Qing asked.
“Your Highness, you dote on me very much. When I was in Marquis Xing’s Mansion, I was always ignored. Only after I came here did I know that I could be doted on,” Shao Jie’er said.
Since she sounded sincere, Chu Qing looked less gloomy. He pointed to the stool beside him and said, “Sit down!”
“It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to sit beside you, Your Highness. I’d better keep standing to serve you!” Shao Jie’er said cautiously.
“It doesn’t matter. Just sit down!” Chu Qing scolded.
Shao Jie’er didn’t dare to talk back. She tilted her body and sat down on the stool on one side. Because she was nervous, she just sat down slightly without her hips pressed on the stool. She was entirely stiff, which made her feel more uncomfortable than standing, but she didn’t dare to say anything.
Chu Qing’s intention was unknown. Until now, she had not figured out what he wanted, so she did not dare to relax at all.
Chu Qing looked at Shao Jie’er and said, “I’ve long heard that you had a hard time in Marquis Xing’s Mansion. It was obviously Shao Yanru who got into trouble at that time, but in the end, you took the blame for her. It can be seen that Shao Jing is not a good person. Since you came to my mansion, I’ve been tender and protective toward you. Now you’re the only right and proper woman in the mansion. Even if Qiuyi marries into the mansion in the future, you’ll get a lot of benefits. If you get to be the first one to bring me a son, I don’t need to tell you what you will get in the future!”
“Yes… Your Highness!” Shao Jie’er said softly.
If she had heard him say that before marrying into Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion, she would have believed him. But now, she could only feel shock instead of joy. What did Chu Qing mean by saying that at this time?
Even Consort Dowager Qing attached so much importance to Mo Qiuyi that she even got her into the mansion regardless of her identity. How could Chu Qing have Shao Jie’er bring him his first son, which would be trouble for Mo Qiuyi?
The reason why Shao Jie’er was so desperate was that she would not have the chance to bear a baby for Chu Qing.
She had once thought that Mo Qiuyi was so valued by Consort Dowager Qing that Chu Qing and Consort Dowager would not say anything even if Mo Qiuyi drugged her and made her infertile in the future.
It was said that she was now the only nominal female master in the mansion. The more she stood out at the moment, the more unlucky she would be in the future. These days in Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion had made Shao Jie’er well aware of that.
As soon as Mo Qiuyi married into the mansion, Shao Jie’er would be doomed eternally. That woman might be even more cruel to her than Consort Dowager Qing.
“Terrific.” Seeing her like this, Chu Qing’s expression softened. He even poured her a glass of water and asked softly, “You have a good relationship with Princess Chen. How come you never told me this?”
“What?” Shao Jie’er looked up subconsciously.
“Princess Chen came to visit you today and said that she wanted to see you. She also said that the Old Madam of Marquis Xing was seriously ill and asked you to go back to see her and stay for a few days,” Chu Qing said.
Shao Jie’er took a few deep breaths and felt that she had come back to life. “So he’s here not to blame me but because Shao Wanru came over.
“Did Shao Wanru really come over?”
Shao Jie’er was overjoyed. But when she saw Chu Qing frowning slightly, she immediately knew that she was not supposed to look happy. She hurriedly turned her smiling face into a sad one and said, “Is Grandma ill? Is it so serious? She’s in poor health, and now all kinds of things have happened in the mansion. If she can’t take them…”
Shao Jie’er was good at acting. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief and continued, “Grandma doesn’t treat me well, but after all, she is my biological grandma. Your Highness, please allow me to go back and stay there for a few days so that I can serve her!”
After saying that, she burst into tears.
Seeing her anxious look, Chu Qing frowned slightly and looked less gloomy than before. “Old Madam is sick. As her granddaughter, you naturally have to go and see her.”
Speaking of this, he paused and looked at Shao Jie’er. “Didn’t you have a bad relationship with Princess Chen before? Why did she come here in person for you?”
Everyone knew that Princess Chen was not favored by the people in Marquis Xing’s Mansion, especially the second branch and the first branch, who had a bad relationship with her. Although Shao Jie’er was not Madam Jiang’s biological daughter, she was from the second branch after all, so she should not have a good relationship with Shao Wanru.
Shao Jie’er pulled her handkerchief and murmured, “Indeed, I didn’t get along well with Princess Chen in the past, but… after all, we are sisters from the same mansion. Moreover, Madam Jiang and Big Sister were the ones who treated Fifth Sister the worst. As a concubine’s daughter, I couldn’t act on my own. I just followed the others. Fifth Sister has always been kind. She should know my difficulties and circumstances.”
What she meant was that when Shao Jie’er was in Marquis Xing’s Mansion, she hadn’t really fallen out with Shao Wanru, nor had she treated Shao Wanru harshly. It was Madam Jiang and Shao Yanru who had plotted against Shao Wanru all the time, which had nothing to do with Shao Jie’er. Even if Shao Jie’er were not close with Shao Wanru back in her times in Marquis Xing’s Mansion, Shao Wanru knew that she was helpless as a concubine’s daughter.
Chu Qing thought for a moment and asked, “You stayed with Shao Yanru back then, didn’t you?”
“I stayed with Big Sister and did something to hurt Fifth Sister for her, but it was not a big deal. Besides, I had no choice at that time. I had to do many things and felt very guilty. Sometimes, I would secretly ask a servant to send a message to Fifth Sister in advance.”
Shao Jie’er kept addressing Shao Wanru as Fifth Sister, trying her best to show that they had a good relationship.
Shao Wanru was the only one she could hold on to at the moment. She had to hold on to her with all her might.
“You have a good relationship with Princess Chen, don’t you? I’ve never heard of her from you. Since then, you should visit her more often. Come with me to my mother’s place!” Chu Qing was relieved. With a gentle look on his face, he stood up, took Shao Jie’er by the hand, and said, “Let’s go. I’ll go with you!”
Shao Jie’er was flattered and stood up in surprise. She had never been treated like this since she entered Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion.
She followed Chu Qing uneasily to Consort Dowager Qing’s courtyard. As soon as she arrived at the door of the main room, she heard the sound of talking and laughing inside. It was Consort Dowager Qing’s voice. It sounded soft as if she was not the aggressive woman she used to be.
A servant girl lifted the curtain high. Chu Qing pulled Shao Jie’er into the room. The two people who were talking turned around and looked at them.
Chu Qing seemed to have just noticed that it was inappropriate for him to hold Shao Jie’er’s hand. He put down her hand, stepped forward with a smile, and said, “Princess Chen, Jie’er is here!”
His intimate voice made Shao Jie’er look at him a few more times in disbelief. “Chu Qing is so gentle and elegant right now. Is he really the man I know?”
It was Consort Dowager Qing who was sitting in the hall. It was the first time that Shao Wanru had seen her. Today, she came to fulfill her promise by taking Shao Jie’er away and meeting Commandery Prince Qing by the way.
It was said that when Consort Dowager Qing was in the Palace, she was also the favorite concubine of the deceased emperor, who almost got Empress Dowager out of her position. If it weren’t for the fact that the deceased emperor had died early, it was hard to say whether Empress Dowager would have been able to hold the Empress’s position firmly.
After such a woman was locked up in the Yuhui Nunnery, she was very quiet. After she was released, she said that she was used to a quiet life and was unwilling to appear in public. She had been resting in the Buddha Hall in the mansion.
At first, everyone sent invitations to Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion. After they got refused, again and again, they didn’t send any more invitation cards. The mysterious Consort Dowager had always lived in Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion and had never shown up in public.
At present, it was the first time that Shao Wanru had seen Consort Dowager Qing.
She looked a little older than the women in the Palace, at least about ten years older. Maybe it was because her days in the Yuhui Nunnery were too tough before.
Different from those Old Madams who liked to wear colorful clothes in other mansions, her clothes looked much simpler and there was no extra and complicated embroidery. She wore a string of Buddha beads on her hand. There was even a faint Buddhist fragrance in the room. Shao Wanru felt that Consort Dowager Qing had just returned from the Buddha Hall.
The Old Madam of Marquis Xing used to like to worship the Buddha and she also had a string of Buddha beads with her. However, Consort Dowager Qing’s was obviously different from Old Madam’s. At first glance, one could tell that Consort Dowager Qing often held her Buddha beads, unlike the ones used by the Old Madam occasionally.
Although Consort Dowager Qing was old, it could be told from her facial features that she was beautiful when she was young. After all, she was the favorite concubine back then. How could she not be good-looking?
When Shao Wanru came in, Consort Dowager Qing gently invited her to take a seat. After asking her why she came here, Consort Dowager Qing sent a servant to summon Chu Qing and ask him to bring Shao Jie’er here.
Consort Dowager Qing was always so gentle that Shao Wanru felt that the Consort Dowager in front of her was really a gentle and kind person.
Chu Qing was suspicious. Of course, Shao Wanru did not believe that this Consort Dowager was really so gentle and harmless. She could give birth to the posthumous child of the deceased emperor in a place like the Yuhui Nunnery, which showed that she was very determined.
Afraid that the child in her belly would be killed, she became an imperial concubine of the deceased emperor when she had yet to give birth to his baby. After that, she was sent to the Yuhui Nunnery and then gave birth to Chu Qing there. She had been holding back for so many years, and she would never be someone easy to deal with.
There were many mysteries in the Yuhui Nunnery. Living in such a place for so many years meant that Consort Dowager Qing was mysterious. Pushan Nun and Mo Qiuyi were not simple people either.
Shao Wanru also had doubts about Shao Jie’er’s attitude. If the Consort Dowager was really kind, how could Shao Jie’er want to escape? If Shao Jie’er had a chance to be with Chu Qing, she would never try to leave Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion so determinedly. She must be trying to do so while she had no way out.
When Shao Jie’er came in, Shao Wanru looked down with a trace of shock in her eyes. She knew that Shao Jie’er would have a hard time, but she didn’t expect that Shao Jie’er would look so emaciated and ill-looking that her cheekbones bulged. She didn’t look like a woman in her prime.
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