Wang Qing was fat, so when he fell, the impact was especially loud.
Thud!
The violent collision knocked him unconscious on the spot.
The woman in red gauze who had come with him collapsed onto the floor in fright.
This was terrifying.
How could a woman possess such immense strength?
And who exactly was this woman, daring enough to strike the Prime Minister’s eldest grandson?
Feng Shu was equally astonished.
“Sister Lin is incredibly strong.”
“Didn’t I tell you before, Cousin?” Zhang Hanyan said. “Sister Lin was the one who captured the Flying White Fox. If that thief hadn’t been caught, what young lady in the capital would dare go out?”
Back then, Lin Qianqian had used a bow and arrows.
Today she had no weapon at all, yet she had knocked Wang Qing flat with her bare hands.
Since Wang Qing was now lying helplessly on the ground, Zhang Hanyan had no intention of wasting such a perfect opportunity to beat a man while he was down.
She lifted her foot and stomped twice on Wang Qing’s hand.
“Serves you right! Let’s cripple those filthy hands of yours and see how you bully women in the future!”
By sheer coincidence, Mother Sun happened to be passing by while purchasing osmanthus hair oil for Wang Shi and witnessed Lin Qianqian hitting someone.
The moment she saw it, she turned and ran.
Though one foot was already in the grave, Mother Sun ran faster than a rabbit.
She didn’t stop until she was far away, terrified that Lin Qianqian might notice her.
Good heavens!
Second Miss is actually the owner of Qingcheng Cosmetics Shop!
That shop was a veritable gold mine.
Compared to it, the Lin Residence was hardly worth mentioning.
Yet Wang Shi spent every day guarding against Second Miss, afraid she might take advantage of the household.
How laughable.
Still, Mother Sun had no intention of telling Wang Shi.
Second Miss even dared strike the Prime Minister’s grandson.
If she exposed this secret to Wang Shi, her old life might end up in Lin Qianqian’s hands.
Inside Qingcheng Cosmetics Shop, the three young women were discussing how to deal with Wang Qing when another person entered.
He was tall and broad-shouldered.
The moment he entered, however, he grabbed hold of Lin Qianqian’s sleeve, his expression as innocent as a child’s.
It was the Champion Marquis.
Zhang Hanyan circled around him twice.
“What a pity. Such a pity. The Champion Marquis is the most handsome man I’ve ever seen, yet he became a fool.”
Feng Shu nodded.
“He truly is unfortunate. He’s the Dowager Empress’s nephew and the sole heir of his family for four generations. Despite his noble birth, he insisted on risking his life defending the borderlands.
“And he genuinely had the ability to back it up. He earned countless military achievements and was praised by His Majesty as the bravest among the armies. That’s why he was granted the title of Champion Marquis at such a young age.”
Lin Qianqian also felt it was a shame.
Once again, she pinched the Champion Marquis’s chin and fed him a “sugar bean.”
His chin was smooth and pleasant to the touch.
Very nice indeed.
After quite a while, Wang Qing finally regained consciousness.
Looking dazed, he struggled to his feet with the help of his servants.
That girl is ridiculously strong.
A wise man does not fight when the odds are against him.
He needed to return and gather reinforcements.
“Remember this—I am the Prime Minister’s own grandson!”
Hongdou immediately struck her trademark pose, hands on her hips, blocking the doorway.
“I don’t care whether you’re his grandson or his turtle-grandson! My young lady said you must apologize to the shop assistant and compensate for the damages. Otherwise, don’t even think about leaving through this door!”
Seeing how badly a single slap had injured their young master, the servants were terrified.
If she slapped him a few more times and accidentally killed him, they would all be finished when they returned to the Prime Minister’s residence.
They hurriedly paid the compensation.
Anxious to leave and summon help, Wang Qing muttered a perfunctory apology to the assistant.
Only after being escorted outside the shop did he dare turn back and threaten them.
“You… just wait, girl! I’m the Prime Minister’s own grandson!”
Never in his life had he suffered such humiliation.
Once he returned with reinforcements, he would tear Qingcheng Cosmetics Shop down brick by brick.
Zhang Hanyan waved him off.
“Get lost. We’ll see who ends up dead.”
After climbing into his carriage, Wang Qing shouted through the window at Lin Qianqian.
“You little bitch! Sooner or later you’ll die by my hand!”
The words had barely left his mouth when a hand suddenly reached through the carriage window, yanked him out, and threw him to the ground.
The one who attacked him was the Champion Marquis.
The Champion Marquis’s attendants always seemed to arrive at exactly the right moment.
This time, they arrived just in time to see their master beating someone up.
The attendants were overjoyed.
“My master hit someone!”
“Wonderful! My master hit someone!”
The surrounding onlookers were baffled.
“I’ve never seen servants like these. Their master is causing trouble by beating people, yet they’re celebrating.”
“You know nothing,” another person replied.
“The Champion Marquis has been a fool for three years. During those years, he never spoke and never fought anyone.
“A few days ago, he suddenly started talking again.
“And today he actually hit someone.
“Tell me, shouldn’t his attendants be happy?”
“They should,” someone agreed.
“Besides, he’s the Dowager Empress’s nephew. Even if he beats someone, nothing will happen to him.
“Whoever got beaten can only blame his bad luck.”
Feng Shu looked apologetically at Lin Qianqian.
“Sister Lin, this is all my fault. Wang Qing’s grandfather is the Prime Minister, and his aunt is one of His Majesty’s favored consorts…”
“It’s fine. A clash between me and the Wang family was inevitable sooner or later.”
Feng Shu still felt guilty.
“Sister Lin, I really dragged you into this. If your shop ever encounters trouble in the future, send word to the Feng Residence and I—”
“It’s alright,” Lin Qianqian interrupted. “The Wang family and I are enemies to begin with.”
Even without Feng Shu’s involvement, Wang Shi already regarded Lin Qianqian as a thorn in her side.
At the rate things were progressing, conflict with the Prime Minister’s family was unavoidable.
Furthermore, Lin Qianqian suspected that her mother’s disappearance might be connected to the Prime Minister.
After all, once Wang Shi had disgraced herself, the Prime Minister had the greatest motive to make Jiang Shi disappear so that his daughter could marry Lin Qingyun openly and legitimately.
For a long time now, Lin Qianqian had wanted an opportunity to meet the Prime Minister.
The attendants brought the Champion Marquis back to his residence and immediately reported the tremendous news to the Duke of Xingguo.
“Your Grace! The Young Master beat someone today!”
The Duke could hardly believe it.
Grabbing the attendant by the shoulders, he shook him vigorously.
“You’re lying to me, aren’t you?”
“No, Your Grace! I wouldn’t dare! Chen Wu and the others can testify as well.”
When Chen Wu and the others all nodded in agreement, the Duke finally accepted the truth.
His son had really hit someone today.
Without a doubt.
The Duke suddenly threw back his head and burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Heaven finally has eyes!”
The Duchess of Xingguo also began crying tears of joy.
“My poor Xuan’er… my poor Xuan’er… he can finally hit people again.”
After listening carefully to Chen Wu’s account of the day’s events, the Duke discovered that his son had encountered the same young lady several times over the past few days.
Apparently, he always clung to her sleeve and refused to let go.
Today, he had likely attacked Wang Qing instinctively to protect her.
The more the Duke heard, the more it seemed that his son’s improving condition was entirely due to this young woman.
She had offended the Prime Minister’s grandson today and would likely face trouble because of it.
But such a matter was insignificant to the Duke of Xingguo’s household.
He decided to help resolve it.
As long as the Dowager Empress spoke a single word, the Prime Minister would never dare pursue the matter further.
The Duke gave his orders:
“Chen Wu, go to the palace and report to the Dowager Empress that Xuan’er can now speak and even fight people. Let her share in the good news.
“And while you’re there, invite Director Hu of the Imperial Medical Academy to come and examine Xuan’er.”