Chapter 55: Dispute
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How to describe Jiang Shanshan? Gentle, beautiful, dignified, and talented, she was well known for these qualities, which were in stark contrast to Mingzhu’s unruly and incompetent nature. But every time they met, Jiang Shanshan was always gentle and considerate, never showing any hint of arrogance or disdain.
Just like in her previous life, people always compared the two of them and their two marriages, with Mingzhu always coming out worse. Although Mingzhu didn’t hate her outright, over time she became less willing to be around Jiang Shanshan.
Who would want to be constantly compared and put down? But Jiang Shanshan was even more gentle and helpful towards Mingzhu, willing to speak up for her. Mingzhu felt she had no reason to dislike her, so she could only keep her distance and show respect.
But if she ignored Jiang Shanshan at this moment, it would appear rude. After a brief thought, Mingzhu smiled at Jiang Shanshan and walked over, bowing slightly. “Second Sister Jiang.”
“Come sit here.” Jiang Shanshan smiled and glanced at her, her gaze falling on the gemstone peony flower in her hair.
She exclaimed, “This gemstone peony is truly exquisite. I’ve seen many small ones before, but such a large one is rare and precious.”
As Jiang Shanshan spoke, everyone’s attention shifted to the gemstone peony in Mingzhu’s hair. There was a murmur of conversation, and Mingzhu heard someone chuckling softly, probably suggesting that the flower was obtained through corrupt means by her family.
This irritated her a bit.
Even without relying on her father’s status as prime minister, the Fu family was one of the top noble families in Jiangnan, her mother’s dowry was generous, and her aunt often gave rewards. Why couldn’t she wear a flower?
But since no one said it out loud, she couldn’t refute it without seeming defensive.
However, Jiang Shanshan continued to praise, “So beautiful! Truly a rare treasure. Such treasures are hard to come by, and only someone as beautiful and talented as Little Sister can carry it off.”
Some people smiled and agreed, while others were jealous and resentful. Mingzhu was getting tired of Jiang Shanshan repeatedly bringing up the flower, so she simply plucked the gemstone peony from her hair and handed it to her. “If Sister likes it so much, then it’s yours.”
Jiang Shanshan blushed and felt a bit embarrassed. “Such a precious item must have been hard to obtain by Minister Fu and his wife. Little Sister, by giving it to me so easily, you might be disappointing your parents’ deep love for their daughter.”
Suddenly, someone swaggered over and said loudly, “Second Sister, if you don’t want it, just give it to me.” Then, glancing provocatively at Mingzhu, they taunted, “What? Are you just pretending to be generous? Dare to give it to me?”
Mingzhu looked at the person approaching, dressed in luxurious red and gold palace attire, with a round face, phoenix-like eyes, and full lips—a charming and proud appearance. It was her eternal rival, Princess Funing.
Princess Funing was only a month older than her, the daughter of Imperial Consort Min, the younger sister of Ying Wang, and Emperor Wenzong’s youngest daughter.
She was deeply cherished since childhood and always loved to compete with Mingzhu. They had been at odds since childhood, and it wasn’t something that happened overnight.
When she was young, Princess Funing liked to stand out, seek favor from elders, and compete with others. As she grew older, she compared her husband, compared power…
Actually, Princess Funing had married well. Her husband, a newly-appointed top scholar, was both scholarly and amiable, and he treated her well. However, although this top scholar was talented, he came from an obscure background and had a straightforward personality, often ridiculed by the royal family as “country bumpkin.”
This made Princess Funing unhappy, and she often caused trouble. Later, she even caught the eye of a younger brother of the Empress Dowager Min family, the maternal side, and they flirted with each other, helping Empress Dowager Min do many wicked things, and even bullied Mingzhu enough.
Mingzhu disliked Yuwen Chu not only because of his attitude but also because of his sister, who really annoyed her.
Seeing that Mingzhu was just staring at her without expressing herself, Princess Funing became impatient, furrowing her brows. “What? I knew she was just pretending to be generous. It turns out she is bullying Second Sister Jiang because she’s so kind and honest. She knew you wouldn’t want hers, so she’s pretending to be generous. Who does she think she’s trying to impress? There was a saying before, but now it’s meaningless.”
Both openly and secretly, she was mocking Mingzhu’s past infatuation with Yuwen You. Now that the two had fallen out, Mingzhu’s marriage was in a state of limbo.
Mingzhu smiled and casually put the gemstone peony back into her hair, saying, “Princess, you’re right. Being generous doesn’t help. Everyone knows my personality. But I really wanted to give it to Older Sister Jiang. As for others, they’re not worthy.”
“Who are you talking about? Who? Are you saying that this princess is not worthy?” Funing exploded like a powder keg. When provoked, she would vent her anger vigorously, raising her eyebrows and stomping her feet. She rolled up her sleeves and seemed to be rushing towards Mingzhu.
Mingzhu pretended to be surprised and stepped back a few steps, looking scared. “Princess, what are you going to do? Why are you so quick to resort to violence? Today is the Imperial Consort’s birthday. Even if you ignore everything else, you should consider not ruining the Imperial Consort’s mood. Otherwise, people will laugh at you for being immature.”
Provoked even further, Funing rushed forward and grabbed Mingzhu’s sleeve, shouting loudly, “It’s not your turn to teach this princess! If this princess isn’t worthy, then who is? You? You’re just relying on the Great Empress Dowager and your father and brothers. Otherwise, you’re not even worthy of being the dirt under this princess’s feet…”
Her voice was high-pitched and sharp, even alarming the Great Empress Dowager and others present. Mingzhu let go of Funing’s hand and allowed her to tug and pull, looking innocent as she lowered her voice. “Look at you, acting like a shrew. You’re really disgracing the royal family. You really don’t deserve it. You’ve been wanting to hit me for a long time, haven’t you? Go ahead, you don’t dare because you’re afraid to do it in front of the Great Empress Dowager and my mother and sister-in-law? Coward!”
Funing yelled and raised her hand to slap Mingzhu. Mingzhu stepped on Funing’s skirt, grabbed the tablecloth beside her, and waited for the slap to fall. She would immediately pretend to be frightened and dodge, causing all the food and fruit dishes on the table to fall on Funing. But suddenly, a voice from the side said in a deep voice, “You have the guts to dare to disrespect both empress dowagers and misbehave at royal mother’s birthday banquet! Get out of here!”
A faint scent of agarwood came to her nose. Mingzhu looked back and saw that Yuwen Chu had come to stand beside them at some point. He grabbed Funing’s hand about to strike and looked cold and severe.
Funing, held by him, showed a mixture of shame, resentment, and fear on her pale face as she cried out, “She bullied me. Am I not allowed to fight back? I am a princess, what is she?”
Mingzhu quietly released her foot, coolly saying, “You are a princess, of course, you can hit and scold as you please. If I didn’t rely on the great empress dowager and my father and brothers, I wouldn’t even be worthy of the dirt under your feet. Where would I dare to bully you…”
Before she could finish her words, Yuwen Chu’s eyes swept over her, and she vented her anger on him, staring provocatively at him. “Your Highness, are you trying to avenge your sister?”
However, Yuwen Chu didn’t engage with her. He firmly held Funing’s hand and walked away. Jiang Shanshan came forward, speaking softly and apologetically, “It’s all my fault…”
Yuwen Chu pretended not to hear, his face stiff as he dragged the crying Princess Funing away without a shred of courtesy toward his fiancée. Jiang Shanshan’s face turned pale as she lowered her head in resignation.
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