Thus, she was determined to vent her anger on Liang Luo, thereby suppressing the arrogance of the Ninth Prince's faction.
With a stern expression, she spoke to Wei Lanxuan.
"Young Madam Liang, it's best not to plead for mercy. This Miss Liang has quite the set of rules. First, she unprovokedly threw hot tea at Miss Wen, then she slapped someone without rhyme or reason, and now she doesn't even show me, the Princess Consort, any respect and directly charged at me. If such behavior isn't taught a lesson, I fear there will be serious trouble in the future."
Wei Lanxuan had no idea that in the short time she had left, Liang Luo had managed to stir up so much trouble. She was momentarily stunned.
In this situation, Liang Luo finally knew fear.
If she were truly thrown out like this, it wouldn't just be her who lost face, but the entire Liang family as well. So, she began to cry to Wei Lanxuan.
"Sister-in-law, save me! It was Wen Yuwei, that wretched woman, who framed me!"
As soon as she said this, the contempt in the eyes of Princess Consort Ke became even more pronounced.
Completely disregarding Wei Lanxuan's plea, she spoke to her again.
"I've never seen a noble lady like this before. Young Madam Liang, if the Liang family still wishes to establish themselves in court, you truly need to discipline her properly. With such character, does she even deserve to dream of a good marriage?"
This one sentence basically ruined Liang Luo's future prospects. No one would marry someone whom Princess Consort Ke had evaluated in such a manner.
If she couldn't marry into the Ninth Prince's household this time, she might have to spend her life as a nun.
Thinking of this, Wei Lanxuan could no longer afford to consider anything else.
As a daughter of the Wei family and a wife of the Liang family, she couldn't stand by and watch Liang Luo's future be ruined like this.
Moreover, if the Liang family lost face, she would also lose face.
So, she pleaded again.
"Your Highness, it is indeed Liang Luo's fault. You can make her kowtow and apologize, but if you simply throw her out, outsiders will surely gossip about the rules of Prince Ke's mansion. It's a small matter to harm the Liang family's reputation, but if Prince Ke's mansion's reputation is damaged, wouldn't that be a loss outweighing the gain?"
These women, of all people, valued their family's reputation the most. Therefore, when Wei Lanxuan spoke, Princess Consort Ke had to take it seriously.
Seeing that Princess Consort Ke was wavering, Wei Lanxuan immediately stepped forward to apologize.
"Your Highness, you are magnanimous. Today is also the auspicious day for the Emperor's eldest grandson. Please do not trouble yourself with someone so foolish. Rest assured, this humble wife will take her back and call on you to apologize another day."
Her sincerity was evident even to Princess Consort Ke.
Who among those present had not witnessed the grace and pride of the eldest daughter of the Wei family back then? To go this far for her unfilial sister-in-law was truly not easy.
Therefore, she relented and said, "Very well, this Princess Consort does not wish to bring bad luck today. Release Miss Liang and send them away."
"Yes!"
Liang Luo was now like a drowned rat with its tail between its legs, meekly following Wei Lanxuan, her head bowed, not daring to make a sound.
She glanced sideways at her sister-in-law's expression and knew she was doomed.
Having been by her side for many years, she knew perfectly well when her anger was genuine and when it was feigned.
Her current clenched-teeth expression was a clear sign of her peak rage. She knew she wouldn't be spared when they got back!
"Let's go!"
As expected, though the words were few, the anger in her tone was palpable to everyone.
After the aunt and niece left, the farce finally came to an end.
Originally, only Wen Yuwei needed to have her injuries examined, but now Princess Consort Ke's ankle also required treatment. Thus, they were arranged to be seen together by the mansion's physician.
This was exactly what Wen Yuwei had hoped for. She had long wanted to interact with Princess Consort Ke alone, but due to her humble status and the need to avoid alarming anyone, she could only orchestrate this incident with Liang Luo, all for the sake of meeting a confidante of Princess Consort Ke and pleading with her.
Now that the principal was under the same roof, she couldn't afford to hesitate.
As soon as her injuries were bandaged, she hurried to Princess Consort Ke and knelt before her, her eyes filled with tears, appearing utterly terrified.
Everyone assumed she was scared by Liang Luo's bullying and offered words of comfort.
"Miss Wen, do not worry. Since you were injured in my Prince Ke's mansion, this Princess Consort will naturally take full responsibility."
"Your Highness, this humble subject has something she wishes to discuss with you alone. I beg you to dismiss the attendants..."
Before Princess Consort Ke could even speak, Mama Li, who stood by her side, immediately rebuked her. "How presumptuous! How can the Princess Consort be left alone? Miss Wen should refrain from making such unreasonable demands!"
In their eyes, she simply wanted to lodge another complaint, perhaps about some minor fault of the Liang family.
To demand the Princess Consort be left alone with her for such a reason was dangerous. How could they possibly agree?
However, they saw Wen Yuwei's expression of utter desperation as she heavily kowtowed to Princess Consort Ke and said,
"Your Highness, this matter is of great importance. This humble subject can only speak to you alone. Please believe me, this matter will only benefit the Prince, not harm him."
Mentioning the Prince made Princess Consort Ke somewhat cautious.
What important matter could a woman of the inner chambers have that concerned the Prince?
Looking at Wen Yuwei's tearful appearance, she had a bold idea.
Could it be that she was secretly pregnant with the Prince's child, and now she was here to beg to be taken into the mansion as a secondary consort or concubine?
The thought of this softened her expression considerably.
Ever since she married into the First Prince's mansion, she had only borne one daughter. The women in the First Prince's inner court had not given birth to any children over the years.
There was much gossip outside, all saying it was due to the First Prince's poor health.
If she were indeed pregnant, she could be brought into the mansion to be raised, thereby dispelling the outside suspicions.
She now had both sons and daughters, so she didn't particularly care about another child born out of wedlock.
After weighing the pros and cons, she said to the servants,
"You may all withdraw for now. Mama Li, guard the door. If anything happens, it won't be too late to come in."
"Yes."
They dared not disobey the Princess Consort's orders.
However, before Mama Li left, she gave Wen Yuwei a fierce glare. Her own suspicions were similar to Princess Consort Ke's, but she lacked the Princess Consort's magnanimity. Another vixen vying for favor was certainly not a good thing.
She was contemplating how to deal with her, unaware that what she was about to say would be such a closely guarded secret.
After the attendants left, Princess Consort Ke said kindly,
"Miss Wen, whatever you have to say to this Princess Consort, please speak freely."
Wen Yuwei steeled herself, stood up, and moved to a position closer to Princess Consort Ke, murmuring as she did so.
"Your Highness, please forgive me. Because this matter is truly of great importance, I must whisper it to you."