ng Qianqian is well-versed in the art of verbal assassination. As soon as she spoke, Princess Wanping’s face turned ashen, as if a sharp arrow had suddenly pierced her heart, leaving her no ti to react, as if she had been entirely shot through.
"You... you..."
Princess Wanping couldn’t utter a complete sentence.
She seed truly enraged.
It was clear that Princess Wanping had aid her visit to the palace today at her. As a princess, she held a significant advantage, but unfortunately, she committed two cardinal sins of warfare.
First, she underestimated her enemy, and second, she neglected to properly investigate her opponent.
As the saying goes, to know oneself and one’s enemy is the key to a hundred battles. Without a clear understanding of the enemy, defeat is inevitable.
This pampered princess might believe that fighting enemies in battle is only about brute force. Little does she know, the battlefield is ever-changing, and without sufficient intellect to navigate hidden perils, survival is difficult.
My tactic cos from the thirty-six stratagems—the seventh tactic: "Creating Sothing from Nothing."
"You, you insolent!"
It took Princess Wanping quite a while to regain her voice. She felt deeply embarrassed upon realizing that she had been intimidated by a re maidservant just now.
"Who allowed you to look directly at this princess? Kneel before imdiately!"
Was it just empty intimidation?
It might work on others, but not on her.
With a smile, ng Qianqian said, "Before entering the palace, my husband told that today I only need to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress, and he didn’t say I should kneel to a princess. The husband guides the wife, so naturally, I have to listen to my husband."
The status of the Commander’s Wife is indeed useful; it can even diminish the prestige of a princess.
She could also invoke her role within the Twelve Guards, who have the privilege to kneel only to the Marshal.
But clearly, for Princess Wanping, the ntion of Lu Yuan was more cutting.
"Little Nine, rember, when hitting a snake, aim for its vital spot; when hurting soone, target the heart."
"Father, Little Nine rembers."
Her father’s teachings were truly wise.
Princess Wanping trembled with anger.
ng Qianqian released the grip on Princess Wanping’s matron, who had been pinched so hard that her arm went numb, causing her fingers to beco powerless.
Seeing that ng Qianqian was soone not to be trifled with, she turned and hollowly berated Tan’er, "Consider yourself... lucky!"
Tan’er folded her arms, "It’s fate that’s lucky! If sister hadn’t stopped, fate would already be gone! Also, let correct you, it wasn’t Lu Lingxiao who divorced my sister; it was my sister who divorced him!"
As she spoke, she raised her eyebrows and looked at Princess Wanping, enunciating each word clearly, "It was your father who personally decreed it!"
Princess Wanping, of course, knew that ng Qianqian had kicked Lu Lingxiao aside, and at the ti, she had secretly cheered for it, as she, having grown up in the Central Palace, couldn’t stand those unorthodox concubines.
But all the goodwill dissolved into jealousy the mont ng Qianqian married Lu Yuan.
Princess Wanping glared fiercely at ng Qianqian, "You’re just relying on Lu Yuan’s support, you dog!"
ng Qianqian appeared surprised, "Even a dog can lean on my husband’s support? Then doesn’t that make the princess less than a dog? Princess, you shouldn’t insult yourself like that!"
"Pfft—"
Madam Wang quickly covered her mouth.
Wang Rou turned her back, using a handkerchief to cover her face.
Even the usually composed Empress couldn’t help but clear her throat to mask her discomposure.
As for the palace attendants, there’s no need to ntion them, those kneading their thighs or fingers did so with all their might; those unable to move their hands holding trays imagined their fathers tragically dying in their minds to elicit a heartbroken state.
"You!"
Princess Wanping, having lost face entirely, raised her hand intending to slap ng Qianqian hard.
She seed to act out of impulse triggered by ng Qianqian’s provocation, but in reality, she had already tampered with the beads on her wrist.
ng Qianqian grabbed hold of her wrist, yet the beads flew away.
The Empress’s face changed.
The senior matron of Kunning Palace’s managent caught her breath, "Oh no... It’s the late Empress’s relic..."
If it broke, the punishnt would be death!
Princess Wanping had anticipated that ng Qianqian would block her slap, but she hadn’t expected this slap to be a re feint and that blaming her for destroying her mother’s relic would be the true stratagem.
At that point, even if Lu Yuan wanted to protect her, the courtiers would verbally condemn her.
Humiliate her reputation, let’s see how she can pride herself before again!
However, Princess Wanping never expected that a small figure, faster than her beads, would swiftly catch them as they flew into the courtyard.
Tan’er bounced in, handed the beads to ng Qianqian, and said, "Sister! Here!"
ng Qianqian put the beads back on Princess Wanping’s wrist and sincerely said, "Princess Wanping, no matter how upset you are, you shouldn’t take it out on your mother’s relics. If you break it, it would sadden the Empress Dexin in the underworld."
Princess Wanping, seething with frustration, stord off.
"Go and see if she’s far enough away."
Madam Wang instructed the maid.
"Yes."
The maid stepped out for a mont, then returned to the hall and reported, "Madam, Princess Wanping has indeed left."
Everyone in the hall visibly relaxed.
Once Madam Wang had expelled that breath of tension, she exchanged a glance with her daughter and the Empress, unable to contain her laughter as she slumped into her chair.
The Supre Emperor had many offspring, but only two were legitimate, the late Crown Prince and Princess Wanping. Princess Wanping had often relied on her status to wield power and act tyrannically within the Imperial Palace. Unlike the domineering Consort Li, the Empress had never clashed directly with Princess Wanping, though she had suffered under her oppression.
As the Empress’s maternal cousin, Madam Wang also endured much covert oppression from Princess Wanping.
It’s safe to say there wasn’t a person whom Princess Wanping couldn’t provoke, but ng Qianqian was the exception.
Madam Wang felt vindicated, "Ah, that was satisfying."
The Empress said, "Cousin."
"Ahem!" Madam Wang coughed awkwardly and picked up her teacup, "I ant the tea in the Empress’s palace... It’s delightful."
anwhile, Princess Wanping left the palace in a fit of rage and imdiately boarded a carriage back to her residence.
Her matron, who had served her for many years, was nad Liao.
Madam Liao said sympathetically, "Princess, don’t be upset, anger harms the body."
Princess Wanping’s eyes reddened, "How can I not be upset? What is she exactly? How dare she humiliate ? Ever since my mother passed away, everyone thinks they can walk over ?"
Your situation isn’t that dire; you’ve bested everyone in the Capital City without fail until today, which is your first setback...
Yet Madam Liao didn’t dare voice these thoughts.
Princess Wanping, feeling aggrieved, said, "I know that so many obstacles stand between him and —my father, the Crown Prince Brother, the empire, power... We can never be together. I delay my marriage, and he delays his, only because we understand each other’s feelings. He refused back then because he didn’t want to hold back!"
Madam Liao awkwardly agreed, "Ah... yes... indeed..."
Princess Wanping said angrily, "Why did he suddenly marry ng Xiaojiu? In what way is she superior to this princess?"
Madam Liao paused for a mont and then said, "Princess, you are noble and imperial, she is rely a rchant’s daughter who stumbled upon so fortune, how can she compare to you? The Grand Commander married her probably to make the princess give up, to stop the princess from lingering over him and wasting your years."
Princess Wanping took out a copper mirror, gazed at her reflection, and gently caressed her face, "Waiting for him, how is that wasting my youth?"
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