Chapter 326 A Good Show
After having lunch at the Marquis of An'nan's residence, the couple carried their sleeping baby home.
As Sheng An passed a fork in the road, he heard a heated argument coming from not far away. One of the voices sounded vaguely familiar, carrying an arrogant and overbearing air.
She lifted the curtain of the car and looked in the direction from which the sound came, just in time to see a woman in gorgeous clothes raising her hand high and slapping the woman opposite her hard across the face.
The woman who was beaten was clearly Princess Shanmin, who had been stripped of her title by Emperor Jinghe of Guo not long ago.
No, she's not a princess now; she can only use her real name—Mu Yuanzhen—in public.
The person who hit her was Princess Jianing, the legitimate daughter of Prince Zhuang. After she was established, she was granted the title of princess, and her status was no different from that of Mu Yuanzhen before she was deprived of her title.
Prince Zhuang had a decent relationship with Emperor Jinghe, but he had been used to a carefree life since childhood and did not hold any position in the court. He spent his days either painting in his palace or traveling around with his wife and family.
Compared to Princess Pingyuan, who had a fiefdom and power, Prince Zhuang appeared quite mediocre.
Therefore, Princess Jianing couldn't compete with Princess Shanmin in terms of family background and was definitely outmatched.
The two were about the same age and had never gotten along since childhood. Princess Jianing had suffered a lot at the hands of Princess Shanmin, but unfortunately her own father was not helpful, so she could only endure it.
Princess Jianing is still a princess of noble status. Mu Yuanzhen has run into her again, and old and new grudges surge up at once. How could she let go of the opportunity to humiliate Mu Yuanzhen?
"Mu Yuanzhen, what makes you think you can compete with me now? Do you still think you're the arrogant and haughty Princess Shanmin?"
"Hmph, for Aunt Pingyuan's sake, I'll give you a little punishment today to teach you a lesson in manners. Next time you dare to block my way, it won't be just a simple slap!"
The slap was extremely forceful, and Mu Yuanzhen's face visibly swelled up.
This was the first time she had ever been slapped in her life, and she was instantly filled with rage, her voice sharp and piercing:
"You bitch, how dare you lay a hand on me! I'll tell my mother and she'll teach you a lesson!"
In the past, Mu Yuanzhen would have already lashed Princess Jianing across the face with his whip.
During this period, Mu Yuanzhen lost her status as a princess and was often ridiculed and mocked by other princesses and county princesses.
Having been suppressed by them several times and suffered great losses, she has learned to be wise and will not confront them head-on. Instead, she chooses to complain to Princess Pingyuan.
"Mu Yuanzhen, Mu Yuanzhen, you're such a grown man, and you still have to complain to your mother when you get into a conflict with someone. Is this all you've ever accomplished in your life?"
Princess Jianing made no attempt to hide her mockery of Mu Yuanzhen, and then slapped the other half of her face with her other hand:
"Go ahead and sue me. You were the one who disrespected me and offended me first. Even if you take it to His Majesty, I won't be afraid. Stay away from me from now on, or I'll smash your face in the face sooner or later."
In the end, Princess Jianing's tone was extremely arrogant, making her a perfect villainous female supporting character who was courting death in a novel.
"You, you!"
Mu Yuanzhen's eyes were bloodshot, and she wanted nothing more than to pounce on Princess Jianing and tear her apart, but she was stopped by the maids.
Princess Jianing is clearly not someone to be trifled with; if we continue to entangle her, it will only be our master who suffers.
Once they return to the princess's residence, the eldest princess will certainly not let them off easily.
Seeing Mu Yuanzhen's aggrieved expression, Princess Jianing laughed heartily, gave her a disdainful look, turned around, got into her carriage, and drove away.
Mu Yuanzhen stared intently at the departing carriage, wishing he could burn two holes in it and burn Princess Jianing inside to death.
Despicable people, they're all despicable!
She won't let this bitch get away with it. One day, she'll make everyone who bullied her wish they were dead!
The maids were terrified by Mu Yuanzhen's ferocious and terrifying appearance, and they all remained silent, not daring to make a sound.
Sheng An never expected to witness such a lively scene while out and about.
Watching Mu Yuanzhen get into the carriage and leave, she couldn't help but sigh, "Even if you beat Mu Yuanzhen to death before, he probably wouldn't believe that he would be slapped in the street one day."
Xu Jinnian said calmly, "Compared to those she killed, two slaps cannot atone for even a fraction of her sins."
Sheng An whispered, "She's being bullied outside, doesn't Princess Pingyuan care?"
If it were to be intervened, Princess Jianing would likely not dare to take action.
Xu Jinnian shook his head: "Recently, Princess Pingyuan has been claiming illness and staying out of the house, keeping a much lower profile than before."
Sheng An suddenly realized: "No wonder."
Princess Pingyuan's claim of illness and refusal to leave the palace may have given some people the wrong impression that she would fade into obscurity.
Xu Jinnian adjusted her position to make the baby in her arms more comfortable:
“Someone submitted a memorial to His Majesty, imploring him to revoke the fiefdom of Princess Pingyuan and cancel her preferential treatment that surpasses that of other princesses.”
Sheng An scratched his head: "Who's in such a hurry? Aren't they afraid of being retaliated against by the Princess's faction?"
The last cheating scandal caused Mu Yuanzhen to lose her title as a princess and also embarrassed Princess Pingyuan, but it did not severely damage the power of Princess Pingyuan's faction.
It's easy to make things difficult for the minister who submitted the memorial.
Xu Jinnian shook his head and chuckled, but did not offer any further explanation.
Sheng An didn't press further. She reached out and touched the little dumpling's chubby paw, and seeing that it was warm, she touched her rosy cheeks from sleeping: "You really look like a little piglet."
Xu Jinnian was both amused and exasperated: "If your grandparents hear this, they'll scold you again."
Sheng An argued confidently: "Piglets are so cute, white, tender, and strong, they're easy to raise. Saying she looks like a piglet is a compliment."
Xu Jinnian had nothing to say.
The next morning, before the couple even arrived at the Marquis of Yongyi's residence, Song Zhihang and Tan Qingrou came over first.
As a newlywed, Tan Qingrou's childishness seemed to vanish overnight, replaced by an air of poise and authority, befitting a wife of a marquis.
Sheng An was very concerned about her life in the Marquis's mansion, so he pulled her to the small hall of the main house to talk:
"How does Song Er treat you? Are the Marquis and his wife, as well as the heir and his wife, easy to get along with? Has anyone tried to make things difficult for you? Do the servants in the Marquis's mansion respect you?"
Tan Qingrou was not overwhelmed by her barrage of questions, and responded to each one with a gentle smile:
“My husband treats me very well, and my father-in-law and mother-in-law are also very kind. They entrusted me with managing the estates and shops under my husband’s name.”
The young master was in poor health, and my sister-in-law took care of him every day. I didn't have many opportunities to see her, but the few times I did see her, I had a good impression of her.
The Marquis's mansion values rules and regulations, and the servants dare not disobey their masters. They serve me, the second young mistress, with utmost care.
The only person who wasn't easy to get along with was the old lady. She embarrassed me on the day of the tea ceremony, but my husband retorted, and my mother-in-law sided with me, so I didn't suffer any loss.
Upon hearing this, Sheng An couldn't help but feel happy for Tan Qingrou:
"That's good. As for the old lady, she's just upset and wants to pick on you because you're easy to bully. Don't let her intimidate you. As long as you keep a good appearance and don't let the old lady find fault, Song Er and the Marquis and his wife will definitely be on your side."
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