"Ouch... Who! Who hit me with something!"
She was in so much pain that she bared her teeth, forgetting all decorum in the grand hall.
Madam Xu and Madam Zhou also turned their heads. The front was blocked by several people, but through the gaps, they could see a flash of jade-colored brocade.
Feng Yinwan raised her eyes slightly in surprise, and Song Qing'an's slightly cold expression met her gaze.
"You are all wives of influential officials in court. Today, you came to the palace for a banquet, but you are now resorting to violence against the Prince's Consort in the main hall. Your crude words and actions are no different from common folk. Aren't you afraid of disgracing your husbands?"
Song Qing'an was not a high-ranking official, and these women were arrogant. They didn't even recognize him, and his youthful appearance made him seem less intimidating.
Madam Liu, who had just been struck on the wrist, narrowed her eyes at his words. Clutching her reddened wrist, she rasped,
"Who do you think you are, to lecture us here! There are plenty of important officials present, and they haven't said anything yet. What right do you have to interrupt?"
"Exactly! You look so frail, yet you act so arrogantly. Whose child are you? Truly ill-bred!"
The two women egged each other on, feeling completely justified. Madam Zhou, on the other hand, cast a sideways glance at Feng Yinwan and snorted.
"What 'young master'? Look at how he's rushing to intervene, he's just a male concubine, a lowly thing for entertainment, not fit for polite society."
"And the Ink Prince's Consort too, she's almost due, why is she so impatient..."
"Slap—"
The moment the words fell, a crisp "slap" echoed across Madam Zhou's right cheek, her pumpkin-sized head snapping violently to the side.
The slap was clean and swift, extremely vicious, delivered by Feng Yinwan.
"Madam Zhou, this Prince's Consort advises you to keep your mouth clean. Otherwise, next time, it won't be as simple as a slap."
She wasn't afraid of harsh words or sarcasm; these things couldn't harm her in the slightest. But Song Qing'an had just helped her, and to insult him like that was unacceptable.
Startled by the sudden slap, Madam Zhou felt a burning pain on her face. Half of her face, under the gaze of everyone, rapidly swelled to a visible degree.
As if numb from the shock before feeling the pain, she froze for a good two seconds before wailing and covering her right cheek.
"Ouch—my face!"
The force of that slap was considerable. Madam Liu and Madam Xu stared, their eyes wide, and ultimately dared not utter another word.
Feng Yinwan's sharp gaze swept over the two, her voice cold.
"This is the son of Minister Song, who serves in the Ministry of War. He and this Prince's Consort have been childhood friends. If you still don't recognize him, this Prince's Consort wouldn't mind teaching you to recognize him properly."
The three stood in a neat row. Madam Liu clutched her hand, Madam Zhou covered her face, and Madam Xu stood at the far edge, not daring to utter a sound.
Feng Yinwan swept a cold glance over them and met a pair of ink-black eyes as sharp as blades.
Ye Tinglan and Yun Shu entered one after the other. Feng Yinwan didn't know how much he had heard, but she felt a chilling aura emanating from him, sharp and bone-chillingly intense.
As he passed her, he didn't pause.
However, Yun Shu, with a blink of her eyes, approached. "Sister Wan, the way you slapped them just now was so cool! You're absolutely my dream sister!"
She then frowned, looking at the three beside them, clearly displeased.
"Hey, did the three of you gang up to bully Sister Wan! This County Princess hates bullies the most. Looking at your ugly faces, you deserve to be beaten!"
In the entire Jing Dynasty, only one county princess dared to speak like this – the daughter of Prince Dingnan, Yun Shu.
Madam Liu and the others were merely wives of officials who hadn't seen much of the world. They wouldn't dare to retort to Yun Shu's words, not even if they gritted their teeth.
After reprimanding them, Yun Shu turned back to Feng Yinwan, her gaze falling on Feng Yinwan's still slightly red fingertips, and she pouted with concern.
"Sister Wan, look, your hand is red. It's not worth you getting your hands dirty to deal with them. If anyone dares to upset you again, just tell me. My father has plenty of ways to torture people!"
Facing such pure kindness, Feng Yinwan still felt a little lost.
She pursed her lips, remaining silent. Yun Shu, however, was not one to feel awkward. She tilted her head and smiled at Feng Yinwan, then directly followed Ye Tinglan's footsteps.
"Then I'll go over there first!"
The hall glittered with splendor. The two figures, one tall and one short, looked somewhat well-matched.
"Consort?"
Feng Yinwan was brought back to her senses by Song Qing'an's soft call. Before her, Madam Liu and the other two had already fled. Feng Yinwan responded, her eyelashes quickly suppressing her thoughts.
"Hmm?"
Whether it was an illusion or not, when she looked up again, she clearly felt that Song Qing'an's eyes were much brighter than before.
Looking at her, his handsome lips seemed to hesitate to speak.
Feng Yinwan was slightly stunned. Just as she was about to ask, there was a stir outside the hall, and the Emperor's imperial carriage arrived.
Entering with him were the Fourth Prince, Ning Fengyi, and Prince Dingnan.
"Your humble subjects respectfully welcome His Majesty."
Instantly, half the people in the hall knelt. Feng Yinwan wisely retreated to the back and also bowed.
The Emperor's gaze was solely focused forward as he walked to the dragon throne. Prince Dingnan followed closely, but before he could sit, Yun Shu had already linked arms with him.
"Father, what were you talking about? Why did it take so long to get here?"
Her voice was not exactly quiet, and the surrounding people tensed at the sound. Prince Dingnan, however, showed no sign of disapproval.
"Be good, Shu'er. Don't ask about adult matters."
Yun Shu seemed accustomed to being appeased. She pouted in disappointment, "Father always uses that to brush me off! You must be talking about something fun and not taking Shu'er with you!"
Prince Dingnan chuckled heartily. Meanwhile, the Emperor had already interjected.
"Oh? Chao'an, does your father always dismiss you like this?"
The Emperor's words held a hint of fondness.
Upon hearing this, Yun Shu nodded vigorously, as if she had finally found an outlet. She immediately began to pour out her grievances to the Emperor.
Her innocent and mischievous demeanor delighted the Emperor. Prince Dingnan proudly chimed in from the side, while Ye Tinglan quietly listened.
This scene was undeniably eye-catching.
Feeling a suffocating tightness in her chest, Feng Yinwan turned her gaze away, intending to step outside the hall for some fresh air. Unexpectedly, she bumped into Ye Tingyun, who was accompanying the Empress Dowager.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
敏锐地察觉到她有些恹恹，夜听云眉头一皱，发觉事情并不简单。
敏锐地察觉到她有些恹恹，夜听云眉头一皱，发觉事情并不简单。
Sensing her listlessness, Ye Tingyun frowned, realizing something was amiss.
He glanced inside and immediately understood.
"Third Sister-in-law, the banquet is about to begin. Where are you going?"
As he spoke, his eyes were fixed directly on Yun Shu, his voice carrying a subtle warning, deliberately raised a little.
All eyes in the hall turned towards them. Feng Yinwan felt even more suffocated.
"I'm feeling a bit unwell and was just going out for a walk."
The Empress Dowager's mind was as clear as a mirror.
"It's windy outside. Have Imperial Physician Jiang take a look. You shouldn't go out."
"I've been away for quite some time on a prayer pilgrimage and haven't seen you. Today, you will sit beside me with Yun'er."