The princess regretted it.

Before Lan Zhu could say anything, Liu Qianyi suddenly spoke up, "Princess, you're wrong. No one in the mansion dares to bully Aunt Lan. She's so powerful in the mansion that even my aunt has to give her some respect!"

Wu Changfeng thought to himself that something was amiss when he heard Liu Qianyi say this. Just as he was about to step forward to explain, he heard Jin An say coldly, "Miss Liu, what do you mean by that? Are you trying to say that anyone who leaves my side is arrogant and unmannered?"

When Princess Jin'an asked this, Liu Qianyi realized that something was wrong with what she had said. She quickly knelt down and said in a panic, "Your Highness, please calm down. I never meant that. I simply spoke hastily and made the wrong choice. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Wu Changfeng also quickly knelt down and said, "Your Highness, my cousin did not mean to offend me. Please calm down."

Princess Jin'an looked at them coldly and said, "Hmph, that's for the best. Lanzhu, tell me, what exactly happened today?"

Lan Zhu heard Princess Jin'an's words, all hinting at her defense. Her confidence, which had been weakened by the blows from Fan and Liu Qianyi, suddenly swelled. She straightened her back and said with a trembling voice, "Princess, today I wanted to use my dowry to buy some new jewelry. Unfortunately, I ran into the Crown Prince and Miss Liu at the store. Miss Liu, upon seeing me buying jewelry, reprimanded me for spending the Marquis's money carelessly and accused me of being a concubine without proper etiquette. I tried to explain myself, but Miss Liu wouldn't give in and even tried to attack me. If the Crown Prince hadn't stopped me, I'd have been humiliated today."

After hearing this, Liu Qianyi immediately retorted, "You're talking nonsense! It was you who insulted me!"

"I insulted you? How did I insult you? Tell me." Lan Zhu asked with confidence.

"You..." Liu Qianyi opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything. Her face turned red. She really couldn't say those words in front of so many people.

Lan Zhu was also certain that she dared not say it out loud. After all, she whispered those words that damaged a woman's reputation to Liu Qianyi; no one else heard. Seeing Liu Qianyi's embarrassment at this time, Lan Zhu felt extremely proud.

Jin An glanced at the two of them. She knew Lan Zhu's scheming. Naturally, she knew Lan Zhu must have said something, but Liu Qianyi couldn't say it in front of everyone. Thinking about Lan Zhu's previous words, she asked calmly, "Lan Zhu, you just said to use your own dowry? What's going on? Is the Marquis' Mansion out of money?"

Lan Zhu had been expecting Princess Jin'an to ask this question. Her face was filled with forbearance as she gently wiped the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief. Then, she replied extremely respectfully, "Princess, the Marquis's wife has brought Miss Liu with her to help manage the household. Miss Liu said I'm just a concubine, and I only receive two taels of silver a month. Furthermore, if I want to buy anything else, I'm not entitled to use the Marquis's money. I'm helpless, so I can only use the dowry the princess prepared for me to buy it myself." At this point, she once again picked up her handkerchief and wiped the barely visible tears from the corners of her eyes. She continued, "I feel I've embarrassed the princess."

"Oh! Miss Liu, even as a guest, can actually manage the household expenses? Sister Ziyun, the rules of this Marquisate are quite unique. I've never heard of that before!" Han Shuang's leisurely voice came, with a hint of sarcasm and surprise in her tone.

Ziyun smiled faintly and responded, "Well, I've never heard of it before. The concubine personally appointed by His Majesty has to listen to the scolding of a guest lady. The house rules of the Marquis' Mansion are indeed quite novel." There was a hint of ridicule in Ziyun's smile, and his eyes swept over Liu Qianyi, Wu Changfeng and others intentionally or unintentionally.

Jin An almost couldn't hold back her laughter at what Han Shuang and Zi Yun said. She had no choice but to lower her head and lower her eyes, as if she was in deep thought.

When the people around heard this, some of them sneered and couldn't help but whisper, "A young lady living away from home and unmarried is in charge of the household? This mansion is really a mess."

"Hey, it seems that the Marquis' Mansion is planning to strengthen the relationship between relatives? The Crown Prince's Consort hasn't been found yet?"

"So what? Isn't it a bit shameless to interfere in the affairs of the harem before even entering the house?"

"So, the inside story of these noble families is truly complex and unpredictable."

"That's right, Miss Liu is a little too impatient."

"It is indeed inappropriate for a stranger to behave like this."

"I don't know what the Marquis' Mansion is thinking." Everyone was talking about it, and their words were full of disdain for Liu Qianyi and doubts about the Marquis' Mansion's actions.

Wu Changfeng listened from the side, his face extremely grim, his heart suddenly tense. He hurried to Lan Zhu's side, bowed to Jin An and said, "Princess, please forgive me for making fun of you. It was indeed Cousin Liu who misunderstood Lan Zhu and spoke inappropriately today. Please forgive me. This matter is a family affair of the Marquis' Mansion, so I will not bother you anymore. Please allow me to take Lan Zhu back to the mansion first. I will handle this matter properly." Then he lowered his voice and said, "Lan Zhu, this matter was indeed neglected by me. It was indeed Cousin Qian Yi who spoke inappropriately today. But this is our family matter after all. Let's go home and discuss it, okay?"

After hearing what Wu Changfeng said, Lan Zhu knew that he was afraid of Princess Jin'an's protection for her. She knew that Princess Jin'an was not good at interfering in other people's family affairs, but she wanted to achieve this effect now, using Jin'an's hand to hit the Marquis' Mansion so that they would not dare to criticize her anymore. Recently, seeing that Princess Jin'an had not summoned her, Fan and Liu Qianyi tried to find ways to harass her and take her dowry. She originally wanted to make a scene in the streets, let the people in the capital know about it, and make them hesitate. However, she never expected to encounter Princess Jin'an's carriage. This was a good opportunity given by heaven, and of course she had to seize it.

Thinking that her goal had been achieved and that she would still have to rely on Wu Changfeng's favor in the future, she raised her eyes, tears welling up in her eyes, and gazed at Wu Changfeng with affection. Her already pretty face, coupled with this aggrieved look at this moment, really made people feel both distressed and sympathetic.

Liu Qianyi's face turned pale as she listened to Han Shuang and Zi Yun's words. Hearing the comments of the people around her and seeing Lan Zhu's appearance, her face turned even darker, and she felt both angry and ashamed. She looked at Wu Changfeng with grievance and called out, "Cousin!"

Wu Changfeng didn't turn around when he heard her call. He just wanted to get home quickly and deal with these things. So he secretly raised his eyes to observe Jin An's reaction.

Jin An slowly raised her head, her gaze sweeping across the three people below. "Lan Zhu, what do you think?" She didn't respond directly to Wu Changfeng's question, but instead inquired of Lan Zhu. She knew Lan Zhu's feelings well, and was willing to oblige her. Jin An was overjoyed at the thought of the lively exchanges between Lan Zhu and Liu Qianyi in Wu Changfeng's backyard. With Lan Zhu's fighting prowess, Liu Qianyi wouldn't have a good time. Just the thought of it brought Jin An joy.