"The medicine is taken, can Big Sister believe me now?"
Xiao Man had her maid help Xiao Xiang up. "From now on, Second Sister, you must visit my courtyard often, chat with me, and play chess."
A flicker of surprise crossed Xiao Xiang's eyes. She didn't understand what Xiao Man was planning, but she didn't ask. "Yes, Sister will definitely come every day to keep Big Sister company and relieve her boredom."
"As for Third Concubine, interact more with the stewards in the mansion and prepare for what's to come."
Third Concubine looked confused. What did the Eldest Young Lady want to do?
"Prepare for what?"
"Naturally, to prepare to manage the household affairs," Xiao Man replied calmly. "As far as I know, Third Concubine is also quite adept at household management. When she first entered the mansion, she also helped manage them. If I'm not mistaken, the Fourth Concubine will hand over the authority of household management in a few days. I took a beating for it to fall out of her hands, so how could I easily let the Madam take it back?"
Back in her own courtyard, Third Concubine's heart was still pounding. She had been in the mansion for so many years and had never thought of managing the household affairs, yet the Eldest Young Lady actually said she wanted to give them the authority to manage the household!
"Second Miss, what Eldest Young Lady said..."
"Concubine, be careful, walls have ears," Xiao Xiang said calmly.
She hadn't expected Xiao Man to offer such a significant gesture, even wanting to seize the household management authority and hand it over to Third Concubine. But would the Madam easily relinquish such power?
Third Concubine fell silent and sent her personal maid to guard the door. The mother and daughter were inside, dipping their fingers in water and writing on the table to communicate. After discussing, they exchanged knowing smiles.
What if she was a庶女 (daughter of a concubine)? What if her purity was lost? One day, she would climb high and become someone superior!
***
The Crown Prince visited with gifts. Xiao Zhen's stern face darkened, devoid of any smiles.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"General Who Guards the Nation, please rise," the Crown Prince quickly said, offering a supporting hand. "How is the Eldest Young Lady? I've prepared some fine medicinal herbs to help her recover."
"Thanks to Your Highness the Crown Prince, my daughter was not beaten to death."
The smile on the Crown Prince's face stiffened slightly, and his tone became somewhat sluggish.
"Speaking of which, this matter is my responsibility. Old Madam likely misunderstood my intentions."
"Is that so?"
Xiao Zhen sneered.
Xiao Man was almost beaten to death, and the Crown Prince could dismiss it with a mere "misunderstood"?
"My visit to the General's mansion to see Old Madam was meant with good intentions, for her to remind the Eldest Young Lady of your household not to make enemies everywhere. After all, the General is often away on military campaigns, and the Young General is far away in Yunzhong City. It wouldn't be good if the Eldest Young Lady made enemies and brought danger upon herself."
Seeing Xiao Zhen remain silent, the Crown Prince continued, "Furthermore, with Madam Sheng praising the Eldest Young Lady's elegance like an orchid and her talent as fragrant as an immortal, I wished for everyone to see the good side of the Eldest Young Lady. That's why I asked Old Madam to guide her more. Who knew she misunderstood and had the Eldest Young Lady beaten."
Xiao Zhen inwardly sneered. The heir to the throne, daring to act but not to own up to it, instigating his mother to beat his daughter, and now trying to shift the blame. Such character made him unfit for responsibility!
The Crown Prince had intended to apologize and leave a good impression on Xiao Zhen, but instead, Xiao Zhen had already labeled him unfit for the throne. If the Crown Prince knew, he would surely regret it deeply.
"Speaking of which, this matter is also my Fourth Brother's fault," the Crown Prince said slowly. "It was originally a dispute between young ladies, but when my Fourth Brother got involved, it escalated uncontrollably. He even had Miss Du's tongue pulled out on the spot. Isn't that making enemies for the General's mansion?"
Sowing discord, despicable and shameless!
Xiao Zhen calmly glanced at the Crown Prince, adding another label of "despicable and shameless" to him.
Seeing that Xiao Zhen was not responding, the Crown Prince understood that Xiao Zhen was still angry. "However, the Eldest Young Lady has suffered this misfortune, and I cannot shirk my responsibility. Therefore, I have prepared a generous gift to apologize to the Eldest Young Lady."
"Your Highness the Crown Prince is too kind. My daughter merely took a beating. A grandmother beating her granddaughter is as it should be, it has nothing to do with Your Highness the Crown Prince." Su Dan Novel Network
Hearing this, the Crown Prince finally breathed a sigh of relief.
This matter had nothing to do with him. He had merely asked Old Madam Xiao to discipline Xiao Man properly. He never expected Old Madam Xiao to be so ruthless and beat Xiao Man half to death!
"I also pleaded with my mother for the Ice Dew Paste, which is specifically for treating scars," the Crown Prince said, handing the Ice Dew Paste to someone. "I hope it will help with the Eldest Young Lady's injuries."
"Your Highness the Crown Prince is thoughtful," Xiao Zhen replied expressionlessly, thanking him. After seeing off the Crown Prince, he had someone escort him out of the mansion.
As soon as the Crown Prince left, Xiao Zhen raised his hand as if to sweep everything to the ground, but he held himself back.
Xiao Zhen composed himself, had the items put away in the storeroom, and then returned to his courtyard. Before he got close, he saw Madam Luo lingering at the entrance of Xiao Zhen's courtyard.
"Greetings, General."
Xiao Zhen strode inside.
Madam Luo looked at the food box in her hand and then at Xiao Zhen, who was walking away with long strides. She immediately tried to follow but was stopped by the guards at the door.
Madam Luo was anxious. "This is food prepared by the Madam for the General."
"Give it to us, we'll deliver it to the General later."
"This..." Madam Luo hesitated. "But the Madam said I must deliver it to the General personally."
Hearing this, the guard withdrew his outstretched hand and did not let Madam Luo in. Madam Luo was helpless. After lingering for a moment, she handed the food box to the guard. "Make sure to give it to the General, this was personally made by the Madam."
"Understood."
The guard perfunctorily sent her away and then carried the food box inside.
Xiao Zhen sat at his desk, crumpling paper into balls and tossing them into a corner.
He wanted Xiao Luo to return to the capital, but he had spent countless efforts to send Xiao Luo to guard Yunzhong City. However, with no one in the mansion to look after Xiao Man, he was truly uneasy.
"Alas."
Xiao Zhen sighed. The military camp was eighty li away from the capital, making round trips difficult, not to mention the numerous matters within the army.
He couldn't always look after Xiao Man. If Old Madam didn't target Xiao Man so much, he would feel more at ease, but Old Madam disliked Xiao Man the most.
"General, the Madam sent food."
"You eat it," Xiao Zhen said without looking up.
He was currently worried about Xiao Man's situation. He would not allow this incident to happen again. If Madam Yan couldn't manage the household well, he would replace her.
"Have the housekeeper come in."
Steward Lu entered and stood beside him, awaiting orders.
"Who in the mansion is capable of managing the household?"
The steward heard this and immediately understood. The General was dissatisfied with the Madam managing the household due to the Eldest Young Lady's beating and wanted to replace her. But Fourth Concubine was someone who didn't like to manage affairs, so letting her manage the household would be no different from giving it back to the Madam.