The Lu family acted swiftly, taking immediate measures upon realizing the situation was turning against them.
Lu Yanzhi’s injuries were severe, and he had fainted from sheer rage, making him temporarily unfit to face the Princess. Thus, Madam Lu brought her eldest daughter-in-law to the Princess Manor, hoping to persuade the Princess first.
The staff at the Princess Manor did not prevent them from entering, but as soon as they stepped inside, they saw thick smoke billowing in the distance.
"That’s the direction of the Second Young Master’s residence."
Though they seldom visited the Princess Manor, they were well aware of where Lu Yanzhi lived.
Madam Lu’s heart sank, and she hurried over with her entourage. From afar, they saw a group of people carrying items and tossing them one by one into a blazing bonfire.
While the books were hard to identify, the clothing was unmistakably her son’s.
"What are you doing?"
Moreover, this wasn’t mere fabrication—every single incident was based on fact.
"Even if the Princess couldn’t win his affection, must she turn love into hatred?"
"Princess," Madam Lu rushed forward and hastily bowed. "Princess, can’t we discuss this calmly? Why resort to such extremes?"
However, before the Lu family could make a decision, other noble families caught wind of the situation and descended upon them.
She rose slowly, smiling like a venomous beauty serpent. "This is his only chance to free himself from me. You’d better seize it, or I’ll show you what it truly means to be pushed too far!"
"You failed to raise your son properly, and now you dare lecture me?"
The Lu family believed that Lu Yanzhi’s marriage to the Princess was a sacrifice on his part. The men of the Lu family could not show closeness to the Princess, maintaining only polite courtesy. Meanwhile, the women pitied their jade-like son, and none could muster warmth toward the Princess.
Hong Yue wore a face full of mockery, embodying the role of a malicious maid. "You think the Princess must see you just because you request an audience? On past holidays when the Princess visited, you either feigned illness or dizziness to avoid her. Why aren’t you sick or dizzy now?"
"It was my failure in raising him that caused the Princess distress. I beg for your forgiveness."
"Gao Lan!" Madam Lu 'scolded' her eldest daughter-in-law with feigned displeasure. "How dare you speak nonsense? Apologize to the Princess at once!"
By then, it was no longer a matter of whether the Emperor believed them—their reputation among the common people and scholars had already crumbled.
Regardless of the accusations now burdening the Lu family, even if they accepted punishment to annul the imperial marriage, Lu Yanzhi’s life would be ruined.
"You act so noble, wanting both integrity and face—how can you be so shameless?"
Xiao Li lay lazily in her chair, lifting her eyelids to glance at her briefly before slowly closing them again.
She hurried over, scanning the area until she spotted Xiao Li seated on the corridor, immediately realizing this was her doing.
The Lu family’s eldest daughter-in-law, Gao Lan, looked at Xiao Li with scorn. "You knew from the start that Second Brother didn’t love you, yet you still had the Emperor force him into marriage. You got your wish, and now that you can’t bear it, you resort to such despicable means to destroy him. This is beyond outrageous."
Thus, it was true that the old lady feigned illness to avoid her. It was true that Madam Lu made the Princess adhere to strict rules. And it was true that the Lu family’s eldest sister-in-law looked down on the Princess, spreading gossip and sneering at her.
Old Madam Lu was truly on the verge of fainting from anger. Her usually serene expression tightened with rage, her entire body trembling. "You speak too outrageously, young lady! This old woman merely wishes to seek an audience with the Princess. How dare you be so aggressive?"
The Lu family knew perfectly well this was Lu Yanzhi's chance to break free from the Princess. He had always wanted to escape, and they pitied their own child, but not at this time, not in this manner. Watching the collapse of their prestigious family's reputation, Grand Secretary Lu finally chose to lower his head.
Having weathered many storms, Old Madam Lu showed no anger. She simply stood at the gate and declared, "This old woman will wait here until the Princess calms down and agrees to see me."
Rumors spread like wildfire, while refuting them requires exhausting effort.
"Stop performing in front of me," Xiao Li opened her eyes, her dark pupils filled with mockery. "You all think Lu Yanzhi suffered by marrying me. Now that I'm setting him free, shouldn't you be celebrating?"
The Princess had indeed deliberately curried favor with the Lu family for Lu Yanzhi's sake. Her humble demeanor had made the Lu women think she was easy to manipulate.
Memorials snowed into the Imperial Study. While some merely impeached the Lu family's moral conduct, others actually accused Lu family members of abusing their power and harming commoners—with solid evidence.
"When the Imperial son-in-law bullied the Princess, you turned a blind eye, even thought she deserved it. Now that the Princess can no longer endure the mistreatment and has spoken the truth, you come one by one to threaten her."
Madam Lu disliked this Princess who had been forced upon them by the Emperor, just as her son did. But after all, this was the Princess—she had to swallow her anger.
The two Lu women were driven away, taking their charred belongings with them as they departed in disgrace.
Within two days, thirteen members of the Lu clan were imprisoned. Though they were collateral relatives, the threat to the Lu family's reputation was immense. No matter how others explained, the public preferred to believe that Lu Yanzhi was impotent, having kept the Princess untouched for three years of marriage.
Old Madam Lu personally brought gifts to the Princess Manor to reconcile, but was refused entry.
Xiao Li closed her eyes, emotionless. "Since you understand the situation, this Princess is relieved. I originally intended to burn these filthy things, but since you've come, I'll give you some face. Take them away. From now on, no member of the Lu family is permitted to set foot in the Princess Manor."
"The Princess says your Lu family's status is too exalted. She dares not aspire to such heights, nor does she wish to in the future."
"The Princess says she will not receive anyone from the Lu family."
The gatekeeper went inside to report. Soon, Hong Yue stormed out angrily. "What is Old Madam Lu doing? Trying to use your age to threaten the Princess?"
Old Madam Lu felt a pain in her chest from anger and could stay no longer. She turned back immediately. When her carriage arrived at the Lu residence, she was helped down, only to hear servants report upon entering that rumors were spreading everywhere about how the Princess had been coldly treated in the Lu household these past three years.
Those noble families who saw the Lu family as a thorn in their side instantly became like hyenas catching the scent of blood, frantically trying to tear a piece of flesh from the Lu family.
Public opinion can melt metal, and the charge of deceiving the imperial family grew increasingly severe.
"Next, are you going to faint so the world knows how vicious the Princess is for mistreating an old woman?"
Grand Secretary Lu Zhanglin looked at his wife with deep disappointment. Old Madam Lu could bear no more and fainted on the spot.
With the Lu family's reputation in ruins, the court erupted in celebration.
The Emperor "had no choice but to" deal with several members of the Lu family and revoked some of their associated privileges.
Only after securing the benefits he wanted did he hypocritically offer to persuade Xiao Li.
After all, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and since the Lu family had only suffered superficial losses, they still needed to be kept in check to some extent.