Behind the pavilion.
Su Yunmo walked out, gazing in the direction the mother and daughter had gone, a faint light flashing in her eyes.
He who does evil will perish by his own hand.
Dou Ying treated people like chess pieces and dogs, unaware that a cornered dog would bite its master.
The second branch of the family wouldn't be a concern for her in the short term.
However, Ye Ningyuan's reaction was indeed intriguing.
Did she truly wish to become someone 'on her side'?
But why? Sudden kindness always made one uneasy.
Su Yunmo looked up at the sky and turned to leave.
She returned to the cold palace, gave the flowers to Consort Liang, and played with her for a while before leaving the palace around the hour of You.
A carriage from the General's mansion was parked outside the palace gates. Acai stood at the entrance, waiting, "Miss, Madam is waiting for you in the carriage."
"Mother also came to the flower viewing banquet today? I didn't see her in the Imperial Garden."
Su Yunmo scrambled onto the carriage with her short legs.
Acai reached out and scooped her up, placing her inside. "Madam attending the flower viewing banquet was just a formality. It was the Empress who asked her to speak."
Su Yunmo narrowed her eyes dangerously.
The Empress asking her mother to speak couldn't have been for anything good.
"Momo." Zhou Wanyou lifted the carriage curtain to call her.
The little dumpling then opened her arms and pounced into Zhou Wanyou's embrace, nuzzling against her chest. "Mother~"
"Look how dirty your face is." Zhou Wanyou wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.
The little dumpling, with a smudged face, took out a small flower from her sleeve. "For Mother."
The flower still had its stamen, with five white petals and a pink center, very tender and beautiful.
"Good child, Mother likes it." Zhou Wanyou kissed her on the cheek and said to the outside, "It's getting late, let's head back to the mansion."
This was the time the Hundred Flower Banquet ended, and many people were leaving by carriage. If they didn't leave soon, the carriages would collide.
Acai's voice came from outside, "Madam, I'm afraid we can't leave for now."
"What's wrong?" Zhou Wanyou lifted the carriage curtain.
Another carriage was opposite them, facing their own.
Their carriage was properly positioned to leave, with its front facing outwards. The opposite carriage had its front facing inwards and was about to reverse, clearly moving only after they did.
Under normal circumstances, the opposite carriage should yield.
Zhou Wanyou: "Acai, go down and take a look."
Acai was about to get out of the carriage.
The curtain of the opposite carriage was lifted first.
It was Qin Mingyan.
One side of her face was still red and swollen, and she kept covering it with a handkerchief. "Who is so blind, can't they see this young lady wants to leave? Hurry up and get out of the way!"
Acai couldn't move aside, as there were already carriages lined up behind them, and this was the only road to leave the palace.
"It's Miss Qin." Zhou Wanyou said in a deep, gentle voice, "There are already many carriages lined up behind us. Perhaps Miss Qin could yield first, and then leave once our carriage has passed and the road is wider?"
Qin Mingyan did not recognize the speaker, and it was dark, so she couldn't see the writing on the carriage plaque. However, she recognized Su Yunmo.
"So it's the General's wife. I was wondering, if it weren't for General Su's family, who else could be so ostentatious outside the palace walls."
She hadn't settled the score with that brat Su Yunmo for making her lose face in front of Consort Liang today!
These words were laced with thorns.
Zhou Wanyou's eyes flickered. She calmly replied, "In the capital, no one dares to be ostentatious in the bustling streets. Moreover, we are all educated in poetry and etiquette, so we naturally understand mutual concession."
"I've heard that Miss Qin has been highly praised by the Empress recently, so you must be even more familiar with the word 'etiquette' than I am. If that's the case, why not generously yield?"
Qin Mingyan gritted her teeth.
She had long heard that the General's wife was eloquent. She had only said one sentence, and the other had already retorted so many times.
Truly sharp-tongued!
"Madam is indeed eloquent, no wonder the daughter she raised is also so charming, otherwise how could Consort Liang favor her so much."
She sneered, her eyes full of sarcasm. "But I advise Madam, it's not a good thing for your esteemed daughter to attract so much attention, especially from a prince."
Su Yunmo frowned.
Had this person taken the wrong medicine? How could this be related to Ye Jingyu?
Zhou Wanyou rubbed the little dumpling's face and said nonchalantly, "I don't know about other princes. If you are referring to Prince Yu, then it is normal for Momo to be close to him."
"After all, it was His Majesty who ordered Prince Yu to be Momo's tutor and teach her things. Students and tutors naturally need to maintain a good relationship."
"If Miss Qin has any objections, why not go and speak to His Majesty?"
Qin Mingyan was instantly choked.
How could she possibly approach His Majesty about such a matter!
"It's already very late, and people are waiting behind us. I will take my leave then." Zhou Wanyou signaled Acai and lowered the carriage curtain.
Acai got into the carriage and urged the horse.
Qin Mingyan was unwilling. She gritted her teeth and whispered to her coachman, "You drive too!"
The coachman was startled. "But Miss, at such a close distance, if I move, we will definitely collide."
Qin Mingyan sneered, "I don't believe they would dare to crash into us!"
Seeing this, the coachman had no choice but to obey.
Acai, with a cold glance at the subtle movements of the mistress and servant on the other side, flicked her whip onto the horse's hindquarters.
The horse, agitated, galloped directly towards Qin Mingyan's carriage.
The coachman was shocked and quickly pulled on the reins, but it was too late.
The startled horse neighed to the sky, directly throwing Qin Mingyan to the ground.
Acai, meanwhile, drove the carriage smoothly past them.
Qin Mingyan, lying on the ground, cried out in pain and pounded the ground hatefully. "Su Yunmo, I'm not done with you!"
Once she became Prince Yu's consort, she would make the entire General's mansion suffer!
The little dumpling peered out the carriage window, giggling as she saw Qin Mingyan fall.
Zhou Wanyou shook her head helplessly and pulled the gloating child onto her lap. "Momo, Mother has always wanted to ask you, do you like Prince Yu being your tutor?"
Although this was a decree from the Emperor and unchangeable, Momo's opinion was also very important.
Judging by His Majesty's words at the banquet that night, no matter how unwilling Yi Ge was, Momo's future husband would definitely be a prince.
If it was destined to be so, it would be better to pave the way from now on, at least so that Momo herself liked it.
Su Yunmo found Zhou Wanyou's question a bit strange, but she replied truthfully, "Momo doesn't want a tutor, and she doesn't want to study."
Studying wasn't suitable for her; she had already tried it in her previous life.
Zhou Wanyou shook her head helplessly, knowing the little one disliked studying. "Then what do you think of Prince Yu?"
When it came to Ye Jingyu, the little dumpling's words immediately became more numerous. She counted on her little fingers, "He's petty and holds grudges, often bullies Momo, and is domineering and narrow-minded. I dislike him the most."
Zhou Wanyou was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle softly, rubbing her little face. "Is that so?"
It seemed the little one quite liked Prince Yu.
Then she could rest assured.