The Cousin Is About to Marry，The Abstinent Young Lord Loses Control-Chapter 123: Winning Over the Lord

In Princess An He’s expectations, Ji Mingzhu might rack her brains to decline.

Might even use Xie Yunzhen as a scapegoat to refuse moving into the main courtyard.

After all, she previously didn’t even come for morning and evening salutations.

But now she agreed so readily, it’s hard not to suspect she has ulterior motives.

Princess An He gave Ji Mingzhu a meaningful look.

She thought, she probably wants to sow discord between her and Ah Zhen again.

At this moment, a maid came in to report.

"Your Highness, Madam Du has come to pay her respects. She is currently waiting at the courtyard entrance."

Upon hearing this, Ji Mingzhu instinctively looked at Princess An He’s expression.

Sure enough, it looked unsettlingly grim.

"Can’t even get the address right, have the manners been swallowed by dogs?"

"Take her out to be slapped!"

Du Peifang is the legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor and is currently seen as a disgrace by her family.

However, the Du Family hasn’t openly declared severing ties with her.

Furthermore, she is still a concubine to the Lord.

Calling her Madam is not out of line.

But just as Ji Mingzhu said, the Commandery Princess is the head mistress of the Duke Mansion.

The right or wrong of some things depends solely on her whim.

No one else has the right to comment.

The young maid was dragged to the courtyard entrance to be slapped.

The burly woman doing the slapping looked fierce, cursing as she hit.

"Madam is a title reserved for the legitimate wife, you fool. You can’t even get the address right, you deserve the slap!"

The sound of the slap was like it landed on Du Peifang’s face.

Though she wasn’t the one being hit, she felt extremely humiliated.

She clutched the handkerchief tightly, gritting her teeth to curb the impulse to turn and leave.

All her life, she had been the one adored by everyone.

No one had ever dared to humiliate her in public.

Never!

When no one was looking, Lin Shi moved to a distance neither far nor close to Du Peifang.

She whispered, "The Lord mentioned you yesterday, saying Du Madame, you were wronged, and we should all respect you. Madame... this is a title even the Lord acknowledges, how could it be wrong? These servants, they seem to have forgotten who really is the master of the Duke Mansion!"

Du Peifang lowered her eyes, a flash of resentment crossing them.

Others didn’t notice, but Lin Shi saw it clearly.

A smile rose in her eyes, she had no support in the Duke Mansion, and the Commandery Princess was narrow-minded.

Whenever displeased, she took it out on them.

Originally, she intended to align with the Princely Heir’s wife’s side, since that lady also didn’t have the Princess’s favor.

Unexpectedly, Ji Mingzhu ignored her.

In such a case, she had to cling to Du Peifang’s thigh.

In this grand mansion, it looked like a life of wealth and opulence but was actually fraught with danger.

A slight misstep could cost one’s life.

She had finally climbed up to the Lord, and hadn’t enjoyed enough good days, not wanting to be crushed too soon.

Having an ally would make things much safer.

In the Duke Mansion, others had their own camps and backing.

Lin Shi had entered the mansion the previous year and hadn’t blended in yet.

If not for the Lord’s interest in her, her life in the mansion would have been uncertain.

No flower blooms for a hundred days, and a man’s favor is unreliable.

She still had to rely on herself.

Du Peifang, having grown up in the inner residences, could easily see through Lin Shi’s schemes.

She looked down on being associated with a concubine.

But her current situation was too dire, having an extra helper meant an extra chance of turning the situation around.

She didn’t look at the scene of the slapping again.

Du Peifang turned her head and looked down at Lin Shi.

The other was kneeling on the ground, head lowered, exposing her neck, a posture of utter humility.

For a concubine, this was their daily life.

Du Peifang would never allow herself to fall into such a state.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "Be cautious with your words. If you want to die, don’t drag me down with you."

The implication of her words was ambiguous, and Lin Shi didn’t quite understand her meaning.

Was Du Peifang agreeing to ally or drawing a line with her?

She couldn’t help but look up to gauge Du Peifang’s expression.

Four eyes met, everything unspoken was understood.

At the courtyard entrance, the maid was slapped thirty times.

The burly woman’s strength was great, and the maid’s face was swollen beyond recognition.

Everyone thought this would resolve it.

Unexpectedly, the matron spoke, "The main courtyard cannot tolerate those who eat from both sides. From today, you will clean the chamber pots."

Glancing at those present, "Anyone who makes the same mistake again won’t just be cleaning chamber pots. Consider this a fair warning; don’t come begging after being sent away!"

Princess An He had a bad temper, but working in the main courtyard, the monthly allowance was a tael more than others.

As long as one didn’t provoke the mistress, it was the best job in the mansion.

Now, being punished to clean chamber pots, one might even face more difficulties in secret. The young maid was ashen-faced.

Previously, during the marriage discussions between the Xie Family and Du Family, Princess An He had invited Madam Du and Du Peifang to visit the mansion.

The young maid led the way and received a reward.

This time, she referred to Du Peifang as Madam.

Even the Lord called her that, the young maid didn’t feel she was wrong.

She wanted to plead for mercy, but no one gave her the chance.

The matron waved her hand, and the maid was dragged away.

"Aunt Du, the Commandery Princess has been waiting for quite some time, please!"

Aunt Du...

Aunt Du!

Du Peifang almost couldn’t maintain her expression.

Inwardly, she cursed that old woman who stirred up so much trouble, no wonder she couldn’t win the Lord’s heart!

Originally, she despised old men.

But since the Princess kept pressuring her, she couldn’t be blamed for trying to win over the Lord’s heart.

After all, she and Xie Yunzhen had no future. Why stay loyal for him?

Having a son, in the long run, who would inherit the Duke Mansion was uncertain.

Du Peifang’s expression turned resolute, as if she had made up her mind.

This was the first time since marriage that Du Peifang came to pay respects to Princess An He.

The first sight was of the two women she disliked the most.

One sat in the primary seat, the other sat to the side.

Du Peifang instinctively focused her gaze on Ji Mingzhu’s neck.

Today she wore a gauze dress, the fabric thin, from neck to collarbone, a large area of skin exposed to the air.

The mark she saw the previous day had faded mostly, with makeup covering, nothing appeared unusual.

But Du Peifang knew the ambiguous mark was still there.

Under the fabric, there might be new marks.

Thinking of Xie Yunzhen holding Ji Mingzhu every night, doing intimate things with her.

Even in the red silk tent, sharing a fevered ecstasy under the covers.

Du Peifang’s temple throbbed in pain.

The person lying next to Xie Yunzhen, sharing honesty with him, should have been her!

As a party involved, Ji Mingzhu immediately sensed where Du Peifang’s gaze landed.

She wanted to provoke Du Peifang, but there were countless ways to do it. No need to flaunt bedroom matters in front of her.

Calmly, she met Du Peifang’s gaze.

Ji Mingzhu’s beauty was striking. With just a slight raise of her chin, her arrogance was fully displayed.

To Du Peifang, this was a blatant declaration of war.

Her fingers curled, digging into her wounded palm.

Pain was the only thing keeping her sane.

Du Peifang shifted her gaze indifferently, everyone’s forcing her, what’s the use of preserving her dignity!

Once she secured the Lord’s favor, and had a son.

Neither Princess An He, Xie Yunzhen, nor Ji Mingzhu...

None of them would have a good day!