Although it was early autumn, the sun was still very strong. These women, who were usually pampered and treated like royalty, had never been treated like this before. Their faces were red from the sun and sweat was seeping out, but they all gritted their teeth and endured it.
Everyone maintained their bowing posture for about fifteen minutes before Hailing casually spoke.
"Alright, everyone, get up."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, cursing the woman in their hearts, but dared not show it on their faces, and even had to respectfully express their gratitude.
"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Princess."
Only now did some people realize one thing: no matter what, this woman was the Crown Princess. A higher rank could crush a lower one. Moreover, her status wasn't just about a higher rank; she was the rightful mistress of the Crown Prince's residence. If anything escalated, the Empress would be in serious trouble, and they would definitely be punished. Therefore, any future actions must never be taken openly.
Everyone quickly came to their conclusions, and for a moment no one dared to speak, all staring at the smiling woman in front of the door.
Why is that smile so offensive?
Hai Ling ignored these women and looked at Yu Zheng, who was at the head of the group, and spoke softly.
"Consort Yu, treat this Miss Ye well. She is a guest, so don't let anyone gossip about our Crown Prince's residence."
"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Princess."
Yu Zheng obediently accepted the order, and Ye Xiuya's face immediately turned green. She never expected that she would become an outsider. This woman was really too hateful.
However, she also knew that this woman was now the Crown Princess, and if she started a fight with her, she would not gain the upper hand. So she could only grit her teeth and force a smile: "Thank you, Your Highness."
This morning, everyone came here triumphantly to see this woman make a fool of herself, but unexpectedly, she ended up outmaneuvering them, leaving everyone feeling frustrated.
Only Hailing was in a good mood. She waved her hand and said, "Everyone, go back now. You don't need to come to pay your respects anymore. I, the Crown Princess, just like peace and quiet. You can all go about your business."
"Yes, Crown Princess."
Yu Zheng led the women behind her back slowly backward until they had circled around an open space in front of the door, at which point the women dared to speak.
“Sister Yu, this woman went too far. She not only called us peacocks, but also chickens. When we bowed, she completely ignored us.”
"Yes, it's truly hateful. When the Crown Prince returns, we must file a complaint against her."
"Yes, yes, the Crown Prince will definitely not let her off the hook."
Everyone chimed in, making a lively conversation.
Yu Zheng raised her eyes and coldly swept her gaze around. Everyone behind her immediately fell silent, not daring to say anything more, which showed that she had a great deterrent effect.
She slowly gave the order: "Go back, all of you."
"Yes, Sister Yu."
The women withdrew, and finally even the Third Madam led her maids back home.
Yu Zheng led Ye Xiuya back to her own courtyard.
Thinking of the humiliation her cousin had suffered, Ye Xiuying couldn't help but speak with indignation: "Cousin, how could you let that woman put her above you?"
“I know how to do it.”
Yu Zheng spoke calmly. She had been managing affairs in the Crown Prince's residence. If she wanted to do something detrimental to that woman, she wouldn't need to lift a finger. She only needed to give a slight hint to others, and someone would do it for her.
"cousin?"
Ye Xiuying wanted to say something, but Yu Zheng ignored the topic and instead looked at Ye Xiuying.
"Cousin, what can I say to you? I wholeheartedly hoped that you would become the Crown Princess, but what did you do? You let someone else become the Crown Princess."
Ye Xiuying's face flushed red. She felt a mix of jealousy and anger towards Jiang Hailing, helplessness, and resentment at having missed out on the position of Crown Princess. So she said bitterly, "I won't let this go. The Crown Prince doesn't like her, does he? He found out yesterday at the wedding. You know that everyone in the capital is talking about her now, saying that she became a discarded wife before even entering the family."
Ye Xiuying was very happy when this was mentioned.
Yu Zheng shook her head: "These rumors won't hurt her. You should think more about how to make the Crown Prince look at you differently. Only by capturing the Crown Prince can you truly achieve something great."
She wouldn't mind letting her cousin become the Crown Princess, because if she did, her power wouldn't decline, since her younger cousin wasn't very cunning.
Yu Zheng laughed in a dark tone. She had been in the Crown Prince's residence for several years and had naturally developed the skill of being shrewd and adaptable.
The two chatted all the way back.
As for Hailin's residence, it was still the worst courtyard in the Crown Prince's residence, which was usually uninhabited and therefore neglected.
I didn't see any sea lilies yesterday, but today, when I saw them in broad daylight, I realized how terrifying they were. Apart from a few houses in the center, the outside was covered with weeds, and insects would occasionally jump out of the weeds. The gate of the courtyard was swaying and the walls were mottled and dilapidated, making it look extremely desolate.
It seems she was truly relegated to the sidelines the moment she entered the house.
She didn't care about being banished to the cold palace, since she didn't like that man anyway.
But shouldn't we make amends to Crown Prince Feng Zixiao, who took advantage of her, by providing him with good food and lodging?
As Hailing was thinking, she heard a soft sobbing sound coming from beside her. Looking up in surprise, she saw Rouge crying angrily, complaining indignantly as she cried.
“Miss, the Crown Prince has really gone too far. He humiliated you so much yesterday. I’m afraid everyone in the capital knows about this now. He has ruined your reputation.”
"Rouge, it's me?"
Hailing wanted to say that she didn't care, since they would all leave sooner or later anyway.
However, before she could finish speaking, she heard an indignant voice.
"Your Majesty has really gone too far."
As the voices fell silent, a person flashed over from outside the courtyard wall and landed in front of Hai Ling and her companion with a few leaps.