Concubine Yuan always knew who she relied on in this mansion. Seeing Xie Yi getting angry, she quickly knelt at his feet. In front of all the maids and servants in the room, tears welled up in her eyes. "My lord, you must believe that Xi'er would never say such things. My lord..."
But before she could cry for long, she was interrupted!
"Concubine Yuan, this is the Green Pine Courtyard of the old lady, not your Kelo Pavilion. Even if you don't care about your own reputation, you should think about the lord's. Everything should be based on reason and evidence. By doing this, do you mean that the lord or the old lady has bullied you? Do you want to smear the reputation of the Marquis Mansion if this gets out?"
Xie Yi was usually quite soft - hearted towards Concubine Yuan, and his heart was wavering. But after hearing what Nanny Su said, he immediately became vigilant. He glared at Concubine Yuan. "Get up quickly. What a disgrace!"
Concubine Yuan knelt there, feeling extremely awkward. She didn't dare to cry anymore and crawled up hesitantly.
Nanny Su caught a glimpse of her actions from the corner of her eye, twitched the corner of her mouth, and then curtsied to the marquis. "My lord, I've served the old lady for many years and watched you grow up. Today, I'll take the liberty to tell you the stakes of this matter."
"Nanny Su, what are you saying? In my eyes, you're like an elder. Please speak your mind."
"I'm flattered by your words, my lord. Then I'll say it." Nanny Su pointed at Concubine Yuan standing below. "This incident seems to be just a quarrel between the second young lady and the eldest young lady, but in the eyes of outsiders, it's a problem of the confusion between the legitimate and the illegitimate in the Marquis Mansion."
"My lord, it's okay for you to dote on the second young lady and Concubine Yuan, but the hierarchy between the legitimate and the illegitimate cannot be messed up. The second young lady dared to say such things simply because she thought you doted on her and would protect her when she made mistakes. But my lord, the emperor has already established a crown prince, and His Majesty hates most the families that confuse the legitimate and the illegitimate and break the rules."
Hearing this, Xie Yi broke out in a cold sweat. His mind, which had been muddled by Concubine Yuan, suddenly cleared up.
His Majesty was the legitimate son of Emperor Dezong, but he had an elder sister above him. It was rumored that Emperor Dezong initially intended for the eldest princess to succeed to the throne, but for some reason, he later changed his mind and established His Majesty.
Therefore, in these years, the old officials of Emperor Dezong and the supporters of the eldest princess always liked to say that His Majesty's throne was not legitimate. That's why His Majesty always claimed to be the legitimate son and hated those who confused the legitimate and the illegitimate and didn't abide by the rules.
He almost forgot!
Thinking of this, Xie Yi bowed to Lady Xie. "Mother, you're right to discipline Xie Yunxi. She should suffer in the ancestral hall. From now on, let her stay here with you so that you can teach her well."
Before Lady Xie could say anything, Concubine Yuan, who was standing on the ground, rolled her eyes, leaned back, and fainted.
"Slap!" Lady Xie threw the teacup beside Concubine Yuan. "Wake her up with cold water."
The maids in the Green Pine Courtyard were always quick - witted and dexterous. A cup of cold tea was splashed on Concubine Yuan, and she slowly came to.
This time, she didn't care about her image anymore. She crawled in front of Xie Yi and hugged his feet. "My lord, you can't let Xi'er kneel in the ancestral hall. She can't bear it!"
Lady Xie's face turned ashen. She squeezed the Buddhist beads in her hand so tightly that they creaked. Xie Yi trembled in his heart and quickly pulled Concubine Yuan. "How dare you be so presumptuous in front of mother. Get up quickly!"
"Bang!" The old lady slapped the table and roared. "If Xie Yunxi can't bear it, let her die kneeling in the ancestral hall. I'd like to see who dares to stop me."
Lady Xie always meant what she said. Even Marquis Xie was intimidated by her aura. He knew his mother's character. She was decisive, and the more one made a scene, the harsher the punishment would be.
But Concubine Yuan had lost her mind. Xie Yunxi was her only daughter now, and she was counting on this daughter. If Xie Yunxi was to be raised in front of the old lady, what hope would she have for the rest of her life?
Just then, Nanny He came in with a post in her hand. She glanced at Concubine Yuan lying on the ground without saying a word and quickly walked up to Lady Xie. She whispered, "Old lady, this was sent by someone from the Third Princess. It's said to be for the second young lady."
Lady Xie was stunned. "Who did you say?"
"The gatekeeper said it was someone from the Third Princess. They left after leaving the post."
Xie Yi, who was standing beside Lady Xie, heard it and looked a bit strange. He glanced at Concubine Yuan on the ground and stood still.
Lady Xie opened the post and found it was an invitation to the empress's flower - viewing banquet!
Inviting Xie Yunxi?
Lady Xie was very annoyed, but she had to order Nanny He, "Bring her here."
"Yes!"
In a short while, Xie Yunxi was brought over.
She didn't know what had happened. When she saw Xie Yi and Concubine Yuan, she thought her father had pleaded for her. Immediately, she cried piteously.
Lady Xie was annoyed by her crying and shouted, "Shut up!"
"Gulp!" Xie Yunxi was so frightened that she hiccupped and didn't dare to make a sound anymore.
"I'm asking you, do you know the Third Princess?"
Xie Yunxi didn't know what was going on. She rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yes, the Third Princess invited me to the palace banquet the day after tomorrow."
Concubine Yuan on the ground widened her eyes and crawled closer to Xie Yunxi. "My dear, did the Third Princess really invite you to the flower - viewing banquet?"
"Yes, Auntie. The Third Princess is very kind to me. Also, the Crown Prince, he also talked to me." Xie Yunxi blushed as she said this.
Lady Xie's face looked a bit ugly. She stared coldly at the mother and daughter on the ground for a long time before saying, "A concubine actually calls the young lady 'my dear'. Humph! It seems that since I haven't cared about the affairs in the backyard for a long time, I didn't expect the rules of the Marquis Mansion to be so messed up."
"Mother, please calm down. I'll go back and discipline them right away. Please don't be angry and hurt your health."
Lady Xie gave Xie Yi a sidelong glance. "Angry? They're not worth it!"
Then she turned around. "Nanny He, drag Concubine Yuan outside the ancestral hall to kneel. Also, invite a tutor into the mansion and send her to the second young lady's courtyard. Otherwise, she'll disgrace the Marquis Mansion when she goes out."
"Yes."
Lady Xie was a decisive person in the Marquis Mansion. Despite Xie Yunxi's crying and Xie Yi's hesitation, Concubine Yuan was finally dragged outside the ancestral hall to kneel.
Why not let her kneel inside the ancestral hall?
Because concubines were not qualified to enter the ancestral hall. In Nanny He's opinion, the old lady still gave the marquis some face.
The ancestral hall was at the back of the Marquis Mansion, and few people came there on weekdays. If it were in the old lady's younger days, if someone dared to act like this in front of her, they would be directly dragged to the second gate to kneel. That would be a real disgrace!
After dealing with Concubine Yuan and Xie Yunxi, Lady Xie threw the post in her hand to Xie Yi. "This was received by your precious daughter. If you want her to go, let her. But one should know one's limits. Don't have any improper thoughts. If she brings trouble to the Marquis Mansion, don't blame me for not tolerating her!"