Situ Feng stared at the object in her hand, gnashing her teeth in fury: “Xie Yuantang! This princess will definitely kill you!”
Xie Yuantang blinked, gazing at her innocently: “Why? It was clearly you who hit me first. I lost my balance while dodging and accidentally tore your clothes. If you hadn’t hit me, I wouldn’t have lost my balance.”
Wrapped in clothes borrowed from palace maids, Situ Feng angrily shoved aside those around her and pointed at Xie Yuantang: “Wasn’t it you who insulted this princess first? What did you call me?”
“Homewrecker.”
Xie Yuantang tilted her head, her large eyes filled with naivety: “You were the one who forbade me from calling you Third Sister. If I address you by name directly, you’d accuse me of disrespect. So isn’t calling you ‘homewrecker’ acceptable?”
After a pause, she sighed deeply: “Ah~ Being someone’s sister-in-law is truly difficult!”
“Xie! Yuan! Tang!”
Situ Feng stamped her foot in rage and rushed forward to strike Xie Yuantang. But the moment she raised her hand, Xie Yuantang also extended hers, adopting a posture ready to pounce.
Situ Feng: “…”
This slap simply couldn’t be delivered!
“Hmph, who would have thought the Fifth Imperial Consort would be like this!”
A sarcastic voice chimed in: “Is this how the Prime Minister educates his daughter? Utterly ridiculous!”
“Who’s speaking?”
“Hong Qu, did you hear that?”
Xie Yuantang picked at her ears, deliberately looking around everywhere except toward the source of the voice.
“Xie Yuantang, where are you looking!”
A beautiful woman who had been standing beside Situ Feng stepped forward, staring at Xie Yuantang: “This young lady is right here. Where are you looking?”
Xie Yuantang looked up at her without speaking, instead thoughtfully stroking her chin with her small hand: “Are you also a princess?”
The woman froze momentarily. Before she could speak, Situ Feng answered for her: “This is the daughter of Vice Minister of Public Works, Lord Lu—Lu Zi Shan.”
Situ Feng cast a contemptuous glance at Xie Yuantang: “Zi Shan is a renowned talented lady in Jing Cheng, unlike a good-for-nothing like you!”
Hearing Situ Feng’s words, Lu Zi Shan instinctively straightened her back, looking down arrogantly at Xie Yuantang.
“The daughter of the Vice Minister of Public Works.”
Xie Yuantang raised an eyebrow and suddenly smiled: “Is the daughter of the Vice Minister of Public Works of higher status than an Imperial Consort? Are you already exempt from paying respects when you see me?”
Lu Zi Shan stiffened abruptly, turning to Situ Feng with a pitiful expression: “Princess…”
Situ Feng snorted coldly: “Xie Yuantang, stop pretending to wield authority you don’t have. Zi Shan is different from others. If she hadn’t observed three years of mourning for her family, she would have been the rightful Fifth Prince’s Consort! How could someone like you ever qualify!”
Xie Yuantang suddenly understood. So that was why Lu Zi Shan’s gaze held such hostility toward her from the moment she appeared—even more intense than Situ Feng’s. So she was a “love rival”!
Xie Yuantang smiled faintly, her tone cool: “So what? Today, I, Xie Yuantang, am the Fifth Prince’s Consort, not her, Lu Zi Shan.”
Situ Feng frowned slightly. Beside her, Lu Zi Shan’s eyes darkened, though she forced a bitter smile: “Princess, there’s no need to speak up for Zi Shan. Zi Shan… is willing to pay respects.”
With that, she took a deep breath and knelt before Xie Yuantang with dignified composure: “Lu Zi Shan pays respects to the Imperial Consort.”
Xie Yuantang walked up to her and patted her shoulder, saying, “You’re quite sensible. From now on, you must kneel when you see me, understand? Otherwise, next time I might have my father pay yours a visit.”
Although her scoundrel father was hardly decent, the title of “Prime Minister” was undeniably useful.
Xie Yuantang didn’t mind in the slightest—in fact, she was eager to heap more resentment upon Xie Zhaoqing!
Lu Zishan’s face paled slightly. Just as she was about to speak, Xie Yuantang reached over and stuffed the two pieces of pink fabric into her arms.
“When Third Sister’s dress tore earlier, you were the one who ran the farthest. Here, this is your reward!”
Lu Zishan: “…”
Situ Feng cast a meaningful glance at Lu Zishan, who hurriedly explained, “Your Highness, it’s not like that, I didn’t…”
“I’ll settle this with you when we return to the palace.”
Situ Feng shot her a glare, then turned to Xie Yuantang. “Enough idle talk. Where is Xu’er’s jade pendant?”
That Warm Jade was no ordinary item—it was utterly unfit for someone like Xie Yuantang to possess.
Xie Yuantang blinked, her large eyes sparkling with amusement. “My husband is wearing it. Ah, I must say, Sixth Brother really knows how to pick gifts. When I showed it to Father Emperor, he even praised him for it.”
“What did you say?”
Situ Feng frowned. “You showed it to Father Emperor?”
“Indeed!”
Situ Feng’s expression darkened. If Father Emperor had seen the jade pendant and permitted Situ Yan to wear it, it would be inappropriate for her to demand it back.
As she fretted over how to reclaim the pendant, she noticed Xie Yuantang pulling a palm-sized notebook and a small charcoal pencil from her small satchel.
“What is this?” Situ Feng asked sternly.
For some reason, the sight of that little book stirred an uneasy premonition in her heart.
Had Situ Ye and Situ Xu been present, they would have surely shouted at her:
“Run!”
Alas, they were not there, and the “naive” Situ Feng remained unaware of Xie Yuantang’s notorious style of “stripping even a ghost of its skin.”
Hearing Situ Feng’s question, Xie Yuantang beamed even more brightly and enthusiastically explained, “This is my accounting book. I record every wedding gift I receive in here.”
Pausing, she fixed Situ Feng with an innocent, wide-eyed gaze. “Third Sister, surely you’re here to deliver your wedding gift, aren’t you?”
Situ Feng sneered. “Utterly shameless! Who would give you a wedding gift? You’re not worthy!”
Unfazed, Xie Yuantang pressed, “Then why are you here?”
“I’m here to—”
Situ Feng nearly declared her intent to reclaim the jade pendant, but as the words left her lips, her eyes fell upon the account book in Xie Yuantang’s hand, and her brow furrowed deeper.
Since the pendant had been seen by Father Emperor, retrieving it would be difficult. Moreover, if word got out that she had taken back Situ Xu’s wedding gift, the humiliation would be unbearable!
Before she could decide on a course of action, Xie Yuantang suddenly exclaimed, “I understand! Third Sister wants Sixth Brother’s wedding gift returned, right?”
“I—”
“Of course! No problem at all!”
Xie Yuantang nodded cheerfully, the bells on her Double Buns Hairstyle tinkling crisply.
“Wedding gifts are a matter of mutual consent—I would never force anyone.”
“Hong Qu, go fetch the jade pendant and those silver bills.”
As she spoke, Xie Yuantang opened the account book. “Third Sister, please wait a moment. I’ll just cross out Sixth Brother’s entry.”
Just as she was about to make a mark with that charcoal pencil, Situ Feng’s heart tightened and she hastily exclaimed, “Wait!”
“What’s wrong, Third Sister?” Xie Yuantang looked at her in confusion.
Losing money was a small matter, but losing face was a big one!
She and her brother would rather lose money than lose dignity!
Thinking this, Situ Feng gritted her teeth and said, “I’m not here to ask for the jade pendant back, I’m here to…”
“Here for what?”
“To…”
Clutching her bleeding heart, Situ Feng took a deep breath and declared, “I’m here to give you my wedding contribution!”
Hearing this, Hong Qu stumbled and nearly fell flat on her face.
Her Little Imperial Consort was right after all—a god of wealth had truly come to their door!