Chapter 61
Upon hearing this, Madam Luo glared venomously at Li Zhiwei, sneering inwardly. It seemed this woman preferred punishment over courtesy.
Anyone who harmed her son must pay the price.
Li Zhiwei had only recently arrived in the capital. Though Madam Luo had heard rumors about Li Zhiwei’s connection to the Ruan Marquis Residence, she had never actually met her. After all, the Luo family was too insignificant to attend high-society banquets—otherwise, Madam Luo would have recognized Xu Qingshi and his companions.
At this moment, Madam Luo simply assumed Li Zhiwei was just an ordinary woman from a modest family.
While the Luo family couldn’t afford to offend the noble houses of the capital, dealing with a common woman was as easy as crushing an ant.
Having made up her mind, Madam Luo looked at Li Zhiwei as if she were already dead.
"Madam Xu, I advise you to be sensible and settle this with compensation. The Luo family is not someone a lowly household like yours can afford to cross," Teacher Feng remarked mockingly from the side, feigning concern.
"Ah, so this is the kind of education your esteemed academy provides? Quite impressive indeed," Li Zhiwei shot back, inwardly cursing Xu Heming a few more times. That man was truly blind—how could he send their son to this school without first investigating the teacher’s character?
The instructors at Rushan Academy clearly lacked integrity, yet he still dared to enroll their child here!
Meanwhile, Xu Heming, who was currently handling official business, couldn’t stop sneezing.
Qingsong stole several glances at his lord, wondering if the prince had caught a cold.
"Hmph! Madam Xu, you truly don’t know what’s good for you!" Teacher Feng fumed, flicking his sleeve in anger. He had tried to advise her out of kindness, hoping to spare her unnecessary suffering, but she refused to take the hint. If she ended up in trouble, she couldn’t blame him for not warning her.
With that thought, Teacher Feng stepped aside, watching Li Zhiwei and the others with amusement.
Li Zhiwei paid no mind to his attitude. In any case, she had no intention of letting Xu Qingshi and the others continue attending this wretched academy, so she didn’t have to worry about the teacher mistreating them.
As for this so-called Madam Luo…
In the past, Li Zhiwei might have hesitated to provoke her. But now, she had received the emperor’s decree and was soon to become the Princess Consort of An.
Besides, she and Xu Heming had already held a wedding ceremony—though he insisted on giving her a proper one, just for the two of them, rather than settling for a rushed affair.
Now, it was her duty to protect Xu Heming’s children.
As for Xie Yanzhi and Jiang Yu, since they were Xu Qingshi’s friends, she would shield them as well.
"I am the in-law of the Prince of Zhennan. Do you really think you can stand against me?" Madam Luo, displeased at seeing no fear on Li Zhiwei’s face, decided to flaunt her status. Usually, people would tremble and apologize profusely upon hearing her connection to the prince.
After all, the Prince of Zhennan commanded military power—who in the capital would dare defy him?
Li Zhiwei frowned.
The Prince of Zhennan?
Who was that?
Was he important?
Xu Qingshi’s expression darkened. An in-law of the Prince of Zhennan?
What nonsense was this?
Even the Prince of Zhennan himself had to show deference to his father. Yet this woman, merely a relative by marriage, had the audacity to demand five hundred taels from him?
"Seriously? I thought she was someone formidable," Jiang Yu scoffed, equally amused.
The Prince of Zhennan?
"She’s insane. She’s actually using the Prince of Zhennan to intimidate you?" Xie Yanzhi laughed in disbelief.
"She claims to be his in-law—but which one? The prince has so many sons," Xie Yanzhi added sarcastically.
"Probably the nouveau riche family married to the dumbest one—the heir’s wife," Jiang Yu guessed with a smirk.
After all, the heir of Zhennan had recently married the daughter of a wealthy upstart.
Come to think of it, that fat boy had looked familiar—likely because they’d crossed paths at one of the prince’s banquets.
"Your father is really more powerful than the Prince of Zhennan?" Li Zhiwei whispered to Xu Qingshi.
"Stepmother, don’t worry. Even if the Prince of Zhennan himself showed up, he wouldn’t dare lay a finger on me. Just give her a piece of your mind—if anything happens, my father will handle it," Xu Qingshi assured her confidently.
Reassured, Li Zhiwei relaxed.
If this woman wanted to throw her weight around, so be it. But Li Zhiwei had her own backing.
Both were connected to princes, but she was the future princess consort, while Madam Luo was merely the relative of a heir’s wife—inherently beneath her.
With that in mind, Li Zhiwei felt much more at ease.
"So this is the great figure you claim to be? Just the in-law of a heir’s wife? Don’t you bother checking people’s backgrounds before picking fights?" Li Zhiwei mused. She didn’t know much about the Prince of Zhennan, but if his heir married into such a family, he was only dragging himself down.
No doubt this wasn’t the first time Madam Luo had bullied others with her status—she’d just never run into someone like them before.
But Li Zhiwei wasn’t about to indulge her.
"I don’t care who you are! You hurt my son—pay up now, or don’t blame me for what happens next!" Madam Luo snapped impatiently.
"Compensation? Fine. But your son injured my children too. We won’t ask for much—just a thousand taels each. Three children, so three thousand taels total. Considering their injuries are far worse than your son’s, this is already a generous offer," Li Zhiwei replied coolly.
If it was about money, she could play that game too.
"What insolent fool dares extort me?" Madam Luo had never encountered someone who defied logic like this.
Never in her life had she been asked to pay compensation—it was always others compensating her family. This was the first time someone had the gall to demand money from her.
Staring at Li Zhiwei’s delicate features, Madam Luo was reminded of her husband’s latest concubine, and her fury surged.
Without another thought, she waved at the servants behind her. "Seize these shameless wenches! Beat them to death!"
As soon as she spoke, several burly servants stepped forward.
Cuiguo and Shanzi quickly moved to shield Li Zhiwei and the children.
"My lady, Shanzi and I will hold them off. Take the young master and the others and run!" Cuiguo urged anxiously.
Though she had some martial skills, the opponents outnumbered them. She and Shanzi might not prevail, especially while protecting the children and Li Zhiwei.
"My lady, please escape with the young masters!" Shanzi added urgently.
"Escape? Hah! Where do you think you’re going?" Madam Luo sneered triumphantly. "If you dare offend me, you’d better be ready to face the consequences. Next time, open your eyes wider—don’t mess with the wrong people!"
She relished the sight of others trembling in fear, trapped with no way out.
