Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

Xiao Lie chuckled, unsurprised.

"Thank you for going to so much trouble for them."

"Then, Your Highness, what should we do with Liu Yun'er?"

"Deal with her? How should we deal with her? This was personally ordered by His Majesty. If something happens to her, it will inevitably cause a lot of trouble. To deal with her, we must first find a reason that His Majesty and the court officials have absolutely no objection to."

Sixteen, puzzled, asked, "Your Highness, what do you mean?"

"Let her make a scene. If Heaven wants to destroy someone, it will first make them go mad. Send more people to keep a close watch on all parts of the manor. I want to see just how much trouble this Liu Yun'er can cause."

When Liu Yun'er woke up, she found herself to be Liu Yiniang, given residence in Qiutong Courtyard, and also received a pile of jewelry and beautiful clothes. A stream of good things were delivered into the courtyard, making her eyes light up. In addition, there were a bunch of servants and maids at her beck and call.

Within two or three days, Liu Yun'er had tasted the sweetness of being the superior one, and she served Xiao Lie even more diligently. With no mistress in the Duke's mansion, she monopolized his favor, acting as if she were already in charge.

That night, Liu Yun'er clung to Xiao Lie's neck affectionately and said in a coquettish tone.

"Your Highness, I see that Qingzhi Courtyard is just sitting empty anyway, so why don't you let me stay there? The doctor said that I am prone to feeling cold, so soaking in the hot spring is the best thing for me."

Behind Qingzhiyuan, there is a hot spring that is brought in from outside. It is warm all year round, and soaking in it in autumn and winter is especially comfortable.

Liu Yun'er had assumed that since the Crown Prince's wife had fallen out of favor and was living in a separate residence, her request was reasonable and that the Crown Prince would agree. However, upon hearing her words, the young man's face darkened, he pulled her arm away, and coldly shouted.

"How dare you! How dare you, a lowly servant, lay a finger on the Princess Consort's Qingzhi Courtyard?"

Liu Yun'er was terrified and immediately knelt on the ground, her eyes filled with tears.

"Your Highness, I only spoke up because I found the hot springs delightful. Besides, the courtyard was just sitting empty anyway, so I thought..."

Liu Yun'er twisted her handkerchief, unable to continue speaking. Her delicate body trembled, and tears streamed down her face, making her look like a delicate flower with dew, extremely pitiful.

If Xiao Lie were truly lustful, he would probably have backed down by now. But he merely smiled coldly and said sarcastically.

"What, you talk back to me every time I say something? You're just a concubine who warms my bed, do you really think you're some kind of noble lady? Don't you even know if you're worthy?"

"No matter what, the Crown Princess is still the Crown Princess. It's not for a lowly servant like you to lay a finger on her things. Know your place."

Liu Yun'er trembled all over from the yelling and curses, and dared not utter another sound. She just bit her lip and sobbed. She secretly twisted her hands, and a trace of resentment flashed in her beautiful eyes.

What's so great about a promiscuous woman who sleeps with anyone? She's just of a higher social standing than Lin Wan'er. If she were also the daughter of an official, she would certainly be no worse than Lin Wan'er.

Next, Xiao Lie deliberately ignored her, not visiting Liu Yun'er's courtyard for three to five days in a row. He even sent a nanny to Qiu Tong's courtyard to strictly discipline Liu Yun'er's manners.

She was punished for her improper bowing, for her crooked handwriting, and for her arrogant words. After several days, Liu Yun'er was either suffering from a stinging pain in her palms or a swollen, red cheek; she was so ashamed she couldn't bear to see anyone. Several maids hid under the latticed window, mocking her.

"She's just a lowly maid who's there for people's amusement. She thinks she's a mistress and even wants to compare herself to the Crown Princess. Doesn't she know she's not worthy?"

"That's right. No matter what, the Crown Princess is the daughter of an official, from a prestigious family. Before entering the Duke's mansion, she was a renowned talented woman throughout the capital. If the Crown Princess hadn't done something wrong and incurred the Crown Prince's dislike, how could a lowly servant like her be allowed to act so arrogantly?"

"You know what, that concubine does actually look somewhat like the Crown Prince's wife, with her eyebrows, her figure... Could it be..."

Further down, the whispers among them were too indistinct to be discerned, but even so, each word pierced Liu Yun'er's heart like a nail, causing her unbearable pain.

She silently clenched the embroidered handkerchief in her hand, her face stiff and pale.

What kind of princess consort is she? She's just a despised, lowly woman. She refuses to believe that she's inferior to her.

The next day, Lin Wan'er's West Garden welcomed an uninvited guest. The visitor was noisy and insisted on entering. She was stopped by the guards at the gate, and she even swayed her hips and loudly mocked them from outside the gate.

"Sister, please don't be offended. I think that since you are the mistress of this Prince's mansion, it is only right and proper for me to come and pay my respects to you."

"But here, sister, there are guards at the gate and chanting Buddhist sutras. Could it be that you have truly attained the wonders of the scriptures and are enjoying the purity of Bodhi?"

Liu Yun'er held her handkerchief, covering her mouth with a soft laugh.

"It's just that I've come at an inopportune time, disturbing your peaceful place. If you're willing to come out someday, I'll make sure to serve you a cup of tea, the mistress's tea. Until then, I'll just have to do my best to serve you, the young master."

Lin Wan'er was already feeling aggrieved from being forced to kneel before the Buddha to recite scriptures. Now, she heard a lowly maidservant outside the courtyard daring to openly mock and ridicule her. She was so angry that she trembled all over.

"She's just a concubine of some lowly origin, yet she dares to climb over me. Does she really think that just because she entered this Duke's mansion, she'll become a phoenix on a branch?"

Chunxue was also indignant. No matter what, her young lady came from a noble family. How could she be compared to a concubine?

She complained, "I've heard that this Concubine Liu is frivolous and flirtatious. She dares to seduce men in broad daylight. She's probably from some shady background. How dare she act so arrogantly in front of the West Garden? She's really asking for trouble."

A cold glint flashed in Lin Wan'er's eyes as she slammed the scripture heavily onto the table.

"She thought that because I had lost power and she had gained favor, she could act like she owned the place. But I'm not someone to be bullied."

During her time in the manor, Lin Wan'er has managed to build up some prestige.

She beckoned and whispered in Chunxue's ear, and the maid nodded repeatedly.

Two days later, news spread like wildfire that Aunt Liu had been sold into prostitution and kept in the inner courtyard.

"Tsk tsk tsk, I saw her nostrils were practically pointing to the sky. I really thought she had some kind of background, but I didn't expect her to be like this."

"Who can argue with that? With her background, she wouldn't even be worthy of being a cleaning maid if she weren't granted such a position by imperial decree."

The servants spread the word, and eventually it reached outside the mansion.

The beauty bestowed upon him by His Majesty turned out to be a courtesan who had fallen into prostitution.

The courtesan claimed to be virgins, but in those brothels, she inevitably had to hug and cuddle with men. It's likely that apart from her unbroken body, her other parts were touched all over. Not to mention that she was bought and kept in the inner courtyard, so it's even harder to say what happened during that time.

Her shameful past was laid bare and exposed to the light of day. Liu Yun'er turned pale with fright, feeling ashamed and indignant.