Jun Haoze looked at the shocked face of Murong Man, his lips curling up as he said,
"When they knocked her out and stuffed her into the bridal sedan, I had a court physician check her pulse—it was a joyful one. I just don't know what my elder brother will do once he finds out that his Princess Consort is pregnant with another man's bastard. I truly wish I could be there in front of him to see his reaction."
This elder brother was too perfect. Ever since he could remember, he had lived in the shadow of Jun Yuyan. Although he was the legitimate son of the Main Empress and the most qualified person to be the Crown Prince, almost everyone believed that the next Monarch would be Jun Yuyan.
But now, his face is ruined, his legs are broken; he fell from the altar into the mud. Not only did he marry an ugly Princess Consort, but she is also carrying the seed of another man.
Jun Yuyan would be wearing the green hat, soon to become the laughingstock of everyone!
Just thinking about this, Jun Haoze's mood soared to its peak.
Unfortunately, he still couldn't publicize this affair, for Murong Jiu was still of great use to him.
"Manman, convey this message to her and have her meet me at the back door. The Minister of the War's young son has fallen critically ill, and I need her medical skills. If I can win over the Minister of the War, it will be a great advantage for me."
Murong Man felt a hint of jealousy over Murong Jiu's talents—if she herself possessed medical skills, the Second Prince would have married her as his Principal Consort long ago.
She obediently responded, "Manman understands, and I will certainly not let His Highness down."
Elsewhere,
Murong Jiu sat on a small stool granted by the Old Madam, listening to her high-and-mighty scolding.
The Old Madam summoned her, surely to knock her down a peg, reminding her not to forget her roots at Marquis Mansion now that she had become Princess Consort Ling.
Her marriage to the high and mighty Prince was thanks to the efforts of the Marquis Mansion, to Murong Man's concession.
Then the Old Madam moved on to her main point: "Ah Jiu, you know, our Marquis Mansion is tight on finances, we gave a considerable dowry when you married into Prince Ling's Mansion. Now your younger brothers want to enroll in Qingfeng Academy, but we can't even afford the scholarly honorarium."
At this, the Old Madam paused, looking at Murong Jiu, waiting for her to offer up the silver.
It was laughable.
In her previous life, Murong Jiu was fearful of taking a wrong step, which might cause displeasure. She was careful and generous to everyone in the Marquis Mansion.
After she gifted Murong Qian an expensive present, everyone knew she had a great deal of silver from her master—everyone came to her, warmly calling her Ninth Sister or Sister Jiu.
She indeed wasn't short of money; her master had accumulated a wealth of fortune over the years and left it all to her before he passed.
She thought that being generous would make everyone love her.
But she never expected that she wasn't the biological child of Marquis Murong and Marchioness!
Even if she were to deplete her fortune, these people would never view her any higher!
"Ah Jiu!"
The Old Madam waited for her to speak up. Seeing that she remained silent, her face darkened, and her tone became stern.
Murong Jiu calmly looked up, "What is it, Grandmother?"
The Old Madam burst out, "Am I speaking to deaf ears when I talk to you?"
"Didn't you still have more to say, Grandmother? I was waiting for you to continue. What is it that you wanted to say? Did you want me to return the dowry? That's no problem at all. I can have someone take those boxes filled with straw and stones back to you tomorrow."
The Old Madam's eyes flickered, "What straw and stones, I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Well, it seems Grandmother isn't aware. On the day I married, Marquis Mansion sent sixty-six loads of dowry, but it turns out they were all filled with straw and stones. They're currently stored in the warehouse of Prince Mansion. The steward of the Prince Mansion specifically came to ask me if perhaps the Noble Lady of the Marquis Mansion had made a mistake, forgetting something. There were quite a few people present then. If you don't believe me, you can ask the Prince; he is in the front hall."
The Old Madam dared not inquire, for they had sent empty boxes merely to make Murong Jiu an easy target.
The dowry was usually managed by the bride herself and Prince Ling's Mansion was not short of dowry money, yet the Old Madam had no idea that Murong Jiu had sent the dowry to the treasury of the Prince Mansion.
Murong Jiu sneered to herself. In her past life, the dowry boxes were opened in front of the servants of the Prince Mansion, containing only straw and stones, humiliating her to the extreme and provoking endless mockery.
When she returned to the Marquis Mansion to question them, they insisted she had hidden the dowry herself.
This time, she had Chun Tao send the dowry to the treasury in advance, avoiding any ridicule.
Thus, her earlier words were meant to deceive the Old Madam, and Jun Yuyan was not aware of this matter.
Ordinary people, having said as much, would have had no face to mention money again.
But the Old Madam was not an ordinary person, her thick-skinned self chuckled sarcastically,
"Ah Jiu, perhaps the Marquis Mansion really can't provide you with a dowry, and you know how huge the monthly expenses are here. In a little while, we might not even afford to eat. Didn't your master, who is a court physician, leave you..."
"Grandmother," Murong Jiu interrupted her, pointing at the pastries on the table:
"These pastries on your table are new from White Jade Studio, right? I heard they added Tianshan Snow Lotus and each piece costs fifty silver taels; a plate costs three to five hundred, enough for an ordinary citizen to use for over a decade. The Marquis Mansion squandering like this, no amount of money can ever fill a bottomless pit."
The face of the Old Madam darkened significantly as she dropped her facade, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Murong Jiu:
"So, what you mean to say is you're unwilling to pay for your brothers to attend the academy. Murong Jiu, now that you've married into Prince Ling's Mansion, do you think you've grown wings? Fine, I will have your parents come over and see what kind of disaster they have brought into the world!"
The Old Madam was aware of her yearning for her parents' affection and intentionally threatened her this way to coax her into willingly spending money.
However, this Murong Jiu was no longer that Murong Jiu.
She smiled faintly, "Grandmother, your words are too harsh. If I am a disaster, then what are you? Or should I say, maybe I'm not your granddaughter at all?"
The pampered face of the Old Madam slightly shifted as Murong Jiu did not miss the panic in her eyes.
Having confirmed the truth of Murong Man's words before she died, hate surged in her heart.
She only wanted to slash open these people's pretentious faces, to torment them severely and make their lives worse than death.
But it was not yet possible. She still did not know who her biological parents were, and her only purpose for returning to the Marquis Mansion was this.
She could not confront them directly as those in the Marquis Mansion who knew the truth would not tell her. She could only probe and uncover the secrets herself.
"What nonsense are you spouting! You ungrateful creature, your mother endured hardship for ten months to give birth to you, and yet you dare to say such things. You're truly ill-mannered!"
The Old Madam quickly regained her composure and pointed at Murong Jiu's nose, scolding furiously.
Murong Jiu sat there, silently watching her rain down a barrage of accusations.
The Old Madam felt as if she were pounding her fists against cotton, fury causing her vision to darken.
Soon enough, the servants had called Marquis Murong and the Marchioness over.
"Mother, what has upset you so much?"
The Marquis hurried in and quickly supported the Old Madam, who was nearly passing out.
The Old Madam's trembling hand pointed at Murong Jiu.
The Marquis wasted no time and harshly said to her, "You wretch! Kneel down to your grandmother this instant!"