The old Ning Wang's lewd gaze disgusted Yu Qingwu.

More than that, it filled her with hatred, a burning desire to skin him alive, tear him to pieces, and grind his bones to dust...

Beneath her dark-colored sleeves, her fingers tightened, her peach-blossom eyes fixed on the beast who had killed her mother...

"You..."

"Ning Wang, you should refrain from such remarks in the future."

Yu Qingwu had barely begun to rebuke Ning Wang when a large hand suddenly landed on her shoulder.

Then, a deep voice, tinged with coldness, sounded in her ear, as the man said with a faint smile, "Qingwu is a Liangdi (a concubine rank) bestowed upon me by the Emperor himself. Furthermore, she has contributed significantly to the military funds. Had she not entered my, the Crown Prince's, residence, the Emperor would have granted her the title of County Lord."

"Moreover, such words from you, even if the Emperor chooses to ignore them, the soldiers of Southern Xinjiang will not stand for it."

His words were gentle, but his phoenix eyes held no ripple, as calm as a pool of water, even with a hint of a smile.

Yet, every word sent shivers down the old Ning Wang's spine...

The old Ning Wang's face stiffened, his expression turning ugly. He glared at Yu Qingwu, then chuckled coldly, "This old minister was merely joking with Liangdi Yu. Why must His Highness be so sensitive?"

A joke?

An old man uttering such frivolous and dissolute words to a younger woman, and he expects to dismiss it with a mere joke?

Yu Qingwu sneered inwardly, casting a cold glance at him, and said with a mocking smile, "Ning Wang is right, it was just a joke. Why must His Highness be so sensitive..."

"However... since Ning Wang enjoys making jokes so much, I wonder if he has ever shared such jokes with his daughters, his granddaughters, or his daughters-in-law?"

Pfft...

"You..." The old Ning Wang was taken aback, his face instantly darkening.

Yu Qingwu curled her lips, smiling amiably, "What's with that expression, Ning Wang? Are you angry? I was just joking, you're being... overly sensitive, aren't you?"

She raised an eyebrow, her eyes full of provocation and mockery.

The old Ning Wang's entire face flushed red. He glared at Yu Qingwu for a moment, then stormed off in anger.

After taking a few steps, he turned back to look at Xie Jin Yan, saying coldly, "Crown Prince, your Liangdi is truly sharp-tongued..."

Xie Jin Yan smiled, cupping his fist at him in a gesture of humility, putting on a humble face. "Ning Wang overpraises."

Such a 'polite' remark undoubtedly fueled the old Ning Wang's anger.

Just looking at his retreating figure, Yu Qingwu could imagine the expression on the old fox's face at that moment.

But...

She raised her eyes to look at Xie Jin Yan, feeling relieved yet puzzled.

"Didn't Your Highness say that there are still uses for the old Ning Wang? Now you openly offend him like this, aren't you afraid that he will become your enemy?"

"He wouldn't dare." Xie Jin Yan replied in a deep voice, gently patting her shoulder, and said earnestly, "Shijie (Senior Martial Sister), I am the Crown Prince of Wei, and at the very least, I am the sovereign, while he is a subject."

"Although I have uses for him, it doesn't mean I should be subjected to his oppression, and I certainly won't allow him to humiliate the women in my residence."

Women in his residence?

Xie Jin Yan's words stunned Yu Qingwu.

She lowered her head, her mood suddenly becoming complicated...

After a moment, she raised her eyes to look at him again, changing the subject, and asked softly, "By the way, Your Highness, is what you said about donating military funds true? Did you donate all of my Yu family's properties to the soldiers of Southern Xinjiang as military supplies in my name?"

"Otherwise? Why do you think the Emperor and Empress would agree to bestow you to me as Liangdi?"

??

So, he used her Yu family's properties to gain merit, just so she could become his concubine?

It would have been better to be a County Lord!

"What? Shijie feels that being my Liangdi is a loss? And you're thinking of becoming a County Lord?"

While Yu Qingwu was distracted, Xie Jin Yan said this again.

He raised his eyebrows, his eyes seemingly piercing through her.

Yu Qingwu glared at him, not denying it, "Isn't it? Being a County Lord at least comes with a fief and revenue, but being your Liangdi means enduring grievances. Not only that, but I have to live on a monthly allowance, and there are so many rules that it's annoying..."

Beneath her bright and beautiful face, her peach blossom eyes were charming and adorable, clearly complaining, yet giving off a hint of coquetry.

Xie Jin Yan didn't reply. He chuckled softly and pulled her into his embrace.

At this time, in the front hall, the Mama (a respectful term for an older female servant) had already led the bride inside.

Although she was a concubine, Liang Ruowei was a noble concubine, and with her prominent background, coupled with the old Ning Wang personally escorting her to the wedding to support her, her pomp was even greater than when Xu Shi entered the household.

Xu Shi stood beside Qiu Shi, her well-maintained face extremely gloomy.

Qiu Shi's expression wasn't very good either, and she looked much more haggard.

However, it wasn't because her son, Shen Zongyuan, was marrying a widow who was still in mourning for her late husband, but because her granddaughter had been causing trouble these past few days.

As a result, her son had become suspicious and planned to thoroughly investigate the household accounts after the wedding.

Her gaze shifted, absentmindedly searching for her granddaughter, Shen Rou, in the crowd, when she saw Yu Qingwu walking in with Xie Jin Yan's arm linked with hers.

Qiu Shi's eyes darkened, and her face became even uglier.

Yu Qingwu, however, walked towards her with a smile, giving her a very respectful greeting.

"Granddaughter greets Grandmother."

In the past, Qiu Shi could still put on a kind and amiable facade, but now, whenever she saw Yu Qingwu's face, she couldn't help but feel hatred and even more fear.

A girl who could poison someone at the age of eleven and deceive her for nine years was simply a venomous snake...

And when she thought about how this little bitch had instigated Shen Rou to turn against her, Qiu Shi hated her even more fiercely.

However, she had seen many storms in her life, so she quickly calmed down, pretended to be affectionate, and took Yu Qingwu's hand, smiling amiably, "A'Wu, you should come back to the Duke's mansion more often when you have time. Although you and Ke'er didn't end up getting married, you're still the Shen family's cousin, and the Shen family is still your maiden home."

Qiu Shi smiled as she spoke, pulling Yu Qingwu to sit beside her very affectionately, seemingly intentionally showing off her kindness.

As expected, seeing Qiu Shi acting so forgiving, the guests all cast admiring glances.

And they couldn't help but show contempt towards Yu Qingwu.

Yu Qingwu pretended not to see it, stood up, took two brocade boxes from the maid's hands, and handed them to Xu Shi with a smile, "Aunt, these are the wedding gifts from the Prince and me for Uncle and Younger Aunt. Please accept them on our behalf for now."

"You have a kind heart."

Xu Shi smiled on the surface, but the anger in her eyes was surging even more, and her fingernails almost dug into the brocade boxes.

However, the one who hated Yu Qingwu the most at this moment was not her...

Sensing the approaching footsteps, Yu Qingwu sat down beside Qiu Shi again.

The aroma of tea, along with its scalding hot steam, filled the air. Yu Qingwu subtly shifted her body, and just as the heat brushed against her face, she suddenly stood up.

Qin Yiliu was shocked and before she could react, she suddenly lunged towards Qiu Shi who was beside her.

The boiling water that was originally supposed to fall on Yu Qingwu landed completely on Qiu Shi's face!