At this moment, in the main hall of Marquis Ningyuan’s Mansion, Li Lu sat demurely on one side, looking shy.
Ye Zhenyu said to Leng Zongfa, "Marquis has said so much, and I have given ample face. Is there something you wish to say? Feel free to speak directly, Marquis."
Leng Zongfa gave an awkward smile, "Please, Prince, accompany me to the dining hall. We shall discuss the matter over some wine!"
As he spoke, he stood up and gestured invitingly with his hand.
Ye Zhenyu squinted his eyes at the bowing and nodding figure before him and replied, "Very well."
Leng Zongfa had invited him to drink over ten times, so he would give him this courtesy.
It was because of the relationship once formed when Lai Manting was his concubine.
As the group arrived at the dining hall, Leng Zongfa ordered Li Lu to pour the wine.
Ye Zhenyu’s fingers circled the wine cup a few times but he did not touch the wine inside.
Eager to show off, Li Lu tenderly said, "Prince Liang, please do have a drink! It is my first time pouring wine for a man, so please give me this honor!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhenyu looked towards Li Lu.
He had almost no impression of this woman. How many daughters does Leng Zongfa have?
Seeing Ye Zhenyu seemingly uninterested in Li Lu, Leng Zongfa hastily said, "Your Highness Prince Liang, my third daughter is no achiever, but the connection between Prince Liang and our mansion remains. Li Lu is my fourth daughter, with a much better temperament than Manting, very mild and obedient. Would you consider continuing the bond with our mansion?"
"Oh?" Ye Zhenyu responded with a light smile.
Thinking there was a chance, Leng Zongfa quickly added, "Li Lu admires Prince Liang deeply, won’t you say something, Lu?"
Li Lu’s face flushed red, clutching her handkerchief, just about to decide on the tone and words to use when a sharp voice rang out—
"Li Lu, you have no shame!"
Everyone in the dining hall looked towards the entrance, only to see Lai Manting, her face covered with a veil, storming in angrily.
She nearly ran to the dining table, grabbed the wine cup in front of Ye Zhenyu, and splashed the wine onto Li Lu’s face.
Caught off guard, Li Lu was splashed, trying to hide behind Ye Zhenyu, "Prince Liang, save me!"
Her voice was sorrowful, her figure frail.
Ye Zhenyu snorted with laughter and then stood up, stepping away from Li Lu.
"We won’t be able to enjoy the wine today."
With those words, he strode away.
Seeing this excellent opportunity slip by, Leng Zongfa was filled with anger and raised his hand to strike Lai Manting.
A slap resounded, striking Lai Manting’s face, followed by the seeping of blood.
Lai Manting aggressively grabbed Li Lu’s hair, glaring fiercely at Leng Zongfa, "Father, if you dare let this little tramp steal my man, do you believe I will ruin her face as well?"
Li Lu, not to be outdone, grabbed Lai Manting’s hair, "Prince Liang doesn’t want you anymore. Why don’t you look in the mirror?"
The two women scuffled together, bumping into the dining table, causing plates to shift and a wine jug to crash to the ground.
"Enough is enough!" shouted Leng Zongfa. "Come, take Lai Manting to the woodshed!"
As Lai Manting kept pulling Li Lu’s hair, attempting to kick her in the stomach, she heard her father’s words and became even more furious, viciously ripping a piece of scalp along with the hair from Li Lu’s head.
Li Lu felt a sharp pain in her head, touched it to find her hand covered in blood, and saw her own scalp in Lai Manting’s hand, bloody.
"Ah..." She screamed piercingly.
Lai Manting didn’t expect her own strength to be so great, dropping the hair with scalp once she saw what it was, and feigned calm as she scolded, "This is what happens when you try to seduce Prince Liang!"
Driven nearly mad, Li Lu tore off the veil from Lai Manting’s face, using both hands frantically to claw at the place where the skin had been torn.
Lai Manting was momentarily stunned, and now with Li Lu grabbing her, the stinging pain on her face washed over her, overwhelming.
The two once again entangled and scrapped uncontrollably.
Leng Zongfa was completely dumbfounded; he had never expected his usually gentle daughters could fight .
When his gaze moved to Li Lu’s head and saw the bloody, mangled mess, Leng Zongfa’s heart suddenly sank as if a huge stone weighed it down. What kind of daughters would he have to use from now on?
The future of Marquis Mansion was ruined just like that!
With that thought, Leng Zongfa’s eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
Not long after, Old Madam Lai along with Mrs. Feng and Aunt Hu all arrived at the dining hall.
Only then did the scuffle in the dining hall cease.
During the day, Old Madam Lai was still fairly lucid and she shouted angrily, "Creating such a commotion, making us the laughing stock, what kind of dignity is this?"
Mrs. Feng and Aunt Hu looked at their respective daughters and started arguing following suit.
Old Madam Lai pinched Leng Zongfa’s philtrum, and once he woke up, she shouted, "Enough from everyone!"
Mrs. Feng asked, "According to mother-in-law, what should we do about the situation now? If Manting’s face cannot be restored, I certainly won’t spare Aunt Hu and Li Lu!"
Aunt Hu was not to be outdone, "Old Madam, Lady, you must have seen clearly, it was the third miss who tore off the fourth miss’s scalp, really, who shouldn’t be spared?"
Old Madam Lai slammed her hand on the table, "We are a family, and a family should help each other!"
Leng Zongfa covered his face and wept, "Mother, I am incompetent! Both of my daughters’ faces are ruined, what will become of our Marquis Mansion’s livelihood in the future?"
Old Madam Lai pondered for a moment, then said, "Let Lai Hao go find the Divine Doctor again. The urgent matter for our Marquis Mansion now is to heal Manting’s face and also to heal Li Lu’s scalp."
Upon hearing this, everyone finally calmed down.
"The only thing we can do now!" said Mrs. Feng, "No matter how much silver it costs, we must find the Divine Doctor!"
Lai Jiajia had lunch at Prince Zhenbei Mansion, drank tea in the afternoon, and had dinner in the evening.
She ate a lot and quickly, which stunned Ye Jiu.
"Hey, we still have supper tonight, can you still eat more?" Ye Jiu, who had never seen a woman who could eat so much, finally voiced the question that had been pressing on his heart.
Lai Jiajia then pursed her lips, "I like to eat, sorry for making Ninth Princess laugh. Sister, the desserts are delicious, and so are the meals; I wish I could come eat here every day."
Leng Yu Yan laughed, "Anyway, she doesn’t gain weight. Besides, she usually likes food, but she doesn’t eat this much every day."
Ye Jiu quietly breathed a sigh of relief, "It’s really nice to be able to eat without gaining weight."
Leng Yu Yan then instructed Miao Zhu to pack some desserts for Lai Jiajia, who didn’t mind having more, smiling as she said, "Add some more!"
Just then, Lai Xuan arrived.
"Sister, you seem so content here, aren’t you forgetting about home?" As he spoke, Lai Xuan saw Li Yuyue and Leng Yu Yan and greeted them, "I’ve seen the Princely Heir and Commandery Princess."
Li Yuyue nodded, and Leng Yu Yan politely introduced, "This is the Ninth Princess."
Lai Xuan respectfully bowed, "I’ve seen Ninth Princess."
Ye Jiu gestured with her hand, "Please get up quickly."
"Ah Ju, this young man is Jiajia’s brother," Leng Yu Yan added.
Lai Xuan nodded, then said, "Today, a big incident occurred at Marquis Mansion. Father was worried about sister’s safety on the way home, so he sent me to pick her up."
Lai Jiajia stuffed a piece of dessert into her mouth, "Is it related to Prince Liang?"
"It is related, yet it’s not exactly related..." Lai Xuan began telling the story of Lai Manting and Li Lu fighting each other.