Princess Wei Yang - C9
1- The Deposed Empress
2- The Unwanted Daughter
3- Slave no more
4- First revenge
5- The Pigs Have Escaped!
6- Seventh Prince, Tuo Ba Yu
7- Returning to the Li’s Estate
8- Benevolent Mother, Filial Daughter
9- Surrendered by Xiaojies
10- Li Zhang Le
11- Prime Minister, Li Xiao Ran
12- Tea Brewing Skills
13- Tit for Tat
14- Battle of Wits
15- Da Furen
Chapter 9
Surrendered by Xiaojies
Luo Mama returned to He Xiang Yuan with the cloak and dismissed all the servants. She then addressed Meng Shi, saying, “Lao Furen, there’s something important I need to tell you.”
Noticing the serious expression on Luo Mama’s face, Meng Shi nodded. “What is it?”
Luo Mama recounted everything that had happened. “Even though this isn’t my place to involve myself, I feel that San Xiaojie is truly pitiful. She had no idea about the cloak’s real nature and even thought of it as a treasure. After all, she’s still just a child and doesn’t know how to protect herself from others.”
As Luo Mama spoke, Meng Shi grew suspicious while examining the cloak. She gently brushed her hands over it a couple of times and felt something unusual. Suddenly, she looked down. “Hm, what is this?”
Under the soft and warm mink fur, she discovered an area that felt prickly against her skin. Upon closer inspection, she realized it wasn’t just fur, but several small needles. These needles were very thin and easily overlooked unless one examined carefully.
“Why are there these things in the cloak?” Meng Shi furrowed her brows.
“San Xiaojie is still a young girl and wouldn’t know about such things. The needles are so small that they’re not easily seen, especially with the fur covering them. The person wearing it won’t notice, but any movement will cause the needles to poke into their skin.”
“Those wicked servants! How dare they do something like this!?” Lao Furen exclaimed, furious.
Even though she hadn’t watched Wei Yang grow up, Wei Yang was still her granddaughter. The thought that someone would scheme against such a delicate and well-mannered child, especially since she had just returned to the estate, infuriated her. Lao Furen contemplated the situation, and aside from Da Furen, she couldn’t think of anyone else who would have the audacity to do something like this.
Her expression darkened. “This cloak was gifted right in front of me. Is she trying to cause me trouble?”
Luo Mama rarely saw Lao Furen this angry and hurriedly lowered her head. “Lao Furen, there’s a possibility that this isn’t Da Furen’s doing. She treated San Xiaojie with kindness—”
“Kindness? That child isn’t even her daughter! What does she care about kindness?! I once thought she was a person of noble character, someone who understood proper conduct. But it seems she’s become muddled as well. Our family cannot allow rumors to spread that we abuse or mistreat the daughters of concubines. Luo Mama, you go fetch Mo Zhu and bring her to San Xiaojie.”
“Yes,” Luo mama promptly replied.
Even though Lao Furen rarely questioned the estate's internal affairs, she was known for being cold on the outside and hot-tempered on the inside. If there were things she could not overlook, she would definitely take action. While dealing with a few tiny needles might be simple—just removing them—Lao Furen was concerned that Da Furen might escalate the situation and that rumors could harm the Li family's longstanding reputation. Fortunately for San Xiaojie, Lao Furen's people would be by her side this time, making Da Furen think twice before taking any action against Wei Yang.
Meng Shi contemplated this for a moment before saying, “Since you’ve already brought the cloak here, remove all of the needles before returning it. However, you must not mention this to San Xiaojie.”
“Yes, I understand,” Luo mama replied.
At this moment, Wei Yang was making her way to the flower garden, accompanied by a servant leading the way. Along the route, she felt unsure of the potential impact of those tiny needles. In reality, the needles were not Da Furen’s doing; she would never act without considering the consequences to herself first. The needles were part of Wei Yang’s plan; she had attached them when no one was watching. Through this opportunity, she aimed to show Lao Furen that Da Furen was actually two-faced and hypocritical.
Just then, a voice emerged from the opposite study room, reciting poetry in a voice that was pleasant to the ears. It startled Wei Yang.
“San Xiaojie, that’s Da Xiaojie reciting poems with the other Xiaojies!” Hua Mei explained.
Wei Yang looked at her, speechless.
Thinking Wei Yang was listening, Hua Mei continued, “Our Da xiaojie is like a fairy from heaven. Not only is she kind-hearted and compassionate, but her skills are exceptional as well. In the past, when the other xiaojies didn’t read books or poems, Da xiaojie went to Da Laoye and advocated that even females should receive an education. As a result, Da Laoye traveled to Mount Yuan and personally invited the most renowned female teacher back to the estate. This level of special hospitality is probably unique here in Da Li!”
Wei Yang placed her hand on the banister and silently tightened her grip. A casual grin appeared on her face. “Is that true? Dajie is truly competent.”
Suddenly, the sound of a young girl giggling came from a distance. “Who are you? Why haven’t I seen you before?”
Wei Yang glanced over and noticed two elegantly dressed young girls approaching from the direction of the study room. One of them pointed at her and asked a question. She hadn’t expected to encounter them so soon, but they seemed determined to approach her. A grin spread across her face; perhaps history was repeating itself.
“San Xiaojie, the one who just spoke, is Wu Xiaojie. The person standing beside her is Si Xiaojie,” Hua Mei whispered as a reminder.
In the blink of an eye, Li Chang Xi, known as Wu xiaojie, appeared right in front of Wei Yang. Chang Xi was dressed in a short-sleeved, pale blue dress, adorned with a pair of beautifully crafted brooches in her hair and a pure gold necklace encrusted with jewels. She had an elongated, oval-shaped face with slightly slanted eyes and a small dot between her brows. Her rosy pink cheeks added to her charm, and when she laughed, her mouth parted slightly, revealing a row of perfectly white teeth. At first glance, it was hard not to like her.
Beside Wu xiaojie stood another similar-looking young girl, dressed in a soft pink shade. Although her features resembled Li Chang Xi's, she seemed gentler. She was none other than Si Xiaojie, Li Chang Xiao.
“Si mei, Wu mei,” Wei Yang said with a smile, looking innocent yet bashful. The afternoon sunlight illuminated her face, making her beauty radiate.
Si Xiaojie, Li Chang Xiao, nodded and smiled cordially at Wei Yang. However, Li Chang Xi chuckled mockingly, her arrogance evident. “You’ve just returned and you’re already calling us meimeis? Who said you could address us like that?”
Wei Yang blinked and replied, “I can’t call you meimei? Then should I call you jiejie?”
Li Chang Xi was caught off guard. Her eyebrows furrowed as she assessed Wei Yang from head to toe. To her surprise, Wei Yang was actually quite pretty, with soft porcelain skin, black hair like ink, and perfectly shaped brows. This was a far cry from the image of a foolish country bumpkin that Chang Xi had in mind, which made her feel suddenly unhappy. “What do you mean by that? Are you looking for trouble?”
The true troublemaker was Li Chang Xi! A flicker of coldness crossed Wei Yang’s dark eyes, but it vanished quickly, leaving only a calm smile on her face. “Si meimei, I need to go greet my father. Please don’t block my way.”
Li Chang Xi saw Wei Yang as a coward, which only fueled her anger. “You worthless child born during the Ghost Month! How dare you speak to me like that?”
Si Xiaojie and Wu Xiaojie were similar to Wu Yiniang, the daughters of a concubine. In her previous life, Wei Yang never understood why Li Chang Xi always targeted her, especially since she hadn’t done anything to provoke her. Now, she realized that some people simply enjoy bullying the weakest individuals and creating drama. When things were calm and peaceful, they would try to stir up trouble for no reason. As the new arrival, Wei Yang became their target for bullying, as they felt the need to establish dominance immediately.
Despite her internal thoughts, there was no anger on Wei Yang's face, only a calm smile. “That’s right. I was born during the Ghost Month. Wu Mei, what do you think about my birthday?”
Li Chang Xi's irritation grew when she saw that Wei Yang wasn’t upset. Just as she was about to retort, a genteel voice interrupted. “Chang Xi, San Mei has just returned. How can you be so rude to her?”
At the sound of that voice, a cold breeze swept over Wei Yang. She would never forget it, even after a hundred years.
Li Zhang Le!
Slowly, she turned around, her eyes falling on the unmistakable beauty elegantly approaching them.
Noticing the serious expression on Luo Mama’s face, Meng Shi nodded. “What is it?”
Luo Mama recounted everything that had happened. “Even though this isn’t my place to involve myself, I feel that San Xiaojie is truly pitiful. She had no idea about the cloak’s real nature and even thought of it as a treasure. After all, she’s still just a child and doesn’t know how to protect herself from others.”
As Luo Mama spoke, Meng Shi grew suspicious while examining the cloak. She gently brushed her hands over it a couple of times and felt something unusual. Suddenly, she looked down. “Hm, what is this?”
Under the soft and warm mink fur, she discovered an area that felt prickly against her skin. Upon closer inspection, she realized it wasn’t just fur, but several small needles. These needles were very thin and easily overlooked unless one examined carefully.
“Why are there these things in the cloak?” Meng Shi furrowed her brows.
“San Xiaojie is still a young girl and wouldn’t know about such things. The needles are so small that they’re not easily seen, especially with the fur covering them. The person wearing it won’t notice, but any movement will cause the needles to poke into their skin.”
“Those wicked servants! How dare they do something like this!?” Lao Furen exclaimed, furious.
Even though she hadn’t watched Wei Yang grow up, Wei Yang was still her granddaughter. The thought that someone would scheme against such a delicate and well-mannered child, especially since she had just returned to the estate, infuriated her. Lao Furen contemplated the situation, and aside from Da Furen, she couldn’t think of anyone else who would have the audacity to do something like this.
Her expression darkened. “This cloak was gifted right in front of me. Is she trying to cause me trouble?”
Luo Mama rarely saw Lao Furen this angry and hurriedly lowered her head. “Lao Furen, there’s a possibility that this isn’t Da Furen’s doing. She treated San Xiaojie with kindness—”
“Kindness? That child isn’t even her daughter! What does she care about kindness?! I once thought she was a person of noble character, someone who understood proper conduct. But it seems she’s become muddled as well. Our family cannot allow rumors to spread that we abuse or mistreat the daughters of concubines. Luo Mama, you go fetch Mo Zhu and bring her to San Xiaojie.”
“Yes,” Luo mama promptly replied.
Even though Lao Furen rarely questioned the estate's internal affairs, she was known for being cold on the outside and hot-tempered on the inside. If there were things she could not overlook, she would definitely take action. While dealing with a few tiny needles might be simple—just removing them—Lao Furen was concerned that Da Furen might escalate the situation and that rumors could harm the Li family's longstanding reputation. Fortunately for San Xiaojie, Lao Furen's people would be by her side this time, making Da Furen think twice before taking any action against Wei Yang.
Meng Shi contemplated this for a moment before saying, “Since you’ve already brought the cloak here, remove all of the needles before returning it. However, you must not mention this to San Xiaojie.”
“Yes, I understand,” Luo mama replied.
At this moment, Wei Yang was making her way to the flower garden, accompanied by a servant leading the way. Along the route, she felt unsure of the potential impact of those tiny needles. In reality, the needles were not Da Furen’s doing; she would never act without considering the consequences to herself first. The needles were part of Wei Yang’s plan; she had attached them when no one was watching. Through this opportunity, she aimed to show Lao Furen that Da Furen was actually two-faced and hypocritical.
Just then, a voice emerged from the opposite study room, reciting poetry in a voice that was pleasant to the ears. It startled Wei Yang.
“San Xiaojie, that’s Da Xiaojie reciting poems with the other Xiaojies!” Hua Mei explained.
Wei Yang looked at her, speechless.
Thinking Wei Yang was listening, Hua Mei continued, “Our Da xiaojie is like a fairy from heaven. Not only is she kind-hearted and compassionate, but her skills are exceptional as well. In the past, when the other xiaojies didn’t read books or poems, Da xiaojie went to Da Laoye and advocated that even females should receive an education. As a result, Da Laoye traveled to Mount Yuan and personally invited the most renowned female teacher back to the estate. This level of special hospitality is probably unique here in Da Li!”
Wei Yang placed her hand on the banister and silently tightened her grip. A casual grin appeared on her face. “Is that true? Dajie is truly competent.”
Suddenly, the sound of a young girl giggling came from a distance. “Who are you? Why haven’t I seen you before?”
Wei Yang glanced over and noticed two elegantly dressed young girls approaching from the direction of the study room. One of them pointed at her and asked a question. She hadn’t expected to encounter them so soon, but they seemed determined to approach her. A grin spread across her face; perhaps history was repeating itself.
“San Xiaojie, the one who just spoke, is Wu Xiaojie. The person standing beside her is Si Xiaojie,” Hua Mei whispered as a reminder.
In the blink of an eye, Li Chang Xi, known as Wu xiaojie, appeared right in front of Wei Yang. Chang Xi was dressed in a short-sleeved, pale blue dress, adorned with a pair of beautifully crafted brooches in her hair and a pure gold necklace encrusted with jewels. She had an elongated, oval-shaped face with slightly slanted eyes and a small dot between her brows. Her rosy pink cheeks added to her charm, and when she laughed, her mouth parted slightly, revealing a row of perfectly white teeth. At first glance, it was hard not to like her.
Beside Wu xiaojie stood another similar-looking young girl, dressed in a soft pink shade. Although her features resembled Li Chang Xi's, she seemed gentler. She was none other than Si Xiaojie, Li Chang Xiao.
“Si mei, Wu mei,” Wei Yang said with a smile, looking innocent yet bashful. The afternoon sunlight illuminated her face, making her beauty radiate.
Si Xiaojie, Li Chang Xiao, nodded and smiled cordially at Wei Yang. However, Li Chang Xi chuckled mockingly, her arrogance evident. “You’ve just returned and you’re already calling us meimeis? Who said you could address us like that?”
Wei Yang blinked and replied, “I can’t call you meimei? Then should I call you jiejie?”
Li Chang Xi was caught off guard. Her eyebrows furrowed as she assessed Wei Yang from head to toe. To her surprise, Wei Yang was actually quite pretty, with soft porcelain skin, black hair like ink, and perfectly shaped brows. This was a far cry from the image of a foolish country bumpkin that Chang Xi had in mind, which made her feel suddenly unhappy. “What do you mean by that? Are you looking for trouble?”
The true troublemaker was Li Chang Xi! A flicker of coldness crossed Wei Yang’s dark eyes, but it vanished quickly, leaving only a calm smile on her face. “Si meimei, I need to go greet my father. Please don’t block my way.”
Li Chang Xi saw Wei Yang as a coward, which only fueled her anger. “You worthless child born during the Ghost Month! How dare you speak to me like that?”
Si Xiaojie and Wu Xiaojie were similar to Wu Yiniang, the daughters of a concubine. In her previous life, Wei Yang never understood why Li Chang Xi always targeted her, especially since she hadn’t done anything to provoke her. Now, she realized that some people simply enjoy bullying the weakest individuals and creating drama. When things were calm and peaceful, they would try to stir up trouble for no reason. As the new arrival, Wei Yang became their target for bullying, as they felt the need to establish dominance immediately.
Despite her internal thoughts, there was no anger on Wei Yang's face, only a calm smile. “That’s right. I was born during the Ghost Month. Wu Mei, what do you think about my birthday?”
Li Chang Xi's irritation grew when she saw that Wei Yang wasn’t upset. Just as she was about to retort, a genteel voice interrupted. “Chang Xi, San Mei has just returned. How can you be so rude to her?”
At the sound of that voice, a cold breeze swept over Wei Yang. She would never forget it, even after a hundred years.
Li Zhang Le!
Slowly, she turned around, her eyes falling on the unmistakable beauty elegantly approaching them.
>๑‿︵‿୨🌸୧‿︵‿๑
Xiaojie: The term "xiaojie" (小姐, xiǎojiě) in Chinese has a dual meaning, which depends heavily on context and usage
- Polite form of address: It is a polite way to address a young, unmarried woman, similar to "Miss" or "young lady" in English. When used with a person's surname (e.g., Li Xiaojie, meaning Miss Li), it is a standard, respectful title.
- Stigmatized/Slang term: In mainland China, the term has widely become a slang or a euphemism for a sex worker or prostitute. This connotation is very common and can cause misunderstandings if the term is used in the polite sense in a general social setting.
Because of this dual meaning, the term is often avoided in casual conversation to avoid offence or misinterpretation. The appropriate way to address a woman politely in modern Chinese is often a matter of careful consideration of the specific social and regional context.
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