He Ruofang and Wei Yu began to fight.
When Concubine Lu received the news and rushed over, He Ruofang and Wei Yu were already pulling each other's hair, rolling on the ground like shrewish women.
Ying Hua stood by helplessly, her face filled with anxiety, shouting, "Stop fighting, stop fighting."
But no one listened.
Concubine Lu quickly ordered people to separate He Ruofang and Wei Yu.
Both women looked disheveled, their hair and clothes all loose, like madwomen.
"To be concubines of the Crown Prince and engage in a brawl, what kind of behavior is this!" Concubine Lu's face was as cold as frost.
Wei Yu snorted dismissively, cast a sideways glance at He Ruofang, and sneered, "You rely on your looks to win favor, and you dare to provoke me."
Concubine Lu's brow furrowed. Hmph, a mere Fengyi, daring to call herself "this consort"?
He Ruofang held her head high, her expression indifferent. On her fair face, there was a shallow scratch.
Concubine Lu quickly sent for the imperial physician.
He Ruofang was beautiful and came from a humble background, but she was well-behaved and modest. Such a beauty was perfectly suited to share the Crown Prince's favor.
Concubine Lu knew that Noble Consort Wei had recently intended to select another Crown Princess for the Crown Prince, and the new Crown Princess would certainly not be of low birth.
With He Ruofang blocking the way, the new Crown Princess would not be too favored.
However, Concubine Lu felt that He Ruofang, as a favored concubine, was indeed too modest.
With such beauty and favor, any other woman would have been arrogant and overbearing.
Yet He Ruofang always maintained an air of being detached from worldly affairs, ethereal and refined.
Even when Concubine Lu visited her, she was not particularly warm.
But Concubine Lu knew that He Ruofang was faking it.
Whether man or woman, how many in this world could resist wealth and power?
If she were truly pure and untainted, why would she have married into the Eastern Palace?
He Ruofang was the cousin of the Princess of Ding'an, and the grievances between the Princess of Ding'an and Wei Yu were known throughout the capital.
It was not surprising that He Ruofang would come to add insult to injury.
"Fengyi Wei," Concubine Lu said, her gaze sternly fixed on Wei Yu, "you have committed insubordination. By rights, you should be slapped twenty times..."
"I want to see His Highness!" Wei Yu interrupted her, her tone haughty. "Only His Highness has the right to punish me in the Eastern Palace."
Grand Tutor Wei was gravely ill, and Wei Yu was extremely anxious, urgently needing to know the specific situation.
She knew Concubine Lu would not be so kind as to let the Crown Prince see her. If the matter escalated, Concubine Lu would have no choice but to invite him.
It was such a coincidence that He Ruofang had delivered herself to her door. It was a good opportunity to strike.
Although Wei Yu was also injured, she did not care.
She tugged at her torn lips and looked provocatively at Concubine Lu.
Concubine Lu remained composed and was not provoked by her.
"When His Highness returns to the palace, I will inform him. I ask Fengyi Wei to be well-behaved, to respect hierarchy, and not to overstep her bounds."
She deliberately emphasized the words "this consort" and smiled mockingly at Wei Yu.
Wei Yu's face flushed red, whether from the beating or from anger, she did not know.
No matter how low He Ruofang's family background, she was still a Liangyuan, ranking above Wei Yu. For Wei Yu to dare to strike her was indeed insubordination.
Concubine Lu did not conceal this matter from the Crown Prince.
"...I don't know how they started fighting. Liangyuan He is usually so indifferent... she even got scratched on the face. Fortunately, it's not deep. The imperial physician said a few days of medicine will make it invisible... After all, she is His Highness's cousin. Falling from grace overnight, it's understandable that Fengyi Wei is upset..."
Concubine Lu had a knack for sincerity. When she spoke to the Crown Prince, she always gave him the impression of speaking from the heart.
Therefore, the Crown Prince trusted her deeply, believing Concubine Lu was someone who genuinely wanted to spend her life with him.
Although Concubine Lu seemed to be speaking in defense of Wei Yu at this moment, her underlying message was that Wei Yu was ungrateful and unappreciative. Even though she was no longer the Crown Princess, she was still arrogant, jealous of He Ruofang's favor.
The Crown Prince was furious.
Could Wei Yu not be more well-behaved?
"It is also my incompetence," Concubine Lu knelt and pleaded guilty. "Your Highness has entrusted the inner palace management to me, yet I am timid and indecisive, creating a chaotic atmosphere in the Eastern Palace. If my father and mother-in-law were to know, and they were to worry or become angry, my sin would be great."
The Crown Prince quickly helped her up. After much deliberation, he finally made up his mind: "From now on, you shall treat Fengyi Wei as an ordinary concubine. Forget about cousin or not. The royal family values rules the most. There is a clear hierarchy. For a deposed Crown Princess like her, it is already a great mercy that my father has spared her life."
"Do not be afraid. Show the demeanor of your uncle. I know that before you were married, you were fearless, even disguising yourself as a man to right wrongs!"
Concubine Lu showed a rare shy expression. "Your Highness is teasing me again."
The Crown Prince's heart was stirred. He leaned in, about to make a move. Concubine Lu gently pushed him away. "Your Highness should go and see Liangyuan He. She doesn't like to chat with others. She might still be upset. Hurry and comfort her, lest she become ill from anger."
The Crown Prince felt even more that Concubine Lu was broad-minded and magnanimous, unlike ordinary people.
"You are the sensible one," the Crown Prince kissed her on the cheek and went to see He Ruofang.
He Ruofang's skin was flawless. The red mark on her face now made her look pitiful.
This pitifulness, mixed with a stubborn defiance, made her even more captivating.
He Ruofang did not complain. She only said it was her own fault.
"Concubine Lu is capable, and her family is a strong support for Your Highness. I am useless, and my family is not helpful. Whenever I think of this, I feel uneasy, fearing I will fail Your Highness's affection. Fengyi Wei is Your Highness's direct cousin. I thought that if she could let go of her grievances with the Princess of Ding'an sooner, Your Highness would not have to be caught in the middle. Therefore, I specifically went to tell her that the Princess of Ding'an has regained her sight, and she no longer needs to feel guilty towards the Princess... Who knew, who knew..."
He Ruofang's eyes welled up with tears as she spoke emotionally.
But she stubbornly held them back, refusing to let them fall.
Her expression was one of deep humiliation, yet her tone was calm, as if her heart had been broken.
"It was my own presumption. No matter how low Fengyi Wei's rank, she is still the legitimate daughter of the Wei family. I rely on my looks to win favor, and even with my sincere heart for Your Highness, she still looks down on me."
Not a single tear fell from He Ruofang's eyes, but her body trembled slightly. The Crown Prince's heart ached, and he immediately embraced her, comforting her with terms of endearment.
As he comforted her, passion ignited. After they made love, the Crown Prince's masculinity reached its peak, and he vowed to seek justice for his beloved woman.