As if things weren't going to go wrong, troubles kept piling up. Gan Qiongying quickly changed her clothes and was still fixing her hair on the way, with Manyue running alongside her.
They were heading to the secluded courtyard where the prince consort lived. Gan Qiongying walked quickly, but couldn't help but complain in her heart.
Prince Consort!
What happened now?!
These are such easy things to step on!
Can anyone lend her a lightning rod?
Before she could utter her words, someone overheard her thoughts and immediately uttered a few sarcastic remarks.
"A lowly merchant like him is not worthy of being invited by the princess. What a grand display." Manyue was full of complaints, having been very dissatisfied with the prince consort's behavior these days.
“They’ve been married for over three months, and only recently did the princess give him face, and what has he done?” Seeing that the princess did not stop her, Manyue continued, “Lately he’s really become more and more arrogant.”
There were a few more sentences that followed, each one more offensive than the last. Gan Qiongying was speechless. She really wanted Manyue to watch her tongue, because if the prince consort heard her saying those things, he would definitely be furious.
But you can't reason with her about this. She always has to be careful about her public image. She can appropriately break her image when dealing with men without arousing suspicion because Duanrong herself is the type who is "crazy for love".
But when dealing with servants, one must always adopt the demeanor of a princess.
So she frowned, glanced to her side, and thought of the warning that should be given in this capacity.
When Manyue saw the sharp gaze directed at her, she immediately fell silent, though she didn't know which sentence she had said wrong.
"Notify the entire household," Gan Qiong said in a calm, even somewhat cold tone, "that from now on, the Imperial Son-in-Law will truly be the Imperial Son-in-Law. Everyone in the household, except for myself, will respect him as the most important person."
Upon hearing this, Manyue's eyes flashed with shock. Although Princess Duanrong had always acted eccentrically, she had never valued anyone so much.
Even though the number of women in the backyard was impressive, Princess Duanrong, who was rumored to be promiscuous, never actually slept with any of them. Although she brought them to her home and put them all in one courtyard, she would only go out for a stroll when she was in the mood and have someone sing for her. In reality, she treated them like house sparrows that she kept around to listen to occasionally.
Full Moon knew that the princess had someone else in her heart, a fact known to everyone in the entire capital of Yin. How could her feelings change overnight, and she become a mere average-looking prince consort?
How could the prince consort compare to that handsome and divine Jin Chuan hostage?
But Man Yue dared not disobey and replied, "Yes."
Gan Qiongying knew that Manyue was loyal to her, and seeing that she always tried to win Lihua's favor but was met with indifference, she couldn't help but feel indignant on her behalf.
It's a pity that Gan Qiongying couldn't make Manyue understand that the God of Wealth should be worshipped.
She moved with lightning speed, and couldn't help but add another warning: "If those words are spoken again in the manor, you will be held responsible!"
She couldn't really think of any punishment, since she didn't even know what punishment Man Yue had received last time. She just used this phrase because it was common in novels and movies.
The full moon nodded repeatedly in agreement.
As they spoke, the master and servant arrived at the gate of the courtyard where the prince consort was staying.
Sanjiu, who was guarding the door, was originally relieved that his master would finally not have to deal with that domineering princess today. Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, the two people, master and servant, rushed over and stood in front of him. However, as a man, he could not stop them.
Fortunately, Sweetie heard the noise and noticed the aggressive-looking people coming. She immediately stepped forward to stop them, having prepared herself based on her past failures.
Unfortunately, she was no match for Manyue's strength. She stepped forward to try and stop her, having already decided that if things didn't work, she would just resort to physical force. But Manyue didn't give her that chance.
Ouch!
The moment the sweetheart was thrown into the air, she could hardly believe it, but thankfully she managed to steady herself and stand still.
She turned around in fright, only to be unexpectedly thrown more than two zhang away by Man Yue, a person whose figure was almost completely different from hers!
The instigator, Manyue, had already walked away and was silently following behind the princess, her steps unhurried, as if nothing had just happened.
Sweetie wanted to chase after her, but it was too late. Besides, this was in the princess's residence, and she didn't dare to really pull Princess Duanrong. She could only stand there, beating her chest and stamping her feet in frustration.
Sweetie looked at her arm, wondering if that woman ate super pills with every meal? She never gained the upper hand in any conflict with her.
Because this courtyard was previously inhabited by servants, but it was too far from the princess's bedroom and many rooms in the mansion were vacant, many servants moved there.
However, the courtyard wasn't always idle. The guards on duty would occasionally come in for a short rest, but they only rested and didn't clean it thoroughly. Therefore, in the candlelight shining through the doorway, you could still see dust floating and swirling.
Man Yue pushed open the door and felt a dampness on her fingertips, clearly indicating that it had just been wiped clean.
The door opened, and Li Hua subconsciously looked up, but quickly lowered his head again, ignoring Gan Qiongying's friendly smile.
Why would she come?
Gan Qiongying's purpose was, of course, to invite back the God of Wealth.
Gan Qiongying entered the room with a smile. She could see right through the room, but it was clearly a bare-bones place. There were only a few pieces of furniture on the table, and the tea set looked like it was from some unknown year. Li Hua was drinking tea.
She felt a layer of dust on the soles of her feet; Li Hua's sudden decision was too hasty, and it was clear that the attendants had not yet had time to clean thoroughly.
Is it safe to live in a house like this?
After Gan Qiongying came in, Li Hua remained seated at the table, showing no intention of getting up.
He had just washed up, and his long, dark hair was loose, making his usually gentle face appear icy and frosty.
Li Hua hadn't expected Gan Qiongying to come, nor could she understand why. Her male favorites were far more than just General Qu. Even if that man was truly suffering from some serious illness, she still had over 170 men.
Li Hua had assumed she would stay there tonight.
The teacup in his hand was gripped tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. Li Hua's back was taut, and he refused to look up until he heard Gan Qiongying's question.
"This is where the servants live. How did you get here?"
Gan Qiongying walked to his side and grabbed his hand directly.
But she was flung away as soon as she touched him. She saw Li Hua frown slightly. Although it was not easy to notice when he made an expression, she did see it.
Moreover, Gan Qiongying noticed that there was dried blood on Li Hua's palm. When was he injured?
"How did this happen?" Gan Qiongying was genuinely concerned. Ignoring Li Hua's struggles, she forcefully grabbed his hand and opened it, revealing the wound.
She glanced at the table; there were plenty of cups and saucers. What sharp object had caused the cut?
Li Hua remained silent, subtly observing her anxious expression. He couldn't help but repeatedly compare her anxious demeanor with that of a male concubine. Unbeknownst to him, he was now comparing himself to one of her male concubines.
He couldn't contain his curiosity: who was she more nervous about?
After not receiving a reply, Gan Qiongying looked at Li Hua.
Li Hua pursed her lips, but thinking of her anxious appearance just now, she couldn't suppress her anger and lied, "I fell down."
Gan Qiongying was puzzled as to why she had fallen when the courtyard was flat and she had walked briskly all the way here without any stumbling.
Unexpectedly, Li Hua spoke again, leaving her speechless.
“I am disabled, doesn’t the princess know that?” Li Hua finally looked up and met her gaze. “The threshold of the princess’s residence is so high that it’s not easy to fall down.”
This is bringing up old grievances; we just said this a while ago during the full moon celebration.
Gan Qiongying was speechless, somewhat amused and exasperated, but she knew she had to take the blame, so she quickly changed the subject, feigning arrogance and sternly instructing Manyue:
"What are you standing there for? Go and call the imperial physician to bandage the prince consort."
Just as Manyue was about to leave after receiving the order, Lihua spoke again, startling both master and servant.
Li Hua suddenly asked, "Why not call the imperial physician?"
That General Qu could alarm the imperial physician, but here he's just called the family physician. It seems that the young General Qu is more to her liking.
Gan Qiongying smiled, paused for a moment, glanced at the small cut on the prince consort's palm that had stopped bleeding and was almost healed, and inexplicably smelled a strong sour smell.
She couldn't help but find it amazing, and immediately realized what was going on. She immediately ordered, "Manyue, go and fetch the imperial physician."
She deliberately emphasized the words "Imperial Physician".
She almost couldn't help but laugh when she turned her back. The imperial physician really needed to come quickly, otherwise the wound would have healed by the time he was a moment later.
Li Hua was known for his careless speech, and when he saw that Gan Qiongying actually sent someone to fetch the imperial physician, he immediately felt uneasy.
He pulled his hand back into his sleeve, lowered his head again, and looked at the candlelight in front of him, which was flickering and dancing erratically, much like his own emotions.
Realizing he had lost control, he suddenly stood up and said, "It's getting late, Princess. You still have things to attend to. Please get some rest."
He gave her the order to leave, but when Gan Qiongying didn't move, he actually pulled her by the arm and dragged her toward the door, his face cold.
“This place is dirty and inconvenient,” Li Hua said with a stiff face, avoiding eye contact with Gan Qiongying. “Please, Princess, move back to the main courtyard.”
Why am I being kicked out so soon after arriving?!
Gan Qiongying was pushed to the doorway before she could react. It was the first time she had ever realized how strong Li Hua was.
Seeing that he was about to be pushed out the door, he immediately grabbed the door with his hands and feet, shouting, "I won't go, I'll stay with you and wait for the imperial physician!"
The two stood frozen at the doorway, while inside...
The candlelight was dim, and Li Hua stood against the light, his profile hidden in the shadows. Gan Qiongying was somewhat alarmed, feeling that Li Hua looked rather sinister at this moment.
Fortunately, he didn't push her anymore. Gan Qiongying hugged the door and said gently, "I have to deal with all the people in the backyard. I was confused back then, and I was also angry with the Emperor, which is why I had so many people in the backyard."
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Gan Qiongying grabbed Li Hua's hand that was hanging down by his side, while also cautiously hooking her foot on the door. She was holding Li Hua's injured hand, and her tone was gentle and coaxing, "How about you handle General Qu's matter from now on?"
Li Hua was taken aback, and her tense expression relaxed slightly.
"Those people in the backyard aren't worth getting upset about. I was going to get rid of them anyway, so you can do whatever you want with them."
Gan Qiongying took this opportunity to dump this huge burden on Li Hua. After all, wouldn't it cost money to settle people? More than a hundred people, how much money would it cost to settle them?
Gan Qiongying was still counting on Li Hua to make a living; where would she get so much money!
The princess's mansion has over four thousand people, all of whom are mouths to feed, and she's almost starving!
Moreover, handing these people over to Li Hua for disposal would make him comfortable and put my mind at ease.
If Li Hua treats an old man with such courtesy, he won't be too harsh on these people either. He will definitely be able to give them a better future than Gan Qiongying did.
Li Hua's eyes went from surprise to confusion, and then his gaze locked onto Gan Qiongying, which, upon closer inspection, was actually somewhat aggressive.
He wanted to say something, to accuse Gan Qiongying of being heartless and loveless, and why she wasted time imprisoning so many people?
But when he learned of her cold-hearted treatment of those male concubines, a secret pleasure, which he himself despised, rose within him.
Therefore, he opened his mouth several times, but could not utter a single word.
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