Yu Yunxi looked up and asked calmly, "What time is it now?"
'You're already on the verge of death, but you're still asking about the time,' the steward thought to himself as he said casually with a sneer, "Seven o'clock."
"Good," Yu Yunxi said as she rose to her feet. She was extremely calm.
…
When Yu Yunxi arrived at the hall, she saw Aunt Qing being pressed to the ground. Aunt Qing's body was covered with whip marks and blood.
'This seems very similar to the day I was forced to get married. How ironic…' Yu Yunxi thought to herself.
As though sensing Yu Yunxi's gaze, Aunt Qing raised her head with great difficulty and stared at Yu Yunxi hatefully.
Yu Yunxi looked away indifferently before she bowed to Consort Dowager Ning and said, "Yunxi greets Mother."
"Kneel down!"
A teacup smashed loudly on the ground, and tea splashed everywhere, soaking the hem of Yu Yunxi's skirt and shoes.
Consort Dowager Ning was so angry that the servants did not even dare to breathe loudly.
On the contrary, Nanny Liu stood at the side with a smug expression on her face.
Yu Yunxi straightened her back and calmly met Consort Dowager Ning's gaze as she said, "I don't know how I've angered Consort Dowager Ning. Please advise me."
Before Consort Dowager Ning could speak, Nanny Liu hurriedly said in a loud voice, "Princess Consort, you instructed your servant to burn the ancestral hall in the Prince Regent's Residence. This is the first crime. I kindly reminded you to admit to your crime to the Consort Dowager. It's fine if you don't want to listen to me, but you even slapped me. This is the second crime!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Yunxi laughed and said, "I'm the master, and you're the servant. You provoked me time and time again. It's not wrong for me to slap you. I believe Mother won't agree with a servant behaving impudently toward her master either."
Yu Yunxi looked at Consort Dowager Ning, and when she saw the darkening expression on Consort Dowager Ning's face, she continued to say unhurriedly, "As for the matter of burning the ancestral hall… Nanny Liu, just because you accused me, it doesn't mean that I have to admit to something that I didn't do."
Nanny Liu scolded loudly, "Aunt Qing has already confessed. There's already evidence, and you still want to deny it!"
If anyone were to hear these words, perhaps they would panic. However, Yu Yunxi's expression remained unchanged. She turned around and pretended to look at Aunt Qing in confusion as she said, "Aunt Qing, Nanny Liu said that you confessed. What did you confess to?"
Although Aunt Qing hated Yu Yunxi to death now, her mind was still clear. She kowtowed heavily and said loudly, "Princess Consort, I don't know anything! The burning of the ancestral hall has nothing to do with me!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Yunxi's eyes flashed. At the same time, the worries in her heart also vanished.
'As expected, Aunt Qing didn't confess to anything… After all, we're in the same boat now. If she confesses, we'll both die. Nanny Liu was just calling my bluff.'
Yu Yunxi had been betting that although Aunt Qing hated her, Aunt Qing was not stupid. Fortunately, her bet paid off.
Now that she had failed to get Yu Yunxi to confess, Nanny Liu flew into a rage out of humiliation. She raised her hand to slap Aunt Qing and cursed, "B*tch, you're still so stubborn!"
However, before Nanny Liu's hand fell, Yu Yunxi grabbed Nanny Liu's wrist and rebuked icily, "Nanny Liu, Mother is here. She has yet to express her stance so how dare you act so impudently?"
Soon after, Consort Dowager Ning slammed her hand on the table. Her expression was extremely gloomy as she looked at Yu Yunxi and said, "Enough! You've only been in the residence for a few days, but you've already turned it into a mess. Let me ask you, were you the one who set the ancestral hall on fire?"
"No," Yu Yunxi replied firmly.
Consort Dowager Ning slammed her hand on the table again. She looked at Yu Yunxi murderously as she said, "You still dare to lie to me? Someone saw your maidservant near the ancestral hall!"
Yu Yunxi did not panic. She sighed and said, "Mother, I admit that I ordered Aunt Qing to go to the ancestral hall. However, I didn't order her to set the ancestral hall on fire. I was worried about His Royal Highness so I asked Aunt Qing to go to the ancestral hall and burn incense for the ancestors to bless His Royal Highness."
"You're lying!" Nanny Liu cried out.
Yu Yunxi turned to look at Nanny Liu with a piercing gaze. Her aura was imposing as she said, "Could it be that you personally saw Aunt Qing setting fire to the ancestral hall?"
"I… I…" Nanny Liu stammered, at a loss for words.
"Mother, I hope you can understand me. I left the Yu family and married into the Prince Regent's Residence. I'm already His Royal Highness' person. I naturally hope that the Prince Regent's Residence will flourish. How could do something that will harm the Prince Regent's Residence?" Yu Yunxi said. Her eyes were red, and she choked on her tears as she spoke.
'Isn't it just acting? I can act too!'
Consort Dowager Ning looked at Yu Yunxi coldly. It was clear that she did not believe Yu Yunxi. She said, "Someone, punish her. I'll get to the bottom of the matter today."
Yu Yunxi's expression darkened slightly upon hearing these words.
'As expected of a woman who stayed in the harem for many years… She has very terrifying means and is ruthless… It seems like she won't let me go easily…'
On the contrary, Nanny Liu smiled upon hearing Consort Dowager Ning's words. She rolled up her sleeve and walked over to Yu Yunxi.
'I'm going to torture this b*tch to death today!'
Just as Nanny Liu's hand was about to land on Yu Yunxi, a servant suddenly rushed into the hall and said, "Consort Dowager, the people from the Prime Minister's Residence are here!"
Nanny Liu froze while the corners of Yu Yunxi's lips curled up slightly. Earlier, she had asked for the time from the steward because she wanted to check how long it would be before the Yu family's visit. Today was the third day after the wedding. Logically speaking, she should have returned to her maiden home today. However, due to Feng Yili's condition, Consort Dowager Ning had sent someone to the Yu family the night before to invite the Yu family over. Although her father's status was not as high as that of the imperial family, he was still the prime minister of the country. As such, Consort Dowager Ning still had to take him into consideration.
Alas, the smile on Yu Yunxi's face did not last long because she heard the servant continue to say, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is also here."
'The Crown Prince? What is he doing here?' Yu Yunxi's eyes flashed with a hint of disgust.
"The Crown Prince is here as well?" Consort Dowager Ning rose to her feet immediately, and her expression turned slightly solemn. After a moment of silence, she looked at Yu Yunxi and Aunt Qing coldly as she said, "Guards, send this lowly servant to the local doctor. The Princess Consort and I will welcome the guests."
'So she's not going to pursue the matter of the ancestral hall for the time being?'
Yu Yunxi lowered her gaze. This was within her expectations as well. The only variable was the Crown Prince's surprise visit.
After a while, a few figures appeared.
Yu Zhongcheng bowed to Consort Dowager Ning and said, "Greetings, Consort Dowager Ning."
Then, a woman with fair and flawless skin dressed in a pink dress said in a delicate voice, "Yu Wanrong pays respect to Consort Dowager Ning."
Yu Wanrong was the legitimate daughter of the Yu family and the Prime Minister's Residence.
Consort Dowager Ning smiled perfunctorily before she turned to look at the crown prince, Feng Weizhou. He had straight eyebrows, phoenix eyes, and an aloof air about him. He had an elegant bearing. At this moment, he was dressed in a white robe with cloud patterns embroidered on his sleeves.
Consort Dowager Ning looked at Feng Weizhou and asked, "Your Royal Highness, why are you here today?"