Hearing a voice, Cheng Ruyi turned around. Beneath the shade of the trees not far away, several dignified and beautiful young ladies of official families were approaching together. Cheng Ruyi was most familiar with the two leading the group in a display of intimacy.
One, naturally, was Cheng Qingyao, who was dressed in her finest. Adorned with exquisite and magnificent jewelry and wearing a white gown embroidered with a profusion of flowers, her elegant, jade-like face was painted with a subtle “plum blossom” makeup. With bright eyes, white teeth, and a radiant smile, she was indescribably refined and moving.
Now the legitimate daughter of the Jian’an Hou Manor, Cheng Qingyao no longer surrounded herself with concubine-born daughters of noble houses, but rather the legitimate daughters of high-ranking officials. In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the distinction between legitimate and concubine-born status was paramount.
Speaking of which, the Marquis of Changle himself was born to a concubine, but one couldn’t help that he had good luck and obtained a marquisate, causing Cheng Ruyi’s status to rise along with his.
The other person was naturally the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jinyang, who had nearly been disfigured previously: Lin Xin’er, also known as Princess Lin.
Princess Lin was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with bright and delicate features, fair skin, a slender figure, and charming dimples that appeared when she smiled. She was a very lovely young girl.
Seeing her and Cheng Qingyao walking arm-in-arm so affectionately, Cheng Ruyi was somewhat speechless. Strictly speaking, the feud between the original owner of this body and Lin Xin’er was the result of Cheng Qingyao’s secret machinations.
Having lived two lives, Cheng Qingyao naturally knew whom she should befriend. The Marquis of Jinyang was a marquis with actual power; though both were legitimate daughters of marquis manors, Lin Xin’er had been granted the title of Princess, making her status much nobler than other daughters.
The simple-minded and direct Lin Xin’er was one of the candidates Cheng Qingyao took pains to win over, and the original Cheng Ruyi had been the stepping stone and pawn in her hands.
Indeed, during a carefully orchestrated plot at the last banquet, Cheng Qingyao had “accidentally” saved Lin Xin’er from nearly being disfigured at Cheng Ruyi’s hands, earning Lin Xin’er’s undying gratitude. With one side calculating and the other being naive, the two had become “best sisters.”
“So it’s Cousin Qingyao. Is your forehead better? Did it leave a scar?” Cheng Ruyi went straight for the jugular as soon as she spoke. She loathed this kind of hypocritical “sisterly affection.”
As soon as these words came out, the daughters of minor officials and noble ladies secretly watching from the sidelines all put on an expression of expecting a good show. Life was too boring; one had to find some amusement. They loved nothing more than the gossip surrounding the eldest Miss of the Changle Hou Manor, Cheng Ruyi. The source of this chapter is novelping dot com.
A surge of rage rose in Cheng Qingyao’s heart. Cheng Ruyi’s tongue was getting more and more poisonous. However, she was well-practiced in self-restraint. Not showing a hint of it on her face, she smiled instead: “Thank you for your concern, Sister Ruyi. My forehead hasn’t a single scar.”
Cheng Ruyi sneered: “Who’s concerned about you? Don’t flatter yourself. I wish you had been disfigured.”
“Sister Ruyi, you…” Cheng Qingyao’s pretty face suddenly turned pale, as if she had been struck. She looked at Cheng Ruyi with a face full of sorrow, though in her heart, she wished she could feast on Cheng Ruyi’s blood.
“Cheng Ruyi, you are truly vicious. No wonder Brother Zihao wanted to break off the engagement with you,” a dainty voice rang out. Lin Xin’er looked at Cheng Ruyi with a hint of anger and hostility.
“I haven’t been vicious for just a day or two; hasn’t everyone known for a long time? Why do you come up to me like dogs just to let me be vicious to you? You really are quite masochistic!”
Cheng Ruyi mocked them unceremoniously. She sneered as she noted the slight change in Cheng Qingyao’s expression. Then, glancing at the crowd watching the play, she directly crushed a porcelain cup in front of them and threatened with a cold laugh: “So, everyone better stay away from me. If I’m not careful, you might end up disfigured.”
The faces of the onlookers changed instantly, and they immediately took a step back. This Cheng Ruyi not only had a foul reputation but was also incredibly audacious. Now she seemed increasingly domineering and dangerous—especially since this person possessed a strange, monstrous strength. If they provoked her, it might not just be disfigurement, but the loss of their lives.
Seeing the crushed porcelain cup, a flash of fear crossed Lin Xin’er’s apricot-shaped eyes. Thinking of how she had almost been disfigured by Cheng Ruyi before, she felt a sense of relief at having survived a disaster. If I can’t afford to provoke her, can’t I at least hide?
Thus, Lin Xin’er let out a cold, haughty snort and gripped Cheng Qingyao’s arm tightly. “Sister Qingyao, let’s go. We shouldn’t stoop to the level of a vicious person.”
That Cheng Ruyi actually compared her to a dog…
While Cheng Qingyao felt fear, her anger also burned. She wished she could cut the beautiful woman standing not far away into a thousand pieces. She took a deep breath, suppressed the killing intent in her heart, gave Cheng Ruyi a deep look, and sighed softly: “Fine.”
Cheng Ruyi watched the swaying figures of Cheng Qingyao’s group as they departed. Highly sensitive to bloodlust, she hadn’t missed Cheng Qingyao’s killing intent. However, now was not the time to make Cheng Qingyao lose face, so she suppressed the urge to make the grass trip her. She took the handkerchief handed over by Moxiang, wiped her hands clean, and continued to monopolize the pavilion, leisurely eating the delicious fruit.
Moxiang, seeing her young lady drive away Miss Qingyao’s group with such overwhelming power, gave her lady an admiring thumbs-up. “Miss, you are too amazing.”
Cheng Ruyi smiled proudly and replied with feigned modesty: “It was so-so, so-so!” In her heart, she thought: This is just the appetizer. The main course is coming later. This story is hosted at novelping . com.
The shameless behavior of the master and servant was witnessed by a group of young noblemen who had seen the drama from beginning to end. They all felt that after Miss Cheng Ruyi exposed her monstrous strength, she had become increasingly overbearing and maddeningly blunt.
Among the noble sons, a handsome young man fanning himself with a fan depicting court ladies had eyes that sparkled as he looked at Cheng Ruyi—like a dog that had spotted a bone. He glanced at Yan Zihao beside him and joked with a smile: “Zihao, this former fiancée of yours is truly a fascinating person.”
Lin Xin’er’s cousin, Tang Shuhua, thought of how his cousin had just been rebuked by Cheng Ruyi. Anger rose in his heart as he snorted coldly and said with disdain: “Fascinating? She’s nothing more than a barbaric, crude, and cruel woman.”
The man with the fan gave him a meaningful look and dropped a single comment: “No vision!” Then, with his personal guard in tow, he strolled away. Tang Shuhua, labeled as having “no vision,” was nearly dead with anger.
Yan Zihao looked at the departing handsome man with an unreadable expression. Remembering his grandfather’s evaluation of his former fiancée, Cheng Ruyi, his thin lips tightened involuntarily.
“Alright, Shuhua. It’s not like you don’t know his special tastes. He doesn’t like frail, refined young ladies,” Sun Ming said, patting Tang Shuhua on the shoulder to comfort him while glancing at his silent friend, Yan Zihao. Tang Shuhua thought about it and realized it was true; that man had always been that way. He didn’t care about a person’s reputation, only their looks and martial prowess. It wasn’t worth getting angry over him.
As time passed, almost all the daughters and noble ladies who had received invitations arrived. Cheng Ruyi ignored the increasing number of noble ladies in the pavilions around the lake. Wearing their veiled hats to block the sun, they moved with light, lotus-like steps, strolling elegantly by the lake, trying their best to display their most beautiful side. They formed a beautiful scenery that attracted the gaze of many noble sons.
The status of these noble ladies grew higher and higher, yet strangely, none of them went to provoke Cheng Ruyi. Even a certain princess known for her fiery temper did the same.
Compared to the songs, laughter, and various social circles of the other pavilions, the one Cheng Ruyi monopolized was much quieter. Aside from the servants of the lotus garden’s owner, Princess Qingling, who came by occasionally to serve tea and snacks, there were only the master and servant.
Cheng Ruyi was very satisfied with this situation.
In a pavilion not far away, Cheng Qingyao, who was chatting with other legitimate daughters, glanced at the isolated Cheng Ruyi. Looking at the small boats moored on the vast natural lake in the distance and thinking of her plan, a cold sneer formed in her heart.
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