Su Yurou stared at the silk scroll, gnashing her teeth in fury. With its red background and golden edges, what else could it be but a marriage certificate!
The Emperor actually intended to go easy on her? No way! Today’s events had made her lose face in front of her entire family. She had to make Yun Qingqing pay double!
Immediately, her eyes reddened as she said:
“Yun Qingqing, half a year ago, you set fire to the Crown Prince’s Residence and ended up disfiguring yourself as a result of your own actions. The Crown Prince, out of kindness and pity, only called off the engagement and didn’t hold you accountable. Not only did you show no gratitude, but you’ve been pestering him relentlessly!”
“The Crown Prince clearly doesn’t like you, yet you rely on being the descendant of a meritorious official, treating the Emperor’s oral decree to annul the engagement as nothing but empty words. You cling shamelessly to the Crown Prince—where does that leave the dignity of the royal family!”
“The entire city witnessed it today—you threw yourself into the river, threatening suicide, just to forcibly seize the Crown Prince’s betrothal gifts. Even now, you still dare to deny it?”
“If the late Zhenyuan Marquis were watching from the heavens, would he approve of you doing such a shameless thing!”
Yun Qingqing’s expression darkened abruptly. She stepped forward and delivered a sharp, resounding slap.
Su Yurou clutched her stinging cheek, her eyes wide with disbelief:
“You… how dare you…”
Yun Qingqing grabbed her collar and, with a flurry of slaps left and right, struck her several more times until her face was red and swollen before finally letting go. Looking down coldly, she said:
“What kind of lowly creature are you, to dare bark like a dog in front of me!”
Su Yurou, dizzy and seeing stars, collapsed to the ground, bursting into tears on the spot:
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, I beg you to uphold justice for your humble subject, wuwuwu…”
While crying pitifully, she sneered inwardly. This foolish woman actually dared to strike her in front of the Emperor—now no one could save her!
“Yun Qingqing, how dare you!”
Prime Minister Su and his wife snapped out of their shock and angrily said:
“Your Majesty! This woman actually dared to behave like this in Your Majesty’s presence—she is utterly lawless! You must uphold justice for our daughter and severely punish Yun Qingqing!”
“We beg Your Majesty to uphold justice for our daughter!”
The Empress also said angrily:
“Your Majesty, please order Yun Qingqing to be taken away and slapped immediately. Otherwise, where is the dignity of the royal family!”
Yun Qingqing sneered:
“Your Majesty the Empress, you are mistaken. She, a mere daughter of the Prime Minister’s Estate, shows no respect for her elders, slandering and insulting me. I was merely disciplining a junior—what’s wrong with that!”
“What elders and juniors? This is utter nonsense!” The Empress sounded as if she had heard a joke. “Stop pretending to be mad or foolish. Do you think this will help you escape punishment?”
Even though the Emperor remembered she was the daughter of a meritorious official, he couldn’t help but frown at the scene:
“Yun Qingqing, if you don’t have a reasonable explanation for this, you will not be let off lightly!”
“Your Majesty, you may not be aware,” Yun Qingqing said calmly, unfolding the silk scroll in her hand and presenting it, “but today, I have already entered into a marriage agreement with the Regent King. Since Su Yurou is to marry the Crown Prince, she is naturally my niece-in-law!”
“If a junior is disrespectful, what’s wrong with me, as her royal aunt-in-law, giving her a lesson?”
Everyone present gasped in shock.
What was this woman saying? She had entered into a marriage agreement with the Regent King? How was that possible!
Ignoring the skeptical gazes of the crowd, Yun Qingqing said calmly:
“Today, I made it clear in front of the entire city that I have severed ties with the Crown Prince. A little investigation will prove it.”
“But Su Yurou, without any evidence, insists that I forced the Crown Prince into marriage and that I stole her betrothal gifts. Isn’t this slander? I only slapped her a few times—that’s already lenient!”
As she spoke, she smiled and looked at the Empress. “Don’t you agree, Sister-in-law?”
The Empress had already read the contents of the marriage certificate, her eyes filled with surprise. She looked at Yun Qingqing with a deeper meaning in her gaze.
The Emperor, shocked, turned to Xiao Changheng. “This… Brother, what is going on? Do you truly intend to marry Yun Qingqing?”
The Su family members’ expressions changed. Judging by the Emperor’s tone, could the marriage certificate actually be genuine?
A certain prince leisurely took a sip of tea, a faint smile curling at his lips. “Indeed.”
The Emperor was dumbfounded.
Had his brother been cursed or something? How could he even consider marrying Yun Qingqing with her appearance… Oh, right, he can’t see. Never mind.
The Su family exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions growing flustered.
“The Crown Prince requests an audience!”
Just as everyone in the room wore varied expressions, the eunuch’s announcement echoed.
“Summon him!” The Emperor quickly ordered the Crown Prince to enter, eager to clarify the day’s events.
Moments later, Xiao Zirui hurried in. Seeing the scene inside the room, his expression shifted slightly.
“Your son pays respects to Father Emperor, Mother Empress, and Uncle.” Steadying himself, he respectfully greeted them and was about to speak.
But Su Yurou, tears streaming down her face like pear blossoms, rushed to plead first. “Your Majesty! I am not slandering her! If you don’t believe me, ask the Crown Prince. If she hadn’t forced the marriage today, why would those betrothal gifts have been delivered to the Yun Estate?”
“Yun Qingqing is already engaged to the Regent King, yet she still forced and deceived the Crown Prince into proposing to the Yun Estate. She is clearly setting a trap to harm my Su family! I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!”
“Crown Prince, you know best what Yun Qingqing has done. You will surely testify for Rou’er, won’t you?”