The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Princess Mingyue gave Su Chengmin a cold stare.

Surrounded by guards and maids, they left Peach Blossom Dessert Shop and boarded a carriage at the nearby Prince Yu's Mansion.

Princess Mingyue originally wanted to say some harsh words to Tong Huaqiong, but because Su Chengmin was present and many common people were watching, she didn't have much of a chance.

However, there's plenty of time in the future, and she'll definitely get back double for the humiliation she suffered at Tong Huaqiong's hands today.

Prince Yu hid in the carriage waiting for Princess Mingyue.

Prince Yu never got off the carriage from beginning to end.

So embarrassing.

Now everyone in Shengjing knew that Princess Mingyue and the countrywoman were confronting each other in the Golden Palace. Ironically, the Emperor, who always favored the Prince Yu's Mansion, ordered Princess Mingyue to apologize to Tong Huaqiong in public.

The various factions are best at understanding the emperor's mind and then changing their stance accordingly.

His beloved daughter had suddenly fallen out of favor, and he wondered what the various factions in Shengjing would think of his Prince Yu's mansion.

"Father, I will remember this humiliation. We're all in Shengjing. I refuse to believe that that lowly country merchant guild won't fall into my hands. Even the Crown Prince won't be able to protect her then," Princess Mingyue said bitterly.

Prince Yu said, “I will send you to Longhua Temple under the guise of praying for the Emperor’s well-being. The Crown Prince has just returned to the capital, and the Emperor feels guilty towards him, so he is protecting the Tong family in every way to comfort the Crown Prince. He just arrived in the capital, and the Emperor punished his foster grandmother from the common people. What will outsiders think? So this confrontation in the Golden Palace may not be something the Emperor did to comfort the Crown Prince.”

After careful consideration, Prince Yu realized that the Emperor's actions were not only due to his suspicion of Prince Yu's residence, but more importantly, for the sake of the Crown Prince.

Since the Crown Prince has just returned to the capital and is now the Emperor's darling, then the Prince Yu's residence should temporarily avoid him.

That rural businesswoman couldn't stay successful forever.

Princess Mingyue's face fell as soon as she heard the words "Longhua Temple".

"That wretched maid Caixia can't even handle a pastry chef. Pulling out her tongue and beating her to death would be too lenient." Princess Mingyue became angrier the more she thought about it. Since she couldn't punish the people at Peach Blossom Dessert Shop, she wanted to take it out on Caixia and torture her severely to vent her anger.

The carriage clattered away from Dongshi Street, and upon seeing the carriages and pedestrians of Prince Yu's Mansion, they all made way for it.

The wind blew open a corner of the curtain of the carriage in Prince Yu's mansion.

Princess Mingyue saw a young man on horseback galloping towards her from the opposite direction.

The carriage was going too fast, and it sped past the carriage of Prince Yu's residence.

Although their meeting was brief and fleeting, that face still left Princess Mingyue in awe.

Whose son is that on horseback?

Princess Mingyue searched her memory; she had seen all the noble young men in Shengjing, but never had she met such a handsome and imposing face.

Lu Zhaoyang is considered handsome, but he pales in comparison to this young master.

If it weren't for the fact that they were on the street, and that she had just been reprimanded by the Emperor for needing to keep a low profile, Princess Mingyue would definitely have ridden after him and asked which family's young master he was.

Princess Mingyue felt as if she were being scratched by a cat.

Suddenly, a smile appeared on Princess Mingyue's lips.

The young man was wearing a scholar's cap, indicating he was a scholar without official rank. Judging from the style and color of the cap, he was definitely studying at the Imperial Academy.

Since she was studying at the Imperial Academy, she was able to find out whose son he was.

While at the Imperial Academy, Gu Jingzhe overheard Princess Mingyue from the Prince Yu's mansion causing trouble at Peach Blossom Dessert Shop. The trouble escalated all the way to the Emperor's presence, so he immediately asked for leave and borrowed a classmate's horse to rush to Lu Zhaoyang's place. The Lu family told him that Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua had already left the palace, so he rode his horse as fast as he could to Peach Blossom Dessert Shop.

On the way, I heard the news that Princess Mingyue apologized to the owner and staff of Peach Blossom Dessert Shop, and I felt that I had left Dapu.

It wasn't that he didn't believe his mother had the ability to turn the tide, but rather that Shengjing and Pingchuan County were different. Shengjing was a treacherous place, and when commoners confronted imperial power, they mostly ended up sacrificing themselves.

Upon arriving at Peach Blossom Dessert Shop, they saw Tong Huaqiong, Peach Blossom Valley, and others walking around, with Lu Zhaoyang and Su Chengmin accompanying them.

The shop has reopened, and the staff are enthusiastically welcoming customers, finally putting my mind at ease.

He was completely unaware that on his way here, he had brushed past the carriage of Prince Yu's residence, and that Princess Mingyue had already set her sights on his face.

"Did you run into Princess Mingyue when you came back?" Tong Huaqiong asked Gu Jingzhe. Calculating the time Gu Jingzhe arrived, it was just in time to bump into the people from Prince Yu's residence.

If the storyline from the previous life had unfolded as it did, that's how Gu Jingzhe and Princess Mingyue would have met.

What is supposed to come will come.

Gu Jingzhe shook his head, thinking that his mother was worried about him being harassed by the people from the Prince Yu's mansion on the way.

Tong Huaqiong had a bold idea when she saw Gu Jingzhe: Could it be that Princess Mingyue had met Gu Jingzhe before and knew that Gu Jingzhe was related to Peach Blossom Desserts, which is why she came to cause trouble for Peach Blossom Desserts?

Thinking about this, Tong Huaqiong asked, "Have you met Princess Mingyue before?"

Gu Jingzhe continued to shake his head and said, "No."

Princess Mingyue was known to everyone in Shengjing for her arrogance and domineering nature, and Gu Jingzhe, who worked at the Imperial Academy, had naturally heard of her infamous reputation.

But I have never seen it.

How could a student without any official rank have the opportunity to meet someone from the Prince Yu's residence?

Tong Huaqiong hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "If you meet her in the future, stay away from her."

There was no way she could say that the princess was destined to fall for her.

Gu Jingzhe nodded obediently.

Most of the students at the Imperial Academy were destined for officialdom, and many powerful families specifically sought to recruit commoner sons to their advantage. Gu Jingzhe, upon arriving at the Imperial Academy, was also offered opportunities, but he refused them all.

He thought Tong Huaqiong was reminding him not to associate with the Prince Yu's mansion.

It's hard to believe that he and Princess Mingyue had such a dramatic story in their previous life.

"Mother, sister, are you alright? I was so worried about you."

Gu Dashu went to the fur market to investigate in the morning. Hearing that his mother and sister had been sent to the palace because they had offended Princess Mingyue, he went to the side gate of the inner palace to inquire about the news.

It must be said that Gu Dashu has a talent for social interaction. He only entered the palace three times after arriving in Shengjing, and he already had people in the palace who could pass on messages.

The young eunuch told Gu Dashu everything that had happened in the Golden Palace. Like Gu Jingzhe, Gu Dashu rushed to Peach Blossom Dessert Shop.

“Do your sister and I look like we’re in trouble?” Tong Huaqiong said.

Gu Dashu said, "Mother is still the best."

Those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes.

Since you're being bullied at the card table, just kick it over.

"We should all be more careful from now on, and avoid people from the Prince Yu's residence. But we can't be afraid if something happens; we'll deal with whatever comes our way," Tong Huaqiong instructed her two sons.

Gu Dashu and Gu Jingzhe nodded.

“We’re not entirely without any bargaining chips. The Crown Prince is close to us, and Nie Xiaofeng is the deputy general. The Prince Yu’s Mansion will have to think twice before making any moves against us.” Tong Huaqiong considered her own resources and realized that she wasn’t completely without any.

These words made his two sons feel extremely guilty.

Gu Dashu said, "If my contribution were greater, I could protect my family."

Gu Dashu was frustrated that he was still not strong enough.

Gu Jingzhe said with remorse, "It's because my son is useless."

Tong Huaqiong looked at her two sons and said, "Since the contribution is small, let's make it bigger; since it's useless now, let's give it our all in next year's scientific expedition."

She certainly wouldn't offer any words of comfort to her son.

It would be best if the two sons were curled up together. (End of Chapter)