Chapter 252

Chapter 252: Just Joking

Meng Yang was in a daze. Qi Fei Rui clearly had not expected things to turn out like this either. Ming Jia, the Commandery Princess, was not Princess Consort Huai’s daughter, but Meng Yang was? But – wasn’t Meng Yang the farm girl that Qi Shu Xian had brought back from Cang Nan?

Princess Consort Huai sobbed as she ordered someone to take Meng Yang away to change clothes. Once Princess Consort Huai left, Ming Jia naturally followed.

Only the madams and noble ladies who had come to Prince Huai Manor for the Spring Flower Banquet remained.

Qi Fei Rui shifted her feet, wanting to follow as well.

Sheng Zhi Wan’s gaze landed on Qi Fei Rui at that moment: “Second Miss Qi.”

Qi Fei Rui stiffened and met Sheng Zhi Wan’s half-smile.

Sheng Zhi Wan spoke slowly: “It was quite a coincidence that you brought these people over just now. If I heard correctly, the first shout of ‘Murder!’ was probably from Second Miss Qi, wasn’t it?”

Qi Fei Rui bit down hard on her lower lip and was about to explain.

Sheng Zhi Wan cut in: “Second Miss Qi doesn’t need to argue. Even if Second Miss Qi explained, I wouldn’t believe it.”

Qi Fei Rui felt her chest clog up. How had Qi Fei Rui never realized Sheng Zhi Wan was this hard to deal with?

Qi Fei Rui said, “If the Princess insists on thinking that way, Fei Rui had nothing to say.”

Sheng Zhi Wan stared at Qi Fei Rui in silence, then said: “Of course you had nothing to say. After all, an unmarried young lady brought her brother’s bedchamber maid to a royal manor’s Spring Flower Banquet. No matter how you looked at it, it was strange, wasn’t it?”

As soon as Sheng Zhi Wan finished, the madams and noble ladies around them all looked awkward.

It was not that they had not noticed something was off. But Ming Jia was the future Crown Princess, and Qi Fei Rui had said Ming Jia wanted to see Meng Yang. They had thought that even if it was only to give Ming Jia face, they should not make things difficult.

Even when Sheng Zhi Wan arrived and they sensed the problem, what could they do? One side had Prince Huai Manor as a backer and was the future Crown Princess. The other side was a Princess who clearly was no longer favored.

Who should they stand with? The answer was obvious.

Besides, Miss Meng falling into the water had really happened. After Qi Fei Rui cried out first, they had naturally followed with their own shouts. That did not mean they liked being used.

Some people in the crowd no longer looked at Qi Fei Rui so kindly.

But Sheng Zhi Wan was not finished.

Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyes moved from Qi Fei Rui to the madams and noble ladies beside her. Sheng Zhi Wan sighed: “I didn’t want to say anything. But seeing all of you follow Second Miss Qi and attack me for Meng Yang’s sake, I found it terribly boring. So I might as well repeat, word for word, what Meng Yang said just now.”

What?

Everyone was confused.

Sheng Zhi Wan continued: “Miss Meng didn’t only talk about Ming Jia. Miss Meng said that each of you looked high-born, but in truth, you had never even seen a place bigger than the width of your palm. All it took was a bottle of cheap perfume to buy you.”

Sheng Zhi Wan went on: “Miss Meng also said you were a group of ignorant, self-important women who relied on men and compared men. Meng Yang said she was different. Meng Yang said she liked conquering other people’s men the most.”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s tone stayed calm as Sheng Zhi Wan concluded: “So if your husbands weren’t even as good as Qi Shu Xian, then the next ones she wanted to conquer would probably be your husbands.”

After Sheng Zhi Wan finished, the madams and unmarried noble ladies in front of her all flushed bright red.

They did not want to believe such crude, shameless words could come from Meng Yang’s mouth. But the matter of the perfume was something only they knew.

If Meng Yang had not said it herself, how would Princess Qing Ning know?

Could it be that Meng Yang really had said those things?

Sheng Zhi Wan looked at Qi Fei Rui with open mockery: “Oh, and you too, Second Miss Qi. Meng Yang said your Duke household ate with her money and spent her money – money a bedchamber maid earned. Yet you still had the nerve to open your mouth and agree to pay me five thousand taels of silver. If it weren’t for the fact that you were Qi Shu Xian’s sister, she said she would have sold you to… that kind of place, so you could earn more silver.”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s voice stayed steady.

Qi Fei Rui’s slender body trembled with anger, but Qi Fei Rui forced herself not to fall into Sheng Zhi Wan’s trap.

At this moment, Qi Fei Rui and Meng Yang represented the Duke household.

More importantly, Sheng Zhi Wan had just come out from seeing Princess Consort Huai. Right after that, Ming Jia had sent someone to deliver a message to Qi Fei Rui. Ming Jia had timed it perfectly. Meng Yang could not possibly have had time to tell Sheng Zhi Wan so much.

Princess Qing Ning was saying all this to make enemies for the Duke household and stir up chaos from the inside.

Qi Fei Rui understood that, but it was one thing to know it and another thing to truly not care.

What Sheng Zhi Wan said was also too real. It was real enough that Qi Fei Rui could not stop herself from wondering whether Meng Yang truly thought the same way in Meng Yang’s heart.

Qi Fei Rui took a deep breath and clenched her fingers tight: “Princess, please don’t joke like that. You just came from the Princess Consort. Even if Meng Yang had wanted to, Meng Yang would not have had time to tell you all this.”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s smile deepened: “Is that so? Second Miss Qi was truly clever. Not only did you know I was joking with everyone, you even knew I had just come from the Princess Consort.”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyes cooled slightly as Sheng Zhi Wan added: “Since Second Miss Qi was so clever, you shouldn’t forget that the Duke household still owed me five thousand taels of silver. There’s no need to pick another day when today will do. Later today, Second Miss Qi can have someone deliver it.”

Sheng Zhi Wan glanced at everyone present, flicked her wide sleeve, and turned to leave.

Liu Shang’s eyes shone with admiration as Liu Shang blurted out, “Princess! You were amazing just now!”

Liu Shang could fight, but Liu Shang could not argue. Whenever Liu Shang argued with someone, Liu Shang always got furious first. After it was over, Liu Shang would replay it in her mind and feel she had performed badly in every way.

But what Sheng Zhi Wan did today was a real eye-opener.

Thinking of the chaos inside Prince Huai Manor, and the way Qi Fei Rui and those noble ladies had been furious but unable to speak, Liu Shang looked worshipful.

An Zhi spoke up at that moment, “Princess, Meng Yang… was Meng Yang really Princess Consort Huai’s daughter?”