Chapter 165

Chapter 165 – Nothing Excites Her More Than This

Old Madam Lu did not speak a word on their way out of the palace. With Ye Zhen in tow, they left the vicinity in uncomfortable silence, until they boarded the family carriage.

As soon as the curtain of the carriage was lowered, Ye Zhen’s tense expression loosened, she threw herself into the old madam’s arms and sobbed.

“Grandmother!”

Initially, Old Madam Lu suspected that Lu Yaoyao must have done something wrong. Yet, now, hearing her granddaughter’s choked voice, her heart suddenly softened. “Yaoyao, tell Grandmother, what happened?”

Ye Zhen took a deep breath. Her whole body trembled as she clenched her teeth to stay silent.

“Did Wang Fei hit you?” Old Madam Lu asked in a sympathetic voice.

“Wang Fei misunderstood.” Ye Zhen uttered with difficulty. She then told Old Madam Lu that she went to the little prince as told by the empress dowager, met Princess Royal on her way back to the Cining Palace, and was slapped by Lu Wushuang.

She omitted the part when Mo Rongzhan saved her from falling into the pond.

After hearing this, Old Madam Lu shook her head and sighed. “Yaoyao, I have wronged you.”

When she saw Lu Wushuang leave in rage, she felt that something would happen, and yet, Old Madam Lu did nothing. She, among everyone, watched Wang Fei grow up, and therefore, she knew Lu Wushuang’s true nature.

Lu Wushuang loved to look dignified and virtuous, but she easily condemned those who displeased her. Most of all, she was raised to believe that no one else could be better than her.

However, the old madam didn’t expect Lu Wushuang to go as far as hurting Ye Zhen physically.

Ye Zhen shook her head in disagreement. “Grandmother, you did nothing wrong. The emperor only tasked me to treat the little prince of his sickness. I… I didn’t know it would upset Wang Fei.”

“Hush, child! I don’t blame you for this. The wang fei misunderstood the situation. Don’t take it to heart. I’ll speak to your cousin for you.”

What’s the use of making Lu Wushuang understand? She already believed that Lu Yaoyao was seducing Mo Rongzhan. Thus, her heart was now determined to find a way to deal with her.

Pertaining to this, Ye Zhen felt no fear of what Lu Wushuang would do. The best course of action was to reverse the cards, make the wang fei lose her pillar of support: Lu Lingzhi.

One’s best revenge is to use one enemy to deal with another.

And nothing excited her more than this thought.

Ye Zhen looked up and smiled at Old Madam Lu, full of trust and expectation. “Thank you, Grandmother.”

In response to the innocent gesture, Old Madam Lu smiled lightly and touched her red and swollen face. “Does it hurt?”

“I feel no more pain.” Ye Zhen cheekily smiled.

“You should use the snow lotus ointments given by the empress dowager and the emperor. It will reduce the swelling.”

Old Madam Lu initially preferred Lu Wushuang the most amongst her grandchildren, but now she had a kind granddaughter like Ye Zhen and felt a little disputed in her heart.

Nonetheless, a grandmother’s love for her grandchildren is immeasurable. In her heart, she only wanted peace between Lu Yaoyao and Lu Wushuang.

It pained her to know that Lu Wushuang held a grudge towards her younger cousin. She just hoped that she would listen to her before her temper destroyed her.

The imperial palace was nothing like the Lu Mansion where everyone valued and cherished Lu Wushuang. If she refused to change her temper, the emperor would reject her even more.

Old Madam Lu didn’t know the crimes Lu Lingzhi and his sister had done to the late Wang Fei Ye. She always thought that the emperor was smitten with Lu Wushuang, hence, he appointed her as the highest-ranking imperial concubine.

“Don’t say any of this to anyone when we go back home,” Old Madam Lu said.

Ye Zhen nodded gently. Of course, she wouldn’t say anything.

Sure as fate, Lu Wushuang’s assault on her would come out sooner or later.

Returning to the Lu Mansion, Ye Zhen proceeded to her chambers first. After washing her face, she applied the ointment after adding a drop of the lingquan. In an instant, the redness and swelling abated.

However, if one looked closely, it was still noticeable.

Except for Eldest Madam Liu Shi, all the family members were present in the upper wing to welcome Ye Zhen and Old Madam Lu.

And of course, Lu Lingzhi was present too.

His eyes rested on Ye Zhen’s face intensely. When he finally withdrew his gaze on her, he asked the old madam, “Grandmother, I heard that the princess royal also visited the palace today.”

When reminded of the princess royal’s visit, the smile on Old Madam Lu’s face faded instantly. “I met her at Cining Palace and exchanged a few words.”

His grandmother’s answer was vague, but Lu Lingzhi could only nod thoughtfully. The princess royal’s despise for the Lu Family was no secret, and Princess Liu Hua’s defeat at Lu Yaoyao’s hands must have put her in a fit of rage.

It was only natural for him to think that his grandmother meeting the princess royal in the palace would likely lead to a disaster.

In a different light, Old Madam Lu told him that their visit went just fine, and again, her eldest grandson nodded and seemed to believe her.

But in truth, he didn’t.

Beyond Old Madam’s awareness, his eyes were sharp, so he easily saw through the thick rouge applied on Ye Zhen’s face.

Was it Princess Royal or her daughter that slapped Yaoyao?