The Wei family had been out of favor with the Emperor for nearly two months. They had already suffered a great blow when Wei Yu was crippled and they had to compensate Wang Qingyao.
Before they could recover, Wei Yu had gone to provoke Wang Qingyao again.
If only they could have directly implicated Wang Qingyao, that would have been the end of it. But instead, they were exposed on the spot.
Even their unborn child was now disliked by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.
Truly an imbecile.
Useless, only good for causing trouble.
It was said that Grand Tutor Wei had coughed up blood again in anger. He was already an old man, and this was the third time he had coughed blood in the past few months. The imperial physicians who examined him repeatedly shook their heads.
Wang Qingyao, hearing this, was in an exceptionally good mood. She gave all the servants in the Ding'an Prince's manor a raise of five hundred coins.
The servants were so delighted that they prayed to the gods and Buddha day and night, wishing Grand Tutor Wei would cough up blood one more time.
"If he coughs again, he won't make it," Xiao Yun said, unfolding the letter in his hand and glancing at it with schadenfreude.
If Grand Tutor Wei died, his two sons, Wei Zong and Wei Chong, would have to observe a three-year mourning period.
At this critical juncture, a three-year mourning period meant being far from the center of power in the capital. How could the Wei family be willing? They would do anything to keep Grand Tutor Wei clinging to life.
"Whose letter is it?" Wang Qingyao asked casually.
Xiao Yun would not bring letters concerning official state affairs into their bedchamber. As soon as Wang Qingyao asked, before he could answer, she chuckled and guessed, "Could it be Xiao Qi's letter?"
Xiao Yun smiled and nodded, handing her the letter to read.
Based on the timeline, Xiao Qi and his party should not have reached the Eastern Ling Kingdom yet.
Wang Qingyao expected him to write about his journey, but after a quick glance, her expression turned to one of horror.
It turned out that Xiao Qi and Princess Mu Jin were being pursued and attacked.
However, because both of the Yun family's sons were skilled in martial arts, and the accompanying guards were handpicked by Prince Xin specifically to protect Princess Mu Jin, coupled with Xiao Qi being a prince and thus having his own escorts, the assassins could not gain the upper hand. In fact, one of them was captured alive.
Wang Qingyao, seeing Xiao Yun's unperturbed expression, had a flash of inspiration. "You expected this?"
Xiao Yun replied, "It wasn't me, it was Consort Chen. When she borrowed people from me to escort Xiao Qi, she mentioned something, and I paid attention. As it turned out."
Wang Qingyao frowned and pondered for a moment. "I recall that it was Consort Chen who persuaded the Emperor for Xiao Qi to accompany Princess Mu Jin back to the Eastern Ling Kingdom."
Why did she feel like Consort Chen was playing a very elaborate game?
Xiao Yun smiled. "Who do you think sent the assassins?"
Who else could it be? One could figure it out with their toes.
"The Crown Prince."
Xiao Yun nodded. "The Crown Prince probably never imagined that Xiao Qi, whose maternal family had less status than his own, would gradually become his formidable rival. And that Consort Wei, who had enjoyed imperial favor for many years, would have half of her authority over the palace divided by the obscure Consort Chen. That's why he's in a hurry."
"I always feel there's another reason," Wang Qingyao said. "The Crown Prince is already the heir apparent, and the Emperor is not foolish. He wouldn't depose an heir without cause. As long as the Crown Prince behaves himself, even if he's mediocre, he can ascend the throne safely."
"The key is that our Crown Prince is not behaving himself at all," Xiao Yun said. "I'll send someone to investigate further."
"Oh," Wang Qingyao suddenly exclaimed, remembering Consort Chen's difficult pregnancy.
She had been so busy dealing with the Wei family these past few days that she had forgotten about it.
When she mentioned it to Xiao Yun, he seemed surprised. "There are no rumors in the palace about Consort Chen having a difficult pregnancy."
Wang Qingyao then assumed that after her previous reminder, Imperial Physician Lu's excellent medical skills had managed to stabilize the child.
She breathed a sigh of relief, returned the letter to Xiao Yun, and then lowered her head to look at the ledger in her hands.
The Old Dowager was now completely out of managing affairs. She had handed over all the tally sticks and treasury keys to Wang Qingyao. Wang Qingyao was now the legitimate mistress of the household.
When she used to read novels about domestic struggles, the mistress was busy from morning till night, dealing with a horde of unruly servants and trivial matters every day.
Even Wang Xifeng, who managed affairs, couldn't attend to everything and was often rebuked by the more senior servants.
However, for Wang Qingyao, it wasn't that complicated.
Firstly, the Ding'an Prince's manor had a simple household. Counting Xiao Mo, there were only five actual masters. Moreover, Xiao Mo was currently living at the Marquis of Fuping's manor. Although the overall accounts were managed by Wang Qingyao, his personal accounts and the Ding'an Prince's manor were separate, which reduced a lot of trouble.
Secondly, the Old Princess had managed the manor in an orderly fashion. Wang Qingyao took over and everything continued as usual.
Thirdly, Wang Qingyao did not place as much importance on reputation as ancient mistresses did. For some elderly servants who had made mistakes, out of consideration for their years of service, the masters would not pursue the matter excessively. Wang Qingyao, however, treated everyone equally.
Fortunately, such an incident had only occurred once, and with the Old Dowager covering for her, her reputation for being arrogant and overbearing had not yet spread.
Now, as the end of the year approached, the harvests from the estates and the profits from the shops were being submitted one after another. Wang Qingyao, who had previously worked as an accountant, found reading these ledgers effortless.
The preparations for the New Year's goods had also begun, for both the Ding'an Prince's manor and the Marquis of Fuping's manor.
Large carts of pork, lamb, beef, chicken, duck, goose, fish, shrimp, bear paws, venison, and furs, as well as various dried fruits, rice, and flour, were being delivered from the estates.
A portion was set aside for ancestral worship, another for the Ding'an Prince's manor, and another for the Marquis of Fuping's manor. Then, from the portion allocated to the Ding'an Prince's manor, a selection of items was taken to be gifted to families with whom they maintained good relations.
This was Wang Qingyao's first time managing such affairs independently, and she found it quite engaging and enjoyable.
However, Xiao Yun could not bear to see her overworked and always thought about finalizing Xiao Mo's marriage as soon as possible, so that Feng Jiangduo could help Wang Qingyao share the burden.
But the Old Dowager Fang was not budging. It wasn't that she wouldn't agree, but rather she would say, "Consider me dead, and I will no longer concern myself with your affairs."
What could the younger generation do? They couldn't possibly treat her as if she were dead.
Wang Qingyao said, "It's not necessarily about getting married. They've already been acknowledged by the Empress Dowager. If Duoduo and Xiao Mo don't mind, we shouldn't be anxious. Even if Mother agreed now, Prince Dingnan might not."
The next day, Wang Qingyao took the two children to pay their respects to the Old Dowager. The Old Dowager also spoke of Xiao Mo's matter with a sense of urgency.
"He's already in his twenties. His elder brother's children are already two."
Let alone in ancient times, even in modern times, parents looked forward to their descendants continuing the family line.
Wang Qingyao could understand the Old Dowager's anxious feelings very well.
Moreover, strictly speaking, Xiao Mo was the bloodline of the Xiao family.
Wang Qingyao offered the Old Dowager a mischievous suggestion: "Why not bypass Mother and let you make the decision?"
In fact, in ancient aristocratic families, the marriage of children was decided by the patriarch. Even if the Old Dowager unilaterally decided on the marriage between Feng Jiangduo and Xiao Mo, Consort Fang would have no grounds to object.
However, the Old Dowager was not that kind of person. She always thought that Consort Fang was the birth mother and the legitimate mother-in-law, and she did not want to create any discord between them.
So, they could only drag it out.