Taohua was bumped into by a child.
Instantly humiliated and enraged, she reached out to push Xiao Muyan, viciously cursing, “Where did this bastard come from, daring to meddle in my affairs? Just like your lowly mother—both of you are things that can’t even be presented in public!”
“Smack!”
The crisp sound of a slap echoed through the courtyard. Taohua’s head snapped to the side, half her cheek swelling red at once. She covered her face and stared at Meng Wantang in disbelief. “You dare hit me?!”
“And what if I did?” Meng Wantang slowly rose to her feet, her gaze as cold as frost.
She stepped forward, shielding Xiao Muyan behind her. “What are you, to think you’re worthy of insulting my child?”
Before her words even fell, she raised her hand again. This slap was heavier, sending Taohua sprawling onto the ground.
Taohua bared her teeth in pain, struggling to get up and shout.
But Meng Wantang bent down and grabbed her hair, forcing her head back.
There was not a trace of warmth in her eyes. She struck precisely at the most painful places that would leave no marks—the armpits, the sides of the waist, the inner thighs.
Each punch and kick landed exactly where it hurt most.
Taohua instantly screamed in agony, tears and snot running down her face as she writhed on the ground like a maggot, begging in broken sobs, “Stop hitting me… I was wrong… please spare me…”
Meng Wantang sneered. In the chaos, her fingertip flicked out a faint silver glint, almost impossible to detect.
A slow-acting poison shot into Taohua’s mouth.
It would not kill her immediately, but it would gnaw at her bones day after day, making pain seep from within her marrow, gradually wasting her away until her life was exhausted in endless torment.
Leaning close to her ear, Meng Wantang whispered coldly, “I’ll ruin the very foundation you rely on. Let’s see if you can still bite on behalf of your master.”
At that moment, the sound of Xiao Jingyuan’s footsteps approached from outside the courtyard. He had just reached the doorway when he heard the commotion.
The viciousness in Meng Wantang’s eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a helpless, fragile expression. She staggered back a step, her eyes reddening at once, her voice trembling with tears. “Your Highness! You’ve finally come! Concubine Liu… she suddenly barged in, scolded me, and even tried to hit Muyan. I tried to stop her, and she struck me…”
Xiao Jingyuan strode in and immediately saw Taohua curled on the ground wailing in pain—
—and Meng Wantang, eyes red and pitiful.
He frowned, about to speak, when he caught a fleeting trace of slyness in her eyes—like a kitten that had secretly eaten candy yet pretended to be wronged.
That instant contrast stirred something in his heart. Instead of anger, he found her “cunning” look unexpectedly adorable.
He stepped forward and naturally shielded her behind him, his gaze toward Taohua filled with coldness. “Taohua, who gave you the courage to cause trouble here?”
Taohua trembled in pain, unable even to speak clearly. She could only point at Meng Wantang, stammering, “Your Highness… she hit me… it was her…”
“You’re lying!” Meng Wantang immediately retorted, her voice choked with sobs. “You were the one who started it. Your Highness, look—she even scratched my wrist.”
She raised her wrist, revealing a faint red mark—one she had pinched herself earlier.
Seeing the mark and her tearful appearance, Xiao Jingyuan no longer doubted her.
He snorted coldly and ordered the guards behind him, “Drag Taohua away. Confine her to the side courtyard. Without my command, she is not to step out!”
The guards stepped forward at once, dragging the wailing Taohua away.
Meng Wantang leaned into Xiao Jingyuan’s embrace, a trace of triumphant satisfaction flickering in her eyes.
Lowering his gaze to her reddened eyes, Xiao Jingyuan felt his heart soften. He gently wiped away the tears at the corner of her eye, his tone unconsciously tender. “Don’t be afraid. With me here, no one dares bully you.”
Being dragged away, Taohua glared at Meng Wantang nestled in Xiao Jingyuan’s arms, fury turning her eyes blood-red.
Struggling wildly, she shrieked even more viciously, “Meng Wantang, you slut! Stop pretending! You were the one who hit me—you poisoned me! You lowborn illegitimate daughter, seducing the prince with your tricks—you’ll die miserably sooner or later!”
Her shrill voice pierced the air like poisoned needles.
Already enraged by her insolence, Xiao Jingyuan’s expression darkened further at her insults toward Meng Wantang.
Cold killing intent surged in his eyes. He raised his hand sharply. “Stop!”
The guards halted. Taohua thought there was hope and cried out, “Your Highness! Please see the truth! She framed me—”
“Framed you?” Xiao Jingyuan sneered, his voice colder than midwinter wind. “I saw it with my own eyes—you barged into this courtyard, insulted her, and even laid hands on Muyan. Even now you refuse to repent and continue spewing foul words. Leaving you in this residence would only be a disaster.”
Without allowing her to argue further, he ordered, “Drag her out of the prince’s residence. Expel her from the capital. She is never to set foot in the city again!”
The color drained from Taohua’s face. She stared at him in disbelief, muttering, “No… Your Highness, you can’t treat me like this…” Yet she was forcibly dragged away, her cries fading beyond the courtyard gates.
Watching her miserable departure, Meng Wantang’s eyes gleamed faintly.
This saved her the trouble of acting further. Xiao Jingyuan’s punishment was even more decisive than she had expected.
She looked up at him, gratitude and surprise perfectly measured in her eyes. “Your Highness…”
Seeing her pale face and reddened eyes, his anger dissipated by half.
His tone softened unconsciously. “Don’t be afraid. Someone so insubordinate never should have remained in the residence.”
He knew his decision was correct—it protected Meng Wantang and intimidated the restless servants in the household at once.
Just as Meng Wantang was about to speak, a commotion of hurried footsteps sounded outside the courtyard, accompanied by the shrill announcement of a eunuch:
“His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.”
Xiao Jingyuan’s brows furrowed instantly, vigilance flashing in his eyes.
He had never been on good terms with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was born of the current Empress.
The Empress was the Emperor’s cherished “white moonlight,” deeply favored. The Crown Prince had enjoyed smooth fortune since childhood, relying on the Emperor’s partiality.
He had never placed much importance on Xiao Jingyuan, a prince born of the former Empress Zheng.
And Xiao Jingyuan, as the son of the legitimate daughter of the prestigious Zheng clan—
—who held military power through his own ability—had always been regarded warily by the Emperor, while the Crown Prince targeted him at every turn.
The Crown Prince entered the courtyard dressed in bright yellow, followed by a grand entourage. When his gaze swept over Meng Wantang,
it carried undisguised contempt and mockery.
“Sixth Brother seems in quite the mood. The residence has just gone through turmoil, yet you still have leisure to cherish delicate beauty?”
He paused, his eyes settling on Meng Wantang, his tone growing sharper. “I only wonder whether this object of your affection is a little too unpresentable. An illegitimate daughter of unclear origins—does she truly deserve such protection from you?”
Meng Wantang’s expression darkened slightly, yet she did not immediately respond. She simply stood quietly at Xiao Jingyuan’s side, waiting for him to speak.
Xiao Jingyuan’s face turned icy. “Did Your Highness visit my humble residence merely to trade idle gossip?”
“Idle gossip?” The Crown Prince sneered. “I heard you expelled a concubine just now—presumably for Miss Meng’s sake? Sixth Brother, how foolish you’ve become. For the sake of a woman unworthy of the stage, you stirred such anger. If word spreads, people will surely laugh.”
“I’m afraid Your Highness has it backward,” Meng Wantang finally spoke.