Da Wang instinctively raised his head and stared blankly at Lu Wanning for a long time. Only then did he realize that he shouldn't have looked up. He quickly lowered his head and replied, "I dare."
Lu Wanning laughed again. "Aren't you afraid of being caught?"
Da Wang shook his head. "This servant isn't afraid. The princess protects my uncle. You're the best master. Whatever the princess asks this servant to do, I'm willing to do it."
Lu Wanning felt a twinge of sadness. In modern times, she had been whole - heartedly good to her friends, but when it came to interests, they had turned against her. Now, here in this world, just because she was angry that someone under her care had been bullied, they were so grateful.
After a long while, Lu Wanning took a deep breath and said, "I'm sure you've heard from your uncle about what happened yesterday. In front of others yesterday, I only asked Jiyue to teach Lu Yingshuang's maid a lesson. But the person who actually whipped your uncle didn't receive any punishment at all. I've thought it over carefully. If I were to deal with him openly, I wouldn't have a reason to teach him a lesson. So I can only take an unconventional approach."
It took Da Wang a while to understand. Immediately, tears streamed down his face and he kowtowed continuously. "Princess, my uncle isn't worth your protection like this. Yesterday, after you taught the maid a lesson, you had already defended my uncle. There's no need to cause any more trouble and bring trouble to yourself, Princess."
Lu Wanning said coldly, "I'm not afraid of trouble. I want everyone to know that no one can provoke those under me."
Da Wang lay on the ground, gritted his teeth and nodded. "This servant is willing!"
There was also hatred in his heart. But the person who had hurt his relative was powerful and he couldn't afford to provoke him. Now that the princess was willing to give him a chance, how could he let it go?
"What does the princess want this servant to do?"
The poplar trees beside had sprouted new leaves. Lu Wanning walked over and pinched a tender leaf. "It's best to solve many things early, but there's no need to be too hasty. After I've made proper arrangements, it will be your time to act."
The weather was fine in early February. The young masters and ladies from various mansions went out to the suburbs for an outing. Naturally, Lu Wanning also received many invitations, but she declined them all on the pretext of being unwell.
Shi Aohan had failed in his attempt to kill two birds with one stone last time. He must hate her now and be planning to deal with her. She didn't want to go out casually and become a target. More importantly, she didn't have much time to accompany Lu Hongxi and Lu Hanchi. She had to find a way to persuade Lu Hongxi to hand over his military power and resign from his position as a general before it was too late.
But Lu Hongxi was so stubborn that he hardly listened to any persuasion. Lu Wanning was really annoyed.
Jiyue was bored and sent a little maid to gather information. The little maid really found out something. She ran back happily and told Lu Wanning what had happened during the day.
"Today, the young masters and ladies were all having fun on an outing in the western suburbs. Everything was fine at first. But somehow, they met the Prince of Qing. The Prince of Qing spotted Shi Aohan at a glance and summoned her to talk to her for a few more words. The second young master of the He Mansion couldn't hold back and had a dispute with the Prince of Qing..."
Lu Wanning raised her eyebrows. "The Prince of Qing is no good person. What happened next?"
The little maid said disappointedly in a low voice, "The Prince of Qing didn't say much. He just scolded a few times and left in a huff."
The Prince of Qing was the emperor's cousin. He was arrogant and lecherous. When he was young, he had been scolded by the late emperor several times. But because the Prince of Qing's mansion only had his line, he had never been deprived of his title or severely punished. Maybe as he got older, he gradually knew that there were some people and things he couldn't provoke.
For example, the He family, which was the maternal family of the queen and the most prominent in - law family now.
Lu Wanning smiled softly. She sent the little maid away and then said to Jiyue, "Are you ready? Then let Da Wang act."
A few days later, when He Wenbo, the second young master of the He family, went out, he was put in a sack by a group of people and beaten severely. He was also splashed all over his head and face with pig and cow manure. This embarrassing appearance was seen clearly by a passing friend.
The He family was extremely angry. They suspected that it was the Prince of Qing who had ordered it, but without any evidence, they could only swallow their anger.
Jiyue lay beside Lu Wanning and whispered, "This is really satisfying. Princess, your well - arranged plan is really undetectable."
Lu Wanning was quite proud. What made her most proud was not splashing manure on He Wenbo, but that she had already found out that He Wenbo was going out to meet friends for a literary gathering, and among the friends he had invited was Shi Aohan.
She wondered what He Wenbo would think when the woman he loved most saw him in his most embarrassing state.
Compared with Lu Wanning's self - satisfaction, the people in the elegant room on the third floor of the Linglong Pavilion were a bit restless.
Sheng Songyan, the heir of the Prince of Qishan, was impatient. "Recently, those under the Crown Prince have been quite restless. The emperor's suspicion of the Crown Prince is gradually disappearing. Jin Yu, are you still going to do nothing like this?"
Sheng Jinyu leaned on the table, rubbing his temples and didn't answer.
He Nanfeng patted Sheng Songyan on the shoulder. "Recently, there has been a cold spring in the north. The news of the disaster victims being displaced due to the heavy snow blocking the mountains has been concealed by those people. There are also signs of dissent in the capital. It's obvious that the big shots are colluding with the Crown Prince's faction. His Highness, the Prince of Yu, is worried about these things. How can he spare time for other things?"
Sheng Songyan was extremely anxious. "These things are important, but the most important thing is the emperor's heart. If someone like Sheng Chenyi were to ascend to a high position, he would only be self - willed and wield power. How could he care about the safety of the common people?"
Sheng Jinyu said indifferently, "We should prioritize things. For now, we don't need to worry about the Crown Prince's matters."
Sheng Songyan plopped down on the chair, angrily fanning himself with a feather fan and muttering, "In the end, it's all that girl Lu Wanning's fault. Why did she cause so much commotion for no reason?"
He Nanfeng was slightly surprised. "Lu Wanning? What does she have to do with this?"
Sheng Songyan gave him a disdainful look. "Don't you even know this? Maybe Lu Wanning still has feelings for Fu Rongxuan. She's been keeping an eye on Shi Aohan everywhere. She sent someone to tell the Prince of Qing that Shi Aohan was extremely beautiful, but her family background was not high. This piqued the Prince of Qing's interest, and he really went to see Shi Aohan. Later, it made your elder brother unhappy, and he quarreled with the Prince of Qing face to face."
He Nanfeng frowned. He had heard that He Wenbo had a dispute with the Prince of Qing, but he didn't know there was such a secret behind it.
Sheng Songyan added, "Speaking of which, that orphan girl living in your mansion is not a good person. She even wants to interfere with someone else's fiancé. With Lu Wanning's personality, it's no wonder she's been at odds with her."
Sheng Jinyu closed his eyes slightly. Unconsciously, he crushed a black chess piece in his hand.
"By the way, Nanfeng, Lu Wanning is your cousin and your relationship is not bad. Why don't you go and talk to her and ask her not to target that girl for no reason?"
He Nanfeng shook his head. "I'm not familiar with her."
Sheng Songyan clicked his tongue. "Not familiar but still gave her such an expensive jade flute. Alas, Jin Yu, last time I thought that girl had taken a fancy to you. She gave you the jade flute and kept trying to get close to you. But it turns out, hehe, she's so infatuated. She's gone to deal with her love rival instead."