Qin Su suddenly left and went to the backyard of the Treasure Pavilion. She was accompanied by Lian Tao and two other maids, but Cheng An did not follow.

She was wondering whether she should buy some other styles to give to the Empress Dowager when she noticed someone approaching her.

She wondered who was so bold as to stand next to her, and when she turned her head, she saw Chen Yirou.

Because of Qin Su, Cheng An had absolutely no good feelings towards Chen Yirou.

I used to just ignore this person, but now I completely hate them.

"Your Highness is so kind to Princess Consort Chen." Her tone was full of envy, her fair hand gently resting on her sleeve, her whole being like a lotus emerging from the water.

Cheng An had no idea what kind of trouble she was going to cause, so he just looked at her without saying a word.

Chen Yirou didn't care. She said with envy, "I thought Her Highness the Princess and Princess Consort Chen had some kind of conflict."

Cheng An found it strange. "Why do you say that? Qin Su is my sister-in-law. What's the big deal?"

What makes you say that?

Chen Yirou continued, "I had heard about the Prince Consort before. I only heard that the Princess Consort and that mistress had a very good relationship, like close friends."

"I thought that since the princess is so noble, she must not like that mistress, which is why she has a falling out with Princess Consort Chen. I did not expect the princess to be so magnanimous. I just wonder if Princess Consort Chen will remember the princess's kindness."

Cheng An hadn't experienced much palace intrigue growing up, so she was a bit naive. But that didn't mean she was stupid; she could still pick up on Chen Yirou's sarcastic tone.

She put down the jade pendant in her hand and said cryptically, "Yes, the mistress. Nobody likes her, yet she's befriending the mistress. It's truly disappointing for this princess. But what can I do? Both of my imperial brothers like Qin Su quite a bit. What else can this princess do?"

These words clearly show that she doesn't like Qin Su either. The fact that she's treating her so well now is because she has no other choice. If she had a choice, she wouldn't want to befriend Qin Su.

Chen Yirou smiled with satisfaction.

She said, "How could a female bandit with no manners win the favor of Princess Cheng'an?"

That's how it should be.

Chen Yirou then gently said to Cheng An, "Actually, Your Highness doesn't need to go shopping with her. Princess Consort Chen is very healthy since she started practicing martial arts, so she will be fine even without Your Highness."

"You're right."

Cheng An pretended to suddenly realize something.

Then, she touched her chin and said in confusion, "But I have also heard of such a thing."

"Hmm? Your Highness, please speak." Chen Yirou was still confused.

But it doesn't matter, no matter what Princess Cheng'an says, she can always smooth things over.

How could a noble lady, so high and mighty, be with a female bandit?

Where does this leave her with her pride?

Cheng An's beautiful face revealed a cold, mocking smile. "I've heard that the Crown Prince's wife was once a mistress."

One sentence made Chen Yirou's face turn pale. She explained in a flustered manner, "No, that's not how it is."

At first, she only wanted to protect herself after being released from prison and never thought she would become the Crown Prince's wife.

If she had known this would happen, she would never have allowed herself to be ruined; now it has become a huge stain on her reputation.

Qin Su heard the conversation when she returned, but she didn't come over; she just leaned against the door and listened.

"How could it not be?" Cheng An pressed, "Prince Xue wasn't married before, and he didn't have any women around him. He had an affair with you without any proper match or status, keeping you as a mistress without any status. What are you if not a mistress?"

“Although Wang Manzhu did the same thing before, she and Kang Lin had already gone through the wedding ceremony, even though I was kept in the dark.”

How do you compare to her?

“One was deceived by a man, while the other…” She looked Chen Yirou up and down, her soft lips uttering cold words, “...knowingly committed the crime!”

Chen Yirou could barely stand; if Yinghong hadn't been supporting her, she probably would have fallen to the ground.

Cheng An quickly said, "Oh dear, if you fall to the ground, others will suspect that I, the princess, am bullying you."

What she couldn't stand most was the petty tricks these noble ladies used; they were utterly disgraceful and shameful.

Why would a woman do such a thing? She is clearly capable of being much better.

Zhao Liangxiu from hundreds of years ago was so remarkable; she was a true role model for women.

Unlike them, who resort to framing and slander at the slightest disagreement.

"Xue Huai'an isn't here, so don't try to act like someone's bullying you."

One sentence left Chen Yirou speechless.

She didn't have such thoughts; even if Xue Huai'an were there, he probably wouldn't stand up for her.

Since their marriage, Xue Huai'an has become much colder towards her, and he rarely even comes to her room anymore.

If Xue Huai'an hadn't been so uninterested in women, he probably would have taken quite a few concubines.

This was probably the only thing that brought her comfort.

Cheng An crossed her arms and looked at Chen Yirou with disdain. "You dare to slander the Princess Consort in front of me? You've got some nerve. It seems the lesson you learned last time was too lenient. You haven't learned your lesson at all."

Hearing Cheng An's words, Chen Yirou felt truly frightened and quickly shook her head, "I didn't mean that."

She never wanted to go to the prison again; it was damp, smelly, had hard beds, and was infested with rats.

"I...I was just..."

She simply couldn't find an excuse to add anything.

Cheng An shrugged. "I know, you just can't stand Qin Su being so happy now, and you want everyone to hate her. Isn't that right?"

"That's not what I meant." Her words were so weak and unconvincing.

Cheng An shook his head and clicked his tongue a few times. "He had the heart to harm others, but lacked the ability to bear the consequences. Chen Yirou, to be honest, this princess suspects that Xue Huai'an was blind back then."

The words were left unsaid, but the meaning was already very clear.

Am I blind? Why did I choose you instead of Qin Su?

Chen Yirou bit her lip, her eyes filled with tears, "Your Highness, please don't go too far and sow discord between us."

"You? You need to sow discord? I don't believe Xue Huai'an can be blind forever. People only know how to cherish something after they've lost it. Besides, Xue Huai'an isn't even here. Even if I try to sow discord, what good will it do?"

"In my opinion, you should go back to the Duke's mansion. You dare to show off your skills in front of me with such limited abilities."

"Your Highness."

Qin Su was helped out by Lian Tao. She glanced at the swaying Chen Yirou, and then said to Cheng An, "Have you made your choice? If you have, it's time to go back."

"I even said I'd show the Empress Dowager the others, but she ruined it."

It's okay if you can't choose today; you can always come back later.

Princess Cheng'an and the shopkeeper arranged a time for him to deliver a batch of new goods to the palace, and then she and Qin Su left.

On the way back, he still complained about Chen Yirou.

Qin Su didn't take Chen Yirou seriously. She was like a parasitic plant that wouldn't survive without Xue Huai'an's care.