Hearing this, Lvluo was so angry that she laughed.
In all these years, it was the first time she had seen such a brazen fool.
Chu Qing narrowed her eyes, and the corner of her mouth hidden behind the veil curled up slightly. "Who do you claim to be?"
The young girl in white wrinkled her nose and said, "I say that if you're the princess of Ning, then I'm the princess of Ning!"
Well, she'd given this girl a chance, but she still refused to admit defeat until faced with undeniable evidence.
Chu Qing tapped on the table. Lvluo understood and took out a jade token from her bosom.
She twirled her wrist and waved the jade token in front of the girl's eyes. "Do you recognize this?" Lvluo said coldly.
The young girl in white shifted her body slightly, looking impatient. "What's the use of taking out a jade token? Why don't you get out of here, you wenches?"
"Miss... this seems to be the jade token of the Prince of Ning's Mansion..." The little maid who had been blustering just now suddenly became timid after seeing the jade token in Lvluo's hand.
The young girl in white still looked overbearing. "Can you be sure this is the jade token of the Prince of Ning's Mansion? What if someone is faking it?"
"I... I can't be sure..." The little maid's voice became softer. Then, as if she had thought of something, she leaned close to the girl's ear and whispered,
"Miss, how about we leave... What if they're really from the Prince of Ning's Mansion? We can't afford to provoke them... Master specifically told you..."
The girl's eyes shifted, and she sized up Chu Qing from head to toe. Chu Qing sat upright gracefully, allowing her to look.
"Humph! With her shabby appearance, how could she be the princess of Ning?"
Even though Chu Qing had been holding back before, she couldn't bear it any longer this time!
First, they called her an ugly freak, and now they said she looked shabby!
It had been a long time since anyone had managed to provoke her so simply and directly!
Chu Qing changed her casual demeanor. She gently removed her veil, revealing her stunning beauty, which left the young girl in white and the maid in a daze.
"Which family do you belong to, young lady?" Chu Qing picked up the teacup in her hand, took a small sip, and asked indifferently.
The girl, who had been stunned by Chu Qing's beauty, slowly came to her senses when she heard Chu Qing speak. Then, she became furious. "Humph! I'll scare you to death if I tell you! My great - grandfather was once the Grand Tutor! And the Grand Empress Dowager is my great - aunt! How about it? Are you scared?" With that, the young girl in white snorted coldly again.
With a clatter, the teacup in Chu Qing's hand fell to the ground. At this moment, Chu Qing's mind went blank.
After a moment, Chu Qing turned her head stiffly and asked Lvluo, "What did she say her great - grandfather and great - aunt are?"
Lvluo was a bit surprised by her master's reaction. Although she didn't think her master would be intimidated, she still repeated the girl's words honestly.
Great - grandfather was the Grand Tutor, and the Grand Empress Dowager was her great - aunt?
Good, very good!
Chu Qing stood up expressionlessly, reached out and pinched the girl's chin, leaned closer to her face, and said fiercely, "What's your grandfather's name?"
The girl was intimidated by Chu Qing's sudden fierce aura and swallowed nervously. "Shangguan Haoyu..."
Huh? Why am I suddenly so timid? The young girl in white blinked, looking a bit dazed.
Perhaps feeling that her pride was hurt and wanting to show more bravado, she said, "Why do you care what my grandfather's name is!"
Chu Qing sat back down slowly and closed her eyes silently.
This arrogant little girl turned out to be from the Shangguan family!
If she remembered correctly, she had even held this little girl before!
Shangguan Haoyu was her younger brother in her previous life. She never thought that this guy would raise his descendants like this! He was really disgracing the name of the Shangguan family!
"So, are you scared! If you are, hurry up and give this private room to me!" Seeing that Chu Qing didn't say anything more, the girl thought she was afraid.
"Master?" Lvluo, who noticed that Chu Qing was acting a bit strange, asked worriedly.
Chu Qing took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, the anger in them had dissipated.
"Is this the kind of descendant the Shangguan family has raised? Aren't you afraid that the reputation of the Shangguan family will be ruined?" There was no emotion in her voice, but her words were as sharp as a knife.
"You!" The young girl in white opened her eyes wide, looking at Chu Qing in disbelief.
In the Shangguan Mansion, she had always been doted on. Her grandfather had once said that her personality was most like that of her great - aunt. Every time he mentioned her great - aunt, she could feel that her grandfather missed her very much. Therefore, misunderstanding his words, she thought that as long as she was unruly and fearless, her grandfather could see the shadow of her great - aunt in her, and then she would be valued by everyone. Because her mother had died in childbirth when she was born. Her father didn't care much about her. Although her grandfather would occasionally teach her some principles, it was only occasional. Raised by the wet - nurse since childhood, naturally, she wanted to do something to attract the attention of her father and grandfather.
This was the first time someone had accused her face - to - face that her actions would damage the reputation of the Shangguan family.
"Master, who is causing trouble?" The several guards who had been ordered by Chu Qing to follow at a distance finally arrived. Seeing that the atmosphere was wrong, they immediately stepped forward.
Chu Qing waved her hand gently and said, "It's not a big deal. You all go with me to send this girl back to the Shangguan Mansion."
After much thought, Chu Qing finally decided to go to the Shangguan family in person.
Even though she still wanted to avoid seeing those blood relatives from her previous life, she didn't want to see the day when the Shangguan family would be sneered at by the world for having no family upbringing!
The little maid was in a panic. If she still couldn't tell the true identity of Chu Qing, she would really be in big trouble.
"Princess of Ning, please don't take offense at a lowly servant like me. Please don't be angry with me. It was all my idea to encourage my miss to come to this private room. If you're still angry, you can beat or punish me as you like. As long as you don't go to the Shangguan Mansion in person, I'm willing to accept any punishment!"
"Qing'er! If she wants to go, let her! Am I afraid of her?" At worst, she would be punished. Then her father and grandfather would take good care of her, and she could spend more time with them.
Thinking of this, the girl couldn't wait to drag Chu Qing back home.
Chu Qing glanced at the little maid and thought to herself that she was really loyal, but since she allowed her mistress to act recklessly, punishment was inevitable.
"Let's go." Chu Qing said coldly, having made up her mind.
The young girl in white lifted her chin and walked out first.
"Let's go then. Who's afraid of whom!"
Chu Qing raised her eyebrows and motioned for everyone to follow closely.
...
Soon, the group of people arrived at the gate of the Shangguan Mansion.
Looking at the familiar yet strange plaque, Chu Qing felt a mix of emotions in her heart.
This place, which had carried all the wonderful memories of her childhood and adolescence, had changed with the passage of time. Everything was different now.
"Here! We're here! Go in!" The girl said arrogantly. Then, she lifted her foot and walked in.
Chu Qing forced back the tears in her eyes, composed herself, and also walked in.