The Prince’s manor and the Marquis of Zhaolie’s manor were not far apart. The carriage swayed and arrived at the Marquis of Zhaolie’s manor.
A group of people Lu Qing Wan did not recognize knelt at the entrance with great fanfare, shouting, “Greetings, Regent Prince! Long live His Highness, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!”
The carriage curtain was lifted, and a delicate white hand emerged. Following it, Lu Qing Wan, dressed in a red royal consort’s court robe and wearing a seven-tailed phoenix hairpin, gracefully stepped out.
The expressions of the crowd instantly changed, especially those of the female family members kneeling on the ground, whose eyes widened in disbelief.
“Is this that ugly, good-for-nothing Lu Qing Wan?”
A female relative, who appeared to be around the same age as Lu Qing Wan, exclaimed in disbelief, “Impossible! How can that ugly, good-for-nothing be so beautiful and so dignified and elegant?”
Lu Qing Wan’s entire demeanor was not merely enhanced by the consort’s court robe and the seven-tailed phoenix hairpin. She was actually just stepping down from the carriage with the support of Yue’er and a footstool, yet everyone could tell that Lu Qing Wan was different from before.
Just then, Feng Xi Wu, for reasons unknown, moved from the back of the carriage to the four-wheeled chair and was pushed over by Li Yang. He said nonchalantly, “What, no one sees my consort?” His tone clearly indicated he was supporting Lu Qing Wan.
However, the Lu family was accustomed to looking down on Lu Qing Wan and still wanted to stand up to pay their respects to her in a perfunctory manner. To their surprise, as soon as they moved, Feng Xi Wu added casually, “Do you all think my consort is not worthy of a kowtow from you?”
Lady Lan, having suffered several setbacks at Lu Qing Wan’s hands, enjoyed seeing others put Lu Qing Wan in a difficult position. Hearing this, she quickly interjected, “Your Highness, you may not know, but these are all elders of Qing Wan’s generation! How can elders kowtow to a junior?”
Seeing Lady Lan standing up for them, the members of the Lu family immediately felt less nervous. They all righteously remained kneeling, waiting for Lu Qing Wan to excuse them.
To their surprise, Lu Qing Wan said with an unreadable expression, “It seems Lady Lan still doesn’t know her place?”
Lady Lan stared at her, stunned, “What do you mean?”
“I mean you should not, and are not fit, to be here. If Lu Si Wan has the ability to bring the Prince of Chen back for a return visit, you can do as you please. My husband and I are here for a return visit, and we do not wish to see you.”
With that, Lu Qing Wan pointed at the people on the ground and said, “And you all, I am here for a return visit to the Marquis of Zhaolie’s manor, not the Marquis of Wenchang’s manor. If you intend to use your status as elders to extort favors, then abandon your vile intentions and return to the Marquis of Wenchang’s manor. Otherwise, do not blame me for my lack of mercy!”
“You! Lu Qing Wan, I am your elder. Even your father, Lu Zhenting, would have to call me cousin. How dare you be so disrespectful?” That person, relying on his seniority, no longer knelt. He stood up, intending to argue with Lu Qing Wan, his hand reaching out as if to poke her eye.
Unexpectedly, Lu Qing Wan delivered a swift kick to his calf. The man cried out in pain and knelt back down.
“Elder? Have I eaten your meals, or used your resources, that you get to be so overbearing?” As she spoke, she suddenly raised her hand, pointing at the restless members of the Lu family behind her, and sternly ordered, “All of you, kneel back down! Let’s see who dares to move?!”
Several restless youths were actually intimidated by her and knelt there, not daring to move. They then realized they had been scared by Lu Qing Wan, such a good-for-nothing!
One of the young men, angered and ashamed, retorted, “Lu Qing Wan, what are you so arrogant about? Your father is dead, and no one is backing you anymore. Just wait for the Regent Prince to divorce you! After being jilted by the Prince of Chen, and then divorced by the Regent Prince, without the protection of the Marquis of Wenchang, you’ll starve on the streets… Ah!”
A sharp cry of pain replaced the young man’s arrogant and malicious curses. The young man instinctively covered his mouth, then released it. The people around him suddenly jumped in fright.
“Lu Qing Wan, how dare you?” The man who had been leading the elders in berating Lu Qing Wan, seeing a bloody piece of tongue on the ground, was so terrified he stammered.
The entire Lu clan consisted of civil officials. Only Lu Zhenting, forced by Madam Zhang, became a military general. The others had never witnessed such a scene. Seeing the blood on the ground, some of the women were swaying, on the verge of fainting. Even the men’s faces turned pale with fear.
Lu Qing Wan, however, remained unfazed and said, “The war in the Western Regions ended over half a month ago. My father’s injury was kept secret precisely to avoid public unrest and instability in the court. You are so eager to announce my father’s death to me. Are you not afraid that His Majesty will find out and charge you with the crime of causing political turmoil?”
The man froze on the spot. When he first heard the news of Lu Zhenting’s death in battle, he was only focused on vying for titles. He had never considered that such a high-ranking military general like Lu Zhenting would die in battle without any reaction from the imperial court!
While he was in a daze, other members of the Lu family were still clamoring to punish Lu Qing Wan and cursing her for being ill-bred.
Feng Xi Wu, seated in his four-wheeled chair, had observed this entire farce. Seeing that Lu Qing Wan had calmed down, he slowly said, “The crime of causing political turmoil needs to be investigated by the Ministry of Justice. However, the crime of disrespect, I can deal with. Guards, drag away all those who cursed and slandered the consort just now, administer thirty strokes of the cane, and imprison them in the imperial prison. They will be released when they realize their error.”
Feng Xi Wu was returning to the manor with his consort, and a retinue of guards was naturally present. At his command, the personal guards quickly stepped forward and apprehended all those who had cursed Lu Qing Wan.
Only then did the members of the Lu family remember to beg for mercy. “Your Highness, please calm your anger. They are merely young and ignorant, speaking their minds too directly, and have no ill intentions!” The man also could not afford to worry about his own life anymore. Snatching titles was still about saving face. If they couldn’t snatch titles and their children were sent to prison, then they would have lost all face and substance.
Even now, they were only concerned about themselves, with no awareness that they had offended Lu Qing Wan. Feng Xi Wu’s anger had reached its limit. “If you continue to blabber, I will have someone summon the Marquis of Wenchang to personally escort you back.”
Upon hearing that Feng Xi Wu would involve the Marquis of Wenchang’s manor, the man finally fell silent. Feng Xi Wu extended his hand to Lu Qing Wan, signaling for them to enter together.
But just then, a sharp cry was suddenly heard. Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw a woman, dressed in a crimson narrow-sleeved shirt embroidered with the character "Fu," being supported and running over, wailing.
“Heaven, oh heavens! My life is so bitter! The child I raised with such hardship is dead, and my granddaughter will not even let me enter the door. On the day of the return visit, she won’t even kowtow to me. What is the point of me living? Marquis, wait for me, I’m coming to find you!”
Very good, she had immediately drawn everyone’s attention. Seeing the growing crowd, she wailed and moved to collide with the large yellow poplar tree at the entrance of the Marquis’s manor.