Love Lock

Chapter 50 The Concubine Turns the Tables
Han Lei looked in the direction of the sound and saw a woman dressed in gorgeous clothes with a seductive face, leaning against the door frame while cracking melon seeds. She looked like a woman of the world, and her eyes were full of contempt.

Upon hearing this, Han Lei's beautiful face showed a slight change in expression, but she quickly regained her composure.

"We are welcoming the future princess of the Prince's mansion. What are you doing out here, a mere concubine? Hurry up and go inside." The old lady's face darkened, and she rarely displayed the demeanor of the matriarch.

Zhao Ling'er rolled her eyes at her, took Han Lei's arm, and comforted her, "That's a concubine in the mansion who doesn't know the rules, Sister Han Lei, don't mind her."

"It's alright." Han Lei smiled slightly at her.

Seeing this, Qin Yanran curled her lips into a cold smile, seemingly not taking the old lady's reprimand seriously at all.

She cracked sunflower seeds and continued to mock, "It seems the rumors that Zun'er has been stripped of his military power are true. This royal mansion is getting more and more destitute, and they can only find this kind of lowly girl who can't be presented to the public as their princess. Just by looking at the quality of her clothes, you can tell she probably comes from some lowly family."

Although Han Lei's heart was in turmoil, her face remained calm. As the former concubine of the Duke of Zhenguo, she was considered part of Zhao Zun's family. Now that Zhao Zun was not in the Prince's residence, she did not want to cause trouble because of a few barks from a mad dog.

Although her dress wasn't made of silk or brocade, and was of ordinary material, every stitch was imbued with affection, a rare display of Zhao Zun's tenderness. It didn't matter if others disliked it, as long as she cared.

Han Lei remained calm and didn't say anything, but the old lady was furious.

"You...you get out of here...go back!"

The old lady was so angry that her chest heaved violently and her face turned red. But she was a true lady of high society, and her good manners prevented her from uttering anything more offensive than "go back."

Even though the old lady was so angry that she could hardly speak, she was still afraid that Han Lei would be neglected since she had just arrived at the Prince's Mansion. She kept gently patting and stroking the back of Han Lei's hand to convey her silent comfort.

Zhao Ling'er and Zhao Zun's guards, as well as the servants present, were also furious, glaring angrily at Qin Yanran. However, in terms of status, even Zhao Zun had to address Qin Yanran as "Auntie." Therefore, apart from the Old Madam, no one else dared to do anything to her.

Qin Yanran scoffed dismissively, and her sharp and sarcastic remarks were directed at Han Lei again.

"Pshaw, am I wrong? If the Prince's mansion had high enough standards, how could it allow such a lowly girl to enter? Look at her vixen-like appearance, I don't know how she got together with Zun'er."

"You...you...what nonsense are you talking about?"

The old lady was so angry that she almost disregarded the dignity of being the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo and went up to slap her twice, but Han Lei grabbed her arm.

Han Lei finally realized that Aunt Qin was up to no good! She was provoking everyone in front of so many people. When Zhao Zun wasn't home, she probably often bullied the old lady.

If she doesn't retaliate, the old lady will definitely faint from anger today.

Han Lei patted the old lady's hand in return, smiled slightly at her, and then walked gracefully toward Qin Yanran.

Han Lei smiled sweetly, looked Qin Yanran's face from side to side, and asked innocently.

"Madam, judging from your appearance, your parents must have already passed away, right?"

Qin Yanran was taken aback. "How did you know? Can you read faces?"

“No, I don’t need to look at your face.” Han Lei said, her aura suddenly changing, and her sweet smile vanished instantly. “If your parents were still alive, you wouldn’t be so ill-mannered. I can tell at a glance that you were born of a mother but not raised by one.”

Wow! Miss Han is awesome!

"Miss Han is awesome!"

"Hahaha……"

Upon hearing this, the guards burst into laughter, clapping and cheering, instantly feeling their backs straighten. They had no right to criticize Qin Yanran, but they could cheer for Han Lei.

Upon hearing Qin Yanran being scolded for being ill-mannered, Zhao Ling'er and the old lady burst out laughing.

The steward, Liu, and several servants present also covered their mouths and chuckled, secretly rejoicing. For the past few years, the old lady had been openly and secretly bullied by Concubine Qin, but they were powerless to do anything due to the difference in rank. Unexpectedly, someone had finally helped the old lady vent her anger today.

Qin Yanran was originally a courtesan and had not received much education. It took her a while to understand what Han Lei meant.

"How dare you! You...you dare to insult me!"

Qin Yanran was so angry that her thick makeup almost fell off. She threw away the sunflower seed shells in her hand and raised her hand to slap Han Lei's face, but Han Lei caught it firmly.

"Hmph!" Han Lei sneered, "So what if I dare to insult you? I dare to hit you!"

"Snapped!"

No sooner had Han Lei finished speaking than a loud slap landed squarely on Qin Yanran's alluring cheek.

Han Lei slapped her hard; she could feel her hand go numb. But the crisp sound of the slap gave her a strange sense of satisfaction.

As a modern woman, she was taught from a young age that when things reach their limit, there is no need to endure them any longer.

Therefore, she felt no psychological pressure at all when she slapped that bitch Qin Yanran.

The air froze instantly, and the surroundings were so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a long while, Qin Yanran's trembling and angry voice finally rang out in the air.

"You...you, you really dare to hit me?"

Qin Yanran's hair was disheveled, and the golden hairpin on her head was swaying precariously, about to fall off, and her seductive image was no more.

She covered her burning cheek with one hand, and pointed at Han Lei with trembling hands, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Everyone present stared at Han Lei in astonishment, unable to process what was happening for a moment.

They already thought it was quite bold that the girl who had just been so sweet and gentle could insult Qin Yanran, but they never expected her to go so far.

"You don't believe me?" Han Lei, oblivious to the astonished expressions of others, brought her face close to Qin Yanran's, a chilling smile on her face, and said, word by word, "Look closely, remember me, I did it. Disrespecting the mistress, a concubine trying to turn the world upside down, you're not good enough!"

Perhaps to deliberately provoke Qin Yanran, Han Lei emphasized the word "concubine".

This time, Qin Yanran's hands trembled, and her entire body shook. She looked at the petite and sweet-faced woman in front of her as if she were looking at a demon, her eyes filled with fear.

She had never seen anything like this before.
The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is a prestigious family. In the grand mansion, she usually engages in petty power struggles, such as being two-faced, vying for power, and stabbing people in the back. She has never seen such a fierce woman who would start a fight at the slightest disagreement.
"I...I got hit! I actually got hit! Waaaaah..."

Qin Yanran muttered a few words in a daze, and after coming to her senses, she finally lost the will to fight and ran back to the palace in tears with her hair disheveled.

Is this a defeat?

With such limited abilities, you think you can turn things around?
Han Lei snorted dismissively, shook her numb arm, and walked over to take the old lady's arm.

"Madam, it's alright now. She won't dare to disrespect you again." Han Lei showed her sweetest smile, but said the harshest words. "If she dares to disobey, I'll beat her until she submits."

"Uh..." The old lady paused for a moment, then her eyes reddened. "Alright! Good child. It's cold outside, let's not stand here, let's go inside. Remember, you must call me Auntie from now on."

The old lady held Han Lei's hand tightly and refused to let go, her eyes filled with tears, as the grievances that had been bottled up in her heart for many years gradually dissipated.

It feels so good to have someone backing you up and protecting you!

This daughter-in-law is exactly what she wanted!
(End of this chapter)