Chapter 9 Provocation

Wanxi finished dressing up, and looked straight into the slightly blurry bronze mirror in front of her. She saw herself in the mirror, with a hint of a smile, bright red lips, and a stunning beauty that was beyond compare.

Unlike Gaomama and Tingzhu, who had built up immunity from their daily interactions, the two palace maids who came to serve were quite amazed.

In the backyard of the Ninth Prince, there were quite a few well-known and unknown beauties. They all had their own unique charms, but when Wanxi, with her stunning beauty, appeared in a crimson flag dress, it truly made people feel a sense of astonishment.

When Wanxi came out of the inner room in her crimson dress, Yintong was already sitting at the dining table. When he saw her approaching, a hint of amazement flashed in his eyes. Then he gestured to Lin Chujiu, who respectfully led the others out.

Wanxi looked at Yintong with a smile on her lips, and began to serve him with the chopsticks. Often, before Yintong could speak, she had already picked up the dishes he wanted and put them in his bowl, which undoubtedly earned her some extra points in his eyes.

In fact, Yintong did have a fondness for Wanxi, but to say he liked her too much would be an exaggeration. However, Wanxi's performance yesterday and today, whether in bed or out of it, had undeniably piqued his interest.

After the morning meal, in a very good mood, Yintong did not, as usual, hand Wanxi over to Dong Eshi directly. Instead, he personally took Wanxi to the main courtyard.

When a new person entered the mansion, it was customary to present tea to the main wife. When Wanxi followed Yintong to the main courtyard, Dong Eshi and the other women from the backyard were already there, creating a lively scene in the hall with their graceful figures and fragrant attire.

Wanxi followed behind Yintong with small steps, and all the eyes in the hall naturally focused on her. The gazes of envy, jealousy, and disdain were all different, yet they converged into one.

In her past life, Wanxi believed that sharing would lead to coexistence, but the cruel reality told her that this idea was wrong. The women in the backyard were never satisfied. Once they tasted a little sweetness, they hated not being able to have it all to themselves. Instead of giving others the opportunity to cause trouble, Wanxi felt it was better to directly take possession of everything, so that these greedy and despicable women could only watch but never taste the good things.

"I pay my respects to Your Highness," Dong Eshi said with a few maids, in a graceful manner.

"Please rise," Yintong said without even looking, and gestured for them to sit beside him.

Dong Eshi, dressed in a bright red flag dress, had a gentle smile, but her expression seemed somewhat stiff, especially when she looked at Wanxi's exquisite and beautiful face.

Zhu, Zhou, and Liu Jia, among others, were waiting on the side, with complex expressions and different thoughts.

Wanxi lowered her eyes and did not rush to look around. Instead, she waited respectfully for Dong Eshi to take her seat. She knew that her appearance was her best weapon, enough to make Dong Eshi restless and tormented day and night.

Yintong, seeing Dong Eshi standing still, frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Let's begin!"

Dong Eshi came to her senses and, under the soothing gaze of Yuma, sat beside Yintong, appearing calm on the surface but burning with hatred towards Wanxi in her heart.

Wanxi saw everything, and with a respectful expression, she knelt on the cushion, feeling extremely pleased. Her originally pleasant voice now sounded even more crisp and pleasant, "Wanxi, from the Yehen clan, pays her respects to Your Highness."

She then took the tea offered by a maid and, ignoring the anger in Dong Eshi's eyes, raised it high above her head and presented it to Dong Eshi, "Please, Your Highness, have some tea."

As the saying goes, if the enemy is not doing well, she would be happy. If Yintong were not present, Dong Eshi would definitely have shown her authority to Wanxi. But now, all she could do was to take the cup and take a sip, "Wanyan, please rise quickly!"

"Thank you, Your Highness," Wanxi thanked her and stood up with the help of Tingzhu.

Dong Eshi turned around and took a red box from Tong Gu, handing it to Wanxi, saying, "From now on, you will be under the care of His Highness. We are all sisters and one family. You just need to serve His Highness well and bear children for him as soon as possible."

Wanxi was close enough to hear the grinding of Dong Eshi's teeth. She felt pleased, but maintained a respectful demeanor as she thanked Dong Eshi, "Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness."

Zhu and Zhou were the first to follow Yintong, especially Zhu, as the first woman of Yintong, her status was slightly more special than the others. However, due to her low status, and the fact that Liu Jia and Wei, who entered later, were more favored than Zhu and Zhou, now that Wanxi had entered, they had no choice but to bow and pay their respects.

"I pay my respects to Sister Wanyan," they said.

Wanxi looked at them politely and said, "Please rise, sisters."

After all the formalities were over, Yintong, who had lost patience, took Wanxi and left directly. Following his departure, Zhu and the others also tactfully took their leave. Faced with the silence in the room, Dong Eshi, burning with anger, swept everything off the table with her hand and scolded angrily, "Wanyan, how dare you..."

"Your Highness..." Yuma looked at the uncontrollable anger of Dong Eshi and could only raise her hand to let the maids in the room leave.

"Why! Why!" Dong Eshi was so furious at this moment that she couldn't hear any advice, and everything in front of her was smashed. Yuma, seeing Dong Eshi getting more and more agitated, stepped forward quickly, took the vase from Dong Eshi's hand, and put it aside, persuading her repeatedly, "Your Highness, no matter how unhappy you are, you can't play with your own body like this."

Madam Dong glanced at her concerned maid, Yin Mama, and then thought about the beauty of Wanxi and the indifference of Yintong. She said resentfully, "Mama, how can I not be angry? Look at how protective the master is of Lady Wan. It's as if he's bewitched, afraid that I will take away his precious heart and liver."

Yin Mama sighed and said, "Madam, there's no good outcome in using beauty to serve others, especially since you are the wife and she is the concubine. As long as you give birth to a son, Lady Wan's position will be under your control, won't it?"

Madam Dong's eyes turned red as she sharply exclaimed, "But I don't want to wait even a single day. I am the master's wife, so why does he always value those lowly women more than me?"

"Madam..." Yin Mama opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.

"Mama, you've seen it too. The master has never been so devoted to anyone until Lady Wan appeared. He's completely infatuated with her, always standing up for her. If the master has any reservations, he should also consider my position as the legitimate wife!" Madam Dong's tears finally fell.

"Madam..."

"Mama, I understand what you mean, but I can't tolerate Lady Wan. Everyone says I'm overly sensitive, but you've seen it. Lady Wan is nothing but a sly fox. She just entered the household and already has the master bewitched, showing no respect for rank or status. If I don't take action, who will ever respect me as the legitimate wife?" Madam Dong gritted her teeth, wiped away her tears, and sneered, "I won't end up like Fifth Sister-in-law, carrying the title of legitimate wife but being suppressed by these lowly seductresses."

"Oh, my Madam, you can't say such things lightly." Yin Mama looked around anxiously, afraid that her words would be overheard.

In the deep palace, even the walls have ears. One careless word could lead to trouble.

"What are you afraid of, Mama? This is my courtyard." Madam Dong seemed indifferent, but her voice involuntarily lowered, "In any case, I won't stand by and watch Lady Wan revel in her success."