Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 13 Secret Loss
The emperor "values" it.

Amplify the words and make them more meaningful.

After all, their aunt, Concubine Xue Shufei, was also the wife of the current emperor when he was in his private residence.

As my lady said, I am still a concubine.

After the emperor ascended the throne, Aunt Xue successfully became one of the four concubines.

Unfortunately, she was unlucky. Not long after she ascended the throne, she gave birth prematurely and both mother and child died.

That baby was a little prince, the emperor’s eldest son.

There were rumors in the palace that Concubine Xue Shu died at the hands of Empress Xie. Before her death, only Empress Xie had entered her bedroom.

This is also one of the reasons why the Xue family joined Prince Duan.

Xue Sui said nothing and nodded obediently.

"The old lady is right. My granddaughter is not wronged."

As soon as Mrs. Cui praised her for being well-behaved, the Third Lady started laughing.

"This is unfair, old lady. A concubine's daughter who was raised outside has just returned home and feels aggrieved. Does she dare to speak up?"

She looked at Xue Sui.

"Look, how long has it been since you came back? You haven't even bought a new piece of clothing or a pair of shoes, not to mention jewelry and cosmetics. Old lady, people are all made of flesh and blood. Sixth sister is also your granddaughter. Is there anything that she can show off from head to toe? Alas, in this world, true feelings are not appreciated, but false feelings are appreciated. In the end, it is me, the third aunt, who has a big mouth and caused this sin."

Old Mrs. Cui's face changed again and again.

Everyone could see that Xue Liu was poor, otherwise the girls wouldn't have used the fragrant spikes they had been begging for money to embarrass her...

The eldest lady was in charge of the household affairs and had always been mean to Xue Liu. She did not speak, and others were not allowed to interfere.

When Qian married into the Xue family, Xue Liu was no longer in the mansion, and she knew nothing about what had happened before.

If you don't like it, just say it.

It's harsh and blunt.

Old Mrs. Cui didn't want to beat around the bush any more and looked at the first lady.

"How do you act as a mistress? Sixth sister has been back home for so long, and you haven't made any arrangements yet?"

Fu gritted her teeth, wishing she could bite off a piece of flesh from her sister-in-law Qian.

But wealthy families value rules, and Xue Sui's appearance was embarrassing to her, but she had no way to refute.

"Xiu-gu." She turned around and questioned the servants, "Didn't I tell you to buy some clothes, shoes and socks for Sixth Sister? How are you doing?"

Xiu Gu's heart skipped a beat.

He glanced at Fu and hesitated before kneeling down in public.

"Madam, please forgive me. This is such a coincidence... Madam Liu went to Lixiang Courtyard yesterday to do this job, but somehow she offended the Sixth Miss and was beaten so badly that her skin was torn and she couldn't even get out of bed... I guess that's why she was delayed."

She brought the blame upon Xue Sui.

It let people know that she was not a good person and cleared the name of the eldest lady.

Fu looked at her appreciatively.

Xue Sui was in mixed emotions and hesitated to speak.

"It's wrong to hit Madam Liu, but it's her fault for ruining the Madam's reputation..."

Where to start?
Xiu Gu said, "Sixth sister, please don't talk nonsense. Madam Liu is the wet nurse of the eldest lady and she respects the eldest lady the most."

Xue Sui looked up at the old lady.

"Madame Liu spoke ill of my granddaughter in Lixiang Courtyard, saying that she was just a lowly woman who was not on the family tree and was not worthy of serving Prince Duan..."

He glanced at Qian who was listening with great interest, "I am a person whose father and mother don't love me, so it's nothing for her to ridicule me a few times. Who would have thought that Aunt Liu would say such outrageous things, saying that even if it was the third room's little tenth girl, a legitimate daughter, the first lady would not be happy and would not enter her in the family tree..."

As soon as Mrs. Qian dropped the teacup in her hand, her expression changed faster than the sky.

Xue Sui added fuel to the fire: "I don't believe that the virtuous and housekeeping First Lady would bully the Third Lady like this. How could she be allowed to damage the First Lady's reputation? Beating her up is the least of her worries."

"Great!" Qian hugged her little daughter and questioned Fu, "Didn't you say that Xiao Shi would be included in the family tree during the ancestor worship ceremony before the New Year? Why hasn't she been included yet? What does the eldest sister-in-law mean? Are you going to kick the third branch out?"

Fu was so angry that her teeth were about to break.

When the family tree was revised last year, it was discovered that the tenth aunt from the third room was omitted. As the mistress of the family, she should have reported her birth date and just recorded her name.

But at that time, Qian accused her of doing it on purpose, and she made a scene in front of the whole family, which made her lose face. Fu was unhappy, so she deliberately delayed the matter and even complained to Aunt Liu...

However, Nanny Liu would never say this in front of Xue Liu.

Then how did Xue Liu know about this?
Fu thought bitterly, and when she saw Qian's eyes widened as if she wanted to eat her up, she felt even more that Xue Liu was a disaster, coming back to mess up the family...

A normal family became hostile to each other.

With Qian's temper, she would immediately make a scene.

At this time, the maid came to report: "The master has returned home." The old lady breathed a sigh of relief.

As the women were tidying up their clothes, they saw Xue Qingzhi come in with a serious face.

They each greeted each other, Xue Qingzhi bowed to the old lady, then lifted his robe and sat down.

"What were you talking about just now? I was listening outside and it was quite lively."

Qian pushed her daughter out and said, "Xiao Shi, go and tell your uncle that you are your parents' biological child, not someone picked up from a stinking ditch. It's bad enough that your aunt is mean to her concubine, but now she's mean to you too. You're seven years old, and you're not even on the family tree..."

Xue Qingzhi turned around and looked at Fu.

Fu pursed her lips and said, "It's true that there were too many things to do in the mansion before the New Year, so I forgot about it. I didn't expect that a servant with ulterior motives would instigate it. Master, don't worry, I will handle it as soon as possible and apologize to my third brother and his wife."

After she had spoken out, Xue Qingzhi could no longer blame her.

Being the mistress of the house does involve a lot of things to do, and there are times when I forget things.

No matter how unhappy Qian was, she couldn't continue to make trouble.

But she didn't forget Xue Sui. "Uncle, you may not like what I say as your sister-in-law. After all, Sixth Sister is your biological daughter. Since we are going to do it, why not offer sacrifices to our ancestors together and record it in the family tree?"

Xue Qingzhi really didn't like to hear this.

But there is no way to refute it, “That’s how it should be.”

Old Mrs. Cui was troubled by each and every one of them. Because she was older than the others, she had to settle the matter in the end.

So they all laughed and said, "The girls in the mansion are all grown up, we should treat them equally, don't make fun of them in front of others, otherwise it will cause unrest in the family."

The word "again" is a wake-up call for everyone.

The Xue family is a royal family and seems to be prosperous, but since the death of Old Master Xue, it has not been as prosperous as before.

"I am an old lady, and you may listen to my words with one ear and let them out with the other. But you must remember the family motto left by the Xue family's ancestors - if the family is prosperous, then the official career will be prosperous; if the descendants are harmonious, then the blessings will be long-lasting... Whether the family rises or falls, filial piety and respect for elders come first; brothers and sisters are close relatives, so don't quarrel..."

Xue Qingzhi nodded continuously, "Mother is right. I have taken note of it."

When his mother and son were talking, no one else interrupted them.

However, Mrs. Fu knew that the old lady was using the excuse of scolding her son to criticize her.

As the eldest daughter-in-law, not only did she suffer a loss when her wet nurse was beaten, but she also had to buy clothes and a dowry for Xue Liu afterwards, otherwise it would affect the prosperity and decline of their Xue family.

This is like a dumb person eating bitter herbs, unable to express his pain.

What a great Xue Liu.

How could a stupid bastard have the courage to go against her?
Fu's face turned pale as she thought, could it be that someone is giving her advice behind the scenes?
After Mrs. Cui finished her scolding, she laughed heartily again.

"The family dinner tonight will be arranged at my grandmother's Shou'an Courtyard. Brothers and sisters, all come. It's time for the family to have a reunion dinner."

Everyone responded.

The old lady looked at Xue Sui, frowned, and asked Aunt Jinshu to get some silver and money from the house.

"Jinshu, take Sixth Sister to the market and have a look. If there is anything she likes, such as clothes, shoes, socks, rouge and powder, buy some and bring them back. It will be a token of my gratitude as a grandmother."

Jin Shu knelt and saluted: "Yes, old lady."

Xue Sui had gained a lot today and was very satisfied. So he bowed with a smile to express his gratitude, and left under everyone's strange gazes.

As soon as she left, the atmosphere in the room relaxed.

Xue Yueying smiled casually: "I heard that there are all kinds of ghosts and monsters in the old mausoleum swamp, and the market is not open until night. Everything is weird. I don't know how the sixth sister survived."

Her questions are also the questions of others.

The maids and old women exchanged smiling glances from time to time.

Are there any innocent women in this place?
Xue Qingzhi looked embarrassed and lowered his head to drink tea.

Xue Yuechen snorted and looked at her belly. "Fourth sister, are you talking too much today? Is it because father and mother are not good at disciplining you and want me, your elder sister, to take care of you?"

Xue Yueying's original intention was not to hit Xue Yuechen in the face, but just wanted her to change her mind and stop praising Xue Liu. Seeing that she was angry, she had to stop and said with a smile: "If big sister also gives me some dowry, my mouth will be shut."

Xue Yuechen glanced at her and laughed too.

"You are the one that father and mother love the most, aren't you? Will the mansion be short of you?"

Everyone was noisy.

Shou'anyuan was once again bustling and festive.

Xue Sui walked a long way and could still hear the laughter coming from behind.

They were a family without her.

It was not her wish to be included in the Xue family tree, but it was Xue Ji's wish.

I just suddenly wanted to help her.

　Li Zhao: I heard that someone misses me?
　　Xue Sui: Have you completed the order? Has it been assigned to you?
　　Li Zhao: Someone, come and pass on the prince's order. Within tomorrow, I must add more drama to myself!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)