The Prime Minister Knows How to Handle Her Wife (ABO, GL) - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Because of last night’s events, Sheng Shiyue woke up early this morning. She just finished her meal when she heard that Ning Qingge had returned.

She turned her steps toward the other party, but she saw a tightly closed door.

Nanyuan, guarding the door, hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, and said, “Your Highness.”

She explained, “Last night’s heavy rain was torrential. It knocked down tiles from several palace buildings. The clothes the lord left at the government office also got ruined. She could only return to the mansion to change into clean robes. She will head out to work again soon.”

Sheng Shiyue nodded to show she understood. She wanted to wait at the door for the other party to come out, but she saw another servant running over.

The servant stopped and shouted, “Your Highness, the Sixth Princess has arrived.”

Sheng Shiyue raised her eyebrows. Since she opened her mansion, the Sixth Princess rarely visited. Her gaze swept over the still-closed door. A trace of gloom flashed in her eyes. Then she said, “Let’s go.”

After all, they were nominally sisters. If the Sixth Princess came to the mansion and Sheng Shiyue pretended not to know, it would cause trouble.

Because it was rarely used, the mansion’s main hall was cold. Like an ordinary mansion, it had neatly arranged chairs, stools, and a square table. It felt too serious to be Sheng Shiyue’s mansion.

A servant brought tea and carefully placed it on a side table. An older woman sat nearby, smiled, and nodded at the servant, acting very approachable.

This was the current Sixth Princess of the Liang Kingdom—Sheng Xianyin.

If Sheng Shiyue bore a slight resemblance to the Emperor, the Sixth Princess completely inherited her mother consort’s appearance: round face, fair skin, gentle, and kind. She wore a stone-blue robe with a dragon pattern and held a folding fan, looking like an elegant scholar from the south.

Seeing Sheng Shiyue arrive, she stood up immediately, smiled, and said, “Ninth Little Sister.”

Hearing this voice, Sheng Shiyue felt uncomfortable all over. She hated dealing with such hypocritical, sanctimonious people the most.

But with the person standing before her, she couldn’t pretend not to see. She forced a smile and said hypocritically, “Sixth Sister.”

“I came uninvited and disturbed Ninth Little Sister’s rest,” Sheng Xianyin said.

Sheng Xianyin smiled apologetically and added, “This prince has an urgent matter to discuss with Lord Ning. But Lord Ning has been busy with state affairs these past few days. I couldn’t find her. Just now, my carriage passed by, and I saw her enter the mansion. I thought to go with Lord Ning to the palace and discuss important matters on the way. This won’t delay Lord Ning’s time and will resolve the issue.”

Sheng Xianyin, having been granted a princely title years ago along with the Eighth Princess, could call herself “this prince.”

Her words were reasonable, so Sheng Shiyue could only respond politely.

Soon, Ning Qingge came out. Sheng Xianyin bypassed Sheng Shiyue, walked straight to her, and repeated her earlier words.

Ning Qingge could only agree. Then her gaze turned backward, and she said gently, “Last night’s rain was heavy. The morning chill hasn’t dissipated. If Your Highness goes out, you should wear a robe to avoid catching a cold.”

Her tone changed noticeably. When looking at Sheng Shiyue, the coldness in her eyes softened. Her dark jade eyes reflected only Sheng Shiyue’s figure.

Even a blind person could hear Ning Qingge’s special treatment of her.

The inexplicable irritation in Sheng Shiyue’s heart dissipated. She coughed, preparing to speak, but Sheng Xianyin interrupted, saying, “Look at me, so careless. As an older sister, I’m less considerate than Lord Ning.”

She turned to Sheng Shiyue and said with concern, “Little Sister, go add some clothes.”

From her attitude, one might think Sheng Xianyin and Ning Qingge were a married couple, jointly caring for a younger sister!

Sheng Shiyue’s brows furrowed, and her face darkened on the spot.

But Sheng Xianyin said, “Since Lord Ning is busy, we shouldn’t delay here, lest we miss the hour.”

Caring for her was a delay, was it?!

Sheng Shiyue’s face darkened further.

But this time, Ning Qingge said nothing. It was indeed getting late, and they would be delayed if they didn’t leave.

Their figures disappeared outside the door. A servant nearby cautiously stepped forward and asked, “Does Your Highness still want to add clothes…”

“Add what clothes! Let me freeze to death!” Sheng Shiyue shouted angrily, storming out with loud steps.

The morning mist hadn’t yet cleared. The vast Bianjing had already awakened. The carriage sped along. Vendors on both sides of the road carried bamboo baskets, calling out their wares. Shops had opened their doors. Diligent assistants swept the ground, making rustling sounds.

The carriage wheels rolled over puddles, taking a longer route to reach Nanyuan. The houses in Nanyuan were old and mixed, home to the lowest classes, one of the most chaotic places in Bianjing. The rent was much cheaper than elsewhere, suitable for people like Jin Jinglian, who had little money.

Sheng Shiyue lifted the curtain to look back. At some point, the Meng and Xiao families’ carriages followed behind.

As they turned into an alley, Madam Jin, sitting nearby, shouted, “We’re here.”

The carriage stopped, and everyone jumped down.

Before Madam Jin and the others could speak, Meng Qingxin and Xiao Jing hurried back, shouting loudly, “My goodness, you dragged us out before dawn, circling to Nanyuan for what?”

Meng Qingxin was full of resentment and continued, “I spent all afternoon with you yesterday, only getting home at night. As soon as I entered, my Mother scolded me.”

Xiao Jing, yawning beside her, said sleepily, “Sheng Jiu, what’s the matter?”

“You didn’t even tell me in advance. I didn’t know your lord was teaching at the Imperial Academy. I skipped class, wandered with you two all afternoon, and when I got home, Lord Ning assigned a pile of work. I stayed up until midnight to finish.”

The Liang Kingdom had an Imperial Academy. Ordinary students could enroll through exams, with all fees covered by the state treasury, including food and lodging. Aristocratic heirs like them could pay large sums to skip the exams and study there directly.

The Liang Kingdom valued the Imperial Academy highly, encouraging officials to teach there in their spare time and having imperial heirs study there.

It was said that several of the Sixth Princess’s aides were met at the Imperial Academy. Thus, both commoner scholars and noble children tried every means to enter.

However, Sheng Shiyue disliked studying, and the Meng family had special circumstances, so only Xiao Jing studied there.

Hearing this, Sheng Shiyue’s face grew darker.

Good for you, Ning Qingge. You have time to teach at the Imperial Academy but no time to come home, huh?!

The two noticed her expression was off and were surprised.

Meng Qingxin said, “What’s wrong? Weren’t you fine yesterday?”

Xiao Jing asked, “Who upset you in the middle of the night?”

She looked around, guessing, “What’s up? Bringing us here early to settle a score?”

Sheng Shiyue’s eyes were gloomy. She didn’t want to say much. Fortunately, Ye Liuyun, following behind, stepped forward and briefly explained last night’s events.

The two immediately looked serious, glancing at the tightly closed door.

Sheng Shiyue turned to Jin Jinglian and said, “Open the door.”

With a creak, the door was pushed open. At first, the courtyard was empty, without a single sound, like an abandoned place. Everyone looked puzzled, their gazes toward Jin Jinglian full of doubt.

But she remained calm, walking straight inside until she reached a room and knocked on the door.

The surrounding guards gripped their sword hilts tightly. Ye Liuyun and Ye Chiling stepped in front of Sheng Shiyue.

The door shook, and a little girl pushed it open, rushing into Jin Jinglian’s arms, crying, “Aunt Jin.”

Then, one after another, children appeared—over a dozen in total.

Meng Qingxin was puzzled and said, “So many kids? How are they so quiet?”

The children, the oldest only thirteen and the youngest five or six, were at their most boisterous age, capable of tearing roofs apart. How could they stay so quietly in the house?

As she spoke, the dice-roller from before explained softly, “In the prison, they were beaten for crying or making noise. Over time, they became like this…”

“And this place is full of riffraff. If they make noise, thugs might notice, causing trouble. We can only ask them to stay quiet. Luckily, they’re obedient,” the dice-roller sighed.

Meng Qingxin and the others didn’t know what to say. Children are naturally naughty. A few beatings wouldn’t make them this obedient. Who knew how much they had suffered?

Looking ahead, the children were all skin and bones. Even in their excitement, they deliberately kept their voices low, like sparrows chirping faintly. If they stood farther away, they might not hear anything.

Meng Qingxin didn’t know how to feel.

After Madam Jin spoke a few words to them, her face changed, and she hurriedly entered the house. The Thousand Gates members followed. Moments later, Madam Jin rushed out.

Sheng Shiyue asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jin Jinglian quickly explained, “The food we left was eaten two days ago. Last night, some kids, too hungry, drank rainwater from the eaves. Now they’re sick, lying inside, unable to move.”

Sheng Shiyue frowned and looked at Ye Liuyun.

Ye Liuyun strode inside and, after a moment, came out, nodding to Sheng Shiyue.

“Let’s go,” Sheng Shiyue said, stepping over the threshold first.

Seeing Sheng Shiyue and the others, the children’s faces showed fear and panic. They huddled together, their thin bodies trembling unconsciously. Yet, despite their fear, they made no sound.

Sheng Shiyue’s gaze swept over them as she entered the room. There were no beds or chairs, only dry straw on the floor. Four or five children lay there, their cheeks sunken, lips pale, with whip marks on their exposed legs.

One child woke, saw Sheng Shiyue, and flinched in fear, backing away while covering her mouth to stay silent.

They knew nothing—why they were taken to prison, what the future held. They only knew making noise meant beatings, trouble, or being taken away again.

So, even starving, they didn’t dare step outside. They tied their stomachs with straw and secretly drank rainwater from the eaves.

“Sheng Jiu, this—” Meng Qingxin couldn’t bear it.

For some reason, Sheng Shiyue walked to the little girl, squatted down to speak, but saw her lower her hand. Tears fell from her numb eyes, yet she made no sound, only reached to undo her clothes with practiced ease.

It was as if someone had done this to her many times, giving a child who shouldn’t have such skill a disturbing familiarity.

“Xiao Chi!” Madam Jin rushed from behind, hugged the child, pulled her clothes back, and held her tightly.

Without turning, Madam Jin’s suppressed voice trembled, “Sorry, Your Highness. Xiao Chi didn’t mean it. She doesn’t know who you are.”

“When we saved her, she had already… been bought for a long time…”

Fearing to upset the child, Madam Jin didn’t say more in her presence.

Sheng Shiyue looked at the child’s tattered clothes trembling outside.

Was she… crying?

“It’s okay, Xiao Chi. It’s okay. They’re not bad people. Don’t be afraid.”

“No more of that will happen. Aunt Jin promises. Don’t be afraid,” Madam Jin soothed, her voice low. A faint cry came from her arms, quieter than a newborn kitten.

Sheng Shiyue withdrew her half-raised hand, clenching it into a fist.

The other children crowded in but only dared stay in the corner, looking at Sheng Shiyue and the others with timid eyes.

Sheng Shiyue turned her head, unable to look at them. Her gaze fell on a corner, spotting a familiar clay figurine, palm-sized, its clothes painted white but now peeling and mottled.

She froze, stood up, and walked toward the figurine.

The children shrank back nervously, pressing against the wall, their breathing almost stopping.

Though Madam Jin had explained, their trauma made them instinctively fear adults’ approach.

Sheng Shiyue picked up the figurine, rubbing her thumb over its blurred face, no longer clear as it once was.

She asked hoarsely, “Why is this here?”

Tian Ling, who followed, didn’t understand but answered, “It was here when we rented the house. The neighbors said the owner moved away years ago and only wrote two years back to have it rented out. But the house was too rundown to rent.”

She added cautiously, “Is there a problem with this figurine? We haven’t been in the capital long and don’t know the taboos. The kids often came to kneel and worship it, so we kept it.”

Sheng Shiyue didn’t reply. Instead, she looked at the children, her tone flat, hiding her emotions, and asked, “Why do you worship her?”

The children were timid. After a long pause, one stepped forward, stammering, “Mother said… said… this is a fairy. The fairy will bless us.”

A spark flashed in Sheng Shiyue’s eyes. She asked, “Mother? You’ve seen this figurine before?”

The child said, “My home… there’s a temple. Mother took me to worship the fairy.”

“Where’s your home?”

Perhaps sensing Sheng Shiyue wouldn’t hurt her, the child grew bolder and said, “Yangzhou.”

Sheng Shiyue suddenly added, “Jiangkou County.”

The child’s eyes lit up, saying eagerly, “Sister, you know my home? Can you take me home? I miss my Mother so much.”

Sheng Shiyue paused, then said, “I… don’t know…”

She had only read about it in forbidden books.

Yangzhou once had a flood. The Emperor sent the deposed Crown Princess south. She persuaded wealthy families to donate, built dams, cleared waterways, and led the people to plant trees and fields along the riverbanks, stopping the floods. The people of Yangzhou, grateful, built temples and statues, offering incense daily. This spread nationwide, and people called the deposed Crown Princess a fairy, sculpting statues to worship.

Sheng Shiyue thought those had been destroyed, yet some remained in Yangzhou.

It made sense. Yangzhou had frequent floods. When they struck, rivers destroyed fields and homes, sweeping away livestock and even people. But after the deposed Crown Princess’s efforts, no major floods had occurred. How could the people not be grateful?

The child’s eyes dimmed instantly. Before Sheng Shiyue could react, someone returned with food. The starving children rushed forward.

Sheng Shiyue held the figurine and turned to leave.

Meng Qingxin and the others followed, wanting to speak but stopping.

Everyone fell silent.

“What do you think?” Sheng Shiyue asked them.

Before they answered, she said to herself, “I’ll think about it more.”

Madam Jin, who followed, didn’t press her, saying, “They open the door every seven days. The next time is in three days. Your Highness can consider it longer.”

Sheng Shiyue nodded slightly, showing she heard, but her mood was heavy. She said nothing more, only instructing Ye Liuyun to find a doctor for the children.

The carriage wheels rolled, slowly leaving.