Yanran said, "Say it again."
People around them all turned to look.
Lang Shuang has become quite arrogant lately because her older sister became the Consort of Prince of Ding, and all her peers are now vying for her attention.
Provoked by Yanran's words, Lang Shuang found herself in an awkward position.
She subconsciously wanted to say it again, but for some reason, when she met Yanran's bright, mischievous eyes, she couldn't open her mouth.
Yanran, however, remained calm and composed, with a smile on her face, "Oh, right, I forgot to ask, who are you?"
Lang Shuang had never been insulted like this before. Her face flushed with anger, and she lowered her voice, cursing, "Barbarian! You're a barbarian!"
"You have excellent taste." Yanran gave her a thumbs up, then sat down casually.
A palace maid stepped forward and offered her a cup of tea.
Yanran called out to the palace maid, "Wait, tell me, what kind of tea is this?"
Before the palace maid could answer, Lang Shuang sneered, "As expected of barbarians, bumpkins, they've never seen anything, they can't even drink tea."
No one around her dared to agree with her.
Even if you don't know Yanran, haven't you heard of Prince of Jin?
When gods fight, the smartest thing to do is to shut up.
Yanran smiled and said, "Yes, I'm from the Northwest and don't know anything about the capital. Do you have any advice for me?"
Lang Shuang said proudly, "I also helped to find out which tea was served in the palace today; it was Biluochun, a tribute tea."
Yanran picked up her teacup, took a slow sip, and then shook her head. "Why do I feel like it's not Biluochun?"
Lang Shuang said, "What do you know?"
"I really don't know, but I think you should try it before you give me your advice. Please—"
As she spoke, Yanran picked up her teacup and poured the entire cup of tea onto Lang Shuang.
Lang Shuang's entire front was soaked, and there were still a few tea leaves on her face. Her face was flushed, and she looked extremely disheveled.
The commotion here also alerted Consort De.
She frowned and looked over, displeased.
Feeling wronged, Lang Shuang immediately stepped forward to complain, her voice trembling with tears, "Your Majesty, Yanran splashed tea on me!"
Yanran walked over, stood next to Lang Shuang, and suddenly grabbed her hair.
Lang Shuang, who was usually pampered, was no match for Yanran. She immediately felt a sharp pain on her scalp and uncontrollably fell towards Yanran.
Seeing Yanran's arrogant and domineering demeanor, Consort De's face suddenly turned ugly. She slammed her hand on the armrest of her chair and said angrily, "How dare you! Do you even respect me as Consort De?"
She hated Yanran's face, which was exactly the same as Xiao Wu's.
She hated Xiao Wu for abusing her beauty.
The Yanran of Yanran reminded her of Xiao Wu from back then, causing her to change color abruptly.
"Did you hear that?" Yanran said to Lang Shuang, "Do you still have any respect for Consort De?"
Lang Shuang was in so much pain that tears streamed down her face as she begged Consort De to save her life.
Consort De's birthday banquet, which was supposed to be a pleasant occasion, suddenly turned into a large-scale brawl.
Consort De angrily retorted, "I'm talking about you!"
"Did you hear that? I'm talking to you," Yanran said. "Aren't you going to apologize to Her Majesty? Look how angry she's become."
After saying that, she threw Lang Shuang forward, and the latter staggered and knelt down in front of Consort De.
If it weren't for the palace maids stopping her, she probably would have bumped right into Consort De.
Yanran clapped her hands and said calmly, "Consort De Highness, please don't take her to heart. She's just a bit naive. Let the Lang Family take her back and teach her a lesson. Make her kneel for three to five days and confine her to her quarters for three to five months, and that will be enough."
Everyone: "..."
You were the one who hit someone, so why are you the one who's accusing others first?
Consort De's face turned a deep shade of liver. "This isn't the Prince of Jin's Residence! You..."
Yanran said, "Ah, yes. If this were in the Prince's mansion, how could I be called a barbarian to my face and let off so easily?"
She adopted a forgiving demeanor, waving her hand and saying, "Fortunately, my father isn't here, so I'll let it go. Let's leave it at that; Consort De doesn't need to avenge me any further."
Consort De angrily retorted, "You're so young, yet you dare to be so insolent in front of me, even resorting to violence..."
"Your Majesty," Yanran's eyes widened, her expression one of innocent naivety as she realized what was happening, "Are you talking about me?"
"It's you! Don't think you can fool me, I..."
"Your Majesty, why should I try to cover this up?" Yanran said. "I grew up in the capital and spent two years protecting the border with my parents. If I return to the capital, I'll be considered a barbarian. Do you think I can just gloss over this?"
"I didn't want to take it so seriously, but after your reminder, I think I have to. Otherwise, how can I face the soldiers who fought and bled on the frontier? They defended their country, only to become barbarians in the end?"
"Your Majesty, this matter is no longer just a palace affair; it concerns the dignity of the soldiers. Come, you there, let's go find our Imperial Grandfather to settle this matter!"
As she spoke, Yanran reached out to pull Lang Shuang.
Lang Shuang was terrified by her arrogance and ran behind Consort De to hide.
Just as Consort De was about to lash out, Meng Yulan walked in.
She had a dignified face, a long neck, and a straight back. Her skirt swayed slightly as she walked, and her demeanor was composed and elegant.
She gracefully bowed to Consort De.
Consort De's anger had not yet subsided, and she said to her, "I heard that Yanran has been staying at the Tang Family since she returned. How did you teach her manners? Look at what she did to Shuang'er!"
Yanran was about to speak up to distance herself from Meng Yulan, but seeing the latter shake her head gently without changing her expression, she swallowed her words.
It's alright, let your aunt speak first.
Anyway, she came today because she didn't want Consort De to be comfortable.
Is Lang Shuang her accomplice?
So stupid! He was caught red-handed right away, Yanran felt utterly meaningless.
This is simply bullying an idiot.
Military strategy dictates that without destruction, there can be no construction.
Rather than playing along with these women and letting them scheme against her with sweet words but daggers in her heart, it's better to make a scene from the start and let them know that she's a tough nut to crack.
Anyone who messes with her should be prepared to suffer a painful loss, and then everyone will be embarrassed together.
Upon returning to the capital, this first battle must be a resounding success.
Today, Yanran a very fulfilling life.
Meng Yulan said calmly, "Your Majesty, I don't know what happened, but just now at the door, I seemed to hear the word 'barbarians.' May I ask, Your Majesty, who said that first?"
She was adept at striking at the snake's vital spot, knowing exactly where to strike.
Lang Shuang immediately felt embarrassed and didn't dare to look up.
She regretted it.
She originally thought that Yanran was from the border town and must be ignorant, and that she had a small group of people behind her who could ostracize Yanran.
She also intended to Yanran, which is why she deliberately spoke so harshly.
Who knew that this time I would encounter such a reckless and unruly person.
She only wanted to snatch the first dish to prove she was the most outstanding, but she never expected Yanran to flip the table.
Consort De downplayed the issue, saying, "No matter what they say, it's just a quarrel between young girls. To dare throw tea at someone in front of me—what if they get disfigured? And to actually hit someone is a disgrace to the royal family..."
Judging from the situation, if Yanran is not punished today, Consort De will not let the matter rest.
To be honest, Meng Yulan didn't show it on her face, but she was a little anxious inside.
Consort De had the advantage of her status; it was far too easy for her to punish a junior.
It's her fault for not coming sooner to restrain Yanran; otherwise, someone would have caught her red-handed.
Yanran, however, remained remarkably calm.
--Lang Shuang is not worth her being buried with.
If she dares to fight, she can get away unscathed.
(Surprised? Hehe.)