After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

When these words reached Madam Wang's ears, she was so angry that she almost fainted. "Did she really say that?"

If a newlywed can be so arrogant, what will she be like in the future?

Although Ms. Wang had heard about it before, hearing these words in person was still hard for her to accept.

In particular, Zhou Qin actually said that the mother-in-law she was to respect was the legal wife and legitimate wife. Wasn't this clearly meant to embarrass Wang Shi? How could Wang Shi tolerate this? She angrily said, "This little bitch, she gave me a hard time as soon as she entered the family. Does she think that because I'm past my prime, anyone can step on me?"

"Didn't you say you only cared about whether the Zhou family could become an ally of the eldest son, and you'd accept even an ugly daughter-in-law?" Xia Lian said softly. However, these words completely enraged Madam Wang. Madam Wang slapped Xia Lian hard across the face.

"You don't know anything!" Madam Wang shouted angrily. "She's clearly trying to humiliate me! I've been in the Fang family for so many years, and although I'm just a concubine, I've always enjoyed the same status as the principal wife. In Master's heart, I am his principal wife, only I can't take that position because of my humble origins. Now, my family is gradually rising in status, and my son is outstanding. This position will be mine sooner or later. How can I tolerate a new bride humiliating me like this?"

Wang Shi's emotions grew increasingly agitated, her voice filled with anger. Seeing this, Xia Lian immediately knelt down and admitted her mistake, saying timidly, "It was this servant who misspoke, please forgive me, Madam."

As expected, the maids who have been used for a long time are the best. It's a pity that Granny Qian and Xiaochun have been sent away. Now, only some useless maids are left in Manchun Garden. The others that she still thinks are being held in the North Residence. The more Wang Shi thinks about it, the angrier she gets.

"Go tell Hong'er that I must drink the tea offered by the bride today. If he has even a shred of filial piety, he should know what to do." Madam Wang was so angry that she rubbed her forehead, feeling waves of pain in her chest. It seemed that she would have no shortage of troubles in the future.

As night fell, Ziju had just blown out the lamp on the corridor when Qinglan rushed over in a hurry, grabbed her hand, and ran into Fang Xiaoran's room.

Knowing her intention, Ziju said irritably, "Miss is probably asleep by now."

"It's only early morning, and with so many things going on in the manor, the young lady must not be able to sleep. Come on, let me tell you some interesting stories I've heard."

So, in Fang Xiaoran's room, Ziju and Qinglan specially prepared melon seeds and tea. Fang Xiaoran was almost asleep, but the two of them dragged her up, saying they wanted to tell her an interesting story.

What interesting things could Qinglan possibly have to do? It's nothing more than the mess Zhou Qin made after she entered the house. She had already heard about it in her previous life, so she had no desire to hear it again.

But the two of them were so enthusiastic that Fang Xiaoran couldn't bear to refuse. So she yawned and ate the peeled peanuts that Ziju handed her while listening to Qinglan's eloquent talk.

"Just now, the concubine and the newlywed young mistress had a huge fight. I heard it was really fierce. The young mistress almost tore down the bridal chamber. The eldest young master was caught in the middle and even the old lady and master were alarmed. In the end, it was the old lady who mediated. But in my opinion, this fight will continue. The eldest young master has brought home a tyrant for himself."

"You're such a loose tongue, how dare you say such things?" Ziju shook her head helplessly.

Qinglan pouted and took a bite of the sunflower seed shell, peeling out the kernel and eating it with relish. She muttered, "This isn't what I said. Chuntao and Xiarong are saying it too. If it weren't for the walls separating us, I would have gone in to see how much noise they were making."

Ziju sighed, "Speaking of which, this young mistress is really something else. She actually caused such a scene on her wedding night. If word gets out, it will probably damage her reputation."

Qinglan replied, "She's already quite famous in Lin'an, so why would she care about these things?"

"How could I not care? For a woman, reputation is more important than life. Her reputation was damaged in Lin'an, but this is Yancheng, the capital. It's like starting all over again. I never expected it to turn out like this right away."

"If you really cared about her, you wouldn't have made such a scene. Ziju, you worry too much. Just listen to other people's business and that's it. Why are you making such a fuss?"

"Didn't you insist on making me and the young lady listen? Why are you blaming me now?"

The two argued heatedly, their faces flushed. When they turned around and saw Fang Xiaoran closing her eyes to rest, seemingly oblivious to everything around her, they exchanged a knowing smile and gave up.

The next morning, Fang Xiaoran had just finished settling the accounts at Danxi Pharmacy when a servant from the manor came to inform her that the master planned to hold a family banquet at noon and asked her to attend.

The fact that a family banquet was held so soon after the bride entered the household suggests that the father urgently needs to ease the tension between Zhou Qin and the Fang family. Otherwise, if she continues to cause trouble like this, the news will surely spread throughout the entire capital.

Thinking of this, Fang Xiaoran smiled and replied, "I understand, I will definitely go at noon."

Only after hearing her words did the servants feel relieved enough to leave. After all, they all knew that the Sixth Miss and the Master had a very unpleasant falling out. If the Sixth Miss didn't show up this time, it would be a complete disregard for the Master's dignity. In that case, the Master would definitely be angry, and it would be the servants who would suffer.

Soon it was noon, and the family banquet was packed. Even Madam Wang was allowed to come, which was a rare privilege. When Fang Xiaoran arrived and saw Madam Wang sitting opposite her, her expression immediately darkened. Her sharp gaze was fixed on Madam Wang, making Madam Wang feel a chill.

Sensing Fang Xiaoran's intention, Fang Zhengyong, sitting in the main seat, said calmly, "Today is a family banquet, let's all get along peacefully and not cause any trouble."

“Father is right, today is a ‘family banquet’.” Fang Xiaoran emphasized the words “family banquet” before casually walking to the side seat to Fang Zhengyong’s right and sitting down. She glanced around and, seeing that the old lady and Fang Xiaoqi were not present, couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.

It seems the old lady is ashamed to face her, so she tries to avoid places where she might appear.

As for Fang Xiaoqi, she is just an adopted daughter, and it is indeed inappropriate for her to appear on such occasions. Of course, the main reason is that Fang Xiaoqi has not fully recovered yet, and the injury on her face is still there. Yesterday's occasion was out of necessity, but she has sufficient reason not to attend today.

The only one who was so annoying was Wang Shi, so Fang Xiaoran naturally harbored hostility towards her. Of course, what Fang Xiaoran hated most was not Wang Shi but Fang Zhengyong.

As the head of the family, he wouldn't get involved in this mess, otherwise the Wang family wouldn't be here.

It seems that even knowing that Wang had committed such a serious crime, he still wanted to protect her.

After waiting for quite a while, Zhou Qin still hadn't arrived. Fang Huaihong was absent because he had important military duties and couldn't spare the time, but for Zhou Qin, a newlywed bride, to be late for such an occasion was undoubtedly showing her no respect whatsoever.

Wang was getting a little anxious, so she quickly gave Fang Menghe, who was glaring at Fang Xiaoran, a wink. Fang Menghe was taken aback for a moment, then shrugged to indicate that she didn't know either.

"This child, could he not be up yet?" Madam Wang's face grew increasingly grim, while Madam Liu watched her with a smile, as if she were enjoying a good show.

Zhou Qin arrived late, just as the food was getting cold.