A short while later, Prince Jing entered with a group of maids and servants.
Upon seeing this, everyone hurriedly rose to greet her. The princess smiled at Prince Jing.
"Would a shower help relieve some fatigue?"
Before Prince Jing could speak, Ning Chunlin, who was quite drunk, knelt down directly before him.
"Father, you must be my father, I'm your son!"
Seeing Ning Chunlin's state, Prince Jing frowned and looked at the Princess. The Princess, knowing he was suppressing his anger, quickly gestured to her servant to help Ning Chunlin up.
"Chunlin, let's talk about it after we finish eating."
After the princess finished speaking, Ning Chunlin was still muttering something under his breath. No one had the mind to argue with a drunkard, so they ignored him.
Prince Jing waved to the crowd.
"Alright, everyone, please take your seats. Sorry to keep you all waiting. Let's begin the meal."
As soon as he sat down, the princess picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and gave it to Prince Jing.
"Your Highness, please try this dish. It was made by Madam Jiang. It's sweet and sour and very delicious. Even I, who don't usually like meat, can't put my mouth down after eating it."
Prince Jing nodded, picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork from his bowl, and took a bite. A crisp "crunch" followed by a pungent, sour smell that made him cough a few times. Then came the sweet and sour taste, which Prince Jing found quite intriguing.
"Good, this meat is cooked well, I like it!"
The princess smiled.
"This Madam Jiang is not only a good cook, but also a very good doctor. She is also very capable of managing the shop and the household. Since her family moved to Prince Jing's mansion, they have really helped me a lot, and I can now have much less to worry about."
Prince Jing found this strange. No matter how good Lady Jiang was, she was still an outsider. Why was his princess unwilling to let the eldest son's wife help manage the household affairs?
Thinking this through, Prince Jing glanced at Madam Sun sitting next to Ning Chunlin, then looked away. The Princess noticed the change in Prince Jing's expression and, while smiling, poured him tea and chatted casually:
"Your Highness, how did you feel about your time with General Ning in the military camp this time?"
Prince Jing was pleased to hear his wife mention Ning Huaizhi.
"General Ning is indeed a young talent. He is brave and resourceful. He can personally go into battle to fight the enemy and also retreat unscathed. It is no exaggeration to say that he has the ability to fight a hundred enemies at once. This victory is also thanks to General Ning's timely rescue and good cooperation with me. This time we turned defeat into victory!"
With that, Prince Jing picked up his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.
"If the person His Majesty sent to the border this time had not been General Ning, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to come back alive."
Hearing Prince Jing's words, Ning Huaizhi quickly stood up, picked up his wine cup, and toasted Prince Jing.
"Your Highness, you flatter us. The victory in this battle is still due to your skillful command. Only in this way can we sit here safely. I toast you with this glass of wine!"
Having said that, he drank it all in one gulp.
Seeing this, Prince Jing also quickly picked up his wine cup, raised his hand to Ning Huaizhi, and downed it in one gulp.
Seeing the harmonious interaction between the two, the princess was secretly pleased, knowing that Prince Jing truly appreciated Ning Huaizhi's abilities.
However, seeing Prince Jing drinking cup after cup of wine, the princess was worried that he might drink too much and delay important matters, and she was also worried that Prince Jing was now too old to drink so much.
Of course, the princess could understand that Prince Jing was naturally upset after learning that Consort Lin had cheated on him, and he might want to drown his sorrows in alcohol. However, as the princess, she still wanted to offer him some words of comfort.
"Your Highness, please drink less. You've just returned and need to rest for a while. If you drink too much, you'll suffer tomorrow."
Then, the princess looked at everyone and smiled:
"We're all family, so there's no need to be so polite. Let's just drink and enjoy ourselves. There's no need for all this toasting. It'll make everyone more comfortable."
At this moment, Madam Sun couldn't care less about anything else. She had personally witnessed that Prince Jing treated Ning Huaizhi much better than Ning Chunlin, which made her even more uncertain.
Looking at Ning Huaizhi's upright and dignified appearance, and then at Ning Chunlin's hopeless and incompetent state, Madam Sun felt unbalanced.
Just now, the princess only praised Jiang Yuwei for her competence, but didn't mention her own merits at all. The more Madam Sun thought about it, the more indignant she became. So she quickly nudged Ning Chunlin's arm and whispered:
"What are you standing there for? Ning Huaizhi has already toasted the Prince, and all you're doing is drinking!"
Ning Chunlin was already quite drunk, and when he saw that Sun Shi, who never dared to disobey him, was actually disgusted with him, he stood up and slapped Sun Shi across the face.
The people who were eating were stunned for a moment, then turned to look at the two of them.
Only then did Prince Jing notice the bruises on Madam Sun's face upon closer inspection. Seeing how practiced Ning Chunlin's actions had been, he realized he must have beaten his wife frequently. He couldn't help but think his son was a good-for-nothing coward.
"Ning Chunlin, what are you doing? If you're really capable, go to the battlefield to fight the enemy and defend the country. What are you doing showing off at home!"
Startled by Prince Jing's roar, Ning Chunlin trembled and immediately turned around, kneeling upright before the prince.
"I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry..."
Prince Jing was even more furious when he saw his spineless attitude.
"Look at you, you wretched creature! Where is the backbone of my Prince Jing's mansion? I never imagined that my Prince Jing's son would be such a coward who only knows how to beat his wife!"
Seeing Prince Jing scolding Ning Chunlin so angrily, Chen Guixiang felt uncomfortable. So she quickly got up and ran to Ning Chunlin's side, wanting to help him up.
Old Man Ning could no longer stop him. He was now carefully watching the changes in Prince Jing's expression, and his palms were already covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.
Jiang Yuwei observed the reactions of everyone present and found it quite amusing.
Just as Prince Jing was about to give the good-for-nothing Ning Chunlin a good scolding, an old woman came up to help him to his feet, and Prince Jing's brows furrowed immediately.
"Who are you? How dare you!"
Upon hearing Prince Jing's words, Chen Guixiang trembled with fear, then forced herself to look at him and say:
“Your Highness, this is your own son. You should at least give him some face. Although I didn’t give birth to him, I raised him, and I feel sorry for him.”
Prince Jing slammed his hand on the table.
"When did it become your place to interrupt me in disciplining my son?"
As he spoke, Prince Jing looked at the Princess and asked,
"Your Highness, who exactly is this person?"
The princess looked at Chen Guixiang and sneered.
"It was she and Old Man Ning who raised Ning Chunlin."
Upon hearing this, Prince Jing suppressed his anger and looked at Chen Guixiang.
"I know it wasn't easy for you to raise your eldest son, and I know you feel sorry for him, but no one is allowed to interfere when I'm disciplining my son. You may leave now!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com