Red Mansion Rebirth: Ghost Phoenix

Wang Xifeng kept chattering until she reached the corridor of the main hall of Yi Qiu Palace, where the two of them parted ways, and then she let go of his hand.

Mei Ruoqin hurried back to her own palace with a look of panic in her eyes.

"It turns out that you are still timid at heart." Wang Xifeng muttered as she looked at her back, then walked back leisurely.

As soon as he entered the door, he looked up and saw that everyone in the hall was standing respectfully in the courtyard. He was delighted and asked loudly, "Aunt Meng is here?"

Meng Fanshuang was wearing a round-necked robe and a futou hat of a female official. She walked out slowly with her hands behind her back.

Wang Xifeng's face immediately blossomed into a brilliant smile, and she ran over quickly, holding up her skirt. Seeing Meng Fanshuang's gloomy face, she didn't care about anything else and rushed over to hug her:

"Good aunt, you are here! I have been waiting so long that my eyes have turned green!"

"Cheng Hui!" Meng Fanshuang felt a little warm in her heart, but her voice was subconsciously cold and solemn. "It seems that Cheng Hui has returned all the rules I taught you before!"

An'er couldn't help laughing beside him: "It's only been three or four days, but when Cheng Hui said it, it felt like we hadn't seen each other for half a lifetime!"

He also paid his respects to Meng Fanshuang.

Wang Xifeng stood in the middle of the courtyard and introduced him to everyone with a smile on her face, saying, "This is not only the palace instructor given to me by the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, but also the teacher that the Emperor himself said he would teach me.

“You all have great respect.

"If I find out that anyone dares to be rude to my aunt, I will never let you off! Do you remember that?"

With the title bestowed upon her by the emperor himself, why would Meng Fanshuang be afraid of people being rude to her?

But she still had to appreciate Wang Xifeng's kindness.

The two of them walked into the inner hall hand in hand, and Meng Fanshuang then performed the master-servant ceremony to Wang Xifeng: "From today on, I will serve you as your disciple, and I will be at your disposal!"

Wang Xifeng smiled as brightly as a flower and helped him up with her own hands: "I am so lucky to have you! Stop being so polite, sit down, sit down!"

Meng Fanshuang stood up, but did not sit down. She followed the etiquette between master and servant, leaned forward slightly, and whispered, "After I returned to the palace, the emperor mentioned in a casual conversation with the queen that he wanted to give me to Chenghui to teach me to read.

"The queen avoided the question and tried to evade the question.

"The next day, I was summoned to go over, and I saw your cousin, Ms. Jia, beside her."

Wang Xifeng was stunned: "Didn't cousin Yuanchun just enter the palace like me?"

"Yes." Meng Fanshuang was very pleased with her new master's sharpness. She smiled and continued in a low voice, "Ms. Jia carefully tested me, saying that Chenghui is carefree and lazy, and I am afraid that it will be difficult for me to teach you.

"Who knew that the prince came while we were talking, looked at me for a moment, and immediately asked for someone on behalf of Cheng Hui.

"In front of the servants and Lady Jia, the Queen had no choice but to act like a loving mother and agreed.

"I heard that after I left, the Queen was unhappy and found a reason to punish Lady Jia by making her copy scriptures..."

Wang Xifeng raised her eyebrows and asked, "Prince, you saw this happen. Do you think it was a coincidence or...?"

"It should be the Queen's deliberate decision." Meng Fanshuang thought for a moment and replied, "I heard that the Crown Prince usually goes there to pay his respects at that time."

Wang Xifeng nodded slowly.

It seems that this mother is not very caring towards her son.

"I remember that the Queen has two sons and one daughter. In addition to the Crown Prince, there is also a Prince Zhongsu and a Princess Yongning?" Wang Xifeng asked.

Meng Fanshuang understood and immediately explained softly: "Princess Yongning's husband is a former runner-up in the imperial examination, his ancestral home is Hangzhou, his family is wealthy and he is generous.

“The princess has been living a comfortable life, having given birth to a son and a daughter, and is now about to give birth to her third child.

"She and the prince both look like their father, and the late Empress Dowager Xiaoxian loved her very much. She was raised by her side for five or six years when she was young.

“That’s why, even though the current queen doesn’t like the princess very much, she still has to act like a loving mother and a filial daughter.

“As for Prince Zhongsu, he is only eighteen years old this year. He is the youngest son of His Majesty, and His Majesty has doted on him for several years.

"Because this son looks very similar to her, the Queen loves him like a treasure—"

Meng Fanshuang glanced around quietly, and whispered in Wang Xifeng's ear, "When Your Majesty appointed the Crown Prince, I heard that the Empress couldn't help but ask why the Prince Zhongsu wasn't appointed..."

Wang Xifeng sneered, "The country depends on its eldest son.

"Just because a young boy is favored, can he manage such a big country?

"The Queen's brain...

"If it weren't for the Crown Prince, I'm afraid His Majesty would never make her the Queen in this lifetime~"

Meng Fanshuang thought that this might not be true, but she refused to agree with him, so she said softly, "Chenghui asked this, so I guess you should be wary of this person in the future?"

"Forget it, let's put it aside for now." Wang Xifeng turned around and smiled, "Since His Majesty and the Crown Prince both said that Auntie is here to teach me, then shall we start the lesson first?"

Meng Fanshuang understood and agreed with a smile.

Wang Xifeng then told her about Xia Shouzhong and asked her if she knew this person.

"I've heard of it. The former crown prince listened to the slander of a villain and almost had him killed." Meng Fanshuang glanced at Wang Xifeng and said softly, "That villain is your relative, Jia She from Rongguo Mansion..."

Wang Xifeng was struck by lightning!

No wonder Xia Shouzhong looked at her with such disgust and hatred at first...

Moreover, I guess that when he said that he was drunk and usurped the throne, he might have said something bad about me to the prince? !

Well, although he was the only one who suffered, there were reasons for it, so it’s hard to blame Xia Shouzhong for everything—

Even myself, because of my aunt's vicious plot, have I become disgusted with everyone in the Jia Mansion and have even forgotten about my gentle and dying cousin Jia Zhu.

It's human nature to vent your anger on others.

"It's good to know the root of the problem." Wang Xifeng smiled again. "Let An'er tell him a few words about the Jia family's plot against me. Then we can stand together peacefully, right?"

Meng Fanshuang nodded: "That's right."

The two of them whispered a few more words until someone outside came to report: "Master Xia is back."

Before Wang Xifeng could open her mouth, she heard an excited voice outside: "Good luck to the young lady! Good luck to the young lady!"

Meng Fanshuang was stunned: "Is this, the parrot?"

Wang Xifeng smiled, and Xia Shouzhong stepped in, holding a cage in his hand. Inside was the crested parrot, but its wings and tail feathers were cut into a mess, and it looked extremely miserable.

"Oh! What's going on?!" An'er followed in, horrified, and hugged the cage, his eyes red with heartache.

Xia Shouzhong greeted Wang Xifeng, glanced at Meng Fanshuang, ignored her for the time being, and returned to the main business:

"The Wang family set up a mourning tent and invited monks and Taoists. They said that the Imperial Astronomical Observatory would help choose an auspicious date. The body would be kept for 49 days. In addition to praying the Great Compassion Repentance, they also had to perform the ritual of repenting and washing away the sins.

"When I went there, the eldest grandson of the second branch, your cousin Wang Yi, had already put on the mourning clothes that are appropriate for a great grandson.

"I just asked, has the Wang family already chosen the second son as the successor? I haven't heard our Cheng Hui mention it."