Feng Manshu hated others the most referring to her as "born of a concubine". This time, it really hit a sore spot, and she was so angry that she was about to rush forward and start a fight.
Before Feng Yunshu could act, Helan Yanting, who had been silent beside them, suddenly stepped forward. Holding the rib of his long fan, he seemingly lightly tapped Feng Manshu's wrist—
"Ah!"
Feng Manshu's face turned deathly pale as she let out a shrill scream and hurriedly took a few steps back in panic.
"How dare you lay your hands on this young lady?!" Blinded by anger, Feng Manshu didn't care who was standing in front of her. Her face flushed red as she glared fiercely at Helan Yanting.
Feng Manshu's scream soon alerted the others in the mansion. Prime Minister Feng and the first lady came over in a large group with a bunch of servants.
Catching sight of the first lady approaching, the ferocity on Feng Manshu's face instantly transformed into a pitiful and aggrieved look. She pursed her lips and pretended to wipe away her tears.
"Father, Mother... You're finally here... Just now, your daughter was just chatting with Elder Sister for a few words. I don't know which word offended Elder Sister, but the prince actually laid his hands on your daughter... Your daughter's wrist hurts so much."
As she spoke, Feng Manshu walked up to the first lady and Prime Minister Feng while supporting her wrist.
She originally thought there would be at least a red mark or some other sign on her wrist because it really hurt. But when she rolled up her sleeve, there was no mark at all, and it looked completely normal.
Everyone was looking at Feng Manshu, but they didn't notice anything wrong. The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
"Manshu?" The first lady was completely confused.
Feng Yunshu had been watching Feng Manshu act all innocent and play the victim. At this moment, she let out a scoff. It was really quite amusing.
"I didn't expect Manshu to be such a grown - up girl and still be so pretentious. This princess is just being kind - hearted and giving you a piece of advice. You'd better get rid of this bad habit as soon as possible, or you might end up an old spinster."
As she spoke, Feng Yunshu slowly raised her hand and gently adjusted the 24 - karat gold hairpin in her hair, revealing a section of fair and slender wrist. The whiteness and the gold complemented each other, and the radiance was so dazzling that it was impossible to ignore.
"First lady, do you think what this princess said is right?" Feng Yunshu squinted her eyes slightly, raised her eyebrows, and glanced teasingly at the first lady beside her, whose face was turning ugly.
The first lady's brows furrowed even more. Just as she was about to speak, Helan Yanting took a small step forward and stood in front of Prime Minister Feng.
"Prime Minister Feng, today is the day for your son - in - law and Yunshu to visit you. But there was no one to greet us at the mansion gate. Moreover, why is the second young lady so hot - tempered?"
As he spoke, Helan Yanting began to cough. "Cough, cough, cough..."
While coughing, Helan Yanting turned to look at Feng Yunshu. "My lady, it's quite windy here. This king's health is not very good... Since the people in your family seem not to welcome this king, why don't we go back to the Helan Prince's Mansion first?"
"Hey, Your Highness, what are you saying? It's really a huge misunderstanding! When did this prime minister ever say that he didn't welcome Your Highness? It's just that there were some matters to deal with at home today, so we failed to go out to greet you in time. It is indeed a bit impolite. But Your Highness is always so gentle - tempered. I'm sure you won't mind."
Prime Minister Feng's words were not in a negotiating tone at all. It was more like an order. Feng Yunshu felt even more annoyed when she heard this.
Sure enough, Prime Minister Feng and the first lady were a perfect match. They were both as cold - hearted as iron.
"Father, how could you be so careless? Daughter's marriage to the prince was personally arranged by the emperor. Now, it seems that you are deliberately neglecting it. Can daughter understand that you don't take the emperor's edict seriously?"
Prime Minister Feng's face instantly darkened. Before Feng Yunshu could finish speaking, he immediately scolded her. "Yunshu, the prince is here for the first time and doesn't understand. You grew up in the prime minister's mansion. How could you be so ignorant?"
"You mustn't talk nonsense. This is a serious crime of disrespecting superiors!"
Feng Yunshu pretended to blink innocently and shrugged her shoulders. "Father, daughter was just following your words."
"Yunshu, you—" Prime Minister Feng was rendered speechless for a moment.
The first lady beside him finally couldn't hold back anymore, but she still tried to maintain her dignity. "Your Highness, Yunshu, this matter is indeed our oversight, but it's not due to carelessness. Since it's windy outside, let's all go inside and talk. Lunch has already been prepared in the kitchen."
Seeing the first lady pretending to be calm, Feng Yunshu felt secretly pleased. Keep pretending to be dignified. I'd like to see when your true colors will show.
"Your Highness, let's go inside."
Actually, they hadn't discussed this in advance. Feng Yunshu originally didn't plan to act so "lovingly" and "harmoniously like a loving couple". But when she saw the faces of these people, she just did it instinctively.
Feng Yunshu took the initiative to hold Helan Yanting's arm and walked inside. Helan Yanting quietly glanced at her arm, and the corner of his lips curved up slightly. He was happy to cooperate with her.
It was lunchtime, and soon everyone sat down at the dinner table. The maids served up all kinds of dishes one by one.
After sitting down, Feng Yunshu secretly pinched Helan Yanting's arm under the cover of her sleeve and then winked at him.
Helan Yanting looked at her and nodded imperceptibly. It was impossible not to be nervous about what was about to happen next.
"Father, after Yunshu got married into the Helan Prince's Mansion, she was not used to it without Ziyuan's company. So, actually, this time when Yunshu came back to visit her family, she was thinking of taking Ziyuan with her to the Helan Prince's Mansion. What do you think, Father?"
While eating, Feng Yunshu pretended to casually bring up this topic. She turned to look at Prime Minister Feng, but actually, she was observing the first lady's expression.
Sure enough, the first lady's and Feng Manshu's faces both changed. They looked like two chameleons.
Prime Minister Feng was the head of the family and was busy with court affairs every day. He never really paid much attention to the matters in the backyard. After hearing Feng Yunshu's words, he thought that Ziyuan was just a little maid in the mansion. It didn't really matter if she was taken away.
So Prime Minister Feng slowly said, "If you want to take her, then—"
"Hey, My Lord, this matter is after all a complicated and trivial matter in the backyard. You don't know the whole story. Your humble wife knows it very well."
The first lady suddenly interrupted Prime Minister Feng's words. Then she looked up at Feng Yunshu, frowned, and looked troubled.
"Yunshu, you don't know. Since you left, Ziyuan has been very lazy. She's been slacking off on her work. This lady thought at first that she was a bit unhappy because you got married, so I didn't pursue it. But I didn't expect her to get even worse..."
At this point, the first lady paused, and her expression became extremely contemptuous. "This lady never thought that that girl would try to seduce the chief steward of the mansion and have an affair with him. She's simply... simply so shameless!"
After hearing this, Feng Yunshu's face darkened slightly.
"Absolutely impossible. Ziyuan's parents died, and then she came to the mansion. She almost grew up with this princess. Others may not understand her, but this princess knows her very well. She would never do such a thing. This is simply a baseless accusation!"
Thinking of the bruised and battered state of Ziyuan she saw last night, Feng Yunshu couldn't help but clench the cup in her hand tightly.
No, she had to endure. This wasn't the time to act.
"What? Yunshu, do you mean that this first lady is lying?"