Chapter 191
Huo Yunyao frowned, her heart filled with discontent as she spoke, "What could possibly be more important than me?"
Huo Yunyao wondered if her eldest sister perhaps thought her actions were disgraceful?
Thinking this, her entire demeanor conveyed to everyone present that she was in a very foul mood.
The maidservants all looked at Huo Yunyao somewhat strangely.
They thought to themselves, why hadn't they noticed before that the Second Young Miss was so selfish?
The Eldest Young Miss, the Third Young Miss, and the Young Master were all seriously ill in bed, yet the Second Young Miss showed no intention of visiting them.
She even had the nerve to complain about them not coming to see her.
However, due to Huo Yunyao's usual domineering ways, everyone could only grumble internally.
After all, she was their mistress.
Anwang Manor
Back at the manor, Zheng Qiaoshu couldn't shake a feeling of resentment no matter how much she thought about it.
She had already apologized, yet that Princess still wouldn't let the matter go.
It was simply a disregard for the Anwang Manor.
With this thought, Zheng Qiaoshu decided to seek out The Old Princess to plead her case.
Seeing Zheng Qiaoshu's red-rimmed eyes, The Old Princess asked with some confusion, "Didn't I send you to Zhenbao Pavilion to pick out jewelry? What's the matter?"
The Old Princess had initially felt that Zheng Qiaoshu's way of handling affairs was quite to her liking, but these past couple of days, she was beginning to think this niece of hers was rather prone to stirring up trouble.
A troublesome niece was not something The Old Princess favored.
"Aunt!" Zheng Qiaoshu looked at The Old Princess with a face full of grievance, appearing hesitant to speak. Anyone unaware would think she had suffered some tremendous injustice.
"Were you bullied?" The Old Princess's words, though phrased as a question, carried the thought: I wonder which fool in the manor dared to provoke her?
"Aunt, I'm afraid I may have caused trouble for you." Zheng Qiaoshu looked at The Old Princess with a worried expression, putting on a fearful act.
"What kind of trouble?" The Old Princess asked, feeling some anger herself.
She was angry both at Zheng Qiaoshu for being troublesome,
and at those who had offended Zheng Qiaoshu.
What fool would dare to provoke someone from her Anwang Manor?
"Aunt, today at Zhenbao Pavilion, I accidentally bumped into Princess Fuan." Zheng Qiaoshu's fearful demeanor reminded The Old Princess of how Zheng Qiaoshu had been when she first arrived at Anwang Manor.
Somewhat timid and submissive.
"I apologized to Princess Fuan, but she insisted on punishing me. Even though Princess Fuan knew I was the cousin from Anwang Manor, she still showed no regard for the manor." As she said this, dissatisfaction filled Zheng Qiaoshu's tone.
"Is Princess Fuan alright?" The Old Princess asked upon hearing this.
"She's perfectly fine." At this point, Zheng Qiaoshu also felt some discontent. It was just an accidental bump.
Yet the Princess acted as if she were some heinous criminal who needed to be punished.
If someone hadn't whispered something in that Princess's ear, she would have been skinned alive today.
"Qiaoshu, the capital is prosperous, with many nobles and officials. Although Anwang Manor is a princely manor, it cannot be compared to Lanhuaiwang Manor. After all, they are genuine imperial relatives." The Old Princess looked at her niece and spoke earnestly.
She sighed inwardly, thinking, she's only just come to the capital from Qinghe and doesn't understand the intricacies among the nobility here.
She actually thought that as a cousin, she could challenge Princess Fuan.
Princess Fuan enjoys a degree of favor even in front of His Majesty.
Bumping into Princess Fuan today and escaping punishment was already an act of mercy from the Princess. Yet this niece still wants me to stand up for her.
Seeing The Old Princess adopt this attitude, Zheng Qiaoshu was furious inside. If it were her own daughter who had been humiliated today,
she definitely wouldn't be this calm, would she?
"This niece has overstepped." Zheng Qiaoshu said, her heart filled with unwillingness.
She thought to herself, since this old hag is being unkind, don't blame me for being unjust.
Originally, she had hesitated about the medicine that person gave her.
Now it seems,
there's no need for soft-heartedness.
The Old Princess looked at the silent Zheng Qiaoshu, sighed, thinking she would understand her meaning, and said nothing more.
"Qiaoshu, this is not Qinghe. The capital has many rules. Another day, I will have Matron Liu come to properly instruct you in etiquette and manners, so you don't offend those you shouldn't in the future." The Old Princess feared Zheng Qiaoshu might offend someone she shouldn't later on.
She thought it would be best to arrange someone for Zheng Qiaoshu.
To avoid causing another scene next time. After all, even if Zheng Qiaoshu can't marry her son, her maternal family still hopes she can find someone to marry here in the capital.
In that case, she should at least know which people in the capital cannot be offended and which things cannot be done.
"Yes!" Zheng Qiaoshu gritted her teeth, cursing inwardly: Old hag, talking about making her learn rules, isn't it just because you look down on her?
It seems she must arrange the medicine her master gave her as soon as possible.
The Old Princess did not see the venom in Zheng Qiaoshu's eyes, but she found herself missing her son and grandson more and more.
After Li Zhiwei and Xu Heming finished dealing with matters at the Huo family wine cellar, they returned to the Li residence together.
The two walked side by side on the streets of Li'an County.
The bustling streets were crowded with people coming and going, with many vendors hawking their wares.
Looking at the long-unseen streets, Li Zhiwei was in a good mood. It felt like life had returned to how it was before going to the capital.
She could freely buy whatever she wanted on these streets.
"Sir, buy a hairpin for your wife!" a vendor called out to Xu Heming.
Xu Heming looked at the exquisitely carved peach wood hairpin on the vendor's tray and asked Li Zhiwei, "Do you like it?"
Li Zhiwei didn't answer Xu Heming, merely giving a light hum before walking ahead.
It wasn't that she disliked the hairpin.
But for the Prince of An to give her a wooden hairpin, how lacking in sincerity was that?
"Hey!" The vendor wanted to say more but was pulled aside by someone nearby.
"Enough, don't you see who that is? How could someone like that lack a wooden hairpin like yours."
The vendor recognized Li Zhiwei.
After all, in Li'an County, who didn't know Li Zhiwei?
That other vendor was new, so he didn't know.
"Brother, is that person very important?" the new vendor asked curiously.
"See this road? And that bridge over there? They were all built with money from the Li family. They'd never fancy your wooden hairpin."
The vendor said mockingly.
Hearing that the Li family had done so much, the new vendor was also very surprised. He thought to himself, next time he saw that young lady, he would definitely give her a peach blossom hairpin.
Just as Xu Heming was about to catch up to Li Zhiwei, he saw an arrow shooting straight towards where Li Zhiwei was.
"Watch out!" Without a second thought, Xu Heming rushed forward, grabbed her, and spun them both aside several times.
“What are you doing!” Li Zhiwei hadn’t noticed Xu Heming’s warning and was dissatisfied that Xu Heming would hold her like this on the street, when she saw the arrow embedded upright in a nearby pillar!
