Madam Qian then realized the identities of Yan Qingqing and Li Yueniang. She stood up and said sarcastically, "Who do we have here? It turns out to be the famous Madam Mingzhao. It's quite a show of power to divorce a woman as soon as you arrive in the capital."
I also heard that the second young lady of Lady Mingzhao's family once smashed the head of the top scholar who was parading through the streets on horseback, leaving him bleeding profusely.
Who knows if it was because Scholar Han didn't want to talk to you at all that you got so angry that you smashed his head and left him bleeding? Perhaps Scholar Han was only forced to marry Miss Li because he was afraid of your family's power.
Madam Qian's words gave the impression that Yan Qingqing's family was like a corrupt upper beam that led to a crooked lower beam.
If she gets the better of Madam Qian today, then her title of Madam Mingzhao will no longer be effective.
Yan Qingqing looked at Madam Qian and asked in return, "Madam Qian, are you implying that Scholar Han was unwilling to marry into our family, that he was forced into it?"
Before Madam Qian could speak, Miss Qian hurriedly interjected, "That's right. How could someone as refined and elegant as Young Master Han possibly be interested in such an ill-mannered and money-grubbing businesswoman?"
Although Madam Qian felt that her daughter's words were somewhat inappropriate, she genuinely disliked Yan Qingqing's arrogant manner and therefore did not stop her.
Unexpectedly, Yan Qingqing suddenly smiled and said, "My daughter's marriage is a marriage bestowed by the Emperor. All the formalities and rites are handled by the Ministry of Rites. The Qian family's intention is to question whether the Emperor forced Scholar Han to marry my daughter."
"That's a serious matter. I've always thought His Majesty was a wise and benevolent ruler, but according to what your Qian family says, it seems like he's a bit indiscriminate in his judgments, randomly matchmaking people up."
Those around gasped in shock upon hearing this; Lady Mingzhao really dared to say anything.
The Qian family clearly didn't mean it that way, but somehow it all came out differently after Madam Mingzhao spoke to her.
However, the marriage between Scholar Han and the second daughter of the Li family was indeed bestowed by the Emperor himself. Miss Qian, on the other hand, said that Scholar Han was forced. Who forced him? It was none other than the Emperor.
So Lady Mingzhao's words are correct.
Those watching gained a new understanding of Lady Mingzhao; she was indeed no pushover, and it was best to avoid provoking her if possible.
Miss Qian was completely bewildered upon hearing this. That wasn't what she meant at all. She was clearly saying that Lady Mingzhao of the Li family was abusing her power, so how did it turn into the Emperor?
Seeing this, Madam Qian quickly explained, "Madam Mingzhao, don't talk nonsense. My daughter has never said that Scholar Han was forced by the Emperor, nor has she ever thought that the Emperor is incapable of distinguishing right from wrong..."
"Who is it that speaks ill of me behind my back, saying I can't distinguish right from wrong!"
Before Madam Qian could finish speaking, a dignified voice rang out.
Upon hearing the sound, everyone quickly turned to look, and then they all knelt down on the ground.
The newcomer was none other than the emperor, surrounded by a group of people, including Xiao Mochen and Han Yu.
The emperor looked at the group of people kneeling on the ground and said, "Rise," then asked, "I just heard some people talking about me. What's going on?"
In this situation, it was not appropriate for others to interrupt, so Madam Pei recounted what had happened.
The emperor frowned and asked, "Am I really so confused that I've arranged this marriage?"
Han Yu quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, this marriage was arranged by me personally."
How can there be any talk of arbitrarily matchmaking?
After speaking, he glanced at Li Yueniang with deep affection, making Li Yueniang blush with shyness.
The emperor listened, looked at the Qian family mother and daughter, and nodded, saying, "Have you heard this clearly? This marriage was personally requested by Minister Han. I am not so foolish as to be unable to distinguish right from wrong."
Madam Qian and Miss Qian were too frightened to speak. They could only kowtow repeatedly to the Emperor to beg for forgiveness.
The emperor had no time to pay attention to them; they were all women from the inner quarters, and he had seen this kind of trick many times in the palace.
So he walked toward De'an Hall without even looking at the group of people.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the emperor leave, and then quickly dispersed, knowing that watching too much of this spectacle could lead to trouble.
Consort Yu stood at a distance and watched quietly. It seemed that Lady Mingzhao was indeed eloquent, but the Qian family mother and daughter were too useless. They were caught red-handed with just a few words.
Anyway, Yan Qingqing has already arrived in Beijing, so there will be plenty of opportunities to deal with her in the future.
Now that it's rare to see the Emperor, it's a good opportunity to cultivate a relationship with him.
Yan Qingqing was also somewhat helpless. It was just attending a birthday banquet, yet so much trouble had arisen. The entertainment industry was truly chaotic.
However, this is just the beginning; there will probably be countless similar incidents in the future, and she also wants to return to Canghe Town.
Seeing Yan Qingqing's helpless expression, Madam Pei suggested taking them for a stroll in the garden.
Yan Qingqing is not unreasonable. Today is Madam Pei's birthday, and Madam Pei, as her daughter-in-law, must be extremely busy.
So she smiled and said, "So many guests have come to celebrate the old lady's birthday today, Madam Pei, please go ahead and do your work. Don't worry about us. These two girls must have been frightened just now. I'll take them for another stroll."
Madam Pei was indeed busy today, and upon hearing Yan Qingqing's words, she did not insist further. However, she instructed her trusted head maid to take good care of Yan Qingqing and her companions, and not to neglect them.
After everyone had left, Li Yueniang looked at Yan Qingqing as if she wanted to say something, but Yan Qingqing stopped her with a look.
Then, looking at Madam Pei's trusted head maid, she said, "I'd like to trouble you, young lady, to show us around the Pei residence."
This is the residence of a military officer; its decor should have a unique atmosphere.
The maidservant quickly agreed upon hearing this.
The layout of the General Zhenguo's Mansion is indeed unique, exuding a sense of fortitude. There is even a training ground filled with various weapons.
Moreover, there were many guests visiting the Pei family today. Some came in groups of three or five, while others, like them, were led by maids.
Perhaps because Yan Qingqing's recent achievements were too impressive, these people avoided her from a distance when they saw her.
If there are people I can't avoid, I'll just smile and say hello before quickly leaving.
Otherwise, you might say something wrong and get accused of deceiving the emperor or speaking ill of him behind his back—then you'd have nowhere to turn for help.
Fortunately, they didn't wander around for too long before a servant came to tell them that the banquet was about to begin and that Madam Pei invited Madam Mingzhao to join them.
Yan Qingqing and the others reluctantly went to the banquet.
Yan Qingqing, given her high rank, was seated in the VIP section, where most of the other diners were first or second-rank noblewomen, and she was personally accompanied by Madam Pei.
Someone started talking about Canghe Liji's skincare products, and everyone looked at Yan Qingqing with eager eyes.
When asked about the ingredients and effects of these skincare products, Yan Qingqing answered them without any hesitation.
However, if someone tried to get a few sets of cosmetics from her through connections, Yan Qingqing would keep quiet.
The ladies present were so angry they wanted to tear her apart, but they couldn't do anything about Yan Qingqing.
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