Liu Wenxin felt rebuffed, and her expression turned cold.
Let alone half-sisters, even full sisters from the same mother and father, none of them deserve to be subservient to the other.
"Now you're all smiles and triumphs, but don't you know how you got here? You betrayed your master for personal gain, what's there to be proud of?"
Shen Ming'e's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for all three of them to hear.
Liu Wenxin's expression immediately changed.
She looked coldly at Shen Ming'e and said in a deep voice, "Say it again."
Shen Ming'e had not expected her to be so assertive, as if she wasn't the one who had done something wrong!
"I'll say it again, you betrayed your master for personal gain..." Before she could finish her sentence, Liu Wenxin slapped her across the face.
Shen Ming'e couldn't believe it. She looked up at Liu Wenxin, covered her face, and her lips trembled slightly.
Shen Mingrong was shocked; she never expected the two of them to start fighting.
Or rather, she didn't expect Liu Wenxin to disregard Shen Ming'e's feelings at all and directly hit her.
"Shen Ming'e, be mindful of your status when you speak. Whether you consider me your sister or not, I am now Consort Shu!"
Her voice was chillingly cold, but Shen Ming'e's eyes remained wide open.
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingrong understood. Consort Shu was not Consort Ming. Consort Ming was, after all, a sister of the Shen family. This Liu Wenxin, however, was someone who had risen from a maid to a mistress. Regardless of whether she had the demeanor of Shen Mingzhuang, she was far inferior in terms of her sharpness and her ability to express her emotions openly.
Originally, she also wanted to go to the palace to see what was going on with Liu Wenxin, but after hearing her say such things, she knew in her heart that it was best to keep her distance.
She quickly pulled Shen Ming'e down to kneel, but Shen Ming'e stubbornly refused.
In her eyes, Liu Wenxin was immoral, incompetent, despicable, and shameless, and she would not even respect her sister!
"Those whose virtue does not match their position will surely suffer calamity!"
Shen Mingrong regretted not covering Shen Ming'e's mouth sooner. This girl sometimes seemed quite smart, but why was she always so stubborn at crucial moments? What was the point of her saying those things to Liu Wenxin at this moment?
It's useless except to provoke Liu Wenxin and get more humiliation!
The biggest taboo for people is not recognizing their own position and not being able to distinguish between what is important and what is urgent.
"Your Highness, please forgive me!" Shen Mingrong hurriedly pleaded for forgiveness on behalf of Shen Ming'e. Liu Wenxin watched, finding it amusing.
"She said something wrong and you have to apologize for her, but if she killed someone, do you have to pay for her life too?"
Shen Mingrong dared not answer!
Liu Wenxin must be furious right now, but she just happened to see the awkwardness between her and Shen Ming'e, so she probably hates herself too.
Shen Ming'e pulled Shen Mingrong to her feet and said to Liu Wenxin, "Heaven will make you go mad before it will destroy you. You can be your Consort Shu. We are just people who are not worthy of being in the public eye, so we will not disturb Your Highness's peace!"
After saying that, he pulled Shen Mingrong outside.
Shen Mingrong now regrets not agreeing to enter the palace; he should have feigned illness and stayed home.
At least if they had chosen a different route into the palace, they might not have been caught in the middle and put in such a difficult position.
"Ming'e, can't you just talk things out? This is so unsightly." Looking at the slap mark on Shen Ming'e's face, Shen Mingrong couldn't help but sigh.
"Even if I were to speak properly, she'd need to be able to understand me. Look at her arrogant attitude; she acts like she's no longer Consort Shu but the Empress..."
Shen Ming'e was so angry that she wanted to fight Liu Wenxin. She had no good feelings towards her at all, so she spoke only to feel good, regardless of what she said.
Shen Mingrong quickly covered her mouth, "Don't say it!"
As soon as she finished speaking, footsteps came from the passageway ahead. The two of them quickly stepped aside to avoid it. Jiang Wang knew about the Shen family's little tricks these past few days, and also knew that someone from the Shen family was going to enter the palace. But judging from what she just said, could it be that Liu Wenxin had some problem?
"Down!" The eunuch's soft voice rang out as the emperor's palanquin landed. Jiang Wang stood up, dusted off his clothes, and said, "Are you women from the Shen family?"
Upon hearing this, the two quickly straightened up and bowed.
"Your Majesty, I, Lady Shen, wife of the heir of the Duke of Rongguo's mansion, greet Your Majesty!"
"This humble woman, Shen Ba Niang, greets Your Majesty!"
Jiang Wang glanced at the two of them. He hadn't seen the wife of the heir of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, Madam Shen, much, but he did have some impression of this eighth daughter of the Shen family. It seemed that she had a pretty good relationship with that girl.
"No need for formalities." Jiang Wang nodded calmly. "Have you visited Consort Shu?"
Both of their expressions froze at the mention of Consort Shu.
Shen Mingrong reacted quickly and replied, "Your Majesty, my sister and I have already met with Consort Shu."
Jiang Wang twirled the jade thumb ring on his thumb, sighed softly, and hummed in agreement, saying nothing more.
Seeing the emperor's carriage gradually disappear into the distance, the two sisters finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
After leaving the palace, Shen Mingrong instructed, "Remember this lesson from now on. You must never let your guard down in the palace. Who knows when the things you said to Consort Shu in the Hehuan Hall today might have reached His Majesty or the Empress Dowager's ears?"
After this incident, Shen Ming'e realized her mistake and sighed inwardly, "I understand."
Seeing her like this, Shen Mingrong thought that before she got married, the only sisters in her family she could talk to were Shen Mingzhuang and Shen Ming'e. Therefore, she felt a bit more affection for Shen Ming'e.
"Think about what I'm saying when you get back. Whatever Liu Wenxin did in the past is in the past. Now she's tied to the Shen family. If what she did gets out, the Shen family won't have a good ending either. Do you want to see that then?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Ming'e shivered.
She hadn't thought about all these twists and turns; she just felt that Liu Wenxin had acted improperly, and therefore felt annoyed and wanted to teach her a lesson. Who would have thought that it would involve so much?
The two sisters, Shen Mingrong and Shen Ming'e, parted ways at the city gate. "When you get back, please give my regards to Grandmother. You shouldn't mention this matter to her, so as not to worry her."
After all, she was her own grandmother. Although Shen Mingrong knew that she couldn't win over the family honor in her heart, blood was thicker than water, and she didn't want her to be upset by this matter.
These words were exactly what Shen Ming'e wanted to hear.
She was trying to figure out how to ask Shen Mingrong to keep it a secret for her. If this got back to her family, she was afraid she would be punished by the family rules!
"Fifth Sister, don't worry, I know everything."
Shen Mingrong was quite suspicious of this, but ultimately said nothing more and got into the carriage back to the Rongguo Duke's Mansion.
The current Crown Prince Lu Chengye was reading in his study when he heard that Shen Mingrong had returned. He washed his hands and went to the main room.
As soon as I entered the house, I smelled a faint scent of roses. This is the calming incense that my wife likes to burn when she is troubled. The scent is clear and pleasant, and the fragrance lingers around my nose, like the damp bluestone slabs and roses blooming after the rain, which makes me feel relaxed.
"What happened?"
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