She had originally intended to give Song Wanchu a setback and make her understand her place. A daughter of a lowly merchant family didn't deserve to enter through the main gate of the Princess Mansion!
Who would have thought that her good nephew would actually come to Song's rescue and flog the butler who was loyal to her!
Others might not know that the Crown Prince had once proposed marriage to Song Wanchu, but as his aunt, she knew it all too well.
She had been married to Liang Yuzhou for three years, yet still managed to make the Crown Prince pining for her. What else could she be but a vixen?
"A woman of your lowly background, all you've got in exchange for your father's sacrifice is just a concubine position. The Emperor gave your Song family face by adding the title 'Honorable' to you. If you're sensible, you should ask the Emperor to remove that title and behave yourself as a concubine. Huiyan is kind - hearted and can spare you a place to live."
Liang Yuzhou's gaze never left Song Wanchu's face. He precisely grasped every subtle change in her expression.
The Princess had mentioned his marriage to Yu Huiyan twice, yet there wasn't the slightest ripple in Song's emotions.
It was as if she didn't care at all.
An unnamed anger welled up in his heart.
By this point, the banquet had almost turned into a show where the Princess and the Countess of Jiahe praised Yu Huiyan and humiliated Song Wanchu.
The usually silent Song Wanchu finally spoke up, "Your Highness, aren't you the one who should know best whether I used my father's memorial tablet to get the imperial edict to marry into the Duke's Mansion?"
The counter - attack came so unexpectedly that the Princess, who was used to attacking others but not defending herself, was stunned.
The jovial atmosphere at the banquet suddenly came to a halt. All the ladies and noble girls' eyes darted back and forth between the two sides.
Coming back to her senses, the Princess flew into a rage, "Bold! How dare you talk nonsense in front of this Princess?"
Song Wanchu slowly got up. While others were sitting, her standing made everyone's eyes involuntarily look up at her.
She smiled calmly and looked at the Princess with a candid gaze, "Three years ago, on the ninth day of the fifth lunar month, Your Highness sent a young eunuch in a cyan - gray robe, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a squint in his left eye, to my house to deliver a message, saying that the Emperor summoned me and asked me to bring my father's memorial tablet to the palace.
I followed him out of the house, but he took me to Your Highness's mansion instead. The words you used to humiliate me were almost the same as today's. Everyone here has heard them, so I won't repeat them.
You made me kneel outside the courtyard for a full four hours. I fainted three times under the scorching sun, and you had the maids splash cold water on me to wake me up three times. You didn't drive me out of the mansion until sunset.
The next day, rumors spread that I was using my father's sacrifice to blackmail the Emperor for the glory and wealth of the Duke's Mansion."
The humiliation and torture hidden beneath her calm tone fell lightly into everyone's ears, but it was like a thunderbolt, leaving everyone in shock.
"Slut! How dare you slander this Princess!"
Naturally, the Princess wouldn't admit it, but there was a hint of barely perceptible panic in her harsh tone.
All the noble ladies and girls present were shrewd. They had already made their judgment in their hearts.
No one could easily forget the humiliation they had suffered. Song Wanchu's ability to remember so many details from that year clearly showed that she wasn't just making things up.
"How dare I slander Your Highness? I have witnesses," Song Wanchu said calmly, her elegant and calm demeanor more prominent with her unruffled brows.
"On that day, the Countess of Jiahe and Miss Yu were also present. They accompanied Your Highness in the pavilion, enjoying the white cherries from Yingzhou and drinking the Shuixian tea from Zhangping."
The Countess of Jiahe rarely thought before she spoke. She instinctively denied it, "Song Wanchu, who are you trying to frame?"
Although Yu Huiyan didn't say a word, she still felt a bit flustered when everyone's eyes swept over her.
"Words alone are not evidence. With just your words, you want to slander three people? How audacious for a concubine!"
The Princess was smarter than the Countess of Jiahe. She was certain that Song Wanchu couldn't produce any other evidence.
So she could just flatly deny it and prove that Song Wanchu was lying and being disrespectful!
Song Wanchu left her seat, took a few steps forward, and slightly lifted her skirt.
"I knelt for a full four hours. There are still scars on both my knees, which are clearly visible to this day."
"Even if your knees are injured, how can you prove that you got those scars from kneeling in this Princess's mansion?"
"The hexagonal diamond - patterned bricks in Your Highness's mansion are unique in the capital. Does Your Highness want me to show everyone the hexagonal diamond - shaped scars on my knees?"
As soon as she said this, it was like a huge wave in the tense atmosphere.
The hexagonal diamond - patterned bricks in the Princess's mansion were personally selected by the Emperor and were only for his elder sister to enjoy.
"I can testify that what the Second Lady Liang said is completely true," Shen Yuhe, who had been silent all this time, stood up. Facing this situation, she had already seen through it.
"Three years ago, I treated the Second Lady Liang's knees. I saw with my own eyes that her knees were bruised and swollen. The scars from the hexagonal diamond - patterned bricks will probably never fade away."
The silence at the banquet reached a new level.
Everyone's silence was deafening.
The Princess's furious but speechless expression further proved that every word Song Wanchu said was true.
The Countess of Jiahe was so ashamed that she didn't dare to look up. Only then did she realize that she had fallen into Song Wanchu's trap.
Just now, she had instinctively denied being present that year. Wasn't this clearly telling everyone that she was lying?
The usually face - conscious Countess of Jiahe felt extremely humiliated. It was even more uncomfortable than being slapped in the face in public!
"Song Wanchu, does the Princess need a reason to punish you? You've already married my son as you wished. What else do you have to complain about? It should be Huiyan who's aggrieved. You've taken someone else's place for three years and haven't even given birth to a single child. Be sensible and make room for Huiyan quickly!"
Song Wanchu had originally intended to stop there and give the Countess of Jiahe some face.
After all, she was Liang Yuzhou's mother. Song Wanchu didn't want to completely fall out with her before leaving.
Parting on good terms was her intention.
However, the Countess of Jiahe still thought that she was the same weak - willed woman who was willing to swallow her anger for Liang Yuzhou.
"Why can't I have children? Isn't the Countess of Jiahe the one who should know best?"
By confronting the Princess head - on and making her lose face, Song Wanchu had already shown the noble families her backbone and wisdom.
Now, she was aiming at her own mother - in - law. Everyone really felt that there was one exciting scene after another.
"You lowly thing! I'm your elder. In the Duke's Mansion, you should just obediently listen to me. I just made you stand in the snow for a few hours. You're just too delicate to carry a child, and now you're blaming me?"
The Countess of Jiahe was not as calm and steady as the Princess. Suddenly being counter - attacked, in her rage, she accidentally revealed the truth.
Everyone was shocked.
The Countess of Jiahe was always arrogant and domineering. Although her family had declined, she still put on a big show. But these noble families never expected that she could be so vicious and despicable!
Their looks at Song Wanchu changed from contempt to sympathy.
Her reputation was not good, and at most, people in the streets would mock her and laugh at her.
But after all, she hadn't committed any serious crimes. Why should she be tortured to have a miscarriage in the snow?
The Princess and the Countess of Jiahe were really a perfect match!
"Cousin - in - law, it's only natural for elders to punish juniors. As juniors, we should reflect on whether our behavior is inappropriate instead of holding grudges," Yu Huiyan, who was standing outside the storm, thought that it wouldn't affect her, so she stepped forward. Her soft tone was like the opposite of Song Wanchu's toughness.
"Has Miss Yu ever reflected on why the old lady doesn't like you and hasn't given her consent for you to marry into the Duke's Mansion?"
Song Wanchu's words were like a stab in Yu Huiyan's heart. Her face contorted with anger, like a snake whose weak point had been grabbed.