Rong Luoge had said all she needed to say. This was not the original owner's home, and naturally, it was not hers either. She certainly would not stay.
"Wait." Zhenguo Gong spoke up, taking two steps forward to look at Rong Luoge. His expression shifted unpredictably, looking indescribably unpleasant. "Luoge, are you really this heartless? You must know that even if you marry Prince Qi, if you ever face mistreatment in the prince's mansion in the future, you won’t have your family to back you up."
Was this a threat?
Rong Luoge fixed her gaze on Zhenguo Gong. "On my wedding night, Rong Dai climbed into Prince Qi's bed and stole my wedding night. I don’t think there could ever be anything more humiliating than what happened last night. And all of this was thanks to you. I remember it clearly and vividly. If you’re smart, we’ll maintain civility in public from now on, but don’t interact privately. I’m afraid that if we continue to associate, I might not be able to resist picking up a knife to kill someone."
"How can you say that? You must understand that a woman without the protection of her family…"
"When have I ever had the protection of my family? Not in the past, not now, and I doubt I ever will in the future." Rong Luoge let out a light laugh. "I actually think the Duke is quite devoted—devoted enough to keep a mistress yourself and even find one for your son-in-law. The mistress you raised became a mistress herself, and then taught your illegitimate daughter to follow in her footsteps. Truly, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and rats’ offspring know how to dig holes. How fitting."
Zhenguo Gong trembled with rage upon hearing this. "Get out! From now on, the Duke’s mansion has no daughter like you."
"Fine. But remember to return my mother’s dowry. Otherwise… you know I keep my word." With that, Rong Luoge turned and walked away.
As she took her first steps, she suddenly felt the suffocating resentment that had weighed on her heart dissipate, leaving her feeling much lighter.
She paused slightly, sensing that this was likely the last trace of the original owner’s lingering presence. Now that she had avenged her, the original owner must have departed without regrets.
See, one must never live a cowardly life, or else even in death, they’d remain a resentful ghost.
Once outside the Duke’s mansion, Rong Luoge found herself unsure of where to go.
Her small residence still housed a stranger recovering from injuries, and the sense of danger from the previous night made her think it was best not to return there for now.
She was still married to Prince Qi, and after some thought, she decided she should return to Prince Qi’s mansion. At the very least, she needed to urge Prince Qi to arrange a mutual divorce as soon as possible. If a mutual divorce wasn’t possible, a letter of divorce would do—she wasn’t picky.
Only when she was completely free of Han Yifeng would she truly be able to spread her wings and soar.
Prince Qi’s mansion wasn’t far from Zhenguo Gong’s residence—just a street away. Walking slowly would take no more than half an hour.
Rong Luoge observed the scene, so different from the modernized life of later generations, yet so vibrant. Every passerby’s expression was vivid and real, making her truly feel that this was no dream—she had indeed traveled through time.
It was almost laughable. She had just arrived and already severed ties with her family, while her in-laws’ relationship was precarious at best. She really needed to think carefully about how to move forward.
After all, this wasn’t the modern era. Here, you needed a travel permit to leave the city and money to survive. Without these, you couldn’t go anywhere.
Lost in thought, she soon arrived at the prince’s mansion, only to be stopped at the gate. The guards didn’t recognize her as Princess Qi.
Rong Luoge was already in a foul mood, and her expression darkened as she pushed the person aside.
Did these people really not recognize her? Not necessarily.
It was more likely that someone had instructed them to deliberately make things difficult for her. She didn’t even need to think about who it was.
Looking at the group of gatekeepers, Rong Luoge said calmly, "If you don’t want your eyes anymore, I can help gouge them out and wash them for you. If you don’t even recognize the mistress of the manor, what use are you?"
Perhaps Rong Luoge’s imposing aura was too overwhelming, as the gatekeepers were startled and instinctively stepped aside to clear the path.
Without even glancing at them, Rong Luoge walked straight in. Before she had gone far, she overheard the gatekeepers talking.
"We let her in. How are we going to explain this to Miss Rong?" Zhu Qiang frowned as he spoke. He was the one who had privately accepted Rong Dai’s silver to harass the princess consort.
"Would you dare to stop her? I certainly wouldn’t. I think the princess consort is much more beautiful than Miss Rong. Who knows who will end up winning favor?" another gatekeeper on duty, Zhang Sanxi, muttered.
"Miss Rong?" Rong Luoge sneered and turned around.
The gatekeepers: …
Who would have thought the princess consort would respond? If it were anyone else, having just married into the manor, they would at least tread carefully, if not cautiously, step by step.
"Princess Consort, do you have any instructions?" Zhang Sanxi, who had been the first to step aside earlier, asked with a smile.
"There is no 'Miss Rong' in this manor, only a Princess Consort Rong," Rong Luoge said, enunciating each word clearly. "A proper young lady, even if she were to become a lowly concubine, would have to be carried in through a side gate in a small sedan chair, serve tea, and kowtow before she could earn the title of a concubine."
At that moment, the expressions of the crowd turned subtle. They exchanged glances, thinking that the new princess consort’s aura was truly formidable. Could it be that the manor was about to undergo a drastic change?
Rong Luoge didn’t care what Han Yifeng thought. Although she planned to seek a mutual divorce with him, before that happened, if he dared to trample on her dignity while elevating Rong Dai, she would make sure his Prince Qi’s Manor became the laughingstock of the entire Xiaoguo Kingdom.
Seeing the new princess consort walk away, Zhu Qiang’s eyes darted around, and he clutched his stomach, saying, "Oh, my stomach hurts. I need to use the restroom. Keep an eye on things for me."
As soon as Zhu Qiang ran off, another gatekeeper who had remained silent until then, Li Wengui, said to Zhang Sanxi, "What’s wrong with Zhu Qiang these past two days? Why does his stomach always hurt during his shift?"
Zhang Sanxi curled his lips disdainfully. "He’s climbed onto a high branch, that’s why."
Unaware that the gatekeepers were now divided into two factions, Rong Luoge returned to her courtyard based on her memory. Fortunately, on the day of the wedding, there were palace officials present, so Han Yifeng hadn’t assigned her to a shabby residence. Instead, she was given the main courtyard in the rear compound, the principal residence meant for the princess consort.
As soon as she entered, a figure rushed over, hugging her legs and crying, "Princess Consort, you’re finally back! I was so scared. Yesterday, His Highness took you away, and I couldn’t stop him no matter how hard I tried. It’s all my fault for not protecting you well enough…"
"Cang Yun, are you mourning someone? Can’t you see the princess consort is perfectly fine? She just got married, and here you are crying right away—how unlucky!"
Hearing the two speak, Rong Luoge immediately identified them. The one hugging her and crying was Cang Yun, a young maid the original owner had bought at the estate, who had followed her for many years and was fiercely loyal.
The other one, whose words were sharp and sarcastic, was Ming Cui, someone the Duchess had planted by the original owner’s side to keep an eye on her.
The original owner had a soft temperament. After Ming Cui arrived, she took advantage of being sent by the Duchess to bully Cang Yun and was quite unruly.
The original owner could tolerate her, but she had no intention of doing so. Today, she would make her roll back.
"All you do is speak inauspicious words like mourning. It seems to me you're cursing me," Rong Luoge said, her eyes fixed on Ming Cui.
Ming Cui was taken aback and instinctively replied, "How could you say that, Your Highness? This servant only has your best interests at heart. When the Duchess sent me to serve you, it was precisely because she feared you might not understand the rules after entering the royal residence and bring shame upon the Duke's household."
Ming Cui was not the least bit afraid. The Princess Consort had a very soft temperament and was easy to manipulate. By invoking the name of the Duchess, she was certain to intimidate her.