21
Is it Jealousy?
As soon as Mu Feng stepped into the courtyard, he saw Yao Qin who appeared domineering, holding a long whip in her hand and glaring furiously at several young women.
The woman at the front looked particularly pitiful, almost on the verge of tears as if she had been bullied. However, Mu Feng thought that as the renowned Little County Princess of the capital, she wouldn’t deliberately pick on those weaker than her.
“What’s going on?” Mu Feng asked after entering the courtyard.
Not only had Mu Feng approached, but several others—both men and women—had followed behind him.
Seeing the crowd growing larger, Zhang Mingming suddenly burst into tears.
“Waa… just now we were walking here while chatting, but for some reason, the Little County Princess stopped us and started bullying us with her whip.”
In Zhang Mingming’s view, since there were only two people on the other side and so many on theirs, whatever they said would ultimately be taken as the truth.
With seven people against two, the majority would naturally be believed.
Lin Qingran watched wide-eyed, eating melons online. She wasn’t particularly angry but was deeply impressed and shocked by Zhang Mingming’s audacity.
[Oh my god, I’m actually witnessing a white lotus in action! This person can completely ignore the facts and lie through her teeth to this extent. I’m truly in awe of her.]
[If I hadn’t personally heard this young lady deliberately insulting me earlier, and if Qin Qin hadn’t stepped in to confront her because she couldn’t stand it, I would have believed her!]
[She’s clearly the perpetrator, yet she’s putting on the act of the victim. She’s really mastered the art of playing the conspiracy card.]
Without even investigating, Mu Feng learned the entire story from Lin Qingran’s thoughts and couldn’t help but find it amusing. So, being able to hear others’ inner voices could save a lot of trouble.
But now, how would Lin Qingran clear her name?
Thinking this, Mu Feng wasn’t in a hurry. He wanted to see what Lin Qingran would do next.
“Is that what happened, Miss Lin? Little County Princess?” Mu Feng glanced at Lin Qingran, then quickly shifted his gaze to Yao Qin before looking away.
“How dare you! How dare you slander this princess? Outrageous!” Yao Qin snorted coldly. “It was clearly you who secretly insulted Ran Ran, and I demanded an apology. Now that there are more people, you refuse to admit it and instead accuse me of bullying you? You’re asking for a beating!”
With that, Yao Qin swung her whip, sending it flying straight toward Zhang Mingming’s face.
Just as the whip was about to strike Zhang Mingming’s face, Lin Qingran was startled and quickly called out to stop her, “Qin Qin, don’t be impulsive!”
[This girl, why does she resort to violence at the slightest provocation? I almost didn’t react in time. If she actually hits her, even if we’re in the right, we’ll become the wrongdoers.]
[Ahh, it’s over, it’s over! Qin Qin’s whip is already unstoppable. How could I forget she practices martial arts? It’s too late now. It’s really over. With no one else as witnesses, this might be pinned on Qin Qin and me. For Qin Qin’s sake, I might have to take the blame.]
Before hearing Lin Qingran’s words, Mu Feng had already reached out and grabbed Yao Qin’s whip.
“Little County Princess, resorting to violence directly won’t do. If someone gets hurt, I’m afraid you’ll be reprimanded by Wangfei when you return.”
With that, Mu Feng exerted a slight force, sending the long whip in Yao Qin’s hand flying back.
Moreover, Mu Feng controlled his strength perfectly, not harming Yao Qin in the slightest.
Seeing this, Lin Qingran quickly stepped forward to pull Yao Qin back, earnestly advising, “Qin Qin, don’t be impulsive. I want to see what flowery excuses they can come up with. They were the ones in the wrong from the start—is there no justice left in this world?”
Zhang Mingming was also badly frightened. She never expected Yao Qin to dare strike directly in front of everyone, as if she regarded no one with any respect. After all, this was Old Madam Liang’s birthday banquet—how could she be so discourteous?
Was being a Little County Princess a license to be so arrogant?
“Thank you, Young Marquis, for your assistance. Otherwise, Mingming might have been disfigured today. But the Little County Princess is far too vicious—just a few words exchanged, and she already wants to ruin my face! I will definitely seek an explanation from Wangfei later!” Zhang Mingming said, trembling with lingering fear.
She couldn’t speak for other matters, but Wangfei would never allow Yao Qin to act so arrogantly.
“You’re talking nonsense! I’ll tear that foul mouth of yours apart!” Yao Qin raged.
Lin Qingran was at a loss for words and couldn’t help rolling her eyes, gripping Yao Qin’s arm tightly.
[They say she’s a white lotus, but she should at least have some brains. Isn’t that remark just adding fuel to the fire? If I weren’t holding you back, that pretty little face of yours would be beaten into a swollen mess by Qin Qin today. Why are you so determined to bring trouble upon yourself?]
[Is it envy? The disdain in your words just now was really just jealousy over Qin Qin and me having good family backgrounds, while you don’t. Well, that’s just how it is—reincarnation is a skill-based endeavor. Too bad you weren’t born into the Lin family or a prince’s household, hehehe.]
Mu Feng suppressed his rising smile. “Alright, let’s discuss the specifics of this matter. Since both sides insist on their own versions, we should see if any passersby witnessed what happened.”
Zhang Mingming was taken aback, not expecting Mu Feng to skip questioning their side entirely and instead suggest finding a passerby.
Of course—Mu Feng, the Young Marquis, was a follower of the Crown Prince, and Lin Qingran was the future Crown Princess. It was no surprise he would take their side.
“Isn’t the Young Marquis being biased by saying that? As everyone knows, Miss Lin is about to marry the Crown Prince, and the Young Marquis is the Crown Prince’s close friend,” Zhang Mingming said pointedly.
Hearing this, the people who had gathered behind her nodded in agreement, finding Zhang Mingming’s words reasonable.
Lin Qingran smiled. “I see no issue with the Young Marquis’s suggestion. After all, your account differs from ours, and we can’t simply take either side’s word for it. So, finding a passerby is the best way to clarify the truth.”
“Oh? In that case, let’s ask if anyone passed by and saw what happened between us,” Zhang Mingming sneered.
She had already looked around earlier—there wasn’t a single person nearby, so no one could have witnessed the incident. That was why she felt so confident.
Lin Qingran’s gaze shifted slightly, landing on the rooftop diagonally across, where a flash of red was visible.
“If you don’t want others to know, don’t do it in the first place. The gods are watching from above—don’t think you can act without anyone noticing. Perhaps there really is a pair of eyes observing everything,” Lin Qingran said ambiguously.
Hearing this, Zhang Mingming wore a smug expression. “Oh? Is that so? If there really is someone, then let the witness step forward. I’d also like to know what just happened. It’s just a pity—I’ve been watching for a long time and haven’t seen anyone passing by. I wonder what Miss Lin plans to do now?”
Just then, a crimson figure suddenly swooped down from the roof beam.
“Who said there was no witness?”