Chapter 150 Who Dares
From the shadows, Mo Yu, who had witnessed everything, nudged Hong Lan beside him with his elbow, looking utterly bewildered:
“Honglan, has His Highness caught a cold? Why is his face so red? I have never seen His Highness look like this before.”
Honglan glanced at him as if he were an idiot, shook her head helplessly, and extended two thumbs, bending them slightly to make a gesture representing a pair.
Mo Yu stared at her gestures for a long time, then suddenly realized what she meant and clapped his hands loudly:
"I understand! You mean General Shen's martial arts skills far surpass His Highness's. So... this is the aura of masters avoiding each other, a kind of mutual respect between experts?"
Honglan's expression instantly fell, and she looked at him with an almost pitying gaze. She patted his shoulder and spoke earnestly:
"Good boy, stand guard properly. Mo Yu, you're different from everyone else. You're a good guard, really. In the future... try not to waste your energy on these things."
Mo Yu scratched his head, still looking bewildered, but obediently straightened his back and stood guard vigilantly.
Honglan: It's hopeless.
...
The next day, outside the palace gates.
As Shen Yiqiu and Xiao Yongjing stepped out of the palace gate side by side, Bai Mei and Qing Zhu, who had been waiting outside, immediately came to greet them.
"Miss! You've finally come out! Qingzhu and I were worried sick all night when we heard you stayed overnight in the palace. We should have tried our best to go in and serve you!"
Qingzhu, being more perceptive, quickly reported the important matter:
"Miss, the manor was in complete chaos last night. The second young lady came back in a fit of rage for some reason, and it's said that... she even started bleeding! The manor was in turmoil all night, and several doctors were called. The pregnancy was barely saved, but she's still unconscious."
Bai Mei pouted and added:
"What's strange is that despite such a big incident, that Young Master Fu didn't show up. He usually gets extremely nervous even if the Second Miss sneezes, but this time he's surprisingly calm."
"On the contrary, his mother, Madam Fu Yang, arrived early in the morning, bringing some betrothal gifts. She seemed eager to finish the wedding within the next few days, which was quite strange."
Qingzhu nodded:
"Madam is ill, and the affairs of the manor are temporarily being managed by Concubine Yun. Preparations for the Second Miss's wedding have already begun."
Shen Yiqiu listened quietly, her mind filled with doubts. Why was the Fu family in such a hurry?
Only then did Qingzhu notice that Shen Yiqiu wasn't wearing the palace attire she had worn when she entered the palace yesterday. She blinked, then leaned close to Shen Yiqiu's ear with a gossipy air, glancing at the Crown Prince beside her:
"Miss...your clothes..."
Shen Yiqiu remained expressionless, gently tapped her forehead with his finger, and spoke affectionately:
"What are you thinking about all day, you little brat? Let's go to Feizhi Pavilion."
Upon hearing that the Crown Prince was also going, Bai Mei's face showed some reluctance, and she muttered under her breath:
"His Highness the Crown Prince is going too..."
She always felt that the Crown Prince had too strong an aura. She even unconsciously softened her breathing in his presence. No matter how she looked at him, she felt that he was not good enough for her young lady.
She was about to complain to Qingzhu when she looked up and met Xiao Yongjing's seemingly smiling but cold eyes. She immediately fell silent and swallowed her words.
The group arrived at Feizhi Pavilion, and before they even entered, they heard a commotion coming from inside, with a crowd of onlookers gathered at the entrance.
Inside the pavilion, Ruan Liu was standing with her hands on her hips, pointing at Ruan Tianxin's nose and cursing loudly:
"You heartless brat, where has all the money that Feizhi Pavilion has earned over the years gone? Hand over the account books right now. I've arranged a good marriage for your sister; she's the second son of Lord Liu from the Ministry of Works."
“Our Ruan family is in business, and it’s a great blessing for us to be able to marry into such an official family. Now that they’re asking for a generous dowry, isn’t it only right and proper for you, as the younger sister, to contribute some money? Are you holding onto the money because you’re jealous that your older sister has found a good husband?”
Beside him, Mr. Ruan also frowned, adopting a peacemaker-like demeanor as he echoed:
“Sweetheart, money is just an external thing; family ties are the most important. If your sister can marry into the Liu family, it will greatly benefit our Ruan family. As her younger sister, it is only right that you support her.”
Ruan Tianxin's eyes were red and brimming with tears as she forced back her aggrieved retort:
"Father! This Jade Pavilion is the property left to me by Mother. Every penny of it was earned through my hard work. It's my sister's dowry. Why should you touch the shop that Mother left behind?"
"First they talked about matchmaking with the eldest brother, then the third brother, and now that their reputations are tarnished, they've immediately turned to the second son of the Liu family. Our family is in such a hurry..."
"What's the rush?"
A voice abruptly interrupted the farce.
Shen Yiqiu slowly walked out of the crowd, while Xiao Yongjing, as instructed, stayed in the shadows by the door, arms crossed, watching with indifferent eyes.
Shen Yiqiu glanced at Ruan Liu and her father, her sarcasm undisguised:
"Are they in such a hurry to sell their daughter for personal gain? They had their eyes on those two good brothers from the Song family before, but now that their reputations are ruined, they can find another buyer immediately. The Ruan family really is... very decisive."
Before the other person could react, she continued speaking:
"Who in the capital doesn't know that the Jade Pavilion and even most of the Ruan family's businesses are the dowry left by Sweetheart Mother, that first wife?"
“You, Ruan Liu, are nothing but a second wife who brought a daughter with her when she married in. I don’t know what methods you used to persuade the officials to change the family genealogy, creating this ridiculous situation where the legitimate and illegitimate children are reversed.”
"Now they still want to blatantly seize the property of the first wife's legitimate daughter. Their skin is probably thicker than the walls of the capital!"
Ruan Tianxin, who was originally on the verge of tears, brightened up the moment she saw Shen Yiqiu, as if she had found her pillar of support.
She immediately wiped away her tears, straightened her back, and called out in a clear voice:
"Sister Yiqiu!"
When he spoke again, he was full of confidence.
Ruan Liu's face turned pale and then red after Shen Yiqiu's words, and Ruan's father also looked embarrassed.
But she still forced a show of force and shouted curses in a shrill voice:
"Shen Yiqiu! This is none of your business. You're just someone who inherited a title and now you don't care about your own family. Do you really want to incite Sweetheart to follow your rebellious ways?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yiqiu smiled instead:
"I have the blood of the Shen family flowing in my veins, and I inherit the title of Marquis of Yongjia. How can you say I don't recognize my family? As for Sweetheart,"
She looked at Ruan Tianxin, her eyes full of encouragement.
“Protecting my mother’s legacy is my duty. As for you, now that you know I am the Marquis of Yongjia, you should show some respect in your speech. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being impolite!”
"You little brat, you only inherited the title by luck, yet you dare to pretend to interfere in the affairs of my Ruan family? I think you're just looking for trouble!"
Enraged, Ruan Liu completely abandoned all pretense of civility and roared at the servants she had brought:
"What are you all standing there for? Hold her down! Today, I'm going to teach this arrogant brat a lesson on behalf of the Song family!"
Upon hearing this, several burly servants immediately pounced on Shen Yiqiu with menacing expressions.
To everyone's surprise, Shen Yiqiu did not resist, allowing them to roughly tie her hands behind her back and forcibly hold her down.
Upon seeing this, Ruan Liu's face twisted into a ferocious smile. She strode forward, raised her hand high, and viciously cursed:
"She's just a spoiled brat who has no one to discipline her, and she dares to boss me around! Slap her in the face, beat her until she admits her mistake..."
"I'd like to see who dares!"
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