As these words fell, the entire courtyard plunged into a momentary silence.
Lu Ping knew Meng Anxian was a spoiled young lady, but she never imagined she could utter such foolish words?
At present, the marriage between the Crown Prince and the Meng family was merely at the discussion stage and had not been finalized. Yet, Meng Anxian’s words implied she already saw herself as the Crown Princess Consort?
This… this was simply too shameless!
“The Crown Prince is getting engaged? How come we servants haven’t heard of it?” Lu Ping stared at Meng Anxian in disbelief. “Could it be that Her Majesty the Empress has issued an Imperial Edict?”
Hearing this, Meng’s Mother felt her vision darken. She quickly stepped forward, took Lu Ping’s hand, and said with a forced smile, “My daughter just loves to talk nonsense. Miss Lu, please don’t take it to heart, and certainly don’t spread it around.”
“For the sake of the Crown Prince’s Residence’s reputation, I naturally won’t gossip,” Lu Ping replied. “But if the Second Young Lady continues to speak so recklessly, I’m afraid…” The rest went unsaid, as everyone understood the implication.
By now, Meng Anxian realized she had misspoken. Her face flushed crimson, and she stood frozen, unsure what to do.
“Xian’er, what are you standing there for? Apologize to your elder sister!”
Meng’s Mother’s tone turned sharp.
Though filled with resentment, Meng Anxian gritted her teeth and said, “Elder Sister, I’m sorry!”
Her apology was utterly insincere.
Yet, Meng Yanzhi didn’t care whether she meant it or not. She merely smiled faintly and said calmly, “We are all sisters here; there’s no need for such formality. Second Sister, you should focus on recuperating. For a young lady, her face is her most precious asset!”
After speaking, Meng Yanzhi covered her mouth, deliberately letting a glint of schadenfreude flash in her eyes. She bowed to Meng’s Mother and left with Lu Ping.
“Mother!”
“Did you see that? That vile little wretch Meng Yanzhi did it on purpose!”
“Look at my face! How can I possibly show myself in public now?”
Meng Anxian tugged at her mother’s sleeve, weeping and carrying on incessantly.
“Enough!”
Meng’s Mother finally lost her patience. Her eyebrows knitted tightly together as she glared at Meng Anxian and said through clenched teeth, “How much longer are you going to carry on like this? How can you say such things without proof? Besides, the Crown Prince’s people are with Meng Yanzhi now. Why are you so careless with your words?”
At this, Meng Anxian finally calmed down, though she felt more wronged than ever.
Her eyes red, she tugged at her mother’s sleeve and whined tearfully, “Mother, it’s all my fault. Please don’t be angry. You’re scaring me.”
Naturally, Meng’s Mother was furious, but her anger was mostly directed at Meng Yanzhi. Seeing Meng Anxian’s pitiful, tear-streaked face, she hurriedly comforted her, “There, there. Don’t think about anything now. Just rest well in the courtyard. As long as I’m here, Meng Yanzhi won’t be able to cause any trouble!”
With that, Meng’s Mother took the ointment from nearby and gently applied it to her daughter’s face, blowing softly on it. “You are the rightful young lady of the Meng family. Why bother with some country bumpkin? She’s barren anyway and can’t marry the Crown Prince. Just wait patiently. I will arrange everything for you!”
Although Meng Yanzhi had left, she didn’t immediately depart from Lingxi Courtyard. Standing at the entrance now, she heard Meng’s Mother’s words with perfect clarity.
Even though she had endured enough suffering in her previous life, hearing these words still made her originally numb heart ache unbearably.
So, her own mother never loved her at all!
So, all the endurance from her past life was nothing but a joke.
“Young Mistress, are you alright?”
Lu Ping looked at Meng Yanzhi with some sympathy.
Only then did Meng Yanzhi snap back to reality. She had been so agitated that she had bitten her lip hard, and it was now dripping with blood.
“I’m fine, let’s go back.”
Meng Yanzhi forced a smile, then turned and headed toward her own Qinghe Courtyard.
Seeing Meng Yanzhi in this state, Lu Ping felt uncomfortable. Upon returning, she immediately sent Lu Huan to the Crown Prince’s Residence to deliver a message, hoping the Crown Prince would recognize Meng Anxian’s true nature and definitely not marry such a troublemaker.
Crown Prince’s Residence.
Lu Huan hurried inside: “Your Highness, Your Royal Highness the Crown…”
“Your Majesty!”
As Lu Huan’s gaze fell upon the man, her legs went weak, and she knelt on the ground, trembling.
Seeing this, the man looked amused: “In such a hurry, is something the matter?”
There was indeed something, but it wasn’t appropriate to speak of it in front of this person, was it?
Pitifully, Lu Huan kept making eyes at Xiao Ce.
Xiao Ce raised an eyebrow: “His Majesty is asking you, why aren’t you speaking?”
Hearing this, Lu Huan steeled herself: “Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the Meng family is a den of wolves and tigers! Everyone from top to bottom bullies the Eldest Young Mistress alone. The Second Young Mistress is especially arrogant and vicious. Such a person is utterly unworthy of Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince!”
“They treat Your Highness’s savior so terribly and deliberately scheme against Your Highness’s marriage prospects—they deserve death!” Lu Huan grew more agitated as she spoke, nearly rising to her feet.
That woman—being bullied?
Xiao Xingyuan raised an eyebrow, thinking of how the woman had writhed beneath him like a cat, and how she had seduced Xiao Ce without batting an eye. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
How could such a little vixen suffer mistreatment?
Xiao Ce had been observing Xiao Xingyuan’s expression and noticed his reaction was indeed somewhat unusual.
“Father, this…”
“Since this is your own matter, handle it yourself.”
Xiao Xingyuan stood up, looked at Xiao Ce, and paused.
“Just be careful not to become someone else’s pawn.”
Before the words faded, Xiao Xingyuan had already walked out.
Staring at Xiao Xingyuan’s retreating back, Xiao Ce’s expression shifted. After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke: “Go back and tell your elder sister to protect Meng Yanzhi properly. The three of you are to withdraw immediately.”
Even though Xiao Xingyuan hadn’t said anything explicit, Xiao Ce understood that he likely disapproved of the Crown Prince interfering in a subject’s household affairs. Sending four people over at once was indeed excessive.
Hearing this, Lu Huan grew anxious: “But the Eldest Young Mistress Meng is a pushover! Your Highness, perhaps this servant should stay with her—I’m afraid she’ll be taken advantage of!”
Oh?
Xiao Ce immediately became intrigued upon hearing this.
He looked at Lu Huan curiously: “You’ve only been there a few days—why are you so protective of her already?”
“I didn’t mean anything by it, I just think someone with no temper like her is truly pathetic to the extreme.” Lu Huan sighed: “The second young lady and the cousin, each fiercer than the last, practically want to devour her alive. Yet the eldest young lady acts as if she doesn’t see it, smiling cheerfully all day long like a fool.”