“You—you’re absolutely outrageous!” Zhao Yunfei quickly ordered her maid to help Yan Mingyue up.
“I’m going to have Mother throw you out.”
“You dare to lay hands on her right in front of me—who knows how many times you’ve hit Mingyue in private.”
Filled with righteous indignation, she grabbed Yan Mingyue’s hand and prepared to seek justice from her mother.
Yan Zhuxing stared at Yan Mingyue and sneered, “Today is the birthday banquet of the Weining Marquis’s elderly madam. If the celebration is ruined because of discord between us sisters, do you think Father will let you off?”
“Besides, you merely tripped and fell. How can you pin that on me?”
Everyone was stunned to see her brazenly twist the truth right before their eyes.
Was this even possible?
“How dare you lie!? It was clearly you who kicked Sister Mingyue.” Zhao Yunfei looked at her in disbelief.
“You say I kicked her—do you have any proof? Yan Mingyue, are you going to take off your clothes and let everyone see if there are any kick marks on your backside?” Yan Zhuxing raised an eyebrow and looked at Yan Mingyue.
At the thought of such a scene, Yan Mingyue’s face instantly flushed crimson.
She knew her father valued reputation above all else.
If this were brought before the elderly madam, given Yan Zhuxing’s temperament, she would surely ruin the birthday banquet. Then the two families would inevitably fall out, and she herself would not escape her father’s punishment.
Still, with Zhao Yunfei as a witness, settling the score later was feasible.
Thus, she decided to swallow her anger for the moment. She stopped Zhao Yunfei and said timidly, “Forget it, Sister Yunfei. My sister didn’t mean it. Today, the elderly madam’s birthday is the most important. Let’s not cause trouble for Aunt Qian.”
“What trouble would that be!” Zhao Yunfei remained indignant.
“Sister Yunfei, please.” Tears instantly welled up in Yan Mingyue’s eyes.
“I’d like to go change into clean clothes first.”
“Fine.” Seeing her like this and remembering it was her grandmother’s birthday banquet, Zhao Yunfei reluctantly led Yan Mingyue away to change.
After changing into a fresh set of clothes, Yan Mingyue resumed her usual pitiful demeanor.
“Sister Yunfei, I know you care for me, but I must return to the Marquis’s Mansion eventually.”
“Only if my sister marries and leaves the Marquis’s Mansion can I live in peace. But after the scene she caused at the Metropolitan Prefecture not long ago, none of the noble ladies in the capital are willing to take her as a daughter-in-law. My mother is in a terrible predicament. If we cause another scene today, the Dingyuan Marquisate will lose all face.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Yunfei’s expression turned to one of sudden realization.
“No wonder she has her eyes on Jing Wang.”
“Ah, Sister Yunfei, you mustn’t say such things.” Yan Mingyue covered her lips, feigning shock.
But Zhao Yunfei continued her analysis, “Although her reputation is poor, she is still the legitimate daughter of your Marquis’s Mansion. She could qualify as Jing Wang’s Side Consort.”
Then she shook her head, “No, we can’t let her become Jing Wang’s Side Consort. Jing Wang’s Principal Consort is gentle-tempered. If she enters Jing Wang’s residence, she’ll turn everything upside down. You’ll have an even harder time in the future.”
Hearing this, Yan Mingyue’s tears fell like rain, “Sister Yunfei, what should I do then?”
Seeing her fragile, helpless appearance, Zhao Yunfei’s protective instincts surged.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up with an idea.
“What do you think about having her marry my uncle?”
“Your uncle?” Yan Mingyue was taken aback, then quickly understood.
Zhao Yunfei’s uncle was the esteemed heir to the Lieguo Duke, already in his thirties yet still unmarried.
This was due to a severe illness in his childhood that had damaged his mind, leaving him with diminished mental capacity—a simpleton.
Yan Mingyue murmured, “That doesn’t seem right.”
On one hand, she felt a sense of satisfaction at the thought of Yan Zhuxing marrying a fool; on the other, she thought it would be too good for Yan Zhuxing to climb into the Lieguo Duke’s Mansion.
“What’s wrong with it? Marrying my uncle would be a step up for her. She should thank us in the future,” Zhao Yunfei said with a tone full of disdain.
She disliked Yan Zhuxing and also disliked that foolish uncle. Putting two disliked people together was just perfect.
Midway through the banquet, as Yan Zhuxing was picking up a piece of hibiscus chicken, the maid pouring wine beside her suddenly trembled.
The wine pot clattered onto the table, and cold plum wine spilled over the edge, drenching her moon-white skirt.
“This servant deserves death!” The little maid knelt with a thud.
Seeing this, Zhao Yunfei spoke up, “My maid is clumsy. Please forgive her, Sister Yan. If you don’t mind, you can go to the rear warm pavilion to change into a fresh dress.”
Yan Zhuxing glanced at her, then at Yan Mingyue, who avoided her gaze.
After a moment’s thought, Yan Zhuxing took the plain silk handkerchief offered by the maid and wiped her hands. “Lead the way.”
She instructed Shuangli to return to the carriage to fetch a new set of clothes while she followed the maid to the rear warm pavilion.
She hadn’t investigated this location yet.
Halfway there, the maid suddenly exclaimed, “Miss Yan, I forgot to bring the key to the warm pavilion. Please wait here and don’t wander around.”
Yan Zhuxing nodded and watched her leave.
As soon as the maid was gone, she searched the nearby rockery but found nothing.
Before long, another maid hurried over.
“Cu’er had something to attend to, so I’ll take you to change, Miss. Please follow me.”
The maid led her forward.
As they walked deeper into increasingly desolate surroundings, Yan Zhuxing stopped. “Weren’t we going to the warm pavilion?”
“The warm pavilion is damaged. We have to go to the rear courtyard,” the maid replied with lowered eyes.
“Who are you really? What do you want?” Yan Zhuxing suddenly struck, drawing the dagger she had kept hidden in her robes and decisively thrust it toward her.
The maid’s footsteps clearly showed she was trained in martial arts. Since Yan Zhuxing’s own skills were not yet fully developed, she had to strike first.
The maid’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting a young lady from the Marquis’s Mansion to carry a dagger.
She raised her hand to block, and the dagger pierced her palm, causing her to grimace in pain before she immediately counterattacked.
The two began to fight.
Just then, the door to the abandoned courtyard suddenly opened, and a man as burly as a small mountain emerged.
“Hot, so hot. I need water!”
His eyes were somewhat dazed as he shouted and began removing his clothes.
Yan Zhuxing recognized him.
This was Yuchi Dun, the only son of the Lieguo Duke.
Why was he here?
In her past life, the Lieguo Duke had once taken his son to the border frontier.
Upon learning she was a woman, he had taught her a move called “Spitting Snake’s Tongue.”
If a spear was knocked away by an enemy, this move could be used in close combat to subdue the foe with a single, fatal strike.
After she mastered it, the Lieguo Duke had looked at her with admiration, then with a hint of regret.
“If only Dun’er were like ordinary people, my legacy would have someone to inherit it. What a pity.”
“You must persevere in the future and never give up easily. For a woman, learning martial arts is already difficult, and going to the battlefield is even more challenging. You must take good care of yourself.”
The words of the Lieguo Duke still echoed in her ears.
Later, she used the move he taught her, “Spitting Snake’s Tongue,” to turn the tide on the battlefield several times, saving her own life countless times.
She had once planned to visit them at the Lieguo Duke’s Mansion when she returned to the capital.
Unfortunately…
At that moment, Yuchi Dun spotted the two fighting and foolishly rushed over.
“Hot, so hot…”
Afraid of hurting him, Yan Zhuxing withdrew her hand.
In that split second, the maidservant seized the opportunity to launch a sneak attack. With a palm strike to Yan Zhuxing’s back, she pushed both her and Yuchi Dun into the courtyard.
The tall and sturdy Yuchi Dun crashed down, cushioning Yan Zhuxing’s fall.
“Ouch, that hurts! Waaah, I want my mother, I want my mother!” he wailed loudly.
Yan Zhuxing immediately covered his mouth.
Now that they were alone here, a man and a woman, if his crying attracted outsiders, it would be difficult to explain.
The maidservant limped over to the door latch, intending to lock the two inside.
Yan Zhuxing acted decisively, hurling her dagger backward.
She believed in settling scores on the spot!
Who knew if there would be another chance in the future.
The dagger struck squarely between the eyebrows. The maidservant’s pupils contracted sharply, her fingers clawed forward, and then her entire body stiffened and fell backward. The back of her head struck the bluestone bricks with a dull thud, blood spreading in a large pool, and just like that, she ceased to breathe.
“Hot… want water… Dun’er is thirsty… Mother… waaah.” Yuchi Dun wailed and rolled on the dusty ground.
The jade crown on his head was askew and covered in dust, his hair a tangled mess.
A man in his thirties now seemed no different from a three-year-old child.
Yan Zhuxing suddenly realized.
Someone had drugged him!
Yan Zhuxing guessed that this scheme must be related to Zhao Yunfei and Yan Mingyue, and they would likely arrive soon.
She couldn’t stay there and wait to be caught.
She tried to leave Yuchi Dun behind, but he lunged forward and clung to her leg.
“Hot, Dun’er is hot,” he whimpered.
If they continued to struggle, her clothes would be completely ruined, and if someone came, it would truly be impossible to explain.
Unable to break free, Yan Zhuxing spoke in a coaxing tone, “Dun’er, how about we play hide-and-seek?”
“Hide-and-seek! Yes!” Yuchi Dun scrambled up from the ground and rubbed his eyes.
His vision was blurry, but after making out Yan Zhuxing’s appearance, he grew instantly excited.
With his grimy hands, he cupped Yan Zhuxing’s face and blurted out—