Chapter 21

From the moment Lady Liang mentioned her mother, the Fourth Princess was enraged. And when those powerful words came crashing down one after another—Lady Liang’s fury was as great as the Fourth Princess’s fury now.

They even used the same words.

Qiao Ling saw the Fourth Princess’s face turn red, and she stuttered, “You’re bold!”

But now Lady Liang clearly didn’t need to argue loudly with the Fourth Princess like Qiao Ling did that day, because right after the Fourth Princess said those three words, the Eldest Princess spoke in a voice that wasn’t loud, but was stern enough.

“You’re bold!”

She said sharply, “When a host entertains guests, they worry about not being hospitable enough. How can you be so presumptuous and make fun of the guests? What Lady said earlier wasn’t enough to wake you up, it only made you angry and ashamed?”

The Eldest princess as the elder sister, was obviously very authoritative. After hearing this, the Fourth Princess, even though her face still showed a trace of anger, dared not say anything else.

The Eldest Princess turned to look at the prince: “You manage the internal affairs of the palace, is this how you manage it? Today someone put licorice in my guest’s tea. Tomorrow, will someone put arsenic in my food?”

The Prince Consort was terrified and said solemnly, “Princess, you are right. It is all because of my poor management.”

Then he bowed respectfully to Lady Liang and Qiao Ling, saying, “It was my fault today, I apologize for making you laugh…”

Lady Liang frowned slightly, but before she could speak, Qiao Ling had already nodded calmly and said, “The Prince Consort should really reflect on himself. After all, there are few people in the world who are as upright and honest as me and Mother-in-law. There are many more who are sweet-tongued but treacherous.”

Lady Liang’s forehead twitched, then she heard Qiao Ling continue, “If it were someone else, they would smile politely and say it’s okay, pretending to let it go, but what would they really think in their hearts, who knows.”

The prince, after hearing this, couldn’t help but bow again: “Duchess of Yue, you are right.”

The Grand Princess’s face was as dark as water. She said to the two young people, “Come here, apologize to the Duke of Yue.”

Yu Sanlang, after all, could read people’s faces. Hearing this, he hesitantly stepped forward.

The Fourth Princess lowered her head and mumbled, “Lady scolded me so fiercely just now, isn’t that enough?”

The Eldest Princess asked her calmly, “Hmm?”

The Fourth Princess was in awe of her elder sister. Seeing this, she had to step forward, her face drooping, and said reluctantly, “Duchess of Yue, I apologize for what happened today.” Then she gave a perfunctory bow to an equal.

The Eldest Princess said, “Give her three months’ extra allowance as an apology to the Duke of Yue.”

The Fourth Princess was surprised and aggrieved: “Ah?!”

Qiao Ling, understanding, handed her the cup of tea that she had only taken one sip from: “Forget about the three months’ allowance. Have the Princess drink this cup of tea, and we’ll call it even.”

“I don’t want to!”

The Fourth Princess immediately backed down: “Then three months’ allowance!”

After saying that, she didn’t even wait for the Eldest Princess to speak, and quickly said to Qiao Ling again, “I was presumptuous today, I really apologize to the Duke of Yue. Madam is magnanimous, please forgive me this time.”

Qiao Ling nodded solemnly: “Let’s just forget about it. I won’t tell anyone else, but I won’t forgive you.”

The Fourth Princess was stunned: “…”

Lady Liang couldn’t help but nudge her gently.

Qiao Ling was a bit surprised: “What, I can’t choose not to forgive you?”

Lady Liang: “…”

The Fourth Princess was shocked and said, “It was just a cup of bitter tea. It wasn’t poisoned. I already apologized, and I even gave you three months’ allowance. What more do you want?!”

Qiao Ling was also surprised: “You apologized because you did something wrong. What does it have to do with whether I forgive you or not?”

She said, “I haven’t even met you before, and I haven’t offended you. But you came out of nowhere to make fun of me, to ridicule me. You’re really annoying. Can’t I dislike you?”

The Fourth Princess’s face, which had just cooled down, heated up again: “You!”

She was furious and ashamed, wanting to argue loudly, but she couldn’t come up with any strong arguments.

The Eldest Princess watched this with amusement. She saw her arrogant younger sister, who was so blocked that her eyes were red, say in a broken voice, “How, how can you talk to people like that…”

“Are you heartbroken?”

Qiao Ling saw that she was about to cry and was surprised: “You can look down on me, make fun of me, but I can’t speak up. Once I expose your bad intentions, you’re going to be upset?”

The Fourth Princess: “…”

The Fourth Princess’s voice was choked with tears: “You, you’re so mean…”

Qiao Ling said earnestly, “Don’t cry. I won’t pity you, and I won’t hold your hand and say it’s okay, we’re friends now because we fought. If it hadn’t been me who came today, but an ordinary lady, I don’t know how much you would have tormented her.”

The Fourth Princess couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into tears: “You’re so relentless! I’ve already surrendered, and you’re still chasing after me! You’re so annoying!!!”

Qiao Ling: “…”

Qiao Ling nudged Lady Liang with her elbow: “Mother-in-law, why don’t you go and comfort her?”

Lady Liang rolled her eyes at her and said in a low voice, “Get lost!”

Qiao Ling could only put her hands on her hips and whistle helplessly: “Then we’ll just listen to the Fourth Princess’s cries here!”

The Fourth Princess’s crying stopped abruptly.

The rest of the people: “…”

The Eldest Princess barely managed to hold back her laughter.

The next second, the Fourth Princess, almost viciously, grabbed the teacup that Qiao Ling had used, and without looking, gulped it down!

A drop of water dripped down her chin, wetting her collar. She didn’t care, she wiped her mouth roughly, and said to Qiao Ling fiercely, “Are you satisfied now? You, you sharp-tongued woman! Yue——”

The tea was truly too bitter and too disgusting. She immediately started gagging.

Everyone present: “…”

The Fourth Princess: “…”

The Fourth Princess felt embarrassed and tears immediately welled up in her eyes. She sniffed a few times, turned around, and ran out crying.

The Prince Consort, having witnessed this farce, felt both a headache and a bit of amusement. Seeing the Fourth Princess go out, he quickly gave the maids a look, signaling them to follow her and see if anything was wrong.

The Eldest Princess also found it amusing: “This is truly…”

Then she turned to Qiao Ling and said seriously, “My younger sister was being mischievous today, and she offended the guests. I…”

Qiao Ling shook her head and said, “I know today’s incident has nothing to do with Your Highness, and I won’t mention it to anyone else. But besides us, you probably have other things to worry about.”

After a few more pleasantries, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law politely said goodbye.

After leaving the palace in a sedan chair and changing to the Duke of Yue’s mansion’s carriage, Qiao Ling said to Lady Liang, “Mother-in-law, you were really too aggressive today. How could you scold the Fourth Princess like that? I was really scared for you! I was sweating bullets!”

Lady Liang: “…”

Lady Liang really wanted to kick her: “How dare you say that to me?!”

Qiao Ling chuckled and asked, “Yu Sanlang, is The brother of Prince Consort?”

Lady Liang snorted: “If he wasn’t his real brother, how would he dare to be so presumptuous in the Grand Princess’s presence?”

Qiao Ling recalled the book Madam Jiang had given her and pondered, “The prince comes from the Marquis of Zhongshan’s mansion, the head of the Twelve Marquis, and he’s the second son. Their ages are quite different…”

Yu Sanlang looked about sixteen or seventeen years old, while the prince was probably close to thirty.

Lady Liang told her, “Yu Sanlang is the Marquis of Zhongshan’s youngest son, so he’s particularly spoiled. He’s also benefited from his two older brothers.”

She pondered and said, “The Marquis of Zhongshan’s mansion is a family that plans for their descendants and their future. The eldest son inherits the title, so he was taught very strictly from a young age. The second son, however, was a man prepared for marriage to a noblewoman and he was also raised early. After more than ten years, they had a youngest son, so they weren’t as strict as before, and they spoiled him more…”

Qiao Ling heard a word that surprised her: “What do you mean ‘What is a man prepared for marriage to a noblewoman?”

Lady Liang asked her, “You should know that there are many examples of women inheriting titles in the Divine Capital right?”

Qiao Ling nodded: “I know.”

Lady Liang said, “The young men who are specially raised by wealthy families to marry these noblewomen are called ‘What is a man prepared for marriage to a noblewoman’. They are usually the second son of a family, who cannot inherit the title, but they are of noble birth. They are taught how to manage domestic affairs, and when they marry, they become a virtuous wife’s helper.”

Qiao Ling immediately understood: “So the Marquis of Zhongshan’s mansion…”

“Yes,” Lady Liang said, “The Marquis’s family is of high enough standing, and he’s the second son, born to a wife. From the beginning, the Second Yu ErLang was prepared for a certain princess. Now he’s married to the Grand Princess, so he’s not letting his family down.”

Qiao Ling understood and shrugged: “The Marquis and his wife are foolish. It’s because they have high hopes for their eldest and second sons that they shouldn’t spoil their youngest son. The Fourth Princess is fine, she’s the Eldest Princess’s sister, a Royal Family. But what is the Third Yu Sanlang status? If the prince were a sensible man, Yu Sanlang wouldn’t have a good time this time!”

What Qiao Ling said was absolutely true.

In front of the Eldest Princess and the prince, Qiao Ling had personally defeated the Fourth Princess, leaving Yu Sanlang behind.

And the Eldest Princess had only reprimanded her own sister, and she hadn’t mentioned the Third Young Master Yu.

This wasn’t because the Eldest Princess felt that her sister was solely responsible for the incident, but because she and the prince’s younger brother were, after all, separated by a generation. Some things were difficult to say. But if the prince thought that this matter was over…

Then it would mean that the prince was not suitable to be a prince. He should quickly give up his position, and she would marry another!

The Eldest Princess didn’t even mention this to the prince—the inner household is your responsibility. If I have to teach you how to do it, what are you good for?!

Qiao Ling made a mental note of this, and she didn’t forget to remind Lady Liang, “Mother-in-law, if there’s any follow-up, remember to tell me!”

Lady Liang sighed: “Speaking of which, it was supposed to be a good thing, but it turned sour because of those two young people.”

Qiao Ling said, “What do you mean?”

Lady Liang said, “The Empress Dowager rarely manages the inner palace these days. In the inner palace, it’s the Concubine and the Grand Princess who are Competing each other. Before I left today, I was worried that the Concubine would summon me and cause trouble. The Grand Princess sent someone to invite me, probably because she was also worried about that. But in the end, it turned out like this.”

The Concubine was, after all, the Prince Lu mother, and she had a history with the Prince Lu. Who knows what her attitude was towards this?

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Qiao Ling thought it was unimportant, “Compared to empty pleasantries, if something real happens, it’s better to see a person’s true nature.”

She reminded her again, “Mother-in-law, remember to tell me about the follow-up!”

Lady Liang said helplessly, “What if the Grand Princess didn’t take this seriously?”

Qiao Ling said, “Then I’ll know what kind of person she is and how to treat her in the future!”

Lady Liang sneered, “Who do you think you are, to say such things? As if the Grand Princess will need you in the future!”

Qiao Ling widened her eyes: “Mother-in-law, don’t underestimate me.”

Lady Liang smiled disdainfully: “With your nature, always stirring up trouble, you might end up begging the Grand Princess for help one day!”

Qiao Ling felt a bit wronged: “I haven’t really stirred up trouble. Today, someone else came to make fun of me, and before that, you were the one who… um, me.”

She looked at Lady Liang’s expression and stopped when she needed to.

The carriage rolled forward. Qiao Ling suddenly remembered something, “Wait, I’m not going back! I promised my aunt that I would go after the Li family!”

Lady Liang suppressed her anger: “Don’t be a dog chasing a rat, mind your own business!”

Qiao Ling said, “I already promised, how can I not?”

Lady Liang said angrily, “It’s their family business, what does it have to do with you?!”

Qiao Ling looked at her in surprise, “But the Li family hit my aunt! How can you hit someone! My aunt’s head was even injured!”

Lady Liang said disdainfully, “It takes two to tango. Who knows if your aunt did something wrong!”

Qiao Ling looked at her, not saying anything.

Lady Liang knew her daughter-in-law’s scheming nature too well. Seeing this, she sneered, “Go ahead, what else are you afraid to say?”

Qiao Ling shrank back into the corner of the carriage and said, “Actually, I’ve been studying, one hand can make a loud sound too…”

The carriage stopped, and Qiao Ling was thrown forward, almost falling to the ground.

Lady Liang sat in the carriage, looking down at her condescendingly: “I’ve told you everything I need to. If you want to go, don’t blame me if you hit a wall! Go!”

Qiao Ling took a step forward and grabbed the window: “Mother-in-law, there’s a boil there, you can’t just pretend not to see it and convince yourself that there’s no boil, can you?”

Lady Liang slammed the window shut: “Then go be a hero and squeeze the boil!”

After saying that, she didn’t listen to Qiao Ling’s words and told the driver, “Go, don’t mind her!”

Qiao Ling watched the carriage drive further and further away, couldn’t help but scratch her head: “Sigh.”

At this moment, she saw the people in front of her stop, and several guards turned their horses around and came back.

Qiao Ling smiled: “My mother-in-law is just stubborn.”

But her heart is still soft.

Lady Liang sent someone back to the Duke of Yue’s mansion. When they were about to reach the street, she had them stop again.

She hesitated.

The maid knew what was going on and secretly laughed, but she pretended to be confused and asked, “Madam, aren’t we going back?”

Lady Liang said impatiently, “Are you pretending to be clueless too? If we go back like this, there’s one person missing. The Old Lady will inevitably ask questions. If it gets complicated, I’m too lazy to explain!”

The maid then acted as if she understood and suggested, “Why don’t we detour to the Li family’s place and take a look? What if Madam was bullied by the Li family?”

Lady Liang thought, how could Qiao Batian be bullied?

But she still put on a stern face and told the driver to change direction and go to the Li family.

As soon as they arrived at the door, they saw Qiao Ling coming out. Lady Liang looked closely and was shocked!

Because Qiao Ling looked quite disheveled at this moment, her hair was messy, her collar was a bit loose, and upon closer inspection, she had a red scratch near her eye.

Lady Liang was furious: “The Li family must have eaten bear heart and leopard gall! They’re in the wrong, and they dare to hit someone!”

Liang Batian immediately got off the carriage and first scolded Qiao Ling: “What did you do? You’re such a useless thing, only good at bullying within your own home, and you got beaten up like this!”

Then she rolled up her sleeves: “I’m going to smash their place!!!”

Qiao Ling quickly pulled her back: “Run!”

Lady Liang said fiercely, “What are you afraid of? The royal family is one thing, we can swallow our pride a bit, but what’s the Li family? What are they?!”

Qiao Batian said proudly, “I broke the legs of three people in their house!”

Lady Liang: “…”

Lady Liang grabbed her: “Run!!!”