The matter between the Marquis of Anning's residence and the Jiang family was thus resolved.
Princess Ruian looked at the Xuanping Marquis's family and smiled, "Huo Rang."
Huo Rang hurriedly stood up, "Your humble servant is here."
"Actually, you don't need to make things so tense with Qingzhou. You are a military officer, and he is a scholar, so there is no competition between you. Even if he doesn't pursue a scholarly path and remains as useless as before, there is even less competition between you. You should be happy to see such an opponent, so why do you keep making things difficult for him? Do you like military officers whose abilities are comparable to yours?"
"..." These words struck Huo Rang like a thunderbolt.
Sweat instantly beaded on his forehead—yes, what had he been thinking? The Anning Marquis's Mansion and the Xuanping Marquis's Mansion were evenly matched, but the Young Master Bai posed no competition to him. Why did he create enemies out of thin air? Did he only feel at ease when everyone around him was a formidable rival?
If everyone around him is born into wealth and is skilled in both literature and martial arts, what chance does Huo Rang have?
Why didn't he think of that before?
No wonder people say that martial arts practitioners are all brawn and no brains; that must be him.
Princess Ryan saw cold sweat dripping down Huo Rang's face, chuckled, took out a piece of paper, and tossed it to him, saying, "Go investigate these people; there will be a surprise."
The piece of paper fluttered down in front of me.
A maidservant quickly picked it up and respectfully handed it to Huo Rang.
When Huo opened it, his pupils dilated—some of the names on it were unfamiliar, while others were familiar.
The familiar person was the same one who had mocked Prince Bai with him back then. It was because of that mockery that he harbored malicious intentions and had Prince Bai lured to a brothel...
Was he also being used?!
While the others were unaware of what had happened, Chen Mianmian knew—this group of people were truly pitiful; their secrets had been exposed, tsk tsk!
When Marquis Xuanping saw his son's expression change drastically, he realized what was going on and looked at Marquis Anning with eyes full of apology.
Princess Ryan then said a few more words and dismissed everyone.
Shen Mianmian looked at Jiang Yinjin with pity, "Young Madam, are you alright? Could you please help Madam leave first? I must apologize to the Princess."
Jiang Yinjin gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with resentment, "A self-criticism...what?"
"Sorry, it's not convenient to talk about, it's a private matter."
Jiang Yinjin was stunned. "Is it... about meeting Huo Rang alone in the garden?"
Shen Mianmian nodded obediently, "Nothing can be hidden from the young mistress."
"..."
Looking at the woman's stunning beauty and incredibly clear eyes, Jiang Yinjin felt that her own insidious thoughts were exposed, her schemes were despicable and laughable, and she felt ashamed, ugly, and humiliated.
Shen Mianmian didn't care what Jiang Yinjin thought. In her heart, the female lead was just a tool for developing the romantic storyline.
Black cat or white cat, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat.
Good heroine or bad heroine, as long as she obediently falls in love with the male lead, she is a good heroine.
After handing Ding over to Jiang Yinjin, Chen Mianmian quietly came to the princess's side and whispered, "Your Highness, may I take a little of your precious time? I have something I want to tell you."
Princess Ryan smiled and said, "You're smart to know what's good for you."
Sleepyhead—well, the princess even included her in the list.
Afterwards, everyone left.
Shen Mianmian then said, "This humble woman dares not conceal the truth from Your Highness. In fact, just as the rumors say, when the Marquis of Xuanping's residence came to visit, before our formal meeting, this humble woman accidentally encountered Lord Huo in the garden. At that time, this humble woman felt something was amiss and left immediately without having much conversation with Lord Huo."
The woman later concealed the matter, partly because she didn't want to escalate the feud between the two marquisates, and partly because she didn't want the villains to succeed.
Princess Ryan asked with a playful tone, "A villain? You know you've been framed?"
"Your Highness, I understand. When I was told to go to the garden, there were no servants along the way. Then my maid was knocked unconscious. Seeing that Lord Huo was also alone, I guessed that we had both been tricked."
The princess smiled and said, "You're quite clever. Why didn't you say so in front of everyone?"
Chen Mianmian pursed her lips—you brat, are you asking a question you already know the answer to?
"Please forgive me, Your Highness, for everything is merely my speculation. Without solid evidence, I dare not speak recklessly."
The princess nodded. "Do you want evidence? I have some here."
"...No, no, thank you Your Highness. I don't need evidence. I think this is fine."
Princess Ryan suddenly looked towards the hall entrance and said calmly, "Do you have any complaints about how I've handled this?"
Shen Mianmian asked in bewilderment, "This humble woman believes that Her Highness the Princess's handling of the matter was thorough and perfect, preserving the dignity of the three families while punishing those who deserved it."
Princess Ryan gave her a deep look. "I did not punish Jiang Yinjin."
Sleepyhead—don't punish her! If you punish her, she won't be able to complete the romance storyline, what will I do?
“Your Highness, please understand. In fact, I also feel guilty towards the young mistress. It is because of me that the young master has not shared a room with her. Therefore, I do not blame the young mistress.”
Princess Rui'an sighed, "In the capital, which household doesn't have its share of infighting? As long as it's not out in the open, everyone pretends not to know. Huo Rang is the second son of the Marquis of Xuanping, not the heir apparent, so no one cares about his reputation."
However, Qingzhou is the heir of the Marquis of Anning's mansion. If it is made public that his wife is harming his concubines, causing discord between his wives and concubines and unrest in the household, he will only bring disgrace upon himself! In addition, his reputation was already bad before. If this matter were to spread, he would probably be ridiculed for his incompetence in managing his household.
Therefore, even if Jiang Yinjin is the culprit in this whole affair, I can't do anything to her. Or rather, I can't do anything to her for now. But once Qingzhou has achieved success and the two of them have successfully divorced, if she falls into my hands again, well, I'll show her what I'm capable of.”
Chen Mianmian nodded repeatedly, not daring to speak.
Princess Ryan chuckled at Shen Mianmian's obedient appearance, "You're so well-behaved. Don't worry, you'll get plenty of benefits in the future."
Shen Mianmian feigned innocence even more, "This humble woman is only right to do so. Whatever decision Your Highness makes, this humble woman will accept it wholeheartedly! Um... does Your Highness have anything else to say? If not, this humble woman will take her leave now? My lady doesn't look too well, and this humble woman is a little worried about her."
Thinking of the Ding family, Princess Ruian seemed thoughtful, and a hint of worry appeared in her eyes. She waved her hand and said, "Go."
On the other side.
Outside the hall.
The three families walked out one by one, and all stopped at the doorway without prior arrangement.
Huo Rang saw Liu Xiangning guarding the door, but Liu Xiangning, upon discovering the door open, craned her neck to look inside as if searching for someone, seemingly oblivious to him.
Looking at that familiar yet unfamiliar delicate face, Huo Rang's emotions surged—she was innocent in the whole affair, yet she was repeatedly misunderstood, scolded, and beaten.
She obediently imitated Chen Mianmian's fighting style, but he misunderstood and blamed her.
She was punished by Zhou to clean the chamber pot, and when she asked him for help, he chased her away.
She was forced by Zhou to frame Shen Mianmian and harm the Marquis's mansion, but she would rather be beaten herself than harm anyone else.
Later, while he was away, Zhou sold her to a brothel... He felt so sorry for her...
Thinking about it, Huo Rang unconsciously walked up to the woman.
Liu Xiangning was looking into the hall—everyone had come out, but why hadn't her master come out yet? Had the princess kept her there? Had her master offended the princess? What should she do? Did her master need help? If she went in directly, wouldn't her master be angry? Or should she trick Guanshui into coming in? Guanshui was from the princess's residence; the princess shouldn't blame her too much. Besides, if she was to be blamed, so be it; as long as she and her master weren't blamed, it didn't matter who was blamed.
As she was trying to see, a burly figure suddenly stood in front of her, blocking her view.
Thinking she was blocking the way, Liu Xiangning moved to the side, stretching her neck even further, as if she wanted to stick her head into the house.
But the figure stood in front of her again.
She moved in another direction, and the person followed her like a shadow.
"..." Liu Xiangning.
Liu Xiangning finally raised her eyes in displeasure—of course, as a qualified "thin horse" (a term for a woman of thinness and slenderness), even if she harbored resentment in her heart, she still smiled and appeared docile.
When she saw the person blocking her way, she didn't recognize him at first, but then it dawned on her—Oh, it's Lord Huo?
Lord Huo also felt it was a waste to spend so much money for only two nights' sleep.
There's nothing he can do about it; he's already sold her, and her ownership belongs to the Marquis of Anning's household. She can no longer sleep with him.
Huo Rang opened his mouth, his handsome face showing embarrassment, "Are you... alright?"
Liu Xiangning thought that even if the deal fell through, they could still be on good terms, so she said softly, "Thank you for your concern, Lord Huo. I am doing well. I am deeply sorry that I can no longer serve you. I wish you a bright future and a successful official career."
After saying that, he changed his perspective again and looked into the hall.
"you……"
Huo Rang was about to speak when his mother pulled him away, so he had to give up.
Beside the group, Vice Minister Jiang walked up to Marquis Anning, his old face flushed with embarrassment, "My lord, my daughter... I'm so sorry for the Marquis's family! It's all my fault!"
As he spoke, he lifted his robe and was about to kneel down.
Marquis Anning hurriedly pulled Minister Jiang aside and sighed, “Minister, don’t say that. Everyone is responsible for what happened. I know that Yin Jin is a good child. Besides, she is still young. Who doesn’t do a few foolish things when they are young? Who is perfect from birth? We, as elders, should bear the blame.”
Jiang felt both grateful and guilty.
These words struck Jiang Yinjin like a thunderbolt. She looked at Marquis Anning in shock and confusion—why was this happening? This was not what she had expected.
In her memory, Madam Shen was eccentric and arrogant, but the current Madam Shen is intelligent and obedient; in her memory, the lady was foolish and naive, but the current lady is kind and childlike; in her memory, Marquis Anning was stubborn and domineering, but the current Marquis Anning is tolerant and magnanimous, and can forgive his daughter-in-law who makes mistakes.
Having lived two lives, she could distinguish between hypocrisy and sincerity, and she could see that Marquis Anning truly forgave and tolerated her.
Why is this happening?
Who exactly are these people?
Why is it different from my previous life?
Could it be that after she died, she was reborn in another world, and "they" are not "them"?
Or...did she have a past life? Could those memories be a nightmare she was living?
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