"Still came, did we?"
Lu Qingwan wasn't surprised by the news. "Make Li Yang and Shen An ready. Li Su, accompany me to meet our Grand Consort!"
At that moment, Grand Consort Wen was throwing her weight around in the warm pavilion of the manor.
"I am the mother of your master, how dare you be so disrespectful to me?! Guards, drag this lowly maid down and slap her. Stop when she remembers who the mistress of this manor is. Let those blind, lowly servants know who is the true mistress of this manor!"
Grand Consort Wen was full of imposing energy, but unfortunately, most of the manor servants knew about the friction between their master and Grand Consort Wen. Therefore, no matter how harsh Grand Consort Wen's words were or how strong her aura was, none of the manor servants responded to her orders. This was rather awkward!
Seeing this, the two wet nurses beside Grand Consort Wen quickly tried to save their mistress's face and stepped forward to brawl with the maid. The maid, after all, was merely a low-ranking servant who served tea and water. She wouldn't dare to fight those close to the Grand Consort, so she could only endure the slaps from the two wet nurses. When Lu Qingwan arrived, the maid's face was so disfigured from the beating that she could barely whimper, let alone cry.
"The Consort has arrived!" Li Su shouted loudly, intending to remind those inside to be a little more restrained. The two wet nurses indeed paused for a moment upon hearing this. However, Grand Consort Wen then hurled a teacup at one of the wet nurses, "What are you looking at? Are you not listening to me either?" The wet nurse was doused with the scalding tea and dared not even wipe it off. She raised her hand and slapped the maid again.
It was at this moment that Lu Qingwan arrived at the warm pavilion. Seeing the mess on the floor, her brow furrowed instinctively. "What's going on? Was the Southern Estate not enough for the Grand Consort to throw her tantrums? Do you have to come to the manor to assert your presence?" She walked directly to the main seat and sat down, as if she hadn't seen the disfigured maidservant.
Given the precedent of Grand Consort Wen smashing a teacup, the two wet nurses didn't dare to stop. However, in front of Lu Qingwan, they also dared not really hit the maid. Their raised hands rose and fell in the air, hesitant, looking quite comical. Seeing this, Lu Qingwan took a slow sip of tea and said leisurely, "Continue hitting. The Grand Consort specially invited this Consort to watch a good show. If you stop, won't this Consort have nothing to watch?"
Lu Qingwan's words were like a small knife, scraping at Grand Consort Wen's face, leaving her with no dignity. The two wet nurses felt even more awkward. After a long while, Grand Consort Wen finally found her voice, "What do you mean? I am, after all, Feng Xiwu's mother, do I not even have the right to punish a lowly maid?"
"After we parted at the Southern Estate, this Consort thought the Grand Consort would have no face to see the Prince for the rest of her life. I never expected that this Consort underestimated the Grand Consort's thick skin." Lu Qingwan toyed with the teacup, her tone chillingly indifferent. "Punishing a maid is naturally not a problem, but the question is, in what capacity is the Grand Consort punishing the maidservant of my Regent Prince's manor?"
Grand Consort Wen could hear that Lu Qingwan was alluding to the incident of serving tea at the Southern Estate, but she could only feign ignorance. "Naturally, in the capacity of Feng Xiwu's mother. What, are you going to oppose me for this lowly maid?" She thought that since she was Feng Xiwu's mother, Lu Qingwan would surely show her some respect. To her surprise, Lu Qingwan said coldly, "You are Feng Xiwu's mother, and punishing a little maid is indeed not a problem. But these two, they should have no connection to my Prince, right?"
Saying this, before Grand Consort Wen could react, she coldly ordered, "These two are neither servants of the manor nor relatives of the Prince, yet they trespassed into the manor and injured someone. Break their limbs and throw them out of the manor, so that people outside will know the consequences of trespassing into the manor!"
"Yes, Consort!" As soon as Lu Qingwan finished speaking, the guards outside rushed in and dragged the two wet nurses away. Grand Consort Wen ordered, and no one responded. Lu Qingwan ordered, and the guards acted immediately. This stark contrast made Grand Consort Wen gasp with anger.
"Vicious woman!" Cursing resentfully, Grand Consort Wen gasped for breath and roared, "I want to see Xiwu, I must let Xiwu know what a heartless woman you are..."
"As for what kind of person the Consort is, that is not for Mother Consort to tell this Prince." The sound of a wheelchair rolling on the ground could be heard from outside the door. Li Yang pushed "Feng Xiwu" in, his icy gaze fixed on Grand Consort Wen. "Didn't I tell you not to disturb this Prince and the Consort's life anymore?"
"You did, but I am your mother. Coming to see you, how can that be considered disturbing?" Grand Consort Wen looked at "Feng Xiwu" with a sorrowful expression, as if hurt by his cold attitude. "Feng Xiwu" remained unmoved, "When this Prince's poison acted up, you didn't utter a single word. Now you come to the manor to trouble this Prince's Consort. Are you truly just missing me dearly, or do you have some other intentions?"
"This, I..." Grand Consort Wen thought "Feng Xiwu" had once again seen through her thoughts and stammered nervously. "This, you... Ruge has been delayed for your sake, her marriage is also delayed. Now in the capital, men of suitable age are either already engaged or of low status, truly unworthy of Ruge. Your Consort is ordered to select consorts for Prince Chen and Prince Jing. Look, if you truly do not wish to marry Ruge, then let her be a consort to Prince Jing's faction. Prince Jing relies on the Duke of Pei's manor and has Consort Xian's support in the palace, so he should have hope of ascending the throne. He is also young, if you can help him a little, when he ascends the throne in the future, he will not tolerate his Imperial Uncle..."
Grand Consort Wen had prepared a whole speech to persuade Feng Xiwu to let Lu Qingwan recommend Wen Ruge as Prince Jing's consort. However, as she spoke, she couldn't continue under "Feng Xiwu's" cold gaze. "I am doing this for your own good, why are you looking at me like this?" That all-knowing gaze made her so guilty that she forgot her prepared speech.
"Feng Xiwu" then withdrew his intimidating gaze and said coldly, "This matter is entirely up to the Consort, as ordered by His Imperial Brother. This Prince also cannot interfere. You should talk to the Consort, this Prince has no say." Grand Consort Wen was taken aback. She had wanted to talk to Lu Qingwan, but she couldn't help but give her a show of dominance, and immediately offended her!
Lu Qingwan brought "Feng Xiwu" out simply to ascertain the purpose of Grand Consort Wen's visit. Now that the purpose was clear, she no longer wanted to beat around the bush. She said directly, "Wen Ruge was disrespectful in front of the Emperor and was ordered by His Majesty to be banned from the palace for five years. It hasn't even been a year! For the Grand Consort to make such a request is tantamount to asking His Majesty to slap himself. Please forgive this Consort for her inability to comply. Guards, escort the Grand Consort back to the Southern Estate!"