12dz Chapter 114 She's just a lowly commoner, does she even deserve to be called one?
Chapter 114 She's just a lowly commoner, does she even deserve to be called one?
Madam Zhou was so shocked that her face turned pale.
It was a warm March, almost summer, but she felt a chill creeping into her, as if she were in the dead of winter.
"Princess...Princess is joking..."
At this moment, Madam Zhou could no longer maintain her arrogance and composure.
This world is ultimately a world of human relationships and social customs, and the officials in the Ministry of Personnel are not entirely innocent. If her words lead to Empress Dowager Cheng issuing an order to thoroughly investigate the Ministry of Personnel, then everyone in the Ministry of Personnel could be wiped out.
"I'm not joking," Qin Yizhen said coldly. "I suspect that Lin Bianxiu was able to get the job smoothly because Zhou Shilang protected him. If you think I'm wrong, you can certainly impeach me. I'm waiting."
This is a strong suspicion of framing, yet it leaves no room for rebuttal.
Madam Zhou and Zhou Ning's faces turned green, then red, then green again, but they couldn't utter a word in rebuttal.
Qin Yizhen intended to make them kneel a little longer, so she didn't ask them to get up and directly asked them, "Have you come to see me today for any other matters?"
When Zhou Ning heard her ask, she immediately said, "Princess, I have come here today to beg you. My husband has studied hard for twenty years and finally made it. I beg you to have mercy and forgive him this time."
Let Lin Yuansheng off the hook?
Qin Yizhen almost laughed: "Forgive him? You've come to the wrong person. You should beg the aggrieved party, not me."
"But Song Pingping is from the Marquis of Pingxi's household. As long as the princess agrees, she can't cause any trouble. Princess, I've heard that you are very kind-hearted and would certainly not want to see my husband's twenty years of hard study go to waste..."
Qin Yizhen had taken Song Pingping out before, so her identity was no secret. In addition, she had a dispute with Zhou Ning yesterday, so it wouldn't be long before the old story about Concubine Song of the Pingxi Marquis's Mansion and the third-ranked scholar spread.
Both Madam Zhou and Zhou Ning believed that if Qin Yi could really help suppress the matter, Song Pingping would not dare to cause any more trouble.
"I don't care about twenty or thirty years of hard study. I only know that good and evil will eventually be rewarded. His current situation is his retribution. Since twenty years of hard study was so painful, why doesn't he cherish his reputation?"
"If he doesn't cherish it himself, does he expect outsiders to pity him? Isn't that a joke?"
"By the way, you used to humiliate her to the extreme. Now that you're here, go and apologize to her."
Lin Yuansheng's attempt to kill Song Pingping had nothing to do with the Zhou family or Zhou Ning, but they should indeed apologize for their past humiliation of Song Pingping.
"A princess wants a subject's wife to apologize to her?" Zhou Ning was stunned for a moment, then almost cried out in shock, "She's just a lowly commoner, how dare she?"
"Be careful what you say." Qin Yizhen's face turned cold.
"The people of the world are the people of Dongqin. This vast land was protected by countless men who came from thousands of ordinary families. The peaceful and prosperous life you enjoy today was entirely bought with their blood and flesh."
"As a princess, I have never felt that they are inferior. I am only heartbroken by my own incompetence, unable to make the lives of the people better. What are you, talking about lowly people all the time?"
Does Qin Yi really not want to kill Fang Shixin?
She wanted it so badly.
She wished she could tear the person who harmed Cheng Yan to pieces.
But whenever he thought of the strange things Fang Shixin could come up with that were actually beneficial to the country and its people, he had no choice but to put his mind at ease.
"The reason I'm making you kneel here today is to let you know that in this world, there's always someone stronger than you. If you can bully the weak, others will bully you too."
“Even though you were unaware that Lin Yuansheng already had a fiancée and she had married him, and you were deceived, you should never have humiliated him like this.”
"Lvqiao, take them to Qingshui Courtyard and apologize to Pingping."
"Yes." Lü Qiao responded, then stepped forward, bowed, and gestured for them, "Madam Zhou, Madam Lin, please."
No, I won't apologize.
"If you refuse to apologize, then throw them out." Qin Yizhen's tone was cold. "I will never let anyone who bullies the people of my Pingxi Marquis's mansion get away with it."
"I..." Zhou Ning wanted to say something, but Madam Zhou told her not to say anything more. Then she had a maid help her up, glanced at Qin Yizhen, and turned to leave.
Before long, Qin Yizhen learned that the mother and daughter were trying to escape.
"Ran?"
“Of course not.” Lü Qiao smiled smugly. “Since they’ve come to the Marquis of Pingxi’s residence, how could they possibly leave without the princess’s permission? This servant has already had someone escort them to Qingshui Garden to apologize to Consort Song.”
Although Lü Qiao didn't necessarily like Song Pingping that much, seeing her respect and loyalty to Qin Yizhen, she reluctantly accepted her as one of her own.
"Would the princess like to go see a play?"
Qin Yizhen shook her head: "No."
"Then the maid went."
"Go ahead and keep an eye on them, make sure they don't hurt Pingping."
"Yes."
Green Qiao skipped away happily. Seeing her so pleased, Qin Yizhen smiled and shook her head. She finished the tea in her cup and then got up to go to the study.
The study was quiet at this moment. Cheng Yan was sitting on the couch by the window, leaning against soft pillows and reading a book.
The setting sun casts its rays outside the window, a warm spring breeze blows, and the fragrance of flowers fills the air.
Qin Yizhen walked over, waving a silk fan embroidered with begonia flowers, and waved it around in front of him with a smug look on her face.
"Cheng Yan, how did I perform today?"
"good."
"Not bad? Just not bad?" Qin Yizhen sat down next to him, giving him a look that said, 'If you dare say that again, I'll get angry.'
Cheng Yan smiled and reached out to pinch her cheek: "Very good, much better than when you responded to Madam Wang last time."
The fact that she could leave Madam Zhou and Zhou Ning speechless shows that she has some ability.
"A sharp tongue."
"Hey!" Qin Yizhen tugged at his sleeve, clearly dissatisfied with the comment. "I'm just eloquent."
"Yes, yes, my wife is eloquent and persuasive. It is my good fortune to have married her."
Qin Yizhen blushed at his praise: "There's no need to boast like that."
She knew her own limitations.
Cheng Yan changed his position, letting her lie down against him, and while turning the pages of his book, he kissed the top of her head.
How can he possibly concentrate on his studies like this?
Is he reading Sun Tzu's Art of War again?
Qin Yizhen glanced at the book and saw that he was reading a serious history book, and breathed a sigh of relief.
so far so good.
“From today onwards, I will also start reading more. Just now, that Madam Lin used the term ‘lowly commoner’ and talked about twenty years of hard study, which made me particularly uncomfortable. Tell me, how can the path to education for ordinary people in this world be made easier?”
"How wonderful it would be if everyone could read, everyone knew proper etiquette, and everyone had enough to eat, wear, and wear..."