Settle old scores and report revenge

  Li Xiu was indeed dissatisfied, and punitively bit her ear, asking: "Why is it that every time you see me, you look like a mouse seeing a cat?"

  As if in a dream, she thought, "His Highness is of noble birth, what am I compared to him? How dare I aspire to be with him?" This guy had so many wicked deeds in the past, yet he still couldn't escape the teasing of fate and ended up marrying her. Even now, she was still in a dreamlike state. The distance between them was like heaven and earth, yet they became husband and wife, it's too unbelievable.

  Li Xiao turned over, holding her in his arms, and reached out to pinch her tender cheek. "Do you know when I started having ideas about you?"

  As if awakened by a yawn, after a period of exercise, another long "bed talk" came again, and sleepiness also came, so I asked while yawning: "When?"

  "From the moment I found that palace flower on your head."

  As if I had forgotten, "But later on, I got engaged to the Xiang family, didn't I?"

  "Yes, so I'm still a bit regretful." He thought of the news he had heard at that time and felt depressed again.

  "Was it just because of that palace flower that you noticed me?"

  "No." Li Xiao said, "A long time ago, you mistakenly took Jiang Yunran for Zhiyi and poured out your apologies, only to suddenly discover that it wasn't Zhiyi himself. You turned your face faster than turning a page. Especially when you were originally a wild monkey-like person, but still pretended to be a gentle lady. From then on, I noticed you."

  It's been a long time since childhood, and memories have become blurred. However, it seems that she was only a few years old at that time, so why did he start paying attention to her so early?

  "If I really care about you, it's because of the momentum when you threw a stick at me, with an aura that swept across thousands of troops like a tiger's vigor. From then on, your figure was imprinted in my heart."

  As if I had hummed a tune, there was an indescribable aftertaste, with pride and vanity, but also the pretentiousness of a dead duck's hard mouth, "But later you pretended not to recognize me."

  Li Xiu loudly protested his innocence, "At Qing Chang Hou Fu, the sky was dark, and I didn't take a closer look at that time. Later, didn't I recognize you? Who knew that little girl would grow up to be so stunningly beautiful?" To show that what he said was true, he specially pinched her cheek, and with a flirtatious tone, touched the softness that made him yearn endlessly.

  The man's palm had a thin callus, which was slightly rough on the skin, but she didn't mind this touch at all. A subtle thrill made her lean gently into his arms. "Later in Datong, you bullied me terribly."

  Li Xiao coughed lightly and said with a straight face, "Can you blame me? Who told you to always look so gloomy whenever we meet?" He refused to admit that his strong and noble prince's self-esteem had been hurt.

  As if crying and laughing at the same time, "You're so boring. The reason I'm afraid of you is that you've done too many evil things before."

  "Do I have it?" Someone refused to admit.

  "You still have the nerve not to admit it." As she enumerated his evil deeds, "You ran amok on horseback and injured my grandmother, bullied me with your powerful connections, in Datong you spoke ill of me in front of my brother, always loved to bully me, even blocked my way on the street, and... and... caught you sneaking into a brothel."

  Li Xiang's face turned pale and white, and upon hearing her say this, it seemed as if he was indeed very wicked...

  But seeing his little wife still wanting to argue, he quickly turned over, pressed her under his body, and kissed her lips. "Can't sleep? Then let's do something else."

  As if out of breath, she instinctively pushed him away, yet secretly looked forward to it, and after pushing a few times, she half-pushed and half-accepted him. But thinking of the various bullying she had suffered before, she felt unfair and indignantly said: "Hateful, just love to bully people."

  It's unclear whether it was a complaint or a tantrum, but his voice was soft and weak, as if something fluffy was scratching an itch, Li Xun's blood boiled over, his waist sank, and a burst of energy surged forward, like a lovesick sigh, while he was still shouting angrily, his hands were pinching his back in frustration...

  After a spring rain, as if lazy and languid, leaning on Li Xun's broad chest, "Did you go to the Yang residence today?"

  Li Xijie was silent for a while, and finally answered his little wife's question from out of the blue, "Yes, I met Yang Qitai at Tianxiang Building, and we chatted for a bit. In the heat of the moment, I also accepted an invitation to visit the Yangs' home."

  Why bother explaining it so clearly?

  "Meng Geer told me he dislikes that Yang girl."

  Li Xiao was taken aback, "Did he really say that?"

  As if hummed a sound, "children's words are innocent." Meng Ge said that Yang Qining is not very good to him, but he is exceptionally good to Li Xiao, so that even a small child feels disgusted, enough to prove how revealing this Yang family girl is.

  But strangely enough, Li Xi had already married her, so wouldn't she give up by now?

  Li Xiao was usually a clever person, but at this time he was also rough and didn't understand the inner turmoil of Li Qing. He just said: "I reckon it's the strong perfume on Yang's body that has affected Meng Ge. You should restrain yourself and not let the smell in the house be too strong."

  As if: "......"

  Li Xiao said: "Tomorrow is the 28th, and there will be a banquet in the mansion. I'm sure you'll have your hands full, so go to bed early."

  Is it too late now that I've finally realized my mistake?

  But somehow, she still felt that there was a question that hadn't been asked, yet couldn't think of it at the moment. It wasn't until late at night when the man beside her started snoring softly that she suddenly remembered the question that had been deeply hidden in her mind all along. She pushed the sleeping man beside her and asked, "The Empress Dowager is indeed very skilled at managing people, but why was my wedding day still filled with so many troubles?"

  Li Xiang was suddenly woken up, and grumbled, but Ruyin questioned him to the bottom, with a fierce momentum, pinching his face. "Say it, say it, if you don't say it, you won't be able to sleep tonight." This guy is too evil, her small universe exploded.

  Li Xian woke up from her nap, feeling annoyed and somewhat angry. She turned over and pressed the other person under her body, speaking in a vague tone, "What did you say?"

  "...Miao Yin, the rules of the Wang Fu are strict and clear, why would a servant still dare to give me attitude?" If it were done secretly, that would be one thing, but the problem is that it was done openly and brazenly, without any fear.

  Li Xiao yawned, "What else can I do? You're just jealous of me!" Miao Yin was indeed reckless and arrogant, but no one had instructed her to do so. She simply overestimated herself. Of course, there were people who secretly manipulated her and used her as a pawn.

  How could such vicious words be spoken without any shame, and yet she was so enraged that she pinched and grasped his chest. Li Xiao caught her hand and said angrily: "In the middle of the night, do you still want to sleep? If not, we can do something else."

  As usual, she was a bit of a bully at home, but also afraid of being taken advantage of by the strong and weak. Seeing Li Xizhen get angry, she didn't dare to be presumptuous anymore. Although she was dissatisfied in her heart, she had to shut up. She got up, put on her belly wrap, wore her undergarments, and cursed silently in her heart countless times: this bandit, the worst of the worst...

  Li Xizheng was about to fall asleep, when he suddenly felt a chill. It turned out that his little wife had pulled the quilt over herself and snuggled into the corner of the bed. He couldn't help but feel both annoyed and amused, so he reached out with one hand and scooped up his little wife, quilt and all, pulling her back into his arms. At first she struggled hard, but in the end she was no match for his strength. Once again wrapped in his arms, she muttered: "Big bad egg, evil overlord, robber."

  Li Xiangyu pinched her sensitive spot, causing her body to shrink, "Good girl, go to sleep. Miao Yin has already been driven out of the house anyway. And besides, the person who stirred up trouble has also been caught by you. Don't worry about it anymore."

  She raised her head with a hint of emotion, "You mean... but can the original consort do that?" Such a foolish person, using such a stupid method to try and capture a man's heart, is really foolish.

  Li Xiu's eyebrows slightly raised, her mouth opened and closed, but in the end she didn't say anything. She just held him tighter, "If you don't sleep now, be careful that tomorrow you won't be able to get up." It had only been over ten days since their wedding, and he could already list all of his wife's bad habits, one of which was loving to sleep, being fond of sleeping, and also greedy for sleep. If she hadn't woken up properly, not only would she have a bad temper, but she would also give him attitude.

  On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Wang family gave their servants a one-day holiday. Except for those on duty, everyone gathered in the front courtyard to eat a big meal and distributed some New Year's goods, which was considered an advance celebration for the servants. On the twenty-ninth day, they swept the courtyards, cleaned up the sacrificial vessels, and prepared to offer sacrifices to their ancestors and various spirits.

  The queen personally presides over the worship of the stove god, receives the god of wealth, sends off the household, and makes a round of sacrifices. Chickens are killed and sheep are slaughtered to offer sacrifices to people, gods, and ghosts. Everyone is busy with their feet not touching the ground. Next, couplets are pasted up, door gods are replaced, plaques are hung, and new peach talismans are put up.

  From the main gate, ceremonial gate, grand hall, warm pavilion, inner hall, inner three gates, and even the innermost gate, all the way to the main hall, on both sides of the stairs, hung a uniform crimson red lantern with a high-intensity lamp inside. Everyone was busy from top to bottom, and she was exhausted, her feet aching, although she didn't need to lift a finger herself. However, using her brain excessively from dawn till dusk, even the privilege of taking a nap in her chambers during the day was cancelled. She sighed again: Who said being a princess was all about wearing gold and silver, eating delicious food and drinking fine wine? These days, she didn't go out, didn't visit relatives or friends, wore her hair in simple buns, and only adorned herself with a simple hairpin and a single flower on her head. Even her forehead decoration had changed from an elaborate gemstone to a delicate gold chain with a small pearl pendant, looking extremely simple and convenient for doing things.

  It wasn't until the afternoon that she finally had a chance to rest, and originally wanted to take a short nap to recharge. However, just as she lay down on the bed, Yuqin came in with a dark face, gently calling out to Ruxi, "Your Highness, Madame Feng has something to see you about."

  As soon as she was woken up, her temper flared up. She had to take care of Old Master Wang and the old lady, attend to the elderly, manage the younger ones, and still couldn't complain. Now even the nurse by Old Master Wang's side came to bother her, she said: "Let her come later, can't you see I'm taking a nap?"

  Yuqin saw Ruxue's unhappy expression and hastily explained, "I also replied to her like this, but she blamed me instead, saying I was bullying her with my status and said many unpleasant things. I had no choice but to come and inform the princess."

  At this, the lazy maid woke up and scolded lightly: "You useless thing. You are my personal maid, who wouldn't give you some respect? But instead, a concubine has got you under her control. Go out and show off your dignity as a senior maid, tell Concubine Feng that I am resting and can't be disturbed."

  Yuqin nodded and went out, but she couldn't sleep anymore. She got out of bed, put on her shoes and cloak, and Yuqin rushed in again, angrily: "Princess, Feng Niangniang said that if you don't see her, she will go to Old Master Wang's place to make a fuss, saying that you, Princess, have withheld the allowance for her courtyard. Please invite Old Master Wang to preside over this matter."

  She put down the comb, let out a cold laugh: "She still has the nerve to come ask me for silver rice? Well, some people just don't know when to cry until they see the coffin. You go tell her, the dirty things she's been doing in secret have already been found out by Old Master Wang. If she doesn't want to lose that old face of hers, she can go ahead and accuse me." If she were smart, she'd know when to quit while she's ahead. Moreover, this Concubine Feng has long since fallen out of favor, so even if she didn't hold a grudge and gave out the full amount of silver rice, that would be doing justice to her own conscience. And yet she still dares to put on airs.

  Yuqin left, and it was unclear how to speak, but the sound of Feng Niang's wailing could be heard from inside, "...After all, I've spent most of my life in the Wang Mansion, giving birth to children for Old Master Wang, but now I'm worse off than a poor household. What's the point of me living? I might as well die..." Immediately after, there was another burst of shocked cries and persuasions, Yuqin felt his forehead twitching, unable to bear it any longer, and strode out, only to see Feng Niang being held back by the maids, wailing with a dirty mouth, looking like she wanted to crash into the pillar.

  With an icy gaze, he stood by and watched, neither speaking nor offering any consolation, his face twisted in a mocking smile.

  That Phoenix Auntie's usual trick was to make a scene, but now she just coldly faced him without saying a word. After causing a commotion for a while, she too felt it was pointless and sulkily gave up. She glared at the servant holding her and shouted loudly: "What are you grabbing me for? Let me go!"

  After gaining freedom, Feng Niang shouted sharply and accused, "The princess is now not what she used to be. When the elders came, they couldn't even enter the door. The Fang family really lives up to its reputation of being a family of poetry and books. It turns out that this is how you treat your elders."

  Feng Niang said, "I don't dare to accept this. You are someone from the king's quarters, how did you end up here causing trouble? If the old king finds out, it won't be good. To avoid suspicion, Feng Niang should return to her own quarters."

  "Feng Niangniang's face turned red with rage as she shouted: 'You, you dare to treat me like this? I am also a member of the old Wangye's household, the birth mother of Qing'an Princess. You, a lowly and impoverished person, dare to be so presumptuous in front of me.'"

  Rou Yu looked around and smiled lightly: "Aunt Feng, who is the broken household you mentioned?"

  Feng Niang stayed, she indeed scolded Ruo Qing, but if she really wanted to make this statement come true, she wouldn't have the guts. No matter what, Ruo Qing is a noble princess, while Feng Niang is just an imperial concubine of the old king, and can't be beaten or scolded.

  "Look at Madame Feng, she's so angry! Who made you so upset? You ran all the way here to my place, almost dying. It's a big festival today, let's just calm down. If Old Master Wang finds out, it'll be unlucky."

  Phoenix Aunt was so angry that she couldn't speak, she wanted to scold Ruoqing for not showing respect to her, but Ruoqing just kept smiling and talking, making it impossible for her to find a chance to scold him.

  "Then what does Madame Feng want with me?"

  Madam Feng suddenly remembered her purpose and snorted, "The princess has just taken charge of the household, but she doesn't take me seriously. Not only did she deduct my allowance, but also let her subordinates humiliate me repeatedly. I came today to ask the princess for justice." With an attitude that wouldn't back down until her goal was achieved.

  "Phoenix Auntie, what are you talking about? According to the rules of the Wang Mansion, Phoenix Auntie's monthly allowance of 5 taels of silver has always been given on time. Could it be that Phoenix Auntie hasn't received it?"

  "Feng Yiniang suddenly shouted: 'Five taels of silver are not enough, what a joke! Isn't there still the New Year's money at the end of the year? All the other yinis have it, why don't I?'"

  "What I said is, it was all for this." With a still smiling face, she invited Madame Feng to sit down in the inner room and ordered tea to be served. Only then did she say: "I knew you would come to me for silver rewards, but there are rules in this household that I, as a newcomer, cannot easily change. Look at this... all these are the mistakes you made throughout the year. Big mistakes deduct 20 taels of silver, small mistakes deduct 5 taels, disobedience deducts 5 taels, and so on, including disobeying the mistress, harming the concubine, instigating, gossiping, etc., all recorded in black and white... After deducting this and that, there's nothing left. So, Madame Feng coming to me for New Year's money really puts me in a difficult position."

  Phoenix Aunt snatched the book, the more she looked, the darker her face became. In a certain year and month, she instigated Lotus Aunt and Road Aunt to fight, resulting in Road Aunt almost ruining her appearance and committing the crime of inciting a fight, deducting 5 taels of silver. On a certain day in a certain year and month, she spoke nonsense in front of Princess Qing'an, deducting 5 taels of silver. On a certain day in a certain year and month, she offended the Imperial Consort, provoking her extreme anger, deducting 5 taels of silver... Countless examples like these added up, Aunt's annual allowance of 300 taels of silver was deducted to nothing.

  The tone was very gentle, "Aunt Feng, you must be careful, is there a mistake on this? If it's wrong, we'll find the king and queen as well as other servants to verify one by one. We can't wrong Aunt Feng."

  Phoenix Aunt's face turned extremely ugly, she had indeed done many bad things, but it was a long time ago and she couldn't even remember them herself. Now looking at the detailed records in front of her, it seemed that she really had done those things.

  However, she had been in the palace for many years and had never heard of a concubine being punished by having her name recorded in a book, let alone being fined and deducted from her New Year's silver award. In previous years, she was able to receive 300 taels of silver, it didn't make sense that this year it was all deducted.

  She burst into a cold laugh, "And you, Princess, don't always use these things to control me with imperial orders. When has there ever been a rule in this estate about deducting silver? I'm afraid it's the princess who is privately withholding my silver and rice."

  With a helpless wave of her hand, "The servants in the mansion are given their year-end silver according to the rules: those who have merit are rewarded, and those who have faults are punished. I am also acting according to the rules. If Madam Feng is not satisfied, she can go and ask the Empress Dowager, and see how the Empress Dowager will deal with it."

  "Feng Niangniang said with a hateful tone: 'She has never liked me, and now you're constantly humiliating me. She must be secretly laughing at me. Will she still uphold justice for me?' As she spoke, she slammed her hand on the table and became unreasonable. 'I don't care, today if you don't give me the annual silver, I won't leave.'"

  Yuqin and several others were so angry that they glared at her with their eyes, but Feng Niang ignored her, sitting in the chair as if she had already decided to take Yuqin's side.

  "Does Madam Feng really want to use these tricks on me?"

  Phoenix Aunt saw her face fall, also had a few points of fear, but now it's all like this, can only gritted teeth and said: "Anyway, I'm also being forced to desperation. Queen Wang really wants to force me, no matter what, I'll just die by hitting my head against the wall. It's just pitiful for my Qian'er, at a young age she has lost her mother. In the future, who knows how much sorrow there will be."

  As soon as she rolled her eyes, on the left was a sentence about Princess Qing'an, and on the right was a sentence about Li Qiang. It seemed that as long as she mentioned Princess Qing'an's great name, this princess would have to lower her head and obey.

  But with such a shameless person, I can be even more shameless than her.

  "......Lady Feng, this is indeed the prince's bedroom, are you sure you want to stay here?"

  Feng Yiniang was startled, Li Xiu was still quite afraid of her, looking around everywhere, but unfortunately she was not familiar with Longxianju, and today she came here only to ask for silver. Being invited into the house by Ruqing, she didn't pay close attention, and indeed this house neither looked like a flower hall nor a side hall, it really looked like a bedroom.

  Madam Feng's face suddenly changed, and she stood up abruptly, pointing her finger sternly: "You... you dare to scheme against me?" Even though she relied on her daughter's power, she knew that as a concubine of the old king, she had actually gone to the eldest son's bedroom and refused to leave. If Li Xiao or the old king found out, it would be a disaster.

  It's too humiliating, and he unknowingly brought her to Li Xiao's bedroom. If someone saw them, it would be terrible.

  "Phoenix Auntie, please don't say that. Ruyi is after all a newcomer and isn't very familiar with the rules of the mansion. But Phoenix Auntie is an old hand in the mansion and knows its rules inside out. If Ruyi unintentionally offended you, please don't hold it against me because I'm just a junior."

  Feng Yiniang's nose was crooked with anger, this person is really too detestable, designing her, she can't even get angry. Otherwise, it would be bullying a newcomer. But if it just ends like this, where will she put her old face? Before she came, she had promised the maids that she would definitely make things difficult for Ruyi, but now, not only did she fail to make Ruyi lose a single hair, but also got herself into trouble for no reason, and could only swallow her anger, it was really suffocating her.

  As if sensing something, she reached out to touch the golden chain on her forehead, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips. Her eyes turned gentle as she glanced at Linglong, who was standing by her side. Linglong indeed lived up to her name, and immediately spoke with respect: "Your Highness, it's getting late, and His Highness is probably going to return soon. Should we prepare hot water for him according to the usual routine?" In fact, Li Xiong, despite being known as the King of Jing, was actually a person who didn't like to bother with details. Unlike ordinary people who would take two baths a day regardless of the weather, Li Xiong was extremely lazy and wouldn't even bathe once every three days, which was already considered not bad for him.

  "Can't you see I have guests here? Put the hot water aside for now, and when Wang Ye returns, don't let him in either. No matter how close we are, after all, men and women must be separate, or it will tarnish Madame Feng's reputation."

  Feng Yiniang was so angry that she spat blood, staring at Ruoqing with a mixture of anger and helplessness, seeing Ruoqing still looking polite and humble, but also like a punching bag, she felt dizzy and weak, as if her fists were hitting cotton.

  Before marrying into the Wang family, Zhi Li brothers had inquired about the character of each person in the Wang family. Although Feng Niang, who had lost favor and was married off to many places, was not a concern, if they didn't give her a severe warning, she would be subdued, and if she came up with evil intentions from time to time, secretly causing trouble, it would be fatal. It's better to take advantage of the situation and severely punish her, making her never dare to provoke her again.

  Yu Ruojin said: "The sky is getting late, are you going to have dinner here, Auntie?"

  Feng Yini heard that they were being asked to leave, and guessed that Li Xiao would be back soon too. She didn't dare stay any longer, so she said a few harsh words before leaving.

  "Quickly, Linglong, take the register and record this: on the 28th of December in the lunar calendar of Qingyuan year 7, Madame Feng forcibly entered Lord Wang's Longxian residence, first making a scene and then speaking ill words. Furthermore, she lingered in Lord Wang's bedchamber, which is a stain on her womanly virtue. At the end of next year, deduct 15 taels of silver from her reward."

  Feng Yiniang took a step back, suddenly turned around, and stared at Rong Yu with anger in her eyes: "Rong Yu, how dare you be so rude to me?"

  "Madam Feng, please forgive me. This rule was personally set by the Imperial Concubine, and as a daughter-in-law, I must follow it. It's just a matter of following procedure. If you're not satisfied, Madam Feng, you can appeal to the Imperial Concubine. And if you think the Imperial Concubine is being unfair, you can report me to the Old Master for falsely accusing you."

  Feng Niang was so angry that she spat blood, but no matter how unreasonable or reasonable she was, she couldn't get the better of Ruhua, and instead got herself entangled in a mess of confusing affairs. Even if she could appeal, Old Master Wang had already grown tired of her, who would bother to listen to her? This time, she had to swallow this breath whether she liked it or not.

  "Alright, alright, Fang Ruyi, you really have guts. We'll wait and see." Phoenix Aunt knew that staying any longer would only lead to more trouble, so she could only leave early, but she couldn't swallow her pride. After leaving a harsh warning, she stormed off with the energy of a raging bull. Before leaving, she deliberately knocked over the maid who was holding a bowl of steaming hot green rice porridge, shattering the delicate white ceramic bowl with the design of magpies on plum blossoms into pieces.

  She coldly stared at Linglong and shouted, "Take note, on the same day, Concubine Feng deliberately broke the jade porridge bowl that was used to cook porridge for Wang Ye. Although it's a royal grain, there wasn't much of it, so this time we'll let it pass. However, the new official kiln's 'Joyful Magpie Perched on Plum Blossom' ceramic bowl is worth 12 taels of silver on the market. Deduct 12 taels of silver from Concubine Feng's allowance."

  Feng Yiniang was so angry that she couldn't catch her breath, and turned around with a red face, "You..."

  Although she didn't care about the matter, she turned to Yuan Fugui's family and said: "Even though the Wang family is big and powerful, breaking a cup or dropping a teacup may not be worth much money, but it's also not acceptable to be so extravagant. In the elders' house, I am a junior and cannot interfere, but with those under me, I can definitely take charge. Yuan Mama, go and spread the word in each room that if anyone breaks another cup or damages any more items, they will have to compensate according to the price."

  Yuan Fula was also afraid of this smiling tiger queen and immediately responded with a bow.

  Phoenix Aunt's nose was crooked with anger, she turned around and rushed towards Ruoqing, pointing at her just as she was about to scold, but heard a sentence that made her soul fly away, "Phoenix Aunt, I've heard you've been relying on me not leaving my house, what guidance do you have?"

  The newcomer was Li Xiao, accompanied by the tranquil and elegant Princess Jing, who wore a light purple and golden double-colored brocade cloak. On her head, she had a small hairpin with five phoenixes and a jade pendant, and a small, delicate phoenix-shaped hairpin inserted at an angle. Alongside Li Xiao, they strode in with an air of grandeur, stopping five steps away from Madame Feng. The princess's expression was icy, her tone stern.

  Li Xiao's handsome face turned cold, his eyes fixed intently on Feng Niangniang. He glanced at the shattered porcelain bowl on the ground, and his expression darkened. Turning to the Empress Dowager, he said, "Mother, it seems that Feng Niangniang has many grievances against Your Majesty's daughter-in-law."

  As she curtsied before the empress dowager, her voice was soft and gentle, "Your Majesty, you've arrived just in time. Aunt Feng has barged into our house and refuses to leave, I really don't know what to do."

  Phoenix Aunt cursed in her heart, this little cheap person is really vicious, actually framing her like this. But she kept shouting grievances, unfortunately, the Empress had already abandoned her, and didn't listen to her words, with an impatient expression saying: "You're getting more and more shameless. What are you doing coming to Xiao Er's place? I knew you wanted to show off your seniority in front of the younger generation. You're not even worthy!" Then without another word, she ordered someone to escort Phoenix Aunt out, and commanded: "Let her go back and copy 'The Female Precepts' a hundred times. If she doesn't finish, don't think about taking half a step out of the courtyard."

  If Taifei were to deal with it in this way, Feng Niang would definitely argue again, but this time Li Xiao was also present, she had suffered at his hands before, and didn't dare to show off again. She wanted to cry out for injustice, but her mouth was covered by someone, all the words of begging for mercy were drowned out.

  Li Xiao also shouted at the outside servants: "From now on, whoever dares to let this person in to disturb the princess will be dragged out and beaten to death."

  The princess looked at Ru Xing with a sympathetic expression, "This Phoenix Concubine has always been reckless and unreasonable. Before, Qi'er's wife had not suffered less from her. Now she comes to bite you again, haven't you had enough of her temper?"

  "Thank you, Mother, for your concern. Aunt Feng is indeed... overbearing. However, as a senior, I'll endure and respect her."

  The princess smiled and said, "You really are a sensible child. You're indeed from a family of scholars, knowing how to behave properly and follow etiquette. Unlike some people..."

  With a humble bow, the words that Tai Fei didn't finish saying implied Feng Niangniang. This woman, who relied on being an official's daughter and whose father had once been a top scorer in the imperial examination and held office for several years, was demoted and lost her position due to the machinations of her colleagues. Her family's fortunes declined, but she still put on the airs of a poor scholar. Later, she entered the palace and became a palace maid for a few days, where she caught the eye of the previous emperor, who thought her looks were not bad, so he conferred upon her the title of Fourth-Rank Lady and gave her to Old Wangye as his concubine. Relying on having an imperial decree and being bestowed by the emperor, she was indeed glorious in the Jingwang Fu. Unfortunately, after giving birth to a daughter out of wedlock, she gradually lost favor, although her daughter continued to receive Old Wangye's affection, but she herself became increasingly disfavored. In the end, due to committing a serious error, Old Wangye took away her treatment as a concubine and only gave her the share of a mistress. This was also why, despite having the title of Consort, everyone in the mansion called her Feng Niangniang.

  ……

  After Taifei left, Li Xiang came forward with a smile and said: "How come you're back so early?" This guy is still in his honeymoon period, and now it's going to be New Year's again. For the time being, there's nothing urgent, but staying at home makes him restless. These two days he was preparing to be a kind father and give his sworn brother martial arts lessons.

  Li Xiao laughed and said, "Isn't it because I heard that Feng Niang came to find you trouble, so I hurried back to help you deal with her?" He stopped Ru Qing from helping him take off his clothes, "Don't be in a hurry, I still need to go out. What's going on, why did Feng Niang come to find you trouble all of a sudden?"

  "Isn't it because of the grudge against Wang Ye for kicking two ribs of the servant girl beside his daughter?"

  Li Xiao raised an eyebrow, sneering: "Doesn't know life or death? Does she think she's worthy?" Then to Ru Qing, he said: "Don't be polite to people like her. If she dares to provoke you again next time, just use your skills."

  Although delighted in her heart, she said, "What if Father King blames us?" Feng Niang had lost favor, but after all, she was still the concubine of Old Master Wang. How could one daughter-in-law bear to severely punish another?

  Li Xiao's mouth curled up, "I've got everything under control, what are you afraid of?"

  Ruqin's face was moved, "Wang Ye, you're really good. You always think of me." At this time, Ruqin was indeed moved, she couldn't even tell whether she was treating him as her superior or flattering him like a pillow.

  Li Xiao gently patted her face, "How are you going to repay your husband?"

  In front of the servant, the man's tone was filled with warmth and malice, making Rong blush uncontrollably. She pinched his waist and whispered, "Not serious at all."

  Li Xiao burst out laughing, he loved her even more with her pink face and shy demeanor. He couldn't help but pinch her cheek, still not satisfied, then hugged her slender waist off the ground, and kissed her face fiercely a few times before stopping.

  Li Xue walked away, it was already three quarters past the hour of Shen. As if she had lost all sleepiness, there was nothing to do for a while, and someone brought her a bowl of lotus seed porridge cooked with red glutinous rice.

  After Yu Xia led the order to leave, Yu Qin came to Ruxin's side and let out a sigh of relief: "Hmph, daring to rely on Princess Qing'an and show off her might? The queen finally killed her arrogance, it's really refreshing. Suddenly thinking of something, she looked around and whispered: "Is the queen avenging Xiangxiang sister?"

  With just one glance from her, this little girl is quite clever indeed.

  After a while, Xia brought porridge over, holding it as if it were precious, but she was speechless to the extreme.

  She knew that this red rice was like the green rice, only available to the imperial family or nobles. It tasted good and was rich in nutrients, able to nourish the body and supplement blood. However, the palace was too stingy, serving congee every day. Although the congee was indeed nutritious, she had already tried all sorts of flavors - duck congee, lean meat congee, lotus seed congee, swallow's nest congee... She had been in the palace for over ten days and had already eaten nearly ten different types of congee. At first, it was novel, but now, whenever she saw congee, she felt like crying...

  According to Yuan Fulaicai's family, many noble ladies in the capital drink porridge because it nourishes the body and is especially good for recuperation. Moreover, young ladies at home do not engage in physical labor and are prone to hunger, so their staple food is usually accompanied by porridge.

  This is called eating less and more meals, also known as balanced nutrition.

  But she's not an ordinary person, although she's short in stature, her appetite is huge. Although she doesn't do heavy work, her digestive function is particularly strong, and after eating three bowls of porridge, she gets hungry before lunchtime.

  The chef in the palace is really great, a bowl of lotus seed porridge was eaten clean in the blink of an eye, and my stomach feels empty to the touch, I guess it should be able to hold on until dinner time.

  Thinking that dinner was eaten early, and a lot of exercise had to be done at night, he called out to Yuqin, "You go and tell the kitchen that I want to eat rice for dinner tonight."

  Yuqin knew her own daughter's temperament and nodded in agreement.

  After a short rest, Yu Xia knew the queen's preferences and went to the next room to get some oranges. She sliced them thinly, put them on a plate, and warmed them up with hot water. While waiting for the oranges to warm up, Pin Lan chuckled and approached her, "Yu Xia sister, from my observations these past few days, the queen really likes eating fruit."

  She glanced at her and said, "That's natural. When we were at the Fang residence earlier, every time Miss went to Songhe Hall, Mother would instruct me to fetch the freshest seasonal fruits for Miss, cut them into thin slices, and serve them with iced water in summer and hot water in winter." Moreover, she remembered what fruits Miss loved to eat and would prepare them automatically without needing reminders from Miss. She would also slice the fruits thinly, making it easy for Miss to eat without getting her hands dirty.

  Pin Lan's face showed envy as she said, "No wonder the princess relies on you so heavily, it turns out that Sister Yu Xia understands the young lady's hobbies so well." She also saw Yu Xia take out a scalding hot plate and insert a silver chopstick, and couldn't help but ask, "Why do you need to heat it up? Doesn't the princess like eating cold food?"

  Yu Xia nodded and carried the plate towards the main house, suddenly discovering Pinlan following her. She stopped in her tracks and said: "Lung Xianju's rules are still to be followed, sister. Otherwise, you'll be caught by Mother Zhou and driven out."

  Pinlan didn't understand, "Rules? What rules? Sister Yu Xia, I don't get it, what rule did I break?"

  "You're the one standing guard outside, only responsible for reporting or passing on messages. The main house is not allowed to enter without permission." As for the management of Long Xianju's residence, it can be said that it was done with great care and effort. The maids were divided into three shifts, and there were maids on duty in the main house, secondary house, and outer courtyard. During their shift, they were not allowed to move around or slack off. Pinlan belonged to the outer house of Long Xianju's residence and did not have permission to even touch the edge of the second door of the main house, let alone enter and stand in front of Ruyi.

  Pinlan stopped in her tracks, a look of regret on her face as she watched Li Xiu stride into the main room from outside. After entering, he casually removed his cloak and gazed enviously at Yuqin, who was able to personally take it from him.

  Digression

  The atmosphere of Double Eleven has already begun to be overwhelming, in order to avoid the "ox cart delivery" phenomenon that appears after Double Eleven, I am preparing to start ahead of time. Ahhh, these two days have been very busy, sleeping at 12 o'clock every day, exhausting me to death. Friends, after reading this, do what you need to do. The food industry only has three months of peak season all year round, can't miss it ahhh, updates will be slower, forgive me, typing can also earn some money, but still have to rely on business to support life.