Shangguan Zhen's eyes dimmed, but she still curved her lips and silently swallowed the metallic taste in her throat.
She could bear the pain on her body. As long as her father still felt guilty as usual after getting angry, she would be content.
Chu Qing caught a glimpse of the girl lying on the ground from the corner of her eye. Different from her arrogance in the restaurant before, at this moment, she showed a bit of a girl's vulnerability, but the inexplicable longing in her eyes made one feel suffocated.
"Your Highness the Princess of Ning may laugh at us. Why don't you go back first? Another day, this low - ranking official will surely lead his unworthy daughter to come and apologize in person!" Shangguan Shenxing saw that Chu Qing's face looked a bit unpleasant, so he restrained his harshness and said in a loud voice.
However, Chu Qing ignored him. Instead, she walked slowly towards Shangguan Haoyu and said, "Is this how you let your son raise your granddaughter?"
Shangguan Haoyu was a bit surprised to hear the obvious questioning tone in Chu Qing's words.
Why did he feel that her tone was like that of someone educating a junior?
Brushing off the discomfort in his heart, just as Shangguan Haoyu was about to speak, Chu Qing gave a cold snort:
"This girl is a bit naughty and arrogant. But don't you two reflect on why she has become like this? Is there something wrong with your own methods? Do you only know how to beat and scold her when she makes a mistake? And this is still in front of an... outsider like me. If I weren't here?" When she said she was an outsider, there was still a bit of sourness in Chu Qing's heart.
Shangguan Zhen was a bit stunned to hear that Chu Qing seemed to be speaking up for her. Then she saw Chu Qing point at herself and continue, "Why don't you ask this girl why she likes to cause trouble outside. Even though you will scold and beat her when she comes back after causing trouble, she still wants to do so. Are the descendants of the Shangguan family all stupid?" By this time, Chu Qing's tone was a bit harsh.
"Her mother died of difficult childbirth when she was born. Maybe we've neglected her a bit on weekdays."
Shangguan Shenxing answered silently. When he wanted to say more, Shangguan Haoyu stopped him with a wave of his hand. Shangguan Haoyu looked at Chu Qing thoughtfully, but his eyes showed no depth.
Chu Qing glanced at him and thought to herself: This brat has become so scheming that she couldn't even tell what he was thinking.
"Are you still not willing to say what you're thinking?" Chu Qing gave Shangguan Zhen a cold look.
Shangguan Zhen was originally a bit tempted by what Chu Qing said, but seeing Chu Qing's superior look, she still stubbornly said, "What I think has nothing to do with you!"
Looking at Shangguan Zhen's stubborn look, there was a coldness in Chu Qing's eyes.
"Do you know that if it weren't me there today but any other powerful person you can't afford to offend, do you think your father and grandfather could protect you? Do you think the Shangguan family is still the same as before?! Let me tell you clearly! If the Grand Empress Dowager were still alive, even if the Shangguan family withdrew from the court, no one would dare to touch the Shangguan family at all! But the Grand Empress Dowager has long passed away! There is no longer a Grand Tutor in the Shangguan family! Even though your grandfather has returned to the court now, do you think it's still the same as before? As the only junior in the Shangguan family at present, instead of thinking about restoring the former glory of the Shangguan family, you are so willful and do things that damage the reputation of the Shangguan family just to attract the attention of your father and grandfather. Do you still think it's not quiet enough in front of the Shangguan family's mansion?"
Chu Qing had already roughly understood Shangguan Zhen's situation.
Her mother died of difficult childbirth when she was born. Even though her father never said anything, he still harbored a bit of resentment towards her. So she hardly received any love from her father in her childhood. Only her grandfather would occasionally educate her. Later, the situation gradually improved, and her father was no longer as cold to her as before. Once, when she accidentally caused trouble and made her father angry, her father actually beat her. And every time after beating her, he seemed a bit guilty and would treat her better.
This made her have some other thoughts in her heart.
And her good younger brother! Although he was now an official in the court, he was only a vice - minister of the Ministry of Rites. How could she not know Shangguan Haoyu's former grand ambitions! Now he was just muddling through every day!
Looking at the three stunned people, Chu Qing continued bluntly, "Do you think you can brag about it for a lifetime just because your great - grandfather was the Grand Tutor and your great - aunt was the Grand Empress Dowager?"
"And you two!" Chu Qing shifted her gaze to the Shangguan father and son. "You're muddling through every day. What are you busy with? The Grand Empress Dowager told the Shangguan family to withdraw from the court back then, not for you to give up on yourselves and just sit around and wait for death! Is the backbone of the Shangguan family going to disappear completely in your generation?!"
These words were really a bit too heavy.
Both Shangguan Haoyu and his son looked dejected. They didn't think it was a disgrace for these words to be said by an outsider.
"But... it was because of great - aunt that the Shangguan family became like this! Otherwise! Grandfather wouldn't be like this!" Shangguan Zhen suddenly said.
"Presumptuous! If it weren't for your great - aunt, there would have been no place for the Shangguan family in the Great Yan Kingdom long ago!" Shangguan Shenxing frowned and scolded.
However, after hearing this, the guilt in Chu Qing's heart finally burst out.
Yes, because of her, the Shangguan family withdrew from the court at its most glorious time. Because of her, Shangguan Haoyu, who had always had grand ambitions, was now just muddling through.
All of this was because she was afraid that her own son would be jealous back then.
"Zhen'er, you're still young. There are some things you don't understand. You don't know how difficult it was for the Grand Empress Dowager back then. As a widow and an orphan, if she wanted to protect her son, she had to be strong. But after becoming strong, she had to show weakness appropriately. Serving the emperor is like being with a tiger. Your great - aunt did a good enough job." There was a bit of tiredness between Shangguan Haoyu's eyebrows, but when he mentioned the Grand Empress Dowager, there was still nostalgia in his eyes.
Chu Qing held back the moisture in her eyes. "I've really said too much to you today. But because I once had a chance encounter with the Grand Empress Dowager, I can imagine that her spirit in heaven would never want the Shangguan family to be in such a state. The current emperor should not be so wary. You can't go on like this forever. I've said what I wanted to say. I'm not going to say more. I'll take my leave first." After saying that, without waiting for them to reply, Chu Qing turned around and left with Lvluo and Liuxin.
She was afraid that if she stayed in the Shangguan Mansion any longer and saw the sad expressions of the three generations of the family, she wouldn't be able to control herself and would wake them all up one by one.
In her previous life, she made the Shangguan family withdraw from the court to make her emperor son feel at ease that the Shangguan family had no second thoughts.
Now, her body from the previous life was probably beyond recognition. Why should they still be so wary?
...
After returning to the Prince Ning's Mansion, Wei Ju happened to come over and handed her a letter.
It was from Wei Ying.
The letter said that he would be back at the mansion in a few days.
Counting carefully, it should be these days.
The gloomy look on Chu Qing's face for a whole day finally showed a smile.
"Does the mistress miss the prince?" Lvluo saw the smile on Chu Qing's face and couldn't help but tease.
Chu Qing gave her a glance. "Mind your own business!"
Then she quickly walked back to the other courtyard.
Taking a closer look, Chu Qing's ears were actually turning red.