Lu Zhaozhao and Gu Taohua exchanged a glance.
Princess Ming Yue finding the Rouge Shop must mean she’s here to cause trouble for Lu Zhaozhao.
"Shameless thing, you stay here, I’ll go meet her." Gu Taohua gritted her teeth.
The confrontation at Jinluan Palace was just a few days ago, and now this bothersome Commandery Princess has bounced back.
It seems the lesson given to her last time wasn’t enough.
Lu Zhaozhao is pregnant, and Gu Taohua is worried that Princess Ming Yue might provoke Lu Zhaozhao into something bad.
However, Lu Zhaozhao isn’t afraid of Princess Ming Yue.
A Commandery Princess taking a fancy to a married commoner, if this spread, it would only show Princess Ming Yue as a bully, and all the sympathy would go to Lu Zhaozhao.
Plus, her brother is a close minister to the emperor. If a Commandery Princess bullied the sister of a Champion Scholar, surely the scholars across the land would demand an explanation from Prince Yu Mansion for the Lu family.
Lu Zhaozhao held back the anxious Gu Taohua and said, "Since she came looking for me, wouldn’t she be very disappointed not to see me? I haven’t dealt with a Commandery Princess before, I’m also curious to see what she’s capable of."
So the two of them went downstairs together.
Gu Taohua stood protectively next to Lu Zhaozhao, ready to tear into her if Princess Ming Yue dared bully Lu Zhaozhao.
Whether she’s a Commandery Princess or a Princess.
As Lu Zhaozhao walked down step by step, she saw Princess Ming Yue.
The splendidly adorned, radiant young lady’s eyes gleamed as she looked around. Had she not known her nature, Lu Zhaozhao might’ve praised that the Princess’s arrival made the Rouge Shop shine.
As Lu Zhaozhao sized up Princess Ming Yue, the Princess assessed her in return.
Her beauty, even compared to Royal consorts, did not pale. Even if Princess Ming Yue viewed Lu Zhaozhao as a coarse merchant’s daughter, she must admit her exceptional appearance was a good match for Gu Jingzhe.
"Greetings, Commandery Princess." Lu Zhaozhao curtsied to Princess Ming Yue.
Princess Ming Yue was dazzled for a moment by Lu Zhaozhao’s smile.
"What does the Commandery Princess wish to buy, rouge or hair oil?" Lu Zhaozhao inquired.
Princess Ming Yue wasn’t here to shop, and there was no need to hide it. With a glance at Lu Zhaozhao, she said, "Are you Gu Jingzhe’s wife?"
Facing this provocation, Lu Zhaozhao didn’t get angry at all. She pointed to the room beside them and said, "Commandery Princess, would you care to come inside?"
The customers outside saw Princess Ming Yue enter with an unpleasant expression and were too frightened to come in, yet too curious not to peek in and gossip.
The customers who had already entered considered leaving, fearing that if Princess Ming Yue lost her temper, they’d get caught in her wrath by accident.
The shopkeeper and clerks maintained order.
The first thing Lu Zhaozhao needed to do was stabilize the shop’s environment, so she invited Princess Ming Yue into the adjoining VIP room.
Once in the VIP room, Gu Taohua sarcastically remarked, "Wasn’t the Commandery Princess going to Longhua Temple? Why are you still wandering around Shengjing?"
At the mention of Longhua Temple, Princess Ming Yue’s temper flared up, and she said to Gu Taohua, "Don’t get too smug. Do you think that climbing up to the Crown Prince has secured your place in Shengjing? Stop dreaming."
Gu Taohua retorted, "I don’t know whether I’m secure, but I’m sure it’s not me going to Longhua Temple."
Princess Ming Yue was at a loss for words because of Gu Taohua’s response.
She wasn’t here for Gu Taohua; she was here for Lu Zhaozhao.
So she ignored Gu Taohua, sized up Lu Zhaozhao, and said, "I thought Gu Jingzhe’s wife would be a noblewoman. Turns out she’s just a merchant’s daughter reeking of money."
Lu Zhaozhao didn’t get annoyed by Princess Ming Yue’s sarcasm at all and replied, "For the Commandery Princess to mention my husband upon arrival, if you aren’t here to buy rouge, could it be that you’ve come for my husband?"
With a provocative look, Princess Ming Yue said, "You already know?"
Lu Zhaozhao smiled calmly.
Gu Taohua almost jumped up, swearing, "Despicable. As a Commandery Princess seducing someone else’s husband, is this what you call Royal etiquette?"
How shameless can one be?
Trying to take someone in front of their lawful wife.
Princess Ming Yue only cast Gu Taohua a glance.
What is Royal etiquette?
It’s about not having to follow the rules of commoners, otherwise what’s the point of being at the top of the pyramid in this dynasty?
Only country bumpkins like Gu Taohua lecture her on etiquette.
Perhaps Gu Taohua doesn’t realize that for a Commandery Princess or Princess eyeing a married man, there’s no need to talk about etiquette. The original wife could simply be poisoned off.
It’s only because Princess Jingan and the Emperor kept Huang Jingshan’s marriage for other purposes. Otherwise, she would’ve long been sent off with a poisoned wine, and Lu Zhaoyang would become a Prince Consort.
Princess Ming Yue raised her eyebrow and said, "Do you know what Royalty is? Royalty is making you die standing when you wouldn’t dare to die kneeling. Stealing a husband, what is that?"
If Gu Jingzhe’s original wife were smart, she’d simply let go and express gratitude for the favor.
Instead of stubbornly holding onto the position of the legitimate wife.
Gu Taohua was about to explode with anger, pointing at Princess Ming Yue and cursing, "Try stealing one, if you want to be my third sister-in-law at least see if my third brother will look up to you."
Princess Ming Yue said, "This Commandery Princess doesn’t need to steal. Is it more beneficial to marry a Commandery Princess or a merchant’s daughter? Any smart person would know what to choose. Gu Jingzhe married too early because he was ignorant in the countryside. Now that he’s in Shengjing with broader horizons, he’ll naturally realize the choice was wrong."
Princess Ming Yue wasn’t entirely confident about taking Gu Jingzhe away.
Lu Zhaozhao’s composure provoked her.
This wasn’t what she expected. Lu Zhaozhao should’ve reacted with either inferiority or anger in her presence.
What made a merchant’s daughter so proud in front of her?
She wanted to provoke Lu Zhaozhao.
Ideally, his irritation might even threaten Lu Zhaozhao’s pregnancy.
"You just happened to meet Gu Jingzhe before me. If we met at the same time, who knows whom he’d choose. Staying in the position of Gu Jingzhe’s wife is only delaying his career. Even if you have money and your brother is a Champion Scholar so what? The Lu family’s money cannot buy Royal rights, a Champion Scholar cannot swap for a prime minister position, but all these the Prince Yu Mansion can provide Gu Jingzhe."
"Your husband hasn’t entered the officialdom yet, hasn’t tasted the benefits of power. Once he does, he’ll know how much convenience the identity of a Prince Consort can bring him. By then, he’ll be begging me to be the Prince Consort, and you, the original wife, will become a discarded wife. You think Gu Jingzhe is deeply in love with you now, that’s because he’s yet to see the real cards this Commandery Princess holds. I advise you to let go early, or it’ll end ugly for everyone."
Lu Zhaozhao was rendered speechless by these words.
She never expected a Royal Commandery Princess to speak like a common shrew.
Gu Taohua had long wanted to jump up and punch Princess Ming Yue’s smug face, but she was held back by Lu Zhaozhao.
Holding her belly, Lu Zhaozhao said, "Commandery Princess, you’re just trying to provoke me with those words. Sorry to disappoint you, I’m not affected at all."
Gu Taohua also figured it out.
Princess Ming Yue wanted to see Lu Zhaozhao lose her cool, so she definitely couldn’t let her have the satisfaction.