They entered the main hall, but saw Mrs. Cui sitting high on a throne next to Mrs. Xian, with a hairpin one foot high on her head, adorned with a large and small pair of gold-framed jade-inlaid combs that were currently popular, wearing a cherry blossom-colored large-sleeved shirt, lined with sapphire blue mud-gold eight-panel gauze skirt, majestic and noble, fragrant and suffocating, indeed the most magnificent attire. Peony had a premonition that Mrs. Cui would not enter the precious hall for nothing, this trip would certainly not be good.

  When Peony came in, Mrs. Cui's lips curled up with a hint of a smile, looking seemingly affectionate but actually scrutinizing Peony, who had her hair loosely tied back and was wearing a half-old honey-colored changshan dress. After a while, she reached out to pull Peony over to sit next to her, stroking Peony's hand and saying: "Oh my, you're getting more and more beautiful, but what's with your hands? A pair of delicate hands have become like this... In a woman's family, these two hands are the most important. You say you don't stay at home and enjoy life, riding horses everywhere, exposed to wind and sun, what's the benefit of that? It just makes people at home worry about you all the time. Those who know you say you're too stubborn, those who don't know you think your parents and siblings treat you poorly."

  Madam Cen's face, which was already not very pleasant to look at, became even more unpleasant as she listened to these words. She restrained herself from losing her temper and instead looked down at the Yue kiln ceramic tea cup in her hand. It was true that she had been worried when Peony went out, and it was also true that she felt heartache for Peony's hardships. However, her daughter could only be spoken to by her and He Zhizhong; whenever outsiders said a few words, she would feel heartbroken, let alone someone like Madam Cui who clearly did not have good intentions.

  Peony felt uncomfortable with Mrs. Cui's behavior, which was clearly insincere, so she tactfully freed herself from Mrs. Cui's grasp and handed her a cup of tea, saying: "Thank you, Aunt, for your concern. As you said, there are many people in this world who don't know the truth but like to spread rumors and gossip. Must those who are being talked about go find them one by one to clarify things? What a waste of energy! In the end, outsiders are just mouths, good or bad, as long as our own family knows, we're happy with ourselves, that's all that matters, who cares what others say?"

  Mrs. Choi smiled mysteriously and said, "Can people easily cut off their relationships with others? Even if they lock themselves indoors, it's not like everything will be fine. If outsiders really don't care and don't know about it, I'm afraid only the dead can achieve that."

  Peony heard her tone was not good, as if she had a lot of resentment towards herself, thinking that saying more would only make things worse, so she ignored her and turned around to tease He Chun, pretending not to have heard.

  Madam Cen frowned and said, "Elder sister-in-law, your words are not right. Even if you want to teach us a lesson as our elder, it's not necessary to be so harsh. You should show some restraint."

  "Good heavens!" exclaimed Mrs. Chai, feigning sudden realization and regret, extremely sincere in her tone: "It's my fault, I was thinking of something on my mind and didn't know where I was going with my words. Don't blame me, Tabi, don't blame me, Dan Niang."

  Peony got up and bowed to Mrs. Cui, saying: "Your nephew's daughter does not dare."

  Madam Cen's face sank as she picked up her teacup and poured tea directly into her belly to put out the fire, without saying a word.

  Mrs. Choi saw that no one asked her what she was thinking in her heart, hesitated for a moment, and smiled: "I'm here to tell you the good news. Our family's next month on the sixth day, we will be engaged with Qinghe Wu's 19th daughter."

  "First of all, congratulations are in order. Nineteen is very good, and she's a perfect match for my brother." Losing the battle but not the war, Mrs. Cen also led several daughters-in-law to congratulate Mrs. Cui, and the room was filled with excitement.

  Mrs. Choi's mood did not improve at all, but instead became more annoyed, looking at Peony with a fake smile and saying: "I heard from Luoshan that your cousin went to your villa again a few days ago?"

  When Peony heard her say the word "again", her expression was like a teacher questioning a student, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of anger in her heart. She suppressed her discontent and annoyance, and said: "Yes, Brother-in-law said he was on an errand for Prince Ning, to find someone near my village. The person wasn't there, so he came over to rest his feet for a while. He didn't stay long before finding the person, discussing official business and then leaving. But what went wrong in between?"

  Mrs. Choi's eyes flashed with a hint of resentment, but she quickly replied: "No."

  Li Wei went to the villa to look for Peony, but Mrs. Cen didn't know about it. Now that she mentions it, she can't help but feel a little worried. Peony smiled at her and hinted that there was nothing to worry about, so Mrs. Cen didn't ask any more questions, pretending that she had known about it all along. "I've also heard Dan Niang mention this before," she said. "Didn't you know, Sister-in-law?"

  "It's not a big deal, I don't care that much, but coincidentally, I just happened to ask. Madame Cui fell silent for a moment, composed herself, and spoke with a hint of severity: "Dan Niang, I have something important to ask you." As she spoke, she glanced at the guests accompanying her, including Shi and Bai."

  Madam Xian, although annoyed by her eccentric behavior, also wanted to know what she had come for, so she gave a signal to the daughters-in-law and they immediately took some of the younger ones out, sending away the servants. She herself sat down in the corridor, doing needlework while keeping watch at the door, not allowing anyone else to approach.

  "Madam Choi smoothed out her clothes and looked at Peony sternly, saying: 'Peony, the matter I'm going to ask you about next is of great importance. You must tell me the truth!'"

  Madam Cen was startled by her attitude and thought that Peony had done something terribly wrong. She felt anxious, yet hopeful, resentful towards Madam Cui for treating Peony this way, and also a bit annoyed at Peony for not listening. With a stern face, she said: "Dan Niang, what have you done to make your aunt so angry? Speak up quickly! If you're right, no one will be able to bully you. But if you're wrong, I'll...I'll spank you to death!"

  The peony asked himself in his heart without guilt, and then heard Mrs. Cen's words, which was clearly to support herself, so that she wouldn't be afraid. He smiled reassuringly at Mrs. Cen and said: "Mother, don't worry, I haven't done anything wrong." Turning around, he looked straight at Mrs. Cui and said: "Aunt, if you have any questions, just ask me. I'm open and honest, and there's nothing I can't tell you truthfully."

  "Madam Choi's lips curved into a subtle, sarcastic smile as she spoke in a measured tone: 'I'm asking you, how did you manage to get on the bad side of Prince Ning? Do you have any idea how much trouble this has caused us? I always thought you were a sensible and well-mannered child, but it turns out you're just as foolish and thoughtless!'"

  She came with an interrogative and affirmative tone, as if she had already determined the facts, rather than being unaware of the situation and wanting to know the truth by asking people seriously. This made Peony very unhappy and felt inexplicable, so he said: "Auntie, you should make it clear, how did I provoke Ning Wang? What trouble have I caused for you? I'm confused, where was my fault? You must tell me clearly, otherwise I won't understand or admit it!"

  "Are you even aware of what you've done yourself? And yet you come to ask me? Let me ask you, have you seen the Ning King? Have you accepted the bracelet sent by Meng Ruren?"

  "Only saw each other from afar, Meng Ruren sent something over, I didn't want to come but couldn't push it away or avoid it, actually because..."

  Mrs. Choi didn't wait for her to finish, and hastily interrupted: "If it's true, what else can be said? Now that someone has come to ask me for a person, saying you've already agreed, I wouldn't dare refuse! Previously, I didn't believe it, but now that I hear it, it seems to be true. This isn't my fault!" She had been harboring anger in her heart, and when she spoke, it was indeed with great indignation, only this anger wasn't the same as before.

  "Peony naturally recalled the strange situation of that day, and a terrible thought arose in her mind. She felt her heart racing wildly, as if it was about to jump out of her chest. Her face turned pale as she stared at Mrs. Cui, her throat constricting: 'What do you mean by "asking for someone"? Who is it? What did I agree to? What's real? Auntie, please don't speak in riddles, tell me clearly and straightforwardly!'"

  Madam Choi raised the corner of her mouth and slanted her eyes at Peony, only smiling: "Since you've done those things, you should understand that it's naturally about you - to take you into the mansion to serve Prince Ning. Although when Meng Ruren told me about this matter at the time, I felt ashamed, but I couldn't bear that you had already settled everything. Alright, I won't ask anything else, just to confirm and pass on the message... If it's true, I'll immediately go back and respond, make preparations, and choose a good day to take you in."

  "Peony Road hastily said: 'I didn't...'"

  "However, you must understand that the Ning Wangfei has just passed away and your situation is also here. It's a bit difficult in terms of status, and it's not possible to make a big show with drums and lanterns. But, you've been prepared for this for some time now, and you have advantages that others don't. If you're obedient and gentle after entering the palace, and we help support you, it's not impossible for you to stand out. You'll gain honor, and your family will also benefit from it. This is a rare opportunity... actually, you've thought this through quite well, and this path isn't bad for you."

  Mrs. Choi retorted sentence by sentence, and it turned out that she had already determined that everything was done by Peony herself, and she was in a hurry to do the small wife's job. Peony listened with rage, her anger rising wave after wave, she felt a deep sense of shame, thinking that she had been humiliated, and the person who humiliated her was still pretending to be a kind and innocent good person under the banner of considering for her. She was furious, she didn't want to lose her temper, but she really couldn't bear it, if she didn't shout loudly, she would suffocate to death.

  "Whatever! Aunt, you're really laughable! What do you mean by telling me to do those things? I was prepared long ago. Does the Ning Wangfu want to take me in as a servant for the Ning King? Are you here to act as matchmaker for your family or to lecture me? If you're here to act as matchmaker, you should have asked my family first if they agree, and then proceed with the six rituals, without missing any of the necessary etiquette. But if you're here as a senior relative to scold me, saying I did something wrong and didn't follow the rules, then you should listen to my explanation before making a judgment! You came here and slapped a big label on me, afraid that those dirty waters wouldn't be splashed onto me, and instead helped others splash them. It makes one wonder what your intentions are!"

  Madam Choi slammed her hand on the stool and shouted, "What are you talking about? I'm splashing dirty water on you? What's my intention? You've done something wrong, making both your uncle and me lose face. How can I not scold you a couple of times?" She was just a weak and sickly daughter from a humble family, yet she dared to think that the Ning Wang Fu would consider her as a potential bride? It was simply absurd!

  "Peony didn't respond to Aunt Cui's words, and instead flew into a rage: 'Aunt, don't be in such a hurry to get angry, I still have something to ask you. What did you mean by what you said earlier? You won't answer even if it kills me? Are you talking about my marriage? I have older brothers and uncles who can make decisions for me, or I can make them myself, and at worst, there are people from the He family who can help me with this important matter. Why do you need to intervene in my life? If you're not willing to listen to the truth, then don't come asking me questions, and don't try to help me out of the goodness of your heart! The ones who should be ashamed are those people with ulterior motives who pretend to be kind!"

  Since Mrs. Cui came with malicious intentions and wanted to push all the blame onto her, she didn't need to be polite to Mrs. Cui anymore. The relationship was already ruined, so what's the point of pretending? It wasn't like she had provoked Mrs. Cui first; it was Mrs. Cui who forced her to turn against her. Did being a concubine bring honor to someone's family? What kind of nonsense was that? Even if they were tired of her and wanted to curry favor with the Ning King, they couldn't do something so shameless or say such shameless things! And yet, Mrs. Cui acted as if she was in the right, putting on airs like a savior. Was it because the He family had always relied on the Li family's official status that Mrs. Cui could use this tone and language against her? It was truly despicable, regardless of how much affection there had been between the Li and He families in the past; it couldn't withstand such treatment!

  Her own daughter knew what kind of temperament she had, and Peony was absolutely not the kind of person who would be moved by wealth and power, regardless of shame, to actively seduce men. Mrs. Cen stroked her chest, suppressing her boundless anger, and scolded Peony: "Unruly! Even if you're dissatisfied, even if you're wronged, you shouldn't be smashing things, yelling, and shouting at your maternal aunt like this - what kind of decorum is this?"

  "But she didn't ask Peony to apologize, instead, she stared at Mrs. Cui with wide eyes and said sternly: 'Sister-in-law, this isn't the time to lose your temper, speak cold words, or shift the blame onto someone else. You need to explain what's going on in detail. You're yelling and scolding a child, one moment telling her to go to the Ning Wang Fu as some kind of nameless concubine, the next saying she did something wrong and brought shame to your family, and then saying she actually thought things through. How is she supposed to know what's going on? What do you want to say? Don't just talk about a 10-year-old child, even I don't understand your meaning. All I know is that anyone with integrity would be furious, if it were you, wouldn't you be angry too? There must be some misunderstanding we're not aware of. Sister-in-law, after you've said what you want to say, let's hear Peony out and then make a judgment.'"

  Mrs. Choi had long anticipated that Peony and the He family would react this way, and it was precisely because she knew they would that she adopted a proactive approach of attacking and condemning Peony from the start; otherwise, she might have been chased away as soon as she opened her mouth.

  Just now, she was pierced by Peony's words and her true feelings were exposed. She hated Peony for being so reckless, but at this moment, she had calmed down again. As she watched Peony's pale face due to anger, she sighed: "I knew it's hard to be a good person, whether you believe me or not, I didn't want to get involved in this matter, and I'm also in a difficult situation. If I don't intervene, Meng'er will ask Ning Wang on my behalf, and say that Dan Niang has accepted the gift and agreed, if I insist on stopping it, people will say I'm ungrateful, jealous, and malicious; but if I do intervene, others will say that I and your brother-in-law are trying to curry favor with Ning Wang by sending our own niece to be his concubine. It's all the same, shameless and faceless. I'm both angry and anxious, yet helpless.

  Who made me the aunt of this child, who made our two families so close? No matter how great the grievance, I have to bear it. But no, I'm here to be scolded! Being scolded is a small matter, but now I'm stuck with it. If you want to blame someone, you can only blame Dan Niang for being too kind and provoking others by accepting their gifts! It's not that I don't side with my own family, but you should know that even without the marriage certificate, receiving betrothal gifts is also a form of engagement. This name of "relying on marriage" doesn't sound good, and the Ning Wang Fu is not to be trifled with!

  I'm also worried for your sake, but taking a step back to think about it, this matter isn't bad for Dan Niang either, only good things. The Ning King is young and famous for being handsome, not to mention his noble status and esteemed reputation, with an unlimited future ahead of him. Few people in this world can match that, so Dan Niang wouldn't be humiliated at all. Moreover, who would dare say whether she's a golden phoenix or jade qilin in the future? At that time, your whole family will bask in the glory and enjoy good fortune."

  The peony is getting colder and colder, Mrs. Cui is indeed a seasoned official lady who has been in the business and government circles for many years, always like a fish in water. It turns out that she is eloquent and can talk nonsense with a straight face, turning black into white and red into green. As soon as she came, she put the hat on herself, saying that she was at fault, first saying "although there is no marriage certificate, but receiving betrothal gifts is also". Then she talked about the benefits of being a concubine to Ning Wang, promising a beautiful and illusory scene. This is intimidation and temptation, actually wanting her to listen and follow their arrangement, and also let her take on all the bad names alone, while others are noble and pure, with an upright air, only she is the one with ulterior motives, who would do anything to climb up and seduce men everywhere.

  But she's not that scared kid, nor is she the one who gets a sweet date and gets dizzy with a big pie in her eyes. She has seen life and death, she believes that in most cases, most people will show their kind side, but also knows that human nature is unpredictable, and emotions can become distorted when faced with benefits. She had just escaped from a cage, and was free to breathe for only a few days, yet they wanted to lock her up again in a cage with no escape? Dream on! Go die!

  But what's the point of arguing with Mrs. Cui? It's just a waste of energy. Peony closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were clear and calm. Her voice was still shaking, but her emotions had come under control: "Aunt, listen carefully. The situation that day was like this..." After she finished describing it, she concluded: "Whether you believe me or not, from start to finish, I didn't provoke anyone, say anything I shouldn't have said, or do anything I shouldn't have done. Mother, do you believe me? Actually, I don't care what others think of me; I'm just telling you this."

  Madam Cen's face was solemn as she said, "I believe you. I taught my daughter myself, so I know her best. Don't be afraid, things will be as they should be, and no one can bully you."

  Peony grasped Mrs. Cui's hand with emotion, looked up at her and smiled: "I didn't know that the wooden beads I was forced to wear were actually used as betrothal gifts? So it seems that not only do I have a share, but also Xue Niang has a share. To enter the Ning Wang Fu as an unnamed concubine is such a glorious and wonderful thing, yet it's something that can't be found even with a lantern. Then I must hurry to the Huang General's house to report the good news! You wait, I'll go find Xue Niang together to thank Ning Wang for his favor towards us two!" After speaking, she indeed walked out.

  Madam Cen saw her expression was off and hastily shouted: "Dan Niang, what are you going to do?"

  Madam Choi didn't expect Peony to be so stubborn, refusing to yield no matter what threats or inducements were used. Where was the timid and fearful little maid she used to know? And now she saw her saying she wanted to go find General Huang, hastily saying: "Peony, what nonsense are you spouting? What does this have to do with General Huang's family?"

  "Ha! How can you say it's not their family's business? Their daughter was betrothed to someone for a string of cheap wooden beads, and you think that's not their concern? Don't worry, Aunt, I won't bring shame to you or Uncle this time. No matter what the Huang family does, I'll wear a placard on my chest as I parade through the streets, with the words: 'I, He Weifang, have no relation whatsoever to Ning Wangfu's Long History Li Yuan. All my actions are voluntary, and no one has coerced me.' Then, I'll dash my head against the Ning Wangfu gates and die, giving everyone in the capital an explanation, leaving a good name for you both, so you won't be troubled or humiliated on my account. This way, you can rest easy, and I will have done right by you."

  Peony gritted her teeth and walked out resolutely, asking if she really dared to go to the Ning Wang Fu to make a scene. She did. In this world, she had nothing but a family that took care of her with all their heart, fearing that she would suffer injustice. She couldn't repay them, always causing trouble for them. This time it was the Li family who helped someone take action against her, what else could she do? Wasn't the Li family trying to curry favor with Ning Wang by doing this? Fine, when this matter not only failed but also became a stain on Ning Wang and Li Yuan's reputation, who would dare to touch her again? Who could do anything to her without losing face or their life?

  Xue's family heard the voices in the house, one louder than the other, and learned about the whole thing. Hearing Peony say that she would wear a signboard to parade through the streets, Xue felt both amused and frightened. Seeing Peony step out of the door with one foot, Xue threw down the needlework basket in her hand, rushed forward, and hugged Peony's waist, shouting: "Dan Niang, you're crazy! Are you trying to kill your parents? Your brothers are still here, who dares to bully you to death? I'll fight them to the death with your brothers and nephews!"

  The peony looked at Xue's face with unfeigned anxiety and indignation, and big drops of tears fell out.