Chapter 1096 - 1098: Leng Family’s Actions_1
"We’ll see about that, you lowly commoner, I have plenty of ways to kill you!" Princess Huilan raged, throwing all decorum and face to the wind.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but laugh. What was that saying? The barking dogs seldom bite, and the biting dogs don’t bark. What use was it to be fierce in words? If she truly had the means to deal with her, there would be no need to bluster and blunder.
Her laughter only made Princess Huilan feel even more insulted, her body shaking with rage, "You just wait!"
Due to her anger, Princess Huilan’s voice couldn’t be suppressed and rose in volume, drawing the attention of many nearby. As all eyes turned her way, Princess Huilan’s pitiful face failed to twist into a smile in time, and in the end, she could only fling her sleeves and storm off.
The crowd looked sympathetically at Bai Ruozhu, if it hadn’t been for Princess Huilan’s slip today, they all would have thought she treated Bai Ruozhu with genuine affection.
Mrs. Leng being busy seeing off guests, Bai Ruozhu bid her farewell and took Fang Guizhi and Leng Wanhua back to her yard.
"Ruozhu, what’s going on with you and Princess Huilan?" Leng Wanhua asked in a hushed voice once they were alone.
Bai Ruozhu smiled, "Nothing much. At her last banquet, she simply wanted to butter me up before asking for a forty percent stake in the Weaving Pavilion."
"Forty percent?" Leng Wanhua couldn’t help but exclaim, "She’s really got quite the appetite! Did you refuse her?"
"How could I afford to offend the Grand Princess?" Bai Ruozhu said, shrugging her shoulders, "I’d rather go to the Empress Dowager for help. I’d prefer to gift the stake to the Empress Dowager than let her take advantage of me."
Leng Wanhua’s face showed indignation, "You’re right. Having the Empress Dowager as your support is indeed better. I’d heard that Princess Huilan was greedy, but to think she’d be so shameless."
"I heard she owns plenty of properties and receives a Royal Family allowance, not to mention she doesn’t have to provide for a consort’s entire family. She isn’t short of money, so why act this way?" Bai Ruozhu indeed wasn’t familiar with the affairs of the Capital and was puzzled by Princess Huilan’s eagerness to amass wealth.
Leng Wanhua looked around, leaned closer to Bai Ruozhu and Fang Guizhi, and spoke in a lower voice, "She is, after all, the Emperor’s aunt. Doesn’t she seem quite youthful? Rumors say that she spends an exorbitant amount of silver on her personal grooming, living lavishly. Moreover, she has secretly kept..."
Leng Wanhua stopped there, but Bai Ruozhu’s eyes lit up, "Kept a number of pretty boys?"
"You know about this?" Leng Wanhua was surprised, yet being an unmarried Miss, she felt somewhat embarrassed mentioning such matters, her cheeks slightly reddening.
Bai Ruozhu chuckled, "Not really. It’s just that I read about princesses from past dynasties doing such things, and I couldn’t help but make the connection."
Fang Guizhi, completely in the dark, asked out of curiosity, "What are pretty boys?"
Leng Wanhua quickly gestured for her to be quiet, her face turning even redder.
Suppressing her laughter, Bai Ruozhu whispered, "They are the male lovers the princess keeps in secret."
Fang Guizhi’s face suddenly flushed as red as a ripe apple. Had she known it was such an embarrassing topic, she’d never have asked!
Bai Ruozhu nearly collapsed with laughter. The modesty of ancient young ladies was just too delicate, too amusing. Would the female overlord Tu Ying react with the same embarrassment if she heard this kind of thing?
Thinking of this, she suddenly missed Tu Ying, who was far away in Beiyu City.
After Bai Ruozhu and Fang Guizhi had left, Leng Wanhua went to the Main Courtyard to see her mother and told Madam Leng about the grudge between Princess Huilan and Bai Ruozhu.
"Ruozhu is also afraid of causing trouble for us. She wouldn’t speak up even when wronged. Otherwise, I would never have invited Princess Huilan today," Madam Leng sighed. When she mentioned Bai Ruozhu, admiration was visible in her eyes, yet her tone carried a hint of distress.
"Isn’t that the truth? Princess Huilan is simply too greedy; she doesn’t even give face to the Empress Dowager who supports Bai Ruozhu. She’s really lawless," Leng Wanhua said discontentedly.
Madam Leng’s gaze turned cold, "Don’t worry, I’ll instruct our people to gradually cut off the business dealings with those beneath Princess Huilan. Even if we can’t cause her significant losses, we’ll have to make her suffer a bit."
Leng Wanhua nodded happily. Although the Leng Family did not have high-ranking officials, their business was extremely prosperous. They were not just a merchant family, yet they controlled a lot of business in the Capital and other places. They had ways to teach a lesson to Princess Huilan, who valued money as her life.
...
After leaving the Leng Residence, Bai Ruozhu and Fang Guizhi went to check on the Weaving Pavilion and Toy House. Ruozhu could never have imagined that the Leng Family would go out of their way to trouble Princess Huilan just to stand up for her. It wasn’t until much later that she accidentally learned of this and became even closer to the Leng Family.
After leaving the Toy House and getting into the horse carriage, Bai Ruozhu opened the curtain and looked back at the shop, but she noticed a figure in green in the distance—that was Xu Huilin, who had come looking for Jiang Yichun before. Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but slap her forehead; she had been so preoccupied with her spat with Jiang Yichun that she completely forgot to mention Xu Huilin’s search for him. Perhaps Huilin had already found him by then?
That evening, back at the Bai Family’s main house, as soon as Jiang Yichun returned, first he paid his respects to the elder, then immediately went to play up to Bai Ruozhu. Ruozhu could not stay mad and said, "Have you seen Xu Huilin? He came looking for you a few days ago."
"What does he want with me?" asked Jiang Yichun, apparently Xu Huilin hadn’t found him yet, likely busy with something recently.
"He asked you to meet someone with him," Bai Ruozhu said vaguely. Wu Yunfeng’s arrival in the Capital was out of the ordinary and a secret affair; it was better not to speak openly about it.
Jiang Yichun, who seemed to have an understanding with her, immediately grasped her meaning, and his face involuntarily grew colder, "Okay, I got it."
Bai Ruozhu opened her mouth; she wanted to ask Jiang Yichun about his plans but ultimately held back from asking more. On the one hand, it was inconvenient to talk more at that time, and on the other hand, she was still not over her annoyance.
She was still thinking about it when a maid came in to report that Miss Jiao had arrived.
The Bai Family didn’t have the strict rules that other large households had; even Bai Ruozhu was not used to having a maid accompany her when she went out, and usually, it was not necessary to make a special announcement when someone came to the main house. However, everyone disliked Jiao Bingqin, this woman who suddenly returned with their eldest son-in-law, so she was the only one who warranted a special announcement.
Upon hearing that Jiao Bingqin had arrived, the previous joviality in the room cooled instantly. It wasn’t as if everyone wore a frown, but their expressions were no longer as relaxed as before.
Jiao Bingqin entered the room, politely greeted everyone, then approached Jiang Yichun enthusiastically, "Big Brother Jiang, how is my matter coming along?"
"The officer in charge of the case will see you in the next few days," Jiang Yichun quickly glanced at his wife and spoke with a cold tone.
Jiao Bingqin bowed towards Jiang Yichun, "I truly appreciate Big Brother Jiang’s help."
Listening to her calling "Big Brother Jiang, Big Brother Jiang," Fang Guizhi couldn’t help but curl her lip in disgust. Just at that moment, Jiao Bingqin’s body swayed, and she suddenly collapsed in Jiang Yichun’s direction.