Upon arriving at Fangfei Pavilion in Yuhu, Qiao Zhen saw the Xu family elders grinning lewdly, seemingly saying something shameless, while Li Shi was so angry that her body trembled.
Qiao Zhen did not step forward directly, but held a round fan and listened attentively. The lively scene of the Prime Minister's wife was not something that could be joined every day.
It wasn't until Madam Lu took out a brocade pouch from her waist and handed it to the Xu family's elderly couple that the sound of the pouch being weighed in her hand revealed that there were large and numerous silver ingots inside.
Old Xu continued, "You're practically my daughter, so it's not unreasonable for you to share some of what you have with your mother and me, is it?"
Lu Li was so angry that she couldn't speak.
Qiao Zhen felt it was time to stop there, so she turned and left. "Since when do fleas that pop out of some back alley dare to claim to be the parents of the Prime Minister's wife?"
Madam Lu was startled. "Who?"
Qiao Zhen, accompanied by eight maids, walked to Madam Lu's side. She glanced at Madam Lu sideways and said, "So you are the wife that Prime Minister Lu recently brought back? How come you are so weak?"
Madam Lu felt a pang of pain in her heart. She used to be a dignified and elegant noblewoman, but she didn't know when she had become so timid and hesitant. The woman before her was traveling with eight attendants; with such ostentation, she must be the current Princess Pearl.
"Your humble servant, Lady Lu, pays her respects to the Princess."
The elderly Xu couple were dumbfounded, but their limited understanding only made them more shameless.
Old Mrs. Xu said arrogantly, "Don't take advantage of us just because we're from the countryside. Princesses live in palaces and use gold and silver. Why would they be here?!"
Old Man Xu thought to himself, "You, Li! To get rid of us, you actually sent someone to impersonate a princess! If you don't take us to enjoy a life of luxury today and rescue our daughter, we'll tell all the street thugs that you're going to marry the landlord! They beg all day long, just one day, and see what happens to your reputation!"
Madam Lu knew that the woman in front of her was a real princess, but she dared not speak out to defend herself.
Qiao Zhen waved her fan, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. "Enough with the noise! Guards, take them to the yamen and give them twenty lashes." She then changed her mind, "Bring the yamen officials here. This princess wants to see them beaten with my own eyes. If everyone in the world were as fearless as they are, wouldn't the world descend into chaos?"
The sounds of old man Xu and old woman wailing and crying filled the air, along with insults and mournful cries. In modern times, this would have been enough to call the police.
Qiao Zhen's brows furrowed even more deeply. "Dislocate their jaws! Insulting a princess of the dynasty is a capital offense. Hand them over to the authorities for punishment."
"Yes." The attendant stepped forward, and with just a little pressure on the faces of Old Man Xu and Old Woman Xu, their chins drooped.
Qiao Zhen dismissed everyone around her and had the servants drag the Xu family elders away. She winked at Madam Lu, "You've suffered for over a decade, so it's understandable that you can't uphold the dignity of the Prime Minister's wife. But considering that you are the biological mother of Lu Yuanchuan and Lu Yuanliu, I will support you in anything that isn't morally reprehensible."
Lady Lu replied meekly, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace."
Qiao Zhen turned and left. She and her servants strolled around Yu Lake a few more times before returning to the princess's residence.
There are only half a month left until her wedding with Xu Ruankuang. These days, Xu Ruankuang has been doing his best to supervise the embroiderers and craftsmen. He also personally made the wedding invitations.
Prime Minister Lu took Madam Lu to the Princess's residence to express their gratitude. Qiao Zhen instructed her maid to invite them into the living room, unaware that Lu Yuanchuan was also following behind the couple.
"Your humble servant/wife pays respects to the princess."
"Your subject pays respects to the princess."
"No need for formalities." Qiao Zhen raised her chin, gesturing for the maid to serve tea. "May I ask what brings the Prime Minister, his wife, and Young Master Lu here?"
"Your Majesty, I thank you for helping my wife out of that predicament yesterday." Prime Minister Lu bowed sincerely to Qiao Zhen, his back hunched.
Lu Lishi, following her husband's lead, bowed low in greeting.
Qiao Zhen glanced casually at Prime Minister Lu and his wife, while Lu Yuanchuan remained upright. "It was nothing. If not for the delay, this princess and Madam Lu might have had a brief period of mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship." She looked up at Lu Yuanchuan, "And what has Young Master Lu done?"
Lu Yuanchuan bowed to Qiao Zhen and said, "Your subject asks the princess for advice—it's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost."
Qiao Zhen, in a serious tone, engaged in a sharp exchange with Lu Yuanchuan, saying, "Let's see if it's a sheep snatched away by a wolf or a sheep still in the pen. For the former, it's too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost; for the latter, it's not too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. Let's see if Young Master Lu is a clever man or a fool."
Seeing the hurt in Lu Yuanchuan's eyes, she added, "But in my opinion, the reason why the sheep farmer didn't manage the sheepfold well is because he is stupid and dull."
Lu Yuanchuan froze.
His body temperature dropped sharply again.
Qiao Zhen impatiently shooed them away, saying, "Prime Minister Lu and Madam Lu should hurry back. This princess still needs to prepare for the wedding banquet with my husband."
"Your humble servant/wife takes her leave."
Prime Minister Lu left with his wife, but when he turned around, he saw Lu Yuanchuan still standing there. He sighed and did not urge Lu Yuanchuan to leave with them.
Seeing that Lu Yuanchuan was still lingering, Qiao Zhen asked, "Does Young Master Lu have anything else to say?"
Lu Yuanchuan's dark eyes reflected Qiao Zhen's figure, and only reflected her figure. He hesitated for a moment, then finally bowed and said, "Your subject takes his leave."
Qiao Zhen watched Lu Yuanchuan's departing figure turn the corner, and she gritted her teeth in anger. This cowardly man, even at this critical moment, he is still backing down!
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