Gossip

Zhao Ruxi laughed, "Indeed, a woman who can rise to the position of Imperial Concubine in the palace and remain there for two or three decades is truly remarkable."

Noble Consort Cen was very good at assessing the situation.

Aside from initially not understanding the situation clearly, which caused some trouble for her and Xiao Lingyan, she later learned that Xiao Lingyan and she had a deep bond, and that Xiao Lingyan was even willing to let his maternal and brotherly feelings fade for her sake. After that, she became much more measured in her actions.

Zhao Ruxi was very satisfied with this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship.

As for whether Noble Consort Cen cursed herself in her heart as a vixen, or whether she cursed herself for seducing her son and causing him to disregard his mother and brother, Zhao Ruxi didn't care and couldn't be bothered to pay attention.

How could these people possibly understand the feelings between her and Xiao Lingyan? They not only shared a romantic relationship spanning two lifetimes, but also a mutual spiritual connection stemming from the same world.

As for the mother-son and brotherly affection that Noble Consort Cen spoke of, how deep could Xiao Lingyan's feelings for them really be, given that he had only been in the world for three or four years and had been entangled in many royal schemes and conspiracies?

"Has Zhao Ruyu already given birth? Was it a son or a daughter? Has the Prince Jingping's Estate decided to make her his official wife?" Zhao Ruxi asked again.

"She didn't give birth. She miscarried; the baby was six months old at the time, a fully formed boy. Because of the injury, she needs to recuperate and won't be able to have children for several years. Consort of Prince of Jingping didn't think much of her to begin with, and now that she's like this, it's probably impossible for her to be made princess," the system said.

Zhao Ruxi was startled and asked, "How did this happen?"

Zhao Ruyu was reborn; she had lived one more life than others. In her previous life, she had handled many domestic affairs in the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence.

Furthermore, knowing the future direction of the Prince Jingping's Estate, and possessing foresight and lofty goals, she shouldn't be too concerned with temporary gains and petty interests, or get bogged down in internal strife with those women in the inner quarters.

How did she get herself into this state?

Before Zhao Ruxi even discovered that the news could be exchanged for points, the system, bored out of its mind, was already running around watching the excitement. Later, it discovered that watching the excitement not only killed time but could also earn points, and its gossip-loving spirit blazed like a raging fire, becoming unstoppable.

Now, when it comes to gossiping with Zhao Ruxi, it wishes it had a physical form so it could sit opposite Zhao Ruxi, have a plate of melon seeds, a bite of snacks, and a cup of fragrant tea—that would be the proper way to gossip.

"Xiao Sijie was so infatuated with her that he almost didn't marry his deceased wife and instead married Zhao Ruyu. Later, less than a month into their marriage, Xiao Sijie brought Zhao Ruyu into the house. His wife was already frail and often ill; coupled with Zhao Ruyu's stunning beauty, it was natural that Xiao Sijie was so captivated that he constantly went to Zhao Ruyu's place and neglected his wife. Just think, how could Xiao Sijie's deceased wife not deeply resent Zhao Ruyu in her lifetime?"

"Yes, yes, that's true." Zhao Ruxi nodded in agreement, then picked up a pastry and took a bite.

Mmm, delicious!

After a month of postpartum confinement, my mouth felt so bland.

"That woman knew her body was weak and her beauty couldn't compare to Zhao Ruyu's. So, while tormenting Zhao Ruyu, she also brought all of Xiao Sijie's mistresses into the manor. To compete for favor, and with the young mistress's instructions, those women did their best to make things difficult for Zhao Ruyu."

"Zhao Ruyu was spoiled by Fu Yunlang in her past life, and in this life she thinks she is a woman favored by heaven, so she can't stand the slightest grievance. No matter how much she wants to pretend to be docile in front of Consort of Prince of Jingping, she has no choice but to fight back against those people one by one."

"Now that Xiao Sijie's wife is dead, Zhao Ruyu is pregnant, Consort of Prince of Jingping wants to elevate Zhao Ruyu to the position of legitimate wife after she gives birth to a son. Do you think the concubines will agree to that? Do you think the noble ladies outside who covet the position of the heir apparent of the Prince Jingping's Estate will agree to that? Naturally, they will try to sabotage her."

"Because Consort of Prince of Jingping looked down on Zhao Ruyu, she was unwilling to do her best to protect her, which gave those people an opportunity. As a result, despite Zhao Ruyu's many precautions, she was still ambushed and fell when she was six months pregnant, resulting in a miscarriage. Although Xiao Sijie felt sorry for her, he was unwilling to defy his parents for her sake. He is now attracted to a noblewoman and has changed his mind, intending to remarry her. Therefore, Zhao Ruyu's dream of becoming the heir apparent's wife is almost shattered."

Zhao Ruxi listened to these words and remained silent for a long time.

After a long silence, she sighed, "Actually Zhao Ruyu made a mistake in choosing Xiao Sijie from the very beginning."

Xiao Sijie is the kind of person who's easily influenced, lacks his own opinions, and is promiscuous. If he was captivated by Zhao Ruyu's beauty, how can he guarantee he won't be captivated by someone else?

Those who use their beauty to please others will find their favor waning as their beauty fades.

People as loving as Xiao Sijie don't even wait for their beauty to fade before their love shifts.

According to Zhao Ruxi, Zhao Ruyu really didn't want to marry a newly promoted scholar and become the wife of a minor official from a poor family. If she insisted on marrying into a prestigious family as a concubine, she would rather marry Fu Yunlang.

At least Fu Yunlang is Zhao Ruyu's official love interest, so Zhao Ruyu is viewed through a filter.

That Tenth Miss Cen was of questionable birth, and her beauty couldn't compare to Zhao Ruyu's. Now, the Cen Family had lost its power and couldn't compare to the Fu Family. Compared to her, Fu Yunlang would only treat Zhao Ruyu better. Even if she never had the chance to become the official wife, with her husband's care, Zhao Ruyu's life in the Fu Family family would be better than that in the Prince Jingping's Estate.

Of course, this is just her opinion.

How one lives, whether it's happiness or bitterness, is like drinking water—only the person drinking it knows whether it's hot or cold.

"How is Mu Qingqiang doing at the Fu Family?" she asked.

Although Fu Yunkai was a military general with upright character, he also harbored ambitions to climb the social ladder.

Previously, the Cen Family faction was led by Xiao Lingpu, and Fu Yunkai had a very close personal relationship with Xiao Lingpu, so he usually only interacted with Xiao Lingpu and only showed superficial respect to Xiao Lingyan.

But ever since Xiao Lingpu became crippled and Xiao Lingyan became the only adult prince of the Great Jin, Fu Yunkai's attitude has changed.

Although he did not distance himself from Xiao Lingpu, often visiting the Prince of An's Residence to chat and play chess with Xiao Lingpu, he also became close to Xiao Lingyan. Whenever he returned to the capital, he would frequently visit Xiao Lingyan's residence to discuss the situation at the border.

After Mu Qingqiang got married, due to her aloof personality, she did not have close contact with Zhao Ruxi, only exchanging letters occasionally.

But at that time, Zhao Ruxi and Mu Qingqiang were close in heart.

She knew that Mu Qingqiang, though seemingly aloof, had actually considered Zhao Ruxi her friend, and that no matter what difficulties Zhao Ruxi encountered in the future, Mu Qingqiang would definitely lend a helping hand whenever she could.

Ever since Xiao Lingpu became disabled and Zhao Ruxi Xiao Lingyan married Xiao Lingyan, Mu Qingqiang and Zhao Ruxi have become closer. Even if she doesn't come in person, she often writes letters. Zhao Ruxi guesses that this is all at Fu Yunkai's behest.

Just yesterday, when Little Duo'er turned one month old, Mu Qingqiang came in person and presented him with a set of valuable gold jewelry for the baby.