A mocking laugh reached Qin Su's ears, arrogant and haughty, "I didn't realize she was so protective of you."

“Don’t you feel ashamed to be with someone like that?” Princess Cheng’an continued sarcastically.

"Since the full picture is still unknown, Princess, you can wait a little longer."

"You two are going to each other?" What started as a sarcastic remark about Qin Su was now met with wide eyes and disbelief as she turned to Wang Manzhu.

Qin Su glanced at her and said, "What's the rush? There might be an even bigger surprise inside."

Ever since Princess Cheng'an suspected that her husband had a mistress and was already pregnant, she had become extremely angry. Now, hearing Qin Su say that there was another woman inside, she sneered repeatedly.

"Is Your Highness sure we don't have any prince consorts here?"

"Never mind, Princess, just wait for the result."

"Is there something you haven't told me?" Princess Cheng'an immediately sensed something was wrong; it seemed things weren't so simple.

That shouldn't be the case. Who else could this woman be but a mistress?

No matter how hard the princess thought about it, she couldn't figure it out.

"Now that things are settled, the princess owes me a favor." Qin Su raised an eyebrow.

"Ha! This is your goal? Why don't you go find Yu Shuo? He can do much more than I can." The more she looked at Wang Manzhu, the angrier she became, wishing she could tear her face off.

But I decided to endure it.

She was just a mistress, not someone to be treated openly; she couldn't let herself act like a shrew.

"His Highness Prince Chen is very busy with official duties. How could I trouble him with such a small matter?"

Princess Cheng'an then sneered, "Who knows, he might be quite happy about it."

"Um?"

Qin Su didn't linger there long before she went to find Wang Manzhu, who was almost about to fight with the women.

"What's wrong?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

The women chuckled but remained silent. After a moment's hesitation, Wang Manzhu finally complained, "They're talking badly about you."

"Oh?" Qin Su turned to look at the group and asked, "What did you all say?"

"It's nothing, she's just talking nonsense."

"That's right, that's right, how could we say anything bad about Miss Qin?"

Before Wang Manzhu could speak, Qin Su said, "Come on, let me guess. You're just saying I'm from a bandit background, was jilted at marriage, and have an outspoken and unlikable personality, right?"

Several women looked embarrassed, some of them furious at being exposed.

"We didn't say anything wrong, aren't you the same way?"

"That's right, if it weren't for His Majesty's benevolence, you would still be a female bandit in White Tiger Stronghold."

“That’s true. This is under the emperor’s nose. If Young Master Xue is unwilling to marry you, there’s nothing you can do about it. But if you were still in White Tiger Village, you could have snatched a husband to be your husband.”

"You! You're bullying me!" Wang Manzhu's eyes were red with anger. She really wanted to go up and slap these women.

Qin Su shrugged. "You guys keep repeating the same few sentences over and over again. There's really nothing new to say. I'm sick of hearing it."

"Hello."

An arrogant voice broke the silence.

"Princess?"

Several women looked over in surprise; none of them expected Princess Cheng'an to suddenly appear in this small corner.

"Drag those women out of here and never let them come to the Princess's residence again." Princess Cheng'an pointed at the few gossiping women, her expression casual, as if she were doing it on a whim.

"Princess! Princess, what have we done wrong? Is there anything we've done to displease you?"

"I know I was wrong. Please give me another chance, Your Highness. I will never be an eyesore to Your Highness again."

The women all knelt down, their previous haughty demeanor completely gone.

These people are always bullies who prey on the weak. If Qin Su had just drawn her whip, they would have only uttered a few blustering words, like paper tigers that would burst at the slightest touch. The final result would still be the same as it is now, except that the princess's identity is indeed quite useful.

"Oh, you didn't do anything wrong. I just feel bad looking at you. If you're still making a fuss, just throw you out."

The wives of a few minor officials wouldn't cause much of a stir for Princess Cheng'an; their husbands might even have to personally visit and apologize.

After dealing with these people, the princess turned and left without even glancing at Qin Su.

"Is that a princess? Which princess?" Wang Manzhu asked Qin Su in a low voice.

"Princess Cheng'an." Da'an has many princesses, and there are two others of the same generation as Princess Cheng'an. However, those two are not as favored as Princess Cheng'an and have already married, so they are rarely mentioned.

"Oh, Princess Cheng'an seems to be a very nice person." She only dared to say this in a low voice, otherwise speaking ill of the princess behind her back would be a serious offense.

Qin Su simply gave her a meaningful look and said nothing more.

After about half an hour, Wang Manzhu suddenly tugged at Qin Su's sleeve, the movement was small, just to remind him.

When Qin Su looked over, Wang Manzhu whispered, "I think I just saw my husband."

Qin Su looked around but didn't see Kang Lin. And even if she did see her, it was impossible for her to admit anything at this time.

"Could you be mistaken? Is Zhuzhu's husband an official?"

Wang Manzhu shook her head, "I don't know, he doesn't tell me anything."

Thinking about their argument last night, she still doesn't think she did anything wrong and is still very angry with him.

A woman wearing a silver crown came from the corridor. She bowed to Qin Su and then said, "Miss Qin, the princess invites you."

Qin Su said to Wang Manzhu beside her, "Let's go together."

Wang Manzhu was somewhat worried, "Isn't this inappropriate? The princess only summoned you."

"It's alright. Didn't you and Xiao Heng almost get bullied just now? I'm worried about you."

Wang Manzhu looked at the female official, who seemed not to have said it was forbidden, and then nodded.

The group followed the lady-in-waiting through the corridor, around the garden, and into a courtyard. In this courtyard stood a tall, elegant, and beautiful pavilion.

Wang Manzhu spotted a man from afar whose build was very similar to her husband's. She took a few steps forward to get a closer look.

Suddenly, her forearm was grabbed. She turned her head and saw Qin Su.

"What's wrong?" she asked, bewildered.

"No rush to go in."

The female official led a few people into the small courtyard next door from the side, where the view was better and they were less likely to be discovered.

Wang Manzhu was unaware of anything and was simply following Qin Su's words subconsciously.

In the past, Qin Su would have felt a lot of guilt, since she had been scheming from the very beginning when she approached Wang Manzhu.

there--

"Why is the Prince Consort so absent-minded today?" Princess Cheng'an caught a glimpse of Qin Su and the others out of the corner of her eye, and a dark glint flashed in her eyes.

Kang Lin was indeed still in a bad mood because of yesterday's events, but he said, "Yes, there are some complicated matters in the court."

"I will rest in the manor for the next few days. I will tell my brother about it."

Kang Lin held Cheng An's hand, his handsome face full of doting and affectionate smiles. "The princess is so good to me."

Suppressing her disgust, Cheng An smiled and said, "Will the prince consort be good to this princess for the rest of his life? After all these years, we have had no children."

This matter is indeed a source of worry for her. She is clearly in good health and has slept with the prince consort many times, so why has she been unable to conceive?