Before she could make sense of it, someone came to report that Zhang Feng and his large group were heading again to the Xu Mansion!
Lou Zhao and the Zhang Ning families had no connection, and even less with the Pei family, so he had no reason to act, but Yongping had a grudge against them!
Could it be that Yongping was using Liu Yan to forge a deep enmity between Fu Zhen and the Zhang Family?!
How could Mrs. Zhang swallow this affront?!
She was about to step out of the door when she stopped: "Has Fu Zhen arrived? Has the Pei family arrived?"
"Yes, indeed. The General’s wife is right outside the Xu mansion!"
Mrs. Zhang retracted her foot back over the threshold: "Fu Zhen is not a pushover, let her and Yongping tear at each other first!"
No sooner had Mrs. Zhang finished speaking than someone rushed in from outside: "Princess, the servants at the door are clamoring for you to come out and stand up for the Liu family! They’re saying that Old General Zhang has personally taken action, the case today has been going on for half a day, the whole city knows about it, and the Princess is so close yet hasn’t even shown her face, it’s too heartless!... They’re saying some awful things!"
Mrs. Zhang listened, annoyed and restless; she wanted to see Fu Zhen and Yongping tear each other apart. Both were like a thorn in her side. She would be pleased if either of them fell, but with such talk, how could she remain a mere spectator?
She gritted her teeth and could only step out: "Prepare the sedan!"
The uproar in front of the Xu home was tremendous. Luckily, the area wasn’t a crowded market, and the alley was spacious enough to accommodate the large crowd without drawing too much of a onlooker crowd. But for this very reason, the shouting outside seemed even more intense!
The gatekeeper of the Xu Mansion opened the door, and the steward came out with hands clasped: "What is all this commotion? Our Commandery Princess has been unwell lately and needs quiet to recuperate. If your noise disturbs her, you’ll have to bear the consequences!"
"Spare me the act!" Zhang Feng shouted angrily, "I want to see your Commandery Princess! Tell her to come out!"
The Liu family naturally clamored along.
The steward’s voice was quickly drowned out by this tumult.
Inside the second gate, seeing this, Yongping quickly dispatched someone: "Close the door!"
The Zhang Family’s anger was much more intense than she had imagined. How could she, a mere woman, withstand this?!
Even if Lou Zhao hadn’t instructed her to come, she couldn’t guarantee how long she could hold out!
She turned and said: "Send a message to the Master! Ask him to come back!"
The servant had just turned when she called him back: "Best invite the Prince and Princess over first!"
With such a big incident at home, not informing Xu Yin was out of the question. Only his return could possibly subdue these people!
However, given Xu Yin’s current attitude towards her, she was uncertain how much he would actually help upon returning. She didn’t know why she was increasingly afraid of Xu Yin. Clearly, she had such a good family background and such strong backing, but every time he got angry at her, every time he threw harsh words at her, she would involuntarily become nervous and uneasy!
Meeting Lou Zhao in secret, Xu Yin was unaware, she hadn’t thought it would be exposed, and therefore hadn’t considered what Xu Yin would do if he found out? Find the newest release on N0velFire.ɴet
To inform him was inevitable; even if she didn’t take the initiative, he would know. At this point, only by inviting Prince Rong and his wife over to stabilize the situation could she hope to handle the current predicament!
When Mrs. Zhang’s sedan arrived, she immediately noticed the Pei family’s carriage not far away. Taking a deep breath, she descended from the sedan and shouted sternly: "Make way!"
The crowd blocking the door parted a path, and Zhang Feng said: "You finally arrived!"
Mrs. Zhang called out "Father", then had someone knock on the door. To the narrow crack, she said, "The case has reached our doorstep, there must be an explanation, you cannot bury your head in the sand. If you don’t open the door, I’ll assume you’re guilty. If you’re guilty, I’ll go straight to the palace to report to the imperial concubine!"
Engrossed in defending against Fu Zhen and the Pei family, Yongping hadn’t expected Mrs. Zhang to come at this moment! She thought Mrs. Zhang wouldn’t come, for if she did it would only add to the trouble. But then she realized Mrs. Zhang would inevitably come, and there was no way to hide from it!
After pacing back and forth twice, Yongping flung her sleeve: "Let them in! I’ll be in the front hall waiting!"
What did she have to fear?
After all, her father and mother would back her!
As would Xu Yin; no matter how angry he was with her, he couldn’t possibly let the Zhang family rampage here, right?
The servants were also unable to withstand this pressure and quickly opened the door when she turned around.
The group flooded in, and Fu Zhen, seeing the situation, also got off her carriage, leading Guo Song and the others inside.
The servants of the Xu Mansion, knowing full well the grudge between Fu Zhen and Yongping, aimed to block her. Fu Zhen slapped him: "Your master is full of schemes, ordering a murder in our Ning family and framing the Ning family, causing Wanbin Building to bear the blame for murder and almost face imprisonment. I’m here to settle scores too, your master let us in, who are you to stop me?"
Fu Zhen now had a strong arm, and with a slap, the servant, though usually arrogant under Yongping’s influence, immediately cowered to the side!
Guo Song quickly said: "Next time for such things, Young Madam, let subordinates handle it!"
Fu Zhen looked at her palm: "It’s more gratifying to do it yourself!"
She strode straight into the courtyard; this was the new place Xu Yin had built after shrugging off the Liang family. Upon entering, there was a large shadow wall, well-constructed, and beyond it, in the front hall, there were sounds of arguing, seeming to be Zhang Feng dragging Lou Zhao out for confrontation.
It didn’t really matter if anything came out of it. At this point, everyone knew about the matter; Yongping could deny it, but the enmity was already cemented.
Moreover, Mrs. Zhang was already there.
Since she was there, how could she return empty-handed? The day she sent Fu Zhen away hoping to offer a beauty to Pei Zhan, Mrs. Zhang was still planning to seize the opportunity to have Fu Zhen secure a position for Zhang Shicheng; Mrs. Zhang was indeed one to pluck a feather from a passing goose!
Yongping’s furious voice was heard: "Mr. Li, you better think carefully. If there’s no evidence of me ordering a murder, I will sue each one of you, including you, Mr. Li, for dereliction of duty, swayed by the wind and easily manipulated, this is negligence!"
Of all present, only Li Yangsong had no vested interests, so Yongping naturally had to target him first, to intimidate him and take control.
But unexpectedly, Li Yangsong said: "I am not indulging in disturbances; it was on the way to the Xu Mansion that General Lou, although not explicitly naming the Commandery Princess, did not deny it either.
"I too want to know what General Lou thinks. Since the Commandery Princess has graciously opened the door for us to enter, we invite her to help judge the case and witness together who is really behind General Lou.
"The main culprit must be someone substantial, their actions so malicious. The Commandery Princess’ esteemed status permits direct petition to the throne; when the truth is revealed, we ask the Commandery Princess to vindicate Mr. Liu, and seek severe punishment before the imperial concubine on our behalf!"