Li Helan nearly ground her teeth to powder!

Still claiming she had no capital to flaunt? Being able to become Pang Xiao’s wife, being able to possess this man—that was already the greatest capital of all!

That bitch Qin Yining was definitely doing this on purpose, knowing full well that she had always wanted to marry Pang Xiao. Now that she had gotten her wish, she was finding all sorts of ways to mock her!

Li Helan had grown up pampered and spoiled, never having encountered anything she wanted but couldn’t obtain. She had received so much in this life that she had grown accustomed to possessing things, accustomed to her mother and brother’s indulgence.

Yet in her entire life, despite countless satisfactions, this single dissatisfaction in marriage was enough to make her wake up crying with regret in the middle of the night.

Although Prince Consort Ji was handsome, he was too cold toward people. Being with Prince Consort Ji was like facing an ice sculpture, a wooden man!

After their marriage, he had only fulfilled his duties as prince consort on their wedding night. Thereafter, he treated her with respectful courtesy and distant politeness. Especially after discovering her liaison with male favorites at Madam Lu’s place, he wouldn’t even spare her a glance.

Li Helan had heard that when Pang Zhixi got married, Prince Consort Ji had attended in full regalia and even brought all the mansion’s guards to help celebrate. He treated a mere friend better than he treated her!

What use was such a marriage? Such a prince consort only added to her troubles.

She couldn’t get the man she wanted, and marrying an excellent man still meant she couldn’t have him. Li Helan had long been suppressed to the point of near explosion in this prolonged frustration.

Now, seeing Qin Yining with her married woman’s hairstyle and incomparable beauty, hearing her speak of her closeness with Pang Xiao—how could she bear it?

Li Helan’s fury burned ever more fiercely, the Empress Dowager’s earlier words already forgotten.

“Bitch! You’re asking for death!” Li Helan stretched out her arms to strangle Qin Yining’s neck.

Qin Yining was startled and quickly dodged.

She hadn’t expected Li Helan to actually dare attack her face to face. Perhaps she thought that since this was the Empress Dowager’s palace, even if something happened, the Empress Dowager would support her?

Qin Yining’s mind raced. Facing a woman who constantly coveted her husband, should she keep tolerating it? Wasn’t she being too easy to handle?

“Quickly, quickly stop her! The Princess is drunk, don’t let her hurt anyone!” The Empress Dowager was also frightened by Li Helan’s behavior, standing stunned for a long moment before remembering to give orders.

But just then, Qin Yining, being chased by Li Helan, accidentally stepped on her own skirt hem and fell backward.

The floor was covered with thick carpets, so a fall wouldn’t hurt much, but behind her were a ba xian table and four embroidered stools.

Fortunately, Qin Yining was lucky enough not to fall onto the stools or table, but she still landed with a thud, crying out in pain.

Li Helan couldn’t stop her momentum and was tripped by Qin Yining’s leg. With a sharp “Ah!” she pitched forward, landing squarely on an embroidered stool, her elbow striking the edge of the ba xian table before she too fell to the ground.

Qin Yining lay on the ground groaning in pain.

Li Helan, however, was in too much pain to speak. Her elbow throbbed from the impact, unable to bend even slightly, and her knees hurt unbearably.

Seeing Qin Yining right beside her, Li Helan couldn’t contain herself and pounced: “You bitch, let me show you what flaunting gets you! Pang Zhixi is only yours because I didn’t want him anymore! What do you have to flaunt about! Poisonous whore! Cheap slut!”

If Qin Yining had seriously fought back against Li Helan, the princess would have been knocked unconscious already. But today she was determined not to strike back, perfectly portraying a weak minister’s wife being bullied by a princess.

The palace maids and nannies in the Empress Dowager’s palace were all stunned by the princess’s shrew-like behavior. Everyone secretly criticized her—Li Helan, as a princess, couldn’t get the man she secretly loved and turned love into hate, yet she could still act so arrogantly in front of the man’s legitimate wife. It was truly shocking.

Everyone scrambled to pull Li Helan away, looking at Qin Yining lying disheveled on the ground with some sympathy.

“Don’t pull me! Let go of me all!” Li Helan shouted unreasonably.

The Empress Dowager approached, bent down to grasp Li Helan’s chin, and leaned close to say sternly: “Get a grip! This is my Ci’an Palace! Not your Princess Mansion where you can throw drunken tantrums at will!”

Li Helan’s chest heaved violently, her arms and legs aching terribly, yet this couldn’t suppress the fury in her heart at all.

“Mother Empress! Even you don’t love Lan’er anymore! You always tell me to be obedient, to be obedient! Fine, I obeyed! But what was the result? The result is that I can never get what I like! Everything about me must be controlled! I can’t even get the man I like—what kind of princess am I!”

“Shut up! I see you’ve had some horse urine and started talking complete nonsense. You like Prince Consort Ji, and your imperial brother has already arranged the marriage for you. What more are you dissatisfied with! Today you drank a little and started throwing a drunken fit, even mistaking Princess Zhongshun for a palace maid. I’ve been too lenient with you! That’s what’s made you develop such a temperament!”

Lying on the ground, Qin Yining could clearly see the expressions between the Empress Dowager and Li Helan.

The Empress Dowager kept giving Li Helan meaningful looks, anxious as anything, but Li Helan didn’t know how to appreciate it and continued her emotional outburst and unreasonable behavior.

Today’s incident had already escalated—might as well make it bigger. She had to add fuel to the fire.

Qin Yining held her forehead, choking back tears with a face full of tear stains: “What is the Princess doing? How exactly did this subject’s wife offend you that you would try to strangle me? This subject’s wife’s husband serves His Majesty loyally and diligently. Though this subject’s wife is the daughter of a surrendered official, my father is also His Majesty’s trusted minister. The Princess acts this way—do you despise our family? Was our original decision to seek refuge with a wise ruler also wrong?”

The Empress Dowager turned back to glare fiercely at Qin Yining.

This woman harbored ill intentions. Her words seemed to seek justice for herself, but every sentence was clearly meant to provoke Li Helan and incite her to do something even more excessive.

The Empress Dowager commanded sternly: “Why aren’t you helping Princess Zhongshun up! Are you all dead!”

“Yes!” The palace servants, jolted by the Empress Dowager’s shout, scrambled to help Qin Yining.

But Qin Yining’s face was deathly pale as she held her head, her body softly leaning against a nearby palace servant’s arm, presenting a picture of delicate weakness and helplessness.

Li Helan became even more agitated seeing this, her hands held by nannies while she sat on the ground kicking at Qin Yining’s legs with all her might.

“Let me show you what flaunting gets you! Acting so innocent after getting what you wanted! How could Brother Xiao fall for trash like you! Why don’t you just die!”

“Shut up! Take the Princess away immediately!” The Empress Dowager, hearing Li Helan’s inappropriate cursing, was both angry and anxious, her own expression growing increasingly ugly.

What kind of daughter had she raised!

To become like this over a man, provoked by a few words from a poisonous woman—if this continued and alarmed others, it would be no laughing matter!

Don’t think that because she was Empress Dowager she was secure. She was ultimately elevated by her son’s position. Without Li Qitian’s protection, the Empress Dowager knew her good days would be over.

The palace servants went to help Li Helan up while the Empress Dowager turned to help Qin Yining.

“Is the Princess all right? Get up quickly. The floor is cold.”

Qin Yining sneered inwardly. Was the Empress Dowager trying to make a big issue small and a small issue disappear?

Although today’s incident was largely caused by her design, the most important reason Li Helan was provoked was her own unwillingness, her coveting of Pang Xiao, her jealousy of her as the princess.

Once a person’s heart had produced poisonous fruit, everything looked poisonous. That she could fall into the trap was due to her own nature—there was no longer any need for tolerance.

Yet despite Li Helan’s behavior, the Empress Dowager showed no intention of educating her and continued to show favoritism!

Did she really think she was a soft persimmon to be squeezed and shaped at will in Ci’an Palace?

Qin Yining looked at the Empress Dowager with unfocused eyes and smiled: “Replying to the Empress Dowager, this subject’s wife is fine.”

The Empress Dowager felt somewhat relieved, thinking Qin Yining was quite sensible after all.

Just as she ordered people to help Qin Yining up, she saw her body sway, her eyes roll back, her face turn deathly pale as she collapsed backward.

The Empress Dowager was shocked by Qin Yining’s action.

She had seen clearly just moments ago that when Qin Yining was chased and fell, she hadn’t struck the tables or chairs, yet her current fainting appearance didn’t seem fake at all.

Now the Empress Dowager was truly anxious.

If anything happened to Qin Yining, forget about what Pang Xiao might do—Li Qitian was currently relying heavily on both Pang Xiao and Qin Huaiyuan. If their newly married wife and daughter had such an incident in Ci’an Palace, especially being bullied by the Princess to this extent, once word got out, how would the Princess live in the future? How would she, this Empress Dowager in name only, show her face or confront Li Qitian?

“Quickly, quickly summon the imperial physician!” The Empress Dowager couldn’t worry about Li Helan anymore and ordered: “Quickly carry the Princess to the bed.”

“Empress Dowager,” an old nanny said carefully, “We don’t know the reason for the Princess’s fainting. It’s better not to move her carelessly. If she fainted from excessive shock and is having heart palpitations, moving her could be life-threatening.”

Reminded by this, the Empress Dowager came to her senses and nodded: “You’re right. I was so anxious I overlooked this. Then let the Princess lie flat and wait for the imperial physician to examine her first.”

“Yes.”

Hearing the conversation between the Empress Dowager and palace servants, seeing Qin Yining lying flat, Li Helan, whose hands were still restrained, suddenly burst into tears, crying as pitifully as a lost child.

“I don’t care, Mother Empress, you only know how to bully me! Why don’t you consider your daughter more! How much did that bitch give you that you’ve forgotten I’m your biological daughter?”

Before the Empress Dowager could rebuke her, sounds suddenly came from outside, with eunuchs announcing loudly: “His Majesty arrives! Prince Consort Ji arrives! Prince Zhongshun arrives!”

Li Helan’s crying stopped abruptly.

The Empress Dowager’s face also turned ashen.

Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu followed side by side behind Li Qitian as they entered.

Seeing Qin Yining lying on the ground, Pang Xiao was so frightened his hands went cold, asking anxiously: “What happened? Wasn’t everything fine just moments ago?”

Li Qitian also asked: “Has the imperial physician been summoned? Mother, what exactly happened?”