Although Ye Jingyan's importance in the emperor's heart was far less than that of Ye Jingchen and Ye Jingshu, she was still his daughter after all. How could she be so humiliated by the small Wen family?
The emperor immediately ordered the Imperial Guards to investigate the matter.
In less than an hour, all sorts of evidence were laid out on the emperor's desk.
The emperor was furious and summoned Wen Langzhong to the palace, where he berated him severely and forbade the Wen family from holding a flower-viewing banquet.
But a consort still needs to be chosen.
Therefore, the emperor decreed that the flower viewing banquet be held at the Duke of Anguo's residence, with the Imperial Concubine, the Virtuous Concubine, and the Consort Wen all attending to select husbands for the eldest and second princesses.
Once the emperor's decree was issued, the Wen family immediately became a laughing stock in the capital, and all the money they had earned from selling invitations was lost.
Consort Wen was also scolded by the emperor and fined a year's salary. When Consort Wen returned to Biyue Palace, she was so angry that she smashed half of the sleeping quarters.
She smashed it in front of Ye Jingyan.
"You are my child, so what's wrong with using your name to make some money for the Wen family?"
“Our Wen family has absolutely no connection with the Duke of Anguo’s mansion. His Majesty ordered the Duke of Anguo’s mansion to hold a flower-viewing banquet to select consorts for both the Princess and you. This is blatantly telling us, mother and daughter, that you are only fit to choose what the Princess has left over!”
"What's the use of being good-looking? You can't even win a sliver of affection. What a waste of your face!"
Porcelain and glass pieces kept shattering at Ye Jingyan's feet. She kept her head down, silent, seemingly not moving much, but there wasn't a single piece of dirt or shard on her body.
"Speak! Are you mute?!" Consort Wen vented her anger alone for a long time, but the anger in her heart did not subside in the slightest. On the contrary, it intensified.
And the root of all this, she attributed to Ye Jingyan, who stood there like a wooden figure, silent and unresponsive.
"At this flower-viewing banquet, you must steal the limelight from the Princess, do you hear me?" Consort Wen ordered Ye Jingyan.
Ye Jingyan's lips twitched. It seemed that her mother was really angry this time, so angry that she had started to speak recklessly.
In the Duke of Anguo's mansion, how did he steal the limelight from the eldest princess, who was deeply favored by the Emperor?
Even if her elder sister was just a useless princess with no real title, she couldn't do it. Moreover, her elder sister's prestige in the capital was higher than her elder brother's. How could she possibly steal it?
Relying on her superficial beauty?!
As she was thinking this, she heard her mother say, "Even if she is a legitimate princess, her looks are not as good as yours. When the time comes, as long as you dress up properly, you will definitely be able to crush her!"
"Pfft—" Ye Jingyan couldn't help but burst out laughing.
She doesn't usually like to laugh unless she really can't help it.
Don't think she doesn't know that her title as the most beautiful woman in the capital was promoted by the Wen family!
Although she might be prettier than her elder and younger sisters in terms of looks, her elder sister is a stunning beauty, so how much better could she be?
Her mother taught her that beauty is a curse, but at the same time, she allowed the Wen family to boast about her beauty everywhere, making her seem like the best in the world. It was truly a contradiction!
The scariest thing is that, as they keep bragging, before anyone else even takes it seriously, they themselves start to believe it!
Do you really think she's a celestial being descended to earth, that beauty can conquer all?
"What are you laughing at? Is it that funny? The only chance you have in your life to be above the Princess is to marry better than her! Do you want to be subservient to her for the rest of your life, always being overshadowed by her?" Consort Wen questioned Ye Jingyan.
In fact, Ye Jingyan had always known that she was an item in her mother's hands, carefully nurtured so that she could be sold for a good price in the end.
The mother didn't want her to study because she didn't want her to have her own thoughts and didn't want her to become uncontrollable in the future.
When she was little, her mother always used the phrase "beautiful women bring disaster" to frighten her, which made her timid and cowardly, so that she only dared to stay obediently in Biyue Palace.
Her mother taught her to use tears to gain sympathy and to use weakness to curry favor, saying that the three obediences and four virtues were the foundation of a woman's character.
As a child, she could only rely on her mother, so she firmly believed these things.
But ever since she went to study at the Wenhua Hall; ever since she learned about her elder sister's ideals and ambitions; ever since she realized that there are many different ways for a woman to live her life, her mother could no longer try to bind her with 'love' or deceive her with 'it's for your own good'!
“Mother, I am a princess, the most noble woman in the world. Even if I marry well, it is still a marriage of rank. Can my husband’s family be more noble than the royal family?” Ye Jingyan asked Consort Wen sincerely.
With just one sentence, Consort Wen was left speechless.
“Mother, you are indeed a daughter of the Wen family, but now you are also Father’s concubine. It’s time to change your mindset!”
"The Wen family is just an insignificant minor family. It's their business if they want to change their social standing through marriage. Let their own children marry into higher social classes. I am a princess, and my marriage is not for them to decide!" Ye Jingyan looked down at Consort Wen and said expressionlessly.
It turns out that, without knowing when it started, she had become taller than Consort Wen.
Moreover, when she stood tall and spoke with a cold expression, her aura was much stronger than that of the furious Consort Wen.
Seeing Ye Jingyan like this, Consort Wen subconsciously took a step back.
But she quickly realized that she was Ye Jingyan's mother, and she shouldn't be afraid of Ye Jingyan!
"You've grown up, your wings have hardened, and you no longer respect your own clan! If it weren't for the support of your clan, do you think you would have the good life you have now?" Consort Wen used a sharp and harsh voice to make up for her lack of imposing manner.
"I have the good life I have now because of my father, my elder sister and brother, and I earned it myself. What does it have to do with the Wen family?" Ye Jingyan asked casually.
"You unfilial daughter! I told you from the beginning that you shouldn't go to study at Wenhua Hall, but you insisted on going. Now look what's happened! You've become so wild that you don't even respect your mother anymore! I did all this for your own good. If you don't have the support of your maternal family, who will stand up for you when you get married and suffer grievances in your husband's family? Can you really count on your brothers and sisters? There is no kinship in the royal family. It's good enough if they don't kick you when you're down!"
“Even without my father, brothers, and sisters, I have my own secret guards, hundreds of guards from the Princess’s residence, and hundreds of servants. Who would dare to wrong me?” Ye Jingyan asked proudly.
What's more, she also has martial arts skills. Any spoiled brat who dares to act recklessly in front of her will only get a beating from her.
Bullying her? Impossible!
Consort Wen was speechless once again.
Ye Jingyan's words shattered her long-held beliefs. However, it's undeniable that Ye Jingyan's words made a lot of sense.
But—why had she not realized these things before?
"You should listen less to your maternal grandmother and aunt's private advice in the future!" Ye Jingyan revealed the secret in one sentence.
Finally, after saying what she had been holding in her heart, Ye Jingyan felt only one thing—great!
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