The Female Lead Decides to Act Wickedly

Chapter 1289 - 480: Palace Scheming Can’t Compare to Rebellion (Part 17)_3

"Wuwuwu, poor Nianer, from childhood to adulthood, I haven’t even touched a finger of yours, how could you bear such severe punishment?"

Crying and wailing, Lady Hu did not forget to put on a show.

Her face was covered with tears, but there was a flash of ruthlessness and calculation in her eyes.

"Back then in the Imperial Palace, Empress Dowager He was such a disciplined person, when you committed a mischief, she only reprimanded you slightly, never scolding or beating!"

"Nianer, tell Mom, what exactly did you do to provoke the future Empress to such fury?"

Intentionally, she mentioned Empress Dowager He in front of everyone, emphasizing "future Empress," aiming to sow discord between Empress Dowager He and Empress Tao.

She also intended to let everyone know how overbearing Lady Tao was.

She’s not an Empress yet, but dares to be so reckless.

Once she truly enters the Imperial Palace, who knows how arrogant and domineering she’ll become.

Today, she dares to unjustly whip the noble Lady of the Lord’s Mansion, tomorrow she might casually humiliate the women of dukes and princes!

She wanted to arouse public anger and then pressure the Tao Family.

However, Lady Hu’s scheme was doomed to fail.

The women present were shocked by Tao Youwei’s willfulness and ruthlessness.

Yet they would not empathize with Lady Hu and her daughter—what a joke, they weren’t part of the same circle, how would they stand with a lowly maidservant?

Tao Youwei was indeed overbearing, but she didn’t hit people randomly.

The rumors in the Capital City, everyone had heard.

If the Emperor had not decided on the Empress, he could go out of the Capital City to cavort with whomever, and no one would interfere.

But the problem was, Emperor Yongcheng had already arranged a betrothal with Duke Dingguo’s Mansion, and even Empress Dowager He had issued an edict, with approval from the Three Great Ministers and Political Affairs Hall.

Just waiting for the Observatory Bureau to select an auspicious date, and the Ministry of Rites to establish the ceremony for sealing as Empress, Tao Youwei would become the second Empress of the Dayuan Dynasty!

And at this time, Emperor Yongcheng still ran to the Zheng Family’s estate to rendezvous with the Zheng Family’s daughter!

Tao Youwei was the apple of the Duke Dingguo’s eye, the Royal Family and Tao Family had a cooperative relationship, not one of servility.

Any girl in Tao Youwei’s position would not tolerate it.

At most, Tao Family’s young lady is particularly, uh, cough, straightforward, and goes by the principle of retaliating against every grievance.

Encountering a vixen seducing her husband, she wasted no words and directly whipped her!

Although a bit rash, the women truly felt satisfied!

Moreover, the Dayuan Dynasty was open-minded, and women were also fierce in character.

Not to mention Princesses or noble ladies of the Imperial Family, even ordinary women from Military Merit Families dared to wield knives and cause a ruckus at the side residence of worthless husbands.

Now, just switch the ordinary women with the future Empress... uh, it’s not unacceptable, is it!

The Emperor made the first mistake, the Tao acted like this, saying it grandly, was also ’advising’ the Emperor, making her an epitome of a ’virtuous wife’.

After all, as rash as Lady Tao is, she only whipped the vixen, and didn’t disrespect the Emperor, right?

Lady Hu cried for nothing, failing to evoke empathy from the onlookers, not even sympathy.

Even the hosts of the wedding banquet secretly said "unlucky," while on their faces had to display concern and guilt.

They actively arranged for doctors, and set up personnel to escort Lady Hu and her daughter away.

Returning to the Lord’s Mansion, before Lady Hu could think of sending a message to the palace to complain to the Emperor, something else happened at home.

"Madam, madam, something terrible has happened, something terrible! Dalang was beaten and brought back covered in wounds!"

A slave hurriedly ran into the main room, and before arriving, shouted aloud.

Dalang?

He was Lady Hu’s eldest son, named Zheng Chuanjia, twenty years old, assigned by Emperor Yongcheng into the Qianniu Guards as a low-ranking military officer.

Usually, relying on the Emperor’s favor and being generous, the mediocre Zheng Chuanjia got by fairly well in the Qianniu Guards.

Without much power, yet peacefully, he made acquaintances with some fallen noble descendants.

On the surface, Zheng Chuanjia seemed to have some pride akin to a Princely Heir of the Lord’s Mansion.

"Beaten? Who? Who beat my Dalang?"

Lady Hu was shocked, furious, and slightly uneasy.

It felt as though something was slipping out of her control.

And the Zheng Family seemed to be plunged into crisis.

But Zheng Chuanjia being carried home, covered in blood, was merely the beginning.

Before Lady Hu understood the reasons for her eldest son’s injuries, another message came—

"Madam! Another incident! Erlang got into an altercation and was taken by officials from the Magistrate Mansion!"

Erlang?

Lady Hu’s second son, seventeen years old, due to poor health, was unable to work in the guards; Emperor Yongcheng arranged for him to study at the Imperial College, planning to give him an official position in a couple of years.

This was just a rather weak ’little chicken,’ how could he get into a fight, and cause a scene at the Magistrate Mansion?!