Chapter 26: The Second Daughter's Triumph and the Family's Turmoil

After everyone dispersed, Wu Zhou Yiniang learned of the matter and trembled all over in fright. She never expected that lowly girl to possess such capability; now she had lost the Prime Minister's favor. Wu Zhou Yiniang, furious, cursed loudly, speaking without restraint:

"That lowly girl! How can a decent family produce someone with such coquettish looks? She actually managed to entice the Crown Prince to protect her so fiercely. Hmph! It seems no man in the world is any good; they all pounce the moment they see a woman..."

These words actually insulted the Emperor, the Crown Prince, her own husband, and all men in the world.

Prime Minister Gao found it truly difficult to suppress the frustration in his heart. Although he held the high rank of Prime Minister, the Emperor clearly intended to protect the Jun family. After the Crown Prince and his entourage departed, he stormed angrily toward the Fotang. Before he even arrived, Wu Zhou Yiniang's treasonous words reached his ears word for word.

He was seen rushing in a few steps, his face full of rage. Before Wu Zhou Yiniang could even offer her greetings, she received several hard slaps across her face:

"Look at the good deed you've done!" Prime Minister Gao roared.

"Your maternal niece lost her composure so disgracefully before the Crown Prince today, causing the Matriarch to nearly die from anger, and yet you are here speaking treasonously against the Crown Prince! Do you... do you think the Gao family isn't chaotic enough? Do you need us to be convicted and exterminated before you feel at ease?"

Prime Minister Gao shook his stinging hand; in his rage, he had struck too hard, and now his palm felt only numb.

Wu Zhou Yiniang was knocked to the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth; she was so terrified she dared not even cry:

"Master, that lowly girl must have used some fox-like charm. I was just momentarily angry."

"Angry? If you possessed even a fraction of that girl's intelligence and steadiness, how could this have happened? That girl, though lacking support, managed to handle the Crown Prince with skill. Look at you; you only know how to throw tantrums and curse. What kind of propriety is this!"

Wu Zhou Yiniang's eyes widened; only then did she dare to cry out. She never expected the Prime Minister to praise that girl. Crying, she said:

"Master, have you perhaps been bewitched by that girl?"

Prime Minister Gao, ignoring the pain in his hand, raised his hand and slapped Wu Zhou Yiniang across the face again:

"Silence! If you hadn't always been looking for trouble with her in your daily life, so many incidents wouldn't have arisen."

"Your niece, who is so eager to climb into the imperial family, is not welcome in the Prime Minister's residence. If you do not handle this matter properly, do not blame me for being unkind!"

Wu Zhou Yiniang covered her face, her eyes filled with terror and unwillingness, and could only bow her head to agree.

Prime Minister Gao showed not a shred of tenderness:

"This month, you will stay in the Fotang and reflect properly!" With that, he swept his sleeve and left.

In the Jun Manor, in the main hall, everyone had different thoughts. Except for the Matriarch, no one believed the second young lady had the ability to cure the Prime Minister's Matriarch of acute cerebral apoplexy, a condition so dangerous it struck fear into people's hearts.

Especially the First Lady, who feared that if Jun Jun Zijin cured the Prime Minister's Matriarch, she would be even harder to deal with in the future. Although she did not believe Jun Jun Zijin possessed such capability, one must consider the possibility of a miracle; what if she was lucky? She was even more afraid that if Jun Jun Zijin failed to cure the Prime Minister's Matriarch, it would bring disaster upon the Jun Manor, completely forgetting that it was the Jun Manor's own trouble that had been brought about today.

Xiang Xiang Junzheng paced back and forth in the main hall, his anxiety evident on his face.

The Second Lady and Zhou Zhou Yiniang kept glancing toward the door, while several Young Ladies lowered their heads and counted their fingers. Jun Jun Yiyi occasionally stole glances at everyone.

At this moment, a servant ran in hurriedly, "Master, news has arrived. It is said that the Crown Prince, following the Emperor's decree, is stationed at the Prime Minister's residence. The Second Young Lady has entered the Prime Minister's residence, and so far, no mishap has occurred."

Xiang Xiang Junzheng breathed a slight sigh of relief, though his brows remained tightly furrowed:

"This is only the beginning; the outcome is still unknown."

Then his brow twitched: This matter had attracted the attention of the Crown Prince and the Emperor! The Jun Manor was likely facing great disaster. Although the current Emperor's grace was vast, remembering how Jun's father had followed the Emperor at all costs and ultimately sacrificed himself for the country, bringing much favor to the Jun family, so many years had passed. In recent years, he had achieved little in his efforts to protect himself, and his only son was useless. The Jun family now seemed to be on the verge of decline. Second daughter, you must make us proud this time.

The First Lady spoke in a sarcastic tone:

"Hmph, relying on her to cure the Prime Minister's Matriarch? She will only make things worse, and in the end, drag the entire Jun family down with her."

The Matriarch shot a glance at the First Lady and said displeasedly:

"Can you not wish for the family to do well?"

At this moment, Wang Nainai, whom the Matriarch had sent out to investigate today's incident, returned and whispered something into the Matriarch's ear.

Seeing this, the First Lady and Jun Jun Yiyi thought to themselves: We are about to be exposed. They saw the Matriarch's face grow darker and darker; suddenly, she slammed her hand on the table and shouted angrily:

"You have great audacity!" Everyone was startled, not understanding the reason.

Jun Jun Yiyi, frightened, sobbed a few more times. The First Lady pretended to be calm and asked falsely:

"Mother, what has happened?"

The Matriarch's gaze swept over the First Lady and Jun Jun Yiyi, and she let out a cold snort:

"Wang Nainai has discovered that today's incident was actually caused by the eldest daughter's lack of propriety. She lost her composure before the Crown Prince, angering the Prime Minister's Matriarch to the point where she nearly died at the birthday banquet."

"The third daughter advised you, yet you accused her of pushing you out to harm you."

The Matriarch then pointed at Wu Shi and said:

"And you, Wu Shi! Who doesn't know that your sister, Wu Zhou Yiniang, manages the Prime Minister's inner courtyard? The second daughter, a legitimate daughter of high standing, was actually assigned to the seat of a concubine-born daughter, and even at the very back. Who are you trying to humiliate?"

The Matriarch then looked angrily at Jun Jun Yiyi, whose face turned pale and red in turn, disappointed in her lack of fight:

"Your second sister and fourth sister were so far away from you, yet you still managed to accuse them. With such a loss of composure, I don't know if the Crown Prince will be angered, but if the Prime Minister's Matriarch truly suffers any harm this time, the Jun family will face great disaster. Do you think you can remain unscathed? You... you..."

Seeing the Matriarch's anger, Wang Nainai quickly patted her back to soothe her and said:

"Matriarch, do not be angry, lest you hurt your health. The Second Young Lady said you must not get angry now."

Jun Jun Yiyi, terrified, knelt down with a thud and cried out, "Grandmother, this granddaughter knows her mistake. It was Mother who instigated me."

To avoid punishment, Jun Jun Yiyi actually sold out her own mother~~

The First Lady's eyes widened. She had truly raised a good daughter. Yet, since Jun Jun Yiyi was flesh and blood from her own body, she could neither scold nor comfort her, so she could only stare at her in shock with wide eyes.

The Second Lady, Li Shi, laughed; there were never any pleasant words coming from that shrew's mouth:

"Didn't I say so? It turns out the eldest daughter really lacked propriety, failed to seduce the Crown Prince, and then accused her own sisters!"

"I say, eldest daughter, you are already betrothed. Who is the Crown Prince? How could you allow yourself to insult him?"

The Second Lady felt satisfied, but she had offended the First Lady to the point of death. By the time she realized she had acted impulsively, the words could not be taken back, and she wished she could slap herself several times.

Xiang Xiang Junzheng was also shocked. He never expected his eldest daughter, whom he loved and doted on as if she were his own eyes, to behave so today. Xiang Xiang Junzheng turned angrily to the First Lady and said:

"It is all because you spoiled her!"

"..." The First Lady felt the situation today was extremely humiliating. Having just been shocked by Jun Jun Yiyi's betrayal, she was now frightened by Xiang Xiang Junzheng and was about to faint.

Just then, news came from outside that the Second Young Lady had performed a miracle cure, the Prime Minister's Matriarch was out of danger, and the Crown Prince himself was escorting the Second Young Lady back to the manor.

Jun Jun Shuyan and Zhou Zhou Yiniang, who had remained silent, exchanged a smile. Li Shi and Jun Jun Zhidie stood with their mouths agape, unable to believe it, their faces filled with jealousy. Xiang Xiang Junzheng was overjoyed, finally putting down the heavy stone in his heart. Meanwhile, the First Lady, who had been preparing to faint, turned pale, rolled her eyes back, and truly fainted.

The Matriarch said gratefully, "When the second daughter returns, we must reward her properly. As for you..."

She looked at the fainted Wu Shi and the sobbing Jun Jun Yiyi beside her, then turned to look at Xiang Xiang Junzheng: "Handle the affairs of your own inner courtyard yourself."