Chapter 216 Xiao Qingxi was speechless after being roasted.

Shen Wantang was slightly taken aback. It seemed that Gu Qianning had too many reasons for wanting to marry the Crown Prince, and some of them were beyond Gu Qianning's control. Her liking for the Crown Prince was one aspect, and the Gu family's earnest expectations for her were another.

Even if she could persuade Gu Qianning not to marry the Crown Prince, it probably wouldn't work.

Moreover, after listening to what Gu Qianning said today, Shen Wantang vaguely understood why the Crown Prince did not directly reject Gu Qianning, but instead took a roundabout way, using the marriage divination slip at Fazhen Temple to warn Gu Qianning.

Perhaps, the crown prince didn't actually have a choice.

The Gu family is too powerful now, and with Empress Gu in the palace, they are interfering in the Crown Prince's marriage, wanting him to marry Gu Qianning. The Crown Prince has no right to refuse.

Even the Emperor has to give the Gu family face. If the Crown Princess is not Gu Qianning, the Gu family and the Empress will not let it go.

Shen Wantang recalled the massacre of the Gu family in her previous life. She hadn't really felt it personally before because she hadn't had much contact with other members of the Gu family at that time.

Now she understood why the emperor and the crown prince had gone to such lengths to destroy the Gu family: because the Gu family's power was so immense that it seriously threatened the imperial authority.

After that, Shen Wantang stopped trying to persuade her, because she already knew that the root of the problem was not with Gu Qianning.

Presumably, Gu Qianhan, who has been reborn, is even more eager than her to change the fate of the Gu family and Gu Qianning.

It's hard to imagine the immense pressure he's under, yet he can still live his life, socialize, and even find time to cause trouble for Xiao Qingyuan. His mental fortitude is truly remarkable.

Around noon, Shen Wantang parted ways with Gu Qianning and returned to the Prince's Mansion.

As soon as Shen Wantang stepped into her courtyard, she saw Xiao Qingxi sitting in her usual seat, ordering her people around like crazy.

Upon seeing her return, Xiao Qingxi sneered, "Shen Wantang, you still know how to come back? You leave such a large manor unattended and run off to play. My brother said you were good at managing the household, but is this how you manage it? You're really good at shirking your responsibilities!"

Shen Wantang said calmly, "Your Highness may not know, but it is precisely because I manage the Prince's Mansion well that I can go out for a day or two without any problems. If the Prince's Mansion were in chaos as soon as I went out, that would be a sign of not knowing how to manage a household."

"Besides, I informed my mother before I went out today. General Huo led his army in triumph, and everyone in the city went out to watch. I was only out for half a day, and came back after watching for a while. Is that not allowed?"

"The princess is just my sister-in-law, yet she's so critical of me. If she becomes my mother-in-law in the future, I'm afraid your daughter-in-law won't have an easy time, will she?"

"Fortunately, my mother-in-law is an understanding princess, not you."

Xiao Qingxi stood up angrily: "What do you mean? Are you implying that I'm just a little sister-in-law and yet I can boss you around? Let me tell you, this is my home! My surname is Xiao, I am a member of the Prince's Mansion, and you are just an outsider! No matter what I criticize you for, you have to put up with it!"

Shen Wantang was not angered by her provocation. She remained calm and composed: "The princess is naturally a member of the royal family, but I am not an outsider either. I am the heir apparent of the royal family. This is my home. I lived here while I was alive, and I will be buried in the royal family's mausoleum after I die."

"What, does Your Highness expect me to treat you like an outsider? It would be very inappropriate for someone to treat themselves like an outsider in their husband's family every day, wouldn't it?"

"Oh, Princess, you're not that kind of person, are you? Do you consider yourself an outsider in the Huo family?"

"Isn't the princess being silly? With your status as a princess, you should be the head of the Huo family and the mistress of the house. How come you've been married for two years and are still an outsider?"

Xiao Qingxi was both shocked and furious. She pointed at Shen Wantang, her hands trembling with anger, but she didn't know what to say.

She was born into a noble and spoiled family, and she was always the one who scolded others, never the one who scolded her. But now, for the first time in her life, she was so badly criticized that she couldn't utter a single word!

Because she truly considered herself an outsider in the Huo family; she never considered herself a member of the Huo family.

However, what that damned Shen Wantang said was damnably true—if she treated herself like an outsider every day, her in-laws would indeed dislike her, and her situation would become very bad.

Only by treating your husband's family as your own and taking charge of their lives can you have a good life.

Shen Wantang is doing just that, and she has indeed managed to make a living step by step despite being disliked by her husband. Now, even Xiao Qingyuan is speaking up for her.

Xiao Qingxi was still angry when she looked up and saw Xiao Qingyuan walk in. She immediately said, "Brother, you've come at the right time! This Shen Wantang insulted me, you should help me insult her back!"

Xiao Qingyuan was taken aback: "No way, Shen Wantang can swear? I've never seen her swear before. She has a very good temper. Did you cause trouble for her again?"

Xiao Qingxi stomped her feet in anger: "She was just putting on an act in front of you! Do you even have a brain? How come you believe every woman but not me!"

"Okay, okay, I believe you. What did Shen Wantang say to you?"

"She called me...she called me stupid!"

"Well... what she said makes some sense. You're not exactly shrewd, you are a bit silly."

Xiao Qingxi broke down, angrily shouting his full name: "Xiao Qingyuan! You're the idiot! Your whole family are idiots!"

Xiao Qingyuan: "..."

Why does that sound so familiar? It's like he just used a similar insult on Gu Qianhan.

“I told you you were stupid, but you wouldn’t admit it. Look, it’s fine if you curse me, but you’ve cursed your father, mother and yourself too.”

Xiao Qingyuan shook his head and pulled Xiao Qingxi away: "Alright, stop making a scene here. No matter how much you cause trouble, I can't possibly kick Shen Wantang out. I already promised her that she would be the only princess consort of the Ning Prince's Mansion from now on."

"You should worry about your own affairs instead. I saw Huo Yunzhou today. He seems to value that woman a lot and even asked me to come back and persuade you to accept her."

Xiao Qingxi's eyes reddened when she heard Huo Yunzhou's name, but she was unwilling to cry in front of Shen Wantang, and even less willing to let her spirits be weakened because of her husband's situation.

She scoffed, "Let him choose whoever he wants, what does it have to do with me! I'm not like some people who share their husbands with other women! If he has other women, I'll divorce him! I don't want a dirty man!"

"Some people just pretend to be magnanimous, talking about being in charge of the household. They've only been married for a few months, and the husband has already taken a concubine. The man's heart is with another woman, and he's tainted. What kind of 'being in charge' is that!"

"The more generous a woman is, the more pitiful she is!"