Chapter 231: Can

The Qingxuan Kingdom princess's marriage alliance attracted many commoners to come and watch; on the Imperial Street people crowded shoulder to shoulder. Di Yue Nu sat inside the princess's grand, luxurious carriage, looking out through the silk curtains, a smug, relaxed smile at the corner of her mouth.

She had lived here for many years, and that life left a deep imprint on her; the thing she could never let go of in this lifetime was being taken as a concubine, and now she finally could hold her head high.

The delicate, lattice‑worked crimson‑gold incense ball swayed gently with the wind, emitting a pleasant sound, and that ethereal tone fell into Rong Ling Shan's ears with particular disgust.

She ordered the driver to head straight to the new residence; when they arrived, it was far better than she had imagined, and the location was also good—though it could not compare with the Protector Duke's mansion, the surrounding street was filled with official government houses.

The brother and sister hurried inside to see their mother; the three of them inevitably talked about what had happened since their separation.

Chu Ke looked at his younger son, who had become more mature and steady than before, his eyes slightly reddening, and listened as his daughter spoke of the dissatisfactions at her in‑laws, her resentment toward her sister‑in‑law building up inside her.

"Yu'er, mother wants to discuss something with you; would you be willing to go study at the Imperial Academy?" Chu Ke looked at his son and asked with a smile.

Rong Yu'er was startled for a moment, "Imperial Academy?"

Chu Ke smiled and nodded, "Studying at an academy is fine, but the great scholars of the Imperial Academy are renowned throughout the world; being able to study with them is naturally a coveted opportunity."

The Protector Duke's mansion does have a slot at the Imperial Academy; it originally belonged to Rong Yan, but Rong Heng gave it to Rong Lang. It wouldn't be impossible for Rong Yu'er to obtain another slot, but Rong Heng would have to handle it.

But now the mother and father are divorced, so the slot would not be one the father could arrange for him; he looked at his mother and asked, "Is it the Empress‑Consort's wish?"

Chu Ke did not hide it, nodded, and said to her son, "Such an opportunity is very rare; the Imperial Academy admits only a certain number of students each year, and getting in out of the blue is extremely difficult."

If it had been before, Rong Yu'er would certainly have refused, but now he only hesitated slightly and asked his mother, "Then what requirements does the Empress‑Consort have for this slot?"

Chu Ke was startled for a moment.

Rong Ling Shan could no longer listen, reached out and tapped her brother's head, "You muddlehead, you act foolish when you should be shrewd, and act pretentiously shrewd when you shouldn't be. Look, has the Empress‑Consort set any requirements for big brother's arrangements? Has the Empress‑Consort helped mother set any demands? Has the Empress‑Consort made any requests of me? Don't forget, the Empress‑Consort is our elder sister; when we acted wrongly before and wronged our sister, you should study hard now so you can repay her later."

Rong Yu'er lowered his head in silence, his eyes slightly reddening; previously the aunt had often flattered them, and when mother had not yet divorced but was at odds with father, the aunt had turned hostile. Yet the elder sister they once ignored, whom they had wronged, now offers them much assistance.

"I'll remember that," Rong Yu'er said softly.

Seeing her brother's dejected look, Rong Ling Shan said, "I'll take you into the palace to meet our elder sister; once you meet her you'll see she's truly a good person."

Rong Yu'er shook his head, looked at his mother and sister, and said, "I want to take the Imperial Academy entrance exam; if I pass I'll study, if I fail I'll wait until I can pass before going. I don't want to enter just by using our elder sister's name and embarrass her."

Chu Ke did not expect her son to say that; astonished yet overjoyed, she smiled and said, "That's of course good; my son has ambition, even if he fails I'll still be happy."

"Mother, on our way back we ran into Di Yue Nu and her mother; they were truly imposing, striking a pose as if afraid no one would know who she was—how ridiculous," Rong Ling Shan said.

Chu Ke looked at her daughter's lingering resentment; she herself had long let it go, smiled and said, "What's there to be angry about? I've already reclaimed the inheritance you all deserve, and we need not worry about the rest. From now on we'll live our own lives; relying on others is ultimately empty. Even our own father is like that, so you must stand on your own. Seeing how diligent you are now makes a mother sweeter than honey; let's not concern ourselves with those matters."

Rong Yu'er nodded; although Rong Ling Shan was a bit displeased, she thought over her mother's words and let it go.

Rong Yu'er went to study, preparing for the Imperial Academy exam; Rong Ling Shan stayed, staying by her mother's side, and the two women closed the door to speak privately.

"Aunt is truly over the line; last night my brother stayed up late reading, and the next day she could make insinuating remarks about wasted wax, which made me almost lose my temper with her. I told Grandmother about it, and she only sighed, telling us to endure." Rong Ling Shan felt aggrieved; the Chu family is not a modest household, there are dozens of servants, how could they care about such a trivial wax?

It was just that Aunt used the pretext to drive them away; at that time she was so hurt that she couldn't even shed tears.

Chu Ke's expression was cold as she looked at her daughter and comforted, "Don't worry; soon your aunt will come to ingratiate herself with us, and when that happens you can vent your anger as you wish."

Rong Ling Shan didn't understand her mother's words, looked at her and asked, "Mother, what do you mean by that?"

Chu Ke poked her daughter's brow, then smiled and said, "Your brother's recent military merit has been held back by the Empress‑Consort for His Majesty, waiting for me to award him after your father and I divorce. Your aunt thinks that once your father and I are divorced we'll fall into a mire, fearing that we'll drag her down, but she doesn't know your brother's prospects aren't bad; just wait and see."

Chu Ke had always believed that her natal family was a support; the people of her natal family treated her sincerely, and only when trouble arose did she realize how much sincerity truly existed.

Rong Ling Shan instantly became happy, "Then I'll wait for Aunt to come in so I can have a proper talk with her."

Can't choke her to death!

I never want to go back to my maternal family again in this lifetime.

Princess Di Yue Nu's demeanor was indeed very imposing; I had thought the Owl Kingdom would send a high‑ranking minister to receive her, but the court only sent a fifth‑rank civil official, which left Di Yue Nu's face extremely displeased.

Rong Lang, standing nearby, urged his mother, "Everyone's back, so don't stay angry. Besides, this time Qingxuan Kingdom was defeated; how could the Owl Kingdom keep us in mind? Moreover, mother, don't forget there's Rong Luoge in the palace; she's always dissatisfied with us, and this time she'll certainly stir trouble before His Majesty. The more she does, the more we must keep our composure."

Di Yue Nu came back hoping to hold her head high, and this is the result?

She is, after all, a Qingxuan Kingdom princess; being slapped like this is truly merciless, it's no wonder she can't be happy.

Inside the palace, Rong Luoge had just learned that Han Xinglan only sent a fifth‑rank official, and she laughed, looking at Han Xinglan and said, "That's a good move; Di Yue Nu must be going mad with anger."