tallest building

Chapter 181 Finding Insults

The saddest thing about being a parent is knowing that your child is on the wrong path, yet still helping them continue down that path.

Jiang was not unaware that her daughter was being foolish, but since she couldn't change it, she could only go along with her daughter's wishes, at least to avoid making her cry her eyes out or contemplate suicide.

“That woman surnamed Wen must be extremely scheming. You are no match for her. Don’t confront her openly, or you will only suffer losses.” Madam Jiang softened her tone and said to her daughter, “You should think carefully about how to make her disliked by the Princess and Prince Changliu.”

"Of course I want to do that, but she's a favorite of the Princess now, everyone knows that." Liu Huanchun said discouragedly, "If I really had a way, wouldn't I have already won the Princess's favor?"

“There’s always a way, and nobody’s perfect, including Wen Mingqian,” Jiang said. “We’re trying to find something to hold against her, and if we can’t find anything, we’ll force something on her.”

“I understand now. She used her reputation to threaten me before. If we can ruin her reputation, wouldn’t that solve the problem?” Liu Huanchun seemed to see a glimmer of hope.

"The most important thing is to make the Princess and Prince Changliu believe that she is not a good person," Jiang instructed her daughter. "So we must stay hidden in the shadows, otherwise even if we find out something, others will suspect that we framed her."

He then called the butler over and said, "Investigate Wen Mingqian's background thoroughly. If you find anything, tell me immediately."

The housekeeper readily agreed.

As for Wen Mingqian, she went to several banquets in the past few days, still carrying that piece of spring water jade.

On the surface, everyone was very friendly, but in private they couldn't help but gossip.

Although there is no clear conclusion, the rumors have spread far and wide.

The news finally reached Ying Wuchou's ears.

"Your Highness, many people in the capital are talking about Princess Liu and Wen Mingqian," a servant reported to Ying Wuchou upon returning from outside. "They say the two of them are fighting over Your Highness."

"Hasn't she been married off to the Liu family yet?" Ying Wuchou asked, his head aching. "Are they deaf to reason? Didn't I tell you long ago that it was absolutely impossible?"

“Well… a woman’s infatuation is the most terrifying. Once she’s committed to someone, she’ll never regret it, even if it means dying.” The attendant said, suppressing a laugh. “That Princess Liu has been waiting until she’s an old maid. She’s like a gambler who’s lost everything and refuses to leave the table.”

"What's Wen Mingqian up to now? Isn't she someone who spends her life in seclusion? Why does she love stirring up trouble?" Prince Changliu put his hand to his forehead. "I think she's a combination of woman and villain, she's really difficult to deal with."

"Then, Your Highness, which of these two do you think is more troublesome?" the attendant asked curiously.

Ying Wuchou was taken aback by his question, then angrily retorted, "You're still asking me? Why don't you hurry up and finish what you need to do, and get out of here? Are you going to leave me here in the capital to be a gossip for others?"

"Mother, why has Liu Huanchun been silent ever since he caused such a scene here that day?" Sang Er asked while tidying up the clothes.

"Yes, it is indeed a bit unusual." Wen Mingqian was drawing patterns there; she was going to make two spring clothes for Gong Chang'an.

“Logically speaking, she shouldn’t have given up so easily,” Sang Er said. “After all, she was deeply in love with the Prince of Changliu. Even if she had some reservations and left at the time, she shouldn’t have really given up.”

“So, she’s probably resorting to underhanded tactics now,” Wen Mingqian chuckled. “Just wait and see!” “What…what underhanded tactics will she use? Could she have hired an assassin to kill us?” Sang Er clutched her chest in fright.

“It hasn’t come to that yet,” Wen Mingqian said. “Human lives are at stake. She could hire someone to kill us, but she has to consider the consequences. Her father is a prince, and there are many people watching them! She won’t take this risk easily.”

"What else might they do? Can we take precautions?" Sang Er was still a little uneasy.

"Let's deal with whatever comes our way!" Wen Mingqian bent down and carefully drew the flowers. "Be careful and attentive in everything you do. If you find anything amiss, just pay more attention to it."

The Lantern Festival has passed in the blink of an eye, but the banquets in every household are still going on.

That day, the Liu family's steward returned from outside, his face showing a hint of joy.

"Master, I've found out something about Wen Mingqian," the steward reported to Madam Jiang.

"Tell me about it." Madam Jiang waved her hand, signaling the maid to leave.

"This Wen family has always been on good terms with the eldest mistress of the Zhou family. Last year, when the Zhou family wanted to divorce Liu Shi, it was Wen Mingqian who persuaded several noble ladies to plead with the Zhou family, which prevented Liu Shi from being divorced..." the steward rambled on.

"What exactly do you want to say?" Jiang asked impatiently. Her daughter had been unable to eat or sleep for the past few days and was unusually irritable.

What outsiders don't know is that Liu Huanchun has developed a mental illness because she couldn't marry the Prince of Changliu.

When it's not acting up, it's fine, but once it starts, it's like being possessed by something. They cry and scream, and in severe cases, they might even try to kill themselves.

“Please calm down, Master. This matter must be explained in detail,” the steward said. “Wen Mingqian vouched for Liu, allowing her to stay with the Zhou family. Several months later, Liu became pregnant, but I learned that the child was not from the Zhou family…”

"What did you say?" Jiang Shi's eyes lit up immediately. "Keep going!"

"The child Liu is carrying isn't from the Zhou family. Zhou Jingsan has already lost his virility and can't conceive. The one Liu is carrying should be Sang Sanyang, the owner of Sangji Silk Shop," the steward chuckled. "What's more, this Sang Sanyang is none other than the maternal uncle of Sang Er, the beautiful maidservant who serves Wen Mingqian. Think about it, isn't it obvious..."

"So that's how it is!" Jiang's face lit up with joy. "In order to help Liu secure her position, Wen Mingqian actually acted as a pimp for her and facilitated her affair! If this gets out, Wen Mingqian will be ruined."

“Who can argue with that! This kind of thing is extremely taboo. The Zhou family is a noble family, and although they are now penniless, they still have some sense of honor. She instigated Liu to disgrace the family and have an affair with a wild man outside,” the steward laughed. “Anyone who hears this will say that Wen Mingqian is vicious and his crimes are unforgivable.”

"That's true, but we need to catch them in the act." After her initial excitement, Jiang became troubled. "It would be great if we could catch them both on the spot, but that's too difficult."

"That's true, Liu's belly is getting bigger and bigger, and she hardly ever goes out anymore," the steward said, also looking troubled. "But we can't wait any longer!"

“That Liu Cuiyi is a coward,” Jiang said, rolling her eyes. “If we let the Zhou family know, they can interrogate her and scare her, and she’ll probably confess.”

“Yes, yes, the Zhou family mother and son also looked down on Liu Shi in the first place. Now that we’ve handed them the knife handle, they have no reason not to cut it.” The steward nodded repeatedly.

“That’s right, all we need to do is hide behind the stage,” Jiang said with a slight smile. “If things get really bad, we can give them a push and the fire will end up on that Wen guy.”