Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Savior Arrives Again
Li Xiangyuan angrily rebuked Li Bao'er, "What nonsense are you spouting?! Who in this mansion would dare to make you angry!"
Before Li Bao'er could speak, Wang Zheng waved his hand and spoke in a booming voice, carrying an unquestionable command: "Enough nonsense! Since we're all in this manor, stop hiding! Tell those who are supposed to come out and pay their respects to get out here! What, am I, Wang Zheng, not worthy of drinking a cup of their tea?"
These words struck like a thunderbolt, silencing the entire courtyard. The servants were so frightened they didn't dare lift their heads.
Li Xiangyuan's face turned pale. Knowing that this matter could not be resolved peacefully, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and give a wink to his trusted steward.
The steward understood and quickly bowed and withdrew to invite Aunt Zhang and her illegitimate children from the backyard.
A moment later, Aunt Zhang reluctantly dawdled over, inwardly complaining about the Wang family, but outwardly she respectfully curtsied to Wang Zheng: "Greetings, Uncle."
No matter how much she disliked the Wang family, she still vividly remembered the days when she hid in her ancestral home and dared not go out.
Wang Zheng snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping over her like lightning. He didn't immediately call out, but instead ordered the servant beside him, "Serve tea!"
The servant nervously brought over the tea. Aunt Zhang took a deep breath, picked up a cup of tea first, and respectfully offered it: "Uncle, please have some tea."
Wang Zheng glanced at her but didn't take it, making the atmosphere even more tense.
Just then, a slightly shrill female voice suddenly rang out, carrying undisguised contempt:
"Wow, what a magnificent display!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Li Yan slowly walking out from the crowd.
She was dressed exceptionally beautifully today, and at that moment she held her chin high, her face showing no fear, but rather a condescending mockery. She didn't even bow, but merely glanced at Wang Zheng sideways.
"Uncle Wang, is it?" Li Yan drawled out her words, her disrespect evident to everyone. "You've just returned to the capital, instead of enjoying your retirement in your hometown, you've come to the Prime Minister's residence to put on airs? Do you still think it's like when the Wang family was at the height of their power in the court more than a decade ago?"
These words shocked everyone present! Even Aunt Zhang was so frightened that her face changed, and she secretly tugged at her daughter's sleeve.
Li Xiangyuan was terrified and shouted angrily, "Yan'er! Stop talking nonsense! Quickly apologize to your uncle!"
Wang Qingzhi and Li Bao'er also frowned. Li Yu clenched his fists in anger.
Wang Zheng's gaze suddenly sharpened like a knife, fixing on Li Yan, but he did not immediately lash out; instead, the atmosphere around him became even more oppressive.
Li Yan, however, seemed fearless. She shook off her mother's hand, stepped forward, and continued to say triumphantly, "I'm talking nonsense? Father, am I wrong? Who doesn't know that the Wang family was reduced to nothing and forced to retire to their hometown because they made too many enemies in the court and offended the emperor? Now they are only barely maintaining their dignity by relying on old ties!"
She became increasingly audacious, her gaze sweeping over Wang Qingzhi and Li Bao'er with malice: "A disgraced maternal family and a sickly legitimate daughter, do they really deserve to act so arrogantly and pretentiously in this Prime Minister's residence? What a joke!"
She finally raised her wrist, revealing a crystal-clear jade bracelet, and said smugly, "Moreover, I have already won the favor of His Highness the Crown Prince and will soon enter the Eastern Palace as a concubine. Uncle Wang, tell me, can you accept this cup of tea? And can your Wang family bear the bow of the future Crown Prince's concubine?"
Her words were extremely malicious, not only exposing the Wang family's wounds to their faces, but also using the Crown Prince to intimidate them!
A deathly silence fell over the courtyard. Everyone held their breath, awaiting Wang Zheng's thunderous rage.
However, Wang Zheng's reaction surprised everyone.
Instead of flying into a rage, he let out an extremely soft and cold laugh, the chill of which sent shivers down the spines of everyone present.
He slowly turned his head, and for the first time his gaze truly fell on Li Yan. His eyes didn't seem to be looking at a living person, but rather at an inanimate object.
"The Crown Prince's concubine?" He repeated slowly and deliberately, his tone calm yet carrying a chilling sense of oppression. "A mere concubine, not even married yet, dares to be so arrogant, disregarding hierarchy and etiquette, openly defying elders, and slandering her maternal family's reputation..."
He paused, his gaze piercing like an icicle as he looked at Li Yan, whose face was beginning to turn pale, and asked, word by word:
"Li Xiangyuan, is this how your Li family raises its children? Or have the future rules of the Crown Prince's Palace become so lenient that they can tolerate such an ignorant and foolish woman?"
Wang Zheng's direct question about family upbringing did not frighten Li Xiangyuan; instead, it instantly jolted Li Xiangyuan out of his habitual fear of Wang Zheng's power.
Yes! No matter how powerful Wang Zheng was, that's all in the past! The Wang family is no longer the powerful family that once held sway in the court. Now, they are just barely maintaining their facade by relying on old relationships and a few old subordinates in the military.
The connections he previously relied on with the Wang family may no longer necessarily be on their side.
He, Li Xiangyuan, is the current prime minister, enjoying the emperor's favor!
Moreover, Yan'er is right! She has now been chosen as the "Daughter of Destiny," and behind her stands His Highness the Crown Prince, the future ruler! This is real, tangible power and support right before her eyes!
Why should Wang Zheng, a washed-up general, still put on airs in his prime minister's mansion and reprimand his future daughter, the crown prince's concubine?
Thinking of this, the fear and ingratiation on Li Xiangyuan's face quickly faded, replaced by a bureaucratic, slightly indifferent perfunctory attitude.
He coughed lightly and spoke in a nonchalant tone, trying to smooth things over, but clearly favoring Li Yan: "Brother Wang, you're too kind, too kind." He waved his hand, not even daring to meet Wang Zheng's gaze, only staring vaguely ahead.
"A young girl, full of youthful vigor, may speak bluntly, but there's no malice intended. As for upbringing... my daughter from the Li family is naturally well-educated and reasonable. As for the rules of the Crown Prince's Palace, how dare we, as subjects, presume to comment? My brother-in-law has been away from the capital for a long time, so it's best not to..."
His words implied that Wang Zheng had been away from Beijing for a long time, was unaware of the situation in the capital, and was meddling in other people's business!
This near-blatant favoritism and perfunctory attitude enraged Wang Zheng, who laughed in a fit of rage, his tiger-like eyes flashing with cold light! Wang Qingzhi trembled with anger, Li Bao'er's eyes were icy, and Li Yu was itching to rush up and argue with them.
When Li Yan saw that her father had actually stood up for her, her pale face instantly regained its color, and she even looked smug again, giving Wang Zheng a provocative look.
At this tense moment, when war seemed imminent.
"Oh? I had no idea that such a learned and sensible person in the Li family was like this."
A cold, deep voice, tinged with a lazy sarcasm, came from the direction of the moon gate in the courtyard without warning.
The sound wasn't loud, but it seemed to possess some strange magic, instantly suppressing all the noise and clearly reaching everyone's ears.
Everyone froze, turning their heads to look in unison.
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