Chapter 107

Chapter 107

Actually, there was no need for Miss He to sow discord—Zheng Yufu already harbored a grudge against Shen Qinglan.

Because she too was a spoiled brat of the family.

In fact, compared to Shen Qinglan's pampered ways, Zheng Yufu was the truly haughty and domineering one—a pretty face with nothing but straw for brains.

However, she had the backing to be as arrogant and overbearing as she pleased.

The Zheng family was hardly a distinguished house—even one generation up, they were worse off than the current Han family. They were not only outright peasant folk, but so poor they had to sell their sons and daughters to survive.

But the Zheng family had luck on their side!

One of the daughters sold off back then entered the palace as a maid, grew into a great beauty, and used cunning and scheming to climb into the emperor's bed, becoming a Favorite Consort and successfully giving birth to the Fifth Prince.

And the Fifth Prince was clever—once he came of age, he was heavily favored by His Majesty.

And so, relying on the palace concubine daughter and the imperial grandson, in just over a decade, the Zheng family rose from the mud to become new nobles of the capital.

But such newly risen families had a fatal flaw.

That was a lack of deep-rooted heritage. The elders could barely read a few characters, so their upbringing was lacking, and the younger generation tended to be flashy and empty-headed.

Such was the Zheng family, and Zheng Yufu was the only girl among the grandchildren. As the only girl, she was treasured, so the entire household doted on her.

And that doting thoroughly spoiled her—she had to be the best at everything and would not let anyone surpass her in any way.

Her clothes had to be the newest, her jewelry the shiniest, her seat in the teahouse the most prominent, and in games she had to be the center of attention... Everyone, out of consideration for the Zheng family's connection to the palace, would yield to her when they could.

But looks were something bestowed by heaven—there was no helping that.

So, in truth, it wasn't just Shen Qinglan—any young lady or lad in the capital better looking than her, she simply couldn't stand them!

When she first heard that Shen Qinglan had married down into a humble family, Zheng Yufu secretly gloated for quite a while.

But just a few days later, Shen Qinglan's husband entered the Imperial Academy, and now he was causing a stir, favored by the Crown Prince himself. With a bright future and boundless glory clearly ahead, how could she feel happy about that?

Just as she was fuming.

Miss He deliberately approached her and sighed: "Ah, Shen Qinglan really is blessed by fate. When he was at home, his mother doted on him and would spare no expense to dress him up, letting a young master from a Fifth Rank official's family wear finery rivaling that of commandery princesses and ladies."

"Then when his marriage hit rough waters and he married down into a humble family, who would have thought he'd end up with such a handsome, talented husband—skilled in both the literary and martial arts!"

"Now his husband has won the Crown Prince's favor, and once he passes the imperial examinations next year, his official career is bound to flourish, with endless glory awaiting him..."

"Unlike me—after my mourning period ends, I'll have to become someone's concubine. It's enough to make a person die of envy... Sister Zheng, tell me—besides his looks, Shen Qinglan is a complete dunce at poetry and song—why should he be so lucky?"

Miss He's tone was dripping with envy, speaking of herself on the surface, but every word was a stab at Zheng Yufu's heart.

Because Zheng Yufu's husband, apart from a decent family background, was utterly mediocre in both looks and talent—nowhere near Han Zhang's league, and didn't even count as an ordinary talented man!

Zheng Yufu had always resented this marriage, but was bound by her family's arrangements and couldn't refuse.

Now Miss He was saying Shen Qinglan was lucky while she was miserable in every way. How could her competitive nature endure that?

"It's just that he's caught the Crown Prince's eye for the moment—his husband hasn't even passed the imperial exams yet, and who knows how things will turn out. These sycophants are already licking his boots—a bunch of shallow fools..."

"Watch this lady strip Shen Qinglan's face bare!"

Zheng Yufu couldn't resist such goading. She stamped her foot in fury and cursed out loud.

Then, lifting her skirt, she stormed over there.

What was so special about the Crown Prince's favor?

Her cousin was also a prince, just as favored by His Majesty—and who was to say who would end up on the throne in the end!

Yes, Zheng Yufu was also a county lady.

Though it was just a title in name, her status was still different, which was why she could bully others in public with impunity.

Seeing this, a triumphant glint flashed in Miss He's eyes. She sneered inwardly, "Fool," and followed along to watch the show.

...

"Look, isn't that Zheng Yufu? Why is she coming over?"

"She doesn't look like she's here for any good..."

"With that fierce stride... she's probably here to pick a fight again!"

"She's never gotten along with Shen Qinglan. Today Shen Qinglan's clothes and jewelry are all outstanding, and her husband has won the Crown Prince's favor—she hasn't gotten any of the limelight. If she doesn't jump out to make a scene, it'll be a miracle."

The ladies and young wives gathered around Shen Qinglan saw Zheng Yufu approach and all stepped back a few paces, whispering among themselves.

Clearly, everyone had firsthand experience with Zheng Yufu's arrogance and tyranny.

Seeing this, Shen Qinglan puffed out his cheeks and said huffily, "What's she doing here?"

An Yongyan rubbed his forehead and explained to his friend: "A few days ago, Zheng Yufu finally got married too, and her husband seems to still be studying at the Imperial Academy..."

Judging by that fierce demeanor, it must be that Lan Geer's glory today had gotten under her skin again.

Sure enough.

Zheng Yufu stormed over, not even bothering with pleasantries, and went straight into troublemaking mode.

"Well, well, Shen Qinglan! You're no longer an official's family member, yet you dare to wear silk and satin to a banquet—what audacity! According to our dynasty's laws, wearing clothes above your station warrants the board-press punishment!"

She shot a sideways glance, her tone haughty:

"But considering this is a place of learning, this lady will spare you the corporal punishment today. I'll only strip off that outer robe that exceeds your station, and you can go home and reflect on your mistakes."

With that, she immediately ordered the matron at her side: "Go, remove his outer robe and throw him out of the Imperial Academy!"

At these words, the faces of the surrounding ladies and young wives all changed slightly.

In ancient times, there was a custom of removing one's hairpins to await punishment—publicly stripping someone of their clothes was an extremely humiliating and severe punishment.

At the very least, one would lose all face and be unable to show their face in public again; at worst, one could die from shame.

Past verbal spats were one thing, but actually stripping someone's clothes today was simply going too far.

Immediately, someone couldn't help but speak up: "Lady Fu, Master Han may not be an official's family member, but his husband does hold the title of xiucai and is of the scholar class. Master Han wearing silk and satin does not constitute a violation of sumptuary laws."

"Exactly—even if there were some impropriety, it should be handled by the authorities with a fine, not to this extent..."

"The punishment of board-press and stripping is reserved for those who usurp court robes or noble titles—how can ordinary clothing be compared to that?"

Everyone spoke up, though not out of genuine kindness to help Shen Qinglan.

It was truly a matter of shared misfortune—if Zheng Yufu were allowed to bully her way through today, wouldn't she be even more reckless when they clashed in the future?

But could Zheng Yufu, burning with jealousy, listen to reason?

Clearly not. The more they advised, the more arrogant she became.

"A mere xiucai scholar counts as gentry? I say he overstepped his rank, so he did!"

"Scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants—each class has its place; that is the proper way to rule a nation. If everyone could blur the lines between noble and common, wouldn't the world descend into chaos?"

"Anyone who obstructs me is an accomplice, and I'll take care of them too! Don't forget, I'm not just a County Lady—my aunt is the imperial concubine, and my cousin is a prince of the realm!"

With that, her threatening gaze swept over the crowd like a knife.

At this moment, the husbands and wives gathered around Shen Qinglan came from families of modest status—how could they dare to stand up to the niece of the Favorite Consort and the cousin of a prince?

Their earlier words had already required courage; now, suppressed by Zheng Yufu's status, they could only fall silent in indignation.

Seeing that Zheng Yufu not only wanted to vent her anger verbally but actually planned to use force, Shen Qinglan was both frightened and furious.

"Zheng Yufu! Even if I'm not an official's spouse, I'm still the wife of a xiucai scholar. Even as a County Lady, you have no right to punish me!"

"A xiucai counts as gentry, and my silk attire follows the rules of propriety. Without a court order or evidence, your resorting to private punishment is a true overstep of authority!"

"Are you not afraid of being impeached by the censors for bullying others with your power?"

An Yongyan also nodded quickly and threatened, "Even a prince who breaks the law faces the same punishment as a commoner. Since Qinglan has done no wrong, even if you are a County Lady and a prince's cousin, you have no right to inflict private punishment!"

"Moreover—the harem must not interfere in politics; that is an ancestral rule. Relying on your status as the Favorite Consort's niece to behave like this, do you think the court belongs to the Zheng family?"

"My father holds the rank of third-rank Left Censor-in-Chief, and my father-in-law is the Junior Tutor of the Crown Prince. If you insist on humiliating someone today, my father and father-in-law will submit an impeachment against your Zheng family at court tomorrow!"

Both knew Zheng Yufu was unreasonable, and reasoning with her was like talking to a brick wall.

Direct threats, using rank to counter rank, were far more effective.

The spouses of Pan Taining and the others also stepped forward, saying, "If Lady Fu dares to forcibly strip someone's clothes to humiliate them, we will return home and report to our elders, and tomorrow we'll lodge a formal accusation against your Zheng family!"

Zheng Yufu wasn't completely oblivious either.

Talk of harem interference in politics, the court belonging to the Zheng family—if such words reached the emperor's ears and he took them seriously, the Zheng family would be in serious trouble.

Her expression shifted, and she retorted defensively, "Nonsense! I'm merely upholding the law—where is there any talk of harem interference? Don't slander the Zheng family's reputation!"

As for ordering someone to strip his clothes again, she dared not mention it.

After all, she knew her pretext for picking a fight didn't hold water.

She had simply been bullying through sheer power, but Shen Qinglan and An Yongyan weren't intimidated, and An Yongyan's family background was no less impressive. She truly didn't dare to force the issue further.

But to slink away in defeat like that—wouldn't she become a laughingstock?