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The slap came quickly and fiercely, leaving the noble ladies in the Flower Pavilion with strange expressions, especially Wen Lan. The man she admired most had actually married the woman she looked down upon the most, causing a storm of emotions within her, leaving her mind blank.
Han Yue seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire: "Everyone has heard it; my lord personally went to propose. This shows his deep feelings for Lady Jiang. From now on, Lady Jiang will be the mistress of the Regent's Palace. I want to see who among you dares to speak recklessly."
Jiang Xi sat quietly, holding a cup of tea with a smile, secretly sighing at how capable Han Yue was. Just look at her imposing presence; she didn't even need to say much. Han Yue had resolved everything on her own.
At that moment, Han Yue's gaze fell on Wen Lan's face as she said seriously, "Taifu Wen, your household management is lacking. I think it's necessary to report this to my lord. If you can't even manage your own servants, how can you talk about governing the country?"
Wen Lan furrowed her brows and retorted, "My grandfather was once a teacher to the princes. You think you can erase his years of contributions with just one accusation of poor household management?"
Han Yue calmly countered, "Wen, you are mistaken. I am not denying Taifu Wen's contributions at all. However, contributions and negligence are two different matters. Just because there are merits does not excuse poor management. Today, the servants of Wen Residence can openly criticize and slander Lady Jiang without regard for rank; what will happen when they stand before my lord or the emperor? Will they also act with such audacity and disregard for etiquette? If the servants behave like this, doesn't it mean that everyone in Wen Residence sees no king in their eyes? They cannot possibly be loyal subjects."
Her words struck directly at the heart of the matter. Not only did Wen Lan and her maid turn pale, but even the other noble ladies in the Flower Pavilion felt embarrassed and hesitated to speak.
In terms of eloquence, Han Yue was indeed formidable.
The combined presence of everyone present could not compete with Han Yue alone.
She was not only sharp-tongued but also incredibly bold; in front of so many princesses and noble ladies, she dared to openly criticize Taifu Wen's household management.
This was not just boldness; it was sheer recklessness.
But who could blame her? She was a guard from the Regent's Palace.
With the Regent backing her up, even if she pointed at Taifu Wen's nose and scolded him, no one would dare say anything.
Regent Fong Yang had led troops into battle since his youth and was accustomed to ruthless decisions; he did not regard these so-called virtuous civil officials highly.
It was well known that during the reign of the Former Emperor, he never bowed before anyone. A label of poor household management and disloyalty would be too heavy for anyone to bear.
Wen Lan's maid turned pale as she realized that her earlier words might bring disaster upon them. She stood there anxiously, trembling slightly.
Wen Lan paused for a moment before saying, "Qiu Yue, apologize to Lady Jiang."
Qiu Yue stepped forward to Jiang Xi, lowering her head as she spoke softly: "I was wrong just now; I failed to recognize your worth. Please forgive me, Lady Jiang, and don't hold it against a mere servant."
Jiang Xi glanced at her with a half-smile and replied, "Is this your attitude towards admitting your mistake?"
Qiu Yue remained unconvinced and quickly said, "I am a maid of the Wen Family."
Jiang Xi raised an eyebrow, a hint of disdain in her eyes. "So what? Don't think that just because you're a maid, or even if it were the esteemed Taifu Wen, if someone truly makes a mistake, they shouldn't show some sincerity when it comes to apologizing."
Qiu Yue instinctively turned to glance at her young mistress.
Wen Lan noticed Jiang Xi's defiance and reluctantly said, "Lady Jiang, are you deliberately challenging me?"
Jiang Xi smiled lightly, her tone casual. "Wen, don't flatter yourself too much. Instead of wasting time challenging you, I’d rather go back to the Regent's Palace and enjoy a cup of tea with the prince, immersed in poetry."
Her words struck Wen Lan like a dagger to the heart. In an instant, her expression changed, and she clenched her fists tightly, the veins on the back of her hands slightly bulging.
The other noble ladies were astonished; Jiang Xi didn't even bother with pretense and openly slapped Wen Lan's face in front of so many people. She even shamelessly flaunted her affection, leaving everyone wide-eyed.
The atmosphere in the Flower Pavilion was particularly oppressive until Huai'an Princess spoke up to break the deadlock. "Wen, your maid has indeed overstepped her bounds and should bear the consequences."
Wen Lan widened her eyes in disbelief, seemingly unable to comprehend that Huai'an Princess would defend Lady Jiang like this.
Princess Fong Le also chimed in, "Jiajia, Qiu Yue's actions were unintentional."
Fong Miaomiao echoed, "Yes, Qiu Yue didn't mean any offense. Look at Wen; she is so knowledgeable and reasonable that she understands her people should know their manners. Qiu Yue was just being protective of her master and had no intention of offending Lady Jiang."
This was simply blatant nonsense. Han Yue could no longer hold back and shouted, "If it wasn't intentional, then you should stay silent in the corner. Your mistress hasn't taught you how to be a proper servant; when your master speaks, do you have the right to interrupt?"
Her words were clearly aimed at Qiu Yue but targeted someone else entirely. Qiu Yue retorted, "Didn't you just speak as well?"
Han Yue crossed her arms, exuding arrogance as she replied, "Yes, I spoke—so what? I admit it was intentional; not only did I want to make you look bad, but I also don't need to apologize. Do you have any objections?"
Thinking about how Han Yue was a top guard from the Regent's Palace made Qiu Yue's face flush red; she was so stunned that she couldn't utter a word. Wen Lan experienced for the first time what it felt like to have her face slapped; she was restless and truly furious.
Huai'an Princess hadn't expected things to become so tense today.
Yet listening to Jiang Xi and Han Yue bicker made everyone present feel like they were caught in a storm. Deep down, she felt inexplicably pleased.
These noble ladies relied on their high status; they looked down on this one or that one.
They pretended to be friendly on the surface while secretly envying her favor with the Eldest Princess and despising her for being the daughter of a condemned minister—hypocritical to the extreme.
If it weren't for Jiang Xi and Han Yue publicly slapping the faces of those noble ladies, she would have almost forgotten what it felt like to be so exhilarated.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared at the corner of Huai'an Princess's mouth. To others, it seemed like a gesture of appeasement, but in reality, she just wanted to laugh.
"Lady Jiang is magnanimous; there's no need to stoop to her level. The banquet in the front hall has begun; let's go take our seats," Wen Lan said with a furrowed brow.
"Princess, what do you mean? Saying Lady Jiang is magnanimous implies that I have a narrow mind?"
Jiang Xi noticed Huai'an Princess's smile, which seemed even more genuine than her own. It appeared that she had quite a grudge against these noble ladies as well.
Huai'an Princess responded with a faint smile, "Wen misunderstood. What I meant was that Lady Jiang doesn't need to argue with an ignorant maid."
With that remark about the "ignorant maid," Huai'an Princess directly rubbed Wen Lan's face in the dirt.
Wen Lan could no longer sit still. She stood up and spoke coldly, "Since my maid is ignorant, I won't stay here to be a nuisance. Huai'an Princess, please take good care of Lady Jiang; I have matters to attend to and will leave first." With that, she turned and walked toward the Flower Pavilion.
Fong Le and Fong Miaomiao hurriedly got up to follow her, saying, "Wen, I'll go with you."
Huai'an Princess smiled unhurriedly, "Anyone who has matters to attend to can leave; I won't keep anyone here. However, once you step out of this residence today, don't pretend to be friendly with me anymore. This Princess holds grudges."
Fong Le and Fong Miaomiao's steps instantly froze as they slowly turned their heads, looking at Huai'an Princess in shock. "Jiajia, are you really going to fall out with us over Jiang Xi?"
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