The third madam stood up and looked at Liu Huan and her two children without any politeness, saying, "Now that they've arrived, let's see how you try to deny it."

She thought that since her daughter had already fallen into the water, she was naturally the one who would suffer.

The premise is that she ignored her daughter's frightened eyes and her hand tightly clutching the handkerchief.

Prince Rong gave a look, and several servants began to recount what they knew.

"I saw with my own eyes that the young lady was trying to push this young lady, and she accidentally fell in herself."

The young lady in question refers to Li Wan, while the young lady in question naturally refers to An Ran.

Li Wan was the first to stand up and loudly accused, "You're talking nonsense! You lowly servant, have you been bribed?"

Even the dean felt that she was being too rude, and Prince Rong also frowned, clearly disliking her behavior.

After realizing this, she walked to Rong Shizi's side and said aggrievedly, "Brother, please believe me, I was really pushed down by her. These servants must have been bribed by her."

The servants on the ground swore, "If I am sold into slavery, may my descendants be enslaved for generations and die a horrible death!"

This oath was a bit too heavy for a servant. As long as a servant wasn't born into a contractual family, he could be redeemed once he reached the appropriate age, and his own children could go to school or do business, with the hope of improving his family's fortunes.

Therefore, most of the people present believed the oath.

At this moment, another young man stepped out. He was a student from another painted boat, the eldest grandson of the Prime Minister's family, and also the cousin of Prince Rong.

He smiled and said, holding a fan, "I saw everything that happened just now. It wasn't Miss Su who pushed her; Cousin Wan fell down on her own."

After he said this, even the Third Madam did not dare to refute him rashly.

Rong Shizi naturally knew this outcome. Thinking of saving face for his cousin, he said, "Alright, it was Xiao Wan who accidentally fell into the river. Xiao Wan, go apologize to Miss Su!"

“Brother…” Li Wan was clearly unwilling. As the only daughter of the third branch of the Rong Prince’s Mansion, why should she apologize to a wild girl?

The third wife was also unwilling, but seeing her nephew's displeased look and thinking about her daughter's reputation, she hesitated.

She said reluctantly, "If that's the case, I don't think an apology is necessary. It's not Xiaowan's fault that she was scared and didn't see clearly."

The dean, not daring to offend either side, wanted to act as a peacemaker, but little did she expect that Liu Huan would not grant her wish.

She stopped the group of people who wanted to leave, her eyes filled with unwavering determination. "Third Madam, it's probably impossible for you to leave like this, isn't it?"

"What do you want?" The jealousy in the Third Madam's eyes was undisguised.

Liu Huan said, word by word, "In front of so many people, your daughter wronged my daughter, and you still insulted me at will. Are you just going to let it go like this?"

The Third Madam's face was flushed with anger. "You want my daughter to apologize to you? Who do you think you are?" Her gaze toward Liu Huan was filled with contempt, as if she were still looking at the maid from the Prince's mansion back then.

Liu Huan wasn't angry. She slowly approached, then raised her hand and slapped her across the face. "What do you think I am?"

Those around her were stunned by her actions. She was the third wife of the Prince Rong's mansion, and the Emperor's third cousin-in-law. She just hit her like that.

The Third Madam covered her face in disbelief and pointed at Liu Huan's nose, cursing, "You dare hit me? Who do you think you are? You're just a lowly maid from our Rong Prince's Mansion!"

After saying that, he pounced on Liu Huan, as if he wanted to devour her.

An Ran stood in front of her mother, pulled the hysterical Third Madam away, and An Zhi also protected her mother behind her.

"Don't you know why I hit you? I, Liu Huan, have always been upright and honest. I addressed you as Third Madam back then not because I was afraid of you, but because of the Princess."

"More than ten years have passed, and you not only cling to the past but also insult and slander my child. Your child is precious, but mine isn't?"

"Don't think I don't know that you spread the rumors about my daughter. This slap today is just to remind you that you can eat whatever you want but you can't say whatever you want. Be careful what you say."

"Anzhi, take your sister and let's go back."

After Liu Huan finished speaking domineeringly, she left with the child. The Third Madam wanted to go forward to argue, but was stopped by Rong Shizi's men.

All I heard was his cold voice saying, "Send the Third Madam back and the Miss back."

"Jingchen, are we just going to let it go like this?" The Third Madam could hardly believe Rong Shizi's attitude.

Rong Shizi glanced at Li Wan, whose face had turned pale, and said expressionlessly, "Third Aunt, everyone knows what's going on here. If you don't want to ruin your cousin's reputation, you should go back first."

Beneath the seemingly calm words lay many threats. They had not yet separated their households, and the Rong Prince's Mansion had more than one daughter from the third branch. If the reputations of the other daughters were damaged, the consequences would be beyond what the third branch could bear.

Li Wan also realized the seriousness of the situation and tugged at the Third Madam's sleeve, saying, "Mother, let's go back."

The third wife felt her face burning even more as she looked at her daughter's attempt to smooth things over. She had gone to great lengths to support her daughter, only to be met with this attitude.

Although he was unwilling, he didn't say anything and tidied his clothes before leaving.

Everyone had left, leaving only Prince Rong and Prime Minister Changsun Zhoucheng. Zhoucheng was in an extremely good mood after watching the play.

As they walked, they gossiped, "Cousin, what's the deal with your third uncle and Madam Su? And why do people say Madam Su was originally a maid?"

Rong Shizi didn't know much about the previous generation, only that his third uncle was forced into marriage and that there was a girl he liked very much before the marriage.

He didn't inquire about anything else.

"I don't know. If you want to know, go ask yourself."

Zhou Cheng, with a stern face, said unhappily, "Cousin, are you even speaking human language? If I, a junior, were to ask about this, my father would beat me to death."

Prince Rong smiled, not wanting to say any more, and said, "Alright, let's go back."

Zhou Cheng was even more unhappy. "No way, you're going to kick me out after you've used me?" He was met with Rong Shizi's indifferent back.

Liu Huan remained silent and her mind was in turmoil on the carriage back with the children. The two children had overheard what the Third Madam had said, which greatly affected her image in their eyes.

After thinking for a moment, she said, "What she said just now was nonsense. My mother and her husband have nothing to do with each other. Don't overthink it."

Anran nodded obediently, looking confused but also a little curious about what was going on.

An Zhi was much calmer than her. He had already had someone investigate the Su family's affairs, including his mother's and that Third Master's affairs.

"Stay away from that girl in the future. She's young but naive. If someone hadn't seen us today, I don't know how long we would have argued."

She then reminded her son, "Anzhi, keep an eye on your sister, don't let anyone bully her."

Anzhi got angry when he saw his sister's innocent look. She was a troublemaker outside, but she was very well-behaved when she came back, and she even fooled everyone.

"I understand, Mother, please don't worry."