Tao Lengshuang and Madam Sheng saw at a glance that Luo Yang, dressed as a nouveau riche and believing herself to be the most noble, sat there arrogantly, showing no intention of rising to pay her respects.
Tao Lengshuang helped Madam Sheng to her chair and said unhurriedly, "Slap her! Teach Miss Luo Yang a good lesson in etiquette and manners, lest she lose her life outside by being unruly."
Two wet nurses immediately stepped forward. One forcibly grabbed Luo Yang, while the other, before Luo Yang could speak, delivered a forceful slap that made her face turn red and swell.
"You..." Luo Yang angrily began to speak, but was slapped again and again by the wet nurse, rendering her unable to utter a word.
"Lengshuang, you should associate less with people like this in the future; they will corrupt you," Madam Sheng cautioned with concern. "Look at this woman's ill-mannered behavior, acting as if she's the Emperor of Heaven himself! Utterly ridiculous."
"My foster mother speaks the truth," Tao Lengshuang chuckled, her eyes full of mockery. "She's accustomed to being a local overlord in the countryside and thinks she can do as she pleases. Little does she know, she's a fugitive, and her appearance means only a dead end."
The word "fugitive" greatly stimulated Luo Yang and suddenly cleared her enraged mind, making her realize the foolishness of her actions.
She had forgotten she was a fugitive during this time, preoccupied with how to marry Prince Mingrui and become the envied Princess Mingrui.
"I'm not, I'm not a fugitive!"
She defended herself with all her might, "Tao Lengshuang, you're talking nonsense."
"Hit her harder! How dare she call Princess Mingrui by her given name!" Madam Sheng ordered.
The wet nurses struck even more fiercely.
Before long, Luo Yang had lost two teeth, her entire face was swollen like a pig's head, and there were traces of fresh blood at the corners of her mouth.
Tao Lengshuang made a "tsk tsk tsk" sound, devoid of sympathy. "Look at your pitiable state. However, what's even more pitiable is yet to come. According to the law, fugitives are subject to an additional penalty."
"Lengshuang, a fugitive with such a serious crime would be torn apart by five horses," Madam Sheng said softly.
The mention of "torn apart by five horses" terrified Luo Yang, and she knelt on the ground, shaking her head vigorously. "No, no, no, it shouldn't be like this, it shouldn't be like this."
"Tao Lengshuang, you stole everything from me," she glared at Tao Lengshuang with resentment, her expression as if she wanted to devour her alive. "If it weren't for you, I would be the envied and admired Princess Mingrui."
Tao Lengshuang burst into laughter as if she had heard the greatest joke. "My heavens, Luo Yang, I must say you really think highly of yourself."
"Please, look in the mirror. Look at your vulgar nouveau riche appearance all over, and then look at the dignified and elegant Madam Sheng. Do you think noble families would fancy you? Do you think Mo Lingxi would fancy you?"
Before Madam Sheng could reply, she continued, "Never mind. It's pointless to say more to someone with your princess syndrome; you won't listen anyway. I can't be bothered to talk to you further. Since you've fallen into my hands, I have plenty of ways to deal with you."
Luo Yang was flustered and terrified. She retreated backward repeatedly, completely unprepared for this turn of events.
Originally, she had invited Tao Lengshuang to intimidate and threaten her, forcing her to voluntarily give up the position of Princess Mingrui. This way, she could marry Prince Mingrui as she wished and also deal with Tao Lengshuang and Xiao Feng.
"Tao Lengshuang, I warn you, if you dare to do anything to me, my master will not let you off." She threatened tremblingly.
Tao Lengshuang genuinely felt that Luo Yang's last shred of intelligence was gone. "You think I would be afraid of your master?"
With a wave of her hand, the two wet nurses restrained Luo Yang.
Luo Yang struggled fiercely, "Let go of me, you two lowly maids, let go of me! Tao Lengshuang, I will not let you off. Remember this, the position of Princess Mingrui is mine, you stole my position, and one day I will take it back."
She regretted it, she truly regretted it. If she had known earlier that Mo Lingxi was Prince Mingrui, she would have used every means possible to marry him.
It was all Mo Lingxi's fault for hiding his identity, Tao Lengshuang's fault for occupying her position, and her parents' fault for preventing her from marrying Mo Lingxi.
Tao Lengshuang looked at her as if she were an idiot, genuinely worried about her intelligence. "Luo Yang, I realize your thinking hasn't changed. You still think you're the village chief's daughter who could do anything she pleased in Shilipo Village."
"In your subconscious, everyone must listen to you, and you can do whatever you want in this world."
"Why bother with her?" At this moment, Mo Lingxi strode in, took her hand, and checked it all over. "Are you alright? I heard from the dark guards that you went out with your foster mother, so I hurried over to check."
Just as Tao Lengshuang shook her head to indicate she was fine, she heard Luo Yang's aggrieved cries.
"Your Highness Prince Mingrui, please save me, Princess Mingrui wants to kill me."
Mo Lingxi didn't even spare Luo Yang a glance, his cold voice laced with disgust. "Take this fugitive out for a parade!"
"A mere fugitive dares to frame my Princess. She really thinks highly of herself."
Luo Yang, being dragged out forcefully, cried like a tearful person. "Your Highness Prince Mingrui, you promised to marry me back then. Why are you going back on your word?"
Mo Lingxi: "I never said such a thing."
As if struck by lightning, Luo Yang blamed Tao Lengshuang for everything. "It's you, you slut, who shamelessly seduced His Highness Prince Mingrui and stole my... Ah!"
Mo Lingxi struck her to the ground with a palm and said sternly, "If you dare to slander my Princess again, I will ensure you have a terrible end!"
Luo Yang covered her mouth in fear, daring not to slander Tao Lengshuang any further, but the resentment and unwillingness in her heart grew stronger.
It was clearly Tao Lengshuang who had stolen her man and her position, and had even made Prince Mingrui treat her this way. She would never let Tao Lengshuang go.
Seeing her expression, Tao Lengshuang guessed what she was thinking. "Foster mother, Mo Lingxi, let's go watch the fun."
The three walked behind.
Tao Lengshuang personally witnessed how vividly the two wet nurses described Luo Yang, a village girl, shamelessly seducing Prince Mingrui, fantasizing about marrying Prince Mingrui, and disrespecting Princess Mingrui.
Looking at the scorn and disdain from the surrounding people, some even throwing eggs at Luo Yang, a smile deepened at the corner of her lips.
"Look at this woman's nouveau riche attire, and she still dreams of marrying His Highness Prince Mingrui. Who does she think she is?"
"I heard she's also a fugitive. Where does she get the nerve to think she's entitled to marry His Highness Prince Mingrui? With her looks, you can find plenty of them just by grabbing anyone on the street in Dongdu."
Luo Yang felt immense humiliation and hatred. She was escorted in a very disheveled state but was calculating how to escape. Only by escaping could she have a chance to settle scores with Tao Lengshuang and marry Mo Lingxi.