I woke up as the Villainous Empress

Undeterred by the scrutinizing gazes of the other ladies, Zheng Liang boldly took Yang Ning's hand, intertwining their fingers. He gently warmed her cold hands while, with a cold stare, he confronted the trembling Chang Ah, who cowered under his intimidating gaze.

"Mrs. Yang, I heard you accused my wife of lying earlier, didn't you? Would you also label me a liar if I attest to witnessing your cruelties towards her? Have you conveniently forgotten the events of the first night when I visited the Yang Household?" he asserted, his words cutting through the tension in the air.

Upon hearing his straightforward words, Chang Ah gasped in horror, feeling as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. Was he intending to reveal everything in front of everyone? The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

Gulping nervously, Chang Ah attempted to appease him, "Your Highness, please forgive me for coming to the party uninvited. It was rude of me; I didn't think through my actions. Please pardon me for my rudeness."

Turning to Yang Ning, she added, "Yang Ning, I apologize to you as well for being rude and not thinking through my actions. I shouldn't have come here." Her eyes dimmed with remorse, radiating an air of sadness and embarrassment. In this state, anyone witnessing her would find it difficult not to sympathize with her plight.

But not Zheng Liang!

He was prepared to teach Chang Ah a lesson that she would never forget in her whole life and would always regret coming to the palace today. He had overlooked her previous actions because she had stopped bothering Yang Ning after she married him.

However, upon witnessing her disruptive behavior at the palace, he realized that Chang Ah hadn't stopped bothering Yang Ning; instead, she hadn't had the chance to do so. Now, he was determined to ensure she would never dare to meddle with his wife ever again. Explore stories at m,v l'e-NovelBin.net

As Chang Ah attempted to retreat from the escalating situation, a cold and intimidating voice from Zheng Liang halted her in her tracks. "Who allowed you to leave?" he demanded, his tone leaving no room for disobedience.

"Your Highness, today marks Yang Ning's first tea party. Let's refrain from creating a scene and spoiling the atmosphere. I'll take my leave for now, and we can discuss this matter another time," Chang Ah proposed, attempting to maintain a pretense of reason.

Zheng Liang, however, smirked at her attempts to avoid embarrassment. "The party has been ruined already, Mrs. Yang. Since you accused my wife of lying in front of everyone, we should address this matter here, in front of everyone.

I won't allow false rumors to spread about the Crown Princess in the capital any longer," he declared coldly, determined to teach Chang Ah a lesson for her malicious actions.

Remaining silent all this while, he hadn't said anything to Yang Ning, but the sight of those fading marks on her pale skin bothered him deeply. The scars from beatings and abuse seemed old, indicating a prolonged period of torture.

These marks were strategically placed, hidden from the eyes of casual observers, and the thought of how much Yang Ning had endured since childhood left him horrified. While he desired to inquire about the marks on her body, he chose to maintain silence, avoiding any mention of them in her presence. The fear of causing her distress or making her self-conscious about revealing her scars held him back.

However, now he knows who is the cause of those scars on her body. It was none other than the monstrous Yang Luoyang and his greedy and shameless wife, Chang Ah, who are nothing but disgusting pests in Yang Ning's life.

Reflecting on it, he recalled the first time he saw her at the Yang Household, burning with fever and suffering from a headache. At that time, he couldn't understand the meaning behind her words, but now he does. She was begging to be saved from her cruel, monstrous family who only cared about their greed and reputation and not about someone's life.

The depth of suffering she had endured, not just at the hands of strangers but also inflicted by her own family, was more devastating than being betrayed by strangers.

___

At Zheng Liang's words, Chang Ah panicked, casting anxious glances at the other ladies, who were eagerly waiting to see what was about to be revealed. "Your Highness, we are family after all. We can discuss all of this later. Please understand that doing this in front of everyone will only lower the reputation of the royal family and Yang Ning.

She is the host of today's party, after all," she pleaded, attempting to change his mind. However, Zheng Liang remained resolute.

"Mrs. Yang, mind your words. We are not a family. I married Yang Ning, and she is my wife, but I do not claim you as my mother-in-law. You're Minister Yang's wife, yes. But my mother-in-law?

No! She has passed away long ago, and in a few days, it will be her death anniversary, and I will be visiting her grave with Yang Ning to greet her and get her blessings." Zheng Liang spoke directly, leaving Yang Ning surprised.

Even she didn't know that it was Yang Ning's mother's anniversary in a few days, but he remembered it. Her eyes were filled with warmth as she watched him standing up for her.

While Yang Ning was looking at Zheng Liang, with her eyes filled with affection, Chang Ah, on the other hand, was humiliated and embarrassed by his straightforward words.

Until now, she has always boasted about her close relationship with Zheng Liang and the royal family, but now he has completely shattered her reputation in front of everyone by humiliating her like this.

Before Chang Ah could think of a way to save her reputation, Zheng Liang continued, "Mrs. Yang, let's not drag this conversation any longer and discuss the night when I first visited the Yang Household. It was the first time I visited the Yang Household, and I was horrified to see the conditions of the eldest daughter of the Yang family living in.

Her chamber cannot even be considered a chamber, but more like an empty storage room. The walls were gloomy with no color or life, and there were no luxurious accessories that a lady should own."

"Even the servants of the Yang Household had more luxury than the eldest lady of the household. That night, Yang Ning was burning with a high fever and a headache for two days, and no one bothered to call for a physician for her, leaving her to die."

"If her maid had not gone outside to seek help from a local commoner physician, God knows what would have happened. Yet, rather than appreciating her for saving the lady, you were adamant about punishing the maid and weren't even allowing the physician to treat her. Is this how you treated her all this while?

Yet, while treating her like this, you dare to claim that you love her and treat her like your own son?" Zheng Liang's accusations made everyone gasp in horror, revealing how much Yang Ning had gone through all these years.

"Your Highness, that was a misunderstanding. I told you that we didn't know her condition was that serious. How can you mention that here?" Chang Ah's face paled at his brutal revelation. The weight of his words hung heavily in the air, and she couldn't fathom why he would bring such private matters into the public. Did he see their family as a mere joke?

Zheng Liang snorted in mockery and retorted, "A misunderstanding? You knew that she was sick, and I explicitly told you not to let her attend my birthday banquet the next day because it would only worsen her condition. Yet, you forced her to attend the banquet, not even allowing her to eat anything before going there."

"She hadn't eaten anything for the past two days due to being sick, and then you compelled her to attend the banquet in that condition, without eating anything. I had to take charge of the situation and feed her with fruits and snacks. Even at that time, you didn't have the shame to explain the matter and let her be humiliated by others.

You even fueled the matter by calling her ignorant of the royal etiquettes in front of everyone for starting to eat before His Majesty. How can a mother be so vicious and treat her daughter like this, whom she claims to love so much?" The accusation hung in the air, highlighting the severity of Chang Ah's actions.