"Bai Yujing, what do you mean by this? What grudge do you have with the Prince's Mansion that warrants such a accusation?" Princess Ziyan asked coldly, her voice trembling slightly.
Bai Yujing sneered and said seriously, "Princess Ziyan, although you are of noble status, you cannot disregard the law. The Prince Hao's Mansion is not without its members. If you continue to be so arrogant, don't blame me, Bai Yujing, for being impolite and reporting your actions to the Emperor."
Upon hearing this, Princess Ziyan's expression changed slightly, and a hint of panic flashed in her eyes. However, she quickly calmed down and a cold smile appeared on her lips.
"Bai Yujing, do you think you can control the emperor's mind? I am a member of the Prince Hao's mansion, and the emperor will naturally protect me. If you report me, you will only bring about your own destruction."
Bai Yujing snorted and was about to retort when Azi and Ahong walked over and bowed to Princess Ziyan.
“Princess, you don’t need to pay any attention to this arrogant fellow. Please have some refreshments; they were specially prepared for you by the lady of the house, who said they were a token of her appreciation.”
Princess Ziyan smiled slightly, nodded to Azi and Ahong, then turned to look at Bai Yujing, her tone tinged with sarcasm: "Bai Yujing, you see, I have no intention of being your enemy. If you continue to pester me, don't blame me for being impolite."
Bai Yujing's face turned ashen, and he was about to explode when Jiang Huaiyu came out from the inner room. She looked at Bai Yujing, a hint of concern flashing in her eyes.
"Yujing, what's wrong with you? Why are you picking on the princess?"
Bai Yujing glared at Jiang Huaiyu, her tone icy: "Huaiyu, you don't know what she's done. This person is arrogant and disrespectful. If we don't teach her a lesson, she'll never know her place."
Jiang Huaiyu sighed softly, walked up to Princess Ziyan, and smiled, "Princess, please forgive Yujing's rudeness. He is straightforward, but he meant no harm. If you can forgive him, we would like to ask you to prepare some food to show our sincerity."
Princess Ziyan looked at Jiang Huaiyu, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. She hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.
"Alright, since Madam has said so, I will give you face. Ah Zi, Ah Hong, take me to have some refreshments."
Azi and Ahong immediately agreed and led Princess Ziyan to the inner room. Bai Yujing watched their backs, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes.
Jiang Huaiyu gently patted Bai Yujing's shoulder and said in a low voice, "Yujing, you don't have to be so stubborn. Sometimes, taking a step back can open up a whole new world. We should always value harmony."
Bai Yujing was silent for a moment, then finally sighed and said, "Alright, I'll listen to you."
The two returned to their seats, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy. Bai Yujing looked at Jiang Huaiyu, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
"Huaiyu, you are always so gentle, making me feel so useless."
Jiang Huaiyu smiled gently and took Bai Yujing's hand: "Yujing, you've misunderstood. I know your worries, but sometimes we can't change other people's behavior, we can only change our own attitude. We must believe that justice resides in the hearts of the people."
Bai Yujing looked at Jiang Huaiyu and felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
Ah Hong curled her lips, looked at Jiang Huaiyu with her brows furrowed, and sneered, "Jiang Huaiyu, if you don't eat this plate of snacks today, Ah Hong can't guarantee I won't take action."
Upon hearing this, a hint of helplessness flashed in Jiang Huaiyu's eyes. She had no choice but to bow her head in the face of today's events. She slowly picked up a piece of pastry, put it in her mouth, and chewed it carefully, her brows furrowing slightly.
At this moment, Princess Ziyan walked in. Seeing Jiang Huaiyu's appearance, she smiled gently and said, "Jiang Huaiyu, you don't seem hungry. Why are you eating so reluctantly?"
Jiang Huaiyu quickly put down the pastries in her hand and said with a smile, "Your Highness has misunderstood. I was just feeling a little unwell, so I ate a little slowly."
Princess Ziyan nodded slightly, but a hint of dissatisfaction was revealed in her eyes. She turned to Ah Hong and said, "Ah Hong, look at Jiang Huaiyu. He can't even eat this little bit of pastry. Shouldn't we let him eat more?"
Ah Hong grinned, a sly glint in her eyes, and said, "The princess is right. If Jiang Huaiyu doesn't have a good meal today, I'll teach him a lesson."
Jiang Huaiyu's face grew paler and paler; today's events could no longer be resolved peacefully. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
Princess Ziyan walked to the table, picked up a crab roe pastry, handed it to Jiang Huaiyu, and said, "This crab roe pastry is something I specially prepared for you. If you don't eat it, wouldn't you be letting down my good intentions?"
Jiang Huaiyu hesitated for a moment, wanting to refuse, but seeing Princess Ziyan's determined eyes, she knew she couldn't. She took the crab roe pastry and was about to put it in her mouth when Ah Hong suddenly said, "Wait!"
Jiang Huaiyu was taken aback and looked at Ah Hong with a puzzled expression.
Ah Hong walked up to Princess Zi Yan and whispered, "Princess, it's hot. These crab roe pastries shouldn't be kept until tomorrow. Why don't we let Jiang Huaiyu eat a few more to avoid waste?"
A hint of appreciation flashed in Princess Ziyan's eyes as she nodded and said, "Ah Hong is right, Jiang Huaiyu, eat a few more pieces so as not to waste them."
Jiang Huaiyu smiled bitterly, slowly putting the crab roe pastry into her mouth, her brows furrowed and her face growing paler.
Ah Hong looked at Jiang Huaiyu, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. She turned to Princess Ziyan and said, "Princess, Jiang Huaiyu has already eaten the crab roe pastry. Are you satisfied?"
Princess Ziyan smiled slightly and said, "Ah Hong, you did very well. Jiang Huaiyu, since you have already eaten the crab meat pastry, then eat a few more pieces of pastry, so that Ah Hong won't say you're wasting food."
Helpless, Jiang Huaiyu could only continue eating the pastries. Her heart was filled with anger and frustration; today's events were nothing more than a prank by Princess Ziyan and Ah Hong.
At this moment, sunlight streamed through the window and into the room, illuminating Jiang Huaiyu's pale face.
But she had to be patient and wait for her opportunity.
Ah Hong snorted twice and sternly warned Jiang Huaiyu, "Jiang Huaiyu, listen to me, you'd better do as Princess Ziyan says. You must eat this crab roe pastry!"
Jiang Huaiyu frowned, her face showing an unpleasant expression. She forced herself to endure the discomfort and said in a trembling voice, "Sister Ah Hong, I... I really can't eat."
Princess Ziyan watched this scene coldly, a hint of dissatisfaction flashing in her eyes. She parted her lips slightly and said, "Ah Hong, tell her what the consequences will be if she doesn't eat it."
Ah Hong smiled slightly, a hint of coldness in her eyes: "Jiang Huaiyu, if you don't eat this crab roe pastry, you'll be disobeying Princess Ziyan's orders. Do you know what that means?"
Jiang Huaiyu gritted her teeth, her face pale. She knew what Ah Hong meant. In ancient times, disobeying one's master's orders could result in punishment at best, and death at worst.
Ah Hong continued, "If you eat it, I will naturally serve you well. If you don't eat it, then it's hard to say."
Jiang Huaiyu lowered her head helplessly, her heart filled with resignation. She forced herself to swallow the crab roe pastry, slowly picking it up and bringing it to her lips. However, the unpleasant smell made her gag again.
Princess Ziyan frowned, looking at Jiang Huaiyu with disgust, and said coldly, "You're really useless. You can't even do this little thing right. Ah Hong, let her continue eating."
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