Yu Shu abruptly slapped Zhan Xueyuan three times in a row without even blinking.
However, the one who felt the greatest impact from these slaps was not the dazed Zhan Xueyuan, but Xi Wen.
Yu Shu's declaration by her ear was like the three slaps had landed on her face. It caused her brain to explode and she screamed uncontrollably, "Yu Lianfang, how dare you!"
This voice broke the momentary silence in the flower garden. In the waterside pavilion, a group of nobles all looked towards Noble Consort Xue, their gazes seemingly asking —
What was this situation? Why did they fight?
The corners of Noble Consort Xue's eyes twitched. She helplessly pulled down her face and coldly said, "What are you all doing?"
Xi Wen came back to her senses and glared fiercely at Yu Shu. Without another word, she rushed to complain first, "Niang niang, you saw it with your own eyes. This Yu Shu is truly savage, actually daring to hit an official of the Imperial Court. The young lady of the Zhan Family is the newly appointed seventh-ranked Celestial Commissioner, an official position. Just because she spoke out of turn, she hit her as she pleased, and it was even in front of you. She simply has no respect for the law!"
Noble Consort Xue looked coldly at her flustered and exasperated niece and the good child Yu Shu that she had just praised. She felt a slight headache.
Her good impression of Yu Shu was halved. She had originally thought that she was a steady and magnanimous person. Who would have thought that she was still young and impatient? Once she had the upper hand, she didn't know when to back down.
"What do you think this place is for you to be so impudent? The young lady of the Zhan family is an official. Even if she isn't as noble as you, a female fortune teller, she is still receiving the monarch's salary. Just as I said you are loyal to the monarch, you start to act selfishly. You really come from a small family and have no one to raise you. You really don't know how to be dignified."
Hearing this, Noble Consort Xue narrowed her eyes imperceptibly. However, she did not look at Consort Shu and only looked at the other girls. Just as she was thinking about how to deal with them, she heard the girl who had caused trouble speak again.
"In reply to Honored Consort Shu, Yu Shu is from a small family. Her family background is not bad, but she thinks that in terms of education, she is much better than this blabbermouthed female official."
Hearing Yu Shu talking to Honored Consort Shu like this, another group of people dropped their jaws — —
H-He talked back to me! Did this girl talk back to Empress Shu?
Noble Consort Xue had a strange expression on her face.
Yu Shu did not care if Honored Consort Shu's expression was good or not. She only focused on speaking her reason, "A girl's birth date and eight characters are originally a private matter. After reaching adulthood, it is recorded and kept by the Celestial Commissioner. According to what I know, one needs to obtain the handprint of any supervisor of the three departments of the Celestial Commissioner before one can inquire about it. This Zan Ji is really good, taking care of such a secret, yet she casually said it — —"
She paused, turned her head, and looked at Zhan Xueyuan whose face was swollen and messy. She said with a face full of contempt, "Today, she can publicly humiliate me for having a lowly birth. In the future, she might cause trouble for other girls. She doesn't know that because of one sentence of hers, it is very likely that she will ruin the rest of someone else's life. I am still in a good mood, rewarding her with a few slaps. If there are really girls with strong personalities, they might fight her to the death!"
Yu Shu did not bring up the slaps that Zhan Xueyuan owed her. It was not because she had forgotten about it, but because she returned the favor and did not want to make things difficult for Noble Consort Xue.
If she really brought up the slaps, she would definitely bring up the blunder that happened at the ancestral worship ceremony. Zhan Xueyuan losing face was a small matter, but Yu Shu was afraid that Duchess Jing would yell and chase her out again. That would bring shame to Noble Consort Xue's banquet, which would not be beautiful.
There was a limit to everything. Only by grasping it well could one advance appropriately and retreat safely.
Thus, she did not want to bring up Zhan Xueyuan's ugly behavior. Instead, she used her tongue as an excuse to make a fuss, confirming Xi Wen and the others' reputation of being long-tongued. She left them with a headache, which could be considered the first lesson.
Originally, women were fast tongued. Long-tongued was not pleasant to hear, but it was not to the extent of having a bad character. It was evident from the fact that Cui Rui and the others had not been chased out for causing trouble. However, when it came to Zhan Xueyuan, it was not so easy for others to understand.
As a matter of fact, once they heard Yu Shu's extended words, the way the surrounding people looked at Zhan Xueyuan changed. Everyone present was a young lady who had yet to marry. How could their birthdays and horoscopes be so easily known?
In particular, those young ladies who were not bad but had average horoscopes. It would be strange if their hearts did not beat like drums. They were all thinking about whether or not they should go back and complain to their parents. They wanted to squeeze out this loose mouth female official and replace her with someone with a tight-lipped mouth.
"This girl, what a sharp mouth. She is actually very reasonable." It was unknown whether Duchess Jing was angry or amused. She said to Noble Consort Xue, "I'm old and can't understand the thoughts of these children. Your Highness, you have to make the decision. Let's see what's going on with this matter. Alright, let's get back to the main topic. Tonight is not the night to watch children quarrel."
This was because Duchess Jing had calmed down from her anger not long ago. She knew that if she was blunt earlier, Noble Consort Xue would not like it, so she took the initiative to show weakness.
Noble Consort Xue did not say anything again. Previously, she had been rebuked by Yu Shu. Whether she was angry or not, it was not written on her face. However, she remembered this person tonight.
Noble Consort Xue looked left and right. Her mood suddenly became better and her expression softened. Looking at Yu Shu, she thought: She is a bit arrogant. Fortunately, she is quick-witted and cunning.
"This Empress will make a fair judgment. Yu Suanzi was a bit impulsive, but the young lady of the Zhan family is not without fault. You exposed her background without rhyme or reason. Anyone else would be angry. If she hits you a few times, then we'll call it even. Do any of you have any objections?"
Noble Consort Xue's words were fair and just. Only a few people could hear some partiality in her words.
Everyone turned to look at Zhan Xueyuan, whose face was swollen from the beating. They all secretly gritted their teeth and cried out in pain on her behalf. In their hearts, they also marked Yu Shu as someone who was not to be trifled with.
As for Xi Wen, when she saw that Yu Shu had hit someone, how could she be willing to let this matter go just like that? She didn't think too much about Cui Xin's previous warning. She stood up and said with dissatisfaction, "Your Highness! You can't just let this go like this. No matter how wrong Miss Zhan is, she is still a seventh-ranked official. How can you let her hit you for nothing? "
Zhan Xueyuan finally recovered from her fright. When she heard that Xi Wen was standing up for her, she immediately held her face and cried, "Princess is right. This lowly official had a slip of the tongue. It wasn't intentional. Yu Suanzi..."
Halfway through her words, she could not continue. This was because Yu Shu turned around and glanced at her.
That gaze made one's hair stand on end. Somehow, Zhan Xueyuan was enlightened. Tears welled up in her eyes. She lowered her head and did not speak anymore.
Xi Wen glared at the disappointing Zhan Xueyuan. She then went to protest with Noble Consort Xue. She refused to let Yu Shu off. She insisted on pointing out the pros and cons and even brought up the law.
Everyone listened with great interest. Many of them could tell that the Princess was not venting for that long-tongued female official. Instead, she wanted to make things difficult for this female official!
Yu Shu didn't bother to argue with Xi Wen at all and let her speak as she pleased. Her eyes passed through the waterside pavilion and gazed at the brightly lit surface of the Steadying Wave Lake. She was at the center of the incident, yet she still had the mind to think about how Xue Rui would find that hibiscus lantern with a golden wick.
When Princess Xiang saw her daughter's stubborn temper, she couldn't help but sigh. When she saw the impatience in Noble Consort Xue's eyes, she could not pretend to be deaf and mute. She coughed and interrupted Xi Wen. She scolded, "Enough. Her Ladyship is in charge. This has nothing to do with you. She was the one who was beaten. She did not make a sound. Does she need you to help her? I just said that you have improved. You performed a good song tonight. We were discussing whether to give you the Golden Jade Hibiscus when you suddenly made a fuss. You blame me for not teaching you well and spoiling you too much. "
When Xi Wen heard this, her expression changed again. She glanced over and saw that Noble Consort Xue was drinking tea with her head lowered. She did not look at her. The other furens who had a say in her looked at her less favorably than before.
This made her feel perturbed. The thought of pinching Yu Shu disappeared in an instant. She was afraid that all her plans would be in vain if she did not get the Golden Jade Hibiscus!
At this time, Cui Xin, who had been kneeling on the ground for a long time, spoke, "Your Ladyship, tonight's quarrel was caused by me. If I had not been sentimental and told that story to Miss Rui, there would not have been so many incidents. Your Ladyship, please punish me. Don't blame others."
Hearing this, Yu Shu turned her face and looked at this Royal Princess Xi Wen's' attendant '. Seeing the pleading expression on her face, she clearly knew that she was covering up for Royal Princess Xi Wen. But for some reason, Yu Shu intuitively felt that something was wrong.
This person was too calm.
To say that she was calm, it was not the expression on Cui Xin's face. It was her every move. It gave Yu Shu the illusion that she was not in a hurry.
When she came forward to criticize her, each and every mistake she made was refuted one by one. In the end, it seemed that there was only panic on her face. She did not make any stupid moves and only responded with silence.
Now, she jumped out to take responsibility. It looked like she was righteous, but behind her actions, it gave Yu Shu the illusion that she did not care.
She did not care about offending people. She did not care about ruining Xi Wen's plans. She did not even care about the whole banquet tonight.
This person was interesting.
After observing for a while, Yu Shu directly removed the word 'attendant' from Cui Xin's head and kept it in mind.
"You can get up. The girl of the Rui family, don't be afraid. Go to the side and wait."
Noble Consort Xue was still calm. She did not follow Cui Xin's words and said that she wanted to punish her. She swayed her soft body and lazily leaned back on the cushion. She said, "You guys have made enough noise. Let's stop here. I don't want to hear anyone making a fuss anymore. Let's get back to the main topic. About the Golden Jade Hibiscus, which of you hasn't shown it yet? If you don't come out now, you won't have a chance tonight."
Cui Xin and Rui Zizhu were more sensible than Xi Wen. They stood up when Noble Consort Xue asked them to stand.
Cui Xin had been kneeling for a long time. When she stood up, she swayed a few times. Xi Wen hurriedly reached out to support her. Seeing Cui Xin's pale face, she thought that it was all because of her, so she felt guilty. In the future, they would be more intimate.
Xi Wen had just helped Cui Xin stand to the side. Before she turned her head, she heard a voice that made her want to gnash her teeth again.
"Your Ladyships and Madams, I have a special skill that I want to show you later."
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