Xiujuan frowned as she looked at Zhu Fei sitting beside her. Were the rules of these wealthy families so absurd? In her hometown, servants were never allowed to dine at the same table as their masters.
Mu Fengqie noticed that Xiujuan hadn't touched her chopsticks. "What's wrong? Is the food not to your taste? Should I have them prepare something else?" she asked.
"Thank you, Princess, but there's no need. I'm just a bit curious. It's the first time I've seen a servant and her master dining at the same table," Xiujuan replied, casting another glance at Zhu Fei. Seeing her gobbling up the food without any ladylike manners, Xiujuan felt even more disgusted.
Mu Fengqie smiled at Xiujuan's words. What was she trying to imply? That her people lacked manners? "Miss, although you claim to be Mu Rendong's wife, I haven't acknowledged this, and I've never heard that Mu Rendong has gotten married. So you have no right to dictate in my mansion. Moreover, my people can do as they please. When did it become the business of an outsider like you?" Mu Fengqie said, putting down her chopsticks and looking at Xiujuan with cold eyes.
"Princess, please calm down. It was my fault for speaking out of turn. I was blind. Please forgive me," Xiujuan pleaded, quickly kneeling down. She hadn't expected that a single word would upset her sister - in - law.
Hearing Xiujuan's address, Mu Fengqie twitched the corner of her mouth. Who was her sister? This woman was being so presumptuous. If she didn't know how to address people properly, she should just keep quiet. Mu Fengqie rolled her eyes inwardly but didn't correct Xiujuan. If she wanted to call her that, so be it.
"It's not that I'm being harsh on you. When you're in someone else's place, you should follow the host's rules. No matter how you behave at home, you can't act the same way outside," Mu Fengqie said earnestly.
"Thank you for your teachings, sister - in - law. I understand," Xiujuan said, secretly relieved. Fortunately, the princess wasn't too angry. If she had offended her, how could she find Rendong?
Zhu Fei glanced at Xiujuan sitting at the table and sneered inwardly. If it weren't for the fact that she hadn't done anything wrong, she would have already taken action. How could she be sitting here eating peacefully?
After the meal, Xiujuan sat there, hesitant to speak. Mu Fengqie sat beside her, sipping tea leisurely. She wasn't in a hurry at all. If Xiujuan didn't bring it up, she wouldn't go out of her way to ask.
Finally, Xiujuan couldn't hold back anymore. She whispered, "Princess, do you know where Rendong is? I haven't seen him for a long time."
"Hmm? Aren't you his wife? Why don't you know where he is?" Mu Fengqie squinted her eyes dangerously, looking at Xiujuan suspiciously. "Are you really his wife?"
Under Mu Fengqie's skeptical gaze, Xiujuan became extremely nervous. But no matter how eager she was to prove herself, she had no substantial evidence to show that she was Mu Rendong's wife. She could only sit there, frustrated.
"Don't be in a rush. Your name is Xiujuan, right?" Mu Fengqie asked.
"Yes," Xiujuan replied.
"Here's what we'll do. You can stay in my mansion for now. When I find Mu Rendong, I'll take you to see him. By then, everything will be clear," Mu Fengqie said, looking at Xiujuan.
Xiujuan thought for a moment and agreed. This was the only option for now. At least this was her husband's home, and she still had a chance to see him. During this time, she must win over Rendong's sister so that her life in the Mu family would be easier in the future.
If Mu Fengqie had known what Xiujuan was thinking, she would have burst out laughing. Family? This misunderstanding was really big. But to prevent her from causing trouble in the palace, family it was.
Mu Fengqie arranged for Xiujuan to stay under her nose. There would always be someone reporting on what she did every day. To Mu Fengqie's surprise, since Xiujuan had arrived, she had never left the mansion. She stayed in her courtyard all day, never venturing out.
"Has there been any sign of her acting strangely?" Mu Fengqie asked.
"No. She seems to be rooted in the courtyard. She doesn't go out. Sometimes she tidies up the flowers and plants in the yard, and sometimes she embroiders in the yard or in the room." She was just like a virtuous and gentle wife. If they hadn't investigated her beforehand, they might have been deceived.
"Okay, I see. Keep a close eye on her and don't let your guard down. Under no circumstances should she be allowed into the palace," Mu Fengqie instructed.
"Yes, I understand," Zhu Fei nodded. They took shifts to watch Xiujuan every day without fail.
"By the way, how are the Jiang and Zheng families doing?" Now that the Chen family was gone, and the second Miss Chen in the palace was no longer a threat. Without the emperor's protection, a concubine without a powerful family background would find it difficult to survive in the harem.
"The Zheng family is now as poor as a church mouse. And not long ago, the eldest daughter of the Zheng family was sold to a brothel by the master of the Wang family," Zhu Fei reported.
"Hmm? Why?" Mu Fengqie suddenly became interested. How could Lord Zheng just sit back and watch his daughter be sold to a brothel? Wouldn't that be a huge disgrace?
"During the full - moon banquet of the Regent Princess's child, Miss Zheng caused a scene in the Regent's mansion. So the Regent handed her over to the Wang family for disposal," Zhu Fei told Mu Fengqie what had happened that day.
Mu Fengqie felt no sympathy. She thought they deserved it.
"How is Miss Zheng now?" Mu Fengqie asked.
Zhu Fei paused for a moment, thinking of Miss Zheng's fate, and then continued, "The news that Miss Zheng was sold to a brothel spread quickly. Since then, she has become the top courtesan in the brothel, and many men go to spend the night with her. I also heard..." Zhu Fei felt disgusted just thinking about it. "I also heard that Lord Zheng has been there a few times and stayed the whole night."
"What the hell?!" Mu Fengqie was shocked. "That's his own daughter he raised! How could he be so depraved?" Shouldn't Lord Zheng have tried to redeem his daughter? Why did he go there himself?
"I was also shocked when I first heard about it," Zhu Fei said. It was simply unbelievable.
"Collect evidence of this carefully. Maybe we can give Lord Zheng a big surprise in the future," Mu Fengqie's eyes flashed. In this society, such behavior was intolerable. Lord Zheng was really brave to go against the moral code.