Princess Consort Duan's face darkened, and she slammed her hand on the table, angrily shouting, "Huiyi! How dare you be disrespectful to the Crown Prince's wife!"
Zheng Huiyi trembled in fright and quickly lowered her head, not daring to argue any further.
The atmosphere inside Rongxi Hall was tense and oppressive. Princess Duan looked at Zheng Huiyi, a surge of anger rising within her. She stood up, walked up to Zheng Huiyi, raised her hand, and delivered a resounding slap to her face.
"Mother!" Zheng Huiyi exclaimed, covering her slapped cheek, tears welling up in her eyes.
Everyone was shocked by Princess Duan's actions, including Gu Qinlan.
She hadn't expected the Princess Consort to treat Zheng Huiyi so harshly. After all, she had always been very obedient and doting on her precious daughter, Zheng Huiyi!
Zheng Huiyi was stunned into silence. She stared at her mother in disbelief, her voice trembling, "Mother, you...you actually hit me? Just because of a stranger, you treat me like this?"
Princess Duan was equally restless; her hands trembled uncontrollably.
"Outsiders?! What do you mean by that? Who are the outsiders?!"
Gu Qinlan immediately understood that Zheng Huiyi's words had struck the deepest spot in Princess Duan's heart.
Zheng Huiyi, however, still failed to realize the inappropriateness of her words. She raised her voice and said angrily, "Only those who marry into the family are considered outsiders!"
Princess Duan was so angry that her vision went black. She raised her hand, intending to teach Zheng Huiyi another lesson, but before her hand could fall, she lost consciousness.
"Mother!" Gu Qinlan exclaimed in surprise, rushing forward to steadily support Princess Duan.
Princess Duan was only momentarily overwhelmed with anger and dizziness; after a brief moment of dizziness, she gradually regained her senses.
She pointed at the panicked Zheng Huiyi and angrily rebuked her, "You unfilial daughter, go back to your courtyard immediately and reflect on your actions!"
Zheng Huiyi, who had initially felt some guilt, lost control of her emotions again upon hearing this: "Why! Mother, are you bewitched? You're actually restricting my freedom for the sake of an outsider?"
Zheng Huiyi's mention of "outsiders" again stung Princess Duan's heart like a sharp blade. Just as she was about to lash out, Gu Qinlan quickly patted her back gently a few times and softly comforted her, "Mother, please calm down and take care of yourself."
Princess Duan's tears rolled down her cheeks, her anger overflowing: "How could I have raised such an unworthy descendant!"
Zheng Huiyi was unwilling and still had a stubborn streak of wanting to confront Princess Duan.
Gu Qinlan's face was solemn, and she rebuked him sternly: "Shut up, Zheng Huiyi! Are you trying to anger your own mother to death? Open your eyes and see clearly, that is your mother who gave birth to you and raised you! Others may regard her as an outsider, but you and your brothers must never speak so disrespectfully, do you understand?"
Zheng Huiyi was taken aback and retorted, "I didn't say she was an outsider; I was just commenting on you."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zheng Huiyi suddenly realized something was wrong, her face instantly turning pale. She hurriedly clarified, "Mother, you've misunderstood. That's not what I meant. I was talking about Gu Qinlan. How could you be an outsider?"
Princess Duan, her breath quickening, angrily rebuked, "Shut up! How dare you address your sister-in-law by her given name? Do you have no manners at all? Today, I'm telling you clearly, my daughter-in-law is the legitimate wife of the heir of the Duan Prince's mansion, married through proper channels. As long as she remains loyal to the Duan Prince's mansion, her position will be forever unshakeable, without any surprises!"
"If you ever show her the slightest disrespect again, don't blame me for punishing you with the family rules!"
Tears welled up in Zheng Huiyi's eyes: "Mother, you actually treated me like this for an outsider... for Gu Qinlan?"
Princess Duan slammed her hand on the table in a fit of anger: "Call her sister-in-law!"
Zheng Huiyi, with her stubborn personality, twisted her neck and said defiantly, "I won't scream! Even if you beat me to a pulp today, I will never give in!"
Princess Duan was furious and stood up abruptly, but suddenly everything went black.
Gu Qinlan quickly stepped forward to calm her down: "Mother, please calm down. If she doesn't want to address me, there's no need to force her. Addressing someone is just a title after all. Her not calling me that doesn't change the fact that I am the daughter-in-law of the Zheng family. I don't care about it."
"Gu Qinlan, stop pretending to be a good person here!"
Zheng Huiyi pointed angrily at Gu Qinlan, her face full of rage, and said, "You are clearly a black sheep! Ever since you stepped into this family, my mother's temperament has changed drastically! What are you planning to do! You just wait, I will write to my brother right now and have him divorce you!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Zheng Huiyi turned around angrily, followed closely by her maid, and they left together.
Princess Duan was furious and roared, "You unfilial daughter, stop! Stop right now!"
However, her words were like a breeze passing by Zheng Huiyi's ears. Zheng Huiyi did not pause at all and left on her own, even her back view appeared resolute and determined.
Princess Duan's face was pale. She covered her chest with her trembling hand, tears streaming down her face. Her voice was filled with sorrow and helplessness: "Heavens, what wrong have I done to raise such a wretched and rebellious daughter!"
Gu Qinlan immediately reached out and gently pressed her down into a chair, patting her back lightly to help her catch her breath. At the same time, she instructed Hongye, "Quickly go and fetch a highly skilled doctor."
He turned to comfort Princess Duan, speaking gently: "Mother, please calm down. Huiyi is still young and needs to be taught patiently. Your health is the most important thing. Don't let a moment of anger harm your health."
Princess Duan sobbed, tears streaming down her face, and whimpered, "She's almost seventeen, how can she still be considered young? Qinlan, she's always been impulsive in her words and actions, please don't take it to heart. Don't worry, I will definitely discipline her strictly from now on, and I will never let her be disrespectful to you again."
Gu Qinlan responded with a forgiving smile and said softly, "Of course not."
She wouldn't take Zheng Huiyi's sharp words to heart, and similarly, she would only listen to Princess Duan's promises without truly believing them.
Although Princess Duan appeared to be protecting her at this moment, it was actually only because Zheng Huiyi's words touched a nerve with Princess Duan. If Zheng Huiyi's words hadn't provoked Princess Duan, logically, Princess Duan would have been on Zheng Huiyi's side at this moment, trying to wrest power from her.
Even the most intense arguments between mother and daughter never leave a lingering resentment overnight. But her daughter-in-law, no matter how perfect she appears, seems forever unable to bridge that invisible barrier.
To regard one's mother-in-law's words as truth is an extremely foolish act.
The doctor rushed over, carefully examined Princess Duan's pulse, prescribed several doses of medicine to calm her mind and nourish her heart, and earnestly advised: "The old lady is advanced in years, and emotional fluctuations are most dangerous. This time, the old lady has shown signs of anger attacking her heart. You must be more careful in the future to avoid triggering a stroke."
Princess Duan turned pale with fright, as if she had been struck by a terminal illness.
After the doctor left, Princess Duan tightly grasped Gu Qinlan's hand, tears streaming down her face: "How could my fate be so tragic? Since marrying into the Duan Prince's mansion, I have suffered countless hardships. I finally waited for my day to come, but unexpectedly, my husband passed away, my son also died, and now I am plagued by illness. What reason do I have to continue living like this..."
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