You expect me to serve your mistress? The mistress is driving this scumbag and his entire family cra

Chapter 180 The Prince Has Actually Fallen for His Aunt

Gu Xizhi, who was completely overwhelmed and confused, was taken aback by what she heard. She tried hard to suppress the involuntary upturn of her lips and asked with interest:
"How did you tell she was jealous?"

Watching the chess game was just a casual remark, but Gu Xizhi took it seriously, racking her brains for an excuse, when suddenly her eyes lit up:
"It was Young Master who said it."

"What did he say?"

"He said that Miss Liang was in a bad mood today and didn't seem very friendly to Miss Jian and Princess Wan'er. Don't you think that sounds like she's jealous?"

These words were like the sun breaking through the clouds, instantly making Gu Xizhi, who had been restless for two days, burst into bloom.

He sincerely praised Guan Qi, saying, "Others may be wise for a lifetime but foolish for a moment, but you do the opposite. From a basket of nonsense, you finally managed to pick out a single sensible sentence."

Guan Qi, who was following behind, didn't know whether he was being insulted or praised, and pondered the meaning behind the words.

The prince seems quite happy.

Could it be...

His eyes widened as he finally realized that he had discovered something truly remarkable, as if struck by lightning.

OMG!

The cycad is blooming!

The prince has actually fallen for Miss Liang! My dear aunt!

No wonder he cares so much about the Duke's mansion.

No wonder he went to such lengths to accompany that beautiful young woman to Xiliang, risking his life in the process.

No wonder, as soon as he heard that his cousin had gone to the Duke's mansion to invite Madam Liang and Miss Liang, he immediately ran over to the Jian family.

He had always believed that he was a man of great righteousness, repaying the kindness of the Duke of Liang for his guidance back then.

Unexpectedly, he had his eye on that girl all along.

This is a bit troublesome.

The Emperor betrothed Jian Shuyan to the Princess Dowager, the Princess Consort favored Xie Wan'er, and the Prince himself only had eyes for Miss Liang.

Isn't this a three-way power struggle?

If the three of them were to fight, whose side would I take?

In terms of background, they are evenly matched. Although the great-aunt has the most noble status, she lacks support and seems to be at a slight disadvantage.

In terms of combat strength, neither Miss Jian nor Princess Wan'er seemed to be a match for their great-aunt.

It's like a battle of the gods! Watching the game, I rubbed my hands together, secretly feeling a bit excited and expectant.

Pingxi Palace.

While munching on a watermelon, Xie Wan'er angrily complained to Consort Xie.

"...Back then, my brother thought I was still young and immature, so he never avoided meeting Jian Shuyan in private."

I could hear them talking clearly; Jian Shuyan was trying to seduce my brother.

However, her attitude remained ambiguous. She neither rejected nor agreed to my brother's request, and she often took the initiative to invite him out, saying ambiguous things behind his back.

She accepted every gift my brother gave her and went around telling everyone that my brother liked her, making everyone mistakenly believe that it was just my brother's wishful thinking.

Consort Xie was a little unhappy to hear this: "In the end, your brother and Miss Jian were not engaged. Now that the matter is over, their fate is over. You should stop bringing it up, lest you ruin their relationship as cousins."

Xie Wan'er was a little anxious: "I'm not saying this to make her my sister-in-law, but to tell my aunt that Jian Shuyan is a terrible person and she is not good enough for my cousin."

"I understand," Consort Xie said perfunctorily. "There might be some misunderstanding between you two. In a little while, your aunt will invite her over, and you two can have a good talk. Your aunt thinks this girl is quite good."

Xie Wan'er immediately dropped the watermelon rind in her hand: "Aunt, you actually invited her? No wonder you prepared so much delicious food. You're already showing favoritism."

“Your aunt has always favored you; you are her precious darling. But aren’t you and Xizhi destined to be apart? You know how much effort your aunt put into arranging this marriage.” As she spoke, a servant outside announced that Jian Shuyan had arrived.

Consort Xie immediately ordered someone to invite her into the residence.

Upon seeing the Empress Dowager and Xie Wan'er, Jian Shuyan immediately curtsied gracefully and knelt on the ground.

Consort Xie immediately stepped forward to help him up, saying, "We'll be family soon, why be so polite? Get up quickly."

Jian Shuyan remained kneeling, her head bowed: "Shuyan has failed the Empress Dowager's kindness. I have come here today to apologize to the Empress Dowager."

Consort Xie was taken aback: "What crime are you asking for? What crime have you committed?"

Jian Shuyan said guiltily, "Your Highness, I have kept something from you and the Prince. I actually changed my name once before."

Consort Xie was unimpressed: "What kind of concealment is this?"

"The original character 'Yan' in Ke Shuyan's name was written as 'Yan' with two fire radicals. Later, a wise person pointed out that it had the meaning of burning books in flames, which was not good for her destiny, so she changed it to the current name Shuyan."

Consort Xie looked puzzled: "Isn't this a common occurrence?"

Xie Wan'er snorted lightly, "But my cousin's element is wood, and her name has two fire radicals in it. Isn't that bad for my cousin?"

Jian Shuyan's eyes were a little red: "So Shuyan is not fortunate enough to be your daughter-in-law in the future. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

These words startled Consort Xie: "Just because of this? Who's nitpicking?"

Jian Shuyan glanced at Xie Wan'er, hesitating to speak.

Consort Xie immediately understood Xie Wan'er's little scheme: "Wan'er, who told you this?"

Xie Wan'er said matter-of-factly, "Aunt, you don't know? When the Emperor was selecting concubines for my cousin, my cousin made it clear that this matter was being discussed. But Jian Shuyan deliberately kept it a secret in order to become the Princess Consort of Pingxi. Many people are talking about this."

Consort Xie was completely unaware of this matter. After hearing Xie Wan'er's words, she helped Jian Shuyan up from the ground.
"His Majesty's words are law, not to be taken lightly. Whether it succeeds or fails, it is up to His Majesty to decide. I do not believe in these unfounded and far-fetched claims."

Jian Shuyan shook her head gently, her face full of grievance: "What Princess Wan'er said makes perfect sense. If my five elements clash with those of the Prince, I absolutely cannot marry him."

Xie Wan'er sneered, "Since you've made up your mind, why don't you go to the palace to beg the Emperor to rescind his order? Instead, why are you running to my aunt crying and sobbing?"

Consort Xie scolded her in displeasure, "Wan'er, you are becoming more and more willful and capricious. Even if Miss Jian is not your cousin-in-law, she is still my savior. How can you be so rude?"

Xie Wan'er immediately pouted, speechless.

There was nothing they could do; a life-saving grace is of paramount importance. And who could blame them for being so lucky as to have saved their own aunt by chance?

Everyone is using this life-saving grace to pressure them; it's infuriating!

Consort Xie took Jian Shuyan's hand and sat down beside her, speaking softly and asking what books Jian Shuyan had read and whether she preferred poetry or prose.

Jian Shuyan answered fluently and wittily, making Xie Wan'er feel somewhat ashamed of herself.

Thinking back to my time in Weixi, all I knew was to lead my servants to climb trees to raid bird nests, engage in cockfighting, and raise crickets. How utterly ignorant and incompetent I was!

If it weren't for the fact that Consort Xie was his own aunt, he probably would have been annoyed to no end.

Just as she was feeling annoyed, a servant came in to report that Princess Heya of the Duke's Mansion had arrived. She had originally wanted to see Gu Xizhi, but Gu Xizhi was not at the mansion, so she had the servant announce that she wished to see Consort Xie.

This made Xie Wan'er pout even more; one Jian Shuyan wasn't enough, so she brought up another.

Consort Xie immediately recalled the incident at Jishetang, where Liang Jiang and Jian Shuyan argued over He Shou Wu.

Her smile vanished instantly: "What does she want with the prince?"

"They said they heard that the Dowager Consort had been assassinated on her way back to the capital, so they came to pay their respects."

Consort Xie said displeasedly, "Wasn't this matter instructed not to be publicized? The government has given instructions on this matter, how did she know?"

Jian Shuyan, observing the situation, noticed that the Dowager Consort seemed to dislike Liang Jiang, so she interjected, "Princess Heya and the Prince have an extraordinary relationship, and she always keeps matters concerning the Prince in mind. How could such a big matter be kept from her?"

(End of this chapter)