Chapter 8

Shi Mingyuan didn’t say anything. These rear court matters should be handled by the old madam. It was not suitable for him to meddle in these affairs.

The old madam was so infuriated she could shoot into the sky. What kind of person had she not seen before?

She coldly snorted, “A lady of the Prime Minister’s house wears shabbier clothes than servants! Why does Qingshan not have a single one of the clothes that should’ve been distributed? However, I’ve never seen Chenghuan wear the same clothes before.”

Shi Chenghuan felt aggrieved. In the past, in this kind of situation, the others would circle around her to comfort her. But the old madam not only didn’t placate her, she even criticized her like this!

Now that the flames were brought unto Shi Chenghuan’s head, the old madam quickly chose her next words.

“Mother, the clothes of my six daughters were all distributed personally by this daughter-in-law. There must be some greedy servant in the middle that believed Qingshan was easy to bully. If I ever find out who did it, I definitely won’t forgive them!”

The madam even lovingly stroked Shi Qingshan’s hair, “Qingshan, my poor daughter. How come you never told Mother when you were wronged? Do you not see me as your mother?”

Shi Qingshan gave a grateful look, “Mother, Qingshan’s mother is you! Mother is the head of the family and there are so many brothers and sisters in this family. It is inevitable that there are some things that can’t be taken care of. Today was Qingshan’s fault for being careless. I beg forgiveness from Grandmother, Father, and Mother.”

At first glance, the mother and daughter seemed at peace with each other. However, there were many thoughts running through the back.

The old madam could see through it. Shi Qingshan actually believed so much in the madam! She must fight for it in her granddaughter’s stead!

“Today, let’s just treat it as a misunderstanding.”

Even though the old madam’s tone wasn’t happy, the matter was finally resolved. The madam secretly let out a sigh of relief.

However, the old madam spoke again, “Give all the clothes, jewelry, and money that Qingshan should’ve received over the years to her. Don’t let outsiders laugh at my Prime Minister’s house saying that we abuse our own daughters!”

This line was a direct jab at the madam.

The madam immediately replied, “Yes, Mother. This wife will immediately pass down the orders! I will not let Qingshan suffer from those servants anymore!”

Shi Qingshan smiled coldly. Hmph, the madam can always pick herself clean of these matters!

The old madam gave the madam a long look, sighed, and said slowly, “Qingshan is already 15 and no longer a child. In the future when she marries, she’ll need to know how to handle household finances. Give her the gifts sent from the Jiu family for her to take care of.”

The madam couldn’t hold back anymore, blue veins were faintly visible on her head. She laughed dryly, “This… she has never used them before. What if it isn’t properly taken care of…?”

“Then let her learn how to do it herself! How much value would those gifts amount to anyways? It’s only enough for Qingshan to practice!” the old madam angrily shouted.

The madam sucked in a deep breath, “Yes, Mother.” The fire burning inside of her was about to explode out!

This was also the first time Shi Chenghuan saw her mother defeated. Today, this mother-daughter pair was actually screwed over by the puny little Shi Qingshan! What a bad omen!

Shi Qingshan knew clearly in her heart that it was impossible to fully seat herself in the old madam’s heart with only these few days of accompaniment.

The old madam just didn’t like the madam’s big attitude that didn’t put others in her eye. The matter this time could also be counted as benefitting from someone else’s misfortune.

These past few years, the gifts from the Jiu family would amount to quite a bit. There were close to ten large boxes and tens of thousands bars of silver! The madam returned it all to Shi Qingshan.

There was no way for the madam to detain anything any longer. The gifts sent to the Prime Minister’s residence were not only recorded by the madam, but also on the old madam’s side.

The old madam was afraid that the madam would pull something else, so she even sent Hu Momo to personally settle the accounts, carrying everything over to Shi Qingshan.

Shi Qingshan was grateful to Hu Momo and gave her a string of precious beads to her as a thank-you gift on the spot. She even generously took out the most valuable pearls to send back to the old madam.

The old madam was satisfied with Shi Qingshan’s behavior. At least, it meant that she didn’t help in vain. Instead, whenever she thought about how the madam hid all these valuables and didn’t honor her with a single copper coin, she was enraged.

Shi Qingshan went from the poorest lady in the Prime Minister’s residence to the wealthiest one overnight.

She looked at the shining boxes and couldn’t resist curling her lips up in a cruel smile.

This was only the beginning…

While Shi Qingshan tasted the joy of victory, the madam hid in her room distressfully.

She privately used up the Jiu family’s gifts and already spent quite a lot. However, Hu Momo was watching vigilantly so she could only grit her teeth and fill in the blanks with her own private funds.

This was not a small amount!

The madam was feeling faint!

Shi Chenghuan thought about it again and felt like something was wrong. She asked, “Mother, I keep finding it strange. It seems that the one reaping all the benefits recently is Shi Qingshan. I keep feeling like something has changed, but…”

However, she couldn’t say anything because Shi Qingshan was still that quiet and obedient her.

The madam coldly said, “That little brat has been quite successful recently! Getting close to the old madam, hmph, and even stabbing me in the back! She has quite some ambition!”

“Daring to rob my job, we indeed need to correct her a little!” Shi Chenghuan’s beautiful face revealed a poisonous expression no outsider had ever seen before.

She originally thought that the madam would agree with her thoughts, but the madam glared coldly at her, “What is Shi Qingshan? Is she worth the effort?”

Shi Chenghuan was stunned, “Mother…”

“The most important thing you need to do right now is to groom yourself and prepare to shine during the hunting party!”

The madam’s eyes shone, “Chenghuan, you are sixteen this year, and mother has let others know that there is a peerlessly beautiful girl in the Prime Minister’s residence. I have never allowed you to show yourself, allowing their imaginations to run wild. Do you know why I did so?”

Shi Chenghuan blinked her lively eyes and bit her lips, “I know.”

Placing a mysterious veil on her beautiful features, wasn’t that just to evoke other people’s interest then making a grand unveiling later?

For the past sixteen years, the madam had been waiting for this moment.

“You were still young back then. You were beautiful, but not mature. Now, it’s different. Mother dares to say that within this whole city, there is no other woman that can match your beauty and talent!” The madam would definitely believe in this daughter of hers.

Shi Chenghuan nodded her head, “Mother has been planning for this daughter since long ago, and I will definitely not let you down!”

The madam nodded her head in satisfaction and solemnly stated, “The Empress is my elder sister, and I wanted to marry you to her Fourth Prince. However, the fourth prince doesn’t have much ambition and is instead addicted to researching immortal youth! I can see that the Empress is disappointed in him. The eldest prince is also muddle-headed, a waste!”

After taking out these two trash, the madam was stuck between the other three high-achieving princes, “The remaining three princes all have their respective talents. That’s why your heart cannot sway towards any one of them. We must wait. Wait to see who has the greatest potential.”

Shi Chenghuan also had a gleam of wisdom in the bottom of her eyes. She knew that that was what her mother had planned for her: the supreme seat of Empress.

But Shi Chenghuan couldn’t help but ask something extra, “That… Is that Imperial Uncle possible?”