Seeing Consort Jia's delusional state, Xu Yuehuai knew that things would inevitably go wrong if this continued, so she immediately said, "I am Princess Heyue, not some cook you're talking about."
Consort De and the Second Prince's faces instantly turned ugly, as if they had swallowed flies. They had only come to ask for a maid, but they hadn't expected to kick a hornet's nest.
Especially Consort De, she was extremely embarrassed at this moment, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into and pretend that she had never been here, and her feet unconsciously took half a step back.
If the people of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion knew that she had made their beloved Princess Heyue work as a cook, then her family's future would be over, and she, the culprit, would be nailed to the pillar of shame and would never be able to hold her head up again.
But the second prince remained relentless: "I don't care who you are, I just want you to cook for me."
Consort De was thunderstruck when she heard this, and she wished she could shut the Second Prince up, but she only thought about it in her heart. After all, it was just words, and she dared not take action directly.
The second prince, however, disregarded everything and rushed forward to hug Xu Yuehuai after speaking, his voice already trembling with tears.
Xu Yuehuai was also startled. She never expected that her unintentional act that day would bring her such trouble today. After all, she couldn't just let the Second Prince continue to act recklessly.
When Consort De saw that he was still stirring up trouble and dared to bring up that matter again, she lost her patience and was about to go up and hit the Second Prince on the spot. If she didn't stop him, things might get even more complicated.
For a time, the concubines didn't resemble concubines, and the princes didn't resemble princes; instead, they looked like children and women from the city or countryside, making them quite a laughing stock.
"You unfilial son, I'm going to teach you a lesson today," Consort De was furious. "This is Princess Heyue, how could you ask her to cook for you?" With a few clever words, she shifted all the blame onto the Second Prince, so that even if Xu Yuehuai wanted to blame her, she wouldn't be able to.
The second prince, however, remained unrepentant, still sobbing as he cried out, "I want to eat her cooking! The food made by those imperial chefs is terrible! If I can't eat her cooking, I'll never eat again!"
Xu Yuehuai was also having a headache from all the commotion. After rubbing his throbbing temples, he had no choice but to personally end this farce, otherwise it might have dragged on indefinitely.
She stepped forward to block the Second Prince and also stopped Consort De. After the two had quieted down, she spoke up, "From now on, the Second Prince can come to Qiyun Pavilion every afternoon to ask me for pastries. Is that acceptable?"
"Yay!" As soon as Xu Yuehuai finished speaking, the Second Prince jumped up and down with joy, his previous aggrieved look completely gone.
His behavior infuriated Consort De, who wanted to hit him again. She scolded him, "Look at you! Where is your princely demeanor? You've really disgraced me. You've made me a laughingstock."
She was a little embarrassed as she spoke. It was just a matter of the child being greedy, but she didn't expect the second prince to be so stubborn, which led to this situation. If Xu Yuehuai hadn't stepped in to help, who knows how long it would have gone on?
Hengniang asked curiously, "Princess, why did you go to Qiyun Pavilion to ask for you?"
"After entering the palace today, His Majesty granted me Qiyun Pavilion to stay for a while. He thought that Qiyun Pavilion was close to Anfu Palace, so that I could take care of Consort Jia without disturbing her peace and quiet." As soon as Xu Yuehuai finished speaking, everyone present had their own thoughts.
Hengniang originally thought that Xu Yuehuai had been won over by the Empress again, but she didn't expect there to be such a reason. She was relieved at once, after all, as long as it didn't harm her master, it was fine.
Moreover, as long as Xu Yuehuai can gain the Emperor's favor, then their lives as important people will naturally be easier.
Consort De realized it was all a misunderstanding and felt bad about it. She quickly made an excuse that there was something to do in the palace and took the Second Prince away.
"I will come to Qiyun Pavilion to find you tomorrow afternoon. You must prepare some pastries for me then," the Second Prince said, turning back after taking a few steps.
Consort De froze, then forcefully tugged at the Second Prince's arm, abruptly pulling him away.
"What a farce."
After the two left, Xu Yuehuai wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed.
Then she fixed her gaze on Consort Jia, who was also looking her up and down curiously, as if she didn't recognize her.
The two sized each other up for a while before Xu Yuehuai spoke first: "Aunt, if you don't trust me, you don't need to summon me to the palace. Don't you understand the saying 'trust those you employ, and don't employ those you don't trust'?"
She originally intended to speak politely, but after what had just happened, she realized that speaking politely was pointless.
Upon hearing this, Consort Jia panicked immediately. If even Xu Yuehuai didn't care about her anymore, then no one would be able to take care of her in the future.
"Ah Yue, it was your aunt's fault, please don't abandon your aunt." She immediately stepped forward, took Xu Yuehuai's hand, and said, "It's just that Consort De's arrival was too sudden, so I..."
Xu Yuehuai sighed.
This is understandable, after all. Besides, she had already promised the Duchess of Zhenguo, so she would not possibly run away at the last minute.
...
Upon receiving the news, Cui Zijue immediately set off for the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, accompanied by five or six servants. As he walked, he cursed, "I'm going to lose all face today."
Not only that, but I'm afraid even the Cui family's reputation will be ruined.
Upon arriving outside the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, before even entering, he could already hear Cui Zige brazenly and shamelessly acting like a rogue inside—
"Old man, let me tell you, if you know what's good for you, get Xu Yuehuai out right now, or don't blame me for being impolite." Cui Zige lay on the guest chair, crossed his legs, and spoke in a nonchalant manner, showing no regard for the Duke of Zhenguo.
Upon hearing Cui Zige's outrageous behavior, Cui Zijue was so angry he almost fainted. The servant beside him couldn't help but feel worried for Cui Zige, as it seemed the young master was in grave danger.
"What are you all standing there for! Push me in now! Do you think your young master has too much of a life?" Cui Zique cursed.
The servants quickly pushed Cui Zige inside. In the front hall of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, he saw Cui Zige's behavior, raised an eyebrow, and immediately said, "Men, tie him up."
When Cui Zige saw Cui Zique arrive, he became restless. He was afraid of no one but his elder brother.
He immediately sat up straight.
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