Chapter 37 Taking an Inch and a Mile

Sheng Yunche spoke aggressively, and his actions towards Ye Mingzhu were equally aggressive.

In the carriage, he held her in his arms, and even if he didn't kiss her lips, he would play with her slender white fingers, his eyes filled with a faint sense of pride, and he never put her down the whole way.

After getting out of the car, he took her hand as if no one else was around, glancing at her from time to time, always looking first at her dark almond eyes and finally at her rosy lips.

Fortunately, he toned down his behavior somewhat after arriving at Jingchun Residence.

Ye Mingzhu didn't say anything on the surface, but she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Princess Ronghua was sitting on a chair in the hall, drinking tea and resting. She watched the two of them walk hand in hand into the courtyard of Jingchun Residence, her eyes filled with a gratified smile.

The maid at the door lifted the bamboo curtain, and Ye Mingzhu and Sheng Yunche entered.

Princess Ronghua smiled and said with concern, "The summer heat is hard to dispel, so I had the kitchen prepare perilla water to relieve the heat and dampness, and it's been kept chilled, just waiting for you to come."

Ye Mingzhu smiled, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling, and curtsied gracefully: "Thank you, Princess."

Sheng Yunche then directly instructed Yaqin: "Less sugar, she doesn't like it too sweet."

"My lord, I know," Yaqin said with a smile.

The light red perilla broth is served in a clean white porcelain bowl; the broth is clear and bright, and the aroma is delightful.

Ye Mingzhu took a sip; it was cool and refreshing.

Princess Ronghua asked Sheng Yunche, "What did your father-in-law say when you went to the Ye residence this time? Did he change your prescription? Did he mention how your recovery is going?"

Sheng Yunche glanced at Ye Mingzhu, signaling her to speak.

Ye Mingzhu pondered for a moment, then stood up and said, "Your Highness, my husband's health is improving, so you can rest assured. But there is something I would like to discuss with you privately..."

"You may all leave now." Princess Ronghua waved away the maids who were serving her, her face becoming serious.

With no outsiders present, Ye Mingzhu meticulously explained how she found the spice packet at Su Xuetang, how she took it to the Ye family for her father and brothers to analyze its toxicity, how she finally concluded that Sheng Yunche had been poisoned by the cinnabar stone, and how she would treat and recuperate afterward.

Princess Ronghua remained silent throughout, but her hands, which were resting on the armrests of the chair, slowly clenched, her knuckles turning white from the force, revealing her turbulent inner state.

After Ye Mingzhu finished speaking, she suppressed her anger and said, "The West Mansion is simply going too far! Mingzhu, did you keep the pillow and spice packet?"

Ye Mingzhu replied, "Yes."

"Fine! Grab your things, let's go to the West Mansion now and get to the bottom of this!" Princess Ronghua slowly rose, slamming her hand on the table in anger. "If they aren't driven out of the Duke's Mansion, I might as well quit being a princess!"

Ye Mingzhu worriedly said, "Sheng Huai'an has been so cruel to my husband, it's impossible for our branch of the family to get along well with the West Mansion anymore. But what if the Old Madam is soft-hearted and pleads for them just because they cry? How should we deal with that?"

Princess Ronghua frowned.

Life was not as good in the West Mansion as it was in the East Mansion. The old lady always favored the West Mansion in her daily dealings and always asked her to subsidize the West Mansion.

She didn't care before.

The old lady was, after all, her mother-in-law, and she couldn't disregard the old woman's feelings. It was just a little money; she gave it away. She was wealthy and didn't care about such paltry sums.

But this time it involves my son's life. If we give in to the old lady's plea and let the West Mansion go, how can my son's safety be guaranteed?

She only has one son!

Princess Ronghua sneered and said with great momentum, "It's no use for anyone to plead for us today. I will definitely teach the West Mansion a lesson!"

...

A large group from the East Mansion marched towards the West Mansion, led by Princess Ronghua, whose face was as cold as frost and whose aura was menacing.

An old woman saw this and immediately went to Songhe Hall to inform the old lady that the East and West mansions were likely to fight. The old lady sighed repeatedly upon hearing this.

When Ye Mingzhu and her entourage arrived at Jia's Rongshou Hall, they forced Jia to call Sheng Huai'an and Liu Rumei over. Before they could even discuss the important matter, the old lady arrived in a sedan chair.

The four rough-looking women carrying the sedan chair had flushed red faces and were covered in sweat, clearly having rushed over.

"What's wrong with you all now? Why is there never a moment of peace in this house?!" The old lady walked into the hall, leaning on her tiger-head cane, and looked at Princess Ronghua disapprovingly. "Ronghua, you tell me, what's going on here?"

"Grandma, it must be Ye Mingzhu!" As if she had found her pillar of support, Madam Jia immediately rushed to the old lady to complain, "Everything was fine in our household before, but ever since this jinx entered the door, she has been constantly sowing discord between our two sides, and now our West Mansion is on the verge of collapse!"

As she spoke, she glared fiercely at Ye Mingzhu, clearly choosing to pick on the weak.

Ye Mingzhu sneered inwardly and ignored it.

Her past life's experience told her that she couldn't give someone like Jia Shi, who was so unreasonable, any chance. If she spoke up to refute her claims of "not being a jinx, not trying to sow discord," Jia Shi would definitely steer the conversation completely off course, disrupting Princess Ronghua's plans.

But she didn't expect that while she decided to endure it, Sheng Yunche had no intention of doing so.

Protecting her behind him, he coldly looked at Madam Jia: "If you can't make it work, then don't. Tell everyone that she died for her husband, and add another memorial arch to the family. That's your contribution."

"You, you..." Jia was so angry that her face turned red. She never expected that Sheng Yunche, a grown man, would interfere in a dispute between women.

She subconsciously looked at Sheng Huai'an and Liu Rumei, hoping they would stand up for her, but one of them had an angry look on his face and the other looked weak and pitiful. When they met her gaze, they both looked like quails, which made her even angrier.

She had no choice but to step in herself, shouting with a fierce but weak voice, "Sheng Yunche, how can you speak to your elders like that? You actually want me to die, how can you face your deceased uncle and your deceased cousin?"

After saying this, she cried to the old matriarch, "Grandmother, you must do justice for me! Today, the East Mansion came to our door, and even a junior dared to embarrass me in public. Do they want to tear down my West Mansion? Why is my life so miserable? First I lost my husband, and now I've lost my eldest son..."

"Stop crying! It's always the same old thing. You may want to say it, but I don't want to hear it!" The old lady stopped Jia's wailing and then said to Sheng Yunche, "Junzhao, you have indeed gone too far. I know you are protective of your wife, but your aunt is still your elder. You have studied for many years, don't you understand the principle of respecting the elderly and caring for the young?"

"Grandma!" Princess Ronghua stepped forward and said calmly, "Respecting the elderly and caring for the young is the proper thing to do, but we also have to see if the person is worthy! I don't come here today without a reason, but since you're here, please listen to how this matter should be handled!"

The old lady frowned even deeper. After thinking for a moment, she sat down in the chair, sighed, and said, "What is it? Tell me."

Princess Ronghua patted her hand, and Yaqin immediately understood and told the servants in the hall to leave.

Next, Yaqin carried the wooden tray to the old lady and the people from the West Mansion, and showed them the pillows and spice packets on the tray one by one.

During this process, not only Princess Ronghua observed the expressions of everyone in the West Mansion, but Ye Mingzhu was also secretly observing.