Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Huangfu Ling and several servants walked quickly to the pavilion in the middle of the lake, only to see Zhang Jingwei lying on the ground in a very ungraceful manner, his head resting comfortably on the soft thighs of the courtesan Ningxiang, sleeping soundly.

The courtesan had originally cowered in fear, but when she caught sight of Huangfu Ling approaching, she instantly transformed herself and pounced on Zhang Jingwei. Her brows knitted delicately, a look of heartache filling her face as she wiped Zhang Jingwei's water-stained face with her handkerchief.

Ningxiang wiped it gently and said with pretended concern: "Zhang Lang, what happened... Why is there such a strong smell of alcohol!" However, only she knew that in the afternoon, she was still fanning the flames beside Zhang Jingwei, which caused him to drink heavily and get drunk unconscious.

At this time, the princess also came over and called softly, "Ling'er!"

Huangfu Ling looked over when she heard the voice, and after seeing the scene clearly, she couldn't help but be shocked and screamed, "Princess! Prince...what's wrong with the prince?" She widened her eyes and looked at the prince's face, which was swollen like a pig's head, in shock.

The prince looked embarrassed and stammered in response: "Alas, this is a long story, it's hard to put it into words, it's hard to put it into words..."

At the same time, Gao Fei anxiously called out, "Miss...!"

Yi Feiyu followed suit and shouted, "Miss!"

Ningxiang raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a false and forced smile, and said softly, "Sister Huangfu!" There was a hint of imperceptible contempt in her voice.

When Huangfu Ling heard this name, his eyebrows raised, his eyes widened, and he asked loudly, "What did you call me?"

Ningxiang was secretly pleased with herself when she saw this, but on the surface she pretended to be amiable and replied softly, "I'm a few years older than you, so isn't it okay for me to call you sister?"

Huangfu Ling snorted coldly, a trace of disgust flashed in her eyes, and then she turned to the maid beside her and ordered: "Bean Sprout, slap your mouth!"

The maid named Douya responded, "Yes, Miss!" Then she quickly took two steps forward, raised her hand, and slapped Ningxiang hard. The crisp sound of the slap echoed in the air, making people tremble in their hearts.

Ningxiang was stunned by the sudden blow. It took her a while to come back to her senses. She covered her face and asked Huangfu Ling in disbelief, "Sister, what do you mean by this?!"

Huangfu Ling crossed his arms, looked down at Ningxiang, and sneered, "Hmph, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. So what if he likes you? Even if he likes you more than anything, you can only be a concubine! And even though we don't have a good relationship, I'm still his first wife after all!"

Ningxiang was so angry that she was shaking all over. She pointed at Huangfu Ling and cursed, "Hmph, if it weren't for your father being a marquis, you wouldn't be worthy of being his wife with your fierce appearance! We are both women, and... when it comes to gentleness and charm, I am more of a woman than you!" After saying that, she deliberately puffed out her plump chest and looked at Huangfu Ling provocatively.

However, Huangfu Ling was completely unmoved, not even bothering to look at Ningxiang. She walked straight to Zhang Jingwei lying on the ground, bent down, gently helped him up, and then waved to the servants beside her, signaling them to take Zhang Jingwei away.

The servants hurried forward and carefully helped Zhang Jingwei away from the scene, leaving Ningxiang standing there, her face turning blue with anger, but helpless.

Ningxiang stared ahead with a look of terror on her face, her body trembling slightly as she called out in a timid voice, "Zhang Lang..."

At this moment, the maidservant beside her glared angrily, raised her hand and slapped Ningxiang, pointing at her and cursing, "Bitch! Don't you know your status? How dare you call me son-in-law like that!"

Ningxiang was so angry that her face turned pale, her chest heaving violently, and she angrily retorted: "You! How dare you..."

The maid slapped him again, then put her hands on her hips and said viciously, "Humph! How dare you make a sound!"

Ningxiang was trembling with anger, but she knew she was powerless and could only hope that Zhang Lang would support her. So she gritted her teeth and said, "If Zhang Lang knew about this, he would definitely seek justice for me!"

Unexpectedly, the maidservant became even more arrogant after hearing this, sneering, "You called me Zhang Lang too?!"

Ningxiang was scolded until her face flushed red. Although she was filled with resentment, she did not dare to contradict him easily at this moment. She could only bow her head and admit her fault: "Huangfu... Miss Huangfu, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me!"

Seeing this, Ma Tianmao, who had been standing silently by, couldn't help but speak up and said, "I think... just forget it! Why bother with her?"

However, as soon as these words left her mouth, Miss Huangfu became even more furious. She turned around, glared at Ma Tianmao, and shouted, "Ma Tianmao! You know I hate everyone in this brothel the most, including you stinky men who hang around here all day!"

Ma Tianmao and the Crown Prince both looked embarrassed, not knowing how to respond for a moment. The entire scene fell into a tense silence.

Huangfu Ling pointed at Ningxiang and began to curse, "Woman! You should keep yourselves clean and not seduce married men to show off your charm. You prostitutes make money by using your seductive bodies and have ruined countless families. You have no sense of shame."

Ningxiang raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a contemptuous smile, and said sarcastically: "Haha, that's right, it's you, Miss Huangfu, who has come out of the mud and is very clean, and you are flirting with the prince in broad daylight, and you don't even hide it from others!" Her words were like sharp arrows, shooting straight at Huangfu Ling.

When the prince heard this, he was immediately furious. He pointed at Ningxiang and shouted, "How dare you! Stop talking nonsense. I am an upright prince. You can make up whatever you want about me, but if you dare to slander Ling'er's reputation, I will not let you off easily!" His eyes were like torches, as if they could spit out fire.

Ningxiang, however, didn't take it seriously and chuckled, "Oh, you call me Ling'er so affectionately, and yet you still dare to say there's no connection between you two? You're really trying to cover up the truth!"

The prince was so angry that he was shaking all over, pointing his finger at Ningxiang, but he couldn't utter a word. At this moment, Huangfu Ling, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke. She held her head high and said righteously, "A man of integrity has nothing to fear from his own shadow! The prince and the princess are both good friends of mine. I was feeling a little unwell today, and the prince came to ask after me out of concern. But there are those with ulterior motives who are stirring up trouble here!"

Ningxiang snorted coldly and continued to ask aggressively: "Oh? Really? If that's the case, then how did Zhang Lang get so drunk?" As she spoke, she turned her gaze to Wang Ergou standing beside her.

Huangfu Ling's face was filled with suspicion, and he followed Ningxiang's gaze. Wang Ergou's face was pale, as if his father had died. His lips trembled slightly, and he nodded gently at Huangfu Ling.

Wang Ergou trembled as he approached Huangfu Ling and whispered, "Madam, it's getting late. The young master is drunk and needs someone to take care of him. Why don't we go back home first?"

Huangfu Lingqi flicked her sleeves and said coquettishly, "Hmph, Princess, Prince, I'll go first. Bye!" After that, she turned around and left without looking back, leaving everyone looking at each other in bewilderment.

The prince also left angrily with the princess and others, but the blue-clothed scholar who had disappeared long ago was watching the show with relish in the dark.

"How could he have such a fierce wife? This time he's going to have to endure it. No, I haven't seen enough yet. I have to go to the Marquis' Mansion to watch!"