She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

Jiang Ruining gave Zheng Lingyi a look.

Zheng Lingyi understood, pretending to have just met her, blinking her clear, bright eyes and shaking her head: "Just met? You don't know each other either?"

Seeing that she didn't seem to be lying, Xu Nianyin's gaze returned to those bright eyes that made her feel a sense of crisis.

She was arrogant and aloof.

Her half-sister spoke up for her.

"I am the third daughter of Grand Tutor Xu's family, and this is Xu Nianyin, the eldest daughter of the Xu family's main branch. May I ask which noble family this young lady is from, and how she should be addressed?"

As they got closer, Jiang Ruining realized whose lingering gaze was coming from!

The book describes Xu Nianyin as proud, ruthless, and skilled in scheming within the inner palace. She admires Xiao Che, but loves the power in his hands even more. Her plan is to become empress, give birth to a legitimate son, send the regent to his death, rule from behind the curtain as regent empress dowager, and then depose her son to become empress herself.

The villain battles the male lead, and she takes on the role of the regent's wife, plotting against the female lead from behind the scenes.

The female lead's halo was dazzling, so naturally she lost miserably.

Before she could even arrange a marriage with the Regent, her scheme was exposed, and she was sent away by the Xu family overnight. Not far from the city, she was taken care of by the men sent by the male protagonist.

Although his intelligence and methods surpassed those of the original owner, the number of episodes he appeared in was only a fraction of the original owner's.

She's nothing but cannon fodder, used to highlight the female lead.

She nodded slightly, as if to greet the noble ladies: "My surname is Jiang, and I come from a humble family, not worth mentioning."

Seeing her so arrogant, showing no surprise or hesitation upon hearing the name of the Grand Tutor's Mansion, Xu Nianyin frowned slightly, knowing that the other person's identity must be extraordinary, but the surname was Jiang...

Apart from Jiang Huai, who held some influence in the court, no other officials with the surname Jiang were worth mentioning!

But the Jiang family only had one legitimate daughter, Jiang Ruining, who had already fallen off a cliff and died.

The surname is probably made up!

"How come Miss Jiang is with His Highness the Regent?"

Jiang Ruining casually said, "Let's go back to the capital together on the way. He said there are too many people and too much gossip in the capital. It just so happens that the Emperor will be setting off to hunt in the royal hunting grounds in early August, so he'll take me to stay at the hot spring resort. That way, we won't have to travel for ten days or so with the large group."

Xu Nianyin's eyes flashed with anger: "You're staying at the Regent's hot spring resort?"

The hot spring resort was a gift from the late emperor when the regent was conferred the title of crown prince. It was specially expanded and its scale and luxury were comparable to a royal palace.

He goes there to stay for a while every year.

Her grandfather had hinted that the regent should allow her to stay for a few days as well.

But it was rejected.

Unexpectedly, the Regent took the initiative to bring people to the hot spring resort!

Jiang Ruining noticed her jealousy and deliberately said, "Yes! I was already tired of staying here. I didn't expect you all to arrive early and even hold a banquet. I just wanted to join in the fun!"

Xu Nianyin tightened her grip on the fan: "Do your parents know? Living under the same roof with another man, aren't you afraid of being gossiped about behind your back? Aren't you afraid of your parents being talked about behind their backs?!"

Jiang Ruining stared into her eyes, his tone ambiguous, "Miss Xu, those words are quite sharp!"

Miss Xu could easily understand the sarcasm in the words, and her expression stiffened slightly: "As a fellow woman, I'm also worried about your reputation."

Jiang Ruining chuckled: "Thank you for your concern, Miss Xu! I don't care that much about reputation! Many people say behind my back that the Regent is ruthless and cruel, with a terrible reputation, but who dares to say a word to his face?"

"What matters is not reputation, but who holds the power and who is valuable to those in power. So why should I care what others say?"

Xu Nianyin pondered her words, her eyes shifting with a complex expression: "It seems Miss Jiang comes from a respectable family and is quite intelligent!"

Jiang Ruining raised an eyebrow: "And a beauty you'll never reach!"

Xu Nianyin's brow twitched.

When someone possesses a privileged family background, high social standing, and stunning beauty, it means they will also enjoy both favor and power!

If this arrogant woman were to enter the Regent's Palace, would she still obey the discipline of the principal wife?

"Miss Jiang is very confident and quite interesting! Since you've come to this banquet, you're here to socialize. Sincerity is key to good socializing. Why don't you remove your veil and let us see what a beauty looks like!"

Jiang Ruining wasn't intimidated: "I'm afraid my appearance will frighten you all."

The third young lady immediately stepped in to speak for her, her tone sarcastic and harsh: "Is it because you're ugly, or because you know you're an unmarried girl and you're ashamed to be seen going in and out with men..."

Jiang Ruining's eyes were still smiling, but the slap landed squarely on the other person's face.

With a crisp, loud "snap," it rang out.

"Whether I wear a veil or not is my freedom, and who I go out with is none of your business! Your mouth is so foul, you really need to be taught a lesson!"

Miss Xu is the illegitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor's mansion. She was somewhat suppressed at home, but her stepmother and elder sister protected her and never let her be looked down upon by others. Therefore, others treated her politely. When had she ever been slapped and ridiculed in public like this?

He raised his hand, intending to slap her back: "You!"

Jiang Ruining raised her chin and said, "You dare touch me and see what happens!"

When Xu San met her arrogant and cold eyes, her heart trembled, and in the end she didn't dare to slap her.

If the Regent treats her with such care, she must be under his protection. If things escalate, she will be the one who suffers!

Jiang Ruining sneered, "Neither the Regent nor Sister Xinyang said a word against me, so who do you think you are, pointing fingers at me! Have you already assumed the position of the Regent's wife?"

"Are you worthy?"

She spoke extremely rudely.

Because of her impoliteness, no matter how curious others were about her identity, no one dared to come forward and forcibly pull off her veil.

Xu San's face burned with pain and ugliness, but she was secretly glad that she hadn't slapped him. Otherwise, her family might not have been able to protect her!

Jiang Ruining turned and left.

We need to give these two sisters time to discuss how to deal with this, right?

If things are to escalate and you can't afford to suffer the consequences, then you need a scapegoat!

Who should we choose?

Muttering to herself, "This is so hard to choose," she walked briskly toward Cui Jingwei, who was not far away!

After scheming against the original owner for so long, she should pay some price. Besides, the debt for her forcibly breaking into her room with Chen Anran and the others should also be settled!

Cui Jingwei wore a soft gauze blouse with peacock patterns, and a hair ornament shaped like a phoenix branch with red-gold phoenix leaf tassels hanging from it. She compared herself to a phoenix and was being surrounded by admirers.

Jiang Ruining didn't initiate conversation or even glance at the group of people; she simply strolled past them.

Cui Jingwei gave a signal, and someone called out to her, "Please wait, young lady."

Jiang Ruining smiled and stopped in her tracks.

They were the ones who stopped her; she didn't go to their door to cause trouble on her own!

"What is it?"