The old lady was in Xiaoxiang Garden, so Aunt Lan Yu naturally took Yuan and Zi'an to Xiaoxiang Garden.
Big red lanterns were hung high at the entrance of Xiaoxiang Garden, telling everyone with great irony that tonight was Prime Minister Xia’s wedding day.
Although a lot of things happened today, including a wounding case and the death of some people, it did not affect Prime Minister Xia's prosperous night.
Ximen Xiaoyue and Prime Minister Xia were sitting in the hall of Xiaoxiang Garden. They wanted to summon Yuan over, and she also had her own intention.
She began to feel that sending Yuan away today was a wrong decision. She should have kept Yuan in the mansion and let her experience for herself the scene of her husband taking a concubine.
She also wanted to tell Yuan in person that she was old and ugly and it was time for her to give up the throne.
She knew that Yuan was now blind and could not see, so she did not care about her injuries. The imperial physician had just come and said that although she would have temporary scars on her face, there was an excellent scar-removing beauty cream in the palace, which would remove them in three to five months.
Therefore, she felt at ease and calm, sitting comfortably in a chair, waiting for Yuan's arrival.
Just waiting to meet the first love rival in her life.
She had never seen Yuan before, but she had heard of her name. At that time, she heard about the affairs of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and she just felt that this woman was very pathetic.
However, she now believes that Yuan's misery was caused by herself.
Seeing someone entering the yard, she straightened her expression and reached out to gather her hair. Although Yuan couldn't see it, she still wanted to face Yuan with the best attitude.
However, when she saw Xia Zian helping Yuan in, the arrogance on her face gradually disappeared, and in the end, her face turned pale.
She had never thought that Yuan would have such an appearance. No matter how beautiful she was when she was young, she was already in her thirties and had been living a neglected life in the mansion for a long time. She should be pale, thin, and have white hair.
Her mother is only a few years older than Yuan. In the past two years, her mother has started to have white hair on her temples, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes have increased significantly, and her face has become saggy. Her mother was also very beautiful when she was young.
She thought that Yuan should look older than her mother.
However, she is now wearing plain clothes, with her hair tied up in a bun, her hair is as black as crow's wings, and she only wears a simple jade hairpin. Her face is almost without makeup. From the distance she is viewed, no wrinkles can be seen at the corners of her eyes. Her facial features are delicate, and every part of them is just right, as if they were the most beautiful jade carved by God.
Not to mention that she was burned now, even if she wasn't, at her most beautiful, she wouldn't be even one-tenth as beautiful as Yuan.
She subconsciously looked at Prime Minister Xia and saw that he was also looking at Yuan with a complicated look in his eyes.
Jealousy grew wildly in her heart. At that moment, a voice in her heart kept echoing, "Yuan Shi cannot live, Yuan Shi must die. No man would not be tempted by such a beautiful woman."
Zi'an saw the viciousness in Ximen Xiaoyue's eyes and frowned slightly.
Zi'an walked up to the old lady and said loudly, "Old lady, I remember you promised to give me the longan."
The old lady did not answer Zi'an, but just looked at Yuan, "Cui Yu, we haven't talked for a long time. Are you willing to talk to me, an old woman?"
Yuan turned to her and said, "Madam, I have no reason not to accompany you, since you have honored me."
"Okay, come with me into the inner room." The old lady stood up and raised her hand to let Aunt Lan Yu come forward to support Yuan.
Aunt Lan Yu stepped forward and grabbed Yuan's arm with such rough force that Yuan staggered and almost fell to the ground.
Zi'an didn't even think twice before stepping forward and slapping Lan Yu in the face, saying harshly, "You've been serving the old lady for a long time, and you dare to treat her like this? If I don't teach you a lesson, won't you drag the old lady to the ground someday?"
Lan Yu was slapped and was furious, but when she saw the anger in Zi'an's eyes, she was frightened and did not dare to argue.
The old lady turned around and said unhappily, "What's going on? Zi'an, Lan Yu is someone close to me. Even if you don't like her, you can't hit her."
Zi'an raised his eyes and said, "Madam, your granddaughter is teaching her a lesson for you. She almost brought down Mother just now. Those who know her would say that she was reckless and careless. Those who don't would think that you deliberately arranged for her to target Mother."
The old lady frowned tightly, her cloudy eyes condensed with anger, but she couldn't vent it, so she just said in a rough tone: "Alright, come in."
Zi'an was not willing to let Yuan go in alone with her, so he stopped Yuan and said, "Since grandma wants to talk to mother, and mother's eyesight is not convenient, your granddaughter will accompany you in."
The old lady stared at Zi'an with eyes as sharp as knives. The corners of her drooping mouth slowly curled up, and she said sarcastically, "Are you afraid that I will hurt your mother?"
Zi'an looked at her, "The old lady is a smart person, she will not do this. Now that my mother has been named Princess Danqing, if anything happens to her, the Xiangfu will become the target of public criticism. Now that the Xiangfu is in the limelight and has caused so much trouble, why would she hurt the first wife of the Xiangfu at this time?"
"You have made a very thorough analysis. If that's the case, what are you afraid of?" The old lady sneered.
Zi'an said without disguising, "I am naturally worried that some servants may not serve her carefully and embarrass her."
The old lady said calmly: "It seems that in the heart of the young lady, your grandmother and father are like a flood and a beast, which is chilling."
"You're heartbroken?" Zi'an laughed, his eyes still sharp. "Compared to my granddaughter, I guess my grandmother doesn't know what true heartbreak is."
The old lady shook her head. "Okay, you can come in if you want, but if you want to keep Guiyuan in your Xiazhi Garden, it's best for me to talk to your mother. I promise you that I will never hurt her."
Yuan said, "Zi'an, don't worry about me. I'm sure the Prime Minister and the new wife have something to say to you. Let's sit down and talk. After all, we are still a family!"
Yuan's last words were almost uttered with a chuckle, which was indescribably ironic.
When Zi'an heard Yuan say this, he thought that the old lady would not dare to touch her for the time being, so he said, "Okay, if that's the case, then let's all sit down and talk!"
After she finished speaking, she swept her cold eyes across Lan Yu's face. This time, Lan Yu did not dare to act rashly. He stepped forward and carefully helped Yuan into the inner room.
Zi'an looked at Prime Minister Xia and Ximen Xiaoyue. The two of them were sitting high in the hall, looking really superior.
"Sit down!" Prime Minister Xia pointed to the chair on the left with an indifferent expression.
Zi'an sat down and raised his eyes with undisguised disgust, "I wonder what the Prime Minister wants to talk to me about?"
Prime Minister Xia snorted softly, "Now you don't even want to call me father."
Zi'an turned the Soul-Snatching Ring in his hand, suppressing the anger in his heart, "It's just a title, Prime Minister, don't mind it."
(End of this chapter)