At this moment, everyone looked at Madam Wu with strange expressions.
It's shameful to bully others by relying on your power and then be rendered speechless by them.
"You, you..." Madam Wu was furious and kicked a maid. "Get up right now! Go to the Prefect of the Capital and summon the officials to imprison these blind men..."
Before she could finish speaking, Jiayin grinned and pulled a jade pendant from her bosom.
The jade pendant wasn't large, but it was carved with dragon patterns. The sunlight streaming in from the window made it clearly visible to everyone, causing them to gasp in surprise.
Dragon-carved pendant?
This is something only the emperor can wear!
Jiayin jingled her jade pendant, her face beaming with joy. "It's wonderful that Madam Wu is going to report this to the authorities! I've never been to the government office before! Just now you started cursing my parents and calling me a little beast, and you even threatened to beat me. I'd like to find someone to talk to about this too."
"However, reporting to the authorities is troublesome. Why don't we go directly to our Imperial Uncle and ask him to help us settle this matter? This is a jade pendant given to us by our Imperial Uncle; it allows us to enter the palace at any time!"
After saying that, she grinned, revealing a small gap in her teeth, and smiled even more brightly at Madam Wu.
"Oh dear, I forgot to mention, I am Princess Kangle, a title bestowed upon me by my imperial uncle! My adoptive father is the Marquis of Xinting, my second uncle is the Earl of Zhongshan, my grandmother is a first-rank imperial consort, and my father is a fourth-rank military officer! Aren't all of them higher-ranking than your husband?!"
Princess Kang Le?
The shopkeeper immediately straightened his back and suddenly realized that his earlier worries were ridiculous.
The Empress's maternal clan sounds impressive.
But in the end, Madam Wu is the wife of the second son of the Marquis's family. If it weren't for the Marquis's family's support, they would be nothing in terms of their own family alone.
On the contrary, any member of the Li family could be an official with a title, easily overwhelming Madam Wu.
Princess Kang Le, in particular, is said to be very favored by the Emperor, even more so than the princesses…
At this awkward moment, someone suddenly came up from downstairs.
A young woman, accompanied by two maids and carrying two bolts of silk, was startled by the strange scene on the second floor.
Seeing Madam Wu's disheveled state, she quickly stepped forward, frowning as she asked, "Mother, what happened?"
Madam Wu seemed to have seen a savior, and grabbed the young girl, shouting, "Lian'er, they are bullying us! I don't like there are foxes in the shop, so they attacked me and the old woman!"
"Look at this, this is the Li family, Princess Kangle! If you don't fight to marry the Marquis, his mansion will fall into the hands of this wretched girl!"
"Don't you like the Marquis? Can you bear to see him deceived by these peasants? Go beg your cousin to make you the Marquis's wife and trample them underfoot!"
Needless to say, this young woman is Wu Bilian.
Hearing her mother's unrestrained words, Jia Yin blushed with embarrassment and anger. When she looked up, she saw Li Lao Si and his wife staring at her with curious eyes, while Jia Yin's eyes were shining.
It was clear that the family of three knew her identity and that she had been rejected by the Marquis. She felt even more embarrassed and wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Forgetting all decorum, she tried desperately to cover her mother's mouth, whispering, "Mother, if you don't want me to kill myself, then stop talking! Let's go, let's go quickly!"
"Why should they leave? If anyone should leave, it should be them! You good-for-nothing girl, it's all your fault for being so useless!" Madam Wu broke free from her daughter's hand and tried to continue scolding her.
Wu Bilian couldn't stop her, and she worried that today's events would reach the Marquis's ears...
She was truly desperate, and she actually lifted her skirt and rushed towards the window!
"Lian'er!" Madam Wu was terrified and tried to stop her, but she was too late.
Fortunately, Jiayin managed to throw the little fox away in a moment of crisis.
The little fox nudged Wu Bilian's shoulder, causing her to stumble and fall into a chair instead of jumping out of the window.
There was an eerie silence in the room for a moment, then Madam Wu rushed over and began shaking her daughter frantically, yelling, "You unfilial brat, if something happens to you, how am I supposed to live!"
Wu Bilian was deathly pale. She had been so ashamed and angry just moments before, but now that she had calmed down, she felt a lingering fear. Her hands were trembling. "Mother, let's go home. If you keep making a scene, I really won't live anymore. Please save yourself some face and give me a way out!"
"If you make a scene and everyone knows about this, then our family will be considered to have defied the imperial decree. If the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion finds out, I really won't be able to live!"
She grabbed her mother's arm, her eyes filled with tears. "Mother, she's just a Marquis's wife! I'll marry into the Duke's mansion and become the Duke's wife! Please, don't worry about your own reputation, spare my life!"
Whether she was persuaded by her daughter or genuinely afraid that something might happen to her daughter, Madam Wu the Second actually stopped making a scene.
Wu Bilian stood up, bowed to the Li family of three, and apologized in a low voice, "I'm sorry, my mother has a quick temper and may have offended you earlier. I apologize on her behalf."
After saying that, she turned to Jiayin, a deep-seated envy flashing in her eyes. She then bowed her head and thanked her, "I was momentarily confused, thank you for saving me, Princess."
Li Laosi didn't want to talk to a girl, so he took a step back, leaving Tao Hongying to deal with the situation.
She recalled the situation just now and was still somewhat annoyed. She said, "Miss Wu, the current emperor is the most wise and intelligent. If your family continues to act so arrogantly outside, even the Empress will lose face."
"Today, we are only able to protect ourselves from being bullied and our children from being beaten and scolded because we still have some strength. If it were anyone else, they would probably be half dead by now!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Wu was naturally indignant and was about to speak when her daughter glared at her fiercely, startling her into swallowing her words.
Wu Bilian bowed again and said to the Li family, "Thank you for your wise advice, Madam. I am truly sorry for today. I will definitely visit you to apologize when the opportunity arises."
After saying that, she grabbed her mother and led the nanny and maids downstairs.
A few onlookers, perhaps afraid of being blamed, left with forced smiles.
Li Laosi paid the money, and Tao Hongying took the items.
Li Laosi hadn't forgotten to apologize to the shopkeeper, "I'm sorry, shopkeeper, I've delayed the shop's business."
The shopkeeper was flustered and quickly bowed, saying with a smile, "You're too kind, sir. When you're in business, you're bound to encounter all sorts of things. I'm truly sorry to have spoiled your mood today. Please come again when you have some free time, and I'll make sure to treat you well."
Li Laosi and Tao Hongying nodded, greeted Jiayin, and went downstairs.
Jiayin nodded to the old shopkeeper and thanked him with a smile, "Shopkeeper, thank you so much for earlier. I'll definitely come here often in the future!"
Even the little fox chirped twice at the old shopkeeper.
The old shopkeeper smiled and quickly agreed, "Then this old man will be waiting for the Princess's arrival."
The family of three left the jewelry store, bought some food and other items, and then went out of town to Luo'an.
Jiayin was impatient to sit in the carriage, so Tao Hongying picked her up and sat her on the other side of the carriage shaft, chatting with Li Laosi.
"That girl just now is the one who blocked the gate to marry the Marquis. She looks pretty and is quite sensible. It's even more audacious of her to come to the Marquis's gate."
"If she hadn't been born into the Jiangning Marquis's mansion and had such an arrogant and selfish mother, perhaps marrying the Marquis would have been a good match. What a pity!"
Jiayin nodded in agreement. Although Tianwu was not a place of strict etiquette, most women were still expected to be chaste, quiet, and obedient, like puppets who had to follow their families' arrangements in everything.
This Miss Wu is eccentric and impulsive, not perfect, but she has her own ideas.
Moreover, she seems to genuinely have some affection for her godfather, unlike the scheming nature of their family, which is quite rare...
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