Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Is She Spoiling Him Too Much?

“Wasn’t I just worried that Pingyang Princess would blame you, so I asked you to return first?”

At that time, she saw the amazement in Pingyang Princess’s eyes and dared not let Qin Xiao stay. So, she sent Ah Yuan and Ah Xiao back first, but—

“I meant for you to come back, not to look for my sister!” Tang Xiaobai sighed.

“I know my abilities are limited, and I’m not up to Second Miss’s bidding, but I can at least use my mouth to deliver messages for you,” the young boy said flatly.

Tang Xiaobai couldn’t help but reflect: Have I been indulging this child too much?

This cannot do!

“Since you are aware of your shortcomings, take advantage of your young age to learn a skill, instead of being useless in the future!” Tang Xiaobai’s tone grew stern.

Ah Xiao quietly watched her.

Tang Xiaobai raised an eyebrow at him provocatively.

Unexpectedly, he suddenly laughed silently, and his once cool gaze softened into that of a docile puppy.

“Alright,” he said.

Tang Xiaobai was taken aback.

“Did the Princess bully you?” He asked gently, full of concern.

Tang Xiaobai felt as if she was someone who had been emotionally manipulated for years and surrendered easily: “I wasn’t really wronged, although Pingyang Princess… was somewhat emotionally unstable—”

After some thought, she recounted everything from start to finish, emphasizing the part where Pingyang Princess smashed things and her suspicions about the hidden helper.

When she finished, she noticed the little ancestor’s expression had darkened again.

“What’s wrong?” Tang Xiaobai just asked when she heard someone report from outside, “Madam has returned!”

It was almost noon by then.

When Gu Family entered, her steps were hurried. Seeing Tang Xiaobai, she stopped suddenly, pulling her close for inspection: “Did Li Yao bully you?”

Tang Xiaobai was taken aback and shook her head: “How did you know, Mother?”

The tension in Gu Family’s expression eased, and she said, “Your third cousin from the Gu family sent a message to the palace.”

The children of the Gu family were too many for her to keep track of, and Tang Xiaobai didn’t know which one it was, but it was probably someone found by Gu Hui and Gu You.

“Your grandmother and eldest aunt went to Pingyang Princess Mansion and should be here soon,” Gu Family said, holding her hand tightly while instructing a servant to prepare lunch.

“It was Sister Jiaojiao who brought me home,” Tang Xiaobai briefly recounted the events of the morning.

After hearing it, Gu Family looked at Tang Jiaojiao with a gentle gaze: “Jiaojiao looks after her sister well, so Mother is at ease,” then, pausing, she looked down at Tang Xiaobai, “Xiaobai, you also know how to protect your sister, Mother, Mother…” Her expression turned uneasy.

“We are siblings, it’s the right thing to do!” Tang Xiaobai interrupted her, affectionately linking arms.

She had already sensed the apology; there was no need to hear it directly.

Gu Family touched her hair and said, “Yesterday was Mother’s fault…”

The delicate beauty, with eyes brimming with tears, instantly made Tang Xiaobai surrender, “No, no, Mother is too beautiful to be wrong, it was all my fault!”

Gu Family chuckled.

Tang Jiaojiao playfully tapped her forehead: “You’re getting cheekier!” then turned to Gu Family and asked, “How was your time at the palace today, Mother? What did the Empress Dowager say?”

Though there was an Empress, Empress Yuan, she was of no significant background and was always oppressed by Consort Zheng.

Plus, there had been previous incidents of Empress Yuan summoning Tang Xiaobai, so today Gu Family and the eldest aunt, along with Princess Ji, went directly to lodge a complaint with the Empress Dowager.

“The Empress Dowager didn’t say much, but the Emperor was never seen.” At this, Gu Family’s expression turned bad.

“What do you mean he wasn’t seen?” Tang Xiaobai asked.

“Yesterday, Mr. Zhou had already sent someone to report to the Capital Prefecture, so there’s no way he didn’t know; we relayed everything to the Empress Dowager, who was furious and immediately sent someone to summon Zhao Jing—” Gu Family smirked, “But Zhao Jing had already gone before the imperial court early, and three messengers from the Empress Dowager were unsuccessful in summoning him!”

“What happened afterward?”

“After hearing you were taken by Li Yao, we left the palace first.”

“Is His Majesty protecting Zhao Jing?” Tang Jiaojiao frowned, “Zhao Jing bullies Li Yao like this, and His Majesty still protects him?”

Gu Family smiled, touching her younger daughter’s head, her tone gentle: “Though they say Zhao Jing rose through Li Yao, could anyone deny it wasn’t His Majesty who promoted him? Last time at the siege of the Zhenzhou Imperial Court, wasn’t it Zhao Jing used by His Majesty? Since he is so useful, it’s not surprising to defend him a bit.”

Tang Jiaojiao was still dissatisfied: “But isn’t His Majesty most fond of Li Yao? Zhao Jing doing such things, doesn’t it reflect poorly on His Majesty?”

Gu Family gave a slight smile, “What happened in Jinchang Village wasn’t that serious; perhaps in His Majesty’s eyes, Zhao Jing just offended our Duke Yan Mansion—” Pausing, her eyes turned mocking, “Maybe in Li Yao’s eyes, it’s just the same.”

Tang Xiaobai nodded quietly.

Even in her time, infidelity wasn’t unforgivable for men, as long as they admitted their mistakes and claimed they were seduced, there were plenty willing to forgive.

At that moment, Princess Ji and the eldest aunt arrived.

As Gu Family welcomed them, she asked, “Is Pingyang Princess still in the mansion?”

Princess Ji, clutching her hand, sneered, “How useless; she dares not confront Zhao Jing, yet bullies a civilian woman!”

Exactly!

This won Tang Xiaobai’s heart, and she nodded repeatedly, adding, “She even bullied me! She doesn’t dare question Sister Jiaojiao but picks the easiest target!”

Tang Jiaojiao lightly slapped her head, “You really know yourself well, calling yourself an easy target!”

The adults were amused.

Princess Ji pulled her into a hug, laughing as she asked, “Yesterday, Jiaojiao was injured, and everyone was worried for her. Did Xiaobai feel jealous?”

Since the question was so straightforward, Tang Xiaobai replied just as frankly, “A little, but not much.”

Princess Ji laughed heartily and gave her a big kiss on the cheek, saying, “Then Grandmother will pamper Xiaobai even more today!”

Though Tang Xiaobai wasn’t proactive in seeking affection, she didn’t refuse either, nestling in Princess Ji’s embrace as she continued to ask, “Did Pingyang Princess do anything to Zhen Su?”

Princess Ji smiled, “What could she do? She may act fierce but is actually timid; she’s far from being like our Jiaojiao’er. In her hands, no lives are lost!”

Tang Xiaobai pondered this, feeling a bizarre sense of pride as if Miss Tang were capable of taking lives.

“I scolded her a few times and released that woman, telling her to return to the palace and confront Zhao Jing! Is he not just a Prince Consort? As a Princess, can’t she find another handsome young man to be her consort? In a few years, with the imperial examination, wouldn’t choosing a young, dashing top scholar be better than that Zhao?”

The scene was beautifully painted, but—

“What if the top scholar isn’t young?” Tang Xiaobai asked.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep