Demoting my wife to a concubine? After being reborn, I turned around and married into the imperial f

Chu Wanrou's face was contorted with rage, barely able to conceal her inner fury.

Chu Xunzhen, she's already been betrothed to the Ninth Prince? How dare she dress so flamboyantly?

Li Yi looked displeased.

Chu Xunzhen is so beautiful that Chu Wanrou looks like a bland, tasteless dish in comparison.

Chu Xunzhen really looks like her when she was young.

No wonder people say the mother and daughter look alike.

"Sister, Mother and I have gone out first. There are no seats left in the carriage for Granny Li and my maid."

Chu Wanrou said as she boarded the carriage.

"It's okay."

Chu Xun smiled indifferently.

Chu Wanrou scoffed inwardly. Chu Xunzhen was merely putting on a brave face now.

Who knows, she might be crying inside.

Just as they were about to set off, a gilded carriage appeared in front of them.

Looking at the luxurious, elegant, and grand carriage, Li Yi and Chu Wanrou couldn't help but take a second look.

But the next moment, they saw the carriage stop in front of the Marquis's mansion.

The coachman bowed respectfully to Chu Xunzhen: "Greetings, County Princess."

Upon hearing this, Li Yi and Chu Wanrou were shocked.

Did the owner of that carriage know Chu Xunzhen?

"No need for formalities," Chu Xunzhen said with a light laugh, and then boarded the carriage with Chunxi.

Chu Wanrou couldn't sit still any longer.

If Chu Xunzhen were to actually ride in this carriage, what status would Chu Wanrou have at the banquet?

"Sister, whose carriage is this? How can you ride in someone else's carriage instead of your own? You may not seem angry with us on the surface, but you're probably still quite annoyed, aren't you?"

"Insolence!" Chunxi shouted angrily. "This is the carriage that the palace provided for the county princess. Chu Wanrou has no respect for her place and is questioning the county princess. Guards, slap this young lady!"

The two eunuchs immediately boarded Li Yi's carriage and pulled Chu Wanrou down.

Chu Wanrou was terrified and screamed in fright.

"Mother, save me! How can I attend today's flower-viewing banquet if I get slapped ten times?"

Chu Xunzhen smiled sarcastically: "Sister Rou'er, I am the county princess. Since you have offended me today, you may stay in the manor and do not leave."

One eunuch on each side grabbed Chu Wanrou's hands. Another eunuch was responsible for slapping her mouth.

"No! Don't hit my Rou'er!"

Li Yi lunged forward and was actually hit by the little eunuch.

"Fine. Since the Lady of the Marquis has pleaded for you, I am not one to be petty. The remaining nine strokes will be completed after the banquet. Let her go."

After Chu Xunzhen finished speaking, he looked at Chu Wanrou below the carriage.

"In the past, I was too concerned with family ties and never set rules for everyone in the household. From today onwards, everything must be done according to the rules. Do you understand, Chu Wanrou?"

Chu Wanrou twisted the handkerchief tightly in her right hand.

Chu Xunzhen could tell from looking at her that she was unconvinced.

"I understand." After a long pause, Chu Wanrou trembled slightly as she spoke to Chu Xun.

The coachman pulled on the reins, preparing to move forward. Chunxi, inside the carriage, gave Chu Wanrou a cold glance.

Chu Wanrou dared not return to her carriage, but knelt on the spot and bowed to Chu Xunzhen: "Respectfully seeing off the County Princess."

From inside the luxurious carriage, Chu Xunzhen's voice rang out: "Not bad. As expected of a young lady raised in the capital. I thought you didn't know manners, but it turns out you've always known them, you just didn't bow to me."

Chu Wanrou was so frightened that she turned pale and knelt on the ground, trembling.

"Rou'er knows she was wrong, please forgive her, Princess."

Her eyes were lowered, and her expression was crazed.

This was all happening in front of the Marquis's residence, with so many people watching.

Chu Xunzhen, I, Chu Wanrou, will remember this debt.

The gilded carriage sped away, kicking up a cloud of dust that landed on Chu Wanrou.

"Rou'er, why don't you go back to the manor and change your clothes? I'll change mine too."

Li Yi got off the carriage, and the two entered the mansion. After closing the gate, Chu Wanrou immediately cried out in grievance and threw herself into Li Yi's arms.

"It's all my fault, I failed to protect Rou'er," Li Yi comforted her, holding her in her arms.

The two returned to their own courtyard, changed their clothes, and when they came out again, they learned that Chu Zhanpeng had already boarded a carriage and left.

The once grand mansion now only has the oldest carriage left.

"Go to the flower viewing banquet first. Nothing else matters. Don't worry, Mother will clear your name."

As Li Yi spoke, he boarded the carriage.

Chu Wanrou's eyes flickered as she followed closely behind.

"Mother, I saw this agate bracelet outside and thought it was very beautiful and suited you very well, so I bought it for you. Please wear it."

Chu Wanrou handed the bracelet to Li Yi.

The red agate is beautiful and elegant, with each bead being round and smooth with a lustrous sheen.

Once Li Yi put the bracelet on his wrist, he couldn't put it down and kept admiring it.

"Thank you, Rou'er."

Li Yi sighed and stroked Chu Wanrou's beautiful hair.

"Rou'er, the happiest thing in my life is having you, my good daughter. I've prepared everything for you. My dowry is all yours, and the ten shops in the west of the city are all yours. I haven't told your three older brothers about this. You must keep it a secret too."

Chu Wanrou's expression froze, and in that instant, she actually wanted to cry.

"Thank you, Mother."

Chu Wanrou sat in the car, her eyes blurry with tears.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the red agate bracelet on Li Yi's hand, and a look of struggle flashed in her eyes.

But when she thought of the humiliation Chu Xunzhen had just inflicted on her, she sat quietly in her seat.

"I'm sorry, Mother, Chu Xunzhen forced me to do this. If only you hadn't brought her back! Why did you bring her back?"

Chu Xunzhen had already arrived at the gate of the Grand Tutor's mansion.

"Heavens! Whose carriage is this? It's so magnificent!" A noble lady who had just arrived at the Grand Tutor's mansion exclaimed in surprise when she saw Chu Xunzhen's carriage.

"What a magnificent carriage! The person who can ride in this carriage must be no ordinary person."

"Look! This person even has eunuchs as his attendants."

The crowd whispered among themselves.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Chunxi stepped out first. The next moment, a slender arm emerged from the carriage, and Chu Xunzhen, dressed in a purple gauze dress, alighted from the carriage.

She is the county magistrate.

"Greetings, County Princess."

Wherever Chu Xunzhen went, noble ladies bowed in greeting.

She couldn't refuse to pay her respects, as she was now renowned in the capital for suing her former fiancé's family in the government office.

Moreover, the title of "County Princess" meant that ordinary noblewomen and commoners alike had to bow to her.

The guards of the Grand Tutor's mansion accepted the invitation and respectfully led Chu Xun and his servant inside.

As soon as Chu Xunzhen entered the Grand Tutor's mansion, she smelled a strong floral fragrance.

The refreshing fragrance is delightful and invigorating.

A young girl in a long black dress walked out from the inner room.

Her long hair was tied up with a single black ribbon, and a long black whip was tucked at her waist. Her skin was somewhat yellowish and even a little dry.

"Xiang Ning!"

Chu Xunzhen's voice choked with emotion, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Liu Xiangning's expression was complex: "Greetings, County Princess."

Liu Xiangning was about to bow to Chu Xunzhen, but Chu Xunzhen quickly helped her up.

"You don't need to bow to me."

The crowd gasped in surprise.

Liu Xiangning was also a little confused, but her joy quickly turned to her. She tentatively spoke, calling out the name she had used two years ago: "Zhenzhen?"