Everyone—Aunt Shen is crying!?
Sigh, it's really not easy for Aunt Shen to have managed to hold back her tears for so many days.
Princess Ryan saw someone with tears streaming down their face and chuckled, "What, now you know you're tired? Why didn't you say you were tired before?"
Shen Mianmian put down her chopsticks, swallowed what was in her mouth, and asked respectfully, "Your Highness, I am tired. Can Your Highness please let me off the hook?"
Princess Ryan: "No."
Sleepyhead—that's right, if you already know the answer, why bother with all that talk?
Seeing that Lady Ding was pleading for mercy again, Princess Ruian smiled and said to Lady Ding, "Do you know why I've been having Mianmian practice more intensively these past few days?"
"Why?" Ding asked, puzzled.
Princess Ryan raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly, "To give you a surprise."
"??" Chen Mianmian.
Lady Ding was even more puzzled, "Princess, what surprise is there?"
"Two days from now, I will be hosting a Lotus Banquet and have invited the Marquis of Xuanping's residence. I have also specially ordered someone to inform Madam Huo to bring her best skinny girl. I want to have them fight again. I refuse to believe that Mianmian can lose after being trained like this."
Everyone suddenly realized—so that's how it is. The princess forced Aunt Shen to practice desperately so that Aunt Shen would fight back.
Madam Ding was grateful, but still puzzled, "The Princess's residence is going to hold a Lotus Banquet? How come I didn't hear about it before?"
Princess Ryan glanced at her, then picked up a piece of crispy bamboo shoot. "Didn't I say it would be a surprise? If I tell you beforehand, how can it be a surprise?"
Only then did Mrs. Ding understand.
Princess Ryan glanced at the beauty whose face was still wet with tears and sneered, "Practice hard for another day this afternoon, and tomorrow will be your practical test. I will find a female bodyguard to fight you, and the day after tomorrow you will fight that skinny horse. If you lose, you will have to live here with me for the next six months, and I will force you to practice every day."
The tears that had stopped flowing started flowing uncontrollably again.
She didn't want to cry, but her tear ducts wouldn't listen to her.
Good heavens, what kind of life is she living?
Are we going to fight the Dark Guards tomorrow?
Secret Guard?
The legendary, highly skilled bodyguards who can fly around? She can even fight bodyguards? If she's so capable, why doesn't she just fly to the sky?
Princess Ryan said to the dumbfounded Ding, "Stop looking, let's have our meal."
As he spoke, he began to eat by himself.
Ding's eyes also reddened, and her voice trembled as she asked, "Fight the guards...? Can Mianmian... handle it?"
Princess Ryan said, "I'll definitely tell the guards to hold back. If they fight freely, won't they kill Mianmian in one go?"
Chen Mianmian—or just kill her and end this living hell.
Seeing that Ding was terrified, Princess Ruian comforted her, "Don't worry, after the Lotus Banquet the day after tomorrow, you will be allowed to go back. Mianmian will definitely win."
Ding's voice trembled, "What if...we really...accidentally...lose?"
Princess Ryan casually remarked as she ate, "Didn't I just say? Leave it for six months, practice until she wins."
"..." Ding Shi.
Chen Mianmian silently grabbed a chicken leg—forget it, she'd better eat more. She won, after all; she didn't want to stay in the princess's mansion forever.
...
The residence of the Marquis of Xuanping.
Zhou Miaoyin went to the main courtyard with her maid. When she saw Madam Feng, she greeted her with a smile, "Your daughter-in-law greets Mother. Did Mother call me here for something?"
Madam Feng's expression was indifferent; she was growing increasingly displeased with this daughter-in-law. "Sit down."
"Yes." Zhou Miaoyin took her seat.
Madam Feng said, "Someone from the Princess's residence just came and told us that we should bring Liu Xiangning with us when we attend the Lotus Banquet at the Princess's residence the day after tomorrow. I had to beg and plead and even stuff some silver into the servant's hand before he finally told us that Princess Ruian was very angry when she heard that Liu Xiangning had hit that skinny horse from the Marquis of Anning's residence. She kept that skinny horse at the Princess's residence for many days to train it so that it could hit back."
As she spoke, she sneered, "I was wondering why the princess suddenly wanted to hold the Lotus Banquet? And why it was held in such a hasty manner, with the news only sent seven days in advance. After all this fuss, it turns out the banquet was a pretext, and the real purpose was to avenge the Marquis of Anning's family. The Marquis of Anning's family is truly a bunch of vixens."
Zhou Miaoyin thought to herself, "Of course! I'm so angry! Her yard was so clean and tidy, but my husband had to buy a dirty fox. It almost died a few days ago, which scared me to death."
Madam Feng said to Zhou Miaoyin, "Go back immediately and tell Liu Xiangning that she can only lose at the Lotus Banquet the day after tomorrow. We can't afford to offend the Princess's Mansion."
"Yes, Mother," Zhou Miaoyin replied, feeling resentful—her mother-in-law was useless; even the Lady of Anning Marquis could serve the princess, so why couldn't the Lady of Xuanping Marquis? It was just a waste for those vixens.
Feng suppressed her disgust and said, "Alright, the Lotus Banquet is the most important thing. Go back and talk to Liu Xiangning right away."
"Yes, daughter-in-law will go back first." Zhou Miaoyin curtsied and left.
A short while later,
After Zhou Miaoyin left, Madam Feng finally revealed an expression of disgust, even gritting her teeth, "What a troublemaker! Ever since she entered the manor, the second son hasn't had a single day of peace. He's either arguing or buying sluts. There's no peace in the courtyard, but her belly is very still. It's been so long and there's not a single sign of pregnancy. What a waste!"
The trusted nanny beside her advised, "Madam, please calm down. Perhaps the Second Young Mistress's belly will start to move soon. Madam, please wait a little longer?"
"What are we waiting for? My first mistake was choosing her; my second mistake was helping her suppress the second son's concubines. As soon as the Lotus Banquet is over, I'll immediately arrange for the second son to take three concubines!"
"Yes, yes, Madam is right." The old woman knew about the situation in the second young master's courtyard and didn't want to offer any more advice.
...
Illness comes like a landslide, but recovery is like pulling silk from a cocoon.
Liu Xiangning's high fever has subsided, but she feels weak all over.
Fortunately, when she was beaten, the old woman used a cloth whip that was used to punish servants in the inner quarters, so it hurt but didn't draw blood. If she had bled, she probably would have lost her life after being beaten all night.
Lying on her side in bed, Liu Xiangning sighed softly—she had finally had five days of peace and quiet, and just when things seemed to be getting better, she might have to go back to cleaning the chamber pot.
From the time she could remember, she studied music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and even bedroom arts at Yaotaifang. She acquired a whole host of skills, but in the end, she ended up cleaning chamber pots? Isn't that a huge waste of her talents?
Besides, she's so pretty, what can't she do? Why does she have to clean toilets? They smell so bad.
All the other skinny girls smell nice, but she smells awful?
How could her life be so tragic?
Furthermore, she was truly curious about how Shen Mianmian had managed to win over the young master Bai and make Lord Huo so unforgettable. She wondered if she would ever have the chance to see Shen Mianmian again, otherwise she would definitely ask her and ask her to share her secrets.
...What if Chen Mianmian doesn't tell her?
Then...then she hugged Chen Mianmian's leg and wailed loudly, wiping her snot and tears all over her skirt, to see if she would tell.
Just as Liu Xiangning was lost in thought, the door opened.
She looked up and saw the young mistress leading her maids in.
The young mistress's face, which was still somewhat attractive, was full of malice.
insidious?
Liu Xiangning became wary—this young mistress was definitely no good! She had to be careful!
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