I'm the Farmgirl You Can't Mess With

Chapter 1383: Side Story: Qi Xiuyuan (15)

Editor: Atlas Studios

Madam Wu’s expression changed a few times as she looked at the palace in front of her. In the end, she turned around and said, “I don’t want to stay in the palace. Tell His Majesty that I’ll stay with Shaosheng and Shaotai since they are both grown up.”

Nanny Liu, who had been sent to watch over her, said with a smile, “This is His Majesty’s way of showing filial piety towards you. After all, Your Highness has served the late master for more than 20 years. With all the officials in the court watching, it’s only right for His Majesty to take care of you in your old age.”

How was that the same?

She had instructed those people to submit memorials because she wanted to be the Empress Dowager, not just an Imperial Noble Consort.

Now that Qi Xiuyuan had determined her status to be a concubine, what restrictions would she have on him?

If she stayed in the palace, wouldn’t she be at his mercy?

Madam Wu pushed Nanny Liu’s hand away and said with a dark expression, “Anyway, I’m not going to stay here.”

When Madam Wu rushed out, the gorgeously-dressed Li Jinghua appeared in front of her.

Although the two sides rarely interacted, Madam Wu had been her mother-in-law after all. Not afraid of her, Madam Wu raised her chin and looked at her. “Madam Li, do you dare to stop me?”

Having just heard the story of Qi Xiuyuan’s childhood, Li Jinghua had a terrible impression of Madam Wu. Naturally, she did not give her face at this moment. “Imperial Noble Consort Wu, this palace was assigned to you by His Majesty. From now on, you can stay here and live in peace.”

“Madam Li!” Madam Wu yelled angrily.

“How dare you!” Wen Cui took a step forward and shouted with a frown, “Imperial Noble Consort Wu, how can you call the Empress by her surname? You’re just a concubine. If it weren’t for the fact that you’ve served the old master for more than 20 years and that His and Her Majesty pity you, you’d have been beheaded ten times over for the fact that you once harmed the commandery prince. His and Her Majesty are benevolent. Not only are you not grateful, but you even dare to call Her Majesty by her surname!”

Madam Wu’s expression changed drastically. As she looked around, she saw that everyone was lowering their heads. No one stood up for her.

Li Jinghua waved her hand and said to her, “It’s naturally good if Imperial Noble Consort Wu is obedient. If not, there’s naturally a better place to go than this palace.”

Madam Wu said with a pale face, “You, you can’t treat me like this. I’m Qi Xiuyuan’s stepmother. I’m his mother. He’s being unfilial!”

The corners of Li Jinghua’s lips curled up. “To convert to the legitimate wife, a concubine needs the approval of the matriarch’s family. Be it from the government office’s documents or the family’s genealogical tree, you’re only a noble concubine of my father-in-law. How can you call yourself His Majesty’s stepmother?”

Li Jinghua said, “As for the fact that you’ve been unrightfully calling yourself the matriarch of the Qi Residence for 20 years, His Majesty doesn’t intend to pursue the matter now. However, if you insist on causing trouble, His Majesty might change his mind.”

“By the way, His Majesty has already conferred Second Uncle and Third Uncle as the Marquis of Peaceful Happiness and Marquis of Peaceful Stability. If you wish to see them, let me know. I’ll grant them permission to enter the palace to pay respects to you in accordance with the rules.”

Madam Wu’s face was pale. Both her two sons were in Qi Xiuyuan’s hands. Only now did she deeply feel the pain of being at the mercy of others.

However, this was only the beginning for her.

When she was with Qi Feng, she rarely went out because she wasn’t rightfully the legitimate wife, but it wasn’t that she didn’t go out.

As long as no one deliberately mentioned it, no one would know that she was once a concubine. Therefore, she would occasionally go out to attend banquets and shop. But here in the palace, it was as if she was all alone. None of the palace maids and servants would talk to her unless she spoke to them.

Even when she asked them questions, they’d only answer her dryly. Without a caring person by her side, she was completely isolated.

Coupled with the fear from being in the depths of the palace, Madam Wu could not take it anymore after staying for only half a month. She strongly requested to see her two sons.

However, she could not meet them just because she wanted to. Li Jinghua delayed it until the new year before letting her see her two sons.

However, it was better not to see them.

Madam Wu was terrified, and Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai, who had been bullied by Qi Xiuyuan since they were young, were even more terrified. The surprise brought by Qi Xiuyuan’s ascension to the throne had long turned into fear.

At first, they thought that after becoming a member of the royal family, not only could they become a king, but they could also expand their ambitions.

However, Qi Xiuyuan neglected them first. After the courtiers gradually requested to reward them, he only gave them the title of a marquis without any real power. Get full chapters from NoveI-Fire.et

Compared to Qi Haoran, who held military power, it was extremely difficult for them to even enter the palace. Their mother had also changed from the legitimate stepmother to a concubine, and they had changed from legitimate sons to the sons of a concubine.

The old matters in Qi Residence were dug up one by one. Qi Shaotai was fine, but Qi Shaosheng recalled Qi Xiuyuan’s fierceness when he was young and the words he said when he glared at him with red eyes. He’d said, “My mother was killed by your mother!”

If Zhu Wan was really killed by his mother, would Qi Xiuyuan, who had already become the Emperor, let them off?

Qi Shaosheng began to blame his mother. This New Year’s Eve, he entered the palace to visit Madam Wu harboring such emotions.

Although Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai were summoned to the palace to attend the palace banquet, Qi Xiuyuan did not summon them alone. He only asked someone to send a message to them, asking them to take the time to visit Imperial Noble Consort Wu, and to be filial towards her. This was a stark contrast to Fan Zijin, who was always by the Emperor’s side and even asked to stay overnight after the banquet.

Those who didn’t know better would think that Fan Zijin was the Emperor’s biological younger brother instead.

Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai were even more resentful when they saw this. They didn’t dare to show it on their faces under Qi Xiuyuan’s nose, so it was inevitable that they would show it when they went to see Madam Wu.

Even though Madam Wu had only been in the palace for less than half a year, she had aged by almost ten years. Her pining for her sons was the only thing giving her the will to live till now. Seeing her two sons at this moment, it was like grasping the last straw.

Yet, the moment the two children opened their mouths, they blamed her for treating Qi Xiuyuan badly back then, causing the brothers to not get along well. Now, they even had to live in fear.

Face filled with shock, Madam Wu’s lips trembled as she said, “You blame me? Even you blame me? But if I didn’t treat him ruthlessly, could you have become the legitimate sons of the Qi family? Could you have grown up pampered by everyone?”

Frustrated, Qi Shaosheng said in a rough voice, “Imperial Noble Consort, what’s the use of saying this now? The most important thing is how to dispel the hostility in Big Brother’s heart. Otherwise, your sons won’t be able to live in peace for the rest of our lives.”

“That’s right, Mother.” Qi Shaotai said with a frown, “Second Brother and I can’t stay at home forever, right? We have to get ourselves a real position. Otherwise, who will recognize us if we only become powerless marquises? But if we want to become officials, we have to first get past Big Brother.”

Madam Wu’s heart turned cold. She vaguely understood why Qi Xiuyuan wanted her to see her two sons now. She asked blankly, “Then what do you think we should do?”

Frowning, Qi Shaosheng said, “The knot in Big Brother’s heart is due to none other than his mother’s death. Mother, why don’t you explain things to him? After all, it’s better to resolve enmity than to keep it alive. We’re all from the same family, after all.”

Madam Wu smiled tearfully and asked, “Explain what? Explain how I killed his mother?”

The brothers’ expressions changed drastically, and Qi Shaosheng’s voice changed. “Did you really kill her?”

Madam Wu slowly retracted the smile on her face. As she wiped her tears, she looked at him coldly. “If she didn’t die, how would you have the status of a legitimate son? Who in the Qi Residence would bother with you, the Second Young Master? My son, don’t you think it’s too late for you to ask this question now?”

Qi Shaosheng’s expression darkened.

Qi Shaotai stood by the side with his mouth agape.

Madam Wu looked at the sky outside through the window and said softly, “He wants to torture us to death. Considering you bullied him the way you did in the past, do you think he’ll let go of his grudge and be good brothers with you? Stop dreaming. He’s busy dealing with the state affairs and doesn’t have the time to bother with us now. But when he does, none of you can escape.”

Qi Shaosheng and his brother shivered.

Madam Wu turned around and grabbed their hands. “So, let’s leave while he’s too busy to care about us. Sheng’er, you said that you wanted to return to our hometown to worship the ancestors. We’ll stay in our hometown and not come back. Although we’ll be poorer, it’s better than living in constant trepidation here.”

“As long as we’re not in front of him, he might not think of us. If you nurture your children well, they might be able to become successful…”