Rebirth and Marriage: I am the Mistress of the Palace

"Snapped!"

The crisp sound echoed throughout the kitchen, shocking everyone. Even the usually steady Nanny Chai looked at Shen Wantang in surprise.

"Shen Wantang, you dare to hit me?! Are you crazy? I said you are a dog, and you actually dare to bite me?"

"Snapped!"

Another slap.

Shen Wantang's movements were quick and decisive, and his attack was quite rude. Chu Yanluo's cheeks swelled up instantly.

She looked at Chu Yanluo coldly: "Try to scold me again and see whether your scolding is more severe or my beating is more severe."

Chu Yanluo's cheeks were burning with pain. She was not willing to suffer such a great loss. She raised her hand to fight back, but Shen Wantang quickly grabbed her wrist and pushed her back.

Chu Yanluo was pushed and staggered immediately. She staggered back several steps before she could barely steady herself.

She looked at Shen Wantang in shock and anger, but did not dare to step forward and take action.

How could she compare to Shen Wantang's strength? If she went forward rashly, she would only suffer a greater loss!

Not to mention that she was injured and bleeding now, even if she wasn't injured and bleeding, her body was far from being as healthy as Shen Wantang's.

Shen Wantang ate the best food, and in order to keep fit, she walked several laps in the palace's garden every day.

Chu Yanluo pursues a ethereal and thin image, and eats very little on weekdays. Compared with Shen Wantang, she looks like paper.

"Madam Chai, Aunt Chu is a traitor. Not only did she insult and harass me, she even tried to attack me. She is lawless! From today on, she will be locked up in Qingwu Courtyard and confined to reflect on herself! No one is allowed to let her out without my permission!"

"Yes, Crown Princess!"

Nanny Chai immediately brought people forward, subdued Chu Yanluo, and tried to drag her out.

Chu Yanluo screamed, "Shen Wantang, you dare to bully me by relying on your status? You are dead! I want to see the prince, I want to tell him how vicious you are! I want him to divorce you!"

"Help! Xiao Qingyuan, come and save me! I'm going to be killed by Shen Wantang! Xiao Qingyuan!"

Xiao Qingyuan was looking for her outside. When he heard her scream, he immediately rushed into the kitchen yard: "Yanluo! What are you doing? Let her go!"

Chu Yanluo was overjoyed to see him. She shed two lines of tears: "My Lord, I thought I would never see you again. Shen Wantang, she wants to beat me to death!"

Xiao Qingyuan rushed over, pushed away the maidservants who were holding Chu Yanluo down, and hugged her.

He looked at the wound on her neck that started bleeding again, and the shocking bloodstains on her clothes, and angrily asked: "Shen Wantang, what did you do?! Who allowed you to hurt Yan Luo!"

Shen Wantang changed her usual polite and gentle attitude towards him. Her eyes were cold and her tone was sharp: "The wound on Aunt Chu's neck was scratched by her own fingernails. It has nothing to do with me! If you have time to question me, you might as well take care of your concubine! If you can't manage it, then I will! It is only natural for the mistress of the house to teach a concubine a lesson no matter which family she is in!"

Xiao Qingyuan was stunned. Is this Shen Wantang? Why is she so strong all of a sudden?

The cold look on her face gave him an inexplicable and strong feeling of oppression.

This was a feeling he had never had before. Was this what she looked like when she was angry? It was a little scary, but it also made him feel a completely different her.

His anger was inexplicably extinguished. He lowered his head and looked at Chu Yanluo: "Did you really scratch the wound on your neck yourself?"

Chu Yanluo cried softly, "I was also forced by them. Prince, look at my face. This is all caused by Shen Wantang. If Prince takes me as a concubine just to let me be beaten and humiliated by Shen Wantang, then I beg Prince to let me leave. I can't stay in Prince Ning's Mansion for a moment. I'm afraid that if I leave too slowly, I will be beaten to death!"

Xiao Qingyuan frowned, and he looked at Shen Wantang again: "Did you hit him?"

Shen Wantang said in a cold tone: "I hit you."

"Why did you hit her? Yan Luo is a very honest person. Even if she said something unpleasant, she definitely didn't mean any harm! Shen Wantang, you beat her like this, it's too much! Shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

"Your Highness, what you mean is that Aunt Chu called me a dog without any ill intention? I am the mistress of the house, and I am called a dog by a concubine. Should I greet her with a smile? What family's rule is this? What mistress would endure this?"

All the other questions Xiao Qingyuan wanted to ask were instantly stuck in his throat. He looked at Chu Yanluo in shock: "Yanluo, you scolded Shen Wantang like this? She is my prince's consort! You scolded her as a dog. Where do you put me? Aren't you just looking for trouble?"

Chu Yanluo wanted to argue that she did not curse Shen Wantang, but there were too many people here who heard her cursing, and with Shen Wantang's powerful aura, she did not dare to say "no".

She knew that she had suffered a great loss in this battle, but she still lost.

She huddled in Xiao Qingyuan's arms and sobbed, and after a while, she fainted on him.

"Yanluo!"

Xiao Qingyuan was horrified, picked her up and was about to leave.

Behind him, Shen Wantang's cold voice sounded: "Sir, you can go, but Aunt Chu must stay. She is committing insubordination and must be imprisoned in Qingwu Courtyard."

Xiao Qingyuan turned back in disbelief: "What did you say? Yan Luo is almost dead, and you still want to lock her up? Shen Wantang, do you still have any humanity! You should immediately ask someone to call the imperial physician!"

"Since Aunt Chu's condition is so critical, it may be too late to call the imperial physician. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. I will take a look at Aunt Chu for her."

Xiao Qingyuan hesitated: "Are you willing to treat Yan Luo's injuries? You won't take this opportunity to kill her, will you?"

Shen Wantang looked at him calmly, "Don't be mean, my prince. I have always kept my public and private affairs separate, and I am not a petty person. You can ask anyone how I have been managing the household since I married into the palace. Have I ever been partial to anyone? Have I ever deliberately targeted anyone?"

"But you beat Yan Luo today."

"She committed a crime against her superiors. If I don't teach her a lesson, how can I discipline the servants in the palace in the future? I beat her, and she deserved it. Even if I report this matter to my father and mother, I will still be in the right."

Seeing that Xiao Qingyuan was still hesitant, Shen Wantang continued, "I only locked up Aunt Chu and put her under house arrest, not the prince. If the prince wants to visit her, he can go anytime."

"Besides, Aunt Chu is already the prince's concubine. It is no longer appropriate for her to live in Xinghe Courtyard. She should have her own courtyard. From now on, Qingwu Courtyard will be allocated to her."

Xiao Qingyuan frowned: "Isn't Qingwu Courtyard a bit off the beaten path? And it's a bit small."

"It is suitable for Madam Chu to rest and recuperate. As for the size, it is in line with the status of a concubine. She cannot live in anything bigger than this."