The entrance of Taohua Dessert was so crowded it was utterly impenetrable.
The onlookers, both ordinary citizens and merchants, admired Taohua Dessert’s bold stance against Princess Ming Yue, while also harboring concerns.
Princess Ming Yue’s name was renowned throughout Shengjing, mainly due to her unrestrained arrogance.
In winter, she had a charcoal seller beaten to death by her servants in the street for bumping into her carriage; a young lady who dared to look at her for more than a moment almost had her eyes gouged out; quarreling with other aristocrats, she galloped on horseback and disrupted an entire street of vendors...
Every resident of Shengjing could recount a few of Princess Ming Yue’s misdeeds.
"I’m afraid Taohua Dessert won’t have a good outcome standing against the Commandery Princess."
"The owner of Taohua Dessert just came from Ning City and doesn’t know the Commandery Princess’s nature, nor the consequences of offending the Prince Yu Mansion, which is why they dared to stand against them. Speaking of which, what did Taohua Dessert do to offend Princess Ming Yue?"
"What else could it be? A baseless accusation, of course. You’re aware of Princess Ming Yue’s way of doing things; she gets mad if someone just glances at her while she’s on the road. I think she’s deliberately causing trouble for Taohua Dessert."
"To be honest, I rather admire the owner and young master of Taohua Dessert, courageously taking a stand against Princess Ming Yue. Yet, who knows if after today, Taohua Dessert will still have a place in Shengjing, and given that Jufu and Taohua Dessert have the same owner, it’s uncertain if they will be taken down altogether."
...
The onlookers and merchants were all discussing animatedly.
The merchants, in particular, felt a collective sense of unease.
If Princess Ming Yue could create a disturbance at Taohua Dessert today, she might cause trouble for other merchants tomorrow.
Some merchants who knew the inside story felt sympathetic toward Tong Huaqiong, but also thought Tong Huaqiong, coming from a small place like Ning City, didn’t know how to bend with circumstances and straightforwardly offended the Commandery Princess. Since the Commandery Princess wanted a pastry chef, why not just give her one? Why offend the Prince Yu Mansion over a pastry chef?
They’re all ordinary folks, after all; how can an arm wrestle with a thigh?
In Shengjing, Princess Ming Yue killing a commoner was no different from stepping on an ant.
"Make way, make way."
The Imperial Guard rushed in.
Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua were shouting from both sides that the Prince Yu Mansion intended to rebel, causing such an uproar that the news spread quickly throughout the city, and the Imperial Guard, upon hearing the news from Taohua Dessert about the Prince Yu Mansion’s rebellion, fearfully reported it to the Commander of the Imperial Guard.
Su Chengmin, who had just distinguished himself at the border and in protecting the Crown Grandson, was the Commander of the Imperial Guard.
Knowing there was definitely something amiss, Su Chengmin personally led his men and hurried to Taohua Dessert.
Meanwhile, the Emperor also received the report in the palace.
Rebellion was a serious matter, and Tong Huaqiong and the others were taken to the Imperial Palace by the Imperial Guard.
This was precisely the effect Tong Huaqiong wanted.
For Princess Ming Yue to develop such an arrogant character, the Prince Yu Mansion was far from innocent. The old Emperor was naturally suspicious; this would surely give the Prince Yu Mansion a hard time.
Arriving at Jinluan Palace, Princess Ming Yue glanced at Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua with barely concealed glee.
These two lowly merchants from the countryside were short-sighted, imagining the Imperial Palace was like the market at their village entrance, remaining so calm upon entering; soon they would weep.
When they met the Emperor, she would definitely not show mercy and plead for the Emperor to have their heads cut off.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please stand up for Xi Yue, these two madwomen slandered our Prince Yu Mansion for rebellion and even drew blades to behead me."
The bright yellow Dragon Robe appeared, causing Princess Ming Yue’s heart to surge with joy, her face losing its pride and replacing it with anger and grievance, she fell to the ground with a thud.
The Emperor, being Princess Ming Yue’s uncle, had always doted on her, pampering her even more than the Princess.
Whatever she asked for, the Emperor would grant.
Therefore, she was convinced the Emperor would surely stand up for her this time.
"Your Majesty, please stand up for Xi Yue." Princess Ming Yue implored tearfully.
"What on earth is going on?"
Unlike before, the old Emperor’s face was indifferent, and his gaze upon Princess Ming Yue carried a hint of scrutiny.
Princess Ming Yue involuntarily shivered.
Her once doting Emperor Uncle seemed a bit different today.
"Emperor Uncle..." Princess Ming Yue’s voice was full of grievance.
"Your Majesty."
Tong Huaqiong interrupted Princess Ming Yue, lifting her head, she exaggerated the situation her own way.
"Your Majesty, although I hail from the countryside and am unaware of the city’s ways, I understand whose world this is. So, when someone from the Prince Yu Mansion claimed that everyone in Shengjing wanted to support Prince Yu’s Mansion, and that no one dared to oppose Prince Yu in the realm, I was so scared I almost fell apart. As an ignorant citizen, I thought surely they were implying the world belonged to Prince Yu, but the realm clearly belongs to the Emperor. Isn’t this tantamount to rebellion?"
"Hearing this almost scared me to death. This was said within Taohua Dessert, and if word got out people might even assume we were colluding with the Prince Yu Mansion. I had just arrived in Shengjing and had no one to consult, so I shouted out of fear at the entrance."
Having finished, Tong Huaqiong patted her chest.
Looking genuinely frightened.
The old Emperor’s gaze at Princess Ming Yue indeed grew even colder.
Princess Ming Yue roared angrily at Tong Huaqiong: "When did my Prince Yu Mansion have any thought of rebellion, you’re completely spouting venomous nonsense."
"Emperor Uncle, please don’t listen to her outrageous lies."
Gu Taohua spoke, "Who’s telling outrageous lies here? Didn’t you yourselves say no one dares to oppose the Prince Yu Mansion? Eunuch Pan, a mere commoner like me, you who have seen much, can you clarify what these words mean?"
Gu Taohua looked at Eunuch Pan beside the Emperor, a face full of eager inquiry.
Eunuch Pan was stumped by Gu Taohua’s question, pondering deeply, indeed the Prince Yu Mansion was too presumptuous.
Even if there was no thought of rebellion, saying such things did overstep boundaries.
Eunuch Pan could only offer an awkward smile and didn’t speak, Gu Taohua didn’t make it hard for him either. Though she asked Eunuch Pan, in reality, she was asking the Emperor behind him.
She didn’t actually expect an explanation from Eunuch Pan.
Gu Taohua continued to say to Princess Ming Yue: "One can hardly know another’s heart, who knows if your Prince Yu Mansion isn’t two-faced. If even your servants dare to claim that no one dares oppose the Prince Yu Mansion, it’s well known that servants act according to their masters’ wishes. It shows their words reflect your innermost thoughts."
"Wretch, spouting utter nonsense."
Princess Ming Yue felt wronged to death, unable to retort, she wishfully wanted to tear apart Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua.
Gu Taohua, kneeling, raised an eyebrow at Princess Ming Yue.
Princess Ming Yue was maddened even further.
Tong Huaqiong watched the interaction between the two closely.
Gu Taohua could be said to detest Princess Ming Yue from the previous life to the present.
According to Tong Dajiao’s memories, Gu Taohua never acknowledged Princess Ming Yue as her new sister-in-law in the previous life because Gu Jingzhe married her, causing Gu Taohua to stand against the Gu Family for the first time.
She only acknowledged Lu Zhaozhao as her sister-in-law.
Currently, Princess Ming Yue merely wanted to seize Taohua Dessert’s pastry chef; if she dared to take Gu Jingzhe, Gu Taohua might truly draw her sword against her.
"Your Majesty, Prince Yu seeks an audience." After Eunuch Pan left, he quickly returned like a shadow, whispering in.
The Emperor said, "Let him in."
Shortly after, the stout Prince Yu waddled in, kneeling with a thud in the hall.
"Your Majesty, please see clearly. A family servant had a dispute with Manager Tong at Taohua Dessert over a pastry chef, and carelessly said some harsh words, which then some have maliciously interpreted," said Prince Yu.
Tong Huaqiong sneered, "How quickly he enters to file a complaint."
It’s simply unfortunate, the seed of suspicion once planted in the Emperor, isn’t so easily removed.
Especially considering Prince Yu, as the brother who directly competed with the Emperor back in the day, has never been fully trusted.
And Tong Huaqiong, merely a country woman merchant, wouldn’t gain anything by bringing down Prince Yu.
In the Emperor’s eyes, Tong Huaqiong simply thought the Prince Yu Mansion might be rebelling and shouted it out.
After all, coming from the countryside, it was normal to act without understanding the rules.