Several officials’ wives who were on good terms with Su Shi could no longer stand by and watch, stepping forward to support her.
The first to speak was the tall, slender woman who had given Su Shi the jade bracelet in the back hall.
She spoke indignantly, “If Madam Xiang has the ability to marry her daughter to the Regent Prince, that’s her skill. If any of you have the capability, why not marry your own daughters to the Regent Prince?”
Another official’s wife smiled coldly, “Liu Shi, your husband Xiang Qi is merely a fourth-rank civil official in Jingdu. Don’t cause trouble recklessly, or you might cost your husband his official position.”
The tall, slender woman—Liu Shi—was unfazed. “I think people like you are just jealous that Xiang Fu has produced a Wangfei, which is why you speak this way.”
Her maiden family was in business—she had plenty of money. With wealth, why would she fear that Su Shi wouldn’t help her?
The official’s wife smiled meaningfully and left with her husband.
After that official’s wife departed, the other women standing near Liu Shi instantly lost their earlier confidence.
One middle-aged woman wearing a scarlet beizi frowned and said, “But speaking of which, now that the Regent Princess is in such a conflict with Xiang Fu, will she still cook for us personally?”
When she received the invitation, she had come precisely because the servant delivering it mentioned that the Regent Princess would personally prepare the meal.
The Regent Prince was notoriously difficult to deal with in Dahuang, but the Regent Princess was easier to handle. Through this banquet, they could indirectly slight the Regent Prince and vent their husbands’ frustrations from being suppressed in court.
Another woman glanced at her husband nearby and seemed inclined to retreat. “Are you all staying? I plan to leave with my husband. With things in such a state, what if we alert the Regent Prince…”
Liu Shi secretly looked down on these two women, whose husbands held higher official positions than hers but were more timid than she was.
She asserted confidently, “What is there to fear? Didn’t Madam Xiang say that the Regent Princess listens to her most?”
If others didn’t know, how could she not?
During her several visits to Xiang Fu, hadn’t the Eldest Miss Xiang always served her tea and water like a servant?
The two women looked toward the still tense standoff not far away and happened to see the newly arrived Second Miss Xiang solidly slapped by the Regent Princess.
Was this… obedience?
Did Madam Xiang have some misunderstanding about what “obedience” meant?
Their previously wavering resolve, after hearing Liu Shi’s words, instantly shifted toward immediately slipping away.
On the other side, Xiang Tiange covered her reddened cheek, looking pitifully at Xiang Zhile.
Before she could speak, Xiang Yun stepped forward and shoved Xiang Zhile away.
“Xiang Zhile, what are you doing? Tiange merely likes those sets of headdresses—just give them to her.”
Xiang Zhile blew on the hand that had struck Xiang Tiange and retorted defiantly at Xiang Yun, “Since childhood, whenever she liked something of mine, I had to give it to her. Today she says she likes the headdresses from my betrothal gifts, so I should give them to her. What if tomorrow she likes my husband? Should I then voluntarily step down and yield my position as Wangfei to her?”
Xiang Yun was taken aback. Was such a good thing possible?
“If Tiange likes him, it might not be impossible…”
Slap—
The sound of another slap echoed through the front courtyard, much louder than the one that had struck Xiang Tiange’s face.
Several officials who had gathered to watch the commotion couldn’t help but shrink their necks and immediately cover their own left cheeks upon seeing Xiang Yun’s instantly swollen left face.
Xiang Yun was struck so suddenly by the slap that stars danced before his eyes.
“Xiang Zhile, have you gone mad?”
Xiang Zhile trembled with her right hand that had just struck him, her eyes slightly red as she gritted her teeth and said, “Xiang Yun, from now on, I will no longer regard you as an elder brother. You’d better take care of yourself.”
Xiang Yun immediately wanted to slap Xiang Zhile back, but Qiu Si, standing nearby, grabbed his wrist.
He could only shout angrily, “Xiang Zhile, you ungrateful wretch! Now that you’ve climbed to a higher branch, you no longer recognize your own family, is that it?”
Just then, someone outside announced, “The Regent Prince has arrived.”
The officials who had gathered to watch the commotion immediately scattered like oil under their feet, scrambling frantically to flee out the door.
But as they rushed out, they collided head-on with Yan Junnuo.
Yan Junnuo’s crow-black hair was tied up with a golden crown. He wore a black robe with a dark embroidered Qilin pattern, cinched at the waist with a matching belt of the same design and color. Hanging from his waist was a coiled dragon warm jade. His sharp eyebrows extended toward his temples, and his phoenix eyes slanted upward at the corners. His skin was as fair as jade, and his thin lips were a vivid red. A single glance was enough to leave a lifelong impression.
At this moment, his phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.
“What a lively scene here at Xiang Fu.”
“W-Wangye…” The official standing closest to him immediately bowed, cupped his hands, and lowered his head, forcing a smile uglier than tears.
With a cold glance sweeping over the 128 empty chests in the front courtyard, he strode on long legs to Xiang Zhile’s side.
Impatiently, he asked, “Weren’t you just here to retrieve your belongings? Why has it taken so long?”
Sensing her unusual mood, he looked down and saw her right hand trembling slightly, her eyes brimming with tears on the verge of spilling over.
Yan Junnuo immediately unleashed his full imposing aura and demanded coldly, “Are all of you who followed Wangfei here just freeloaders?”