Zhu Yu stared coldly at Zhang Mama.

Consort Duan said with a gloomy face, "Zhang Mama, if you can't speak properly, then speak less!"

Granny Zhang immediately fell silent, like a cicada in winter.

Ren Yong'an covered her mouth and chuckled softly: "Your Highness, what Sister Lu said sounds rather strange..."

Granny Zhang seemed to realize what was happening and immediately said, "Your Highness, this woman just cursed you and the Prince with malice! Her intentions are truly sinister."

"Then slap me!" Consort Duan said coolly.

With Consort Duan by her side, what was she afraid of? Zhang Mama stepped forward and slapped her across the face.

The sound was extremely loud, and all the servants in the courtyard heard it.

Ren Yong'an suddenly shuddered.

Li Feng stood protectively in front of Zhu Yu, staring intently at Zhang Mama, as stubborn as an eagle protecting its young.

Zhu Yu understood that the more he said at this moment, the more he would be beaten and scolded. He had no mood to waste time here with a group of women in the inner quarters.

He glanced coldly at everyone in the hall, then turned and walked towards the door. He had to go to the palace and stop that stupid woman!

Once the tiger tally is handed over, it will be too late. Even the mastermind behind his assassination attempt has not been found. Northern Qi has only submitted its surrender document for a little over a month. At this critical juncture, without the tiger tally, the entire Prince An's mansion will become a lamb to the slaughter.

"Guards, stop her for me!" Consort Duan shouted angrily when she saw that "Lu Xiaoyun" did not take her seriously at all and even dared to try to leave.

Whoosh!

Several eunuchs that Consort Duan had brought from the palace rushed out and stood there, blocking Zhu Yu's path like a mountain.

Ren Yong'an helped Consort Duan walk toward Zhu Yu.

"I am here, how dare you ignore me? What, are you trying to embarrass me? Are you trying to leave? You dare to leave without my orders!"

Consort Duan's face was covered with frost, and her eyes seemed to shoot out steel needles as she looked at Zhu Yu. This bitch, if it weren't for the fact that she still cared about the Duke of Zhenguo, she would have skinned her alive right now.

Zhu Yu turned around, looked at his mother calmly, and said, "I want to enter the palace."

"Go to the palace?" Consort Duan was taken aback. What was she going to the palace for?

Could it be that you can't stand it after just a few days? Should Your Majesty issue an edict to allow Yu'er to divorce her?

Ha, now that she's entered the Prince's mansion, does she think she can walk out completely unharmed?

What did she think the Prince An's mansion was? A teahouse or a brothel?

What a joke! Now that you're in Prince An's mansion, you can leave if you want, but you can leave sideways!

She sneered, "Ha, what do you think the palace is? A place anyone can just walk into! You killed your own mother and had no mother to teach you anything, so how come your stepmother didn't teach you any manners either!"

Zhu Yu frowned. Yes, he was currently using Lu Xiaoyun's body. Without the imperial edict from his father and grandmother, he couldn't enter the palace with this body.

Damn it!

That damned woman!

He turned to Li Feng beside him and asked, "When did she enter the palace?"

Li Feng shook her head: "This servant does not know. He should have entered the palace after leaving Feixue Garden. This servant saw the prince walk straight towards the gate of the mansion."

Zhu Yu's forehead veins throbbed; half an hour had passed, and she should have already entered the palace gates by now.

It's too late.

Granny Zhang gave Zhu Yu a cold glance: "How dare you inquire about His Highness Prince An's whereabouts!"

Consort Duan glanced at Granny Zhang.

Zhang Mama naturally understood, walked behind Zhu Yu, and kicked him in the calf.

Zhu Yu felt a sharp pain in his knees and knelt down with a thud, gasping for breath in pain.

"Ah, Miss!" Li Feng exclaimed and stepped forward to help Zhu Yu up.

"I'll see who dares to help her. Listen up, anyone who disobeys will be beaten to death!" Consort Duan coldly ordered.

"Yes!" all the eunuchs in the mansion responded in unison.

Li Feng was so frightened that she pulled her hand back from mid-air. If she were really beaten to death, her young lady would die too.

"Miss..." Tears streamed down Li Feng's face as she looked at Zhu Yu, who had been kicked to the ground again, with heartache.

Since entering Prince An's mansion, the young lady's injuries have never healed.

Miss, why do this to yourself?

Zhu Yu shook his head at Li Feng, signaling her not to interfere. He hadn't grown up with his mother and didn't know what kind of person she was, but he had seen it for the past two days.

Zhu Yu knew he couldn't avoid kneeling today, so he gritted his teeth and slowly knelt down.

It will be ready in an hour, very quickly.

However, the woman's body was too weak, and the bluestone slab was really cold and hard. She had only been kneeling down for a short time when her knees began to ache slightly.

Seeing that he had knelt properly, Consort Duan turned around and went into the flower hall, where she picked up her tea and drank it.

Ren Yong'an looked at Zhu Yu and whispered, "Sister, why aren't you wearing that purple butterfly and flower phoenix tail dress and that bright red jacket today? You don't look well, you should wear brighter clothes."

“If Her Majesty sees this, she will be pleased and will certainly not blame you for your disrespect today. But look at you now, pale and sickly, and dressed so plainly, Her Majesty is truly not pleased.”

She smiled slightly: "Sister, I know Consort Duan better than you do. If you don't want to live like this every day, remember to dress and groom yourself as you always have, understand?"

Zhu Yu looked at Yong'an in surprise. "Is that so?"

But he clearly remembered that his mother hated people who dressed up in fancy clothes, and even more so, people who wore bright red clothes in front of her.

Could it be that during the ten years he was away from Shengjing, Yong'an was always showing filial piety to his mother, which is why he knows his mother so well?

Ren Yong'an smiled faintly at him and followed Consort Duan into the hall.

Consort Duan sat down, and Ren Yong'an offered her tea with both hands. He smiled slightly and said to Consort Duan, "Your Highness, my sister didn't mean it. She is injured and kneeling outside for a long time will take a toll on her health. The weather is also so cold. My sister was only a little late, not even an hour. After all, she is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Please forgive her."

Zhu Yu frowned slightly; something about those words sounded rather strange.

However, having spent so many years with Yong'an, he had some doubts but didn't delve too deeply into them.

Perhaps she was pleading with her mother on her behalf.

Yong'an truly lived up to his expectations; she was kind, gentle, generous, and poised.

She possessed all the advantages of a noblewoman from a prominent family, unlike Lu Xiaoyun, who possessed almost all the vices.

Upon hearing this, Consort Duan was immediately enraged and slammed her teacup heavily on the table: "She dares to be late for the first tea ceremony, making me wait for so long. She clearly doesn't respect the imperial dignity, nor does she respect me, the Emperor's concubine! Her heart is utterly despicable!"

Ren Yong'an's expression seemed to change: "Your Majesty, please don't be angry, my sister didn't mean it."

Consort Duan adjusted her nail guards, glanced at Zhu Yu kneeling outside, and said coldly, "Since you dare to show such contempt for me, then you shall be punished by kneeling for another hour!"

What?!