CHAPTER 207: CHAPTER 207: VENTING ELSEWHERE

After Consort Wei and Princess Rongkang left, the entire courtyard returned to calm.

Nanny Jiang saw that the Princess Consort still had no expression, so she withdrew.

When she was alone in the room, the façade of calmness finally relaxed for a moment.

She pleaded earnestly to Buddha.

"Merciful Buddha, I hope you will, in light of a life of sincere devotion from this believer, bless my two children to live out their lives in peace and safety. I don’t seek wealth or status, just smoothness and freedom from worry."

Freedom from worry, this was already her greatest hope for her two children.

If it weren’t for that matter from the past, she wouldn’t be reduced to this state today.

She resented for decades, hated for decades, but in the end, she was powerless for decades.

If the heavens have eyes, let her children live well and steadily.

Don’t involve them in these disputes and resentments, so they won’t be resented.

She didn’t want her daughter’s tragedy to happen to her son, so if they couldn’t meet someone who truly treated them well, they could live freely without marriage all their lives.

"Merciful Buddha, merciful Buddha..."

While she was fervently praying, Princess Rongkang was venting her anger in the Prime Minister’s Mansion, with no outlet for her rage.

If she had known she would endure such indignation at the banquet, she would have feigned illness today.

Humiliated once at the Fourth Prince Consort’s place, and once at Princess Consort Zhan’s place.

If she didn’t vent her anger today, she would likely fall ill from holding it in.

Usually, the people from the main house would bear the brunt of this unwarranted anger, but now that they had moved out, naturally others would suffer.

Unluckily, Lin Jingshu happened to come by.

Before even exchanging a few words, she was reprimanded harshly by Princess Rongkang, treated as a scapegoat.

"How many days have you been learning the rules at Ronghe Hall? Why do you still present such an unsightly appearance? Truly, as the seed is, so grows the sprout. Your Aunt is not fit for the stage, do you wish to be the same?"

Then, casting a sharp eye, she continued speaking harshly.

"Look at your wobbly gait; even actors outside walk more properly than you do. Get out of my sight and kneel in the ancestral hall, unsightly thing, out!"

Just to vent her anger, Princess Rongkang said the most hurtful things she could.

Even though Lin Jingshu usually endured in silence, her eyes reddened from the reprimand.

Lowering her voice, she spoke timidly.

"Yes."

And then she left Ronghe Hall, unable to hold back, she ran out crying.

The servants saw this and dared not provoke any further.

Otherwise, while the bastard daughter was kneeling in the ancestral hall, they might be the ones receiving the cane.

Her anger was such that even the hour slipped her mind.

If it weren’t for a servant reporting that Lin Jingshu had fainted while kneeling in the ancestral hall, she might almost have forgotten about the punishment she had meant to inflict.

She merely uttered an "oh" and instructed them to take her to Aunt Guo’s courtyard.

She didn’t even reward with any medicine, only mumbled: useless thing.

Aunt Guo was leisurely looking at sheet music in the courtyard when she saw her beloved daughter being carried in.

Her face pale, her knees swollen and raised.

Terrified, she rushed over and asked.

"What happened? Wasn’t Shu’er being raised in the Old Madam’s courtyard? Why was she sent back?"

While speaking, she reached out to touch her face.

It seemed there was still a bit of a fever.

Naturally, the ones who brought her were from Princess Rongkang’s courtyard, and how could they not stand by their mistress?

So they responded quite haughtily.

"Don’t worry, Aunt. The Old Madam only intended this as a minor correction. This Third Miss is really lacking in sense. The Old Madam daily gives her meticulous guidance, yet many faults remain uncorrected, so she was sent back to Aunt first, to be discussed later."

Hearing this, even if Aunt Guo were a fool, she would understand that this was deliberately said for her to hear.

After all, the child has only been in two places as she grew.

By my side or at the Old Madam’s side.

No matter how one talks about faults, they are saying it’s me, aren’t they?

It’s hateful that without any background to rely on, I don’t even dare vent my grievances at a time like this.

She could only hastily have Lin Jingshu taken inside and personally tended to her.

Also summoning the mansion doctor.

"Doctor, why hasn’t the Third Miss come to yet?"

"Rest assured, Aunt Guo, the Third Miss has a slight fever, that’s why she’s sleeping deeply. Use a cool cloth alternately to help reduce her temperature, and once she wakes, a few doses of medicine will make her well."

"Thank you, doctor."

After the doctor left, she and her maid Xianglian alternated applying cloths to cool her down.

After busying themselves for a little over half an hour, the fever finally subsided.

Lin Jingshu gradually woke, feeling weak.

Seeing Aunt Guo, she immediately, pitifully, threw herself into her embrace.

With a touch of sobbing in her voice, she said.

"Aunt, I don’t want to go to Ronghe Hall for lessons. I’m dull and stupid, no matter how hard I try I cannot win the Old Madam’s favor. I..."

Hearing Lin Jingshu’s distress, Aunt Guo was also heartbroken.

Having raised her daughter with such care and tenderness, how could she bear to see her mistreated?

She could only comfort her by saying.

"Alright, alright, we won’t go, we won’t go. What exactly happened? How did you end up being punished?"

While speaking, she pointed at her knee, which was clearly swollen from kneeling for a long time.

Perhaps even the fever was due to catching cold while kneeling on the ground.

The ancestral hall was naturally shady and cold, and Lin Jingshu was a young girl.

"I... the Old Madam was in a strange mood today. As soon as she entered the door, she looked for faults in me, saying I wasn’t even as good as... as an actor, that’s why I was punished to kneel in the ancestral hall."

The actor remark, Aunt Guo was used to.

The title of a concubine isn’t much better than an actor.

But her daughter, after all, was born and raised in the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Even if being illegitimate, she is still a lady of the Mansion.

Why should the Old Madam describe and mistreat her this way?

Aunt Guo was exceedingly indignant, but she couldn’t openly display it in front of the child.

She could only softly comfort her.

"Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, rest well here with Aunt, we’ll talk when you’re better."

She paused, then added.

"If you really don’t want to go, Aunt will go plead with your father, maybe he’ll allow you not to attend Ronghe Hall anymore."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jingshu’s originally agitated mood gradually calmed down.

She weakly lay back on the bed, closing her eyes to rest.

Aunt Guo tucked her in with a blanket, taking a deep breath afterward.

She looked towards the direction of Ronghe Hall, angrily thought.

That old lady is truly heartless, how could she speak so cruelly not fearing that the child would be hurt by it?

Truly not a trace of a loving elder’s affection to be seen.

After pondering this and that, her hand moved to her abdomen, her gaze grew more resolute.

"Don’t worry, Aunt will surely look after the two of you siblings."

Unfortunately, Lin Jingshu had fallen asleep again from exhaustion, so she didn’t hear this sentence.

Otherwise, she might also have been shocked.