Liu Minmin listened to the furious scolding outside, and the smile on her face grew deeper. Sure enough, Mrs. Liu had sent these two maids to keep an eye on her. She even pretended to be kind and said, "I'll give you these two maids. If you don't know something, just ask, Minmin."
Then she hinted that Liu Minmin should seduce Xie Lang.
Thinking of this, Liu Minmin's expression turned a bit cold, and her heart was filled with an indescribable sense of oppression.
Did it mean that just because she was a girl, she had to pave the way for Mrs. Liu's useless son or her own useless brother? She was not willing!
Shen Mingzhu had provided her with a new way out. Naturally, Liu Minmin would not let this rare opportunity slip by. It was difficult to establish oneself as the head of a household as a woman these days, but the person in front of her was the unparalleled and noble eldest princess. What was as difficult as reaching the sky for others was just a matter of opening her mouth for Shen Mingzhu.
"Liu Minmin! Who do you think you are!"
The scolding grew louder. The two maids didn't care at all that Shen Mingzhu's courtyard was just next to them. They stood at the door scolding like shrews.
Liu Minmin suppressed the expression on her face, got up, forced a look of worry, and pushed open the door to walk out of the small courtyard. She said to the two maids, "Sisters!"
The two of them immediately stopped. The guards who were about to take them away also stood aside.
Just now, Chun Tao had given the order that if they weren't too excessive, they should not intervene for the time being.
"What do you want to do?"
One of the maids rushed forward and said to Liu Minmin, "Don't forget that everything you have now is given to you by the madam!"
Liu Minmin lowered her eyes to hide the hatred in them. She pretended to be afraid and glanced around before saying to the maid, "Shh."
"Go back quickly." Liu Minmin looked at the maid's hesitant expression and continued in a low voice, "The princess is... "
Saying this, Liu Minmin nervously glanced around again. "Anyway, you should go back quickly. I'll definitely find aunt when I have the chance."
"I'll never forget aunt's great kindness." After Liu Minmin finished speaking, she continued, "Hurry. It seems that the princess wants to do something to cousin!"
Which cousin?
A look of hesitation flashed across the maid's face. She continued, "You..."
But Liu Minmin waved her hand behind her, signaling to the guards.
The next moment, the two maids were dragged away by the cold - faced guards. They looked at each other, their eyes full of panic.
After watching them leave, Liu Minmin turned to Chun Tao who was standing at the door and said, "Sister Chun Tao, I've already told Mrs. Liu that the princess wants to do something to cousin. I'm sure she'll show some flaws in her panic."
Chun Tao smiled and said to Liu Minmin, "You're quite smart."
Liu Minmin smiled upon hearing this.
...
The Xie family's banquet was about to start.
This year's banquet was much livelier than in previous years.
Shen Mingzhu had married into the Xie family. Now, the emperor's attitude towards her had inexplicably returned to the previous respect. So everyone's minds became active.
Families that had previously looked down on the Xie family had received invitations this year and were all planning to attend the banquet. Some who hadn't received invitations were visiting everywhere, wanting to show themselves in front of Shen Mingzhu and see if they could gain some benefits in the future.
So on the day of the banquet, when Shen Mingzhu and Xie Lang saw the servants coming and going in the mansion, they glanced at each other. They didn't expect it to be so lively.
A few days ago, the incident involving Liu Minmin had occurred. Mrs. Liu was not willing to give in, so she came forward several times to probe, but was blocked back by Shen Mingzhu on the pretext of being busy. Mrs. Liu began to feel uneasy, but still suppressed her inner unwillingness and continued to act according to Shen Mingzhu's plan. She didn't dare to resist.
So today, Xie Fangfei was definitely going to be in trouble.
When the banquet started, Shen Mingzhu sat at the head of the female guests. She raised her glass to everyone. After watching for a while, she tried every means to slip out. She found a quiet place to wait for the show to start.
Li Xiyu was also there today. Seeing Shen Mingzhu leave, she quietly slipped out of the banquet to look for her.
"How's it going, Sister Xiyu?" Shen Mingzhu had just taken a sip of wine. Her face was a bit red now, looking extremely beautiful.
Li Xiyu was stunned for a moment when she saw her, then smiled and said, "It's okay. My parents and I have been fine these days."
"However..." Li Xiyu looked at Shen Mingzhu, and a look of solemnity appeared in her eyes. "What's going on with this Mrs. Liu of the Xie family?"
Li Xiyu was smart and sharp. Naturally, she didn't miss the look of fear that Mrs. Liu cast at Shen Mingzhu from time to time during the banquet. So she couldn't help but be worried.
"It's okay." Shen Mingzhu said and gently explained to Li Xiyu, "This Mrs. Liu is Xie Lang's step - mother. She has a lot of ideas. I gave her a good scare a few days ago."
Li Xiyu laughed and looked at Shen Mingzhu. "Well, it's good that you didn't suffer any losses."
Shen Mingzhu didn't plan to tell Li Xiyu for the time being that there might be someone else behind Mrs. Liu and that those people wanted to harm her. Telling her now would only add to Li Xiyu's worries.
But...
Forget it. Shen Mingzhu sighed and said to Li Xiyu with a smile, "Come on, I'll take you around. There'll be a good show later."
Li Xiyu paused for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded.
They hadn't walked for long when Shen Mingzhu heard screams not far away.
She glanced at Li Xiyu and said with a smile, "Come on, let's go and have a look."
The sound came from behind the rockery. Many ladies had already gathered there whispering, and their faces showed a bit of contempt.
Strangely enough, Mrs. Liu was nowhere to be seen.
Shen Mingzhu frowned instinctively. Then she caught sight of Liu Minmin smiling in the crowd. A look of surprise flashed across her eyes.
It seemed that this show was more interesting than she had thought.
So Shen Mingzhu didn't plan to get involved. She and Li Xiyu found a hidden place to watch.
After a while, an extremely angry voice came from inside, shouting, "Get out!"
It didn't seem to be Xie Fangfei's voice?
Shen Mingzhu raised her eyebrows. Then she saw a young maid in a bellyband being thrown out. Her face was full of tears, and there were blue and purple marks on her body. It was obvious to anyone what had happened.
The people present changed their expressions greatly and quickly took the unmarried girls away.
Only then did Mrs. Liu arrive late. She took one look and her face changed drastically.
What was going on? Why was it Liu Zhiyu here! Where was Xie Fangfei?
She scanned the area and cursed the useless people in her heart. Forcing a smile, she said, "This... This unknown lecher actually had an affair with a maid in the mansion in broad daylight. I hope you'll give me some face. I'll take the person away now."
It seemed that Mrs. Liu had been tricked by Xie Fangfei's aunt? Sure enough, although Xie Fangfei was stupid, her aunt had been fighting with Mrs. Liu for half a lifetime.
Shen Mingzhu instinctively looked up. Then she saw Xie Lang standing in front of her at some point. He said naturally, "Why didn't your Highness invite me to watch the show?"
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
Li Xiyu let out a soft laugh.
Not far away, a sudden scream was heard.