Chapter 255

Chapter 255: A Few Questions

Sheng Zhi Wan continued without pause: “Besides, Grandmother made it so Meng Yang would never have any proper status. It wasn’t because of me. It was because Meng Yang’s conduct was corrupt, and Meng Yang tried to use the cold disaster in Mo Bei to profit and harm the people.”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyes stayed cold: “Even if Princess Consort Huai wants to beg, Princess Consort Huai shouldn’t beg me. Princess Consort Huai should go to Mo Bei and beg in front of the commoner who froze to death.”

Princess Consort Huai choked on her words.

Princess Consort Huai knew she was forcing this. But Princess Consort Huai had not expected Sheng Zhi Wan to refuse so directly.

Princess Consort Huai pleaded in a trembling voice: “But Qing Ning… she is my biological daughter. She suffered so much. My heart is breaking. Qing Ning, I… I can kneel to you, alright?”

As Princess Consort Huai spoke, Princess Consort Huai actually stood up and truly tried to kneel in front of Sheng Zhi Wan.

Sheng Zhi Wan had not expected Princess Consort Huai to go that far just to pressure Sheng Zhi Wan.

People pitied a parent’s heart.

But why should Princess Consort Huai’s heart force Sheng Zhi Wan to fulfill it?

Sheng Zhi Wan stood up and stepped aside: “If Princess Consort Huai wanted to kneel so badly, then go kneel in Mo Bei. Why kneel to me?”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s gaze sharpened: “Or did Princess Consort Huai want Meng Yang and Ming Jia to see, with their own eyes, what Princess Consort Huai would do for Meng Yang?”

Princess Consort Huai clenched her hands, unable to believe it.

Princess Consort Huai had knelt and begged like this, yet Sheng Zhi Wan did not feel even a hint of tenderness?

Hadn’t Sheng Zhi Wan treated Princess Consort Huai as a mother?

Princess Consort Huai was willing to be good to Sheng Zhi Wan, as long as… as long as Sheng Zhi Wan only said a few words in front of the Empress Dowager.

Princess Consort Huai’s eyes reddened, and tears fell in a rush as Princess Consort Huai said, “Qing Ning, I know I’m forcing you, but I truly have no other way.”

Princess Consort Huai looked pitiful and wronged.

Sheng Zhi Wan stayed hard as stone and directly told Liu Shang to summon two strong nannies.

Sheng Zhi Wan said, “If Princess Consort refused to leave, then I could only have someone escort Princess Consort out.”

After speaking, Sheng Zhi Wan told An Zhi to begin setting out breakfast on the nearby table.

Sheng Zhi Wan would not let an irrelevant person ruin her appetite.

Eating breakfast too late was bad for the body.

The maids carried the dishes in. Their movements were proper, with nothing extra, yet Princess Consort Huai felt as if their eyes were secretly watching her and laughing at her.

A surge of shame and anger made Princess Consort Huai sway.

Princess Consort Huai snapped, “Fine! Fine! It was all because I misjudged you!”

Princess Consort Huai’s voice rose higher: “In the past, I pitied you and thought of you in everything. When you fell ill, I stayed up all night by your side. I never expected it… I never expected you to be so cruel and to ignore old feelings!”

As Princess Consort Huai spoke, Princess Consort Huai suddenly pushed herself up from the floor, full of fury, and strode toward the door.

An Zhi’s brows tightened.

Sheng Zhi Wan called out, “Wait.”

Liu Shang immediately stepped in front and blocked the way.

Princess Consort Huai felt a flash of triumph. Princess Consort Huai thought her words had finally gripped Sheng Zhi Wan.

Of course. If Sheng Zhi Wan truly had no feelings for Princess Consort Huai, Sheng Zhi Wan would not have kept sending gifts and letters to the manor for so many years, never missing a single proper courtesy, always asking after Princess Consort Huai’s health.

Princess Consort Huai smiled again and said, “I knew Qing Ning wasn’t a cold, heartless person…”

Sheng Zhi Wan smiled too, but Sheng Zhi Wan’s smile was full of mockery: “Princess Consort Huai misunderstood. I told Princess Consort Huai to wait because I had a few questions for Princess Consort Huai.”

Princess Consort Huai froze. “What?”

Sheng Zhi Wan asked, “Since Princess Consort Huai said Princess Consort Huai thought of me in everything and cared for me, did Princess Consort Huai know how many letters I wrote to you after you and Prince Huai went to the fief?”

Princess Consort Huai was stunned: “How… how would I know that? In any case, I had people collect all the letters you sent and store them properly.”

Sheng Zhi Wan pressed her lips together and said, “Is that so? Then why didn’t Princess Consort Huai notice that I didn’t send a single letter to the fief at the end of last year and the beginning of this year?”

Princess Consort Huai opened her mouth, then forced out an excuse: “I noticed, of course. I just thought you might be in a bad mood because of the divorce, so I didn’t ask.”

Sheng Zhi Wan lowered her eyes and gave a soft laugh: “Princess Consort Huai truly found a good excuse.”

Sheng Zhi Wan looked back up: “Then why did Princess Consort Huai never write back to me? Since you received my letters and cared for me so much, you should have been able to tell those letters were all written by my own hand. So why wasn’t there even a single reply?”

Princess Consort Huai’s face went blank. Princess Consort Huai stammered, “I…”

Princess Consort Huai did not know how to answer.

Sheng Zhi Wan did not need Princess Consort Huai’s answer.

In the past, it had been Sheng Zhi Wan’s one-sided wish. Princess Consort Huai not replying had seemed only natural.

But using that bond to pressure Sheng Zhi Wan and force Sheng Zhi Wan to accept this made-up “concern” was absurd.

Sheng Zhi Wan stepped closer: “Finally, I have one more question. Back then, why did I burn with a high fever that wouldn’t go down? Princess Consort Huai, did you really think I didn’t remember?”

Princess Consort Huai’s eyes widened. “You… you…”

Facing Sheng Zhi Wan’s gaze, dark and heavy like deep water, Princess Consort Huai instinctively took two steps back.

Princess Consort Huai stared at Sheng Zhi Wan in shock.

Sheng Zhi Wan spoke in a low voice: “I always remembered. Ming Jia, the Commandery Princess, hated me because I outshone Ming Jia in class.”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s voice stayed steady as Sheng Zhi Wan continued: “Ming Jia pretended to invite me to Prince Huai Manor as a guest. Then Ming Jia splashed water over my clothes and locked me inside the room.”

Back then, Sheng Zhi Wan had been a little over four.

Sheng Zhi Wan had remembered everything and understood everything, yet because Sheng Zhi Wan wanted to stay in Prince Huai Manor for a few more days, Sheng Zhi Wan had kept her mouth shut about it all.

Sheng Zhi Wan had envied Ming Jia so much.

Sheng Zhi Wan had envied that Ming Jia had a mother who thought of her in everything and covered for her in everything.

So Sheng Zhi Wan had secretly pretended in her heart, pretending that Princess Consort Huai was also Sheng Zhi Wan’s mother.

How stupid.

How ridiculous.

When Sheng Zhi Wan lifted her head again, Princess Consort Huai could not say a single word. Princess Consort Huai only stared blankly at Sheng Zhi Wan.

Sheng Zhi Wan asked the final question: “About the Spring Flower Banquet, Princess Consort – you knew about it too, didn’t you?”

Princess Consort Huai’s lips moved.

Princess Consort Huai wanted to deny it, but under that unblinking stare, the words reached her throat and died there. Princess Consort Huai could not force out a single syllable.