95. The eldest sister is like a mother.
Her hands must have hurt too.
Wei Xin's prediction of danger was very accurate. Without the permission of Marquis Quzhou, the King of Yi's men brought Marquis Guangshun into the banquet hall.
Yuan Kuai carried the gifts in both hands. His face, covered with a thick beard, looked somewhat haggard. He looked at Marquis Qu Zhou and said, "Azhi, these are pearls from the West Sea and agate from the East Sea that I specially prepared for you. These are all things you like."
Qu Zhouhou was surprisingly calm. She took two steps forward, her fingertips pointing at what Yuan Kuai was carrying, her eyes full of sarcasm. "Yuan Kuai, today is my fortieth birthday. Don't force me to slap you." Without turning around, she said, "Get out!"
The atmosphere became tense, and no one dared to offer any advice.
Marquis Qu Zhou is the Empress's sister. If even His Majesty and the Empress can't interfere, how dare anyone else?
The atmosphere in the banquet hall was somber.
The second prince stepped forward and said innocently, "Marquis Quzhou, Marquis Guangshun has already realized his mistake. Today is your special day, and Marquis Guangshun's apology is sincere. Why not give him a..."
Wei Xin slapped his forehead. The Second Prince was just too... stupid!
Qu Yan frowned; everything that had happened today seemed strange.
Before the Second Prince could finish speaking, Aunt Qi objected, patting Zhuang'er, who was looking at his aunt with concern.
Guangshun Hou has been here for so long, and he hasn’t even glanced at Zhuang’er. It was clearly Zhuang’er who did something wrong, but now it’s his aunt who’s being put on the hot seat!
Qi Gu thought of Sima Hong and thought, "Hmph, all the men in the world are indeed no good!"
Sima Hong looked at Qi Gu's puffed-up face and felt a tickle in his nose.
Unable to bear seeing her aunt forced into this situation, Qi Gu suppressed her fear of the Second Prince and adopted the authority of an elder sister, saying, "Second brother, this is not a place for nonsense. What do you, a mere child, know? Come here and stop making trouble." She spoke with an air of superiority.
Seeing his elder sister's reaction, the eldest prince understood and stepped forward to pull the second prince back, saying, "Yes, the elders will handle their own affairs. Second brother, you are still young and don't understand many things, so don't talk nonsense."
Aunt Qi winked at her younger brother and said that he was not stupid, but very smart.
The Second Prince wants to pretend to be innocent, kind, and full of youthful vigor, so let him continue to be "innocent and kind."
The second prince looked embarrassed. He was thirteen years old this year, and all his advisors treated him with utmost respect and awe. No one dared to treat him like a child.
A village girl and a sickly man, one saying he's still young, the other saying he's just being silly, trampled his authority to the ground. How can he possibly command respect in the future?
Looking at Chu Xiaocheng's pale hand gripping his wrist, he could no longer maintain his innocent and cheerful demeanor; the feigned serene and carefree attitude was ultimately a lie.
"Let go of my brother!" The second princess shouted angrily, unwilling to back down, when she saw her brother being held hostage by Empress Zhang's two children.
Qi Gu's eyes shifted. "Hmm?" She turned to the Second Princess: "Second Sister, isn't the Second Prince my and Ayan's brother? What, do you think the elder sister and elder brother can't take care of their immature younger brother?"
"Who cares about you!" the Second Princess thought to herself. She and the First Prince were sworn enemies, and the Guo family and the Zhang family were locked in a life-or-death struggle. What were these country girls and sickly women putting on airs for?
"Eldest sister and eldest brother, if you want to teach them a lesson, wait until you return to the palace. Now, outside the palace, isn't this deliberately slapping the second brother in the face..." The tone carried a hint of threat.
Behind her, Gao Ruyu said, "Second Princess, don't be sad. Forgive the First Princess. After all, she just returned to the palace from the countryside."
The eldest prince could overlook everything, but he absolutely could not tolerate these people disrespecting his elder sister. Just as he was about to reprimand Gao Ruyu, Qi Gu stopped him and shook her head at him.
The eldest prince objected, but Qi Gu said, "Brother, this is my own business. Let me have my fun."
Sima Hong was already standing behind Qi Gu, not stopping her, but rather seemingly protecting her.
Qi Gu stepped forward, put her five fingers together, and held them out in front of the Second Princess and Gao Mingyu. "How do you think my hand is?"
Before the Second Princess and Gao Mingyu could answer, Qi Gu slapped the Second Princess across the face.
The sound of the slap echoed throughout the entire hall, startling even Marquis Quzhou and Marquis Guangshun.
All eyes immediately shifted from Marquis Quzhou and Marquis Guangshun to the princes and princesses.
This princess is so... fierce, how come she resorts to violence at the slightest disagreement?
The Second Princess had never suffered such a humiliation before, especially in front of everyone. She was humiliated by Empress Zhang's daughter from the countryside. At a time when the struggle for the crown prince position was becoming increasingly fierce, if she did not regain her lost face today, she and her brother would probably never be able to hold their heads up in the capital again!
The second princess's eyes blazed with a deep, hardened hatred, like a bamboo viper whose tail had been stepped on—beautiful yet deadly.
The second princess raised her hand, preparing to repeat Qi Gu's action just now. Qi Gu shook her hand and effortlessly grasped the second princess's hand in mid-air.
The second princess instantly felt as if she were wearing a heavy pair of shackles when she made a move. The shackles were so tight that they almost embedded themselves into her flesh. Where did this damned country girl get her strength from?
If Aunt Qi knew she had this question, she would surely be happy to answer it for her—it's all the strength she gained from farming in the village!
"Princess, how can you slap your younger sister without her consent! Even if you've returned from the countryside, you can't be so rude!" Gao Ruyu chimed in to support the Second Princess.
Qi Gu lifted her eyelids and looked at Gao Ruyu, "Gao Er, do you also want to get slapped by me?"
"You dare!"
"I could hit your older sister if I wanted to, let alone you!"
"You, you..."
Qi Gu chuckled and glanced at Sima Hong with a mocking look.
His eyes seemed to say: I thought the granddaughter-in-law that Sima Taigong had taken a liking to was some kind of celestial being descended to earth, but this is all she is?
Qi Gu curled her lip, thinking that was all the good taste Sima Taigong had.
Sima Hong, however, was concerned about Qi Gu's hands. He noticed that her palms were red. Why did he have to do this himself? He had used so much force; her hands must have hurt too.
I wanted to take her hand to check it, but I was afraid she would get even angrier, so I reluctantly gave up the idea of looking at her palm at this moment.
As for Gao Ruyu, he felt it necessary to remind Gao Yi that if the Gao family's daughter continued to be so foolish and muddle-headed, it would only bring utter disaster to the Gao family.
On the other side, the Second Prince could not stand idly by when he saw his sister being slapped by the Guo family. The eldest princess and the eldest prince were not hitting his sister, but rather him, the Second Prince, and the Guo family. He could not bear to lose face like that!
He thrust his elbow backward, and the eldest prince, who was being pulled along, was thrown and bumped by his sudden movement. The prince was hit in the chest by his elbow and had to take several steps back, almost falling over.
Fortunately, Sima Hong reacted quickly and pulled him back, preventing him from falling.
"Second Prince, there is an order of seniority. Your behavior towards the First Prince is extremely rude and reckless." Sima Hong stopped the Second Prince, who was about to cause trouble for Qi Gu.
The second prince hesitated when he saw Sima Xiuyuan blocking his way. He dared not make any rash moves in the face of Sima Xiuyuan.
He was secretly furious. Didn't the Sima family have an ancestral rule against participating in power struggles? Had Empress Zhang offered the Sima family benefits they couldn't refuse?
Otherwise, why would Sima Xiuyuan favor the eldest prince in every way? What is it about him that makes him inferior to that sickly boy who looks like he's about to die?
And is Sima Xiuyuan blind?! He's being all lovey-dovey with a village girl in front of everyone! How can that village girl compare to his sister in any way?!
If the Sima family has truly chosen sides, then can Sima Xiuyuan still be used by them...?
The second prince's heart sank. He concealed the coldness in his eyes and said, "Brother Xiuyuan, you've misunderstood. I just wanted to apologize to the Empress on behalf of my second sister."
Sima Hongdao said, "Second Prince, you should think about how to explain this to the First Prince."
When Qi Gu saw that Sima Hong had stopped the Second Prince, she was not grateful. Instead, she secretly blamed him for meddling and wanted to teach the Second Prince a lesson.
She turned to the second princess and said, "Second sister, as your older sister, I have to teach you proper etiquette as a guest." Qi Gu then looked around at the people attending the birthday banquet and gave them an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry, everyone, but my second sister and second brother have been spoiled too much by Father and Madam Guo. They don't even know the rules of being a guest. As the eldest sister, I am responsible for disciplining my ignorant younger siblings. I can't let them tarnish the reputation of Father and Mother."
Wei Xin chuckled inwardly and said to Qu Yan, "The eldest princess's words, 'The eldest sister is like a mother,' put Madam Guo in that position. This eldest princess is indeed no ordinary person."
Qu Yan: ...
Qi Gu raised her head, looked at the Second Prince and called out, "Second Brother." Then she pulled the Second Princess and said, "You must not be unruly outside the palace. You must not act recklessly just because you are a prince or princess. I will report your behavior today to Father and Mother. Really, how can you be so troublesome?" She was scolding the Second Princess and the Second Prince as if they were children.
The crowd found it rather ridiculous. If the eldest princess hadn't only been back from the countryside for a few months, it wouldn't have mattered if she said such things. But she had only been back for a few months, yet she was lecturing the second prince, a favorite to win the crown prince position, and the second princess, who was born of the same mother as the second prince. This was simply going against the natural order.
Ironically, her argument was so logical and well-founded that it was impossible to refute it.
However, this is a matter concerning the princes and princesses. How His Majesty and the Empress deal with their own children is their business, and it is not their place to interfere.
On the other hand, Prince Yi glanced at Qi Gu several times. Everyone said that this princess grew up in the countryside and was crude and rude. In his opinion, this woman was a master of pretending to be weak while actually being strong.
Thinking of Meng Fu's prophecy, could it be...?
The Second Prince was shrouded in dark clouds; he was determined to make this village girl suffer a terrible death today!
Unexpectedly, Sima Hong's voice came from the side: "Second Prince, some mistakes must be admitted, don't you think?" Sima Xiuyuan's eyes were full of warning.
The Sima family's influence on the position of Crown Prince is crucial, and now is not the time to directly break ties with the Sima family. The Second Prince hesitated in the end, "Marquis of Quzhou, it was my fault. I was rash. Please don't blame me."
He apologized verbally, but in his heart he hated Sima Hong. Once he ascended to the throne, the first thing he would do was to target the Sima family and let Sima Hong's blood bless his throne!
"Xiuyuan, how could you treat me like this..." The Second Princess looked at Sima Hong with red eyes.
Sima Hong didn't even glance at the Second Princess.
The second prince looked at his sister, who was more trouble than she was worth, and cursed her as an idiot in his heart!
Sima Hong couldn't even get a decent look from a village girl; he couldn't even beat a village girl, he was truly useless.
Thinking about how the eldest prince, despite being sickly, had a mother like Empress Zhang fighting for his position as crown prince, and now he also had a princess standing up for him, he was truly blessed!
He felt even more resentful. It was one thing for his mother to be inferior to the Empress, but why was his younger sister also inferior to that country girl? He was not convinced!
No matter how unwilling they were, they could only endure it at this moment.
Now that things had come to this, even the emperor apologized, and the second princess, no matter how unwilling, lowered her head.
She was equally unconvinced. Just wait, when she returned to the palace, she would make her father punish Chu Qigu severely!
When her brother becomes emperor, she will definitely make Sima Hong marry her in a grand procession with eight sedan chairs!
Only Gao Ruyu saw that the person she deeply admired was so biased towards the eldest princess, and even held the village princess's hand more than once! She saw it every single time!
“Xiuyuan, how could you help the eldest princess bully others? She is so vicious, can’t you see that? Or is it the Empress herself…” Gao Ruyu said with great distress.
Sima Hong looked at Gao Ruyu with icy eyes and said coolly, "Miss Gao, matters of the court are not for you to easily interfere with. As for my private affairs, don't make unfounded speculations. They are none of your business."
"Xiuyuan, my father and Grandfather Sima had an agreement..."
Sima Hong stood a little closer to Qi Gu. When Qi Gu tried to move away, he pulled her back and looked at her indifferently: "High school girl, don't talk about baseless things anymore." He turned his head and looked at Qi Gu, who had silently moved two steps to the side: "I will only marry one person in my life."
Although he didn't say who it was, the way he looked at the eldest princess was full of tenderness and protectiveness, completely opposite to how he had looked at Gao Ruyu earlier.
It turns out that after Qingfeng and Mingyue fell in love, they were just like ordinary people, with only one person in their eyes.
Li Shi watched from the sidelines as the royal family engaged in a massive, dramatic, and tumultuous drama of love, hate, and revenge. She loved him, he loved her—a timeless classic. And wow, his Aunt Qi was so powerful and impressive! And his daughter was amazing!
[Author's Note]
Second Princess: I'm the one who got hit, yet you're concerned about her hand!
Sima Hong looked at Qi Gu [heart eyes]: Forces are reciprocal, I feel sorry for her.
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