Steward Cheng looked somewhat troubled: "But the Prince said..."
"Uncle Cheng, starting from this moment, this Prince's Estate is no longer under the Prince's command." Chu Yunfei's voice was cold, her tone carrying an undeniable pressure. "Until the Prince's injuries are completely healed, I am in charge of everything."
The steward did not understand what Chu Yunfei meant, but in the year since the Prince and Princess Consort had been married, they were well aware of the Princess Consort's ability to manage the household and her character. The Prince's recent actions were very abnormal, filled with hidden reasons that left people confused.
Moreover, before this incident occurred, the Prince and Princess Consort had very good feelings for each other.
Therefore, after considering it for only a moment, Steward Cheng thought of the Prince who would be bedridden and resting for the foreseeable future, and he quickly nodded: "Yes, this old servant will listen to the Princess Consort."
Chu Yunfei nodded: "Thank you, Uncle Cheng."
"I disagree!" A woman suddenly walked out from the room, her head covered in luxurious pearl hairpins, just like her overbearing posture. "Chu Yunfei, Ninth Imperial Brother has already divorced you, why are you still clinging here? Do you really think that after being the Princess Consort for a year, Prince Zhan's Estate is yours to command?"
Chu Yunfei raised her eyes to look.
A young girl in a vermilion palace dress stood on the steps, her face bright and flamboyant, but her expression was one of arrogance and disdain.
This was Consort Gu's own daughter, the younger sister of Prince Chen and Prince Zhan, Rong Jinyue.
At this moment, she looked down at Chu Yunfei with eyes full of disgust and hostility: "Ninth Imperial Brother sent someone to deliver a letter of divorce to you, yet you viciously beat Yinqiao, who delivered it, and even had your father go to the palace to file a complaint. Chu Yunfei, with such a vicious heart, you are simply not worthy of being Ninth Imperial Brother's wife!"
Chu Yunfei lowered her eyes and brushed her sleeve, her tone calm: "Fifth Princess, ignoring your own rules and upbringing to shout in Prince Zhan's Estate, whose power are you relying on?"
"You—"
"Rong Cang did indeed write a letter of divorce, but this marriage between him and me was approved by the Emperor himself. I am a Princess Consort recorded in the Imperial Family's genealogy; I cannot be divorced just because he says so with a single piece of paper." Chu Yunfei's pupils narrowed slightly, her tone sharp and cold. "As a Prince, Rong Cang should set an example and pay attention to the distinction between the sexes, yet he openly cuddles with an unmarried woman in the estate, showing no regard for my dignity as his Princess Consort. So, what is wrong with me having my father impeach him before the Emperor? Besides, this is a matter between husband and wife; what right does the Fifth Princess have to interfere in our family affairs?"
The Fifth Princess was furious: "You are presumptuous!"
"You are the one who is presumptuous!" Chu Yunfei's expression turned cold, her aura far overpowering the other. "If you continue to shout here, I will have someone go to the Emperor to impeach him again, and we shall see what punishment a Princess receives for being arrogant, acting high and mighty in her own Imperial Brother's estate, and being disrespectful to her Imperial Aunt."
Rong Jinyue was so angry that her face turned ashen.
Chu Yunfei brushed past her side.
A cold glint flashed in the bottom of Rong Jinyue's eyes, and she raised her hand to slap her across the face: "Chu Yunfei, this Princess will teach you a lesson today—"
Halfway through the swing, her wrist was suddenly seized.
Rong Jinyue struggled instinctively, but she could not break free at all: "Chu Yunfei, you are merely the daughter of a Third-Rank Attendant Official, how dare you be rude to this Princess? I will not let you off!"
"Princess!"
"Her Highness the Princess!"
The complexions of the Fifth Princess's personal maids changed, and they could not help but step forward.
Chu Yunfei squeezed her wrist, secretly applying force, causing Rong Jinyue's face to turn pale: "Let go of me! Are you all dead? Why don't you pull this lowly woman away!"
"Rong Jinyue." Chu Yunfei's voice was as cold as frost, like a God of Death from hell. "Do you want to taste the feeling of being married off to a foreign royal family?"
Rong Jinyue's pupils shrank: "You..."
"If the Fifth Princess continues to speak rudely here, I have ten thousand ways to persuade Rong Cang to marry you off." Chu Yunfei's lips curled slightly, her smile carrying a chilling intent. "I heard that Mobei is starting to stir again. Rong Cang is currently injured and unable to lead troops. If he were to suggest to the Emperor that a Princess be sent over, do you think it could temporarily appease those wolves in Mobei?"
Unease appeared on Rong Jinyue's face, and she spoke with a show of bravado: "You... what are you pretending for? My Imperial Brother is going to divorce you, why would he listen to you? In this Princess's opinion, since my Imperial Brother no longer likes you, marrying you off is just right, so you don't become a Discarded Wife later, staying in Chu State to be mocked and humiliated. By then, I fear you won't even be able to survive."
"My affairs do not require the Princess to bother." Chu Yunfei shook off her hand, her tone returning to an indifferent and steady state. "Aside from the Prince, I am the only mistress of Prince Zhan's Estate for the time being. If the Fifth Princess also wishes to give orders in Prince Zhan's Estate, please first go to the Emperor and request an identity that qualifies you to do so."
After saying this, she raised her eyes to look at the guards standing in the courtyard: "From now on, no matter who it is, they must report to this Princess Consort before entering the estate. Do you hear me?"
The guards knelt down in unison: "Yes!"
Rong Jinyue gripped her handkerchief tightly, staring at her with hatred: "Chu Yunfei, I would rather have Chu Yun Jiao be my Ninth Imperial Brother's wife; you are simply not worthy of Ninth Imperial Brother."
Chu Yunfei looked at Rong Jinyue's beautiful face and smiled slightly: "Just an hour ago, Chu Yun Jiao was punished by Family Law at home for her improper conduct and is still kneeling in the ancestral hall now. Does the Fifth Princess want to go see her?"
Rong Jinyue was furious: "You rely on being a legitimate daughter to bully a younger sister who has no power to fight back?"
"Does the Fifth Princess not also rely on your status as a Princess to dare to shout here?" Chu Yunfei raised an eyebrow. "I always thought that birds of a feather flock together, and that someone with a noble status like the Fifth Princess would never look favorably upon someone like Chu Yun Jiao who serves others with beauty. It seems the reality is beyond my expectations."
As soon as these words were spoken, Rong Jinyue's expression froze on her face.
She gritted her teeth and looked at Chu Yunfei: "What do you mean? Chu Yunfei, are you scolding me?"
"The Fifth Princess can understand it however she wishes." Chu Yunfei did not want to pay attention to her anymore and turned to walk into the house. "I need to check on the Prince's injuries and have no time to entertain you. The Fifth Princess should know where the main gate is."
Rong Jinyue was shocked, unable to believe that Chu Yunfei dared to issue an eviction order to her.
As the daughter of a Consort and the sister of a Prince, where was she not glorious and prominent as a Princess? The noblewomen outside all fawned over her, and even the Sixth Imperial Brother's wife was affectionate toward her and often tried to win her over.
Only this Chu Yunfei never tried to please her, and her attitude was always lukewarm whenever she entered the palace. She was simply not worthy of being Ninth Imperial Brother's wife.
Rong Jinyue flicked her sleeve fiercely: "Return to the palace!"
She was going back to tell her Imperial Concubine Mother that Chu Yunfei was arrogant, overbearing, and ignored everyone, showing no respect for the Father Emperor or her Imperial Concubine Mother, and was also extremely harsh to the Ninth Imperial Brother.
The daughter of a Third-Rank Attendant Official, in an Imperial City filled with powerful and influential people, was nothing to show off. Did she really think she had such a prominent status?
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