Volume One, Chapter Fifteen: Today, This Young Princess Consort Will Set Things Straight

A sharp slap instantly extinguished Ning Rongsheng’s arrogance.

“How dare you hit me!” Ning Rongsheng clutched his face in disbelief, eyes wide with fury. She actually dared to strike him! This was the Ning family, after all!

Furious and humiliated, Ning Rongsheng held his face, his gaze darting between Xie Shu and the surrounding onlookers. After meeting several mocking glances, he shouted angrily at those nearby, “What are you standing there for? Seize her! Hit her! Hit her now!”

“Let’s see who dares!” Xie Shu’s eyes flashed coldly. With a swift motion, she slapped Ning Rongsheng again, the force so powerful it sent him sprawling to the ground.

“Xie Shu, how dare you hit me? I am your husband now!” Ning Rongsheng cried out in pain, but only dared to whimper timidly.

Xie Shu shot him a chilling glare that silenced him immediately.

“You little shameless wench! How dare you hit my son!” Madam Li slammed the table and rose to her feet. Seeing Ning Rongsheng receiving several slaps from Xie Shu, she rolled up her sleeves and rushed toward her, raising her hand high. “Today, I will punish you properly on behalf of your mother, who died long ago!”

Xie Shu’s mother died giving birth to her.

That was once the deepest sorrow in Xie Shu’s heart.

“What right do you have to mention my mother?” Xie Shu spat, sending a mouthful of saliva onto Madam Li’s face. To deal with such a fierce woman, one had to be even more ruthless and unreasonable.

Gripping Madam Li’s wrist tightly, Xie Shu’s fingers clenched so hard that if she had trained in martial arts, she might have broken it.

“Ouch, ouch—let go! Let go!” Madam Li cried out in pain, but the pressure on her wrist did not lessen. Gasping, she stubbornly said, “Xie Shu, I am your mother-in-law now. It is only right that I discipline you.”

When Madam Li spoke, Xie Shu had already guessed she intended to use her status as mother-in-law to torment her, perhaps even to replicate the cruel treatment from Xie Shu’s previous life, making her weak and sickly.

But after being reborn, she was no longer the foolish girl she once was.

Old grudges and new hatreds would be settled today.

“Smack!”

Madam Li’s face was slapped askew, her hairpin falling to the ground, strands of hair loose and wild. Her furious expression made her look like a madwoman.

“Clan leader, she—she hit me! I am her mother-in-law! Quickly, enforce the family law! Enforce the family law!” Madam Li struggled to pull her hand free from Xie Shu’s grasp.

Taking advantage of her effort, Xie Shu relaxed slightly, and Madam Li fell backward, landing hard on the ground.

“Enforce the family law, enforce the family law!” Madam Li wailed repeatedly.

“Miss Xie, since you insist on proving your disrespect to your elders, don’t blame us for being harsh!” Elder Ning, stroking his white beard, was so angered by Xie Shu’s actions that he felt suffocated and dizzy.

How did the Ning family attract such a demon?

“Bring Miss Xie before the ancestral tablet. Enforce the family law!”

The long, drawn-out order echoed through the ancestral hall. Upon Elder Ning’s command, several attendants immediately stepped forward, disregarding gender, attempting to seize Xie Shu.

Green Willow stepped forward boldly, shielding Xie Shu.

But before Green Willow could speak, “Bang—bang—bang,” several of Ning Mansion’s attendants were struck by the guards from General Zhenyuan’s mansion before they even touched Xie Shu’s sleeves, flying backward and collapsing unconscious.

“Swish, swish, swish—”

Drawn swords flashed as four guards stood firmly in front.

“Miss Xie, you are now the wife of our Ning family!” Elder Ning’s nostrils flared with rage. “If you do not obey family rules, insult your mother-in-law, and disrespect your husband, we will have no choice but to sever ties with you!”

“Hmph, right!” Ning Rongsheng, helped up by his attendants, dusted himself off and shouted at Xie Shu, “If you obediently accept punishment today, I might spare you.”

“Spare me?” Xie Shu pointed at her own nose and couldn’t help but laugh. “Since the founding of the Great Yan dynasty, I have never heard of any family daring to divorce a wife bestowed by the emperor.”

“Ning Rongsheng, even if I burn down the Cheng’en Marquis’s mansion, you cannot divorce me.” Xie Shu’s smile faded, her eyes cold and merciless.

“You’re so treacherous! You’re a despicable villain!” Ning Rongsheng’s second uncle pointed at her and cursed furiously, enraged by her fearless demeanor.

“Xie Shu, if you refuse to accept punishment, I will report you to the emperor tomorrow. You are abusing your imperial decree to humiliate the Ning family!” Madam Li’s eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on her forehead. If she couldn’t avenge that slap, her life would be in vain.

“Mother-in-law, you are mistaken.” Xie Shu brushed away the guards blocking her path and looked down at Madam Li. “Today, I, the wife of this house, am asserting power for the Ning family, for the Cheng’en Marquis mansion. I am the one taking charge.”

“What do you mean?” Ning Rongsheng swallowed nervously, sensing there was more to Xie Shu’s words. He stammered uncertainly.

“Today, I will clean house!” Xie Shu raised an eyebrow, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. Her scornful gaze swept over the Ning family members opposite her.

“What are you going to do?” Ning Rongsheng was aghast.

But before anyone could reply, Xie Shu clapped her hands twice. The guards stationed outside the ancestral hall filed in one after another.

With her lips barely parted, Xie Shu shouted, “Seize them all!”

“It’s rebellion! This is treason! I am your second uncle!”

“I’m your third uncle!”

“Xie Shu, what are you trying to do?”

“Get lost! Do you know who I am? Dare to touch me and see what happens!”

“I’m a third-rank official! Third rank! I’ll report you to the emperor and have you torn to pieces!”

“...”

In an instant, the entire Ning family ancestral hall descended into chaos. Those who had come to stage this farce were now being dragged to the ground, their arms twisted and pinned. Many shouted angrily and cursed.

Only Xie Shu remained calm and composed, completely indifferent to their protests.

However, the noise was so loud that the drowsy Cheng’en Marquis rubbed his head, as if slowly waking.

“What’s all this noise!” Cheng’en Marquis Ning Rucheng propped himself up on an elbow and shouted, reeking of alcohol.

When he finally opened his eyes and looked at the gathered relatives under arrest, he was stunned for a moment, then pinched his thigh hard.

“Ouch! This hurts. I’m not dreaming, am I?”

The Cheng’en Marquis was a man who appeared simple but was truly wise.

Xie Shu bowed politely before him and spoke softly, “Marquis, you are busy with your affairs and rarely manage the household. Though I have just married into the Ning family, it is my duty to clean house on behalf of the Ning family.”

“Wouldn’t you agree?”