Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha Playboy in Ancient Times (GL) - Chapter 17
Just as Concubine Zhou was about to head out, she saw her daughter storming into the room, fuming with anger. Alarmed, she quickly asked, “Muxue, what happened? Who made you this upset?”
“It’s that Concubine Liu!” Su Muxue snapped. “Everything the Prince’s Residence sent was delivered straight to their courtyard! It’s infuriating! Mother, how can you tolerate this? In the past, whenever there was something good, Father always let us choose first after giving some to the main wife. How could that wretched woman, Concubine Liu, benefit this time?”
Although Su Muxue was also a concubine’s daughter, her mother was favored, giving her a much better standing than Su Muyu and the others. She couldn’t surpass her legitimate sister, Su Muqiu, but she loved picking on the less-favored sisters.
“I thought the same,” Concubine Zhou sneered. “I’m going over there myself to see what’s going on.” She brought along several strong and imposing matron-servants, and together with her daughter, they headed for the southern courtyard where Liu Xiang lived.
As they arrived, Su Muxue spotted her eldest sister, Su Muqiu, standing outside the courtyard as if she too were about to enter.
“Elder Sister, you’re here too?” Su Muxue called out with a smile as she ran over. Although they weren’t especially close, Su Muxue often gave gifts to curry favor with Su Muqiu, the legitimate daughter.
“I came on behalf of Mother to see what’s going on here in the southern courtyard,” Su Muqiu replied with a polite nod.
“What else could it be? Concubine Liu and her lot are getting full of themselves now that they’re clinging to the Prince’s Residence. They actually dared to keep everything sent from the palace for themselves—how outrageous! Besides, everyone knows the Princess is fond of you, Elder Sister. Those gifts were clearly meant for you,” Su Muxue gushed, full of flattery.
Su Muqiu’s face softened with a slight smile. Though she didn’t think much of Shen Xingyue, whose reputation was less than stellar, the fact remained that Xingyue was a princess of the Prince’s Residence and had a fondness for her. It was something she could still take pride in. Su Muqiu responded with a gentle laugh, “You’re teasing me, Fourth Sister. The Princess is already married to Third Sister. There’s no way those things were sent because of me.”
“You’re the one being modest, Elder Sister. Who in the capital doesn’t know the Eldest Princess of Ankang is fond of you? Su Muyu only married into the Prince’s Residence because she took advantage of your situation. If not for that, someone like her might’ve ended up married to some street vendor,” Su Muxue scoffed, glancing disdainfully toward Liu Xiang’s courtyard—as though she could see Su Muyu through the walls.
“Let’s go have a look together, then. That way, I can report back to Mother,” Su Muqiu suggested.
“Sure!” Su Muxue replied cheerfully, then turned to Concubine Zhou. “Mother, let’s go in together with Elder Sister. I really want to see how many things Concubine Liu dared to hoard from the Prince’s Residence.”
“It’s even better that your sister is with us,” Concubine Zhou agreed with a smile. She motioned to Nanny Wang at her side to call someone out.
“Concubine Liu, Concubine Zhou and the Eldest Miss are waiting in the courtyard. Hurry up and open the door!” Nanny Wang shouted rudely, pounding heavily on the door. The loud knocks startled Su Muzhi inside, who immediately dove into Liu Xiang’s arms, trembling.
“Mother, who’s outside? I’m scared,” the little one whimpered, curling into a tight ball. The last time those bad women came, her mother had ended up crying after being bullied.
“Don’t be afraid, Zhizhi. I’ll go see what’s going on. As long as I’m here, no one will hurt you.” Liu Xiang forced herself to stay calm—if she panicked, who would protect her daughter?
Worried that Liu Xiang might be bullied again, Nanny Zheng quickly stood beside her. As soon as Liu Xiang opened the door, Su Muxue’s mocking voice rang out, laced with sarcasm. “Well, well—Concubine Liu really has changed since clinging to the Prince’s Residence. You won’t even open the door for us now?”
“That’s not what I meant. May I ask why Eldest Miss and Concubine Zhou have come here today?” Liu Xiang asked calmly, standing in the doorway.
“What, are you going to make us stand outside and talk?” Concubine Zhou said with feigned sweetness. “You’re quite the grand lady now, aren’t you?”
Liu Xiang clenched her fists tightly within her sleeves, but her expression remained polite. “My place is humble, and I still have little Zhizhi to care for. I feared it wouldn’t be fitting for you and the Eldest Miss. But since you insist, please come in.”
“Hmph. At least you know your place,” Su Muxue huffed and barged inside, followed by the others.
Zhizhi cowered behind Liu Xiang, frightened by the sudden influx of people.
Concubine Zhou took one look at the furnishings in Liu Xiang’s room and scoffed, “So shabby—my maidservants live better than this.”
Su Muqiu glanced around briefly, then withdrew her gaze with a faint frown. Her every movement was cautious, as if worried her silk robes might get stained.
“Concubine Zhou, would you now care to explain why you’ve come?” Liu Xiang asked, eyeing the seven or eight matron-servants standing in her room and the household guards waiting in the courtyard. A sense of unease began to creep into her heart.
“What’s the matter, you ask?” Su Muxue snapped. “Liu Xiang, how dare you even ask that? You took the liberty of keeping all the things the Princess sent—do you have no sense of propriety? Don’t you know the rules? Anything sent from outside the residence must first go to the Main Madam for selection, then to my mother, and only after that can the rest be distributed among Father’s other concubines. But you? You kept everything for yourself. Do you have no regard for Father and the Main Madam at all?” Her delicate features twisted into a look of sharp disdain.
“I didn’t,” Liu Xiang said quickly, turning to Su Muqiu as she explained, “Housekeeper Li from the Prince’s Residence personally told me that the items were a special gift from the Princess—just some charcoal and cotton quilts, nothing else.”
“Nothing else?” Su Muxue scoffed, opening one of the food boxes with disdain. But the moment she saw the delicate pastries inside, her eyes lit up. Though her father was a fifth-rank official, Beichuan was a region of scarce resources. These kinds of pastries weren’t something they could enjoy often, and certainly not ones as fine as those from the Prince’s Residence.
“These were also sent to us by the Prince’s Residence,” Liu Xiang explained, trying to remain composed. “But if Madam Zhou and the Eldest Miss would like them, you’re welcome to take them all. It’s just that the charcoal and quilts are things we truly need. It’s not for me—Zhizhi is still so young. Considering she’s your younger sister, could we perhaps keep those?”
Her tone was calm, even submissive. After all, her side only had a few people, while the other brought a dozen servants and guards—she had no way to resist.
“Heh, how generous of you,” Su Muxue sneered. “These things were supposed to be ours to choose from in the first place. And now you’re pretending you’re giving them away as some grand favor? People like you think you’re worthy of such fine pastries?”
With that, Su Muxue grabbed a piece of pastry and “accidentally” let it fall to the ground. Glancing at little Zhizhi, she let out a mocking laugh. “Zhizhi, come pick it up. This is a reward from your elder sister. Make sure you eat it later, alright?”
The little girl looked hesitantly from Su Muxue to the pastry on the floor. Nervously, she took a few small steps forward. Her mother had told her that food was precious—if something fell on the ground, as long as you peeled off the dirty layer, it was still edible.
But Liu Xiang’s heart ached at the sight. She quickly pulled her daughter back and looked at Su Muxue, eyes misting with unshed tears. “If you’re angry, take it out on me. Zhizhi is only three years old—how could you treat her like this?”
“What do you mean? I was just being generous, giving my little sister a treat,” Su Muxue replied with a cold smile, unmoving. “I doubt she’s ever tasted such pastries before. And now you want to accuse me of something?”
Seeing her mother nearly in tears, Zhizhi stopped walking and clung tightly to Liu Xiang’s leg. “Mama, don’t be angry. Zhizhi won’t pick it up. Don’t cry.”
Liu Xiang looked at her tiny daughter, eyes rimmed red as she soothed her gently, “Mama’s not angry at you, sweetheart. You’ve been very good.”
Su Muqiu, who had been watching the spectacle from the side, finally spoke, seeing things had gone far enough. “Fourth Sister, that’s a bit much. Zhizhi is our little sister, after all. You shouldn’t treat her like that.”
Hearing this, Su Muxue immediately changed her tone. “Elder Sister is right, you’ve always been so magnanimous. Let’s be honest, if it weren’t for you, Su Muyu would never have married into the Prince’s Residence. I’m sure the Princess sent all this to please you, not for some ungrateful concubine to hoard. Everyone in the capital knows that the Eldest Princess of Ankang admires you. But some people—blind and lowborn—still pretend not to see.”
“Enough,” Su Muqiu said with a faint smile. “The Princess is already married to Third Sister. Let the past stay in the past. Muxue, you should also be more careful with your words.”
Although she spoke of restraint, Su Muqiu had clearly enjoyed hearing those words earlier.
She turned her gaze back to Liu Xiang. “Concubine Liu, it’s true that today’s incident wasn’t handled appropriately. I understand your life is difficult, but you shouldn’t have kept these things for yourselves. Let’s do this—have your servants move everything into the courtyard. Once my mother finishes dividing things up, each residence will receive their fair share. Is that acceptable to you?”
The implication was clear. Several strong men were still standing just outside, waiting on Su Muqiu’s command. Whether Liu Xiang agreed or not, the redistribution was happening. After a long silence, Liu Xiang could only clutch her daughter tightly and nod.
She wiped at her tears with her sleeve, but the more she wiped, the more they came. At least one thing Su Muxue said was true: everyone in the capital knew that Shen Xingyue admired Su Muqiu. How could her daughter fare well in the Prince’s Residence? Who knew how much suffering her daughter endured just to send her and Zhizhi these life-saving supplies—yet she couldn’t even protect a single one of them.
As Liu Xiang stood there in sorrow, Su Muxue suddenly spoke again. At some point, she had picked up the letter that had been resting on the table—written by Su Muyu to Liu Xiang. Now, it was in Su Muxue’s hands.
“Well, well,” Su Muxue said with a smirk, “so our dear Princess Consort even took the time to write home? I think I’ll take a look and see what she had to say.”
With that, she began to tear open the envelope.