In the palace, Li Meng'er was the emperor's beloved concubine, and in the eyes of the world, the beloved daughter of General Li. Therefore, everyone in the palace was very solicitous towards her.
Li Meng'er was often uninvolved in the squabbles among the concubines.
This was mainly because of Li Meng'er's background, which the other concubines dared not offend.
A single misstep could implicate her family, leaving her with nowhere to turn to weep.
Thus, when Li Meng'er questioned Yun Shu, her tone was one of condescending interrogation.
She did not regard Yun Shu as an equal.
At the same time, a hint of jealousy lingered in her voice.
Yun Shu looked at Li Meng'er and thought, "I wonder how Li De raised his daughter to be so naive, displaying every thought on her face as if afraid others wouldn't know what she was thinking."
The corner of her lips curled into a faint smile.
"Mother."
The three little ones called out to Yun Shu in soft voices.
Yun Shu looked at her three children, who were clearly suppressing their anger, and nodded gently, "Don't worry, stand by and wait for Mother."
"Shu'er," Yun Changfeng called out to Yun Shu, then gave a meaningful look.
It was clear that more troublesome individuals from Li De's family had come to cause trouble.
Even A'cha, who was usually serene, had a look of anger on her small face.
Let alone Jing Heng, if he had not been mindful of being in the imperial palace and had not slightly considered the status of Li Meng and the others, he might have already eliminated those causing trouble.
It had to be said that these people from Li De's family were somewhat of a burden.
This was the imperial palace, and they had the audacity to come here to stir up trouble?
Any slight commotion would not only be a disgrace to the people of Dong Ning, but would merely be a few gossiped words after they left. However, for Li De's family, unless they left Xi Xia Kingdom, such a stain would last a lifetime.
Yun Shu looked at Li Meng'er again with a half-smile, "Does Concubine Meng have something to say?"
Li Meng'er was annoyed by the question.
Was the situation not clear enough?
Clearly, Yun Shu's three sons had angered her three nephews!
Yet, she still dared to question her, and it sounded as if Yun Shu was being deliberately obtuse.
She gritted her teeth and said, "Princess Consort Ye, your three sons really need to be properly disciplined. Otherwise, the consequences will be endless."
"Yes, how can they be so unruly?" Li Meng'er's eldest daughter-in-law chimed in, echoing Li Meng'er's words.
The other two daughters-in-law also followed suit, "Princess Consort Ye, these three children appear to be extraordinary. If properly educated, they will surely achieve great things in the future. If left to their own devices and allowed to be unruly, Princess Consort Ye will surely regret it."
"Alas, these are not words we should be saying, but since Princess Consort Ye is temporarily residing at our General's residence after arriving in Xi Xia Kingdom, we would feel remiss if we did not speak up. Therefore, these are words of honest advice, though perhaps harsh. We hope Princess Consort Ye will not take offense."
These words had likely been brewing in their minds for a long time, hadn't they?
Seizing the opportunity to lecture her from a position of moral superiority? Yun Shu's smile suddenly became radiant and bright.
Teaching Yun Shu did not provoke anger, but instead, she smiled at them, leaving Li Meng'er and the others bewildered. What was wrong with Yun Shu?
Had she gone mad?
Otherwise, with several of them lecturing her with just a few words, why was she smiling?
However, after a moment of stunned silence, they felt something was amiss. Yun Shu's smile suddenly became somewhat chilling, giving them a sudden sense of fear.
This Yun Shu was too strange! What kind of look was that?
The few women exchanged glances.
For a moment, the atmosphere became eerily silent.
They suddenly felt a stiffness in their backs, and cold sweat even began to trickle down their spines.
They couldn't quite describe that look.
It was rather creepy.
Li Meng'er, usually so arrogant, quickly regained her composure. She frowned and asked angrily, "What are you smiling at?"
What was so funny!
Moreover, Yun Shu's beauty was already breathtaking, and after a smile, it made her feel utterly inadequate, as if she were ugly. Although she was considered a beauty and many had praised her appearance, in Yun Shu's presence, she was suddenly made to look incredibly plain.
Instantly, she felt immensely ashamed and indignant.
Was Heaven too unfair?
Why was Yun Shu so favored?
Why give such a face that could topple cities to Yun Shu?
Yun Shu did not deserve it!
Yun Changfeng frowned.
Xiao Li clenched his small fists.
Yun Xiao Jing's eyes darted around nimbly. He was truly angry! If he hadn't promised his mother to behave in the palace, and if his main purpose today wasn't to see his father, he wouldn't want to listen to this ugly woman speak anymore!
She was ugly, and her words were unpleasant!
Suddenly, he spotted a little snake in the nearby flower bushes that had come to find him.
The little snake always liked to cling to him.
It must have come from his father!
He looked up at the ugly woman and snorted!
He would scare her to death!
Then, with his chubby little finger, he subtly beckoned to the little snake.
Just as Yun Shu was about to speak, even Yun Changfeng was preparing to reprimand them.
Unexpectedly.
The father and daughter, both highly skilled in martial arts, sensed a slight disturbance.
Their peripheral vision cast a glance in a certain direction.
Then, they both looked at Yun Xiao Jing.
A hint of indulgence appeared in their eyes.
Well, Xiao Jing liked to play, so let him play. After all, talking to Li Meng'er and the others was a waste of breath.
The less said, the better.
The father and daughter exchanged a smile.
Yun Shu's smile sent shivers down Li Meng'er and the others' spines. They simply couldn't understand why Yun Shu was smiling!
They had clearly said hurtful things, and Yun Shu should have been enraged, confronting them with anger. Those three children would surely have spoken out of turn, just like when they fought at the General's residence. Then, they would have created an even bigger scene, causing Yun Shu and her children to lose face on their first visit to the palace.
But what happened!
It was completely different from what they had imagined.
Yun Shu just looked at them and smiled, leaving them utterly bewildered.
Just as Li Meng'er was about to question Yun Shu again, intending to utter more unpleasant words, she suddenly felt something cool slithering over her foot.
At first, she paid no attention. When she looked down.
She saw a snake lifting its head from her foot and baring its fangs at her.
Instantly.
Her mind went blank.
Then she screamed repeatedly, "Ah! A snake! It's a snake!"
She was so terrified that she could only scream, completely frozen.
Her cry alerted the three Li family daughters-in-law, who tensed up and hugged their children, retreating behind her.
"A snake?"
"How could there be a snake?"
"Ah! The snake is on Madam!"
"Madam, be careful!"
On one side, there were continuous screams and pale faces. The three children, who had been smugly in their mothers' arms, occasionally making faces at Yun Xiao Jing and the others with clear provocation.
Now, their faces turned ashen with fear, "Ah! Mother, a snake!"