Chapter 277
Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy-Seven
Xu Heming was completely bewildered.
He looked at Li Zhiwei, then at Chang Wenyin, who was rattling on incessantly before him.
She was saying that the one who caused trouble was Li Zhiwei?
Xu Heming desperately wanted to know: what kind of mess had Li Zhiwei supposedly made that required him to clean it up?
After all, Li Zhiwei was not at all the kind of person Chang Wenyin described.
Seeing Xu Heming looking at her with a face full of confusion, Li Zhiwei couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth curl up slightly. She then said to him, "The Ninth Princess Consort is being quite considerate of you, Your Highness. She’s worried that in the midst of your busy schedule, you still have to find time to clean up my messes. You must be very moved, aren't you?"
"What mess?" Xu Heming looked at Li Zhiwei, still puzzled.
What did she need his help with?
If she truly needed his assistance, he would certainly do so without hesitation.
Li Zhiwei did not answer him directly. She merely looked at him with a half-smile, her expression clearly saying, "Figure it out yourself."
Xu Heming turned his gaze toward Chang Wenyin and barked coldly, "Not everyone is as fond of stirring up trouble as the Ninth Princess Consort. However, I imagine the Ninth Prince probably doesn't have the time to clean up after you, does he? My Princess is simply fortunate. Setting aside the fact that she never seeks out trouble, even if she were to poke a hole in the very sky, I would find a way to mend it for her!"
Xu Heming’s voice was neither too loud nor too soft, yet it was heard by all the ladies and young misses in the vicinity.
Upon hearing this, Chang Wenyin’s face turned as dark as coal. She hadn't expected that Xu Heming would not only ignore her provocation but would also humiliate her so ruthlessly in front of so many people.
Where was she supposed to put her face after this?
The ladies and young misses nearby looked at Li Zhiwei with faces full of envy—though, in truth, many of those looks were tinged with jealousy.
"Prince An, they say you can know a person’s face but not their heart. You mustn't be deceived by a pretty face. She is nothing more than the daughter of a merchant family. There are so many noble daughters of prestigious families in the capital; which of them isn't better than her?" Chang Wenyin said, her heart filled with resentment.
Her words were a blatant mockery of Xu Heming for only caring about looks.
Furthermore, Chang Wenyin was trying to drag all the noble daughters of the capital into the fray.
If Xu Heming claimed Li Zhiwei was better than them, he would be offending every noble family in the capital.
Chang Wenyin felt that as long as Prince An wasn't a fool, he certainly wouldn't offend all the officials of the capital for the sake of a mere Li Zhiwei.
At this thought, she felt a sense of smugness.
Li Zhiwei was just a merchant's daughter. What right did she have to compete with her?
Once Xu Heming realized this woman was the Ninth Princess Consort, he had no intention of letting her off easily.
No one knew better than he what kind of person the Ninth Prince was.
He knew even better what kind of existence the Ninth Prince held in the capital.
He was nothing more than an idle prince.
If he stayed in his place and behaved, the Emperor might tolerate him for a few more years. But if he dared to cause trouble, the first person who wouldn't let him off would be the Emperor himself.
Today, this Ninth Princess Consort had just caused a scene at the Grand Princess’s manor. Surely the Grand Princess wouldn't let her off either.
Yet, she still couldn't see her own position and was jumping around in front of him.
Did she really think he was a pushover?
With that thought, Xu Heming looked at Chang Wenyin with a sneer and said coldly, "I know nothing of the character of the other noble daughters in the capital. However, a woman like you, who loves nothing more than creating trouble, shouldn't even dream of comparing yourself to my Princess. After all, you aren't even worthy of carrying my Princess's shoes. In fact, I feel you would only soil them. Move aside; a good dog doesn't block the path."
After saying his piece, Xu Heming directly took Li Zhiwei’s hand and walked away.
Xie Jincheng led Lady Yao past Chang Wenyin. As they passed, Xie Jincheng intentionally called out, "Move aside! A good dog doesn't block the path!"
"Oh, you!" Lady Yao looked at Xie Jincheng with some concern, worried that the Ninth Princess Consort might have the Ninth Prince retaliate against her husband later.
"It’s fine." Xie Jincheng didn't take the Ninth Princess Consort seriously at all.
"Ladies, the manor has been negligent in its hospitality today. The Grand Princess has prepared a small token of appreciation for everyone. Please take yours and then you may head home," the Grand Princess’s steward, Zhou Qi, stepped forward with several servants and announced loudly.
The ladies and young misses, who had thought they might be stuck there for a while longer, didn't react immediately.
"Steward Zhou, can we really leave now?" the first lady to recover asked in disbelief.
"Steward Zhou, has the Grand Princess's missing item been found?"
"It must have been found for us to be allowed to leave."
"If we leave now, the Grand Princess won't come looking for us again later, will she?" some asked worriedly.
"Please rest assured, ladies. The Grand Princess has specially prepared an apology gift for everyone. It is only because Her Highness is exhausted from today's events that she cannot come out to apologize in person," Zhou Yi said with a smile.
"Everyone may come this way to receive the apology gift and then depart." Zhou Yi pointed toward a row of waiting maidservants.
The crowd, which had originally been somewhat disgruntled, flocked to the line to collect their gifts upon hearing there was a peace offering. They then hurried to leave the Grand Princess's manor.
On the other side, Xu Heming led Li Zhiwei directly into the Grand Princess’s courtyard to wait for Gu Yunshu’s return.
As long as they confirmed the person was correct, they could also head back.
"We’ll wait here for a moment," Xu Heming explained softly.
"Your Highness, if you have business to attend to, I can go back first." Li Zhiwei had been to the Grand Princess’s courtyard earlier; she assumed Xu Heming probably had important matters to discuss with her.
Those conversations might not be for her ears.
It would be better for her to leave first.
"There's no rush. We only need to wait a little longer." Xu Heming felt that, barring any accidents, the child would be the one Xu Qingshi had brought back.
As long as the person was right, the rest was the internal business of the Grand Princess’s household, and it wouldn't be appropriate for them to get involved.
Just as the guests were dispersing from the manor, Gu Yunshu returned from outside with his wife and child.
"The Second Master is back!" Zhou Qi shouted joyfully upon seeing Gu Yunshu.
"Uncle Zhou, where is my mother?" Gu Yunshu asked anxiously.
"The Grand Princess is still waiting for you in the Qinxin Courtyard, Second Master." Zhou Qi saw the child in Ruan Jinge's arms and knew that the young miss had been found.
"Husband, you go speak with Mother first. I will take Nuonuo back to change her clothes before going to see her." Ruan Jinge had just realized that the little girl had wet herself and needed a change immediately.
"Have someone fetch the clothes and bring them to the Qinxin Courtyard first." Gu Yunshu didn't want any more mishaps. It was better to take everyone to see his mother right away.
He feared the mastermind was still in the manor. If they targeted Jinge again, the child might not be so lucky this time.
Xiaolian had never imagined that the little brat could actually come back. Her heart began to race in panic.
However, she told herself that no one had seen her abandon the child, so she should be fine.
But just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she caught sight of the three little ones behind Ruan Jinge!