Madam Cen also rushed out, grabbed hold of her, and while wiping away Peony's tears, coldly stared at Madam Cui and said: "Without distinguishing right from wrong, you splashed dirty water on your niece's face. Our family has never had such a thoughtful relative who only thinks of helping outsiders to scheme against their own niece. Please leave, I won't keep the guest any longer. As for whether our Dan Niang really accepted the betrothal gifts and wants to renege on the marriage, and what kind of trouble she might stir up, you don't need to worry about it on our behalf. Just go back and tell your master according to Dan Niang's words! If you want to kill or punish her, be my guest!"

  Mrs. Choi's face turned red and white, thinking that the He family had already turned against them with a satisfied expression. But she couldn't let them know that before coming here, she had made up her mind to not have any further dealings with this family even if they didn't achieve their goal. Think about it, after completely turning against each other, Li Wei would have no choice but to give up, and see if he still dared to secretly go find Peony, dragging his feet and refusing to get engaged to the Wu family? And secretly planning to run away on a long trip? How could they still be called birds of a feather?!

  Madam Choi puffed out her chest again, sneering coldly: "Dan Niang, don't try to intimidate me. If you want to do something, be prepared to take responsibility. Don't bite off more than you can chew and not know the kindness of others! Now this matter can't be clearly said who is right or wrong, are you going to make them find witnesses? By then, it's likely that everyone will lose face! You all think carefully about what to do next before coming back to talk. Don't regret it later with no place to go. I'm leaving first!" After finishing speaking, she hurriedly left in large strides.

  Zhen Shi heard the commotion and ran out to see what was happening. Seeing the situation, she hastily rushed back into the house, grabbed the gifts brought by Madame Cui, and chased after her. Before Madame Cui could climb up to the eaves, Zhen Shi fiercely threw the gifts at her feet, trampled on them a few times, and then began to scold her. To say what Zhen Shi was best at, it was adding fuel to the fire and being extremely fierce when quarreling and scolding others.

  As soon as Zhen spoke up, Sun and the others followed suit, not directly scolding her but chiming in with subtle jabs and veiled insults. Many people gathered around to watch the commotion and ask about the situation. Zhen didn't know what specifically had happened, only that Cui's wife had offended Xun's wife and Peony, driving Peony to desperation. She figured it was just a case of an official's wife looking down on her relatives and bullying them. So she added fuel to the fire with her own imagination, speaking with great passion, leaving everyone in awe.

  Mrs. Choi was surrounded and heard many unpleasant words, feeling ashamed, angry and annoyed. She wanted to scold them back, but felt that arguing with these coarse people would be beneath her dignity as a lady, so she kept a straight face and only ordered her servants to hurry up and leave. Seeing one of the servants still bending down to pick up the gifts thrown out by Zhen's family, she was furious and shouted: "Don't pick them up, just let the dogs eat them!" She then sternly said: "A dog that has been raised for a few years will still know how to repay kindness, but a person who has been helped for many years will turn their back on you because of one small thing, it's simply worse than a dog!"

  As soon as the words were spoken, Peony had already rushed out with a small screen fan in her hand, shouting: "Is my whole life a trivial matter? Am I not showing gratitude by refusing to be someone's nameless and lowly concubine? Is it that I'm ungrateful and don't recognize people's kindness, worse than a dog? Fine, your family has helped me greatly, I owe you a debt of gratitude. Now I'll repay your family with my own life!" She didn't want to rely on anyone, nor could she, so she had no choice but to rely on herself, sacrificing her dignity and reputation. Who's afraid of whom now?

  Bai followed closely behind, chasing after Peony and holding her back. "Dan Niang, don't be so impulsive," she advised earnestly. "What's the point of burning everything to ashes? Is it worth making such a big fuss over?" Unlike the other sisters-in-law, she did not approve of Peony's drastic approach to solving problems. The men hadn't even returned home yet, who knew if this was what Mr. Li had in mind? For now, only Madame Cui had stepped forward, so there was still room for maneuvering. But if Peony really took the screen and paraded it around the streets, the relationship between the two families would be completely severed... After all, the Li family had helped the He family a lot in the past, who knew if they would come begging again in the future? They couldn't cut ties completely!

  Madam Choi gazed at it for a moment, and on the small screen of the purple sandalwood bed head that Peony held high, several dozen words were clearly written: "I, He Weifang, have no kinship with Li Yuan, the long history of Ning Wangfu. All my actions are voluntary, no one forced me, and I don't blame Li Yuan." The handwriting was a bit messy, but it could still be seen clearly.

  Madam Choi couldn't help but break out in cold sweat when she saw the seven big characters "Ning Wang Fu Zhang Shi Li Yuan". This dead girl's hands and feet are really quick, but she can also do it! Since it has nothing to do with Li Yuan, why drag Li Yuan into it? And even write down Li Yuan's official position, her heart is despicable! How did she not know before that Peony was such a troublesome master? If Peony holds up this screen and takes a stroll for a while, I'm afraid the whole city will know by tomorrow. At that time, not only will Li Yuan lose face, but Ning Wang's face will also be unbearable. She can't afford to take on this responsibility!

  Mrs. Choi, who had been in the official and business circles for many years, was always at ease, what kind of person is she? She was used to being able to stretch and yield, when it was time to be gentle, she would be gentle, and when it was time to be tough, she could be tough. At this moment, she called out to someone to lower the eaves, took a step forward, and quickly ran towards Peony, snatching the small fan from her hand, trying to cover up those deadly words. On the other hand, she smiled and said: "Peony, let's talk things over properly, you're being too impulsive! Even if your aunt can't speak or handle things well, and has offended you, you can't be so ruthless as to put your cousin and brother-in-law to death! You say you're a woman, really holding this fan and parading through the streets, bumping into the Ning Wang Fu and dying, what's the benefit for you? What's the benefit for your parents and family? If you die, how will they survive? They'll still have to live on and suffer!"

  "Peony fiercely pushed Mrs. Cui away, her eyes red with cold laughter: 'My mother said it, my intention is hers! My head can be cut off, but my reputation cannot be lost! I'm not afraid of losing face or dying. When I die, people will know that the daughter of the He family is not someone to be bullied and taken advantage of, she also has dignity and wants to save face! To be a concubine for others? First take my life away! You wait, after I die, there will still be people who will avenge me!'"

  Unless absolutely necessary, she didn't want to be paraded through the streets, nor did she want to offend the Ning Wang Fu so severely that it would make Li Yuan and Li Yi lose face. She also didn't want to end up losing her life over this and causing a heap of trouble for her family. But if she didn't put on such a fierce appearance, how could she get Madame Cui to back down? At the critical moment, she couldn't afford to lose momentum. Actually, when pushed to the limit, she was also capable of being very forceful.

  Mrs. Choi was pushed by Peony and stumbled, and she managed to stand firm with the help of Bai Shi. Seeing that Peony had already rushed down the steps, she quickly went to push Bai Shi: "Second Brother's wife, hurry up and hold onto Dan Niang, this will lead to big trouble, no one can get a good outcome." If you ask her why she chose Bai Shi, it's because she knew Bai Shi was clever and resourceful.

  Bai helped her pull Mudan, and Wu Yiniang and Yang Yiniang also persuaded Cen Furen in the courtyard: "There is still room for maneuver in this matter, will Dan Niang be too radical? If it really gets out of hand, his family won't get anything good, but it's not easy to end well either. It's not good for Dan Niang either. Madam, you'd better say something and call Dan Niang back."

  "Are you saying that Dan Niang should go and be someone's concubine without any status? Am I unable to raise her or have I gone mad wanting to curry favor with the imperial family? My family has been merchants for generations, but we've never stooped to being someone's subordinate! Are you trying to persuade me to let my daughter become someone's concubine? You want me to swallow this insult? Unless she can explain things clearly and resolve this matter properly!"

  Wu Yiniang and Yang Yiniang, who were both serving as maids, heard this and didn't dare to persuade anymore. They stopped talking, lowered their heads, and stood still on the side, motionless.

  Madam Choi heard this and knew that Madam Xun and Peony were indeed of one mind, so she tightly grasped Peony's waist, shamelessly clinging to her and refusing to let go. As she pulled Peony towards the He family's gate, she ordered the servants who followed her to chase away the onlookers, shouting: "The child is being foolish and causing a commotion, everyone should not take it seriously."

  Zhen Shi let out a cry, rolled up her sleeves and was about to rush forward to help Peony, but Xue Shi hurried out and gave her a stern look. Then she took the lead in pretending to stop Mrs. Cui, telling her to let go. Zhen Shi had no choice but to give up on that idea, and together with Xue Shi, they half-pushed and half-pulled Mrs. Cui and Bai Shi back into the He family's gate.

  Mrs. Choi was so exhausted that she was covered in sweat and almost cried: "Dan Niang, are you going to take my old life?!"

  "Peony was tightly held in Bai's arms, her eyes red as she loudly retorted: 'It's only right if Aunt wants my life! I'll return it to you, aren't you satisfied yet?'"

  Mrs. Cui saw that she was being stubborn and unreasonable, and felt a headache, thinking that she was just a spoiled girl who had become arrogant like He Dalang and others. With a thick face, she played the emotional card to Lady Xian, who was coldly watching her from the side: "We've known each other for decades, even if I have countless faults, your brother-in-law still has times when he treats you with kindness, and Man Niang always treated you like a close sister, do you need to be so ruthless just because of one disagreement?"

  "Alright, I won't push you to the limit, but you mustn't either. I know why you've become so ruthless and what you're really after. Don't worry, once this matter is settled, we'll go our separate ways and never bother each other again. If it can't be resolved, I have nothing to do with that child; she has a bad temper, and her brothers are the same - who knows what reckless things they might do? By then, it will indeed be too late for regrets! What I want to advise you, sister-in-law, is that your brother's success today didn't come easily, so don't let one impulsive move ruin everything for him."

  "Alright, I'll go reject him right away. Wait for my good news."

  Mrs. Cen said calmly: "I'm a straightforward person, and so is my family. Sister-in-law has always been meticulous in her work, she wouldn't leave any loose ends."

  Mrs. Choi's teeth chattered with anger: "This is not a trivial matter, I must think carefully about what to do." But who knows whether Meng Ruren was telling the truth or lying? Did King Ning really want Mudan to enter the palace? If it was just Meng Ruren's idea, that would be easy to handle. But if King Ning also had such thoughts, it would be a bit troublesome. However, now that things have come to this point, this person can no longer be kept around. If she were to become disloyal and stab King Ning at a critical moment, that would be a crime punishable by the destruction of one's entire family.

  "Mother, don't always rush my aunt. I know this matter is not easy, and we must give her some time. If we really can't wait, we can go to the Ning Wang Fu to find a way with my aunt." She wanted to test whether Li Yuan knew about this matter or not, and also intended to make a scene in front of the Ning Wang Fu gate to see if Madame Cui was afraid or not.

  The threat of the peony actually worked, and Madame Choi scrunched up her eyebrows, gritted her silver teeth, and grasped the handkerchief tightly, saying in a stern tone: "You can rest assured that Ning Wang is not someone who takes things by force. If you're unwilling, he won't even bother." After finishing speaking, she flung the handkerchief aside and turned to leave. Madame Xun called out: "Wait!"

  Mrs. Cui stopped in her tracks, turned around to look at Mrs. Xian, who took two steps forward and whispered in her ear: "Take good care of your son! When a person is poor, they blame the foundation of their house; if you can't take care of your child properly, don't blame others, you really have no shame!" Then she stepped back and said calmly: "Alright, you can go now."

  Mrs. Choi was so angry that she suddenly shuddered, and didn't know how to walk out of the He family's gate. Fortunately, when she left the house, she still thought of leaving someone outside to keep watch and observe the movements of the He family. If they saw anything unusual, they would immediately go back and report.

  Madam Xun said those words, feeling that the bad breath she had been holding in her heart for a long time finally dissipated. She looked at her daughters-in-law and tried to make herself appear calm: "Have someone go call your father back, it's all over now. Dan Niang, come with me."

  The peony saw Mrs. Cui walk far away, and then she stuffed the small screen of purple sandalwood bed head that was tightly held in her arms with charcoal pen full of words into Lin's mother's arms, which were full of tears, and lightly breathed: "Mom, don't cry, help me hold this screen, it's really heavy."

  Zhen took it away in a huff: "You also know about Xun? Can't you find another suitable one? This has been passed down for generations." She had her eye on this screen long ago, but unexpectedly, Peony ruined it out of the blue.

  The peony was moved by Mrs. Zhen's timely protection of herself, and didn't mind her tone, only saying: "At that time, there wasn't a suitable one." If she hadn't been unable to find a suitable board for the time being, she wouldn't have gone to grab this bed screen from Mrs. Cen either. This thing isn't handy, it has to be remade, with two sides glued with silk fabric, and the words written bigger, especially those seven characters "Ning Wang Fu Zhang Shi Li Yuan", which must be written in cinnabar, so that people can see them clearly from a distance, only then will the effect be good.

  Madam Xun sighed, this purple sandalwood flower bird screen was her beloved treasure, accompanied her for decades, today finally died in Peony's hands, but also considered a worthy death. Madam Xun signaled Mrs. Zhen to take the small screen away and tidy up, led Peony inside, and painfully rubbed her two hands saying: "Rest first. When your father and brothers come back, we'll immediately think of a solution, won't let you bear it alone."

  "Can't wait any longer, she agreed to go and reject on the surface, but who knows what she's really thinking? Maybe she'll do something unexpected behind our backs. Must prepare in advance, hurry up and make a sign, light and eye-catching, if not, I have no choice but to take this path; second thing, I'm going to Huang's house right away, can't let them get ahead of us."

  Madam Cen had previously sent Peony to disturb Mrs. Cui, but if Peony really went out with a placard and was killed in front of the Ning Wang Fu, she would be heartbroken. She would rather die herself. But at this moment, she didn't say this to Peony, only saying: "I'll have someone make the placard right away. You go to the Huang's house for now, but I don't know if they'll show their faces. After all, this matter hasn't affected them yet. If they help you, they'll offend Ning Wang...

  This is also what Peony is worried about, but if she doesn't try, no one will know the outcome. She rubbed her tired eyebrows: "If all else fails, I'll think of something else. I won't involve Snow Girl even if I go to ask for help from his family and get him to testify at a critical moment. His family shouldn't refuse." Although she told Mrs. Cen that the Huang family wouldn't refuse, in reality, she was anxious inside. If the Huang family refused, she had no way of forcing them, and then she would really have no choice but to take that path.

  Madam Cen let out a quiet sigh, and immediately ordered someone to make arrangements. She also said she would accompany Peony, who replied: "Please ask Big Sister to go with me, Mother will stay at home waiting for Father to return. If the discussion goes well, it's fine to come pick me up later."

  Madam Cen was afraid that Peony and Xue would get into trouble if they went out, so she was thinking about who to send with them when she heard the gatekeeper come to report: "Madam, Zhang Wu Lang has arrived. He said he heard someone making a disturbance at our gate and came over to see if there's anything he can help with."

  Madam Cen was overjoyed and hastily ordered someone to invite Zhang Wu Lang into the main hall for tea. She tidied herself up a bit before leading Peony out to meet Zhang Wu Lang.

  Zhang Wulang was wearing a black gauze hat, a bright yellow robe with large sleeves rolled up high, revealing two thick and hairy arms. On his black leather boots, there were still some yellow-green sticky feathers stuck to them. When he saw Peony and Mrs. Cen enter, he immediately stood up and bowed, raising his eyes to look at Peony. He saw that Peony was wearing a simple dress, her hair loose and untidy, with no ornaments on her face, which had not been made up, and her eyes were still red from crying, although she was smiling, but the smile looked more painful than tears, making people's hearts ache when they saw it. Mrs. Cen, however, still looked calm as usual, but her eyebrows and eyes were very serious.

  Zhang Wulang didn't wait for Mrs. Cen to speak, and Peony returned the courtesy, directly getting to the point: "Just now, my younger nephew heard his brothers say that someone came to bully Dan Niang's sister, so he hurried over to see what was going on. He has already been told to inform Fourth Brother, I wonder if there is anything Mother wants me to do?"

  Madam Cui said with gratitude, "Good nephew, you have a kind heart. You've come at just the right time. There's no time to tell you what's been going on, but Dan Niang is about to go to Xuanzheng Fang to visit a friend and there's no one to escort her. I'm worried she'll be taken advantage of, so it would be great if you could see her there."

  "Rest assured, Auntie," Zhang Wu Lang patted his chest and guaranteed, "I will definitely protect Dan Niang safely."

  Madam Cen didn't say much, called Xue Shi over and asked Zhang Wulang to bring a few people over, prepared horses according to the number of people, and saw Peony off at the door. As soon as Peony left, the person left behind by Madam Cui immediately rushed back to inform Madam Cui without mentioning it.

  At this time, the fourth son of the family also received the news and hurried back. After listening to Mrs. Cen's words about what had happened, he glared with his eyes and turned around to go out. Mrs. Cen said angrily: "Where are you going?"

  "Wait for me to go and kill Li Xingzhi! If I get rid of this scourge, everything will be fine. I'll smash his shop too, and make his old mother suffer a bit."

  "Mrs. Cen said: "Nonsense! What are you dragging him into again?""

  "What's the point of looking for someone else when he's the one who caused all this?" With that, Si Lang took off in big strides. Madam Cen shouted after him: "Stop him!" But Si Lang was too fast, his large hands swatting aside the two house guards who tried to block his way, and he vanished through the doorway in an instant.

  Bai Shi supported Madame Cen with his hands and consoled her, "Don't worry, Fourth Brother is not a fool, he was just talking big. He has always been cautious in his actions. This matter, it's better that he knows about it too. If you're still worried, I'll follow him to keep an eye on things, so he won't cause any trouble."

  "Then why don't you go quickly?" said Mrs. Cen stamping her foot.

  Bai's wife hastily invited Li Shi, the wife of Fourth Brother. The two sisters-in-law brought several strong and capable servants, mounted their horses, and went to chase after Fourth Brother without delay.

  There's a saying that good news doesn't spread far, but bad news travels a thousand miles. However, as soon as Peony stepped out of the door, she noticed that the neighbors who were still lingering outside looked at her with different eyes. A few gossipy ones even came up to greet her and Madam Xue, their faces full of curiosity. Fortunately, they were all chased away by Zhang Wu Lang, who rode past them with a dark face. This happened twice before no one dared to disturb them again. Only after leaving the street where the He family lived did they finally feel relieved.

  A group of people left Xuanpingfang, bypassed the East Market, and went straight to the front of the Imperial City, preparing to head towards the Buzhengfang where the Huang family was located. Zhang Wulang carefully observed Peony, who was obviously preoccupied with thoughts, wanting to ask about the truth but hesitating to speak up. After a long time, he asked Xue Shi: "May I ask, sister-in-law, what's going on?"

  Xue Shi didn't want to explain in detail, but felt that asking for help without explaining the situation clearly was impolite. So he carefully chose his words and said: "Someone wants to force our Dan Niang into the Wang Fu as a nameless concubine, but Dan Niang is unwilling, which is why this happened."

  Zhang Wulang's anger burned, he spat and cursed: "You dare to be so arrogant, is there still a king's law? Dan Niang, don't worry, if anyone dares to do this, I will not forgive him. What should I do now..."

  "Thank you, Fifth Brother Zhang," Peony said gratefully. "If you can just escort us to the Buzheng Fang, that's already a huge help. For now, there really isn't anything else." In this matter, she had gotten herself into trouble, and if Zhang Wu got involved, wouldn't he also be in for it? Escorting them was one thing, but she didn't dare let Zhang Wu get entangled in the affair.

  Zhang Wulang was about to say something when he suddenly heard someone in front of him say, "Huh? Isn't that He Niang? Where is she going?" It turned out to be Wu, who was standing with several men wearing red silk ribbons on their heads, brown round-collared robes with missing sleeves, and full beards, with knives hanging from their waists. They were standing at the edge of the street in front of the Anshun Gate of the Imperial City, looking over at Peony with surprise all over their faces.

  "Peony was busy in the morning, and Wu Zongguan forced a smile: 'Wu Zongguan is good, I have something important to do, so I won't get off my horse. You're busy, I'm in a hurry.'"

  He glanced at Peony and others, smiled and bowed: "You're busy, you're busy." After Peony walked away, he turned back to those people and said: "You wait here for the public, I'll be right back."