dkrc Chapter 40 An Qingyan is grounded again
Chapter 40 An Qingyan is grounded again
Pei Rujing returned from the study humming a little tune. Granny Feng asked, "Did the county princess and her son-in-law explain things clearly?"
Pei Rujing sat on the couch: "Wen Zongji is not the kind of person who cares about these things. It's just that the old woman is making a fuss over nothing."
Granny Feng smiled and said, "It's good that the son-in-law is easygoing, but he will definitely be happy that the county princess took the initiative to explain."
Are you happy?
Pei Rujing didn't realize that the person was actually teaching her how to respond if Zuo Mingxuan asked her questions again.
Come to think of it, it was Wen Zongji who gave An Qingyan the idea that caused her to suffer a setback.
Pei Rujing nodded. Putting everything else aside, Wen Zongji was a good person to deal with; he knew how to find a way to save face for her.
"Granny, send someone to keep an eye on the Duke of Anguo's residence. Report to me immediately if An Si leaves the residence."
Granny Feng nodded: "Yes, Your Highness."
Pei Rujing is petty and always wants to get revenge when she is wronged.
I can't feel at ease until I get my revenge.
Unfortunately, Pei Rujing's revenge was destined to be far from easy.
Anguo Duke's Mansion
Duke Anguo slapped An Qingyan across the face, the force of which caused her to fall to the ground.
The Crown Prince An Guangyu, who was standing to the side, felt reluctant but could only forcefully turn his head away.
An Guanglu, whose face was swollen like a pig's head, rubbed his still-painful face, feeling that this slap was not enough.
Duke Anguo's eyes were filled with rage: "Didn't I tell you not to provoke Princess Anhe? Why didn't you listen! Knowing full well that the Emperor favors Princess Anhe the most, you still provoke her time and time again. Have you forgotten where Princess Anhe was framed in the first place?"
"Our Duke's mansion already bears the Emperor's grudge because of this incident. Now you're deliberately provoking Princess Anhe. Are you implying that your brother and I are living too comfortably?"
An Qingyan covered her face and protested, "Father, I never expected the Princess to go to the palace to complain and implicate my aunt. Nothing had happened before."
She and Pei Rujing had been fighting since they were children, and it was common for them to mock each other to their faces and pull each other's hair.
An Qingyan was upset because Pei Rujing had been confined to her home for three months, and she wanted to vent her anger whenever she saw Pei Rujing.
Who knew this incident would escalate to such a huge extent?
Duke Anguo coldly rebuked, "Fool! You used that illegitimate son of a marquis to humiliate Princess Anhe, but did you not consider that this marriage was not obtained through normal means? The more you bring this up, the more the Emperor will pity Princess Anhe. How can this be compared to the petty squabbles of the past!"
An Qingyan was speechless.
An Guanglu complained, "Little sister, you're just venting your anger. Look at my face! Pei Shirong was hitting me in the face with every move. If I'm disfigured, I won't be able to participate in next year's imperial examination."
An Guanglu also attended the gathering hosted by Wu Fengyuan. Unlike Wen Zongji, he did not leave early but stayed until the end.
As soon as they left Wangchun Tower, they were stuffed into a sack, dragged to a small alley, and severely beaten.
He had been wondering who was retaliating against him, but after receiving the news from Consort An in the palace, An Guanglu immediately knew that it was Pei Shirong who was behind it.
Only a brute would do that.
Duke Anguo was even angrier upon hearing this: "I will have the Empress send a governess from the palace to teach you manners. Until you know what propriety is, you are not allowed to leave this courtyard."
Duke Anguo also became ruthless and dared not indulge An Qingyan any longer.
An Qingyan panicked: "Father, I know I was wrong, I... I'll go apologize to Princess Anhe."
She had finally been released from confinement, and if she were confined again, she would go crazy.
Duke Anguo remained unmoved. After instructing everyone to keep an eye on An Qingyan, he left with his two sons.
An Qingyan was left standing there, her face stiff.
After leaving the courtyard, An Guanglu was still grumbling, "What a brute! Pei Shirong is a complete brute! How dare he send a letter to a scholar like me who can't even kill a chicken! He's utterly depraved!"
As he spoke, An Guanglu couldn't help but glance at An Guangyu.
An Guangyu asked, "Why are you looking at me?"
An Guanglu asked in confusion, "In the past, when my younger sister offended Princess Anhe, Pei Shirong always went to my elder brother. Why is he coming to me this time?"
An Guangyu replied irritably, "How would I know?"
Duke Anguo waved his hand: "Don't pursue this matter any further. The Emperor is still dissatisfied with us. Be careful in your actions these days. It's better to do nothing than to make a mistake."
......
Pei Rujing sent people to monitor the Duke of Anguo's mansion for several days, but An Qingyan remained silent and did not leave the mansion even once, which puzzled Pei Rujing greatly.
"That shouldn't be the case. An Si was confined to her residence for three months. Given her personality, it's impossible for her to stay cooped up in the mansion for several days without going out."
Zuo Mingxuan, who came to play mahjong with Pei Rujing that day, explained to her: "An Si has been confined to his residence again! Duke Anguo has invited a governess from the palace to teach An Si manners. He can only leave the manor when he has mastered them."
Pei Rujing laughed upon hearing this, and said gloatingly, "Then An Si won't be able to leave the manor. She's just an ill-mannered person."
After saying that, he glanced at Zuo Mingxuan and said, "Didn't I already give you a set of mahjong tiles? What do you want from me now?"
Zuo Mingxuan said, "You know that mahjong requires four people to play. In my household, including my mother and sister-in-law, there are only three people."
"Don't you have two aunts and a cousin?"
Zuo Mingxuan pouted: "We're not close to those two families, and it's uncomfortable to play with them."
Zuo Mingxuan's grandfather, Zuo Weifeng, was still alive, so the Zuo family did not divide its property.
Zuo Weifeng had three legitimate sons. Zuo Mingxuan's father, Zuo Yuzhou, was the eldest son, the one most favored by Zuo Weifeng, and also the most capable. Most of the Zuo family's resources were used on him.
As a result, Zuo Weifeng's two remaining legitimate sons were naturally unhappy. The three families had lived together for many years, and there had been many unpleasant things going on. They only maintained a superficial peace in front of the old man.
Among the legitimate sons of prominent families, there are those who, like Wen Zongqi, simply lie low, while others are ambitious. Those with ambition naturally cannot accept the unequal distribution of family resources.
They don't think it's because they're incompetent; they only attribute everything to their father's favoritism.
Pei Rujing grew up in the Princess's mansion and had never experienced palace intrigue, so she didn't feel anything about it.
Zuo Mingxuan gave her an example: "My relationship with my aunt and cousin is like your relationship with Aunt Wang and Pei Ruyan."
Pei Rujing's face instantly turned cold.
Consort Wang was originally the mistress kept by Duke Pei. After breaking up with the Princess, Duke Pei brought Consort Wang back to the Duke's mansion and made her his concubine.
Over the years, Consort Wang has given birth to a son and a daughter for Duke Pei.
The illegitimate son was the same age as Pei Rujing, only a few months younger, which shows that the Duke of Pei took a mistress not long after the eldest princess became pregnant.
Zuo Mingxuan shrugged: "Now the county princess knows how much I hate them."
Pei Rujing nodded: "I understand perfectly."