Chapter 245
Chapter 245
The head of the Wei family, who was not far away, had heard every word. However, he didn’t intervene while the women argued, as it could have escalated the situation. Nevertheless, he wasn’t pleased that Furen Mu, the wife of a low-ranking official, dared to disrespect his daughter.
He had previously heard that his beloved daughter, Wei Mudan, was infatuated with Governor Mu. The head of the Wei family hadn’t thought much of it, as although Governor Mu’s position was minor, he could still promote him.
As long as he was his daughter’s lover, he could ensure that the man would attain a high-ranking position in the future. Unexpectedly, instead of seizing the opportunity, the man dared to publicly humiliate his daughter. A person with eyes, even if beaten to death, would still know who to choose.
Between Furen Mu, merely a former eldest young miss of the Du Region, and the eldest young miss of the Bai Region, where they currently resided—not to mention his daughter was not an outcast from her family and whose family’s power remained strong!
Governor Mu was truly blind. As a father, he couldn’t ignore or pretend not to see his daughter’s decision. The head of the Wei family walked over to his daughter, his presence alone dispersing the crowd. He gently touched her shoulder before speaking to her.
“Let’s return to the Wei manor.” Such attention would help restore her reputation somewhat, yet Wei Mudan wasn’t entirely willing.
“Father, you go ahead. I plan to visit the temple to offer some prayers,” Wei Mudan replied calmly.
However, her answer garnered even more admiration from the people, as her desire to visit the temple and pray after such a quarrel indicated that she still valued the delegation’s visit.
But before everyone could praise her further, a young woman spoke up first.
"That’s a good idea. You almost caused trouble. Praying for forgiveness to avoid divine punishment is appropriate. I’ll come along as well to ensure no one causes further chaos."
As soon as these alarming words were spoken, everyone took a deep breath, not daring to meet the speaker’s gaze directly.
"Consort Jia," Wei Mudan narrowed her eyes slightly.
Everyone knew that Miss Jia was a peculiar person, often speaking without much consideration. She was serious and straightforward like a man; when she said something, she meant it. If she promised something, she would deliver exactly that, and any deviation would lead to a fierce argument.
As a result, many people preferred not to converse with a woman like, except for men, who found in her a kindred spirit who understood each other. Conversations with her were straightforward without having to mince their words. As a result, she has quite a wide circle of male friends.
However, because she didn’t socialize much, people were not very familiar with her until she gained the title of Consort Jia through the recommendations of the Jia family head and the Wang. Since then, people interacted with her more and were often taken aback by her blunt remarks.
The Wei family was allied with the Second Prince, so they had to respect the consort of the Second Prince. What they didn’t expect was that, even in front of so many people, Consort Jia still had no intention of holding back.
When she wanted to speak, she did so bluntly, saying that Miss Wei should go make merit because she had sinned. If anyone else had said this, they might have been slapped to death, but since it was Consort Jia, people felt they couldn’t laugh or cry. They had no idea how to respond.
While everyone was stunned, Consort Jia, expressionless, instructed her court lady nonchalantly. This made many people bow their heads to hide their complex expressions. After all, neither of these two women could be offended. One was from the powerful Wei family, and the other was Consort Jia of the Second Prince. Both held significant positions.
Regarding Miss Wei, given her family’s influence, if it weren’t for her right to choose her own husband, she might have become the consort of the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, or even a concubine of the Wang or the Emperor. It was not like the Second Prince didn’t ask her before. However, she was a headstrong woman who refused to be used as a tool by any man. She wanted to choose her husband herself. Until now, she had not specified her choice, otherwise, she wouldn’t remain a single woman like this.
Therefore, when comparing their importance, many viewed Consort Jia and Miss Wei as having equal social standing. It would only be when Miss Wei married that people would be relieved, seeing which path she chose and whether she had the potential to become someone of great significance in the future.
As long as she remained unmarried, the positions of consort to various royal members were always available for her.
"Prepare your things. Since Miss Wei wishes to go pay respects to the Buddha today, we shall accompany her. Invite other young misses from different manors to join us as well."
"We must continue to fulfill our duties in welcoming the delegation. During this time, we need to ask for the Buddha’s help to dispel envy and greed, ensuring that no incidents arise from the high-ranking people of the Bai Region. Selfish actions ultimately affect all citizens of the Region. If something were to happen, it would be truly disappointing."
"Crown Princess, what do you think? Will you join me in praying to the Buddha?" Consort Jia spoke more than ever before, her eyes straightforward and devoid of complexity.
When she mentioned the reason for praying, she was clear and direct, stating that she didn’t want any malicious people during this period, as it could lead to incidents while welcoming the delegation. Who would dare refuse? To refuse would clearly indicate an intent to cause trouble.
This matter could not be held against anyone during an official investigation due to the lack of evidence to use for judgment. However, if an incident did occur, what would the common people say? They would likely say it was due to someone’s opposition. If that someone was the Crown Prince’s consort like the Crown Princess, such a reputation would surely affect her.
Could the Crown Princess remain indifferent? She had to show her agreement.
"Of course, I must join. For the sake of the Region, for the Bai Region," the Crown Princess said.
In the end, the only person affected by all this was Wei Mudan. Even though she was the first to suggest going to the temple to pray, when others mentioned praying to cleanse impure hearts, Wei Mudan felt as if she had been slapped repeatedly more than ten times.
Initially, her suggestion wasn’t wrong. She wanted to target Yueqian, but when the argument arose, Yueqian simply returned to her manor to rest, while Wei Mudan remained invested enough to suggest praying for a successful welcome. This would have earned her much praise if Consort Jia hadn’t claimed that the purpose of the visit was to cleanse certain people’s impure thoughts.
As soon as Consort Jia spoke, the situation completely flipped. Even if Wei Mudan no longer wanted to go to the temple, she couldn’t refuse. Rejecting the idea was out of the question. So, she reluctantly had to go and pray to the Buddha, despite her heart being full of bitterness.
Not attending would make her look guilty, but attending implied she accepted that she had an impure heart needing cleansing. Since she and Yueqian had just had an argument, it implied that Yueqian didn’t need to cleanse her heart, but she did. Wasn’t this like having Consort Jia and others trample on her face?
The head of the Wei family felt this as well. His mustache twitched with anger. Consort Jia and the Crown Princess had acted as if they didn’t see him or his daughter. What did this mean?!
He could understand the Crown Princess’s actions—her motives were clear, and she didn’t favor the Second Prince. So, given the chance to tarnish someone’s reputation, she would take it. But how could the Second Prince’s consort act this way?
Previously, he had heard that she was very blunt and straightforward, to the point where many people avoided conversing with her. Out of respect for the Jia family, he had agreed to ally and support them. Who would have thought the other party would dare to humiliate his daughter like this?
The old man’s white mustache twitched uncontrollably with anger. He vowed to get revenge for this slight. As he thought about this, he glanced at his daughter, who was clenching her fists tightly, and felt even more irritated upon seeing her.
In reality, his Dan’er didn’t need to listen to such nonsense at all. If she had only agreed to marry the Wang and become his consort, she could have sat back and watched. No one would dare to disrespect her then. It would have been impossible!
Unfortunately, Wei Mudan was stubborn. She refused to accept any position and seemed to fancy a worthless man like Governor Mu. Even though his position could help her, it would take time to climb the ranks and establish connections for him. Otherwise, who would look after her once he was gone?!
The more he thought about it, the more his head ached. He felt he should find a way to convince his daughter again, at least to become a consort to a prince or a Wang, so she wouldn’t feel so lowly.
The desire for revenge and the drive to win were not exclusive to the head of the Wei family. Wei Mudan herself felt the same, though she didn’t express it like her father. The young woman was smart enough to know she couldn’t act against Consort Jia right now. But since there were more than one holy days, there would be other opportunities to deal with her, and she just needed to be patient.
Look at Consort Gui, for instance. Even though her father, Gui Zhong, was highly respected, when the secrets were revealed and her evil deeds were exposed, she couldn’t escape death.
While Wei Mudan thought this way, others had different thoughts. Some believed that the Wei and Jia families could no longer coexist, while others wondered if they needed to choose sides. Naturally, even Miss Chang had similar thoughts.
Miss Chang observed the expressions of the two women and looked at Consort Jia with newfound respect. Previously, when Consort Gui had sent her to be a pawn in a malicious scheme, she had resolved never to trust people who appeared sweet but were sour at heart. So, when Consort Jia assumed her position, Miss Chang didn’t approach or flatter her like others did, not wanting to repeat past mistakes.
However, today, after witnessing Consort Jia’s actions—where even those on the same side were openly reprimanded for their wrongdoings while those who were right were protected—Miss Chang’s heart began to lean towards Furen Mu. From the start, when Furen Mu was bullied by Wei Mudan, Miss Chang wanted to step in and help. But the other party was too skilled, handling it so well that she didn’t need any assistance, especially with such a good husband by her side. Miss Chang, viewing Furen Mu as a benefactor, hadn’t needed to intervene.
But there was an advantage in this situation. It showed her how interesting Consort Jia was. A small smile appeared at the corner of Miss Chang’s lips.
If no one wanted to befriend Consort Jia, she would!
“Your Highness, may I accompany you as well?” Miss Chang spoke up amid the silence. Consort Jia looked at the lovely young girl with surprise. Since assuming her position, she had never seen this woman before. Why did she suddenly appear when an issue arose? She pondered for a moment and then remembered that this was Miss Chang. Upon recalling past events, an unusual thought crossed Consort Jia’s mind.
"Could it be that this Miss Chang actually enjoys chaos?"