The Prince Wants to Assassinate Me Every Day-Chapter 10 - : Being Bullied Over and Over Again

"After your father's birthday, I will bring it up. It so happens that Prince Chen will be there, and we can settle the marriage agreement right away," Zhou Ruotang said.

"But what if Prince Chen doesn't agree?" Ye Zhilan instead became somewhat anxious, "I've heard that although Prince Chen married Ye Qichi because no one else wanted to, in fact, there's a rumor that Ye Qichi resembles General Bai's legitimate daughter, Bai Mowan. Prince Chen has always been fond of Bai Mowan, but since Bai Mowan looked down upon him, he settled for Ye Qichi instead. I don't resemble Ye Qichi at all, let alone Bai Mowan. What if Prince Chen doesn't want me?"

After speaking, Ye Zhilan's eyes were slightly red.

"If it really comes to that, how can I face others in the future? How will I ever get married?"

Zhou Ruotang furrowed her brows.

She felt that her daughter's concerns were not without reason.

It's not that she thought Prince Chen would refuse, but if he did, the reputation of their daughter would be at stake.

Her eyes narrowed as she said, "Don't worry, I have a way to make Prince Chen have to marry you."

"Really?" Ye Zhilan broke into a smile through her tears.

The thought of being able to dominate over Ye Qichi once again filled her with excitement.

"When has your mother ever gone into things without certainty?"

"Having such a clever and capable mother is really wonderful," Ye Zhilan sweetly said, "unlike Ye Qichi, who has only a foolish mother and ends up being foolish herself."

"You child, you always know how to make me happy..."

The mother and daughter immersed themselves in their joy.

Ye Qichi, on the other hand, was unaware of the sinister plans the two were devising.

After all, in the book, there was no such plotline of Ye Qichi returning to her maternal home.

When she woke up.

It was already getting dark.

She stretched languidly.

Lu You immediately stepped forward to attend to her, "Has the Princess woken up?"

"When will we have dinner?" Ye Qichi asked.

Lu You couldn't help but chuckle, "The Princess only thinks about eating. Madam said you've put on weight."

"..." Wasn't being plump considered beautiful in ancient times?!

"Master has already gone to the front hall for dinner with the Prince. Other relatives from further away have also come early to celebrate, so they went to the banquet first. Madam has been waiting in the back court for you to have dinner with her," said Lu You.

The male dominance in ancient times was too evident.

Women generally weren't allowed to attend banquets held by men.

After Ye Qichi finished dressing, she went to Qin Mengxi's courtyard.

The courtyard was simple and quietly elegant.

In such a magnificent Minister Mansion, it seemed rather shabby.

No wonder Ye Qichi was able to bear living in that courtyard at Prince Chen's Mansion with so much restraint; could it be inherited?

She walked in.

Qin Mengxi quickly came out to greet her, "Qi'er, have you woken up from your nap?"

"Mother, have you been waiting long?"

"Not long, after all, mother has nothing else to do. Come on, sit here with me," Qin Mengxi said as she took Ye Qichi's hand and walked towards the dining table.

The dishes laid out on the dining table were quite plentiful after all.

Although Zhou Ruotang is in charge of the Minister Mansion now, Qin Mengxi is after all the lawful wife. On the surface, Zhou Ruotang wouldn't dare to bully her too much.

"Come, you must be hungry. Eat more." Qin Mengxi had been busily serving Ye Qichi with food.

Ye Qichi did not stand on ceremony and ate quite a bit.

"Eat slowly; don't choke. Look at you, after not seeing you for a year, you've lost all the poise of a noble lady." Qin Mengxi couldn't help but speak up.

When it comes to hunger, manners are secondary.

Ye Qichi smiled, "I really was hungry, and it has been so long since I've had a meal from the Minister Mansion. It's delicious."

Upon hearing her daughter say this, Qin Mengxi didn't nag any further.

"By the way, Mother, how are you arranging Father's birthday tomorrow?" Ye Qichi asked casually.

"Your mother has always preferred a quiet life with few desires and dislikes crowds. The banquet for the ladies of the mansion tomorrow will be managed by your Aunt Zhou. If Qi'er doesn't like it, you can stay with your mother and not attend." Qin Mengxi said considerately, knowing that her daughter had always disliked such social interaction.

In previous years, she used to take her daughter with her, but Qi'er was ridiculed every time for her abilities in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, indeed falling short when compared to other noble ladies. Over time, the mother and daughter started making excuses not to attend such banquets.

Their absence conveniently benefited Zhou Ruotang and her daughter, allowing a concubine and her illegitimate daughter to mingle among the elite gentry.

"It's Father's birthday; it's preposterous for the lawful wife and legitimate daughter not to attend." Ye Qichi suddenly became serious.

Qin Mengxi looked at her daughter, astonished.

"Mother, haven't you had enough of Aunt Zhou's bullying over these years? You are still indulging her!"

"Qi'er..."

"When I was a child, I was bullied by Ye Zhilan and pinched black and blue by Aunt Zhou behind your back. I never dared to tell you because I didn't want to upset you; I know you didn't like to squabble with her. But over these years, Aunt Zhou has grown bolder, taking charge of everything in the mansion as though she were more than just a concubine, and it's become a laughingstock everywhere! I guess the ladies' banquet tomorrow wasn't really arranged by you but by Aunt Zhou, wasn't it?!" Ye Qichi did not give Qin Mengxi a chance to speak.

Sadness flickered in Qin Mengxi's eyes.

Indeed, she had suffered a lot at the hands of Zhou Ruotang, both openly and secretly, over the years.

The more she gave in, the more Zhou Ruotang pushed the boundaries.

Initially, Zhou Ruotang would at least pretend to consult her about matters in the inner room, but now decisions were made without even a mention to her.

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Plus, now the servants, both high and low in the Minister Mansion, treated Zhou Ruotang with respect, calling her "Madam," while aside from a few close personal attendants, the others did not take Qin Mengxi seriously.

Even so, if her daughter had not returned to her maternal home today, she would not have laid eyes on Ye Zhengde for three whole months.

Thinking of all this.

Even a normally aloof person like Qin Mengxi was somewhat unsettled.

But still.

Qin Mengxi sighed, "I couldn't provide your father with a son; it's my own incompetence."

Ye Qichi knew Qin Mengxi would say this.

Zhou Ruotang was only becoming arrogant because she had given birth to a son and daughter.

In fact, Ye Zhengde and Qin Mengxi had a good relationship at the beginning, but after many years of marriage without pregnancy, in such a feudal society, Ye Zhengde naturally became impatient and immediately took a concubine, promising at the time that it was only for the sake of continuing the lineage and that his feelings for Qin Mengxi would not change.

A man's words are deceitful as ghosts.

After Zhou Ruotang entered the household, she impressively gave birth to a son, and in the same year, Qin Mengxi finally became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter.

But there is a world of difference between the receptions of birthing a son and a daughter, and with Zhou Ruotang becoming pregnant again the following year, Ye Zhengde's heart was gradually drawn away, and he became indifferent to Qin Mengxi. As time passed, the emotional bond faded.

Of course, another reason was that Qin Mengxi herself came from a prestigious family, and she had married beneath her when Ye Zhengde's official rank wasn't as high. She brought with her pride and looked down on vying for favor. As Ye Zhengde's official fortune advanced, he also became less reliant on Qin Mengxi's family's influence and power.

With no love between the couple and no material bonds to tie them, they naturally grew further apart.