Damn it!
No matter how good-tempered Li Wanming was, she couldn't help swearing at this moment.
She was wrong, she was really wrong...
Fang Zhi was a turtle, and a big, green, round, and flat one at that. Her turtle shell was so hard that it would spark if you hit it!
She must have had too much to eat to even think about comforting this heartless and stubborn person here!
"If you don't like it, then don't take it!" Li Wanming snatched the jade bracelet from Fang Zhi's hand and quickly repacked the brocade box.
Her hands were shaking with anger. She had come here with good intentions to give a gift, but what did Fang Zhi do? Not only did she make offensive remarks repeatedly, but she also was picky!
Was she trying to be insolent? Fine. Since she didn't want to save face, then forget it! She wouldn't play along anymore!
"May Miss Fang and Young Master Feng achieve their wishes soon!" Li Wanming picked up the brocade box and got up to leave.
"Hey—" Fang Zhi's lazy voice sounded from behind. "How's married life treating you? Has that second mistress given you a hard time?"
Li Wanming suddenly stopped in her tracks. She saw Fang Zhi pinching a dark red candied plum between her fingertips, like a drop of blood-red plum blossom blooming on a graceful tree branch.
"You... You know?"
She was a bit shocked, and even her voice trembled at the end.
In her impression, Fang Zhi was just a spoiled second-generation aristocrat who relied on her family background and didn't care about the intricate relationships among the noble families in the capital.
But from the question she just asked, it was obvious that she meant something.
Fang Zhi tossed the plum into her mouth and crunched it like a thieving mouse.
"Who in the capital doesn't know about the affairs of your family? That second mistress is really something. A concubine's wife actually managed to hold power in the Prince Ning's Mansion for so many years!"
Li Wanming tightened her hand in her sleeve and slowly walked back. "What do you want to say?"
"My mother once said when she was evaluating the noble families in the capital," Fang Zhi leaned back lazily in her chair. "I can marry into any family. Even if my husband is good-for-nothing, my parents can still support me. But the Prince Ning's Mansion—" She paused and gave Li Wanming a meaningful look. "is definitely out of the question."
"Why?" Li Wanming's voice tightened a bit.
Fang Zhi raised her eyebrows. "So the Crown Princess isn't in such a hurry to leave now?"
Li Wanming took a deep breath, tightened her fist in her sleeve, and put on a kind smile.
"Miss Fang, what are you saying? I came here to give you a wedding gift. How could I just leave like this? If you don't like these bracelets, I'll come back with something you like later."
Fang Zhi's mouth curled up smugly. Her eyes swept over Li Wanming's waist. "Your belt is nice..."
"Ah? You like this?"
Li Wanming didn't expect Fang Zhi to have such an unusual taste. After a moment of stunnedness, she was overjoyed. She quickly untied the belt around her waist.
"Since Miss Fang likes it, then it's for you!"
Fang Zhi hugged the belt studded with jewels and finally showed a satisfied smile. "I knew you were a thoughtful one. How could you be like those vulgar people who only use ordinary ornaments?"
Actually, she didn't really care about the belt, but she was used to being in a high position and liked it when others obeyed her. Li Wanming's cold words just now did make her a bit unhappy.
But now, seeing that Li Wanming was willing to give up her "precious" belt, it seemed that she had already "submitted" to her. So there were some things she could talk about.
Fang Zhi played with the belt in her hand. The jewels refracted the bright sunlight. She slowly began to speak.
"The Prince Ning's Mansion is a very complicated place..."
"Prince Ning is a military general. He hates the trivial matters in the inner courtyard the most. It's not that he doesn't know what's going on, but he just pretends not to know. In the eyes of a man like him, as long as the inner courtyard is peaceful, he doesn't care if someone is wronged in there."
"As for the Princess Ning, there's no need to even mention her. She's the legitimate daughter of a noble family and the rightful wife of Prince Ning, but she gave the power of managing the mansion to an outsider... Tsk tsk. She's so weak-willed and has no sense of order. I've never seen a more useless mistress among the noble families."
"Did you figure all this out by yourself?" Li Wanming couldn't quite believe it.
"What?" Fang Zhi gave her a discontented look. "Are you trying to say that I'm a fool and can't see the twists and turns in your mansion?"
"Ah, of course not!" Li Wanming quickly denied. "Miss Fang is as smart as a whip and has a discerning eye. It's obvious that you have great wisdom in your heart. How could you not know these things?"
Hearing this, Fang Zhi proudly snorted. "I figured out some of it myself, and my mother told me some. But even if my mother didn't tell me, I could still figure it out myself!"
"Yes, yes, yes. Miss Fang is both beautiful and intelligent. What could possibly escape your sharp eyes?" Li Wanming nodded like a pounding pestle.
"That's more like it!" Fang Zhi was happy. Her expression became even more smug, and she spoke even more recklessly. "Your mother-in-law has no backbone. She's just a spineless woman who only cares about her husband's face. Do you still expect someone like her to help you fight against Concubine Kang? Don't dream!"
After hearing what she said, Li Wanming squirmed uncomfortably.
As a daughter-in-law, she thought Fang Zhi's words were a bit too vulgar and rude. But as someone involved, she had to admit that Fang Zhi was right.
She had been married into the Prince Ning's Mansion for almost a month. But since the Prince and Princess Ning had gone to their suburban villa on the pretext of recuperating, they hadn't even sent her a single letter.
For a daughter-in-law who had been separated from her husband on their wedding night, the two elders didn't seem to care at all. It was really heartbreaking.
In the middle, she had gone to visit them and sent people to the villa several times to pay respects, but all she got back were words like getting along well with Concubine Kang and not being too hasty.
The subtext was that she shouldn't be in a hurry to take back power for fear that she would bully that second mistress.
"If your in-laws are unreliable, and your husband is a sickly person who's said to be unlucky for his wife... Who would dare to marry into such a family?"
Fang Zhi took a sip of tea. Her eyes suddenly sparkled with excitement. "Do you know? After your wedding, we were secretly making bets on whether you could make it through the wedding ceremony... Hehe, I won five hundred taels of silver!"
Li Wanming didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Thank you for having so much faith in me..."
"Of course!" Fang Zhi said proudly. "You look like you have a strong life. It's not certain who will outlive who between you and Xiao Jingnan!"
...
Sometimes, even though it was the truth, Li Wanming really wanted to tear Fang Zhi's mouth apart.
No wonder Lu Songyuan had been fighting with her in the capital for so many years but never got the upper hand. Maybe Miss Lu went home and made many voodoo dolls, stabbing needles into their mouths!