But would Lian'er testify? The answer was no.
"Young Miss, I'm fine, I'm truly fine." She knew their current situation in Prince Qin's Estate and couldn't let her mistress be put in a difficult position.
Seeing the girl didn't dare to identify her, Mammy Li bloomed with internal glee. She wasn't afraid even if she were identified.
Shen Qingyan couldn't find a legitimate excuse to kill the mammy, so she had intended to let it go. However, she had just witnessed the woman’s disgusting behavior.
Unable to swallow this bitter resentment, she finally lashed out, landing a slap across the mammy’s face. She grabbed the woman by the throat, her entire body radiating a murderous aura.
"You lowly slave, have you no sense of status? How dare you lay a finger on someone of mine!"
As the mammy was choked, her weathered face instantly flushed red and bloated. The original owner of this body was famous for having a foul temper, but she had never once raised a hand for a mere maid, let alone a lowly servant girl. Yet, not only was she acting on behalf of this maid now, she was actually putting on the airs of a mistress!
Lian'er, terrified that the situation would spin out of control, whispered timidly, begging her not to make things difficult for the mammy.
In truth, she was quite happy; after all, this was the first time her mistress had stood up for her.
After being released, the mammy did not apologize. Instead, she chose to provoke her in a suicidal display of arrogance.
Glaring with murky eyes, the mammy shrieked, "Princess Consort, you really do think highly of yourself, don't you? I advise you to stop putting on these airs. Do you think that just because the Prince touched you once, he acknowledges your status as Princess Consort? Stop dreaming! You were just lucky!"
A few days ago at Zuiyue Pavilion, they had few people, but now there were many, and she wasn't afraid of her. Besides, even if she showed disrespect to a woman the Prince didn't acknowledge, no one would say a word.
Once she finished speaking, the mammy spat on the ground and continued with a provocative sneer: "If you're a dog, act like a dog! This is Prince Qin's Estate; do you still think you're some noble young lady? Pah!"
After she finished her insults, Shen Qingyan did not retort once. The mammy thought her own momentum must have intimidated the girl. After all, the combined age of those two was still less than her own, so the mammy ordered others to seize Lian'er.
Today, she would slap Shen Qingyan in the face by using her own maid right in front of her.
Perhaps this way, she could even earn some favor with the masters. After all, besides Side Consort Qing, the other masters also hated her to the bone.
She forced others to restrain Lian'er, compelling her to eat the food from the floor.
Shen Qingyan stepped out to stop them: "Wait! Let's see who dares to touch her!"
The mammy, however, was dismissive and continued giving orders. No one would stop her from taking her revenge today.
Seeing them acting in earnest, Shen Qingyan rushed forward to shield Lian'er behind her.
"Mammy Li, you are truly insolent! You dare to touch my people? It seems the last lesson wasn't enough to make you remember!"
Shen Qingyan cracked her wrists, appearing ready to strike.
"What are you doing?!"
A man's irritable voice came from not far away. Following the sound, they saw a young man walking straight toward them. He was dressed in purple court robes with a matching gold-threaded spider-pattern belt at his waist. His black hair was tied up, held in place by an inlaid jade-gilt crown. His tall, slender body was held straight, his handsome appearance exuding an innate nobility that made one feel both unreachable and as lowly as dust.
What kind of luck is this, that I run into this damn man every time I step out?
Under everyone's gaze, they welcomed the man, and everyone bowed respectfully. Only one person was an exception.
Shen Qingyan wanted to ignore him, but Lian'er behind her whispered a reminder, wanting to tug on her sleeve but fearing her mistress would be disgusted by the contact. After all, her mistress had never liked her getting too close.
Shen Qingyan’s gaze met the man's. The moment their eyes collided, the passion of the past had vanished, replaced by coldness and unfamiliarity. Those past affections seemed to have turned into bubbles in that single instant.
"This concubine greets Your Highness."
Damn this feudal society; it is nothing but torture for women and commoners.
"Shen Qingyan, it's you again. It seems you didn't take my words to heart, still daring to come out and disgrace yourself..." He wanted to say more, but saw the rice-covered face of Lian'er behind her, and the clear slap marks on the faces of several other maids. The combination of slap marks and rice-covered faces quickly caused him to place all the blame squarely on Shen Qingyan, as if it were only natural.
"You venomous woman!"
Almost instantly, the man raised his arm, and the slap was just about to land on Shen Qingyan's face. It never connected, however, because it was caught.
Everyone held their breath. Has the Princess Consort lost her mind? Why else would she openly challenge the Prince?
Not to mention the others, Lian'er's heart was thumping, dancing repeatedly on the edge of the grave.
"Xuanyuan Ming, I have put up with you for a long time! Try touching me again, and see what happens!"
In the past, Xuanyuan Ming's words were imperial edicts, military orders. She had done many foolish things to please him, so in the Capital, if you mentioned Shen Qingyan, her labels were nothing but "willful" and "love-sick fool." Of course, this fool was not the same kind of fool as the other. In other words, she had done many thankless tasks just to make Xuanyuan Ming accept her.
Almost everyone knew she loved Prince Qin so much she had lost herself. Yet, a person like that had today completely abandoned her past infatuation and publicly pointed out his unfairness in handling matters.
Those present held their breath, thinking she was finished.
Xuanyuan Ming's black eyes flickered imperceptibly. This woman was changing her strategy now, playing the game of "playing hard to get." She played it quite smoothly, too.
In that instant, Xuanyuan Ming suddenly felt that today's Shen Qingyan was much more pleasing to the eye than before. She piqued his interest greatly...
The woman was wearing a light cyan gauze dress; just standing there was enough to outshine all things in the world.
Damn it! This woman is seducing me!
He violently shook off her hand, as if being touched by her for even a second were utterly disgusting.