On the day of the engagement banquet between Cheng Siyi and Liang Yuchuan, Yu Huiyan rushed to the Princess Dowager's mansion, sobbing.
The Princess Dowager sat on a resplendent chair, holding walnuts carved from Nanshan jade in her hand, looking impatient.
"Princess Dowager, our whole family has followed you for many years, toiling like oxen and horses for you. Even if we have no great merits, we've endured a lot of hardships. Now, my father is imprisoned, my elder brother died a tragic death, and I've been a living widow for a year, laughed at by everyone in the capital. I was even deceived into losing my virginity by Liang Yuchuan. If you don't uphold justice for me, I'll have no choice but to die!"
Yu Huiyan wailed piteously.
She had heard that the Princess Dowager had been in a good mood in recent days. Although she didn't know the reason, it was better to come and pour out her grievances when the Princess Dowager was in a good mood than when she was irritable and gloomy.
Although the Princess Dowager was extremely annoyed, she didn't interrupt her.
After she had cried herself out, the Princess Dowager said slowly, "In matters of love, how can you only blame Liang Yuchuan? He is about to become the heir of the estate. His reputation is important. If you make a fuss, what good will it do for you or him?"
"He went back on his word and made a fool of me. I can't swallow this humiliation."
The Princess Dowager tapped her temple with her fingertips. "Since that's the case, then I'll bestow you as Liang Yuchuan's honored concubine."
Yu Huiyan swallowed her sobs. Her eyes showed both grievance and unwillingness. "Princess Dowager, you've watched me grow up. How could you bear to let Cheng Siyi, a lowly girl born to a brothel woman, outrank me?"
The Princess Dowager's face darkened. Suppressing her anger, she said, "No matter how unworthy Cheng Siyi is, she still has the title of the second legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Wude's mansion. What do you have besides being laughed at?"
The muscles on Yu Huiyan's face twitched violently. She lowered her eyelids to hide the malice in her eyes.
In the past, the Princess Dowager thought that Liang Yuzhou liked her, so her value as a pawn was extremely high. The Princess Dowager was willing to act like a kind elder in public.
Now that she had little use value, the Princess Dowager didn't even bother to pretend.
Her aunt was in a daze all day long and didn't even ask about her.
She felt as if she had been abandoned by the whole world.
"Being Liang Yuchuan's honored concubine is already the best outcome for you!"
The Princess Dowager warned sternly, "After Cheng Siyi marries into the family, I'll make the decision and let Liang Yuchuan marry you through the main gate. This is already giving you enough dignity. If you make any more trouble, don't blame me for not even giving you this bit of dignity!"
Yu Huiyan understood.
Liang Yuchuan was about to become the heir of the estate. He was the one useful to the Princess Dowager.
The Princess Dowager only treated useful people well.
She had long been a discarded pawn.
She regretted so much. When the Princess Dowager asked her to poison the old duke, why didn't she expose the Princess Dowager's conspiracy to the old lady and the old duke directly?
If the old duke hadn't been on the verge of death, the Princess Dowager wouldn't have been able to incite the court officials to clamor for making Liang Yuchuan the heir.
And she, for her merit in exposing the conspiracy, might have been recognized as the second mistress of the Duke's mansion by the old lady, considering her willingness to turn over a new leaf.
So what if she had to be a living widow? She could still live a decent life without a man.
But now, she had made one wrong step after another.
Seducing Liang Yuchuan and losing her virginity was a mistake on top of mistakes.
Now she could only end up as a concubine, having to curry favor with a commoner girl all day long!
Intense unwillingness welled up in her heart. The malice in her hidden eyes became even more intense.
When she looked up at the Princess Dowager again, she became obedient once more.
"The Princess Dowager always thinks about Huiyan. Huiyan is grateful."
She kowtowed three times and walked out as if nothing had happened.
But the calculation in her eyes didn't escape the Princess Dowager's notice.
The Princess Dowager rubbed her temples in distress.
She knew Yu Huiyan's methods all too well.
Although she was stupid, she was more than capable of dealing with a commoner girl raised in a brothel.
Liang Yuchuan would be of great use in the future. She couldn't let his inner courtyard be in chaos.
She had to bestow another person on Liang Yuchuan who could keep the peace in the inner courtyard.
"Where's Aunt Fang? Summon her to see me."
Not long after, Aunt Fang walked in and knelt in front of the Princess Dowager.
"Does the Princess Dowager have any orders for this servant?"
"Look up."
Aunt Fang obeyed.
The Princess Dowager looked at her with a kind smile on her face.
But Aunt Fang felt a chill run down her spine.
She knew the Princess Dowager too well.
The deeper the smile, the more ruthless the action.
"Aunt Fang, how many years have you been with me?"
Aunt Fang lowered her eyelids. "Since the Empress Dowager passed away, this servant has been serving the Princess Dowager for eight years."
"I'm very satisfied with you. But I can't bear to let you serve me all your life. I've found a good place for you."
The Princess Dowager's tone became even gentler, but Aunt Fang frowned deeply.
She knew countless secrets of the Princess Dowager, dirty, sordid, and despicable ones, even ones that were enough to be punished by lingering death.
How could the Princess Dowager let her go?
When she met the Princess Dowager's gaze, she felt a chill running down her back. It was terrifying.
"This servant will abide by the teachings of the Empress Dowager and is willing to serve the Princess Dowager all her life."
A sneer flashed across the Princess Dowager's eyes.
She brought up the Empress Dowager again.
The Empress Dowager had been dead for eight years. Did she really think that just because of a few last words from the Empress Dowager, she had to abide by them all her life?
"I'll betroth you to Liang Yuchuan as a concubine. You can still come to see me often. We'll be as close as before. Liang Yuchuan will be the future duke. You'll have a good ending, and I'll also be able to comfort the soul of my mother in heaven. Isn't it a win-win situation?"
Aunt Fang felt dizzy. A strong sense of vertigo hit her, and she could hardly stand still.
She swayed a few times and suppressed the humiliation in her heart. She argued, "This servant is grateful for the Princess Dowager's kindness, but this servant is already thirty-two years old. I'm past my prime. How can I be worthy of Young Master Liang?"
The Princess Dowager lifted her chin and squinted at her, smiling. "You're still very beautiful. How can you be past your prime? You're still in your prime. If you marry Liang Yuchuan, it'll be a match made in heaven. You can also represent me and suppress those demons and ghosts in his inner courtyard."
Aunt Fang was indeed a beauty. When she was by the Empress Dowager's side, many powerful officials wanted to take her as a concubine.
Taking her into the family would not only be a matter of glory but also equivalent to grasping the preferences of the Empress Dowager, which would make it more convenient to curry favor with her.
But Aunt Fang had always been determined.
She was already past her youth and had never intended to get married. Now she definitely didn't want to.
But the Princess Dowager was forcing her to marry Liang Yuchuan and use her status and influence to intimidate the inner courtyard.
One was a commoner girl who seduced men, and the other was a shameless incestuous woman. To ask her to fight with these two women was simply a great humiliation!
Not to mention, Liang Yuchuan was a man of bad conduct, a weathervane, and a man who forgot his ancestors. He was a complete villain.
To ask her to submit to such a villain was an insult to her personality.
She knew all of the Princess Dowager's crimes. Even when interrogated by Liang Yuzhou, she never thought of betraying the Princess Dowager.
If the Princess Dowager had any affection or respect for her, she wouldn't have treated her like this!
Aunt Fang's heart was completely cold.
After a long time, she took a deep breath and swallowed the humiliating tears.
"Thank you, Princess Dowager, for your concern. This servant will obey your order."
The Princess Dowager nodded in satisfaction.
Aunt Fang was indeed a sensible person.
"This servant wants to go to Jingchan Temple to offer a stick of incense to the Empress Dowager and tell her this good news."
Normally, the Princess Dowager didn't allow Aunt Fang to go out.
But today she was extremely lenient. "Go. Offer a stick of incense to my mother on my behalf too."
She sent a maid to follow Aunt Fang.
When they walked out of the Princess Dowager's mansion, the maid said with a smile, "What a coincidence today! I heard that the old lady of the Duke's mansion is going to meet Young Master Liang the Second and Miss Song at Jingchan Temple."