"Acting insolently towards one's superiors?" Hearing this, Feng Linyuan raised his eyebrows and said coldly, "I never thought that I, the mistress of the prestigious Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion, would be considered an inferior in front of the old matriarch of a general's mansion!"
"Why not? Although she married into the Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion, she is still the old matriarch's granddaughter. It's only natural for an elder to discipline a younger one!"
Although Zhao's words sounded confident, her shifting eyes betrayed her inner unease.
Obviously, she also knew that in the Great Zhou Dynasty where status outweighed affection, if Bai Zheng were to recognize He as her real grandmother, it would be okay for He to discipline her. But if Bai Zheng didn't recognize her, it was actually the old matriarch He who was acting insolently towards her superior!
He's pupils dilated and contracted slightly, her eyes flickering, but she didn't dare to say a word.
Feng Linyuan, however, let out a cold laugh upon hearing this: "An elder disciplining a younger one? Oh, what a huge joke!"
His cold gaze swept across He, Zhao, and Bai Sheng: "Zheng'er is my wife, married to me in a proper ceremony. She is the mistress of the Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion.
Whoever dares to bully her is bullying me, Feng Linyuan, and the Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion!
The old matriarch Bai, relying on her status as Zheng'er's grandmother, dares to boss Zheng'er around and be aggressive towards her. She even dares to make her kneel here?
This is the first time I've ever seen such an elder who doesn't care about her younger ones!
Even the father of the empress, the prime minister, has never disciplined His Majesty and the empress like this.
The old matriarch Bai sure knows how to put on airs!
Since ancient times, although there has been an order of seniority, hierarchy has always been more important.
Today, the dignity of my Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion has been trampled under the feet of your general's mansion. Next time, will your general's mansion trample on His Majesty's head?"
"You're talking nonsense!" He was so angry that her chest heaved up and down. Her eyes were almost popping out of their sockets as she excitedly tapped her walking stick. "I... I am a first-rank imperial consort bestowed by His Majesty. Although your marquis's mansion has a high status, I, as a first-rank imperial consort, have every right to discipline this yellow-haired girl!"
Because Bai Qiying had made great military achievements on the battlefield back then, his wife He was also bestowed the title of a first-rank imperial consort by Feng Linche.
Although now, the husband of this first-rank imperial consort has long been dead, and her son is disabled, leaving only an empty title.
And Bai Zheng's status as the mistress of the Marquis of Dingyuan's Mansion is a real one. She can lead the marquis's mansion and command the Changping Army, which is much more valuable than the so-called imperial consort title.
But Bai Zheng has never been officially given a rank.
Since hierarchy matters, if He insists on using this point to argue, it is actually in line with the rules.
"The old matriarch Bai's status as a first-rank imperial consort does give her a higher rank. It's understandable that she can do whatever she wants to Zheng'er."
Feng Linyuan wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, he smiled slightly, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes.
"However, if we follow the old matriarch Bai's logic, then as the Marquis of Dingyuan, can I also do whatever I want the next time I visit the general's mansion?"
He's face instantly turned pale.
The Marquis of Dingyuan of the Great Zhou Dynasty was someone that even Bai Qiying back then would have bowed respectfully to.
Not to mention the current general's mansion?
She gasped for breath, her voice stuttering: "You, a junior, how dare you talk to me like this? Back then, even your father never..."
"Grandmother." Bai Sheng, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly spoke up, interrupting her.
He suddenly stopped, like a runaway carriage suddenly being reined in.
Bai Sheng glanced at her indifferently, then suddenly let out a chuckle and said.
"Alright, grandmother. Remember what I said before? Zheng'er married the best. You didn't believe me. Now you should be able to see it, right? It seems that the Marquis of Dingyuan really wants to protect our Zheng'er and treats her very well."
Then she turned to Bai Zheng, who looked confused, and said softly.
"Zheng'er, were you scared by grandmother and mother's overacting just now? Don't take it to heart. Grandmother was just joking with you to see if the marquis really treats you well. Now that we've seen the marquis's reaction, grandmother should be able to rest assured."
Rest assured? More like give up, right!
Bai Zheng sneered in her heart.
But on the surface, she calmly looked at Bai Sheng, who seemed to be completely unfazed, and a sense of admiration welled up in her heart for no reason.
After all, there was still a smart person in the general's mansion.
The general's mansion was now just an empty shell, with nothing to rely on. The best thing to do was to be a timid turtle during this turbulent time.
If He really angered Feng Linyuan and caused a big scene, they wouldn't gain anything!
But now, with just a few words, Bai Sheng had helped He out of the awkward situation. She was truly intelligent.
On the other side, Bai Sheng was still smiling as she gently looked at Feng Linyuan: "Brother-in-law is so protective of Zheng'er. It makes me jealous. I never thought Zheng'er would be the most blessed one among our three sisters."
At this point, Feng Linyuan naturally couldn't keep harping on the matter of He disciplining Bai Zheng before. So he just twitched the corner of his mouth and said lightly: "Being able to marry Zheng'er is my greatest blessing."
"Mother, grandmother, look! These newlyweds are so lovey-dovey!" Bai Sheng said, giggling.
Zhao and He still looked extremely ugly, but hearing this, they knew that Bai Sheng was trying to help them out. So they could only force a smile and reply: "Yes, hehehe."
At this point, Zhao naturally stopped what she was doing and quietly returned to her seat.
The two younger brothers of the Bai family had already silently stepped aside.
Everyone in the room couldn't change their expressions as quickly as Bai Sheng, but they also stopped arguing.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the room turned cold again, filled with awkward silence.
Bai Sheng turned her head and secretly winked at He.
He understood and slowly stood up, supporting herself on the armrest of the chair.
"I'm getting old, and my legs and feet are getting worse. I've been sitting for too long today, and my legs are numb. I'll go for a walk."
Bai Sheng quickly stood up obediently: "Grandmother, let me accompany you."
He nodded: "That's good."
The grandmother and granddaughter slowly walked towards the door. When they passed by Bai Zheng, Bai Sheng suddenly stopped and asked somewhat hesitantly: "Zheng'er, sister and grandmother haven't had a good stroll in the Bai Mansion for a long time. We don't know which places in the mansion have the best scenery and are suitable for grandmother to take a walk."
Bai Zheng looked at her thoughtfully for a moment and replied with a smile: "The mansion is small, so there aren't really any places worth strolling around..."
Before she could finish, Bai Sheng interrupted with a smile: "Why don't you come with us? It's been a long time since we sisters had a good chat."