The coachman and the other guard turned green with disgust upon hearing this, and were even more disgusted when they saw Tinglan's miserable state.
Beneath Black Owl's nonchalant, boyish grin lay a hint of keen interest.
His new master seems quite interesting. She is still the bandit that the world despises, but not the bandit that the world thinks she is. Her decisive and ruthless style of doing things suits his taste.
Seven days later.
Two guards dragged the half-dead, disheveled Greenie and Tinglan into Prince Su's mansion and headed straight for Consort Jia's Dianxiang Pavilion.
That evening, the two concubines and four mistresses of the Prince's mansion were summoned to Ningxi Hall by Consort Xiao.
Consort Xiao was nearly forty years old. She had gentle features and a quiet temperament. At first glance, she appeared so gentle and soft that she had no aggression whatsoever.
She wore a dark blue Shu embroidered silk robe with gold thread, her hands, which were well-maintained and delicate, were covered with five-treasure nail guards, and she held a string of dark red sandalwood prayer beads in her hand. Her gentle features carried an air of impending death and a deliberate reclusion from the world.
Two concubines and four mistresses sat below the hall, but all four of them were secretly glancing at Consort Jia, looking like they were waiting to see a good show.
Consort Jia was born with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and her expression carried a ruggedness and pride that befitted a woman from the martial arts world.
Seeing that Consort Jia remained as disrespectful as ever in front of the Dowager Consort, Wang Mama's slanted, triangular eyes were filled with displeasure.
"Do you know why I summoned you here?" Empress Xiao finally stopped what she was doing and gently placed the exquisitely carved Buddhist beads on her lap.
Concubine Xi Ningshang chuckled and covered her mouth with a coquettish smile, saying, "Of course it's for Consort Jia. I heard that Consort Jia tried to intimidate the new princess but ended up getting her leg kicked by a horse and getting covered in mud."
"They're all birds of a feather, pretending to be good people and magnanimous here," Consort Jia retorted immediately, not willing to suffer any loss. "I heard from those two maids that the bandit is full of thuggishness, extremely vulgar, and will shout for violence at the slightest disagreement. I hope you can still laugh after she enters the manor."
Upon hearing this, the concubines' expressions froze, and their smiles faded.
They grew up in the inner chambers of the household, unafraid of any scheming or ruthless individuals, only fearing unpredictable and unruly troublemakers. This new princess, a fearless bandit from a humble background, was clearly exactly that kind of troublemaker.
"Insolence!" Empress Dowager Xiao, hearing their increasingly outrageous remarks, gripped her prayer beads tightly, her face cold and furious. Her clear voice was devoid of warmth or gentleness, instead harsh and grating: "The bandits you speak of are the Empress Dowager's savior, the Princess Consort of Prince Su, personally summoned by the Emperor, and Princess Chonghe, whose status has been announced to the world. Her identity is a hundred times more noble than any of you present here. How dare you look down on her?"
"Mother, please calm down. I know I was wrong."
Upon hearing this, the concubines paused for a moment, then quickly pretended to be obedient and knelt down to apologize.
Although Consort Xiao was not the Ninth Prince's biological mother, she had raised him for over a decade, which is why she now lived in the Prince Su's residence like a Buddha. If she were to truly try to control someone, the Ninth Prince might not necessarily side with them.
Seeing this, Granny Wang snorted coldly and immediately put on a smug and arrogant expression.
Empress Dowager Xiao's expression remained unchanged, her lowered eyelids concealing the ruthlessness in her eyes. She then began to twirl the prayer beads in her hand, her voice still clear and rigid: "I, too, have been through this before, and I know the entanglements in your hearts. But let me remind you, she is a person bestowed by imperial decree, someone who has been seen by all under heaven. If she cannot enter the Prince's residence unscathed, the Ninth Prince will be implicated, and the Prince Su's residence will be affected. Even if you disregard yourselves and the Prince Su's residence, you should at least consider your own nine generations of relatives!"
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