The mistress has no feelings, why do you provoke her?

Xiao Ji met the princess's gaze and pondered for a moment. He thought the princess would agree readily, but to his surprise, she refused.

"This matter is probably inappropriate."

"What's wrong with that?" The princess was quite surprised: "It's just that I'm going to your residence to deliver a bill and discuss the details."

Xiao Ji chuckled softly, his eyes shimmering.

The next second, she changed the subject and said, "Auntie knows that I always attract attention. If Madam Song were to openly visit my Chu Prince's Mansion, I'm afraid it would cause trouble. After all, she was already blamed at the palace gate just now."

"Is that so?" The eldest princess looked at Fang Ruo, who stepped forward and whispered a few words in her ear. After hearing them, the eldest princess's face darkened.

She slammed her hand heavily on the table and roared, "Are these gossipy women tired of living? I think they're just too idle. They rely on their ancestors' military achievements and don't respect anyone. I should have dealt with them a long time ago."

When the princess became angry, Song Wenjun was also very uneasy and was about to kneel down to beg the princess to calm down.

Then a palace maid hurried in and said to the princess, "Your Highness, the third young lady of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is requesting an audience outside the palace."

"Which Third Miss?" The Eldest Princess meets countless people every day; how could she possibly remember so many faces?

Aunt Fangruo then whispered to her, "The third young lady of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was also invited to the last birthday celebration of Consort Ning. The Eldest Princess met her once at the banquet, and she was sitting next to Consort Ning at that time."

The eldest princess thought for a moment and vaguely remembered: "Is it that Xiao Ling with the pointed mouth and monkey cheeks?"

The princess was furious whenever this person was mentioned. Despite being a noblewoman, she acted like a servant, bowing and scraping.

She deliberately flattered Consort Ning, completely winning over her sister-in-law, while simultaneously spreading rumors that the Prince of Chu's mansion intended to form a marriage alliance with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, thus crushing the ambitions of all the noble ladies.

Such people are absolutely disgusting.

It's not even close to being settled yet, how could it be her turn?

"Make her kneel outside the palace. She is not allowed to get up without my order," the princess commanded the maid.

Everyone except Xiao Ji was stunned when the order was given.

Song Wenjun thought to herself, "Isn't it said that Xiao Ling is very much liked by the Eldest Princess?"

Why was she punished for no reason?

Her face remained calm, but she was inwardly a little nervous.

As expected, no member of the royal family is easy to deal with; they are all formidable.

The eldest princess looked at Song Wenjun and saw her sitting there frailly, like a delicate crabapple tree that could not withstand the wind and rain, so thin that it was heartbreaking.

She took off a jade bracelet from her wrist and handed it to Fangruo: "From now on, anyone who goesssips will suffer this fate. Madam Song was wronged today. This jade bracelet is a small token of my appreciation, to apologize to you on behalf of my good-for-nothing nephew."

Song Wenjun was flattered and hurriedly got up and knelt down: "I am terrified. How could I possibly be worthy of such a great gift from the Princess?"

"If I say you can take the blame, then you can take the blame."

Fangruo stepped forward to help Song Wenjun up and handed her the jade bracelet, saying, "Madam Song, this is a token of the Princess's affection. You must not let her down."

Song Wenjun finally understood that she was of use to the Princess.

Standing up for her was also a way to warn those noble ladies not to go too far.

The dignity of the royal family is inviolable.

Their baseless gossip is damaging the reputation of the Chu King's Mansion.

Song Wenjun accepted the bracelet, and the princess smiled, gesturing for her: "Put it on so I can see."

She had no choice but to cover the back of her hand with a handkerchief, and then slightly extend her fair wrist to put the bracelet on.

The bracelet is emerald green and translucent, making the fair wrist appear even more delicate.

The eldest princess nodded in satisfaction and praised, "She is truly a beauty in the making, no less stunning than I was in my prime."

"Your Highness flatters me." Song Wenjun was almost drenched in sweat. Was the Princess always this casual?

Such an expensive bracelet, and he gave it away as a reward without batting an eye.

Xiao Ji couldn't help but smile when he saw her cautious demeanor. There wasn't a trace of fear in her eyes when she jumped out of the car with the child in her arms that day.

He admired her courage and resilience, as well as her fearlessness in the face of danger.

For this reason alone, she is a hundred times better than those pampered young ladies in the capital.

Once the matter was settled, the eldest princess instructed Fangruo to escort Song Wenjun out.

Song Wenjun rose and performed a deep bow before leaving.

Outside the palace, Xiao Ling knelt in the courtyard.

Her face was full of panic, not knowing why the princess had punished her.

Just as he was feeling both angry and anxious, Song Wenjun came out of the palace.

Upon seeing her, Xiao Ling wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Such an embarrassing scene was witnessed by Song Wenjun.

Song Wenjun walked past her without looking at her, while Xiao Ling gritted her teeth and warned her, "If word gets out that I was punished, you're dead."

She repeatedly spoke rudely, and Song Wenjun no longer showed her any respect.

She stopped and glanced coldly at Xiao Ling: "Instead of threatening me, Miss Third, you should think about where you went wrong. Otherwise, you might get into trouble one day and not even know how you died."

At this point, she leaned closer to Xiao Ling and whispered, "If I were you, I would never be stupid enough to run into the Princess's palace and cause trouble. Your death alone is not a pity, but if the entire Duke's mansion is dragged down with you, do you think the Duke's mansion would support a woman who is so stupid?"

After finishing her sentence, Song Wenjun got up and left. As she brushed past Xiao Ling, the jade pendant at her waist struck Xiao Ling hard in the face.

Xiao Ling felt an overwhelming surge of anger with nowhere to vent it, and her face stung from being hit by the jade pendant.

I don't know if it was because I was angry or because I was really hurt.

She clenched her fists tightly, cursing under her breath: "You damned little bitch, who do you think you are to lecture me? One day I'll make you regret what you did today."

"You ignorant fool, how dare you utter such vicious curses in my palace! Do you have some grievance against me? Guards, give her a good slap in the face!"

Xiao Ling looked up and saw the Princess standing at the door, looking at her with an angry expression.

The Princess must have overheard her cursing of Song Wenjun.

What embarrassed Xiao Ling the most was that Xiao Ji was also there.

She always presented a gentle and dignified image in front of others. To hear such vicious curses was like being slapped in the face in public, even more humiliating.

Xiao Ji disliked her to begin with, and his gaze towards her grew even colder.

Soon, palace maids stepped forward and began slapping Xiao Ling's face from both sides.

After a few slaps, her face became red and swollen.

Xiao Ling burst into tears, pleading repeatedly, "Your Highness, please forgive me! I dare not scold Your Highness. Please have mercy!"

The princess, still furious, refused to believe it and instead of ordering the beating to stop, she had the beating intensified.

Xiao Ling screamed in pain as she was beaten, pleading with Xiao Ji, "Brother Xiao Ji, please save Ling'er! Ling'er will never dare to do it again."