As soon as the Empress Dowager said this, the Consort knew she had said the wrong thing.
She was so focused on causing trouble for Jiang Xuelin, wanting to teach him a lesson, that the royal family wasn't so easy to enter. Plus, she got involved with the Princess Consort of Ping, which involved her most beloved son, that she lost her composure and felt a little regretful.
She really wanted to cause trouble for Jiang Xuelin, preferably to severely damage her image in front of the Empress Dowager and ruin her reputation. Moreover, everyone in the harem was now paying their respects to the Empress Dowager, so it would be even better if the Empress Dowager could be enraged and question her on the spot.
If the other concubines spread the word about what happened today, Jiang Xuelin and the entire Jing'an Marquis's mansion will face even more trouble, and it will be difficult for the Jiang family's daughters to find husbands in the future.
On that day, Fu Yunhui extended an olive branch to the Jing'an Marquis's residence, but the Jing'an Marquis's residence did not take it seriously and instead took a fancy to Fu Hanlai, such a useless good-for-nothing. How could the Consort not be angry?
Fu Hanlai, despite his noble status, was merely the son of a prince, and at most would become a prince in the future. Her son, on the other hand, was a prince, who might even rise to the highest position in the future. She cherished her son like the apple of her eye, so how could she allow the Jiang family to refuse him?
That's an honor for the Jiang family!
But she absolutely did not want to offend the Empress Dowager.
The Emperor is a filial son, and in the inner palace, offending the Empress Dowager is not a good thing.
—However, your Fu Yunhui is the apple of everyone's eye, but isn't Fu Hanlai, the only child in the entire Pingwang Mansion, also the apple of everyone's eye? And isn't the only daughter of this generation in the entire Jiang family the apple of everyone's eye in the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion?
Is the Imperial Concubine only slapping Jiang Xuelin in the face?
No, she slapped Fu Hanlai, and the entire Prince Ping's mansion in the face!
She wanted to make amends, but unfortunately, the Empress Dowager didn't want to see her anymore.
Previously, the Empress Dowager genuinely believed that the Consort had learned something amusing and deliberately chose this time to chat and laugh together. Since it was the first time the Empress Dowager had met Jiang Xuelin, she naturally liked to see the younger generation getting along harmoniously in front of her.
Unexpectedly, the Imperial Concubine had ulterior motives and wanted to ruin Jiang Xuelin's first visit to the palace.
The Empress Dowager then remembered why.
Before the Pingwang Mansion and the Jing'an Marquis Mansion were betrothed, her third grandson came over to pay his respects and, incidentally, asked her to grant him the marriage.
He was betrothed to a girl from the Jiang family.
Later, the Empress Dowager learned that the Third Prince wanted to marry a girl from the Jiang family, but was refused by the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion. In addition, the incident of Fu Han falling into the water and being rescued by Jiang Xuelin occurred shortly afterward, so the matter was naturally dropped.
But this matter ultimately left a shadow in the Empress Dowager's heart.
Now, considering what the Imperial Concubine had said earlier, there was nothing left to be confused about: he had been used as a pawn by the Imperial Concubine.
"Your Highness, I have a Buddhist scripture here, which was specially sent by the abbot of Xiangguo Temple. Please take it and read it aloud every day. We are all women, so please be mindful of your words."
These words were quite disrespectful. At this moment, it wasn't just the Imperial Concubine present; the Empress, the Imperial Concubine's greatest enemy, and other concubines of lower status were also there. The Imperial Concubine felt her face instantly turn red.
If it were anyone else, they would naturally not dare to offend the Imperial Concubine, and even the Empress would not be so direct, but the Empress Dowager is different.
She's the one who gets flattered, not the other way around; she doesn't flatter anyone when it comes to giving face.
Even though she felt ashamed and indignant, the Imperial Concubine still had to stand up and express her gratitude, but in her heart she deeply resented Jiang Xuelin and the entire Prince Ping's mansion.
She dared not hold a grudge against the Empress Dowager, so she could only direct her hatred towards the Prince Ping's mansion and Jiang Xuelin. If it weren't for them, how could she have made such a mistake today?
Jiang Xuelin was not one to be trifled with. She knew perfectly well how sinister the Consort was, that she was targeting her so much, wanting to ruin her reputation, and that she had deliberately chosen this time.
Given that the Third Prince's scheme against her that day might have been orchestrated by the Imperial Concubine, if she did nothing, she wouldn't be herself.
She would intervene if she encountered any spoiled brats causing trouble outside, but if someone who had offended her for no reason became a concubine in the palace, she would dare not do anything.
Last time, the Third Prince and the Yongchang Marquis's family deliberately plotted to make her fall into the water, trying to tarnish her reputation. She didn't make a big deal out of consideration for Fei Qing, and because Fei Qing was engaged to the Third Prince. This time, she couldn't.
It's a fact that she ran away from her marriage, and she accepted it even after it was exposed, but that's not a reason for her to deliberately bring it up at this time to become a concubine.
This is a deliberate attack.
Moreover, she now represents not only the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion, but also the Heir Apparent's Wife of the Ping Prince's Mansion.
The Imperial Concubine rose respectfully to thank the Empress Dowager for her favor, but as soon as she finished bowing, she felt a twitch behind her knee and her right leg went weak.
"ah!"
She was already bowing with her legs bent when her right leg suddenly gave way, causing her to lose her balance. She cried out in surprise and stumbled forward, falling directly to the ground.
The noble crown that symbolized her status as an imperial concubine was thrown off, her hair and hairpins were in disarray, and she looked quite disheveled.
Everyone in the Cining Palace was shocked by this unexpected turn of events.
Originally, when the Imperial Concubine made a mistake and angered the Empress Dowager, everyone else could only applaud and cheer. However, seeing the Imperial Concubine fall flat on her face in public was still quite shocking, and even the Empress Dowager, who was still angry, was stunned.
"What are you standing there for? Quickly help your master up!"
The Empress was the first to react and immediately reprimanded the equally stunned palace maids behind the Consort.
The Imperial Concubine had never lost face like this before. She felt that everyone around her was looking at her with mockery. She had been the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Yongchang since childhood, and had smoothly risen to the position of Imperial Concubine after entering the palace. How could she bear such humiliation?
She could foresee that this incident would inevitably become a topic of conversation throughout the entire harem in the future.
Upon realizing this, the imperial concubine's vision went black, her body went limp, and she fainted.
Chaos reigned throughout the Cining Palace.
Princess Ping had not expected that today's audience would turn out in such a way. She only brought her son and daughter-in-law to the Empress Dowager's side and did not participate in the proceedings. Little did she know that the Ping Prince's Mansion would get into trouble.
—Although she was not afraid of the imperial concubine.
The Imperial Concubine was sent back to her Yikun Palace. The Empress even ordered someone to go to the Imperial Hospital to invite the Imperial Physician to take a look. The Empress Dowager's originally great mood was now gone. She waved her hand and told the Empress and the other concubines who had watched the excitement to disperse, leaving only the Princess Consort of Ping with Jiang Xuelin and Fu Han.
Fu Hanlai stood next to Princess Ping, but his gaze intentionally or unintentionally drifted toward Jiang Xuelin, who seemed indifferent.
--hiss!
He knew this girl wasn't the type to tolerate him!
Others might not know why the Imperial Concubine suddenly lost her balance and fell, but Fu Hanlai knew perfectly well why.
He knew Jiang Xuelin's fighting prowess better than anyone else.
He couldn't beat Jiang Xuelin, and everyone thought it was because he was too useless, unable to even defeat a woman.
But is it possible that Jiang Xuelin was seriously underestimated?
The same goes for the Marquis of Jing'an's residence. Even though Jiang Xuelin's entire family has the best skills, they deliberately keep it a secret from outsiders.
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