Chapter 14: The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Might

  In the summer, she raised an eyebrow, and there was not a hint of smile on her face. She wasn't stupid, able to hear the implicit hints in Luoji's words; even if she were stupid and couldn't understand the meaning behind her words, just by looking at her, one could see that she was extremely arrogant.

  Luo Ji's face sank, and she couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement in her heart. She knew that this spoiled princess would lose her temper with just a few words. With a triumphant smile, she stepped forward, grasped Xia Tian's hand, and spoke with a sharp tongue: "Princess, although your status is noble, being the daughter of the great general, once you're married, you should know the principle that a wife considers her husband as heaven. Moreover, His Highness is a dragon among men, and even if your status were more honorable, it would not surpass his. Now that His Highness has arrived, you neither greet him nor ask about his well-being, but instead block the door, preventing him from entering. Is this the etiquette of the General's Manor, or is it intentional on your part?"

  Her hand, which was holding his, was warm to the touch, but it felt colder than frost. Xia Tian looked at Luo Qi in shock, unable to understand how someone could say such sarcastic and cutting words with a smile on their face. She glanced at Yuan Longqiao, who had been standing silently all along, and found that she couldn't see his expression clearly due to the backlight, but she felt a sharp glint in his eyes.

  The husband brought his mistress to show off in front of the wife! Xia Tian couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth. She didn't like this kind of farce, but she wasn't very angry either. If anyone was to blame, it would be herself for not being a qualified "wife", having no feelings about her husband's infidelity。 Besides, she had never thought of causing trouble, and she still understood the principle of knowing when to retreat。

  She struggled free from Luo Ji's grasp, stepped aside to make way for the door, and stood with her head bowed, her hands subconsciously hugging the book tightly to her chest.

  Yuan Longqiao's gaze was cold and moved between Xia Tian's face and the book in her arms, his black pupils shrinking to a tiny size, reflecting the light from the lamp inside the house into a bright spot.

  Luo Qi was slightly stunned, she had thought that Xia Tian would definitely lose her temper. This Miss Xia's spoiled and arrogant nature was extremely famous in the capital. Her previous words were already provocative enough, but unexpectedly she could endure it!

  She glanced at Yuan Longqiao with a look of dismay, and was immediately frightened to turn her head back. Perhaps others couldn't see anything unusual, but she had been following him for many years, how could she not see that he was very angry now? What to do? She came with a mission, the prince promised her that no matter what method she used, as long as she could make Xia Tian speak, from today on, for a month, he would only go to his own Duao Pavilion and would never go to other concubines' courtyards. Although she was already the most favored one, which woman didn't want to be forever favored and monopolize her beloved?

  How can I get Xia Tian to speak up?

  Yuan Long raised his foot and walked towards the house, Lian Ji's eyes rolled over, and when she passed by Xia Tian's side, she suddenly fell to the ground, her mouth intentionally shouting loudly: "Ah! Queen, why do you want to push me, your concubine!"

  Yuan Long's footsteps paused, and he turned back around.

  Everyone's eyes were on Xia Tian standing on the stairs and Luo Qi rolling down. The angle, the situation was easy to give people a misunderstanding: Luo Qi was pushed down by Xia Tian. Moreover, just now Luo Qi also shouted like that.

  The corner of Zhou Song's mouth twitched slightly, almost imperceptibly. Others might not have noticed or paid attention, but the position he was standing in was extremely clear.

  "Your Highness, even if I said something that displeased you, you can't harm me like this! What if I'm carrying the prince's child in my belly? Wouldn't pushing me be killing two lives with one blow?" Luojie pushed away Xiumei and the little eunuch who were trying to help her up, and sat on the ground crying loudly.

  Wow! I almost choked to death with a mouthful of food stuck in my throat. What's the point of speaking nonsense with a straight face? She's really opened her eyes today. I've seen some movies and TV shows about wives and concubines competing for favor in wealthy families before, but never thought it would happen to me.

  "Your Highness!" Luoji knelt on the ground, covering her face and crying, "Your Highness must stand up for Luo'er!"

  Yuan Long's face showed no emotion as he walked forward, helped Luoji up and held her in his arms. "Are you hurt?" His voice was still gentle.

  "Hmm." Lihua's face was scrunched up, and Luoji's eyes were welling up with tears as she grasped at his sleeve. "My foot is twisted, and my arm probably has bruises all over it, it hurts so much! Your Highness, the queen is just jealous of me, can't stand me, if you hadn't accompanied me here today, I'm afraid I would never have seen you again." She buried her head in Yuan Longqiao's chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

  Xiatian's eyes widened in anger, her lips paling slightly.

  Yuan Longqiao patted Luo Ji's shoulder and looked straight at Xia Tian, saying provocatively: "Since that's the case, I hereby grant Luo'er exemption from paying respects to the queen in the future. My queen, do you have any opinions?"