— Princess’s Estate —
Xu Qingyan and Pei Jinyu each held one of the Duchess of Guo’s wrists, laughing as they descended from the carriage adorned with exquisite carvings, while Xu Qingyue alighted from an ordinary two-wheeled carriage together with the second branch of the Duke’s Estate.
“Hmph! Let’s see if you can still smile later!” Xu Qingyue cast a jealous glance at Xu Qingyan and muttered under her breath.
She had made thorough preparations in advance for today’s banquet. A shu-daughter like Xu Qingyan actually dared to covet things that didn’t belong to her—then she would have to bear the corresponding consequences.
Stepping into the Princess’s Estate, they were greeted by laughter and lively chatter. Today’s banquet was held in honor of the mother of the Marquis of Anyang’s birthday.
The Marquis of Anyang had originally been a lowly guard, but after the Princess discovered his exceptional martial arts skills, she recommended him to the then-Prince, who later became the Emperor. He went on to earn countless military merits on the battlefield, and after the Emperor ascended the throne, he was exceptionally granted the title of Marquis of a Different Surname—an honor unmatched anywhere in the Daxia Dynasty.
“Is that the new Heir’s Consort that Young Lord Pei just married? She’s not bad-looking, but I heard she’s just the daughter of a Sixth-Rank Official—and a shu-daughter at that!”
No sooner had Xu Qingyan entered the banquet hall with the Duchess of Guo than she heard whispers about herself rising from the crowd.
“If she didn’t have that vixen face, how could she possibly have hooked Young Lord!”
“I heard that when Young Lord discovered she had stolen her Legitimate Elder Sister’s marriage, he wasn’t even angry—he even consummated the marriage with her that very night.”
“Ah, how could Young Lord be so shallow? A shu-daughter of a Sixth-Rank Official is nowhere near worthy of Young Lord. When he discovered she had stolen the marriage, he should have demoted her to a concubine!”
“That’s why they say her methods are impressive. I heard not only did Young Lord not blame her, he even helped her bully her Legitimate Elder Sister. If you ask me, the most pitiable one is still her Legitimate Elder Sister.”
The slanderous remarks about Xu Qingyan grew louder and louder, until even the Duchess of Guo and Pei Jinyu standing nearby could hardly bear to listen. They glanced at Xu Qingyan, afraid she might be hurt or upset, and were about to go teach those gossiping women a lesson.
But to their surprise, Xu Qingyan had already taken a step ahead of them and walked straight toward the group of women.
“You all… jealous of me?” Xu Qingyan stood before the group, smiling enigmatically.
“What nonsense are you talking about?” One of the women looked at Xu Qingyan in surprise, apparently not expecting such a question.
Xu Qingyue, standing among the crowd, watched with schadenfreude, thinking to herself: Good thing I had those rumors spread in advance. Now everyone believes it was Xu Qingyan who stole the marriage—her reputation is as good as ruined. And today, instead of keeping a low profile, she’s actively going to provoke the noble ladies. This is simply weaving her own noose.
“I mean, you’ve all gathered here just to be jealous of me.” Xu Qingyan repeated with perfect clarity.
That woman let out a derisive laugh. “Jealous of you? Don’t flatter yourself. What could you possibly have that we’d be jealous of?”
“Of course… you’re jealous that I, a shu-daughter of a Sixth-Rank Official, managed to marry Young Lord! While you legitimate daughters of noble families—he wouldn’t even spare you a glance.” Xu Qingyan curled her lips into a smirk and lifted her chin.
She knew that in the book, Pei Jingchuan was a short-lived Heir Apparent whom many were unwilling to marry—but that was only because their parents disapproved. Among the noble ladies themselves, quite a few secretly admired Pei Jingchuan.
Sure enough, Xu Qingyan’s words seemed to strike a nerve. Several noble ladies’ faces instantly turned extremely ugly, while some even grew agitated.
“Hmph! You shameless thing! You stole your Legitimate Elder Sister’s marriage and used tricks to bewitch Young Lord. Such brazen behavior makes us look down on you!”
“Exactly! When you’re old and your beauty fades, we’ll see if Young Lord still wants you!”
Xu Qingyan countered calmly and effortlessly: “What the future holds, I cannot yet say. But for now… Young Lord and I are a loving couple. Meanwhile, you unmarried noble ladies are here gossiping and wagging your tongues. If this is how you behave before you’re even married, what high-ranking family would dare take you as a bride!”
Xu Qingyan swept her gaze over the noble ladies and continued: “I’m already married, after all. But you—once word of today’s gossip-mongering spreads, you’d better start worrying about yourselves!”
Only then did the noble ladies realize—yes! They had been gossiping about others and had been exposed on the spot. If word got out, it would damage their own reputations. The more timid ones were so frightened they didn’t dare utter another word.
They had originally been jealous that Xu Qingyan could marry the dashing Young Lord Pei, which was why they had vented their grievances through gossip—never imagining it would backfire on themselves.
At that moment, they noticed people around them looking over, and each one was overcome with shame, slipping into the crowd to hide.
“Tsk… You think hiding will make it all go away? In the future, every single one of you will fare worse than the last.” Xu Qingyan stood off to the side, murmuring with quiet glee.
Xu Qingyan watched the backs of those noble ladies and sighed inwardly: [Sigh! That one in blue and purple, you’ll marry the second legitimate son of the Minister of Rites. But your husband prefers men—not only will you live as a widow in all but name, but your husband will even have a servant defile you to cover up his own secret! And that woman in green, she was originally meant to marry a prince as a Side Consort, but her jealous legitimate younger sister schemed to have her violated and infected with venereal disease! Let me think, who else…]
The Duchess of Guo and Pei Jinyu, who had been somewhat indignant moments before, couldn’t help but sigh upon hearing Xu Qingyan’s remarks: “Evil people will always be repaid with evil!”
“Come, Qingyan, let me take you to meet the princess!” After Xu Qingyan returned, the Duchess of Guo warmly took her hand to go see the princess.
The princess was dressed in bright red palace attire. When she saw the Duchess of Guo, she immediately smiled and walked over, embracing her and saying, “Jingshu, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you! I’ve missed you terribly!”
“Princess, I’ve missed you dearly as well,” the Duchess of Guo said with a smile.
Then, the Duchess of Guo pulled Xu Qingyan forward and said to her, “Qingyan, come quickly and meet the princess! Princess, this is my daughter-in-law, Xu Qingyan—a fine young woman.”
“Qingyan pays her respects to the princess.” Xu Qingyan bowed to the princess.
“Jingshu, it seems you’re quite pleased with this daughter-in-law! And any woman who can win your favor must be exceptional. Someone, bring me the gift I’ve prepared.” The princess looked at Xu Qingyan kindly.
Hearing that the princess was bestowing a gift, Xu Qingyan bowed to thank her, moved, and said, “Qingyan thanks the princess for her generosity.”
[Wow! The princess is such a wonderful person! She doesn’t even look down on my humble origins, and she wants to give me a gift the moment we meet. Sob sob… Such a wonderful princess—if she were to die, it would truly be a pity!] Xu Qingyan thought to herself.
When the Duchess of Guo heard Xu Qingyan’s inner thoughts, she thought excitedly: Yes, the princess is exactly that wonderful. So, Qingyan, hurry and tell me—what danger will befall the princess later, and how can we save her!