The Grand Princess was almost angered to the point of fainting by Li Man'er. Tong Xinrui felt like she had been hit by ten thousand critical blows, as if her life had lost all hope.
"Anning!" the Grand Princess's tone was extremely stern. "How can you be so ill-mannered?"
"I'm ill-mannered?" Li Man'er chuckled, flicking her whip twice, making others' eyelids twitch.
"Your Highness the Grand Princess, are you meeting me for the first time? I've always been ill-mannered! If I were a well-mannered person, how could I have charged into battle on horseback in the northern desert? If I could draw a long bow and shoot down packs of wolves?" Her words were resonant and powerful, stunning everyone.
Li Man'er coiled her whip, her killing intent radiating outwards. Her expression turned cold, devoid of any warmth.
Everyone felt a chill in the room, as if something unclean had burst forth, causing them to involuntarily shiver.
Tong Xinrui was terrified. At this moment, Li Man'er seemed like a different person. Although Li Man'er was calm, something within her seemed to be boiling, like a god of slaughter, making her instinctively want to flee.
"You, don't think you're so great just because you have military achievements. Xinrui is more dignified than you, and more intelligent and virtuous."
"Heh heh." Li Man'er smiled calmly. "Grand Princess, are you putting the cart before the horse? For a concubine, a plaything, what use is dignity?"
Tong Xinrui trembled like a sieve. The Grand Princess clutched her chest, gasping, looking like her heart condition was about to flare up again. Only Madam Cui remained the most composed, as if she were an outsider watching a show. In reality, she wished she could tear Li Man'er to shreds.
"You, you..." The Grand Princess uttered "you" for a long time, unable to utter another word.
Li Man'er deliberately provoked her. "Grand Princess, you don't actually think that Tong whatever can be the Ninth Prince's principal wife, do you? We are betrothed by the Empress Dowager's decree. If you act like this, what will become of the Empress Dowager's imperial decree?"
The Grand Princess, confused by anger, shouted loudly, "What qualifications does an unvirtuous person like you have to be Old Ninth's principal consort? Even if I depose you, Mother Empress won't say anything. I can easily arrange for Xinrui to become the principal consort! She is virtuous, dignified, and serene, a hundred times better than you."
"Oh, so that's what the Grand Princess intends," Li Man'er said, unhurried. She had already heard footsteps in the courtyard and figured the person who should be here had arrived.
"Greetings, Your Highness." A large group knelt in the courtyard. Qi Yihan had visited the Marquis's residence, so many of the Li family's servants recognized him. Moreover, the Grand Princess's people were also in the courtyard and naturally recognized this mad figure whose stomp could make the capital tremble. Therefore, everyone knelt down, not daring to breathe.
With such loud shouts from outside, how could the people inside, who were not deaf, not hear?
The Grand Princess became restless; she knew Qi Yihan's methods.
Tong Xinrui was both surprised and delighted. She finally had an opportunity to appear before the Prince.
As they each harbored their own thoughts, Qi Yihan walked in.
Madam Cui, Tong Xinrui, and others quickly rose to bow. "Greetings, Your Highness."
Tong Xinrui also tried her best to appear dignified, lowering her head slightly to showcase her most beautiful side.
When the Grand Princess saw Qi Yihan, she felt a trace of fear. Although they were of the same mother, she knew in her heart that this Ninth Brother had never truly respected her. Their interactions were merely superficial pleasantries.
"Ninth Brother, why have you come?"
Qi Yihan surveyed the people in the room with cold eyes and said indifferently to the Grand Princess, "Eldest Sister, you have overstepped."
"As the Grand Princess of Great Dignity, do I not even have the right to discipline her? Li Man'er is naturally unruly and utterly useless. How could you have taken a liking to her, made her your Princess Consort, and even specially sought an imperial decree from Mother Empress?"
The Grand Princess became increasingly angry as she spoke, even pointing at Tong Xinrui. "Xinrui is far superior to her. Are you blind?"
Madam Cui shivered, and even the head eunuch beside the Grand Princess couldn't help but tremble.
"What do you take me for? Do you think any stray cat or dog can approach me?"
Qi Yihan's words shattered Tong Xinrui's psychological defenses. She had not expected the Ninth Prince to say such things without even looking at her.
Yes, it must be that the Prince hadn't seen her yet, and didn't know how good she was.
Tong Xinrui raised her head and looked at Qi Yihan, as if wanting to say something but holding back.
As a result, Qi Yihan treated her as if she were air, not even raising an eyelid.
Tong Xinrui, with no other recourse, called out delicately, "Your Highness, this commoner..."
Qi Yihan finally turned his head to look at her, but his gaze was filled with boundless disgust, as if he were looking not at a person, but at a piece of excrement.
Li Man'er watched clearly from the side, the disgust in his eyes almost overflowing.
Tong Xinrui gasped and then burst into tears, rushing towards the Grand Princess and crying, "Aunt!"
She even called the Grand Princess "Aunt," clearly intending to get her elders to back her up!
Li Man'er immediately stepped forward, and before the Grand Princess could react, she sneered twice. "Oh, what a lovely white lotus, who are you crying for! Do you think we are bullying you!"
The Grand Princess couldn't help but retort, "Aren't we?"
"As an elder sister, you've reached into your younger brother's chambers and are trying to force this insipid, disgusting woman upon the Prince. Grand Princess, what are your intentions!"
"Who is disgusting? Who are you insulting?"
Li Man'er sidled up to Qi Yihan and touched his shoulder. "Your Highness, is that Tong someone disgusting?"
Qi Yihan nodded. "Disgusting!"
"You... Old Ninth!" the Grand Princess roared. Did he know how hurtful those words were?
As expected, Tong Xinrui cried even harder. She was a decent young lady, from a respectable background, with passable looks and talent, yet her beloved called her disgusting. Who could bear that?
"Ugly people are often dramatic!" Li Man'er said indifferently, then fell silent. With the Ninth Prince's arrival, everything had been settled. There was no use for her to say more; it would be a waste of breath.
The Grand Princess's chest ached with anger, feeling as though she would faint. However, for the sake of appearances, she endured it.
Madam Cui also hadn't expected Li Man'er to be so fierce, not even putting the Grand Princess in her eyes. But thinking about it, with the Ninth Prince as her backing, it was natural for her to be arrogant and disregard the Grand Princess.
This was also good; the more the Grand Princess hated Li Man'er, the greater her own gain. Let them fight like dogs.
Unfortunately, Madam Cui's plan was about to fall through.
"My dear grandmother, you've been watching the show for so long, aren't you tired?"
Madam Cui, who had been trying hard to minimize her presence, suddenly shivered.
The Ninth Prince's gaze slowly fell upon her, as if looking at a dead person.
"This humble wife..." Madam Cui was about to offer a defense when her body suddenly stiffened. She looked up, revealing a contorted and ferocious face.