Mrs. Wang, after all, was but a woman and, under Prince Qiu's daunting presence, immediately dared not speak carelessly.
Qi Wei cast a resentful glance at Mrs. Wang and made a peace offering, "Today is Yuyu's birthday, and the banquet has already been prepared. Why don't the Prince and the Princess take their seats first?"
No matter how much he resented it, Qi Wei had to refer to her as "Princess"; he couldn't allow Li Mingjue to find fault again.
The title "Princess" sounded so pleasing no matter how one heard it. Qi Yu reveled in the sight of the Qi Family's combined look of hatred and fear towards her, feeling a wave of satisfaction wash over her.
The feast was set up in a pavilion in the back garden. Qi Yu glanced at the unappetizing dishes and didn't even want to pick up her chopsticks.
Were they trying to fob her off with last night's leftovers?
To put it frankly, even the servants in the Prince Residence ate better than this.
"Is it not to your sister's taste?" Qi Anran asked in a feigned concern, but did not miss the twinge of schadenfreude in her eyes.
Not even bothering with superficial pleasantries, the Qi Family's disdain for her was crystal clear.
She casually poked at the dish in front of her with her chopsticks, putting on an eminently unreasonable air, and pouted, "The meals in the Prince Residence are indeed better. This looks barely different from pig swill."
Qi Wei was so infuriated by her comment that he slammed his chopsticks down. "If you don't want to eat it, then just get out—" He was about to say the word "get out," when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Li Mingjue's icy gaze and quickly changed his tune, "If you don't want to eat it, have the kitchen prepare something else."
He almost forgot that Qi Yu was no longer the daughter he could scold at will, but rather a Princess whose status and position were above his own.
However, Qi Yu felt even more aggrieved, looking at him with pitiful eyes, "But Yuyu doesn't want to eat steamed buns and leftovers."
"Who said you…" Qi Wei began to retort but then suddenly remembered that these indeed were the things Qi Yu used to eat.
Finding himself choked up and unable to speak, Qi Wei felt he had nearly lost all face.
Mrs. Wang, on the other hand, gave Qi Yu a secret glare and took over the conversation with a chuckle, "Yuyu is joking again. When have we ever mistreated you? Perhaps after going to Prince Qiu Residence, you just can't stand the sight of our Prime Minister Residence anymore."
Her words implied that Qi Yu was someone who disdains the poor and favors the wealthy, who had started looking down on her family home just a few days after getting married.
Qi Yu sneered inwardly. Mrs. Wang and Qi Anran, as mother and daughter, were indeed capable of distorting the truth to this extent.
Just as she was about to counter, Li Mingjue indifferently responded, "It's not just the Princess; this food wouldn't even satisfy me."
"Your Highness, this…" Mrs. Wang was taken aback.
Li Mingjue's expression was cold and a hint of disdain flickered in his eyes, "Is the grand Prime Minister Residence really offering this sort of fare to entertain me and the Princess?"
Qi Anran couldn't sit still any longer. She stood up, looking tearfully at Li Mingjue with a choked-up voice, "Why would you say that, Your Highness? It's not easy for my sister to come home, and we have prepared with all our hearts. Even if it's not to your liking, there's no need for such humiliation."
Anyone uninformed might think Li Mingjue was the one bullying her.
Qi Yu scoffed inwardly.
Qi Anran had always been this way, always positioning herself as the victim, and tirelessly brainwashing herself into believing that, even if she were the one at fault, it was still others who were wrong.
What a pristine white lotus of our age.
If she had no shame, there was no need for Qi Yu to give her any face.
Qi Yu directly tugged at Li Mingjue's sleeve and coldly snorted at the Qi family, chanting under her breath, "I don't want to stay here and eat pig food; I want to go back to the Prince Residence!"
Li Mingjue went along with her, speaking softly, "Alright, let's go home."
Afterward, he glanced back at the Qi family, his voice carrying a cold warning, "Since the Prime Minister Residence doesn't welcome me and the Princess, there's no need to invite us again in the future."
Qi Wei was dripping with cold sweat, hastily trying to stop them, "Your Highness, you misunderstand. If it's not to your satisfaction, we can have the kitchen redo it."
He then gave Mrs. Wang and Qi Anran a meaningful look, "Aren't you going to apologize to the Prince and Princess quickly?"
"Father, why should I apologize to this..." Qi Anran was naturally unwilling.
For her, a legitimate daughter, to apologize to a concubine was to become a laughing stock if word got out.
"Silence!" Qi Wei urgently cut her off.
If he blurted out the word "fool," Prince Qiu would get angry and complain to the Emperor; how then could he continue as the Prime Minister?
Qi Anran bowed her head in front of Li Mingjue, performed a salute, and clenched her teeth as she apologized, "Today's events were all Anran's fault. I hope the Prince can be magnanimous."
Li Mingjue refused to accept her bow, his tone frosty, "As long as the Princess does not take offense, I shall not take offense either."
Qi Anran's expression stiffened, apologizing to Qi Yu was out of the question!
"Anran, just apologize to the Princess," Madame Wang forcefully suppressed her rage and urged.
No matter what, Qi Yu was now the wife of Prince Qiu. If they upset her today, Prince Qiu would not let them off either.
Right now, they could only placate this fool.
However, today's humiliation, she would certainly retrieve intensified in the days to come!
Madame Wang's eyes were filled with malice as she stared at Qi Yu as if she wanted to devour her, Qi Yu felt that if looks could kill, she would have died several times over by now.
Unfortunately for them, even the greatest hostility couldn't harm her in the slightest.
On the contrary, it was these two white lotus mother and daughter that she had to deal with properly today.
Qi Anran's nails dug into her palm as she knelt before Qi Yu and said word for word, "I ask for the Princess's forgiveness for today's incident."
Qi Yu knew that at this moment, Anran must be thinking about how she would seek revenge, but she did not care.
Right now, watching Qi Anran humbly kneeling before her, she could feel the frustration that had been lingering in her chest since entering the Prime Minister Residence finally dissipate.
"Sister, why have you knelt down?" Qi Yu looked at her innocently, her clear eyes filled with confusion, "Didn't sister say that only vile people need to kneel?"
At those words, Qi Anran abruptly lifted her head, her face flushing with large patches of red as she remembered her past actions, turning pale.
Qi Yu concealed the malevolence in her eyes, smiling harmlessly.
It must not be pleasant hearing these words firsthand, right?
But this was only the beginning, she would gradually become the nightmare of the Qi family.
"My sister must have remembered it incorrectly; I have never said such a thing," Qi Anran firmly denied.
"Is that so?" Qi Yu frowned, as if seriously pondering something.
The longer she thought, the longer Qi Anran knelt on the ground.
Madame Wang couldn't bear to see her daughter suffer such humiliation and several times nearly lost her restraint and wanted to curse Qi Yu.
But now that Qi Yu had the backing of Prince Qiu, to offend him would be to offend the Emperor.
SHe could only bear the pain and avert her gaze, her hands tightly clenching to prevent herself from losing composure.
Although Qi Wei was also seething with anger, he didn't want to offend Prince Qiu.
Moreover, Qi Yu was just a fool; what use was there in arguing with her?
If Prince Qiu were to lodge a complaint, and the Emperor punished him with confinement, the position of Prime Minister might not be stable anymore.
After a while, Qi Yu suddenly nodded as if she had an epiphany, "It seems indeed there was no such thing."
A casually spoken phrase made Qi Anran's apology seem like a joke, yet she could not get angry.
Qi Anran's knees were starting to ache, and she asked in a weak tone, "Can I stand up now?"
Qi Yu generously waved her hand, "Yes, you can."
Immediately, a maid stepped forward to help Qi Anran up.
After seeing her get some air, Li Mingjue grabbed someone and started to walk outside.
After a few steps, Qi Yu suddenly remembered something else.
She tugged on Li Mingjue's sleeve, slapped her forehead, and exclaimed loudly, "Ah, I haven't taken my treasure yet!"