Huiyu Pavilion.
"I heard that Brother Zhao had a quarrel with that slut Ning Yuwang?" Rong Wan was having breakfast. She just shot a sideways glance at Lianxin, who immediately and obsequiously handed over a handkerchief.
"Why didn't you ever tell me about this?"
Lianxin panicked and knelt down. "I've been accompanying you these past two days, so I'm not aware of it."
A couple of days ago, Rong Wan had punished her severely, and she had fainted for a whole day.
As soon as she woke up, she immediately returned to attend to Rong Wan. She simply had no time to go and gather information for her.
Rong Wan impatiently pinched the soft flesh around her waist. "You're useless and yet full of excuses!"
"Please forgive me, miss!"
A sharp pain suddenly struck. Lianxin's face turned pale. The place where Rong Wan was pinching was where she had been whipped with a thin wooden board, and the swelling hadn't completely subsided yet.
"You good - for - nothing. I'll spare you this time!"
Rong Wan glared at her. "Go and call everyone from the side courtyard over!"
Actually, Huiyu Pavilion was also part of the side courtyard of the Prince - heir's Mansion. But since Yan Zhao had visited a few times, Rong Wan had separated her own courtyard from the rest of the side courtyard.
The reason why she could so arrogantly order around the "concubines" in the side courtyard was that Yan Zhao had once given her most of the power to manage the mansion.
If you were to ask why he gave her this power?
It was actually because Nanny Wang was too lazy to take it. At that time, she firmly believed that only the future Princess - heir could manage the mansion.
Although Yan Zhao respectfully called her "Nanny Wang", she was, after all, just a servant.
Unexpectedly, it was the ambitious Rong Wan who benefited.
Ning Yuwang had only been married into the mansion for three or four days. She had been to the palace and returned to her natal family. She had been busy every day, and Yan Zhao had temporarily forgotten to ask Rong Wan to hand over the power to manage the mansion.
Not long after.
Two extremely different beauties gathered in Rong Wan's courtyard. Each of them was beaming with smiles and full of flattery. "Greetings to Miss Rong."
"Miss Rong looks as delicate as a flower and extremely charming today!"
Rong Wan was gentle and graceful, but she was weak and sickly, which added a touch of plainness to her.
Compared to ordinary women, she had a certain charm.
But these two women were both carefully - selected beauties. Who wasn't more beautiful than Rong Wan? Yet they had to flatter her against their will.
Rong Wan's expression softened a bit. She motioned for the two to be seated and asked, "Why didn't the Wu and Jiang ladies come?"
The most impatient one among them was the Li lady. She said, "Miss Rong, don't even mention those two unlucky women! They're trying to climb up the social ladder!"
"What social ladder?"
Rong Wan didn't understand what the Li lady meant.
The Lin lady was more careful in her speech. She also solved Rong Wan's doubt. "The Wu and Jiang ladies said that now that the Princess - heir has entered the mansion, of course, they should follow her lead! They don't want to follow Miss Rong anymore in the future."
"Sluts!"
Rong Wan threw the teacup and angrily scolded with raised eyebrows. "At first, they knelt in front of me and begged for my care. Now they want to go and be dogs for Ning Yuwang. They're really shameless!"
She was so engrossed in scolding that she didn't notice the slight change in the expressions of the Li and Lin ladies.
Rong Wan spoke so casually. It seemed that in her eyes, they were just dogs too.
But these two women hadn't even seen the Prince - heir, let alone received his favor.
If they didn't curry favor with Rong Wan, who had a bit of power, they wouldn't be able to survive in this huge Prince - heir's Mansion.
The two exchanged a glance and saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.
"Miss Rong, please calm down."
The Li lady poured a new cup of tea for her. "The Wu and Jiang ladies have that idea, but the Princess - heir has already given an order that she won't see anyone from the side courtyard. They've been turned away. I'm afraid they'll crawl back and beg you."
"By then, you can give them a good lesson!"
The Li and Lin ladies' cooperation finally managed to soothe Rong Wan's mood.
"If those two sluts fall into my hands again, I won't spare them!"
Since the two had mentioned Ning Yuwang, she continued, "That slut Ning Yuwang probably won't be the Princess - heir for much longer."
"What do you mean, Miss Rong?"
The Prince - heir and the Princess - heir had only been married for three or four days, and Rong Wan said this. The Li and Lin ladies didn't know if she was just cursing or if there was really something going on.
"Everyone in the main courtyard knows that that slut Ning Yuwang is so arrogant because of the Prince - heir's favor. She and Brother Zhao have been in a fight for two days and still haven't made up." Rong Wan said smugly while sipping her tea. "I know Brother Zhao's temper best. He hates it most when someone is over - bearing. I guess Ning Yuwang will soon be divorced by Brother Zhao."
The Li lady's eyes lit up. She had always said that the Wu and Jiang ladies had misjudged the situation and made the wrong bet. How could the Princess - heir, who had only been in the mansion for a couple of days, compare to Miss Rong, who had been here for five years?
She herself had excellent vision and had chosen the right master.
She attentively massaged Rong Wan's shoulders. "Then why did you call us here, Miss Rong?"
Rong Wan enjoyed her initiative and didn't bother to hide her intention anymore. "So I called you here because I want you to show yourselves in front of Brother Zhao these days. If you catch his eye, it will be a great fortune for you."
Her suggestion was really tempting.
Especially for the Li lady, who was eager to adjust her clothes and hair ornaments. If it weren't for the fact that Rong Wan still had something to say, she might have been waiting to run into Yan Zhao.
The Lin lady was more cautious. She had long noticed that Rong Wan was in love with Yan Zhao.
Now that there was such a good opportunity, she didn't think about herself but instead gave the opportunity away. It was really strange.
Rong Wan casually glanced at the Lin lady, as if she had guessed what was on her mind. "Of course, this is just a suggestion. After all, there's an order from the Princess - heir. It depends on whether you dare to disobey it."
She coughed slightly, and there was a faint pain in her heart. "I've been feeling unwell recently. I'm afraid I'll have to stay in seclusion for a few days. You can go back and think it over slowly."
Although she said to think it over slowly, everyone knew that the opportunity would pass in an instant.
If the Princess - heir softened and the Prince - heir forgave her, then there would be no more chance to take advantage of the situation.
The Li lady couldn't hide her excitement at all. "I'm very grateful to Miss Rong for this wonderful news."
The Lin lady knew that she should also go back and prepare.
After the two left, Lianxin was also very confused. "Why did you give such a good opportunity to them?"
Rong Wan sneered and scratched deep marks on the table with a long hairpin. "They're just a bit scheming. Even if they really catch Brother Zhao's eye, they'll be easy to control in the future."
Lianxin asked again, "But what if they fail?"
"Fail?"
Rong Wan admired the uneven scratches and looked at Lianxin with a burning look in her eyes. "I'll also get rid of two stupid opponents!"
Judging from Ning Yuwang's character, if a concubine tried to seduce Yan Zhao, she would never show mercy.
The Li and Lin ladies were just a small trick for her to probe the situation. She wanted to know how far the fight between Yan Zhao and Ning Yuwang had gone.
Since the day after the wedding, Rong Wan had never taken the initiative to appear in front of Ning Yuwang again.
She comforted herself in her heart that it wasn't because she was afraid of Ning Yuwang. It was just that she wanted to conserve her strength and strike with one blow.
Rong Wan's smile was almost crazy, which made people feel cold in their hearts.
Lianxin shivered secretly. Even the wound on her body began to ache faintly. She didn't dare to ask anymore. Obedience might be the only way to survive under Rong Wan's hands.