"I'll kill you all, kill you all!" Aunt Jin roared madly, smashing chairs wildly in the front hall, quickly turning the tidy front hall into a mess.
"Concubine Jin falsely accused Princess Qingyan of pregnancy and disrupted the banquet of Duke Wu. Her crimes are heinous. She shall be severely punished with eighty strokes of the cane and imprisoned in the Shuntian Prefecture jail, never to be released in this lifetime!" Small cases in the capital are handled by the Shuntian Prefecture. It just so happened that he was a guest at the Duke Wu's mansion. When he encountered such a matter, he did not hesitate to give a quick result.
His punishment was not severe, and none of the guests objected. Two guards came over, grabbed Aunt Jin's arm, and dragged her out.
Concubine Jin was merely a concubine, confined to the inner quarters for a long time. How could she possibly contend with the guards who trained daily? She cried out in anguish, struggling desperately. The bloodstains behind her had dried and changed color, looking like a large, filthy, unidentified substance stuck to half her body, making her look utterly disheveled: "I am the most favored concubine in the Prime Minister's mansion! If you dare touch me, Prime Minister Shen will never forgive you..."
Lord Yang of Shuntian Prefecture frowned deeply. Prime Minister Shen was of noble status. If his concubine made a minor mistake, he could turn a blind eye and pretend not to see it. But now, she had faked her pregnancy to frame Princess Qingyan and even pretended to be crazy to ruin the banquet of Duke Wu. She had committed a serious crime. He would deal with Concubine Jin according to the laws of Qingyan and did not need to ask anyone else's opinion.
Aunt Jin was just a lowly concubine, yet she made a grave mistake, showed no remorse, and even dared to challenge Prime Minister Shen, who was arrogant and domineering. She was truly audacious: "Add another twenty strokes of the cane!"
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. Even a strong man couldn't withstand a hundred lashes. Aunt Jin would definitely be beaten to death. She framed her, so she deserved to die, but it benefited the mastermind Ruan Chuqing.
"Lord Yang, Prime Minister Shen is seriously ill and needs someone to take care of him. Could you please only give Aunt Jin eighty strokes of the cane and let her go back to take care of Prime Minister Shen? Once he recovers, you can send her back to prison?"
"This..." Lord Yang frowned and looked at Aunt Jin. This woman was fierce and shrewish, and also arrogant. If he forced her to be beaten a hundred times and then threw her into prison, she would definitely be furious and make a scene in prison every day. It would be better to send her back to the Prime Minister's residence first. She has disgraced the Prime Minister's residence, and Shen Minghui will definitely teach her a lesson. It would not be too late to put her in prison after her sharp edge has been worn down.
"As the princess says!" Lord Yang agreed with a smile, but when he turned to look at Concubine Jin, his gaze turned stern again: "Give her eighty strokes of the cane and send her back to the Prime Minister's residence!"
Everyone looked at Shen Lixue with admiration. Even after being plotted against and framed, she still had good intentions and did not want to take lives. This was truly a rare and good quality. Aunt Jin was forgiven, but instead of being grateful, she insulted her at will. This was truly a despicable character and did not know what was good for her.
Ruan Chuqing's face was gloomy, her small, fair hands clenched tightly, her nails digging into her flesh, but she didn't notice. Shen Lixue was not only smart, but also very good at dealing with people. In just a few words, she dispelled all the last bit of doubt that everyone had about her, and all their anger was transferred to Aunt Jin. She was really amazing.
Aunt Jin cried out and screamed, struggling desperately, but she couldn't break free from the guards. She was forcibly dragged to a secluded courtyard, pressed onto a bench, and beaten with eighty strokes of the cane. Her real blood stained her clothes again, mixed with the fake bloodstain from before, creating a shocking sight.
Aunt Jin no longer had the strength to shout and curse. She was groaning weakly as she was roughly carried onto a carriage and quickly sent back to the Prime Minister's residence.
Ruan Chuqing stared at the bloodstains on the bench with a gloomy look. As long as Shen Lixue was proven to be ruthless and cruel, and to have harmed the Prime Minister's offspring, she would be completely disgraced. Even with the protection of the Prince of War, she would never be able to gain a foothold in the capital. Who would have thought that Aunt Jin was actually faking her pregnancy? She hadn't managed to plot against Shen Lixue, and was even bitten back by her, almost getting beaten to death. What a useless thing, all her efforts were wasted.
"Madam, the banquet has begun in the front hall!" A young maidservant stood to the side, timidly reminding her. Ruan Chuqing's face was terribly gloomy, and she dared not step forward.
Ruan Chuqing responded lightly, pulled herself out of her thoughts, turned around, and slowly walked onto the bluestone path: "Back to the front hall!"
The messy front hall has been restored to its original state. The tables and chairs are clean and tidy. Maids are moving back and forth between the tables, serving one exquisite dish after another. The guests are drinking fine wine, eating food, clinking glasses, and chatting happily.
The seating in the banquet hall was arranged according to status. Ruan Chuqing, as the Duchess of Wen, sat at the same table as Shen Lixue, who was the Princess of Qingyan. Ruan Chuqing slowly sat down directly opposite Shen Lixue and looked at her coldly. She had cleverly eliminated Aunt Jin without making a sound and even gained a good reputation. Heh, she had underestimated Shen Lixue.
"Why is Madam only now returning? More than half of the dishes have already been served!" Shen Lixue asked, feigning ignorance.
"I had something to take care of, which took some time and made the princess worry!" Ruan Chuqing lowered her eyelids, smiled gently, picked up her chopsticks to prepare to eat, and her gaze fell on a young woman sitting to the left of Shen Lixue. She had an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and charming eyes looking at her. The light in her eyes was not a smile or flattery, but shock.
Ruan Chuqing was also startled, her movements paused, and her expression changed instantly: "Aunt Bai, what are you doing here?"
Aunt Bai's body trembled violently, her small hands shaking as she put down her chopsticks. She lowered her head, not daring to look Ruan Chuqing in the eye: "This concubine...it is..."
“Madam, it was I who invited Sister Ruyi to dine here!” A woman to Shen Lixue’s right suddenly spoke up. Her beautiful face, pale complexion, and frail body were none other than Chu Youran.
The Duke of Wu's mansion hosted a banquet, and Shen Lixue sent her an invitation. She had nothing else to do in the capital except to see a doctor, so she came to the banquet to take a walk and invited her good friend Bai Ruyi as well. However, she did not expect to sit at the same table as Bai Ruyi's mistress.
Ruan Chuqing put down her chopsticks, her posture elegant, adopting the air of a noble mistress, looking down at the lowly Bai Ruyi: "Don't you know that your concubine cannot attend the banquet?"
It's perfectly acceptable for Consort Jin to represent the Prime Minister's Mansion to deliver gifts and attend the banquet. However, since Duke Wen and Ruan Chuqing have personally come to Duke Wu's Mansion to attend the banquet, there's no need for Consort Bai. Her presence here would be illegitimate and improper.
Ruan Chuqing's movements were small, but they still startled the other guests, who all looked over with puzzled expressions.
Overwhelmed by Ruan Chuqing's sharp aura, Aunt Bai collapsed to her knees with a thud, her slender body trembling slightly: "I know my sins. I thought it was just an ordinary banquet, that's why I came. If I had known Madam was here, I wouldn't have dared to come to the Duke of Wu's mansion even if I had a hundred lives..."
"Madam, it was my fault. I shouldn't have invited Sister Ruyi..." Chu Youran looked at the humble and trembling Bai Ruyi, and her nose stung with tears. She had once been a lady from a respectable family, but she never expected to end up as someone's concubine, constantly being bullied.
It was all her fault. If she hadn't invited Bai Ruyi, Bai Ruyi wouldn't have been embarrassed and punished in front of everyone.
Ruan Chuqing snorted coldly and arrogantly reprimanded, "Since you know you're wrong, why don't you go back to your residence and reflect on your mistakes behind closed doors? What are you standing here for?"
"Yes, yes, yes, I'll go back to the manor right away!" Bai Ruyi quickly stood up, her head still bowed, her body trembling.
Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened, and she smiled and said, "Madam Su, guests are guests. On this auspicious day of the Wu State Duke's Mansion's re-establishment in the capital, how can we send our guests away halfway through the meal?"
"Does the princess not know that Concubine Bai is a concubine of the Duke of Wen's mansion? She has no right to attend the banquet, much less to dine at the same table with the principal wife and daughters!" Ruan Chuqing looked coldly at Shen Lixue, her calm voice carrying a hint of sarcasm.
"Miss Bai is attending the banquet at the Duke of Wu's mansion as a friend of Miss Chu, not as the concubine of the Duke of Wen. She is qualified to dine at the same table with us!"
Shen Lixue knew that Ruan Chuqing disliked Aunt Bai, and it was precisely because she knew this that she wanted to keep Aunt Bai around. She was willing to do anything to upset Ruan Chuqing. Moreover, she had a plan that required Aunt Bai to provoke Ruan Chuqing in order to carry it out smoothly.
“Princess Lixue!” Bai Ruyi’s beautiful eyes were misty with tears.
“Miss Bai, please don’t panic. Sit down and have your meal!” Shen Lixue bent down to help Bai Ruyi up and placed her in the seat next to her. She met Ruan Chuqing’s angry, sharp gaze and said, “The one sitting next to me is Bai Ruyi, the daughter of the Bai family, not Bai’s concubine from the Wen State Duke’s mansion. Bai’s concubine has not done anything wrong. After Madam returns to the mansion, she will not cause trouble for Bai’s concubine, right?”
"Of course!" Ruan Chuqing glared at Shen Lixue resentfully, gritting her teeth. In front of everyone, she couldn't say she minded, otherwise, she would be seen as petty and cause gossip.
Shen Lixue is really something, actually forcing her in public.
"Thank you, Princess! Thank you, Madam!" Bai Ruyi bowed her head, expressing her gratitude while wiping away her tears with a handkerchief.
"It's getting late, Madam, please sit down and have your meal!" Shen Lixue smiled gently, picked up her chopsticks, and continued eating.
Ruan Chuqing gritted her teeth as she looked at the carefree Shen Lixue.
Bai Ruyi was a concubine of the Duke of Wen's mansion. For her to come to the banquet of the Duke of Wu and dine with him was an insult to the principal wife. The guests present might not say anything, but they were definitely thinking in their hearts that this mistress was incompetent and weak, unable to even control the concubines in the mansion, and even riding on her head.
She was furious and wanted to storm off, but if she did so in front of everyone, her reputation for being irresponsible and willful would spread throughout the capital in a matter of minutes, and her decades-long good name would be ruined.
Slowly taking her seat, Ruan Chuqing picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of vegetables, but found them tasteless and bland.
Shen Lixue smiled gently. Ruan Chuqing was really able to keep her composure. In order to consider the overall situation, she endured the humiliation and dined at the same table as Aunt Bai.
"Li Xue!" Lin Yan walked over quickly, looking hurried.
Shen Lixue was taken aback and put down her chopsticks: "Cousin Yan, what happened?"