Chapter 315

It was not until she felt a burning pain in her palm that Lin realized what had happened.

Looking at the visible redness and swelling on Lin Xuefu's face, Lin stammered in panic, "Xue'er, I..."

However, before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by Xue Liu's cold voice, leaving a sentence "Mother, take care of yourself". Xue Liu turned around resolutely, and there was no trace of nostalgia in her cold back.

Lin's heart suddenly hurt, as if she had foreshadowed what Xue Liu's departure meant this time, but her strong self-esteem prevented Lin from chasing after her. Instead, she thought fortunately: After all, she and Xue Liu were mother and daughter, and the blood ties between them could not be erased no matter what. Moreover, although she took action, was Xue Liu not at all wrong? As a daughter, she contradicted her mother again and again. It was time for Xue Liu to reflect on her attitude towards her.

On the other side, after coming out of Qi Futang, Bihen wanted to help Xueliu back to the Prince's Mansion, but Xueliu turned around and went to Shen Qing's Tinglan Courtyard.

Bihen was a little worried. After all, anyone with a discerning eye could see what was going on on Xueliu's face. If he went there now, wouldn't it be obvious to tell Shen Qing that Xueliu and Lin had quarreled?

Xueliu shook her head, and her eyes were filled with self-mockery. The Mu family had become like this. Was there any need to continue to cover up whether the relationship was good or not?

What's more, after explaining to Shen Qing today, Xueliu was not going to come back.

Since the death of Yangling Marquis, there has been no warmth in Yangling Marquis' Mansion.

As expected, the conversation with Shen Qing was not smooth. Xueliu could clearly see that Shen Qing was no longer the little girl who could be manipulated by the Mu family at will. Now Shen Qing was more like a fire phoenix after Nirvana. As long as she wanted, she could burn Yangling Marquis' Mansion to ashes at any time.

When Xue Liu realized this, she knew that Yangling Marquis's Mansion was finished, and as for the date of death, it was only a matter of time.

The Mu family was beyond redemption, so Xue Liu naturally did not intend to waste her energy any more. She left Shen Qing's courtyard in a dignified manner, and then bid farewell to this place that was ostensibly her mother's home, but in fact no one really cared about her.

A few days after Xue Liu returned to the Prince's Mansion, it was Jiang Li's wedding day.

The entire Prince's Mansion was full of festive red, and the sound of firecrackers rang from early in the morning until Jiang Li entered the door.

The current Crown Princess, the future mother of a country, should have such a pomp.

Xue Liu did not care on the surface, but when she heard the maid say that the emperor and empress personally presided over the wedding of Chu Lingxiu and Jiang Li, and the guests were full, she could not help but feel a pause in her heart.

As a woman, no one would not care about the scene of their wedding, but she, who had been calculating for half her life, only calculated the position of a concubine.

It is said that he endured humiliation and bore heavy burdens, but he could not help but feel regretful when he woke up in the middle of the night.

"Your Highness...are you happy?"

"Of course..." The maid next to him was about to respond, but was interrupted by Bihen, who then signaled her to go out first.

After the door was carefully closed, Bihen counseled Xue Liu: "Master, the emperor and empress are here today, so your Highness naturally cannot have a bitter face, but you know that your Highness has always had you in his heart."

Xue Liu understood what Bihen said. The white moonlight in her youth was irreplaceable, but irreplaceable... did not mean that it was always needed.

What's more, the current Yangling Marquis Mansion could no longer provide any help to Chu Lingxiu.

Xue Liu did not respond, but leaned on the soft couch, staring at the fresh green outside the window.

She did not like the red that Chu Lingxiu had set up for others.

Looking at Xue Liu's lonely back, Bi Hen sighed softly, knowing that Xue Liu was really sad this time. The abandonment of her mother's family and her husband's remarriage, each of them weighed heavily on her thin back.

Bi Hen was about to turn around when she heard Xue Liu's weak voice: "Bi Hen, I'm so tired."

She had been planning for many years, using her lifelong happiness as a bargaining chip, but in the end, what she got was an increasingly distant dream.

Hearing Xue Liu's heart-breaking voice, Bi Hen's heart couldn't help but ache. She turned around and hugged Xue Liu's thin body, comforting her softly: "Master, there is still Bi Hen, Bi Hen will always be with you."

Xue Liu raised a smile at the corner of her mouth, but tears slid down from the corner of her eyes.

...

The next morning, Xue Liu took Bi Hen to serve tea to Jiang Li.

In the past, she was the woman with the highest status in the prince's mansion, and all concubines had to rush to her yard early in the morning. Now that Jiang Li had entered the palace, she also became one of those concubines.

Looking at Xue Liu's bulging belly, Jiang Li smiled with concern, "Concubine Mu's belly is already so big, so forget about serving tea."

The news of Xue Liu's pregnancy was released last month. The explanation to the emperor was very simple. He said that Xue Liu was weak and the doctor said that the fetus was unstable. He was afraid that the emperor would be disappointed, so he waited until the fetus was completely stable before telling the emperor.

The emperor was really pleased and rewarded Xue Liu with a lot of things.

Xue Liu said respectfully, "Your Majesty is tolerant, I am grateful, but etiquette cannot be abolished. As a concubine, I must serve tea to your Majesty."

Jiang Li did not refuse again, but told Bi Hen to hold Xue Liu well. The tea was warm, and when it was handed to Jiang Li, she took it immediately. On the surface, Jiang Li was considerate, but Xue Liu knew in her heart that Jiang Li's tricks were still behind.

After serving tea, Jiang Li asked the maids around her to give gifts to each concubine, and reminded everyone: Xue Liu is pregnant with Chu Lingxiu's first child, so they must take more care of Xue Liu.

All the concubines agreed with a smile, but in fact, they were full of ridicule in their hearts.

Xue Liu used to be the only one who dominated Chu Lingxiu's favor, but now that Jiang Li, the main wife, has entered the house, Xue Liu's favor has come to an end.

Once a person struggles in the vortex of power for a long time, his mentality will change: whether he lives well or not is secondary, as long as others do not live well, that is enough.

Xue Liu thanked Jiang Li again, and then left with the help of Bi Hen.

Looking at Xue Liu's back slowly walking away, Jiang Li smiled.

So what if she got pregnant before her? What she wants, no one can ever take away.

As Jiang Li promised, in the days that followed, Jiang Li took the lead in sending some supplements to Xue Liu every now and then, and specifically instructed the palace doctor to check Xue Liu's pulse every half a month until Xue Liu gave birth to this baby safely.

When Chu Lingxiu learned about this, he was overjoyed. As the crown prince, he could focus all his energy on the affairs of the previous dynasty with a happy harem.

However, what Chu Lingxiu didn't know was that because of Jiang Li's care, Xue Liu's current situation in the backyard of the prince's mansion could be described as walking on thin ice. Even the concubines who had been on good terms with her had turned against each other and turned to Jiang Li.

Unlike the real swords and guns of the previous dynasty, the backyard of the family house was mostly soft knives that killed people without blood.

After more than half a month, Xue Liu's originally slightly plump figure had become thinner, and her face was also visibly tired.

Seeing Xue Liu like this, Chu Lingxiu immediately felt distressed and asked her if she had suffered any injustice. Xue Liu smiled and shook her head, saying that she just had a bad appetite and sleep because she was pregnant, so she lost some weight.

Jiang Li was very smart. She left almost no clues when she took action. If Xue Liu told Chu Lingxiu, it would only backfire and make her situation in the backyard more difficult.

Wait a little longer, and when she successfully gave birth to the child, the situation would probably be relieved.

After Chu Lingxiu left, Bihen looked at Xueliu with a distressed face, "Why didn't the master mention it to His Highness just now? Although we have no evidence, as long as His Highness's feelings for you are more obvious, those people will always restrain themselves."

Xueliu shook her head, "It's useless. Jiang Li has already established a good persona in His Highness's eyes. The Jiang Guogong Mansion is now in the limelight. His Highness will never doubt her. And once His Highness stands up for me, our days will be even more difficult."

Bihen also reacted, with a look of resentment on his face, "This group of people are not only snobbish but also ungrateful. When you first married, His Highness said so many good things for them, but now no one remembers your kindness."

Xueliu smiled bitterly, "Human nature is cold and thin, not to mention that when I did those things, I was never sincere."

Now they can target me for Jiang Li, and when the Jiang Guogong Mansion loses power, they can naturally target Jiang Li for others.

In fact, all these concubines in the Prince's Mansion were only doing it for themselves.

Although Jiang Li's life after marriage was difficult, with Chu Lingxiu's favor, Xue Liu was not forced into a desperate situation.

However, the concubines in the Prince's Mansion did not force Xue Liu into a desperate situation, but Yangling Marquis' Mansion took the lead in cutting off Xue Liu's life.

On the morning of June 22, Xue Liu learned a big news-

Shen Qing and Mu Ziqian divorced, and the emperor granted Shen Qing and Lu Yan a marriage on the spot. This move undoubtedly slapped the face of Yangling Marquis' Mansion.

But now, the most important thing is not face or not, but the debts owed by Yangling Marquis' Mansion.

It was the first time that Xue Liu heard that they would have to pay off their family after the divorce.

Xue Liu knew how much the Yangling Marquis' Mansion was worth. Without Shen Qing's dowry, they would have problems with even the most basic food and clothing.

Although Xue Liu's relationship with the Mu family had become strained, she could not watch the mansion left by the Yangling Marquis go wrong.

Xue Liu was not stupid. Shen Qing was coming with great momentum, and with Lu Yan's help, the Mu family could not pay back the money, and they might have to use the land deed to pay off the debt in the end.

Although the Yangling Marquis's mansion was built for the Yangling Marquis by the order of the previous emperor, the land deed was handed over to the Yangling Marquis as early as when the mansion was built, and now it can be said to be the private property of the Mu family.

After letting Bi Hen settle the silver in her small warehouse and pawning a lot of jewelry that could be sold, Xue Liu went straight to the Yangling Marquis's mansion with 20,000 taels of silver notes.