Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 210 A way to survive
"May Grandmother be well."

Xue Yuechen, supporting her pregnant belly, was about to perform a grand ceremony when Old Madam Cui quickly offered a helping hand, her fingertips firmly grasping her wrist.

"Why bother with these formalities when you're pregnant? Get up quickly, don't make the prince feel sorry for you."

Xue Yuechen smiled and gestured for the maid to bring out the gilded brocade box.

"Concerned about his grandmother's health, the prince specially ordered people to find agarwood, a tribute from the Kingdom of Nanzi, which is most effective for calming the mind and resting peacefully."

"The prince is interested."

With a beaming smile, Old Mrs. Cui, leaning on her cane, led Prince Duan and his wife inside.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, please come inside and sit down to talk. Don't let our young prince suffer because of this..."

Xue Yuechen smiled shyly and entered the room side by side with Li Huan.

Xue Sui followed behind, her skirt brushing against the carved threshold.

Gu Jie silently lagged behind, his eyes lowered in silence, but his peripheral vision couldn't help but fall on Xue Sui—she was adjusting the cushions for Old Madam Cui, her slender white fingers brushing over the intertwined floral embroidery, her figure gentle and beautiful.

In a daze, he seemed to see again the little girl who had bent down to bandage his wounds back then, her fingertips just as gentle, her eyes full of lively light...

The images gradually overlapped, and Gu Jie was heartbroken.

The woman who almost spent her life with him was now unattainable, while he was stuck in a quagmire, tormenting each other with Xue Yueying, which even made the threshold of the Marquis's mansion three points lower than before.

"Lord Gu doesn't look well," Li Huan suddenly said, his gaze sweeping over the dark circles under Gu Jie's eyes. "Has the Court of State Ceremonial been dealing with a lot of affairs lately?"

Gu Jie froze, noticing the scrutiny in Li Huan's eyes, and felt a tightness in his throat.

"Your Highness, it's nothing more than trivial matters of welcoming and seeing off guests."

He answered respectfully, his palms already damp with cold sweat.

Li Huan nodded, took a small sip of tea, and said nothing more, but the tea smoke cast a faint chill over his eyes.

Seeing this, Xue Yueying sneered and covered her lips with a handkerchief: "Lord Gu isn't busy with official duties, he's clearly..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was met with a glare from Old Mrs. Cui, and swallowed the words back down his throat.

Xue Qingzhi then jogged over and, upon entering, saw Li Huan. He hurriedly straightened his hat and bowed.

"This humble official was unaware of Your Highness's arrival and has failed to greet you properly. I hope Your Highness will forgive me!"

He bent down deeply, clasped his hands above his head, and held them there for a long time.

Li Huan raised his hand to decline the formalities, sat upright like a pine tree, and had a calm expression.

The hall suddenly became quiet.

Upon seeing this, Xue Yueying and Xue Yueman both put away their sharp tongues and obediently curtsied.

Xue Sui stood aside, quietly watching this scene.

Xue Yuechen smiled and waved, "Sixth Sister, come and sit down too."

Xue Sui smiled and responded, then walked over and sat down.

Madam Qian hurriedly ordered the servants to serve tea, and Xue Qingzhi sat beside her, exchanging pleasantries. Li Huan also responded politely, his gaze subtly sweeping over everyone in the room, finally settling on Xue Sui, lingering for a moment before casually looking away.

Xue Yueying glanced at Li Huan, then at Xue Sui, her jealousy burning ever brighter.

Xue Liu was only fortunate to be favored by Prince Duan and made a concubine. No one knows what kind of seductive tricks that woman used to make the prince treat her differently.

However, the favor of men in the world will eventually fade. Prince Duan was never short of beautiful women around him, and she could not stay in the limelight forever.

She moved closer to Xue Yueman and whispered in her ear.

"Look at Xue Liu's smug look. She's just a concubine, what's so great about her?"

Xue Yueman did not respond, silently eating the crab roe pastry with her head down, her heart filled with mixed feelings...

She was about to marry into the Zheng family, a prestigious and desirable marriage. Guo Silang was merely a son of a concubine; how could he compare to Xue Liu's fortunes? She never imagined that among the Xue sisters, she would end up being the most wronged…

Grandma Cui held Xue Yuechen's hand, her eyes sweeping over Xue's lower abdomen.

"Your body is delicate, and your belly is precious, so you must take good care of yourself."

Xue Yuechen smiled gently, "Grandmother, don't worry, I'm fine, thanks to the Prince and Sixth Sister taking care of me."

As she spoke, she glanced at Xue Sui, her eyes full of smiles.

"My sixth sister personally oversees my meals every day, even more so than I, her older sister."

Grandma Cui's brows relaxed. "Sixth girl is indeed filial and obedient, and knows how to care for others. She's also very capable, which saves you a lot of trouble..."

Xue Yuechen nodded in agreement.

Xue Sui nodded and smiled, "Grandmother, it is my sister who has been kind to me. These are all things I should do." As she spoke, she quickly got up, placed a brocade cushion embroidered with the character for longevity on Old Madam Cui's lap, and then brought a steaming teacup to the old lady.

"My third aunt specially brewed tangerine peel and ginger tea, which my grandmother drank to warm her stomach."

Xue Yueying curled her lip and snorted, "Sixth Sister's filial piety is truly thorough. Third Aunt's intentions have only enhanced Sister's reputation for being filial in public."

Grandma Cui frowned and glared at her sternly.

Unexpectedly, Li Huan, who had been silent all along, suddenly sharpened his gaze and spoke in a cold voice.

"I've heard that the Xue family has a family motto: 'Jade becomes a treasure only after being carved, and a person establishes himself by abiding by rules.' But what I see today... seems to suggest that the carving has been overdone?"

The room fell silent.

Everyone's expression changed.

"You damned wretch!" Old Madam Cui slammed her hand on the table and threw her Buddhist prayer beads at Xue Yueying's face. "Where have you learned your manners? How dare you speak so recklessly! You've disgraced the Xue family! ...Hurry up and kneel down to apologize to the Prince."

Xue Yueying was so frightened that she immediately knelt down, tears welling up in her eyes, looking pitiful.

"Your Highness, please forgive me. It was I who was disrespectful."

Li Huan's gaze was calm as he slightly raised his hand to Old Madam Cui.

"Madam, please don't be angry! Managing a household is like cooking a small fish. Don't mix the fishy and pungent parts together..."

These words, seemingly meant to defuse the situation, actually contained a hidden threat.

This was a subtle warning to the Xue family, while secretly protecting Xue Sui's reputation and status.

With the prince backing her up, who would dare to look down on her in the future?
After this ordeal, the once lively family dinner was now like a pot of burnt porridge, filled with bitterness and awkwardness. Everyone forced smiles and said trivial things, the atmosphere so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

After the meal, Xue Sui went to Pear Fragrance Courtyard.

While the Xue family mansion was bustling with activity, this place was surprisingly quiet.

"The jujube paste needs to be ground finely so it will look nice when shaped into a jade rabbit..." Xue Ji pointed out, supporting her waist, while a little maid was making cakes under the eaves.

After Yukihime's appearance was disfigured, she rarely went to the front hall to avoid frightening people.

Even for the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet, she personally led a few maids and servants to manage it at Pear Fragrance Courtyard.

The scars on her face hadn't faded, but a silver-red velvet flower was tucked behind her ear. Sunlight, like gold foil, filtered through the branches, dancing on her body, filled with a gentle joy and anticipation...

Xue Sui came over with a smile, "Mother, have you felt any better these past two days?"

Only then did Yuki notice her, and the weariness on her face instantly dissipated, replaced by warmth in her eyes.

"Sixth Sister, come and sit down, don't stand."

She reached out to straighten Xue Sui's clothes, her fingertips touching her thin shoulders, and a pang of sadness welled up in her heart...

Her daughter has grown into a beautiful young woman, capable of standing on her own, but she is a useless mother, unable to support her daughter when she needed her most, causing her so much suffering and hardship...

The mother and daughter sat facing each other, chatting about trivial matters.

Other things, having been settled over the years, become unspeakable.

When it was time to eat, she could only keep putting food into Xue Sui's bowl, as if she wanted to pour all the love she owed her over the years into this meal.

Xue Sui ate some more food with them, then took incense and candles and quietly went to the ancestral hall to offer incense.

The air was thick with the scent of sandalwood, and the ancestral tablets gleamed coldly in the dim light. She knelt on the prayer mat, gazing at the eternal lamp on the altar, remembering how, at the age of eight, she had huddled in this corner, her only thought being to survive…

Familiar footsteps sounded behind me.

She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"Is this incense still effective?" Li Huan looked at the ever-burning lamp on the offering table, the flames dancing in his eyes like two clusters of ghostly flames.

"Your Highness has already investigated this matter. You know my worth best."

Xue Sui inserted the incense into the incense burner, the firelight making her eyes appear hazy.

"Before leaving the capital at the age of eight, I hid here for three days and three nights. It was thanks to the blessings of my ancestors that I was able to save my life..."

Li Huan suddenly smiled and took a step closer.

He reached out and grabbed her wrist with great force.

"Does the concubine know the consequences of fooling me?"

Xue Sui calmly rose, patted her skirt, and said, "Even ants cling to life, how could I possibly seek death? What Your Highness desires is the secret of the Old Mausoleum, while all I want is a way to live..."

Li Huan released her hand, gave her a meaningful look, took half a step back, and stood with his hands behind his back.

"I have been waiting for your good news—don't keep me waiting too long."