Zhu Yu's head was buzzing from the two slaps, and he lay half-lying on the ground, unable to come to his senses for a long time.
Unexpectedly, Yong'an, a seemingly weak woman, possessed such great strength. The two slaps she delivered were even more painful than the dozen slaps Zhang Mama had given her.
Upon closer inspection, her once elegant and beautiful face, made up with rouge and powder, had become extremely ugly due to her fierce and menacing expression.
"You shameless woman, how dare you call me by my name!"
She glared at the person on the ground: "Lu Xiaoyun, I don't need you to listen to me, you bitch. Why would I want to listen to your nonsense?"
Zhu Yu looked up blankly at Ren Yong'an, who was looking down at him, as if he didn't recognize him.
My hand touched my cheek; it hurt.
What's wrong with this world? Why does everyone seem unrecognizable to him?
"Lu Xiaoyun, you are truly useless. What right do you have to be the Princess Consort of An!"
"Heh, being forced to kneel by His Highness on your wedding day must have been a painful experience, right?"
Zhu Yu looked at her quietly, his heart filled with mixed feelings. Yes, Yong'an should hate Lu Xiaoyun. Not only did she steal her position as Princess An, but she also stole the man she loved.
So, it's understandable that she's treating herself this way, right? Why be merciful to an enemy?
How similar she was to him!
Zhu Yu felt a little better.
Yong'an fiddled with the silk handkerchief in her hand and chuckled softly.
"There's nothing I can do. His Highness Prince An is so devoted to me. I only used a little trick, and he believed it."
"He really thought you pushed me into the water, haha, little did he know that I jumped into the water myself."
"That's right, I'm going to frame you! Only in this way will he make your life in the Prince's mansion as miserable as it is today!"
"His Highness Prince An is a formidable figure on the battlefield, but he knows absolutely nothing about the affairs of the inner quarters."
"So..."
Zhu Yu's head was buzzing. It really was her. Yong'an really did jump into the water on her own.
He completely ignored Lu Xiaoyun's desperate pleas. In the cold winter, he grabbed her by the back of her collar and threw her into the pond in the palace. He ordered that no one was allowed to save her and forbade her to change her clothes afterwards. Instead, he made her kneel in the cold wind as punishment.
It turns out that all of this was a trap set by Yong'an for him and Lu Xiaoyun.
But thinking about this absurd marriage...
Ha, so what!
Isn't that something she brought upon herself?
Whether Lu Xiaoyun lives or dies is none of his business!
Killing her is easier than stepping on an ant.
Ren Yong'an did not notice that Zhu Yu's expression had gradually softened, and instead asked, "Do you know why Zhu Yu asked the Emperor for 'An' as his title?"
Zhu Yu remained silent, knowing full well that this was something he had asked his father for himself.
When he was eighteen, he returned to the capital after a great victory and was made a king. His father originally wanted to bestow a title upon him after his name, and planned to make him "King Yu".
But he refused, saying he wanted to be given the title "An" because the name Yong'an contained the character "An".
He wanted to leave all the good things in the world to his Yong'an.
Ren Yong'an glanced at Zhu Yu and, seeing his expression, snorted, "So, you understand? Lu Xiaoyun, you think you can fight me? Ha, you're not worthy!"
Zhu Yu swallowed hard, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave. How could Yong'an have become like this?
Is it love turning into hate?
He clutched his chest, suppressing all his emotions, and asked in a low voice, "I have no past grievances or recent feuds with you, so why did you plot against me? Is it because I took away your position as Princess An? Aren't you and I 'good sisters'?"
Yong'an looked down at Zhu Yu, who was kneeling on the ground in a disheveled state, then suddenly squatted down, grabbed Zhu Yu's chin, and forced him to raise his head and look into her eyes.
Zhu Yu winced in pain, his eyebrows furrowing into a knot.
"Good sister? Ha, Lu Xiaoyun, why don't you take a good look at yourself? What right do you have to be my good sister, Ren Yong'an! Let me tell you, from beginning to end, I've only ever used you!"
"Why?"
"Why? Lu Xiaoyun, you are so stupid that you are beyond saving! It's all because of your face! Lu Xiaoyun, if you had just behaved and dressed up like a peacock spreading its tail feathers, flirting with men everywhere and making them disgusting, that would have been so much better. But you didn't do that at the palace banquet."
She naturally wouldn't tell the person in front of her that she both thoroughly enjoyed Prince An's favor towards her and was unwilling to give up her position as Crown Princess.
She couldn't let anyone know about this except for her brother, the Crown Prince.
Zhu Yu didn't understand why, since every time he saw Lu Xiaoyun, she was always dressed in bright red and green or bright purple and blue, her face made up like a theatrical performer.
It earned it plenty of disdainful looks from others.
But that day, he remembered that she seemed to be wearing a light blue dress, with no makeup on her face, and her hair was simply styled in a bun.
After all, Lu Xiaoyun was so stunning that day that it was hard to forget her.
Ren Yong'an continued, "That day, everyone's attention was drawn to you. Where did you place me, the most beautiful woman in Shengjing, in that situation!"
"That day, you were just like you are now, with a pale face, yet your beauty was undeniable, breathtakingly beautiful, like a celestial being descended to earth, attracting everyone's attention!"
She glared angrily: "How could I not hate you!"
Zhu Yu, of course, did not understand why Lu Xiaoyun suddenly changed her makeup that day, but Yong'an knew perfectly well why.
She wanted to embarrass Lu Xiaoyun at the palace banquet, so that with her as a foil, everyone's attention would be drawn to her.
As the undisputed number one beauty in Shengjing City, she deserves to be admired and respected by all men.
She thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of attracting everyone's attention like a queen.
She wanted to become the most noble and powerful woman in the world.
Although her father was the Left Prime Minister and she was the eldest daughter of the Left Prime Minister's family, she was not born a boy. Her parents had never paid any attention to her, and the difference between her and Lu Xiaoyun, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's family, was still too great.
Lu Xiaoyun's father inherited the title, and instead of disgracing the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion, he guarded the gates of the Southern Frontier of the Great Zhou for decades.
Her brother, who had always been under the care of the Duke of Zhenguo, was said to be exceptionally talented in both literature and military affairs, and would undoubtedly inherit the title and mission of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
With her status, how different could she be from a princess?
Therefore, only by making Lu Xiaoyun the laughingstock of the entire Shengjing City and causing her to fall into the mire can she completely outshine her.
Early on the day of the palace banquet, she went to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to personally select dresses for her "good sister" and do her makeup herself.
Her goal was to make Lu Xiaoyun fall into the water in the Imperial Garden.
When she arrives, her brightly colored clothes, combined with her face covered in water stains, will make her look utterly ridiculous.
Lu Xiaoyun made a complete fool of herself at the palace banquet, so why would the princes pay any more attention to her because of her father?
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