The news of Chen Jiao’s domineering behavior quickly spread throughout the mansion.
Zhao Wan’er from the sixth house and Li Shi from the second house couldn’t help but gossip and feel indignant.
Li Shi, wrapped in a cashmere blanket and looking sickly, leaned against a couch and spoke calmly,
“The current Ninth Lady is the apple of everyone’s eye in the mansion. Fifth Lady going to provoke her is really not a good idea.”
Zhao Shi, however, had a different opinion,
“The background of Li Xiang Yuan is not respectable. What kind of person can be raised by a courtesan from Bai Tang?”
“She just discovered the pickled mustard greens, and now she dares to act so arrogantly and look down on others. Such arrogance will eventually lead to someone teaching her a lesson.”
Li Shi slowly picked up the tea on the kang table, moistened her throat, and pointed out,
“Sister Zhao, you are mistaken. She is very clever. This move is nothing but a warning to us concubines not to provoke the mother and daughter.”
“Although it seems to be a slap in the face to the first house, it is actually a warning to us not to provoke them. But speaking of which, Xu Shi doesn’t have much ability, but Chen Jiao is really a formidable character.”
Zhao Shi retorted,
“What’s so great about a young girl? No matter how capable she is, she is still a lady of the inner quarters. Can she really make a big splash?”
Li Shi smiled and said in a good-natured way,
“The first house wants to make her a scapegoat, but now it is causing trouble. Our second house has not provoked her, and in the future, Sister Zhao can also visit Li Xiang Yuan more often.”
Zhao Shi wanted to say something, but suddenly realized something and slapped her thigh,
“Sister, you are absolutely right. We haven’t offended her!”
Li Shi said meaningfully,
“For the sake of your Eighth and Ninth sons, it’s always good to make more friends.”
Zhao Shi quickly replied,
“Look at my silly mind, just complaining. Since you don’t have daughters, we should take more care of the eldest and second sons in the future.”
Li Shi nodded with a smile,
“With such a capable sister, the eldest and second sons will naturally need more care.”
Her smile was extremely friendly, with a face full of compassion like a bodhisattva.
This time, Chen Jiao’s behavior was said to be a warning to others by killing a chicken to scare the monkeys, but no one knew that she had other intentions.
That is to say, to test Prince Huai’an’s bottom line.
It is evident that Prince Huai’an’s tolerance can still be further tested.
After the Lantern Festival, Chen Xianle was sent to Jiaozhou.
The person who escorted her was Prince Huai’an’s eldest illegitimate son, Chen Xianshu.
Chen Xianshu was in his early thirties and was born to Li Chunqin of the second house.
He currently serves as a military officer.
On the day of the escort, not only were the officials of the prefecture present, but also the concubines and brothers and sisters of the mansion.
After the beginning of spring, the temperature began to rise.
Chen Xianle, dressed in a bright red wedding dress, holding a fan with a delicate makeup, tearfully bid farewell to Prince Huai’an and others.
Zheng Shi, with red eyes, kept wiping her tears.
Among the crowd, Xu Shi tightly held Chen Jiao’s arm.
If she had been controlled by the first house at the beginning, she would be the one wiping tears today.
Chen Jiao’s mood was also a bit complicated.
She did not think that she had won the battle of the substitute marriage.
Even if she was now famous, once she was confined to the inner quarters by Prince Huai’an, sooner or later, she would also be given away in marriage like Chen Xianle.
It was just that the stakes were a little higher.
With a heart full of complaints and reluctance, Chen Xianle suddenly turned her head to look at Chen Jiao when she was put on the carriage, her eyes filled with intense hatred.
Chen Jiao met her gaze, with her head held high and her back straight, not afraid at all.
Prince Huai’an whispered to Chen Xianshu, asking him to ensure that Chen Xianle arrived safely.
While the father and son were talking, Chen Jiao glanced at the officials of the prefecture.
Cui Jue, wearing a Jinxian crown and a dark red official robe, stood straight without looking around.
The envoys from Jiaozhou looked over here with great regret, but Chen Jiao chose to ignore them.
Later, when the carriage left, Zheng Shi could no longer hold back her emotions and tearfully said,
“My child, I don’t know when we will meet again…”
She was really heartbroken to send her spoiled daughter away like this.
Prince Huai’an impatiently comforted her.
After the escort team went far away, people gradually dispersed.
Back in Li Xiang Yuan, Xu Shi felt very sad.
She couldn’t bear the thought of Chen Jiao leaving her in the future and said to her,
“Today, when the Fifth Lady left home, it made my chest feel stuffy.”
Chen Jiao knew what she was thinking and replied,
“If Mother doesn’t like it, I won’t get married in the future.”
Xu Shi: “How can that be? A woman must have a place to belong to.”
Chen Jiao fell silent for a moment and then asked,
“What do you think, Mother, will my future place to belong be good?”
Xu Shi did not answer, obviously having understood many things from Chen Xianle’s situation.
Chen Jiao suddenly held her hand, with a serious face,
“Today’s Fifth Lady may become tomorrow’s Ninth Lady.”
“With my current value, if there is a man I like, do you think Father will agree?”
Xu Shi did not answer.
Chen Jiao had her own thoughts and said seriously,
“I want to leave the mansion.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Shi was very surprised and frowned,
“Why leave the mansion?”
Chen Jiao: “To go out and make a career.”
Xu Shi became anxious,
“You just offended the first house. If you go out alone, how can I feel at ease?”
Chen Jiao patiently comforted her,
“I have thought a lot these past few days. If I don’t go out and make a career, sooner or later, Mother will end up like Zheng Shi, who had to marry off her daughter.”
“I can’t stay in the mansion with you forever. It’s so that I can be with you for the rest of my life.”
These words were touching, and Xu Shi felt a mix of emotions.
“My child, I am scared. You just offended the first house. The Zheng family won’t let you go easily. If you leave the mansion, who knows how they might bully you?”
Chen Jiao thought carefully and said,
“Mother, don’t worry. I have my own way to deal with it.”
Xu Shi anxiously asked, “What do you have to fight them with, as a weak woman?”
Chen Jiao suddenly said,
“Xu Zhao, if I ask for him, will Mother feel at ease?”
Xu Shi was stunned.
Chen Jiao: “Mother knows my temperament. Once I have thought of a way out, I will definitely think of a way back.”
Hearing Xu Zhao, Xu Shi’s excited mood calmed down a bit and asked tentatively,
“Why do you want to ask for Xu Zhao?”
Chen Jiao: “His kung fu is excellent, as Mother has seen. If he protects us, the Zheng family won’t easily find a chance to take advantage.”
Xu Shi couldn’t help but ask anxiously,
“What exactly do you want to do after leaving the mansion?”
Chen Jiao naturally wouldn’t tell her that she was inspired by the pickled mustard greens and had ambitions.
She had to go out and use the momentum of the pickled mustard greens to win people’s hearts.
If she wanted to get something substantial from Prince Huai’an, it would definitely arouse his suspicion.
“I want to farm.”
Xu Shi: “???”
She looked puzzled, thinking she had heard wrong and asked, “Farm?”
Chen Jiao nodded, “Only by farming well can we have enough food to eat.”
Xu Shi:
For some reason, she felt that her daughter was a bit strange.
For example, looking for green-haired mustard greens, and now farming.
It was really odd.
Chen Jiao didn’t explain too much, because the more she explained, the more confusing it would be.
Before long, a few days after Chen Xianle got married, Chen Jiao shared her thoughts with Prince Huai’an.
She wanted to try farming, a lot of farming.
At first, Chen En thought she was joking and said irritably,
“Does the Huai’an Mansion still lack food for you?”
Chen Jiao thought for a moment and said seriously,
“But it’s really not easy for Father to support the family.”
Chen En, with a big belly, stood in front of the window, hands on hips, and looked at her,
“What are you always thinking about with that brain of yours?”
Chen Jiao honestly said, “I’m afraid of war.”
Chen En didn’t say anything.
Chen Jiao continued,
“The war in Minzhou caused the people to be displaced and encountered an epidemic, which was really tragic. When I fled from Tongzhou at that time, I suffered a lot along the way, especially afraid of the days without food.”
“Father supports such a large Huizhou, with hundreds of mouths in the mansion asking you for food, officials in the government office asking for food, and those soldiers, all of them asking you for rations. I increasingly feel how hard it is for Father.”
Hearing these words, Chen En felt touched for the first time in his life.
Even knowing that she was trying to charm him, he was willing to listen.
“Your old man is indeed not easy, but it doesn’t matter. I have soldiers in my hand, and I can go and rob.”
“How can that be? Now, everyone in the market praises Uncle Chen for his benevolence. If they know that Father is a bandit, wouldn’t all the efforts be in vain?”
She paused for a moment, “Even if we have to rob, we should do it secretly.”
Upon hearing this, Chen En couldn’t help but laugh, feeling more and more that this daughter, who was raised outside, had a bit of a rascal’s style and had inherited his true teachings.
Chen En called her over, and she went up to him.
He asked, “What does my daughter want to ask for land to do?”
Chen Jiao: “To farm, to grow a lot of crops, so that everyone can have enough food to eat.”
“You have never farmed before.”
“I can learn.”
She also said, “I found the wonderful use of pickled mustard greens, but I haven’t asked for a reward from Father yet. Now I want to ask for a reward.”
“Tell me, what do you want?”
Chen Jiao thought for a moment and boldly asked,
“I want to ask for a county to farm.”
Chen En stared at her for a long time and said shrewdly,
“Don’t think that I don’t know your little tricks. Relying on your own merits, you want to ask for a fief?”
Chen Jiao quickly waved her hands and said, retreating,
“I am a girl, and I will get married sooner or later. If I ask for a fief, won’t it benefit another family?”
Chen En smiled meaningfully and said,
“You are smarter than your mother.”
Chen Jiao continued to test his bottom line,
“Father, think about it. I don’t want anything, just want to try farming. It doesn’t matter whose land I farm.”
Chen En was half-convinced and half-doubtful, “Ask for a county’s land to farm?”
Chen Jiao nodded.
Chen En said in a teasing way,
“You can’t carry anything on your shoulders or pick anything up with your hands. Don’t come back crying later.”
Chen Jiao promised with a thump on her chest that she wouldn’t.
Chen En walked away with his hands behind his back and didn’t ask any more questions.
Because he clearly understood that this daughter was different from anyone in the mansion.
A rascal who made a living in Bai Tang, who had seen a lot of things, could not be judged by ordinary people’s standards.
Of course, her behavior was indeed confusing.
Wanting to ask for a county’s land to farm, Chen En couldn’t help but feel a bit wary.
Whether it was to ask for a fief or to encircle land for personal use, that was a big difference.
The father and daughter each had their own hidden intentions.
Chen Jiao wanted to test how low his bottom line was, while Chen En wanted to figure out how big her appetite was.
As if by tacit understanding, Chen En, who was walking towards the desk with his hands behind his back, suddenly turned his head to look at Chen Jiao.
Their eyes met, and Chen Jiao smiled, “Hehe.” Chen En also smiled, “Hehehe.”
The old and the young stared at each other, with similar faces both filled with inscrutable calculations.