Du Qingyao abruptly lifted the carriage curtain and asked in a chilling tone, "Is there another princess in this villa?"
The servant saw another woman in the carriage, and this woman had a dignified air about her. He immediately realized that he must have mistaken her for someone else!
But his princess was indeed in the manor, so he stubbornly said, "Of all people to impersonate, why did you have to impersonate my princess! Tell me! What are you here for?"
The timing of Du Qingyao's arrival was truly unfortunate.
Normally, there is a steward in the gatehouse, and at the very least, there are several guards of the prince in the mansion, all of whom know Du Qingyao.
But the weather has been unbearably hot lately, so the masters stay in their rooms and don't come out. The butler stays in his room to cool off during the day and only comes out to walk around in the evening.
What's more, Gu Yingzhi went out on business today, taking her personal guards with her, so that apart from the secret guards, no one in the entire villa knew Du Qingyao.
However, the secret guards usually do not show themselves easily. When they saw Du Qingyao arrive, they only sent one person to quickly inform Gu Yingzhi.
Upon hearing the servant's words, Du Qingyao disregarded all decorum and got off the carriage.
She walked straight to the door, snatched the name card from Bing'er's hand, and threw it hard at the servant's face.
"Open your dog eyes and see! Who is really the Princess Consort of Qingyang?!"
Her eyes widened in anger, her eyebrows furrowed, and she exuded a strong, gloomy aura.
The servant was startled and quickly picked up the name card from the ground.
Upon opening it, it really was a calling card from Princess Qingyang!
What's going on?
The servant was undecided, unsure whether to open the door or not. He dared not close the door again, so he called another servant to watch over the place and went to find the steward with the visiting card.
When Steward Liu received the visiting card, he immediately thought, "Oh no! Why is that person from Qingyang City looking for me?"
One is the legitimate princess, and the other is the princess who is the apple of the prince's eye. Should he open the door or not?
If it opens! If the two sides clash, will he help or not?
No! Of course he would side with the one in the manor, after all, anyone who wasn't blind could see how much the prince doted on her!
He quickly whispered, "Find someone who's fast on their feet and go out the back door to inform the Prince! I'll go tell the Princess!"
"yes!"
*
Li Yunyan leaned lazily against the chaise lounge, holding a storybook in one hand and a silver fork inlaid with agate in the other, leisurely eating chilled fruit.
Ice basins were placed in all four corners of the room, and wisps of icy mist rose from them, making the room feel as cool as if it were air-conditioned.
The three children were sleeping sprawled out on her bed, their little bellies sticking out.
She raised an eyebrow when she heard the steward's report from outside.
Gu Yingzhi's principal wife was someone she never wanted to think about.
She felt guilty towards her, but only a little; she also felt jealous, but not much. Both were feelings she didn't consciously think about, things she couldn't quite recall.
But now that she's come to me of her own accord, Li Yunyan has no choice but to face her.
Out of a pang of guilt, she couldn't bring herself to stop her at the door. If the two could reconcile, before she left, they would live separate lives, one in Qingyang City and the other in Lianjiang City.
Li Yunyan calmly said, "Butler Liu, please invite her in!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Du Qingyao finally entered the gate of the Prince's Mansion's villa.
She led her entourage angrily inside, and the servants along the way did not bow or give way to them, but instead looked them over with unfamiliar eyes.
It was as if they were a group of uninvited guests.
Du Qingyao's hands were tightly clasped inside her wide sleeves.
She refused to believe that the prince was keeping a mistress in Lianjiang City! He even instructed the servants in the villa to treat this mistress as if she were the proper princess!
She was even more unwilling to believe that the prince actually had no hidden illness, and that he simply disliked her!
Neither of these two guesses was acceptable to her!
They followed the butler's lead to a magnificent courtyard.
Du Qingyao gritted her teeth inwardly. This courtyard was even more noble and magnificent than the one she lived in at the Qingyang Prince's Mansion, and it showed the extraordinary nature of its owner in every way.
She stopped in front of the courtyard gate.
She was a princess, and the person living inside was a concubine, not even a mistress. If she went in, wouldn't it seem like she, the princess, had to condescend to pay respects to a mistress?
"Call her out!"
"yes."
Granny Yue took a few steps forward and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Come out, you inside! The Princess is here! Why aren't you coming out to pay your respects?!"
She emphasized the word "princess" very much, wanting everyone to know that her lady was the real princess, and the one inside was a fake!
Li Yunyan frowned slightly. It's so hot, wouldn't it be nice to have an ice basin inside? Why do you have to stand outside to talk about it?
Xiangxia spoke up, "Your Highness, how about I go out, give them all a good scolding, and then kick them out?"
Li Yunyan chuckled, "Do you think we're still at Ruyan Medical Clinic? The people outside are not easy to deal with!"
Xiangxia said anxiously, "What should we do? The prince is not in the manor now. If they start making a scene, it might offend the princess and the young masters!"
Li Yunyan went inside and looked at the children who were sleeping soundly. She said to Xiangxia, "Let's finish this quickly! Let's go out and meet them!"
"OK!"
Du Qingyao stood outside for a long time until the main hall door opened and several people came out.
The one walking in front was the most eye-catching. Du Qingyao immediately noticed the gossamer-thin Xiangyun gauze she was wearing, the ruby headdress on her hair, and the two round and full pearls on the tips of her shoes.
Her face contorted, and then her gaze shifted upwards, her eyes piercingly fixed on her face.
His face was stunningly beautiful, and when he looked at her, his expression was calm and composed, showing no sign of nervousness or humility.
The woman walked to the back of the hanging flower gate and then stopped. Even though she had only walked to the gate, she was accompanied by eight maids and even had a canopy to shield her from the sun.
In comparison, Du Qingyao, who had only brought four maids and one nanny with her because she was in a hurry, and was only holding an oil-paper umbrella over her head, immediately appeared much weaker.
Adding to his disheveled appearance, he had been traveling for days, was covered in dust and sweat, and looked utterly wretched. Meanwhile, the other woman stood there clean, refreshed, and elegantly poised, as if she were the true owner of the villa!
Du Qingyao clutched the hem of her dress tightly; she had to admit that the woman in front of her was very beautiful.
She was so beautiful that even though she knew in her heart that the prince was neglecting her because of her, the only thing that came to her mind was "So that's how it is".
A surge of grief and indignation welled up within her. She had been married to the prince for almost five years, so why was he keeping it a secret from her?
Is she so petty in the prince's heart that she can't even tolerate a mistress?
Seeing her mistress's furious expression, Granny Yue began to hurl insults at Li Yunyan:
"Where did this little vixen come from? She doesn't even kneel before the Princess?!"
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