Xu Wanying looked shocked at her "sowing discord" accusation, clearly not understanding what she meant.
"Why do you say that, Princess?"
Xu Wanying asked directly, and as soon as she said that, Princess Zhaoyang's face turned completely cold, and she was about to explode in the next second.
"Princess, please calm down. I misspoke just now. Whatever you say goes." Xu Wanying immediately softened her tone when she saw that she was about to get angry.
She forced a smile, adopting an attitude of resignation.
Princess Zhaoyang, who was originally prepared to embarrass her without any regard for the consequences, was silenced by these words.
They've already admitted their mistake, so what can she do?
But Xu Wanying's words were clearly insincere, showing no remorse whatsoever, and instead carrying a hint of sarcasm.
Princess Zhaoyang felt a tightness in her chest, unable to breathe, and was almost suffocating.
For the first time, she felt like she didn't know how to vent her emotions.
"Zhaoyang, don't be like this." Xing Xiaoya tugged at her sleeve and gently comforted her.
Xing Xiaoya was naturally happy to see Princess Zhaoyang stand up for her, but if she really lashed out at Xu Wanying in public, it would be difficult to salvage the situation.
Xu Wanying has the support of the Marquis of Zhongyi's family, and the Jiang family often protects her. If Princess Zhaoyang makes too much of a scene, Cen Ying and Jiang Jinyu will not stand idly by, and their impression of Xing Xiaoya will be greatly diminished.
Furthermore, compared to Xu Wanying, Xing Xiaoya is the one without any foundation. If Princess Zhaoyang were to retaliate against Madam Jiang for her sake, it would not be good for her reputation.
If the eldest princess were to pursue the matter further, it would become even more difficult, so she chose to let it go.
Princess Zhaoyang was furious and pulled her sleeve back as if to prevent Xing Xiaoya from touching her, but she ultimately held back and did not explode.
"You know that's good, there won't be a next time." Princess Zhaoyang said harshly, but she felt very aggrieved inside.
Hearing this, Jiang Jinyu, who was standing to the side, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Her body was tense the whole time, ready to rush to her rescue at any moment.
Ever since her third sister-in-law became symbiotic with the artifact, the entire Jiang family has worked together to make her happy. They have never let her suffer such grievances before, and they hope to gather more energy to obtain more information.
If they were mistreated by Princess Zhaoyang, how long would it take them to coax her back home?
Fortunately, Princess Zhaoyang managed to hold back, otherwise the Marquis of Zhongyi's mansion would have been the one to suffer.
"Princess, my third sister-in-law and I will not disturb your and Miss Xing's enjoyment any longer. We will return to Mother's table first," Jiang Jinyu said, bidding farewell directly.
After saying that, without waiting for Princess Zhaoyang to nod in agreement, she pulled Xu Wanying away first.
Watching their retreating figures, Princess Zhaoyang slammed her fist on the table, making a loud "thump" sound, clearly very annoyed.
But because he used too much force, he hurt his own hands and couldn't help but frown and rub them.
"I'm tired, everyone may leave now." She coughed lightly and served tea to the guests.
The ladies, gathered in small groups around a table, were still engrossed in their passionate discussion when they heard this remark.
The group exchanged glances. Although they were reluctant to leave, they couldn't stay any longer, so they all got up and said their goodbyes.
As the hostess, Princess Zhaoyang should have gotten up to see her guests off.
Although she was favored and the Princess's residence was powerful, the people she invited were all nobles and dignitaries, so they shouldn't have been treated so poorly.
Unfortunately, Princess Zhaoyang was in a fit of anger and couldn't care less about anything else; all she wanted to do was throw a tantrum.
These ladies also had their tempers, and everyone harbored some dissatisfaction, but no one spoke out; they simply made a note of it.
"Zhaoyang, are you alright? Have a cup of tea to calm down." Xing Xiaoya immediately comforted her and handed her a cup of tea.
Princess Zhaoyang's expression was very unpleasant; she pushed her hand away, clearly indicating that she did not accept it.
He was just a little too strong and too fast, and for a moment he lost his sense of proportion.
With a sharp "crack," the teacup slipped from its cup and shattered on the floor.
"Hey, why didn't you hold it properly?" Princess Zhaoyang's first reaction was to blame her.
However, the tea spilled out, splashing all over Xing Xiaoya's skirt and embroidered shoes, making a mess.
"Ah, why is it wet? Are you all blind? Hurry up and wipe it off. Is the tea too hot?" Princess Zhaoyang was startled and immediately got up to check, clearly somewhat worried.
"It's alright, the tea isn't hot. As long as you're not angry, it's fine." Xing Xiaoya smiled at her, her voice very soft, sounding somewhat cautious.
"I'm not angry with you, it's just that Madam Jiang is too annoying. How can someone be so shameless!" Princess Zhaoyang waved her hand, indicating that she didn't care.
"But if she weren't shameless, she wouldn't have been able to marry into the Jiang family, ha. She definitely can't compare to you." She sneered, her tone filled with disdain.
“Madam Jiang seems quite naive, otherwise Madam Hou and Miss Jiang wouldn’t have been so protective of her!” Xing Xiaoya said softly after a moment of silence.
These words angered Princess Zhaoyang again. She flung her sleeve and said, "Why do you always boost others' morale while diminishing your own? It was the same when Xu Wanying was here before. I stood up for you, but you kept shrinking back and even spoke up for her. Whose side are you on anyway?"
Xing Xiaoya's face turned pale instantly. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to explain something, but she felt a lump in her throat and couldn't say anything.
Her nose tingled, and her eyes reddened; she clearly wanted to cry.
To prevent her tears from falling, she immediately raised her sleeve to cover her face.
"Oh, that's not what I meant, don't cry." Princess Zhaoyang panicked the moment she saw her like this and quickly began to comfort her.
“Princess, you know my status is lowly. No matter what Madam Jiang is like, she is still better than me. Besides, she is Da Zhuang’s lawfully wedded wife. How can I be worthy of being compared to her? If others misunderstand my relationship with Da Zhuang, then I will have no choice but to die to prove my innocence!” Xing Xiaoya’s voice was choked with sobs.
"Lift your head up so I can see you. Hey, I really didn't mean it that way. No matter how noble she is, she can't be more noble than me. I've got your back! Don't be afraid of anything. Let alone her, even if Jiang Chengli came to me, he'd have to bow down to me. Hurry up and wipe your tears, or your face will be all dry from crying..."
Princess Zhaoyang patted her back while taking out a handkerchief and handing it to her, trying to wipe away her tears. Her voice was extremely gentle as she comforted her.
The two were very close together, and Xing Xiaoya was sobbing, looking very aggrieved.
“I know the princess is doing this for my own good, and I’m not the kind of person who doesn’t appreciate kindness. But I’m new here, and if the princess gets into a conflict with someone because of me, I’d be guilty of a terrible crime. Even if that person isn’t Xu Wanying, I can’t let the princess’s reputation be tarnished!”
"Why are we talking about this? You saved my life, and besides, my reputation in the capital isn't good to begin with..."
The two were exchanging intimate words, unaware that a noblewoman in fine clothes was standing in the corridor outside the hall.
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