I woke up as the Villainous Empress

At Guo Yurong's question, everyone couldn't help but glance at Yang Ning with complicated looks, waiting for her reply. The rumors about Yang Ning mistreating her stepmother were already famous in the capital, tarnishing her reputation even before she married the Crown Prince.

In an Empire where filial piety towards parents is considered the top moral responsibility, and deviations are subject to punishment, Yang Ning was still under scrutiny for her attitude towards Chang Ah.

"The guests that I have invited are all here. If someone is not here, it only means that they haven't been invited." Yang Ning's blunt response caught everyone off guard. The ladies, who were enjoying the milk tea and snacks, put down their cups and chopsticks, awkwardly wiping their mouths as they waited for Yang Ning to explain herself. However, she remained silent. Experience new stories on m v|l e'm,p| y- r

Guo Yurong had anticipated Yang Ning to make an excuse or at least mention that Chang Ah might have been delayed. Yet, she didn't expect Yang Ning to boldly admit that she hadn't even invited her.

It was a surprising and bold move.

"Your Highness, it was your first tea party, and you're saying that you didn't invite your mother to the party. Are you suggesting that the rumors about the ill relationship between you and your mother are true?" Since Yang Ning didn't offer further clarification, Guo Yurong pressed on, probing for more information.

Guo Yurong wanted to gauge how Yang Ning, the Crown Princess of the Empire, would handle this complicated situation. If the rumors about her being rude, arrogant, and ruthless were accurate, then there would be no reason for her to stay at this tea party any longer.

Her time was too precious to be spent appeasing an unethical, impolite royal.

However, if contrary to the rumors, Yang Ning turned out to be a capable woman with a tarnished reputation, then Guo Yurong might consider getting to know her better. Even as a powerful woman in the capital herself, she was no stranger to the ceaseless rumors surrounding her.

The other ladies gasped at Guo Yurong's straightforwardness, stealing glances at Yang Ning, who remained silent but looked calm and composed.

Yang Ning smiled at Guo Yurong's straightforward question and replied, "Rumors are rumors. I don't know what people are saying about me mistreating my mother. Because my mother had already passed away when I was younger. How can I mistreat her?"

"And if you're talking about Mrs. Yang, my relationship with her is indeed not so pleasant. About why I did not invite her to my tea party, I wanted to invite those people whom I had not met before and wanted to introduce myself to them and become friends. I don't think I can become friends with Mrs. Yang in this lifetime, at least.

I hope you don't mind her absence and enjoy your time here." Yang Ning smiled at Guo Yurong after finishing her explanation.

Guo Yurong was stunned by Yang Ning's bold response. She hadn't expected her to reveal that her relationship with Chang Ah was not good, but Yang Ning didn't provide an explanation for the circulating rumors. However, at least, rather than choosing to lie and unlike Chang Ah, she came clean.

The reason for her strained relationship with Chang Ah didn't interest Guo Yurong. The only thing she was interested in was testing Yang Ning's character, and in that regard, Yang Ning didn't disappoint.

A confident woman like Yang Ning was indeed a rare species in a world where people were too scared to share anything in public.

Guo Yurong didn't probe her further and picked up her teacup again, taking a sip. She then said, "The milk tea is nice, creamy, and delicious. If you don't mind, I would like to have its recipe from you so that I can drink it daily."

Yang Ning smiled at Guo Yurong, respecting her words, and didn't push her further. "I am glad that you liked the tea."

The other ladies were surprised to see Guo Yurong accepting Yang Ning's response without pressing further. Was she not curious about the reason for their strained relationship and if the rumors about Yang Ning abusing her stepmother were true or not? However, since Guo Yurong remained silent, the other ladies didn't dare to comment either and quietly enjoyed their snacks.

Suddenly, a maid came running in a hurry and whispered something to Yang Ning.

Yang Ning's expression darkened. She pursed her lips and glanced at Madam Guo and Liu before saying, "Pardon me for a moment. I need to go and check something. I will soon return. In the meantime, please enjoy the snacks as the servants will serve you." With that, she stood up and left the garden.

"The Crown Princess looked stressed. Did something happen?" As soon as Yang Ning left, the ladies began to whisper, wondering what could have prompted her to leave in the middle of the party.

"I wonder what happened. Her expressions looked serious. It must be a significant issue," another person added while looking in the direction where Yang Ning had gone.

Just as they were discussing, they heard a loud voice, "How dare you stop me from going inside? You're just a mere nurse. How dare you look down on me?"

"I am the mistress of Yang Household, the mother-in-law of the Crown Prince. How does a bastard like you dare to ask me to show the invitation? Huh? Do you want to die?"

The ladies exchanged glances as they immediately recognized the voice of the woman. It was none other than Chang Ah. Yang Ning had just stated that she didn't invite her stepmother, so how did she end up here?

"Isn't that Mrs. Yang's voice? Something must have happened; we should go and see." With that, the ladies stood up and walked out of the Dragon Pavilion to find out what was going on.

How could they miss this golden opportunity to witness a royal family drama unfold?

Madam Liu and Guo exchanged glances and eventually decided to follow everyone to see what was going on. They were also curious to witness to what extent Chang Ah would go to justify her actions today.