The legitimate daughter returns to the capital and embarks on a splendid life, tearing apart the fak

Dongxue carefully considered her words before saying, "It was Consort Jing who arranged for Consort Zheng to enter the First Prince's residence. Consort Jing is the First Prince's birth mother. Although she is only a concubine, she has always wanted the First Prince to compete for that position. She believes that the First Prince is the eldest son of the emperor and should rightfully be subordinate to someone else."

The reason Consort Zheng was chosen was because her family was headed by Minister Zheng, the Vice Minister of Revenue, who controlled the Emperor's purse and held considerable influence in court. Consort Jing, wanting to curry favor with the Zheng family, arranged for Consort Zheng to be placed in the First Prince's residence.

Yun Jin asked, "What is the Crown Prince's own opinion?"

Dongxue shook her head: "The eldest prince is self-aware and knows he can't compete with the third prince, so he never had that idea. Consort Jing planned things for him, so he couldn't say anything. When Consort Zheng entered the family, he was initially unwilling, but Consort Jing used filial piety to pressure him, so he had no choice."

"Didn't the First Prince have a very good relationship with Consort Shen? Why did he later show such affection for Consort Zheng?"

Dongxue sighed, "When Consort Zheng first entered the palace, he completely ignored her and spent all his time with Consort Shen. But after Consort Shen miscarried, she was heartbroken, crying and making a scene every day, insisting that Consort Zheng was responsible for the miscarriage. At first, the First Prince felt sorry for her and investigated for several days, but he couldn't find any evidence. Consort Shen didn't believe him, and whenever she saw the First Prince, she would just cry and complain, which annoyed him."

Consort Zheng, however, never argued or made a scene, never explaining or defending herself. When the First Prince visited her room, she would serve him tea and water, speaking gently and softly, never uttering a word of complaint. When the First Prince didn't visit, she wouldn't cause a fuss, quietly staying in her own courtyard, going about her business as usual. Over time, the First Prince came to believe that Consort Zheng was the sensible one, while Consort Shen was just being unreasonable. Naturally, his heart shifted towards her.

"What exactly happened to Consort Shen's child?" Yun Jin asked.

Dongxue lowered her voice: "That winter, Consort Zheng had been in the palace for less than a month. One day, the Crown Prince's wife went out and slipped on the corridor. She fell badly and lost her baby. The Crown Prince's wife said that Consort Zheng was responsible, claiming that someone had splashed water on the ground, and the water turned to ice, but she couldn't provide any evidence."

Yun Jin was silent for a moment, then asked, "Has Consort Shen never conceived again since then?"

Dongxue nodded: "Her health has been poor ever since her miscarriage, and she has been taking medicine for many years. The imperial physician said that it damaged her health and it is difficult to recuperate. In recent years, she has lived a secluded life and rarely sees anyone. The affairs of the mansion are basically managed by Consort Zheng. Consort Shen is nominally the principal wife, but in reality, she has no say at all."

"What about the Shen family? Didn't anyone from the Shen family stand up for her?"

Dongxue shook her head: "Scholar Shen passed away a few years ago, and her brother is just a minor official of the fourth rank, so he can't say much. Otherwise, Consort Zheng wouldn't dare to be so arrogant."

"That's certainly arrogant." Yun Jin shook her head.

When the sky is wild, it will rain; when people are wild, disaster will strike.

It's not a good thing for a concubine to be so arrogant.

"Miss, should we join forces with the Crown Prince's wife?" Dongxue asked tentatively.

Yun Jin opened her eyes and shook her head: "Not for now. Let me think about it some more."

Dongxue responded with a sound of agreement and then fell silent.

She didn't know what Yun Jin was thinking, because it really wasn't worth it for Chunxi to confront Consort Zheng so fiercely just because she had been slapped.

Yun Jin had no idea what she was thinking, and even if she did, she wouldn't explain.

As the carriage passed by the roast duck shop, a fragrant aroma wafted in.

Yun Jin lifted the carriage curtain and glanced inside, then said to Dong Xue, "Go buy two roast ducks. I promised to buy Grandma Jin something delicious. Also, buy her some peach shortbread from that shop next door."

The winter snow departed as promised.

Back at the Yun residence, after getting off the carriage, Yun Jin said to Chunxi, "You go back to your courtyard first. Take this roast duck and peach shortbread back with you. You and the others can eat with Granny Jin. I'll go have dinner with my mother."

Chunxi agreed and returned to Jinshu Pavilion with the roast duck and peach cakes.

Qingshuiyuan.

When Chu Wanqing saw Yun Jin come in, she smiled and beckoned her to sit down next to her. She touched Yun Jin's hand and was relieved to see that it wasn't cold.

"You're back? It must be cold outside?"

Yun Jin took the roast duck from Chun Xi and handed it to Qing He: "Have the kitchen heat it up. My mother and I will eat half of it later, and you can eat the other half."

Qinghe happily accepted the roast duck: "Thank you, Miss, for thinking of us servants."

After Qinghe left, Chu Wanqing said to her, "Tomorrow, Mother will take you and Yunxiu back to the General's Mansion."

Yun Jin's eyes lit up: "Mother, you mean...?"

Chu Wanqing nodded: "It's time to let the Fifth Prince see the value of Yunxiu. The rumors of the Phoenix Fate have already spread, but the Phoenix Fate alone is not enough. The General's Mansion is what the Fifth Prince truly desires."

"Mother," Yun Jin lowered her voice, "that day at the Princess's residence, Yun Xiu secretly went to see the Fifth Prince. The Fifth Prince promised her that he would ask the Emperor to grant them a marriage after the New Year."

Chu Wanqing paused, then looked up at Yun Jin, her gaze complex. "She's quick on her feet." She sneered. "Fine. Since she can't wait, we'll give her a hand."

Yun Jin asked again, "Is she not at the residence today?"

Chu Wanqing said in a calm tone, "She went out early this morning, saying she was going to Grand Commandant Xiao's house to find Xiao Ya. I think she probably went to see Madam Liu."

Yun Jin was silent for a moment, then looked up at Chu Wanqing and asked, "What are your plans to do about Liu Zhixue?"

If it weren't for her, would the original owner have suffered in Qingping County for over a decade? How could this grudge not be avenged?

Chu Wanqing looked out the window, her voice as calm as still water: "Let's wait until the marriage between the Fifth Prince and Yunxiu is settled. There's no rush."

Looking at her mother's profile, Yun Jin suddenly felt a strange mix of emotions.

The Chu Wanqing of the past was weak, confused, and was deceived for fifteen years without even realizing it.

But the current Chu Wanqing is calm, decisive, and methodical, like a sword that has finally been drawn from its sheath.

As the two were talking, the curtain was lifted, and Yun Lang walked in. He rubbed his hands together and sat down by the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove).

"Mother, sister, I'm back."

Chu Wanqing poured him a cup of hot tea and handed it to him: "How was your day at school?"

Yun Lang took the tea, drank a few sips, put down the cup, and nodded vigorously: "It's very good. The young masters of the Zheng family have taken good care of me, as has Young Master Huang. He is very knowledgeable, and I have learned a lot from them."

He paused, a look of pity crossing his face. "Mother, on my way back today, I saw many people starving and freezing in the streets. There were old people and children, huddled in corners, their lips turned purple from the cold."

Chu Wanqing sighed, "This winter is particularly cold, and people are having a hard time."

Yun Lang clenched his fist, raised his head, and looked at Chu Wanqing with a particularly serious gaze: "Mother, your son wants to help them. Your son is willing to take out his monthly allowance to buy some food for them."

Chu Wanqing looked at him, her eyes filled with relief. She reached out and patted his head, smiling, "Your monthly salary is so low, how much can it buy? How about this, Mother will take out a sum of money in your name to buy a batch of grain for disaster relief, is that alright?"