Chapter 7

Prime Minister Xia grew anxious when he saw the Prince of Liang had left. He turned to look at the Crown Prince, Murong Qiao.

Murong Qiao’s rage was at its limit. He did not think Prime Minister Xia was so useless that he could not even deal with his own daughter. How could Murong Qiao stand here and continue making a spectacle out of himself? He coldly got on his horse and spurred the horse away.

The bridegroom who led the group to meet his relatives and the Crown Prince had both left. Naturally, the crowd did not know what to do. Soon after, the hustle and bustle in the mansion quieted down. The entire place was silent.

Prime Minister Xia and Madam Linglong were at a loss. They did not know how to deal with this mess.

Finally, the Old Madam stepped out of the mansion and apologized to the crowd in a dignified manner. She remained calm as she said, “We’ve troubled all of you over the incident today. Please return. I will personally call on you to apologize later.”

When the crowd heard Old Madam’s words, they knew they could no longer watch the show and had to leave. They were certain things would not end well for Xia Zian who had blatantly refused to get on the bridal sedan and brought shame to the Prime Minister.

Moreover, since Xia Zian had refused to get into the bridal sedan, the Empress would naturally call on her. Knowing the Empress’ way of dealing with people, everyone sighed when they thought of this pretty young maiden who was destined to be a beauty with a tragic end.

A handsome middle-aged man who stood in the crowd looked at Zian a few times before he got on his carriage and left. That man was the Prince of Anqin. He was one of Yuan Shi’s admirers. To this day, he had not taken a wife. According to rumors, he had sworn that he would never marry for Yuan Shi’s sake.

...

The man with the cold demeanor who was standing on a balcony across the road rolled up his sleeves as he said, “Show’s over. Let’s return to the palace!”

The guard hurriedly ran after him and said, “This Eldest Lady Xia… she’s doomed, isn’t she?”

The man smirked coldly. “Knowing my Imperial Sister-in-Law, do you really think she’ll let the girl off so easily? She’ll summon Xia Zian into the palace in less than two hours. I’m willing to bet two silver pieces that Xia Zian will die on the way back to the mansion.”

“Alright, let’s bet. Xia Zian planned this show really well. It seems like she’s quite smart. I bet she’ll be able to survive for two more days.” The guard laughed.

However, in the end, it turned out to be a close brush with death.

...

“Everyone, back to the mansion! Close the gates!” The Old Madam coldly ordered when she saw that the guests had left.

Zian was dragged inside and thrown into the courtyard. Before the Old Madam could speak, Prime Minister Xia stepped forward and kicked her a few times. “You b*tch! How dare you humiliate me! Even if I kill you, it still won’t be enough.”

Zian was already suffering from heavy injuries in the first place. How could she endure his kicks? At this moment, she could feel herself losing consciousness. She clutched the ring on her finger as she tried to suppress the urge to kill Prime Minister Xia.

“What’s the use in beating her now? The Prince of Liang has probably returned to the palace by now. You should think of how to face the Empress’ wrath,” the Old Madam said.

Prime Minister Xia was, naturally, troubled by this matter. However, he did not know what to do. He asked helplessly, “What do you think I should do, mother?”

The Old Madam glanced at him. “What else can we do? Someone has to take the blame and bear the consequences. Let this little b*tch be the scapegoat. The Empress and the Prince of Liang simply need to punish one person to maintain their dignity. They won’t blame you too much. It’s just that you… It’s not like I’ve never spoken to you about this. This is such a huge event, but you didn’t even prepare for this. In the end, you didn’t accomplish anything, but you made a mess instead.”

Prime Minister Xia’s temper flared up again when the Old Madam rebuked him. He kicked Zian away and said, “Who would have expected that she would act out like this? She agreed yesterday.”

“Mother, now is not the time for this,” Madam Linglong said anxiously, “Will handing her over soothe the Empress’ anger?”

“We’ll take one step at a time. The Empress will certainly summon her to the palace to rebuke her. All of you will adopt the attitude of putting righteousness ahead of familial ties,” the Old Madam ordered sharply.

“Yes!” Prime Minister Xia replied.