When the Qin family's carriage passed Chongren Street, the clamor coming from the entrance of a shop on the left front did not attract the Qin family's attention, and they continued forward.
Only when they passed that shop, Qin Sanfuren's personal servant, Li Mama, saw that the person arguing with others was Madam Gong from the Gong family.
After thinking for a moment, she softly said from outside the carriage curtain: "Mistress, it's Madam Gong from the Gong family arguing with someone."
Hearing it was that coarse woman from the Gong family, Qin Sanfuren lifted the carriage curtain and looked left.
She didn't know for what reason that woman was making a scene and arguing in public with guards from an unknown family, it was really improper.
"Ignore her, keep going," she said.
"Yes," replied Li Mama.
But they hadn't gone far when Qin Sanfuren thought of what Aqin had said at the racetrack outskirts earlier: "It was Xiaohua who healed Yao's face." Her heart struggled again, and she finally calmed herself and said, "Pull over."
"Yes."
Soon, with a yi sound, the carriage stopped. Qin Sanfuren got out of the carriage with Li Mama's support.
"Mistress."
"Let's go take a look."
"Yes."
By the time they had just walked to the edge of the crowd, they heard the woman say: "Everyone, judge for me, my daughter's wedding day is coming soon. As soon as that noblewoman came, she wanted the new closet I had made for my daughter. Can you believe she just demanded it like that? This is my daughter's once in a lifetime wedding event!"
"Yes, yes!" The onlooking crowd pointed at the Lin family members.
"Insolent! Do you even know that the noblewoman she's talking about is from the household of the Minister of War? Don't you want to live anymore?" The Lin family guard berated Madam Gong and the surrounding onlookers.
Hearing it was someone from the Minister of War's household, the onlookers didn't dare speak again, and even retreated back several steps to avoid implicating themselves.
Qin Sanfuren heard how things had developed, and thought to herself that the Lin family's connections with the imperial clan made them increasingly arrogant.
Their current behavior was no different from robbing and looting. They were becoming more and more shameless.
What's more, this was the dowry for her future daughter-in-law. How could the Lin family try to humiliate her like this?
Although she didn't expect the Gong family to provide a substantial dowry, it wasn't something others could casually interfere with either.
"What's going on here, causing such a disturbance in public?" Qin Sanfuren walked over from the crowd, followed by Li Mama and guards, and spoke to the Lin family members.
"Who are you?" asked the Lin guard.
"How dare you! This is the Third Madam from Chancellor Qin's household!" Li Mama stepped forward and scolded him.
Seeing it was a woman from the Chancellor's household, the Lin guard didn't dare act impudently. He quickly moved aside.
Madam Gong was about to greet Qin Sanfuren, who was the mother of her future in-laws.
"Mother-in-l..." Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted.
"Madam, let's go inside to talk. I will handle this for you," said Qin Sanfuren. Then without another word to Madam Gong, she took her servants directly into the furniture shop.
Madam Gong watched Qin Sanfuren walk into the shop, stunned for a moment. Why was she pretending not to recognize her?
Seeing the other party about to enter the store, she didn't think much more before following the Qin family members into the shop.
Qin Sanfuren didn't go to the back room after entering the shop. She sat directly in the front hall.
Li Mama signaled the shop clerk to serve tea, reported the identity of the new arrivals, and went to the back room to notify the manager and Lin family members.
The onlooking crowd outside was also gradually dispersed by guards, who stood guard at the door to temporarily prevent anyone from entering.
"Oh, Third Madam Qin, long time no see. Why go out today instead of hiding at home?" said Madam Lin as she came out of the back with her daughter, looking at Qin Sanfuren leisurely drinking tea.
After the last incident at the palace, when she returned home, Lin Ruo had told her the "truth" about what happened. That sinister boy from the Qin family had long been interested in someone else, so he deliberately framed her daughter Ruo'er.
Although her daughter was able to marry the Sixth Prince in the end, which was an even better match, that didn't mean she could just write off what had happened.
"Funny. If you can go out, why can't I go out?"
"What do you mean by that, Mother Qin?" Lin Yueru looked weak and on the verge of tears, as if she had suffered a great insult from Qin Sanfuren. She asked in a trembling voice.
"What I mean should be clear to you, or do I need to spell it out?" Qin Sanfuren was too lazy to bother with Lin Yueru, and looked her over. Did she think that just because she hadn't attended that banquet at the palace, Qin Sanfuren wouldn't know what she had discovered?
Hearing the bluntly insulting words from the other party, Lin Yueru silently dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her embroidered handkerchief, looking greatly wronged.
"Ruo'er, don't say any more to her," said Madam Lin tenderly, seeing her daughter's distress.
She turned to Qin Sanfuren. "Just say it, why did you ask us to come out here?"
"I went out for a stroll and came across arrogant and domineering people. I couldn't stand watching."
Looking at the burly woman standing next to Qin Sanfuren, whom she had ordered beaten, Madam Lin knew what incident she was referring to.
"Hmph, so nosy. Mind your own business."
Not wanting to bother with her further, she turned and said to Lin Yueru: "Ruo'er, let's go."
Watching the Lin family members walk away, Qin Sanfuren calmly sipped her tea. Slowly she said, "What a pity. The Grand Dowager sent someone to tell me yesterday that she wanted me to visit her in the palace to chat. I wonder if I'll be able to mind my own business when I'm there."
Madam Lin stopped in her tracks, looking furiously at Qin Sanfuren, too angry to speak.
"You're using the Grand Dowager to pressure me?"
"I didn't say that."
"You... Fine, I'll take this matter as giving you face today. We'll see how things go." She pulled Lin Yueru and their entourage away angrily.
Seeing the Lin family leave, Madam Gong thanked Qin Sanfuren, "Qin furen, thank you for today's matter."
Qin Sanfuren immediately put down her teacup upon seeing this, smiling broadly at Madam Gong. "Mother, no need to be polite. We're one family, let's not stand on ceremony. Please look to me for any help you need in the future."
Madam Gong???
Who was it that just a moment ago refused to acknowledge her in public, calling her Madam? And now it was suddenly "mother." She sure switched faces quickly.
...
While the two madams of the Qin and Lin families were engaged in overt and covert contention, Gong Xiaohua in Longnan Prefecture encountered quite a headache.
She looked at the fiercely fighting Qin family guards and Nangong Jue, speechless.
The cause of this went back to Qin Chuyuan.
Ever since he first came to the relay station the day before yesterday, his behavior had become strange.
Every time he asked her out, supposedly to discuss important matters, he would be cold and stony-faced when they met, looking like he had something to say but couldn't speak.
And Nangong Jue always liked to hover around Gong Xiaohua, though who knows what he said to provoke Qin Chuyuan. It led directly to the Qin family guards taking action and the two sides fighting.
"All of you, stop!" A loud shout made the several people on the battlefield stop.
The Qin guards looked at their future mistress, then their young master. Seeing the young master silent, they retreated from the battlefield one by one.
"You want to fight? Fine, but if you lose, leave Longnan immediately," Gong Xiaohua said to Nangong Jue.
"Alright. When?" Nangong Jue thought for a moment before agreeing.
"Tomorrow, the hour of you [5-7pm], the outskirts of the city."
"Good, I'll be there on time." Having said that, he flipped over the wall and left again.
