Princess Ming Yue coldly stared at Su Chengmin.
Under the escort of guards and maids, she left Taohua Dessert and boarded the Prince Yu Mansion’s carriage not far away.
Originally, Princess Ming Yue wanted to throw some harsh words at Tong Huaqiong, but because Su Chengmin was present and many commoners were watching, she didn’t have the chance.
However, there is plenty of time in the future; the humiliation she suffered here today, she would definitely repay doubly.
Prince Yu was hiding inside the carriage waiting for Princess Ming Yue.
Prince Yu never got off the carriage from beginning to end.
It was too embarrassing.
Now the whole Shengjing knew about Princess Ming Yue’s confrontation with the country merchant woman in the Jinluan Palace, and the emperor, who always favored the Prince Yu Mansion, had Princess Ming Yue publicly apologize to Tong Huaqiong.
Various forces are best at figuring out the emperor’s mind and then following the trend.
His always favored daughter suddenly fell into a disadvantage; he wondered what Shengjing’s various forces would think of his Prince Yu Mansion.
"Father, I will remember the insult this time. We are all in Shengjing, and I don’t believe that country merchant can’t fall into my hands. By that time, even the prince’s heir couldn’t protect her," Princess Ming Yue said hatefully.
Prince Yu said, "I will send you to Longhua Temple under the guise of praying for the emperor. The prince’s heir just returned to the capital, and the emperor feels guilty towards him and therefore protects the Tong family everywhere to comfort the prince’s heir. How would outsiders think if the emperor punished his maternal grandmother in the countryside just after he returned to the capital? So this confrontation in the Jinluan Palace may not be just for comforting the prince’s heir."
Prince Yu thought carefully, the emperor’s actions indicated he was doubtful of the Prince Yu Mansion, but more importantly, it was for the prince’s heir.
Since the prince’s heir is now a favorite of the emperor upon returning to the capital, the Prince Yu Mansion would temporarily avoid conflict.
That country merchant woman couldn’t remain triumphant forever.
Princess Ming Yue, upon hearing Longhua Temple, suddenly had a long face.
"That wretched servant Cai Xia couldn’t handle even one pastry chef; even pulling out her tongue and beating her to death would be too light." The more Princess Ming Yue thought about it, the angrier she became. Unable to punish the people at Taohua Dessert, she wanted to vent her anger on Cai Xia, torturing her severely to feel any relief.
The carriage rumbled away from East Market Street, pedestrians and carriages avoided as they saw the Prince Yu Mansion carriage.
The wind blew open a corner of the Prince Yu Mansion’s carriage curtain.
Princess Ming Yue saw a young man on horseback galloping from the opposite direction.
The carriage passed by the Prince Yu Mansion’s carriage at high speed.
Even though it was just a fleeting moment, that face still left Princess Ming Yue deeply impressed.
Which family’s young man was that horseman from?
Princess Ming Yue searched her mind. She had seen all the young nobility from Shengjing, yet she had never seen a face so striking.
Lu Zhaoyang was considered good-looking, but compared to this young man, he was slightly inferior.
If it weren’t on the street, combined with just being reprimanded by the emperor and needing to keep a low profile, Princess Ming Yue would have chased after him on horseback to ask which young man’s house he belonged to.
Princess Ming Yue’s heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat.
Suddenly, a smile appeared at the corners of Princess Ming Yue’s mouth.
The young man wore a scholar’s cap, indicating he was a student without official rank. Judging from the style and color of the scholar’s cap, he must be studying at the Imperial College.
Since he was studying at the Imperial College, it would be possible to find out which family the young man belonged to.
...
Jingzhe heard in the Imperial College that Princess Ming Yue from the Prince Yu Mansion went to cause trouble at Taohua Dessert, escalating all the way to the emperor. Frightened, he took leave and borrowed a horse from a classmate to rush to Lu Zhaoyang’s place. The Lu Family informed him that Tong Huaqiong and Taohua had already left the palace, so he hurriedly rode to Taohua Dessert.
On the road, he heard about Princess Ming Yue apologizing to the owner and staff of Taohua Dessert, feeling as if it were a dream.
It wasn’t that he didn’t believe his mother lacked the skill to turn the tide, but Shengjing was different from Pingchuan County. In Shengjing, the water runs deep, and when commoners face imperial power, they are usually the ones to sacrifice.
Arriving at Taohua Dessert, he saw that Tong Huaqiong and Taohua were fine, with Lu Zhaoyang and Su Chengmin accompanying them on the side.
The store had already resumed business, with clerks enthusiastically attracting customers, and only then did his heart settle.
He hadn’t noticed at all that on the way there, he passed by the Prince Yu Mansion’s carriage, and his face had already been noticed by Princess Ming Yue.
"Did you encounter Princess Ming Yue on your way back?" Tong Huaqiong asked Jingzhe.
Judging by the timing of Jingzhe’s arrival, it was possible to have crossed paths with the Prince Yu Mansion’s people.
According to the development of the previous life’s plot, this was how Jingzhe and Princess Ming Yue met.
What was meant to come would eventually come.
Jingzhe shook his head, thinking his mother was concerned about him being harassed by the Prince Yu Mansion’s people on the road.
Tong Huaqiong had a bold thought: could it be that Princess Ming Yue had met Jingzhe before and knew of his connection with Taohua Dessert, thus coming to cause trouble?
Thinking this way, Tong Huaqiong asked, "Have you met Princess Ming Yue before?"
Jingzhe continued to shake his head, "No."
Princess Ming Yue’s overbearing nature in Shengjing was known to all, and Jingzhe had naturally heard of her infamy at the Imperial College.
But he had never actually seen her.
He was just a student without official rank; how could he have the opportunity to meet people from the Prince Yu Mansion?
Tong Huaqiong wanted to say more but finally said, "If you encounter her in the future, stay away from her."
There was no way she could say that the princess was destined to take a liking to him.
Jingzhe nodded obediently.
Most of the students at the Imperial College would eventually serve in the government. Many noble families deliberately sought out commoner students to recruit. Jingzhe had received such offers at the Imperial College but had refused them all.
He thought Tong Huaqiong was reminding him not to associate with the Prince Yu Mansion.
He really couldn’t imagine that he and Princess Ming Yue had some melodramatic story in the previous life.
"Mother, sister, are you both alright? You had me worried sick."
This morning, Dashi had gone to the fur market to conduct research. When he heard that his mother and sister had entered the palace for offending Princess Ming Yue, he went to the corner gate of the back palace to inquire about the news.
I must say Dashi has a bit of social talent; he had been to the capital only three times and already had people in the palace who would relay information to him.
A young eunuch told him everything that happened in the Jinluan Palace, and like Jingzhe, Dashi hurriedly rushed to Taohua Dessert.
"Do we look like people who are in trouble?" Tong Huaqiong said.
Dashi replied, "Mother, you are still formidable."
It’s true that those without shoes don’t fear those who wear them.
If they were suffering at the card table, then they should just overturn it.
"We should all be careful in the future. Avoid people from the Prince Yu Mansion when possible. But when trouble comes, we shouldn’t be afraid — soldiers come, then resist as soldiers; water comes, then cover with earth," Tong Huaqiong instructed her two sons.
Dashi and Jingzhe nodded.
"We’re not entirely without resources. The prince is close to us, and Nie Xiaofeng is a Deputy General. Even if the Prince Yu Mansion wants to act against us, they need to reconsider," Tong Huaqiong pondered her family’s assets and felt they weren’t without options.
Her words made her two sons feel a pang of guilt.
Dashi said, "If my achievements were more significant, I could protect the family."
Dashi was frustrated that he still wasn’t strong enough.
Jingzhe then guiltily said, "It’s because I’m useless."
Tong Huaqiong looked at her two sons and said, "Since your achievements are small, then make them bigger; since you’re useless now, then put your strength into the next year’s exams."
After all, she wasn’t going to comfort her sons.
The best was for her two sons to keep competing.