Chapter 13 A stepmother is still a mother
Sudden,
The man who had just rushed over pushed several officers to the ground, still holding the kitchen knife he had used earlier.
He turned to the two women behind him and said, "This matter arose because of me, and I cannot implicate you two young ladies."
“These beasts won’t let you get away with this. I’ll hold them off while you get out of here.”
"Trying to run? Don't you even know where you are? Do you think you can escape?"
As the officer spoke, he waved his hand, and the men behind him instantly surrounded the three of them.
The lead officer kicked the man in the stomach, drew his sword and pointed it at him, saying, "If you want to be a hero, you'll have to see if you have the ability."
Jiang Wan Ning stepped forward and helped the man up, then took out a handkerchief and bandaged the wound on his arm.
He stretched out the whip and said, "Since you can't understand what I'm saying, there's no need to waste my breath."
Shen Ruzhi also stepped forward, clenching her fists and cracking them, "It's been a long time since I've been a playboy."
Jiang Wan Ning lashed out with her whip, wrapping it around the neck of one of the officers. She pulled the whip back, sending him flying.
Shen Ruzhi kicked another officer in the stomach.
Seeing this, the man joined in, saying, "I, Liu Zhuang, served in the army for two years. How can I let these two young ladies stand in front of me?"
Several officers, enraged, swung their swords and slashed at him.
"stop!"
People around quickly made way for him, and the official, recognizing the newcomer, sheathed his sword. "Young Master!"
Pei Anqing quickly stepped forward. Shen Ruzhi straddled a government official, grabbing the official's hair with one hand and scratching his face repeatedly with the other.
Jiang Wan Ning had her foot planted on the head of a government official.
"Ningning, is it really you?"
Pei Anqing stepped forward.
Jiang Wan Ning withdrew her foot. "Your Highness."
"Ningning." Pei Anqing said, stepping forward to take Jiang Wanning's hand. "We were having tea upstairs just now, and I thought I was seeing things."
"I never expected it to really be you."
Jiang Wan Ning stepped back slightly, dodging Pei An Qing's outstretched hand.
Pei Anqing paused, his expression turning forlorn. "Ningning."
"Yesterday was just a misunderstanding. I know I was wrong, and I know you were just saying things out of anger."
"I was planning to ask you out in a couple of days, after you've calmed down, to talk things out."
"Ningning, I really know I was wrong. Let's go talk to my uncle and my father, okay? I swear I will never do anything to hurt you again."
Shen Ruzhi stood up and slapped Pei Anqing's hand away, saying, "Your Highness, please have some self-respect."
"How dare you call me 'Ningning'?"
"This is the future Princess Consort of Langya, your future mother. How can you call her by her childhood name?"
Everyone around was shocked upon hearing this.
The officers were startled.
"Is the Crown Prince's mother... really the Princess Consort of Langya?"
"How could someone so young be the prince's mother? She looks no older than the prince," someone whispered.
Shen Ruzhi rolled her eyes. "A stepmother is still a mother, don't you understand?"
Pei Anqing clenched his fists slightly. "Ningning, don't listen to her instigation. It's just a misunderstanding between us."
"You know, she's always disliked me and likes to sow discord between us."
"If it weren't for her yesterday, we wouldn't be in this situation now."
Jiang Wan Ning took two steps back. "Your Highness, please have some self-respect. Zhi Zhi is right. I am your future mother."
“A stepmother is still a mother. Although I am not yet married into the family, this marriage was arranged by imperial decree. It is one thing if you don’t call me ‘mother’ when you see me, but you should still follow the proper etiquette.”
"What is the young master thinking, pulling and tugging at her like this?"
"Ningning..." Pei Anqing looked incredulous. "I don't believe you can really let me go?"
"What stepmother, what arranged marriage, it's clearly us..."
“Your Highness!” Jiang Wan Ning interrupted him, “Do you really want me to tell you that Your Highness and my half-sister have been having an affair behind my back?”
"Will the young master finally give up?"
"Now that I am the Princess Consort of Langya and married to the Crown Prince's father, does the Crown Prince intend to do something that violates human ethics and morality?"
“If the Crown Prince can do such a thing, then I, the legitimate daughter of Marquis Ningyuan, would never do such a thing.”
"We're clearly a couple!" Pei Anqing shouted. "Are you really going to marry my father?"
"How old are you? How can you be a match for him?"
Seeing the strange looks from those around her, Jiang Wan Ning smiled and said, "This imperial decree of marriage was issued by the Emperor."
"If the young master feels this is inappropriate, he may go to His Majesty."
"Everyone says it's hard to be a stepmother. I haven't even entered the family yet, and the young master is already ruining my reputation like this. What are your intentions, young master?"
"Did you hear that? Your mother told you to stay away and not get in the way."
Shen Ruzhi snapped at Pei Anqing, "If you keep doing this, your mother will tell your father and make you kneel in the ancestral hall when you get back!"
He turned to the officials behind him and said, "The sons of the Prince of Langya are all here. Now you should believe me, right?"
The officers' hearts were in their throats from the moment Pei Anqing and Jiang Wanning began talking.
My mind keeps replaying whether I did or said anything I shouldn't have.
The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. They had just been thinking of stripping the Princess of Langya of her clothes?
One of the cowardly officers dropped his longsword to the ground with a sharp, piercing sound.
Only then did everyone realize what was happening, and they all knelt down.
"Princess of Langya, spare my life! Princess, spare my life!"
"We were blind and didn't recognize your greatness. Please spare us."
Jiang Wan Ning looked at the group coldly, "If I were an ordinary citizen today, I would probably have already fallen victim to your cruelty."
"Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me!"
The men kept kowtowing, while the leading official slapped himself hard, saying, "I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness."
"Please spare my life, Your Highness! Please spare my life, Your Highness!"
"Let me ask you, whose idea was it to start charging stall fees on this street?"
"Yes...yes...it's Lord Sun," one of the officers said. "We just added a little extra to Lord Sun's request for a private share..."
Jiang Wanning shouted to the crowd, "Everyone who has been charged a stall fee on this street, go to the government to get it back."
"Your Highness makes it sound so easy. He's the official who's the father and mother of the people. Who would dare to be disrespectful to him?"
"Yeah, yeah, I think we should forget about it."
"They've been charging stall fees on this street for a while now; we rely on this for our livelihood."
If we offend Lord Sun, he won't let us set up shop there even if we pay him."
"......"
"Go ahead and do your thing. If the man surnamed Sun refuses, then go to the Langya Prince's Mansion and find the heir. My son, as the successor of the Langya Prince, will not abandon you."
Turning to Pei Anqing, he said, "The young master won't ignore this, right?"
Pei Anqing took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, "Go ahead, and let that guy surnamed Sun come find me."
"Thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness."
A group of people kowtowed and thanked her, saying, "The princess is beautiful and kind-hearted. It is the prince's good fortune to have her as his stepmother."
"......"
Shen Ruzhi suppressed a laugh, "The young master is not a good husband, but he might actually be a good son."
"Ningning, don't you think so?"
Jiang Wan Ning looked at the officers with a cold expression.
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