" Lady Yang Ning, I had heard a lot of rumors about you. However, I am surprised to meet you like this in person. I was not sure about those rumors at first, but seeing you acting like this in front of His Highness, I can affirm that those rumors were true indeed." Princess Liu sneered at Yang Ning, who was enjoying fruits and tea while everyone was waiting for His Majesty to commence the Banquet Feast.
Yang Ning who was enjoying her fruits and tea in peace, her happiness was interrupted by a honey-dripping sweet voice but venom-like bitter and hostile words.
It's not like she was eating the food after stealing it or she forced him to arrange all of this food for her. It was the Crown Prince, who himself arranged the food table for her.
If she has something to say, shouldn't she speak to the Crown Prince and not her?
" Ermm….I am not sure what kind of rumors you have heard about me. However, I am surprised that you can confirm those rumors in such a short meeting. Haha, that's incredible." Yang Ning laughed and said as she put down the teacup on the table that she was holding.
" What?" Princess Liu's expressions turned gloomy upon hearing such daring and sarcastic words from Yang Ning. She scoffed in incredulity as she could not believe that rather than pretending to be innocent about those rumors, she was making such sarcastic remarks in front of everyone.
While Princess Liu was fuming in anger, Yang Ning was wondering if she had said something wrong. She tried to be as polite as possible to the lady standing in front of her but it seems like she didn't like what she said.
She was indeed complimenting her for reading people's minds in such a short time. Because she failed to recognize the true intentions of someone despite being together with them for so long.
If she had that kind of skill with her, she would not be backstabbed by the person who was closest to her.
'Hmm. This doesn't look good.' Yang Ning wondered inwardly and glanced at Xiaowei in puzzlement, pleading for her help.
Xiaowei noticed Yang Ning's puzzled gaze and sighed heavily. Why does she keep attracting trouble like flowers attracting bees?
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Princess Liu scorned in contempt upon seeing the discourteous behavior of Yang Ning and said, " Lady Yang Ning, looking at the way you are eating fruits and having tea before His Majesty does, you truly have no shame or respect for the royal family."
She was not planning to go this far earlier but seeing the shameless and unmannerly attitude of Yang Ning, she could not contain her overflowing emotions. " I used to think that the rumors about the future Crown Princess were just groundless talks and nothing else. There is no way that a vicious and shameless woman, as they say, is going to become the Future Crown Princess of the Zheng Empire. However, now I am not sure."
" I only came to tell you that what you are doing is not only inappropriate but embarrassing as well. Everyone here is aware of the tradition of the royal family and that's why to respect that tradition, no one even takes a sip of water before His Majesty does." She said while pointing at everyone standing in the Main Hall, who was looking at Yang Ning with a similar look of disdain in their eyes.
" However, you're sitting in the middle of the Main Hall with a separate table of yours, filled with fruits and tea. Don't you think you have gone too far?"
Yang Ning was speechless when she heard a long lecture from a woman she doesn't even know about. She clenched her fists under the table as she was trying hard to control her temper.
'This royal bitch!' She cursed inwardly as she tried to keep her expressions as neutral as possible. 'Take a deep breath. Whoo!'
' It will be a waste of breath if you argue with an empty brain. Be a bigger person. Whoo!' She tried to take deep breaths and chanted to herself to not argue with this woman and to stay calm.
While Yang Ning was trying to understand in what way she should give an answer to this woman for her rude words and not make things complicated for her at the same time, Zheng Liang who was silent all this while finally spoke up, " IT IS YOU WHO HAVE GONE TOO FAR! It was me who arranged the tea and fruits for Lady Yang Ning." He stood up to confront the woman who started bashing Yang Ning without knowing the whole context of the situation.
If he was not aware of Yang Ning's health condition and had seen her groaning in discomfort yesterday, he would have assumed her to be ignorant and a shameless person. However, he knows how she didn't get to eat anything for the past two days. That's why he couldn't bear to hear such accusations made by Princess Liu.
" Princess Liu, If you're talking about the royal traditions and customs, I believe I am aware of them more than you. Sounding off about her having tea and fruits before the royal feast, it simply means that you are disrespecting my decision and looking down on my hospitality towards my guest."
"Do you know that this kind of behavior can be considered as your lack of respect and loyalty towards the Royal Family?"
Yang Ning was surprised by the way he told off the woman and wanted to give him huge applause for his cool comeback, but she controlled her urge to create another problem for her by clapping in the middle of the heated argument.
She secretly glanced at him and saw him tightening his jaw. She pursed her lips when she noticed his adam apple moving up and down.
Damn!! He looks even more handsome when he is angry.
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Princess Liu was in shock when Zheng Liang raised his voice at her in front of everyone. That too for this shameless, vicious woman!
She is the Princess of Liu Kingdom. How can he treat her like this?
She was doing all this just for him and the royal family. She is way better than this shameless and vicious woman, how can he not know that?
" Your Highness! Pardon me for being rude to you. I have no intention to be discourteous to you or the royal family in any way. However, you have no idea what kind of woman she is." She was feeling wrong the way Zheng Liang misunderstood her intentions and tried to show the dark side of Yang Ning to him.
Yang Ning was watching the whole drama that was unfolding in front of her and rolled her eyes when Princess Liu apologized to Zheng Liang when she was being rude to HER!
Shouldn't she apologize to HER instead of HIM?
" Your Highness, This woman is not here to congratulate you on your 25th Birthday Celebration but to curse you. That's why she is wearing such ordinary and simple clothes to a special banquet like today. She is not looking down on you but the whole Royal Family." Princess Liu continued while other people in the Main Hall were also nodding at her words, supporting her claims.
" Not only that, I heard that she was beating her maid outside the royal palace and was making an embarrassing scene in front of all the guards outside." She repeated the words that she heard a while ago from the other guests at the Banquet.
'Let's see if he still takes this vicious woman's side after knowing the truth!' She smirked triumphantly.
" Even though this woman is going to become the Crown Princess in the future, this kind of attitude is unacceptable. It is nothing but a disgrace to the reputation of the royal family."
" I was simply trying to reproach her for the disrespect she has shown for the royal family. I had no other intention other than that." Princess Liu said sincerely as she explained her side and told him the shameless truths of Yang Ning.
Zheng Liang glanced at Yang Ning and pursed his lips to see the plain and simple dress of Yang Ning. It was indeed not something that a Future Crown Princess should wear to a Banquet.
He glared at Princess Liu, who was persistent and stubborn to prove her claims right. He never thought that this woman was so annoying and stubborn before.
" Princess Liu, Mind your words. You are speaking about the Future Crown Princess of the Zheng Empire. Even if you are the beloved Princess of Liu Kingdom, we will not allow anyone to speak-ill about the Future Crown Princess of the Zheng Empire." Zheng Liang roared at her, causing everyone to shut their mouths at once.
No one was expecting Zheng Liang to react in this way. Wasn't the Crown Prince against this political marriage? How come he is supporting Yang Ning in front of everyone while taking a risk of creating animosity between the Zheng Empire and the Liu kingdom?
" Ah! So you were curious about why I wore this dress to the banquet today? Princess Liu, if you were curious, you should have asked me about it before. There was no reason for you to ruin the merry atmosphere of the Celebration Banquet." Yang Ning said, interrupting the unpleasant silence that ruined the atmosphere of the Banquet.