Lin Pianran had often encountered Princess Huai’an before and was quite familiar with her.
Princess Huai’an usually maintained a haughty demeanor toward Lin Pianran, only showing a slightly kinder expression when seeking silver or valuable items from her. Otherwise, she remained extremely aloof.
On several occasions when she witnessed the young ladies of the Lin family bullying and insulting Lin Pianran at Lin Fu, she would even join in with a few mocking remarks, always aligning herself with the Lin family.
It could be said they were all birds of a feather—none of them were any good!
When Princess Huai’an saw Lin Pianran, her face showed astonishment. “Why are you here? Weren’t you with Cousin Lin Chusheng and the others…?”
Lin Pianran’s eyes flickered. It seemed this Princess Huai’an was well-informed about the Lin family’s movements!
She must have known in advance about the Lin siblings luring her to a remote place to torment her, right?
She might even have been aware of the malicious acts the Lin siblings had committed against her, or possibly even participated in the planning.
It appeared that in the future, she couldn’t let this “White-Eyed Wolf” off either. When the time came to deal with her, she must not show any mercy.
“Does this subject need to report her whereabouts to Your Highness? If not for this subject pointing out a way to survive, Your Highness would still be down there crying for your parents! You wouldn’t have escaped danger so quickly, would you? This subject is now Your Highness’s savior!”
Lin Pianran retorted without hesitation, her face full of mockery.
At the same time, she firmly established her status as the princess’s rescuer.
If the princess and her sisters continued to act as outrageously as before, she wouldn’t hesitate to ruin their reputations first.
She would stand on the moral high ground and condemn them.
Princess Huai’an looked thoroughly embarrassed.
She hadn’t expected Lin Pianran to speak to her so disrespectfully in front of The Eldest Princess, even presuming to act as her savior and directly asserting superiority over her. Furious, she gritted her teeth, barely controlling her temper. She wanted to punish Lin Pianran as she usually would, but with The Eldest Princess present, she had no choice but to restrain herself.
Pointing angrily at Lin Pianran, she said, “How dare you! How can you speak to this princess in such a manner? Do you have a death wish? Aren’t you afraid this palace will charge you with grave disrespect? This palace could crush you as easily as stepping on an ant.”
Ignoring the fuming princess, Lin Pianran replied calmly, “This subject has long been acquainted with Your Highness’s merciless nature.”
“However, Your Highness’s heartless indifference is something this subject is only witnessing today. To think you would abandon even your own cousin and flee—is there anything you wouldn’t do?”
“Moreover, this subject is Your Highness’s savior. Does Your Highness intend to repay kindness with enmity? To become known to all as an ungrateful wretch?”
“Even as a royal princess, such a reputation would condemn you to eternal infamy and universal scorn!”
“You… wretched girl…” Princess Huai’an cursed in rage.
It was utterly infuriating. Lin Pianran was so sharp-tongued it was hard to counter.
Finally, Princess Huai’an suppressed her violent impulses and forced herself to calm down.
She was even more unwilling to lose the dignity and etiquette befitting a royal in front of everyone.
Moreover, such a quarrel would damage her reputation. If her face-conscious imperial father and imperial consort mother found out, they would surely punish her to quell unfavorable rumors, leaving her with more losses than gains.
She glared furiously at Lin Pianran and said coldly, “As a dignified princess of the royal family, I won’t stoop to argue with someone of your questionable status. But you must remember your place and not overstep your bounds—the consequences would be unbearable for you! Don’t come to regret it later…”
First belittling, then threatening—truly fitting for a princess.
After Princess Huai’an reluctantly gave up, she shot Lin Pianran another fierce glare.
Her eyes concealed boundless coldness and malice.
In her heart, she cursed repeatedly, “Lin Pianran, just you wait! Once you fall into my hands, I’ll make sure you wish you were dead!”
Lin Pianran paid no attention to Princess Huai’an’s impotent rage and clamor.
She knew that rescuing people was the most urgent matter at hand and had no intention of arguing with a “mad dog.”
She suggested to The Eldest Princess, “Your Highness, many noble ladies below don’t know martial arts. With the number of wild wolves increasing, please dispatch Shadow Guards to rescue them!”
The Eldest Princess nodded without hesitation and ordered two Shadow Guards, “Go rescue them quickly! Prioritize saving those who are delicate and lack martial skills.”
Without a second thought, the two Shadow Guards soared downward like eagles spreading their wings.
Then The Eldest Princess turned to the Shadow Guard beside Princess Huai’an and gently proposed, “Could my royal sister’s Shadow Guard also assist in the rescue? Any later, and surely more people will be injured or killed…”
Her voice was soft and warm, just as the rumors described.
Princess Huai’an immediately evaded responsibility, “I only have these two Shadow Guards with me. If anything happens to them, my safety cannot be guaranteed. Those noble ladies have their own guards to protect them.”
“Besides, if they get injured, it’s due to their guards’ incompetence. What does that have to do with us?”
“In such a dangerous situation, it’s better not to overestimate our capabilities, or we’ll only cause more chaos.”
“Moreover, we are esteemed princesses. What if we get injured?”
Princess Huai’an’s face was full of resistance, voicing many objections to sending her Shadow Guards for rescue.
“But as royal princesses, we cannot stand by and watch people die! Our every word and action must not disgrace the royal family. If Father Emperor learns that we refused to help those in peril, he would surely be very displeased,” The Eldest Princess said sternly.
Hearing the mention of the royal family’s dignity, Princess Huai’an felt guilty but still refused to yield.
“Royal sister, with so many wolves below, our few people are too weak to be of much help. Why don’t I take my Shadow Guards to fetch the Yulin Jun for reinforcements? That is the best strategy and the true way to save everyone from this crisis.” She put on a righteous and heroic front.
Lin Pianran cast a faint glance at the hypocritical Princess Huai’an and chuckled lightly, “Lin Chuyan is your own cousin. You’re usually inseparable and have always been close. Now, are you really going to disregard her life and death?”
“Are you planning to abandon her and slip away?”
“Aren’t you afraid of damaging your years of sisterly bond?”
“Aren’t you worried about how you’ll explain this to Consort De and your eldest uncle when you return?”
“You…”
This wretched girl struck every one of her weak points with each sentence—utterly detestable.
Princess Huai’an was flushed with rage, wishing she could tear Lin Pianran limb from limb.
How dare she lay bare all the darkness and selfishness in her heart?
Wasn’t this forcing her into a position where she couldn’t back down?
And wasn’t it driving a wedge between her and Lin Chuyan?
What a vicious scheme!
Despicable!
Utterly despicable!
Yet Lin Pianran was deliberately picking a fight, aiming to expose Princess Huai’an’s ugly true colors, so that The Eldest Princess could see her for who she really was—no longer to be easily trusted, nor easily deceived by her again.