"Yaoyao? What are you laughing at?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing. Just suddenly thought of a joke."
Bai Yaoyao quickly changed the subject. "Lord Ning helped you out so much this time. Sister, you really ought to thank him properly."
At that, Bai Qingqing’s expression turned sour. Ugh... How was she supposed to thank him? She hadn’t even repaid him for the last favor, and now she owed him again? Was this debt ever going to end?
At the Duke of Britain’s manor, Bai Jinghuai hadn’t seen Madam Qiao truly lose her temper in years. Outsiders always said she had a gentle temper and a mild nature, but once her children were involved, Madam Qiao was capable of anything.
Of course, Bai Jinghuai himself was furious after learning what had happened. He was ready to storm over to the Prince Ping’s estate to demand an explanation, but Madam Qiao blocked his path.
"What’s left to ask? What, you think they'll brush you off with a casual 'it’s all a misunderstanding'? Let me tell you, Bai Jinghuai—this isn’t over between us and the Prince Ping’s household. They acted without decency first, so don’t blame me for being ruthless. When they plotted against my daughter, no one cared about old ties!”
Madam Qiao made her stance perfectly clear—from now on, the Duke of Britain’s house and the Prince Ping’s house would walk separate roads. Their paths had diverged, and there was no longer any room for civility. That nonsense about resolving feuds and making peace—forget it. If anyone dared to lay a hand on her daughter, not even the King of Heaven could stop her.
Bai Jinghuai couldn’t help feeling a bit of regret. He and Fu Yanghong had been close friends for many years. They used to gather now and then, reminiscing about their youthful exploits. But what the Prince Ping’s household had done this time was utterly disgraceful. Marriage alliances were supposed to be a good thing—if it didn’t work out, that was just fate. Why force it into a feud?
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"Forget it. From now on, I’ll simply cut off ties. His princess has always been proud and difficult. I warned Fu Yanghong back when he married her—not to chase power over peace. These years haven’t been easy for you either, dealing with her."
Still, Bai Jinghuai did send a letter to Prince Ping, laying out the facts. It was the least he could do.
When Fu Yanghong read the letter, he flew into a towering rage, eyes nearly bursting with fury, and stormed off to confront the princess.
The princess consort was in the middle of railing against the Bai family, fuming that they'd dared to spurn her efforts and caused her to offend the Virtuous Consort. “...What a bunch of ingrates! Giving them face was a blessing to them. Letting their girl marry into the Fu family is their good fortune! It makes my blood boil! That meddlesome Princess Huai Fu—so easily taken in by that little wretch’s sweet talk—utterly foolish!”
“I’d say the foolish one here is you!”
Fu Yanghong, who’d overheard enough outside, burst in with a roar. He kicked the door open, eyes blazing like they could spit fire. “What madness possessed you to go begging the Virtuous Consort? Did you even talk to the Bai family first? Did they agree? You presumptuous, brainless woman—must you offend the entire world before you’re satisfied?!”
The princess consort was stunned speechless. It took her a long moment to recover before she snapped back, “Wasn’t I doing this for Yi’er’s sake? You were the one who took a liking to the Bai girl—I certainly didn’t! I only did this because you wanted a marriage alliance with them!”
“Is this how you arrange a marriage?! Have you never seen how other mothers go about it? What family acts like they’re doing the other party a favor—pushing the match as if it were some kind of charity? You idiotic woman! You’ve thoroughly offended them. There won’t be any ties left between our families now.”
The princess consort had long harbored resentment toward the Duke of Britain’s household, thinking them unworthy of her notice. “No contact suits me just fine. I won’t have to bother with them anymore. What, is the Bai family the only one in the world with a daughter? I can still find a fine match for Yi’er…”
A crisp slap cut her off mid-sentence. The force of it sent her reeling against the back of the chair, then sliding down to the floor.