Xiao Mo's brow furrowed tighter, his peripheral vision catching Feng Jiangduo, who stood with her arms crossed, looking at him coolly.
"Mother, please don't try to force a match. You always stay at home and never go out, so how can you tell if a girl is good or not?" Xiao Mo said.
"Even if I haven't seen it myself, I've heard about it. Kang family's eldest legitimate daughter was virtuous. She committed suicide to prove her innocence after a slight insult. The other daughters of the Kang family must also be good."
The Kang family's eldest legitimate daughter mentioned by Consort Fang was indeed Qi Wang's ill-fated fiancée, Kang Yutong.
Xiao Mo couldn't understand how someone with no resilience, who would commit suicide at the slightest provocation, was considered a virtue by Consort Fang.
He refused solemnly, "Absolutely not. If I were to marry her, and she were to be wronged and hang herself at our Ding'an Prince's mansion, wouldn't our Ding'an Prince's mansion be drowned in spit from everyone in Duanjing?"
Feng Jiangduo's lips curved slightly.
Consort Fang, however, took him seriously and pondered for a long time, "What you say has some truth to it. Then the Left Censor's daughter..."
Xiao Mo interrupted her, "Mother, I already have a girl I like. Please don't worry about it."
Unusually, a faint blush colored Feng Jiangduo's cheeks, and she gave Xiao Mo a sparkling, watery glance.
Xiao Mo was momentarily stunned.
Consort Fang was also shocked. Didn't Xiao Mo dislike interacting with girls? How could he say such earth-shattering words after just one trip to Nanzhou?
She subconsciously wanted to ask who the girl Xiao Mo liked was. As she opened her mouth, Yun Zhu suddenly stepped forward, supported her, and said softly, "Your Majesty, be careful of your footing." At the same time, she gave Consort Fang a meaningful look, and the words on Consort Fang's lips remained unsaid.
Although Yun Zhu's action was abrupt, it didn't arouse suspicion from Xiao Mo and Feng Jiangduo, as it was framed as a reminder to her mistress. Instead, Consort Fang steadied herself with Yun Zhu's support and continued, "I didn't sleep well last night, and my head is still a bit dizzy."
Xiao Mo then said, "Then Mother, perhaps you should go back and rest."
As soon as Consort Fang returned to Jingwu Courtyard, she asked Yun Zhu, "Why did you stop me from asking just now?"
Yun Zhu said, "Your Majesty is being foolish! If Your Majesty had asked, and the second young master had said it was the little princess, what would Your Majesty do? The little princess's status is what it is, she is favored by the Old Consort, and she has the title of a life-saver. If this were to be revealed, wouldn't the Old Consort immediately discuss marriage with the Prince of Dingnan?"
Consort Fang exclaimed, "Ah!" and grasped Yun Zhu's hand, "Oh my, how did I not think of that?"
She looked enlightened and patted Yun Zhu's hand several times, "Thank goodness you reminded me."
Yun Zhu said, "It is Yun Zhu's duty to assist Your Majesty."
On the other side, at Nuanshang Pavilion, as soon as Consort Fang left, Xiao Mo swore to the heavens, "Don't worry, I won't go."
Feng Jiangduo smiled, "I know."
Xiao Mo had other matters to attend to. He had been away from Duanjing for many days, and many accumulated matters needed his attention. Fearing Feng Jiangduo would be bored, he said, "After I'm done with these two days, I'll take you around Duanjing to play. For now, you can go play with my sister-in-law."
Feng Jiangduo nodded, "Mm."
Feng Jiangduo didn't need to seek out Wang Qingyao, as Wang Qingyao was going to find her anyway. Her主动 arrival saved Wang Qingyao the effort.
"My courtyard is called Kangping Courtyard, meaning health and peace. You know about the Xiao family's curse. They don't have many other requirements for their descendants; as long as they are healthy and safe, that's enough," Wang Qingyao said, pulling Feng Jiangduo's hand as they entered the room and instructing someone to serve tea and pastries.
Feng Jiangduo took a sip of tea, her expression thoughtful.
Wang Qingyao asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Feng Jiangduo didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Xiao Mo's mother, Consort Fang, seems to dislike me."
The other servants in the room all glanced at her subconsciously upon hearing this.
Wang Qingyao was not surprised and smiled dismissively, "It's fine, she doesn't like me either."
This time, it was Feng Jiangduo's turn to be surprised, her eyes widening as she looked at Wang Qingyao.
Wang Qingyao raised her eyebrows at her nonchalantly and lowered her voice, "It doesn't matter if the mother-in-law dislikes you, as long as your husband likes you and stands by your side. Moreover, there's still the matriarch above who manages things. You saw it, the Old Consort is a kind old lady, very easy to get along with."
Feng Jiangduo was infected by the atmosphere Wang Qingyao created and also lowered her voice, "What if the Old Consort passes away?"
Wang Qingyao: "..." She patted Feng Jiangduo's shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm already learning to manage the household. I'll take care of Consort Fang then. She's not inherently bad, just easily swayed. She's always being instigated, and she's traditional, unable to tolerate women like us from the new era."
Feng Jiangduo: "..."
It was a bit difficult to understand.
"By the way," Wang Qingyao asked again, "How did you realize she disliked you?"
Feng Jiangduo then slowly recounted what had happened that morning.
Wang Qingyao curled her lips. Well, although Consort Fang was unlikable, her eyesight was quite good. She had already seen that Xiao Mo and Feng Jiangduo were involved and rushed to break them up.