Counterattack of the Concubine’s Invincible Daughter

28. The Imperial Edict

Translator: Snowball

As soon as Mu Yingxue left, the two stewards also took their stuff and went back to report to their masters.

Xu Min stood alone in the hall. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Finally, she found it too hard to keep her demeanor, so she waved and knocked over the teacup.

The loud thud frightened Hongling. She hurried over, saying, “Don’t let it get to you, Madam. Your health is the most important thing.”

Xu Min pounded the table heavily and trembled with anger, “This little bitch really pisses me off. One day I will teach her a lesson!”

Hongling stretched out to massage her back and said, “That’s right, Madam. Let’s wait and see how much longer her complacency can last.”

Noticing Xu Min’s glance, Hongling hurriedly leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Madam, you don’t have to do it yourself. Just wait and someone will do you the favor voluntarily.”

After thinking for a moment calmly, Xu Min suddenly showed a strange smile. She slowly said, “Well, you are right. The bitches delivered by low-class concubines are supposed to fight against each other. I should be an observer.”

Just then, the butler came in to report. He was stunned to see the broken porcelain pieces on the ground. Then, he acted as if he hadn’t seen them, saying, “Madam, Eunuch Gao is here.”

Xu Min raised her slender eyebrow. Her anger didn’t disappear and turn into doubts until she heard the news.

“Why didn’t you invite him in?”

The butler said with a bitter look, “Eunuch Gao is waiting at the gate.”

Xu Min stood up immediately. If so, he was waiting for people to receive the imperial edict. Why did the imperial edict come all of a sudden?

As a result, she asked Hongling to report the news to all the branches of the mansion, and she went to meet Eunuch Gao with the butler.

Eunuch Gao stood on the steps inside the gate with his hands clasped inside his wide sleeves. He looked at the womenfolk of the Mu’s Mansion hurrying over with a smile on his face.

When he saw that no one else was coming here, he took the imperial edict from the servant next to him with both hands.

Xu Min led the womenfolk to kneel on the ground and accept the decree.

“It’s the God’s will and the emperor’s command that the fourth daughter of the Mu’s Mansion, Mu Yingxue, is smart and virtuous, and should be regarded as the model of the noble girls. On behalf of His Majesty, I hereby reward you a jade Ruyi[1] and a jade lock inlaid with gold. Respect this!”

After Eunuch Gao finished reading the imperial edict, he looked at the crowd and said to Xu Min, who was kneeling in the front, “Miss Yingxue shall take the edict.”

After Xu Min heard the contents of the imperial edict, she was so shocked that she couldn’t even speak. Why did the emperor reward Mu Yingxue alone?

“Hurry up and show your gratitude towards His Majesty for his generosity!”

When Eunuch Gao saw that the matriarch hadn’t reacted at all, he instantly grew a little impatient.

Xu Min had just came to her senses, but she heard Mu Shuilan whisper, “Mother, sister Yingxue and people from her courtyard are not here.”

Xu Min was stunned and hurriedly said, “Yingxue is not feeling well and afraid that her illness might be an auspicious sign. It is not convenient for her to take the imperial edict. I’ll take it on her behalf. Long live, Your Majesty!”

Given this, Eunuch Gao handed the imperial edict to her directly. Hongling got up and took the box containing the jade Ruyi and the purple jade golden lock from the servant’s hands. Xu Min also asked someone to take a bag of silver ingots to thank Eunuch Gao, and then the latter was satisfied and left.

As soon as Eunuch Gao stepped out, the ladies began to whisper to each other. They didn’t understand what kind of luck Mu Yingxue had run into to have been able to receive the Emperor’s gift. Everyone was here, but she and Ouyang Ruo were not. Even the imperial edict was accepted by the matriarch. They were getting more and more arrogant. How could Mu Yingxue look down upon the rules of the Marquis’s Mansion? Not feeling well? How was it possible that a lively and naughty girl who liked to hang about like her suddenly fall ill?

Mu Shuilan looked coldly at the womenfolk and stopped them from gossiping. Seeing that there was nothing else to say, they had no choice but to disperse. However, Mu Yueli stayed behind.

“Sister Shuilan, aren’t you angry at all?”

Mu Yueli’s head was injured by Mu Yunxiao yesterday. At this time, there were thick layers of gauze covering her head and even her right eye. It could be seen that she was badly injured.

Seeing her ghostly appearance, Mu Shuilan knew that she hated Mu Yingxue very much and wanted to skin her alive right away but failed to do so.

“What do you mean?” Mu Shuilan asked lightly.

Mu Yueli’s only eye flashed with anger and jealousy. She said hatefully, “Don’t you know that the crown prince and Prince Rui have both sent people to visit that bitch, Mu Yingxue just now? They also brought her a lot of gifts, but she was playing hard-to-get and didn’t take them.”

Hearing this, Xu Min looked up at her and said sarcastically, “I wasn’t aware that you were so well-informed.”

Mu Yueli knew that she had made an indiscreet remark. She hurriedly explained, “I heard this from the leading handmaid who informed us to be here.”

Hearing this, Hongling stared at her with dissatisfaction. Fortunately, only Madam Xu Min, Miss Yueli, and several of the Madam’s confidants were present at this time. Otherwise, her reputation as a yenta would probably spread throughout the mansion.

Xu Min snorted. Anyway, it was she who had asked Hongling to leak the news, so she would naturally not blame her for that.

However, Mu Shuilan was surprised that Hongling hadn’t revealed the news to her specially. “Mother, didn’t the crown prince…” She wanted to say that the crown prince had blamed Mu Yingxue for her poor character in public yesterday, but she suddenly realized that it was inappropriate to talk about the royal family members secretly, so she changed the topic directly, “Why did he send her gifts today?”

Xu Min also frowned, saying, “I’m puzzled as well. What the hell are the crown prince and Prince Rui doing?”

Mu Yueli said, “No matter what they are up to, they’re here to curry favor with that little slut. Now the emperor has personally issued an imperial edict to reward her, which is clearly embarrassing you and sister Shuilan.”

Xu Min obviously knew that this was the truth, but she didn’t allow Mu Yueli to say it straightforward. She immediately shouted, “How dare you! Have you said enough? Bitch? Slut? Are you aware that you are in the Mu’s Mansion? Do you want to be slapped by your father once again?”

Mu Yueli was so frightened that she shut her mouth immediately, lowering her head with hatred flashing in her eyes. “Mu Yingxue, you bitch, it’s all your fault. I, Mu Yueli, will make you suffer!”

In Mu Yueli’s room, a piece of porcelain fell into pieces on the ground. Mu Yueli suppressed her anger and growled, “Lvzhi, I need your help. I swear to god that I’m gonna kill that bitch!”

Lvzhi was Mu Yueli’s trusted follower. After the venomous scorpion incident, she did not dare to come up with any ideas, for fear that Mu Yueli would vent her anger on her if they failed. Thinking of the pain on her waist after she failed last time, she had to bite the bullet and respond,

“Miss, don’t be angry. We’ll figure out a way eventually.”

Mu Yueli was so angry that she was sitting in a chair, panting, showing nothing graceful to match her dignity as a noble young lady in the Marquis’s Mansion.

“Figure out a way eventually? Then tell me, what’s your idea?” She glanced at Lvzhi and added insidiously, “If you dare think of something like the venomous scorpions again, I’ll skin you alive!”

When Lvzhi heard that, she only felt the pain in her waist again and even her scalp went numb. It was her misfortune to follow such a master, but she had been firmly marked as “the trusted servant of the Miss Yueli”. There was no way out. They were bound together for good or ill.

She had no choice but to move close to Mu Yueli’s ear and whispered to her.

At first, Mu Yueli was frowning. But her eyebrows soon stretched when she heard what Lvzhi said afterwards. She nodded, thinking, “It’ll definitely work this time.”

Mu Yingxue was in Ouyang Ruo’s room right now, talking with her mother about some family affairs. They didn’t know that many things had happened outside until Liu’er hurried in.

“Miss, someone from the palace has just arrived. The Emperor’s edict… has rewarded you a piece of golden jade.”

Liu’er was both anxious and agitated. She didn’t even finish each of her sentence. Mu Yingxue shook her head and thought, “The little girl just couldn’t retain her composure.”

“Liu’er, what are you talking about? The Emperor rewarded Miss Yingxue? If so, why didn’t they ask her out to accept it? You must have misheard.” Mammy Qiao blamed her lovingly.

Liu’er was anxious. “It’s true, Mammy Qiao. Miss, Madam, Liu’er is telling the truth. All the servants are talking about it. They said that you have added to the prestige of our mansion.”

Mu Yingxue asked after she finished, “Do you know the details?”

Liu’er became enraged. “It’s all Hongling’s fault. All the madams and ladies of the other branches had been notified, but she left us alone. She’s obviously bullying us! I heard Madam Xu Min accepted the reward on your behalf just now.”

Mu Yingxue sneered. A maidservant was indeed a servant even if she became a leading maid. If her master had not given her permission, how could she have been so bold? It was clear that Xu Min asked her to do so.

“If that’s the case, let her keep it. It was awarded by the emperor. What can she do with it?”

Ouyang Ruo breathed a sigh of relief to know her daughter didn’t take any of that seriously. She comforted, “She has always been so overbearing. Don’t let it get to you.”

Mu Yingxue looked at her mother and secretly sighed. Weak and submissive, Ouyang Ruo was exactly the kind of woman that Xu Min had wanted of her. She must protect her well so that she would neither be bullied by others, nor worry about her.

“Mother, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

“Alright, then I can rest assured.” Ouyang Ruo looked at her kindly. She had never felt so at ease before. Her daughter had really grown up. Perhaps the two of them could really face others with courage and dignity and live a good life from now on.

“Come on, let’s eat.”

Seeing Mammy Qiao bringing in food from the outside, Ouyang Ruo called her.

Mu Yingxue followed her to the table. She was surprised to see that today’s dishes were extraordinarily rich. Apart from three or four more vegetable dishes as usual, there were even fish and meat that she had  rarely seen on their table in the past. There was also a large bowl of seafood soup this time.

Raising her eyebrows, she asked, “What’s the point of this?”

This was, of course, a question for Xu Min. The kitchen was in the charge of her, and there was a rule on what kind of dishes should be prepared for each branch every day. Mu Yingxue’s branch got the worst treatment. It was already considered lucky if they had enough food to eat. Not to mention seafood, even fish was rare. It was no wonder that Mu Yingxue was suspicious.

Mammy Qiao smiled and said, “We owe all of this to you, Miss. Not only had everyone in the whole mansion, but also the Marquis, according to the chef, known that the emperor had issued an imperial edict to reward you today. It was the Marquis who specially ordered that you should be treated well.”

Even so, Mu Yingxue was still a little worried. Perhaps due to her work in her previous life, she had developed a defensive personality to think more about worldly matters and take more into account. In this life with such a family background, she had to guard against everyone and everything.

 

Translator’s note:

Ruyi: an S-shaped ornamental object, usually made of jade, formerly a symbol of good luck