When Madame Duan arrived and saw the blood on Ning Shu's whip and her injured son, she felt her heart shatter. She adored her son and had never laid a hand on him, yet here he was, wounded—and by a woman, no less.
There weren't enough words for her anger and disbelief. She was about to demand an explanation from Ning Shu when she noticed the princess's cold gaze and felt a chill run through her. She quickly came to her senses—she'd nearly scolded a princess!
Frustration bubbled up inside Madame Duan, making her feel as if she might lose her mind. She was furious with Princess Jiahui for not being the softhearted girl she once was and equally resentful of Er Ya. If it weren't for that village girl, Duan Xinghui wouldn't have lost his position or angered Princess Jiahui.
Before all this, Madame Duan had held onto hope. She thought she could persuade Ning Shu to marry her son as the main wife, then deal with Er Ya afterward. But now, seeing how easily Princess Jiahui had struck Duan Xinghui without a hint of remorse, Madame Duan realized that Ning Shu's feelings for her son were gone.
She couldn't believe it. Feeling weary and defeated, she quickly got out of her sedan chair and rushed over to check her son's injury.
"Princess, was there really any need to be so heartless?" Madame Duan pleaded, her voice breaking as real tears filled her eyes. She felt helpless, terrified even—if things kept going like this, Duan Xinghui might never recover. Their only hope now was for Princess Jiahui to ask the Emperor for mercy.
It was a harsh irony.
Another one calling her heartless. Like mother, like son, Ning Shu thought with a smirk. "Heartless? Your son, this so-called 'commoner,' tried to break into the Princess Residence to assassinate me. There are witnesses here who can confirm it."
Madame Duan's heart sank. But seeing her son's pale face, she became flustered and desperate. She was, after all, just a woman of the inner chambers, unaccustomed to handling such crises. "Princess, please, allow this common woman to take her son to a doctor," she begged, signaling for someone to help Duan Xinghui up, hoping to slip away.
"Stop right there," Ning Shu commanded. "Madame Duan, what are you doing? You're planning to take away a criminal guilty of attempted murder?"
Ning Shu's gaze flicked to the blood on the ground, then back to Duan Xinghui's pale face, and a flicker of satisfaction passed over her.
Now, Madame Duan's anger flared up. "Princess, must you drive us into a corner? Don't forget, Xinghui is still your future husband!"
Ning Shu's expression turned icy. "Madame Duan, I'd watch your words. If you keep slandering me, I might just ask His Majesty to set things right. Duan Xinghui is nothing more than a commoner now—he wouldn't want to add 'slandering the imperial family' to his list of crimes."
Ning Shu took a step toward them, and Madame Duan instinctively shrank back. Her face went pale as she noticed the blood on Ning Shu's whip up close.
Duan Xinghui, despite his injury, stepped in front of his mother protectively, his dark eyes fixed on Ning Shu.
"Don't bother this princess again," Ning Shu warned coldly. "If you push me further, I'll make sure the entire Duan family can't remain in the capital. And I haven't even addressed the lies you fed me, Duan Xinghui. So, you'd better remember your place."
Duan Xinghui's face was ashen, his expression shifting between shame and confusion. He couldn't quite process the drastic change in Princess Jiahui's behavior.
With Madame Duan's support, he started to stagger away when Ning Shu's voice stopped them again. "Wait."
They froze, hearts pounding, and turned back to face her.
Ning Shu smiled slightly, a rare softness flickering across her icy expression. The unexpected warmth made Duan Xinghui momentarily dazed—there was something captivating about her smile.
"Duan Xinghui," she said calmly, "I have a servant who, let's just say, harbors deep admiration for you."
Duan Xinghui was taken aback, unsure what Ning Shu was planning.