Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 84

Chapter 84 - Xie Ping Becomes the Princess Consort

Xie Ping knelt in the ancestral hall for three full days and nights.

Only He Shi would sneakily send some food over to her, but she could not eat anything at all, barely managing to drink a bit of water. Her entire body had grown weak to the extreme.

Until the fourth day, someone from the palace finally arrived.

It was the head eunuch from the Emperor's side, accompanied by a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who had come together to proclaim an imperial decree.

"By the grace of Heaven and the mandate of the Emperor, the decree states: Xie Ping, the eldest daughter of Xie Jingyu, the Vice Director of the Bureau of Revenue, possesses a gentle, compliant, and virtuous disposition. She is hereby officially invested as the Princess Consort of Anjing, and shall be wedded at an auspicious date. It is hoped that from this day forward, she will cultivate her virtue, hold fast to self-restraint, and diligently serve with reverence..."

The members of the Xie family knelt on the ground. Aside from Yun Chu, every single one of them was overwhelmed with joy.

They truly never expected that it would be the Emperor himself issuing an imperial decree to bestow the marriage, and that Ping'er had actually become the princess consort of King Anjing's manor.

"This subject receives the decree. We thank the Emperor for his boundless grace. Long live the Emperor, long live, long live, long live!"

Xie Jingyu raised his hands high to receive the imperial decree, and all members of the Xie family bowed and knocked their heads.

The head eunuch smiled and said, "Congratulations, Master Xie, double congratulations, Master Xie. Originally, the Emperor's intention was to wait until Xie Eldest Miss reached her capping age before holding the wedding ceremony, but Imperial Noble Consort De believed that King Anjing is young and immature, requiring a virtuous inner assistant to manage affairs both inside and outside the manor. Thus, she discussed with the Empress and set the wedding for three months from now, with the consummation to take place after Xie Eldest Miss reaches her capping age."

The old madam grinned from ear to ear and hurriedly instructed a maidservant to fetch red reward packets. Every single person who had come to proclaim the decree received at least twenty taels of silver.

After the decree-proclaiming party departed, the old madam said with heartfelt sincerity, "Chuchu, we owe this entirely to you, otherwise such a stroke of good fortune would never have fallen upon our Xie family."

Madam Yuan clasped Yun Chu's hand. "You are the only one who genuinely and sincerely considers the children's future. For Ping'er to have a mother like you is the blessing she cultivated in her past life."

"Madam, you've worked hard." Xie Jingyu looked steadily at Yun Chu. "Though you are a woman, you are not inferior to a man in the slightest."

Every single step she calculated had been so precise. If she were a man entering the court to serve as an official, possessing such planning and strategic mind, she would likely ascend to the position of head of the hundred officials in no time at all.

Yun Chu smiled faintly.

All of her planning was built upon the foundation of having lived a second life. Because she had experienced the previous lifetime, she knew what kind of person Imperial Noble Consort De was, what kind of temperament King Anjing possessed, how perilous the struggle for the imperial throne was, and how matters would trend... Therefore, she was able to effortlessly plot out numerous affairs.

Xie Ping knelt on the ground, weeping tears of joy.

She had once only begged for the position of a secondary consort, yet in the end, she had become a legitimate princess consort. Such profound joy was beyond words.

Supported by her maidservant's hand, she stood up and walked weakly over to Yun Chu, bowing deeply. "Mother, it was Ping'er who committed wrong and brought shame upon the Xie family. Mother punished her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall, yet Ping'er felt resentment in her heart. Only now do I realize that it was Mother who expended such effort and painstaking care to pave the path for Ping'er. Ping'er is eternally grateful. No matter what happens in the future, Ping'er will filial-serve Mother and will never let Mother regret making plans for Ping'er."

Yun Chu twitched the corners of her lips.

In her past life, when Xie Ping intended to scheme against King Anjing, she had intervened beforehand, causing Xie Ping to resent her for a long time.

The genuine sincerity she once offered had been trampled underfoot by Xie Ping.

Yet now, hypocritically scheming for Xie Ping had earned her Xie Ping's heartfelt devotion.

She only found it deeply ironic.

She reached out and helped Xie Ping up. "Imperial Noble Consort De and King Anjing will surely harbor unwillingness in their hearts. You must remember to be extremely cautious in your words and actions, never letting anyone catch you in a fault. Otherwise, you won't even be able to sit securely in the position of princess consort. Do you understand?"

Xie Ping nodded. "Understood, Mother."

He Shi, standing off to the side, felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.

The daughter she had carried in her womb for ten months was the one she knew best. In the past, when Ping'er called the mistress 'Mother', it was forced by circumstances, but this present call of 'mother' came entirely from the heart.

Because the mistress had plotted and planned for Ping'er, Ping'er truly acknowledged the mistress as her mother.

The mistress's place in Ping'er's heart undoubtedly surpassed her own, her birth mother...

Suppressing her emotions, she spoke up, "The eldest miss is going to be married off to King Anjing's manor as the princess consort, but this dowry is somewhat difficult to manage..."

The old madam immediately reacted, realizing: indeed, how could a woman who is a princess consort have no dowry? Even if they couldn't boast of a procession stretching for miles, there should at the very least be one hundred and twenty-four chests...

Where in the entire Xie family could they produce such a massive dowry?

They could only rely on the wife of the grandson.

The wife of the grandson was Ping'er's mother, so it was only natural for her to prepare the dowry for Ping'er.

She was just about to speak.

When Yun Chu stated, "As a fifth-rank household, it is completely reasonable for the Xie family to be unable to produce the dowry befitting a princess consort, and there is no need for us to slap our faces to puff up our cheeks and pretend to be rich. Ping'er, Mother will give you only one phrase: a person does not establish themselves in the world through family background and silver, but through their own cleverness and wisdom. If you wish to stand firm in King Anjing's manor, you must use your brain more in everything you do."

Xie Ping firmly engraved these words in her heart. "Ping'er will keep Mother's teachings in mind."

"As for the matter of the dowry..." Unhurried and calm, Yun Chu looked toward Xie Jingyu. "Although there is no need to puff ourselves up like fat men, what ought to be there must still be provided. My lord, this matter will require you to find a way."

Xie Jingyu's lips parted slightly. He very much wanted to say that the preparation of the dowry ought to be managed by the household matriarch.

Yet the moment he thought that the sole reason Ping'er was able to become King Anjing's princess consort was entirely due to Yun Chu's plotting, he realized he could not possibly dump every single task, inside and out, onto Yun Chu.

He had no choice but to accept. "Rest assured, Madam, this matter will be left to me."

Yun Chu lowered her head to sip her tea, concealing the sneer in her eyes.

Xie Jingyu was a man fond of managing official networks, frequently sending gifts to his superiors while simultaneously accepting gifts sent by lower-ranking sixth and seventh-rank officials.

After today, everyone under him would know that the Xie family had latched onto King Anjing's manor, and gifts would likely come pouring in one after another.

Occasionally accepting a few was nothing, but Xie Jingyu was currently lacking in funds and would undoubtedly turn away no one.

Accepting too much would sooner or later lead to disaster.

The next day, Madam Lin came to the Xie residence to offer congratulations.

Grandmother Xie, who had always felt a head shorter when facing the Yun family members, finally held her head high today, speaking with a great deal more confidence.

"If Madam Yun attends any banquets in the future, you may bring our Ping'er along with you," the old madam said with a smile. "Once Ping'er becomes the Princess Consort of Anjing in the future, she will inevitably need to become acquainted with those noble ladies, and knowing them beforehand will save a lot of trouble."

Madam Lin gave a perfunctory nod. "Naturally."

After finishing her conversation with the old madam, Yun Chu brought Madam Lin back to her own Sheng Residence.

"How old is Ping'er anyway? Why rush to finalize the marriage so early?" Madam Lin caught a whiff of something unusual. "Imperial Noble Consort De has always doted on King Anjing the most, so why would she suddenly allow the daughter of a fifth-rank official to become the primary princess consort? Did something happen?"

Yun Chu knew that anyone would question this matter.

She recounted the events that had transpired at Qing'an Temple in a calm tone.

"She—how could she have such massive daring!" Madam Lin was dumbfounded. "Even though the marriage is settled, Imperial Noble Consort De will certainly not let the matter rest easily. Ping'er is going to suffer bitterly in the future."

Originally, she had even prepared a shop to add to Ping'er's dowry, but now it seemed completely unnecessary.

With a granddaughter who was so calculating and completely disregarded the family's reputation, their Yun family truly felt a bit hesitant to acknowledge her, always feeling that taking her out in public brought shame...

"Very well, let's not speak of this anymore," Madam Lin shook her head. "Divine Doctor Si is leaving the palace to gather medicinal herbs outside, so Her Majesty the Empress instructed Divine Doctor Si to take the opportunity to check your pulse along the way. Let's go, Mother will accompany you.”