Throughout the whole process, Danyang didn't even glance at Sun Miaoqing and Mrs. He.
A bead of sweat trickled down Guo Ziyan's forehead. He whispered, "Princess, this official will escort you back first..."
Danyang nodded noncommittally. Supported carefully by Guo Ziyan, she slowly walked away.
She remained expressionless and didn't say a single word, but that was enough to make Guo Ziyan tremble all over.
Guo Ziyan knew Danyang's temper better than anyone.
The angrier she was inside, the calmer she appeared on the surface.
Today, Sun Miaoqing and Mrs. He had openly insulted her to her face. How could she let them off so easily?
It seemed that several lives would have to be sacrificed to settle today's matter...
While helping Danyang into the carriage, Guo Ziyan subtly signaled to a young servant of the Guo family who was accompanying them, telling him to hurry back to the Guo mansion to deliver the news.
Then he got into the carriage and left, not looking at Sun Miaoqing and Mrs. He again.
I don't know how much time had passed before Mrs. He slowly got up from the ground.
She didn't know how many blows she had endured. Her head was buzzing, and her whole body ached.
Sun Miaoqing beside her seemed to be more seriously injured. She lay on the ground sobbing and couldn't move.
The eldest princess was going on a boat ride today and didn't want any unnecessary trouble to spoil her mood. So she had her personal guards dress up as ordinary people and follow at a distance to protect her.
When Sun Miaoqing rushed forward, it was these guards who held her down.
They were all strong and well - trained. With just a light hold, she felt as if her arm was about to break.
Fortunately, Guo Ziyan's last order was to "beat" rather than "kill". So the guards knew their limits. They only beat the two women until their skin was broken and they were bleeding, but they didn't damage their bones or vital parts.
Gradually, the surrounding villagers gathered. Someone recognized Mrs. He.
"Isn't this the old lady who went to the City God Temple to drink the first pot of congee?"
"How did she get beaten up like this?"
"Are you okay? Do you want us to report this to the authorities?"
Mrs. He slowly got up from the ground. "No... there's no need to report it to the authorities... We... we just fell."
It would be too embarrassing to admit that they had been beaten by her grandson - in - law and his mistress. Mrs. He didn't want to do that.
Moreover, would reporting to the authorities be useful?
Guo's father was the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, in charge of official promotions. Which official in the capital wouldn't give him face?
"This... Can you get injured like this from just a fall?" The person who spoke clicked his tongue.
"It's nothing... I just fell really hard..."
Mrs. He covered her waist and asked someone nearby to find a ox - cart. Then she took Sun Miaoqing and headed towards the Li family.
Yes, go to the Li family, not back to the Sun family!
In this short period of time, Mrs. He had already figured out that if she wanted to solve this problem, she had to go to the Li family!
She wanted Mrs. Li to stand up for them and avenge them.
It was true that the Guo family had an official in the Ministry of Personnel, but they were also afraid of the royal relatives.
Mrs. He thought through all the people she knew in her mind and found that only the husband's family of Li Wanming could barely be related to the royal relatives.
So she made a prompt decision and went to the Li family!
By the time the ox - cart slowly reached the gate of the Li family, Mrs. He had regained her strength. She pulled Sun Miaoqing out of the cart and immediately burst into tears.
...
In the main hall, Mrs. He's face was distorted as she cursed angrily.
"Guo Ziyan, that heartless coward, actually watched his wife being bullied and left with that woman!"
"Our Miaoqing is his legal wife, the wife the Guo family married through proper match - making procedures!"
"He actually helped that mistress from outside to beat us!"
"Guo Ziyan must have been blinded by lard and his eyes must have been blurred by the wind. He was so bewitched by that slutty fox from outside that he lost his soul..."
Li Wanming frowned, listening nervously on one side.
If the eldest princess found out that she had been called a "mistress" and a "slutty fox", not only would she lose her soul, but it was very likely that the lives of her whole family would be in danger.
She quickly stopped Mrs. He and asked, "So grandmother, why did you call me back? What do you want me to do?"
She couldn't handle this matter either.
Mrs. He couldn't possibly be expecting her to confront the eldest princess head - on, could she?
She was really overestimating her. She didn't have that kind of ability...
Mrs. He wiped the tears from her face and quickly forced a smile as she came closer. "Third girl, you're the most promising one in our Li family. Your grandmother has been bullied outside. You can't just ignore this!"
She paused for a moment and then said, "I originally hoped to rely on your two older sisters, but they're so useless. They were even kicked out by their husband's families..."
Li Wanming was already annoyed with her. Now that she was dragging her sisters into this, she became even more impatient. "Just say what you want to say directly. There's no need to mention the eldest sister and the second sister."
Mrs. He tried to put on a more amiable smile, but it pulled at the corner of her mouth, and she couldn't help but let out a groan of pain.
She covered her lips and waited for a while before saying, "Third girl, your husband's family has a good relationship with Princess Chengping, right? Do you think you can ask your father - in - law to plead with the princess and ask her to uphold justice for us common people?"
Oh, now she's calling herself a common person. Not an official's wife or a noble lady anymore?
Li Wanming sneered inwardly, but didn't show it on her face. Instead, she politely asked, "Grandmother, you want me to ask the princess? Then what kind of justice do you want the princess to uphold for you?"
Mrs. He was stunned for a moment and said, "Of course it's to arrest that slut and throw her into jail! Break her hands and feet, and scratch her face so that she can never seduce men again in her life!"
Li Wanming was a little stunned to hear her say this so matter - of - factly. Her eyes scanned Mrs. He constantly, as if she was seeing her for the first time.
Break the hands and feet of Princess Danyang...
She sure has a lot of nerve.
"Can... Can the princess really do that?" Li Wanming looked a little dazed and asked absent - mindedly.
Mrs. He quickly said, "Of course!"
"Who is Princess Chengping? She's the most noble and respected imperial - title - holding lady in our Great Sheng Dynasty!"
"That woman is just a shameless slut. She must be a fox spirit who crawled out of some brothel. She only knows how to seduce men... The princess only needs to say a word, and she'll be worse off than dead!"
This... Princess Chengping probably really can't do that.
In the Great Sheng Dynasty, there were two most noble women under the empress dowager. One was Princess Chengping, and the other was the "shameless slut" in your mouth.
If they got into a fight, it's really hard to say who would win.
Moreover, Princess Chengping isn't crazy. Why would she look for trouble with Princess Danyang for Sun Miaoqing's sake?
Li Wanming thought it over in her mind, but she didn't tell Mrs. He.
This matter was too sensitive. There were some things she couldn't say.
Especially since this matter was related to Princess Danyang's reputation.
Then she definitely couldn't speak easily.
Although Danyang didn't hide the fact that she kept male concubines and wasn't afraid that others would know that Guo Ziyan was her lover.
However, this matter couldn't come out of her own mouth...
That crazy woman was so terrifying that even Zhao Yanke was afraid of her. Let alone herself...
If she wasn't careful, it was very likely that she, Li Wanming, would end up worse off than dead.