Chapter 65: The Wretched Daughter-in-law VII

From the time she could remember, Yang Aicao rarely received any attention from her parents. Whenever she was praised, it was always because she had been diligent or had done something beneficial for the family. Obedience was the bare minimum expected of her, and as time passed, she became excessively submissive to her mother's wishes.

Therefore, when she was wronged at her husband's family, her mother told her to endure it, so she endured it.

Of course, the disparity in their social status was vast. For the sake of her children, for her father's future career, and so as not to bring shame upon her father, she had no choice but to endure!

At this moment, Madame Yang's words were ones Yang Aicao had heard often in the past, and she had truly taken them to heart, which was why she had made countless concessions and suffered much tolerance toward her mother-in-law.

However, years of forbearance had not won her the Princess Consort's pity; instead, it had made the Princess Consort increasingly overbearing.

Chu Yunli had no intention of enduring it any longer. She wore an expression of complete indifference. "A divorce is a divorce. Who knows, being divorced might actually be a good thing after all."

"Shut your mouth!" Madame Yang's face was flushed with anger. She glanced at the tightly closed door and said, in a tone of deep frustration and disappointment, "What kind of foolish nonsense are you uttering? Do you think just anyone can marry into the Prince's Estate? Since you were blessed with this fortune, you ought to cherish it properly. If the Princess Consort is giving you a hard time, it must be because you fell short somewhere. She is doing it for your own good... Even if she is occasionally harsh, as a daughter-in-law, you should be considerate of your elders."

Seeing Chu Yunli's rebellious and unyielding expression, Madame Yang grew exasperated. "Divorced... you make it sound so easy! Have you ever thought about your father's reputation? With a daughter like you, your younger brothers and the others will all be affected. And what about your children? The Heir Apparent is still young and will inevitably remarry. Once there is a stepmother, there is a step-father! What you are saying is completely irresponsible!"

Chu Yunli had barely uttered a single sentence before Madame Yang launched into such a lengthy tirade. Irritated, Chu Yunli asked, "Has Mother ever considered why the Princess Consort, who had never thought of divorcing me all these years, has suddenly developed such a notion recently?"

Madame Yang replied without a moment's hesitation, "It must be because you didn't do right. You haven't gone to pay your respects for half a month; even your younger sister-in-law isn't that arrogant. If I were your mother-in-law, I would also entertain the thought of divorcing you."

"I don't go because I have my own backing." Chu Yunli couldn't even be bothered to have someone serve her tea, and said casually, "Given her past temperament, she would have reprimanded and punished me long ago. Yet now she hasn't, and instead she sent for you to scold me. It is because she is completely helpless against me."

Hearing this, Madame Yang became even more uneasy. "You... what have you done?"

"Nothing much." Chu Yunli stood up. "I won't let myself be taken advantage of ever again."

Whether it was her husband's family or her maiden family.

But to Madame Yang's ears, this simply meant that her daughter had acquired some kind of leverage to manipulate her mother-in-law.

She frowned. "No matter the circumstances, one must treat elders with respect. You mustn't go too far!"

Anyone could preach such principles, but it depended entirely on what kind of elder one was dealing with.

Chu Yunli opened the door. "I've been recovering my health lately and don't have the energy to entertain you."

Madame Yang: "..."

Meeting her today, she truly felt as though her daughter had transformed into a completely different person.

She still wanted to say a few more words, but before she knew it, her daughter had escorted her out the door. When she turned back, the door was already shut. From behind the wooden panel came the sound of her daughter instructing someone to escort her to the main courtyard.

Madame Yang was somewhat resentful, but she was unwilling to argue with her daughter here, fearing she would become a laughingstock to others.

Upon reaching the main courtyard, she repeatedly assured the Princess Consort that she had already scolded her daughter and that the daughter had realized her mistake. The Princess Consort was exceptionally pleased with this outcome and politely sent her off.

The next day, the Princess Consort deliberately rose early to wait for her daughter-in-law to come and pay her respects. As a result, she waited until noon without seeing a single shadow. Enraged, she forcefully suppressed her anger and simply marched over to the Heir Apparent's courtyard herself.

What else could she do if she didn't go?

At a time like this, she must absolutely not break ties with Yang Aicao; maintaining the facade of a harmonious mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship was best.

When the Princess Consort arrived, Chu Yunli had just woken up. Hearing that her mother-in-law had come, she felt not the slightest bit flustered. She took a little more time to rest before finally getting up to wash and dress. By the time she walked out the door, a full quarter of an hour had passed.

For all these years, the Princess Consort had never shown much patience toward her daughter-in-law, and a situation like today's had never once occurred. A wave of accumulated anger surged within her. "So you've finally decided to show yourself?"

Before Chu Yunli even stepped out, the Princess Consort had already dismissed everyone in the courtyard.

Chu Yunli offered a thoroughly insincere explanation. "Mother, over the past few years, my health has been severely depleted. The physician said I need to rest more."

The Princess Consort: "..."

The mention of the past made her feel somewhat guilty.

"Come over and sit down." She pointed a finger at the chair opposite her and continued, "The two of us need to have a proper talk."

Chu Yunli walked over, took a seat with complete composure, and poured herself a cup of tea, acting as though the person sitting across from her was not her mother-in-law, but a statue.

The Princess Consort's mind was preoccupied with other matters, so she let the discourtesy slide. Lowering her voice, she asked, "Tell me honestly, how many people know about that matter?"

"Just me and the children's father." Chu Yunli raised her eyes and smiled at her. "Do you want to silence us permanently?" She put down her teacup, folded her hands in her lap, and said, "I am not so easily killed. If you dare to make a move, we'll drag each other down together—nobody gets to walk away unscathed. Before you take any action, you'd better weigh carefully whether you can truly keep me quiet for good!"

Nothing in this world could ever be executed with absolute perfection.

The Princess Consort was also afraid of any miscalculation. This matter was of monumental gravity; if it blew up, not only would she face criminal charges, but it would also implicate her own family. Combined, it involved dozens of lives, high and low. She did not dare act rashly.

Her expression shifted multiple times before she managed to squeeze out a forced smile. "What are you talking about? I came here to discuss the gravity of this situation with you. Once it comes to light, while I certainly won't be able to escape blame, you won't necessarily emerge unscathed either. Even if your entire family remains legally untouched, you will all be reduced to commoners. Those children were raised in luxury and privilege—what will you use to support them? Ordinary people cannot handle such a drop in status. By then, you will have ruined them... I'm telling you this to make you understand that certain matters are best left rotting in your stomach, taken with you to the grave. Not even in your dreams should you ever speak of them."

Chu Yunli nodded. "What you say is true. Therefore, I haven't blabbed about it either. But as for me, I easily get impulsive whenever I'm angry, so you had better make sure not to provoke me."

The Princess Consort: "..."

She had already been behaving quite prudently these past few days.

"Aicao, you are my daughter-in-law. Even if I was harsh to you in the past, you shouldn't neglect paying your respects for this long. Outsiders will start to suspect something. You should still come to the main courtyard every few days; it's not like I'm going to make things difficult for you."

Chu Yunli let out a cold laugh. "You certainly want to make things difficult, but do you dare?"

The Princess Consort did not dare. Seeing the triumphant look on her daughter-in-law's face, her anger only swelled.

Chu Yunli issued a warning: "You had better not secretly provide relief to Madame Zhou and her daughter. Otherwise, don't blame me for running my mouth."

The Princess Consort's chest heaved erratically. That was her own biological daughter. Previously, when she couldn't be found, she could let it go with an occasional longing thought and scrape by day after day. But now that she knew where they were, and knowing that the mother and daughter were living in hardship—constantly bullied by their in-laws over there, relying on a family that offered no real support and only sought to exploit them—how could she just sit by and do nothing?

Chu Yunli reasoned forcefully: "If you interfere, it will arouse suspicion. Once someone inquisitive investigates, we will all be finished. Since that's the case, I might as well proactively report it to the authorities; perhaps I can even escape punishment."

The Princess Consort had to admit there was some logic to these words, and she compromised. "Fine, I won't interfere with them."

"There's more..." Chu Yunli continued under the other woman's unsightly gaze. "I've been in this estate for many years and learned how to review account ledgers from you, yet I was never allowed to manage anything. I'd quite like to experience what it's like to govern the entire Prince's Estate. Have those ledgers sent over later."

It was not a negotiation; it was an announcement.

The Princess Consort snapped her head up. Convinced she hadn't misheard, she could only grit her teeth and swallow the humiliation.

Chu Yunli clapped her hands together and tilted her head to give an order. "Dong'er, go find a reliable matchmaker willing to pay a fair price; I want to sell off some servants."

Hearing this, a sense of foreboding instantly gripped the Princess Consort's heart.

Chu Yunli smiled brightly. "Imperial Mother-in-law, those servants of yours used to rely on your orders to bully me without end. Every time I think of it, a fire rages in my chest. You wouldn't want me to get too angry, would you?"

If she got angry, she might just start blurting out secrets.

The Princess Consort glared at her. "Fine."

Chu Yunli continued issuing commands. "Drag Mother Yang here, give her thirty heavy strikes with the paddle first, and if she survives, sell her off." She went on unconcernedly, "A mere servant, yet her voice was louder than mine, and she deliberately made me kneel for hours on end many times. She deserves a beating!"

Soon enough, Mother Yang was dragged over, and the apparatus for administering corporal punishment was set up in the courtyard.

The dull thuds of the wooden paddles echoed through the air. Mother Yang begged for mercy repeatedly, crying tears and snot alike. The Princess Consort's chest rose and fall with fury, yet she never once opened her mouth to plead on her behalf.

Following this incident, compounded by Chu Yunli taking over the household management, every single servant treated her with utmost reverence. Those who had once mistreated her hid themselves away like snakes hibernating in winter, terrified of catching her eye.

After an initial period of panic, Guan Haiquan became exceptionally diligent in his official duties and was even eager to befriend officials he had previously looked down upon. His manners and social graces were much more refined than before, all to secure a backup path for himself.

In the blink of an eye, late autumn arrived, and the weather grew increasingly cold. One day, the Princess Consort stormed over in a fury.

"Why haven't you prepared the bird's nest I want? And what was just delivered is silver-thread charcoal! In the past, I used gold-thread charcoal. The Prince's Estate isn't poor—I see you're deliberately cutting down on my supplies!"

Chu Yunli raised an eyebrow. "Having married into the Prince's Estate for so many years, the best charcoal I ever used was silver-thread charcoal. Furthermore, my food, clothing, and daily provisions were entirely at your discretion in the past; from now on, you can obediently let me decide yours. Oh, and don't make a big fuss when you see inferior things—after all, I'm just treating you the way you used to treat me. Don't keep running over here making a mountain out of a molehill... You wouldn't want everyone in the Prince's Estate to know you've lost your power, would you?"

Coming over to throw a tantrum without achieving the desired result meant she could only tuck her tail and retreat. Over time, the servants would no longer take the Princess Consort seriously—just as they had once treated Yang Aicao.

The Princess Consort glared at her. "You are going too far!"

"So I am going far. What are you going to do about it?" Chu Yunli let out an amused chuckle. "I suffered so many grievances back then; you told me to go east and I didn't dare go west. You surely didn't think I was genuinely so filial that I harbored no resentment about any of it, did you?"

She stood up, closing in on the Princess Consort step by step, and whispered softly, "Every single humiliation you inflicted upon me, I will return to you one by one. And this is just the beginning."

How could the Princess Consort endure such words? She shot a fierce, icy glare.

Chu Yunli raised a hand and brushed the teapot off the table. It shattered against the floor, scattering shards everywhere, with a large portion of the fragments and tea splashing onto the Princess Consort's shoes. Startled, the Princess Consort collected herself and snapped angrily, "Don't push me."

"We've barely even started!" Chu Yunli laughed with genuine amusement. "You didn't hesitate to slap me across the face many times in the past..."

The Princess Consort widened her eyes. "How dare you!"

Chu Yunli raised her hand and delivered a fierce, resounding slap across her cheek.

The Princess Consort: "..."