The Qionghua County Princess was not someone who was easily intimidated. With a sharp cry, she sneered, "What, what? Hmph, you little slut, how dare you threaten this county princess! Beat her for me! Beat her to death! Once she's dead, we'll dump her outside and say she was killed by the rebels." She was not someone who shied away from trouble; in fact, she rather enjoyed causing it.
Su Xiaoqi sighed, knowing that the Qionghua County Princess was a classic example of someone who wouldn't shed tears until she saw her own coffin. She doubted that trying to reason with her would yield any results. Therefore, the only recourse was to subdue her through force. She took a step back and quietly asked Zhang Yu behind her, "Are your injuries serious?"
Zhang Yu flicked her hands and massaged her wrist, saying, "These minor injuries are more than enough to deal with them." As she spoke, she stepped forward. With a single move, she flipped over two burly maids who had lunged at Su Xiaoqi. Then, planting herself firmly, she kicked over the Qionghua County Princess's head maid. She then grabbed the Qionghua County Princess by the neck and looked at Su Xiaoqi, "Madam, should I throw her out or throw her down?"
Su Xiaoqi looked around. She noticed a crowd of onlookers. People on the third floor, the second floor, and even those in the ground-floor lobby were craning their necks to watch the spectacle. With so many people watching, even though she was in the right, it wouldn't be proper to go too far. She sighed with regret. It seemed she couldn't do anything too extreme to the princess. She gave a meaningful look and said, "Forget it, let her go. She's rude and uncivilized, so I'll be magnanimous and overlook her transgressions."
As soon as Su Xiaoqi finished speaking, everyone present looked at her with newfound respect. They had witnessed the entire exchange. It was clear that this so-called Qionghua County Princess had been the instigator, constantly spewing insults and attempting to assault others. Yet, Madam Shen did not stoop to her level. Her subordinate had her firmly in her grasp with a single move but did not harm her. Truly, she was kind and benevolent. Thus, Su Xiaoqi earned another round of fervent praise from the crowd.
Hearing these words, the Qionghua County Princess felt as though her lungs would explode with rage. However, being held by Zhang Yu, she was unable to move. She could only strain her eyes, but at this moment, not only were her maids and servants, who were groaning in pain on the ground from Zhang Yu's blows, unable to intervene, but even her own sister, the Fu'an County Princess, dared not step forward. From a distance, through the doorway, she called out softly, "Qionghua, don't be angry with Madam Shen. You'll wake the Consort. The Consort had a frightful night and has only just managed to get some rest..."
"Eldest sister, are you... are you helping an outsider?" The Qionghua County Princess had never suffered such humiliation in her life. She immediately flew into a rage, glaring at her sister with wide, angry eyes, and shouted.
"You can't beat them, so why are you still standing outside? Making a scene like this just gives people something to laugh at." The Fu'an County Princess was also anxious, blaming her sister for her tantrums regardless of time or place. She didn't consider that the night's events might have profound implications for their royal household. Furthermore, their father, the Prince of Ning, and their elder brother, the Heir Apparent, had not yet shown themselves. They didn't know if they were in danger. Yet, her sister only knew how to cause trouble.
The more the Fu'an County Princess thought about it, the angrier she became. She beckoned for someone to drag the Qionghua County Princess away. Before leaving, she bowed to Su Xiaoqi to apologize. Enraged, the Qionghua County Princess erupted into curses.
Su Xiaoqi chuckled, "It seems not everyone in the Prince of Ning's household is an ill-mannered shrew." With that, she leisurely entered the private room of the Duke of Yu's mansion. The Old Madam and Madam Wen, who had already retired for the night, had gotten up. Seeing her, they rushed to check if she was injured.
"Grandmother, don't worry, I won't suffer any losses."
The Old Madam chuckled, "Of course, I knew you wouldn't suffer any losses, which is why I didn't come out. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten off so easily tonight." She was a seasoned warrior; her methods, when employed, were meant to take lives directly. She trusted her little Qi to handle the situation, so she had stayed in the room to observe. If she had intervened, she might have vented her anger, but it would also have drawn criticism for an elder bullying a junior. However, with Xiaoqi handling it herself, it didn't matter how it was done; she would clean up any mess afterward. But it seemed Xiaoqi didn't need her intervention at all, having already dealt with that unreasonable little shrew, the Qionghua County Princess, with great ease.
After these interludes, Su Xiaoqi was truly exhausted. At the Old Madam's repeated urging, she nestled into the Old Madam's quilt and rested with her on the divan. When she woke up, it was already broad daylight. There was a clamor outside. She recalled the commotion from the previous night and wondered if it had been quelled. She sat up abruptly, her heart almost faltering.
The Old Madam was leaning by the window, looking out, and beckoned her over. Su Xiaoqi quickly leaned by the window to look. She saw that the area outside the Chun Ya Tower was now tidy, showing no signs of the bloody battle that had occurred the previous night.
"Grandmother, has everything been settled?" Su Xiaoqi asked.
The Old Madam replied, "Yes, it's settled. I just received news from your second cousin. Last night, Xu Zhi and the second young master of Prince Duan's mansion led three thousand troops and successfully rescued His Majesty, capturing all the rebels. They have now entered the palace to await His Majesty's judgment."
At this, Su Xiaoqi's suspended heart finally settled. She looked out the window and noticed that the noise outside was from the ordinary citizens lodging in the ground-floor lobby who had learned that it was safe outside. Under the command of the soldiers, they were orderly leaving. However, they were grateful for Su Xiaoqi's care the previous night and were shouting, wanting to see her again and express their thanks. Seeing their sincerity, Su Xiaoqi quickly washed up, dressed, and helped the Old Madam downstairs.
When everyone saw the grandmother and granddaughter, they stopped. Some began to explain. It was the Old Madam who had driven away those who had closed their doors and refused them entry. Su Xiaoqi was the one who had later saved them and provided them with food and shelter. A wave of gratitude washed over them, and they sincerely kowtowed to both of them. Su Xiaoqi hurried them to rise, saying that their meeting in this small Chun Ya Tower was fate. She hoped their future days would be filled with peace and joy.
After seeing off the people in the ground-floor lobby, those from the second and third-floor private rooms also came down one after another. Many of them had been hiding in the private rooms and had not come out. It was then that Su Xiaoqi saw clearly that there were many people she recognized among them. Some were ladies whom she had met at various banquets. However, they were mere acquaintances. Among them, Su Xiaoqi was more familiar with several ladies she had shared the "Empty Mountain" event with at the Huang Jue Temple. That incident was not something to be proud of, so after that, several people had lost contact with Su Xiaoqi. Only one lady, who valued Su Xiaoqi's medical skills and often sought her help, maintained occasional contact. This was Madam Du, the wife of the Right Vice Minister of the Dali Temple. She had known for a long time that Su Xiaoqi was here and had done so much. Thinking that Su Xiaoqi's kind and warm nature remained the same, she patted her hand before leaving and sighed. Su Xiaoqi had a feeling that she had something to say but, for some reason, restrained herself from speaking. As there were too many people around her, she didn't press further and held back her curiosity. Turning around, she saw two other familiar faces: Bai Yuzhu and Madam Wu. Su Xiaoqi smiled and approached them, only to see them turn their heads away as if they had seen an enemy. They acted as if they didn't see her. Bai Yuzhu even let out a snort. Su Xiaoqi was taken aback, unable to comprehend when she had offended these two.