Watching Murong Tai's plump figure disappear, Zheng Min sneered and carefully applied the Yuzhi Ointment evenly on Murong Xinlian's face.
"Mother, Father still cares more about Fourth Younger Sister." Murong Xinlian hung her head low, her long eyelashes blocking the emotions in her eyes.
"Xin'er, remember, no matter how much humiliation you suffer, you must endure. You are smarter than Qinglian and even more beautiful than her. In the future, you will definitely marry better than her!" Without a son, Zheng Min's only reliance was Murong Xinlian. Seeing her daughter's grievance, she felt heartbroken too.
"Mother, I want to be Princess Jing! I want to marry Longze Jingtian!"
At the mention of marriage by Zheng Min, Murong Xinlian suddenly looked up, her clear eyes sparkling with an unusual glow.
"Why should Murong Qiqi, that useless girl who can't do anything, directly marry King Jing and become his princess? I won't accept it, Mother, I really won't! She is just of a higher status than me, but what else is she capable of!" Murong Xinlian clenched her fists.
"Mother, today Qinglian mocked me for being born a concubine, and that I can only be a concubine in the future. Mother, you don't know how much I wanted to kill her at that time! I hate her so much—"
Upon hearing Murong Xinlian's words, tears streamed down Zheng Min's face.
Without a son, Zheng Min's authority in Murong Manor was far lesser than that of Liu Yanzhi. Liu Yanzhi would often ridicule and provoke Zheng Min, making her grind her teeth with hatred. Even Murong Qinglian would humiliate her precious daughter now, making Zheng Min angrier than ever.
"Xin'er, your mother will not let you suffer any more. You want to marry Longze Jingtian and become Princess Jing, right? I have a way!"
Zheng Min's words greatly lifted Murong Xinlian's spirits, and she immediately grabbed her mother's hand and shook it excitedly.
"Mother, are you serious? The marriage contract is set by the Emperor. What method do you have to make King Jing marry me? I can never be his concubine. It would be better to die than to be bullied by that useless Murong Qiqi. Mother, if I could marry Longze Jingtian and become a princess, I would even wake up laughing in my dreams!"
Seeing Murong Xinlian's expression, Zheng Min knew that her daughter had truly fallen in love with Longze Jingtian.
This prince was well-versed in literature and martial arts and could very possibly become the Crown Prince or even the Emperor in the future. If Longze Jingtian became Emperor, wouldn't Murong Xinlian become the Empress who commanded the respect of the entire world...
Thinking about the glorious future awaiting Murong Xinlian, Zheng Min gritted her teeth and came up with a vicious plan. Murong Qiqi, since you're blocking my daughter's path to wealth and power, don't blame me for being ruthless!
Zheng Min whispered a few words into Murong Xinlian's ear, and upon hearing her mother's words, she covered her mouth and exclaimed, "Mother, will that work? Will ruining Murong Qiqi's reputation force King Jing to annul the marriage? But where will we find a man for this?"
"A man? Don't we already have one?" A fierce glint flashed across Zheng Min's gentle face.
Isn't it because Liu Yanzhi gave birth to the only male, Murong Jun, that she is so favored by Murong Tai? Relying on her son, she has always acted high and mighty, giving Zheng Min a hard time.
If Liu Yanzhi's precious son, Murong Jun, appeared in Murong Qiqi's bed, resulting in an incestuous scandal between the siblings, then not only would Murong Qiqi be ruined, but Murong Jun too! Zheng Min couldn't wait to see if Liu Yanzhi could still laugh at that time!
"Mother, your plan is great, killing two birds with one stone! Murong Jun always looks at me with lustful eyes, it's utterly disgusting. If we can get rid of both of them in this way, it would be perfect!" Upon understanding her mother's intention, Murong Xinlian praised the plan wholeheartedly.
Murong Qiqi, off to hell you go! How dare you steal my man? I'll make you see how powerful I am! It was fortunate that you didn't die back then, but this time, I'll make you wish you were dead! Go to hell with your noble status!
Murong Xinlian's peach-blossom eyes, so similar to Zheng Min's, shone with a vicious light. Mother and daughter, both like venomous snakes, revealed cruel smiles lurking at the corners of their mouths—
In the Lanxiang Courtyard, Murong Tai managed to appease the mother-daughter pair in no time.
As Murong Qinglian's martial arts skills were superior to Murong Xinlian's, her injuries weren't as severe. Murong Tai promised her a precious sword, which was enough to win back his younger daughter's affection.
As for Liu Yanzhi, the best way to placate her was in bed. Murong Tai had always believed in reconciling after a fight in bed, so without further ado, he took Liu Yanzhi for several rounds of intimate moments. When the beauty was panting and tired in his arms, Murong Tai knew that the issue was settled for the day.
For the next few days, everything was quiet in the Prime Minister's Mansion. Murong Qiqi obediently stayed in Cui Zhu Garden for reflection, while Murong Xinlian and Murong Qinglian didn't leave their courtyard and quietly healed their wounds.
After ten days, Feicui, who served Murong Xinlian, appeared in Cui Zhu Garden to invite Murong Qiqi to enjoy the moon at Huxin Pavilion in the evening.
"Moon viewing? No, I am still closed-doors in reflection!" Murong Qiqi, sensing malicious intentions, didn't have time for games and promptly rejected Feicui.
"Third Young Lady, our Second Young Lady personally invited you, and you still put on airs? If it were not for the Second Young Lady remembering you, do you think I would come all this way on such a hot day?"
Feicui, with her extremely sharp triangular eyes, felt humiliated by being rejected directly. Her cheeks flushed red with anger, hands on her hips, and her red lips spat out many harsh words.
"Who do you think you are? You're nothing but a piece of trash, acting all pretentious!"
Feicui was originally Murong Qiqi's maid but switched allegiance to Murong Xinlian because she looked down on the incapable Third Young Lady. Now Feicui was a confidante of Murong Xinlian's. If it weren't for the fact that Murong Qiqi's presence was essential tonight, Feicui wouldn't have bothered talking to this "trash."
Murong Qiqi squinted, stared at Feicui's moving lips, and felt her hairs stand on end each time she heard the word "trash."