21
Wei Zhuo reported to Xiao Jingyao, “Your subordinate has investigated thoroughly. There’s no record of them meeting before. It’s likely they only got acquainted today at the princess’s birthday banquet.”
It was a reasonable explanation. Two people who had never interacted before walking together could simply mean they had just met. Given their respective statuses, it was far more likely they were rivals than friends.
Xiao Jingyao didn’t jump to conclusions. His gaze stayed fixed on Yang Jinhui and the Ninth Princess of Xijiang as he said coldly, “Let’s see what they’re up to.”
Sure enough, just as he spoke, they saw Yang Jinhui—who had been walking ahead—suddenly turn around. No one knew what she said to the princess, but then she reached out and grabbed her. Caught off guard, the princess was pulled toward the lotus pond as Yang Jinhui clearly intended to push her in.
But in the blink of an eye, the Ninth Princess showed she wasn’t so easily bullied. The moment Yang Jinhui grabbed her, she reacted swiftly. Having trained in self-defense, her strength far outmatched Yang Jinhui’s. She twisted around and caught hold of Yang Jinhui’s wrist—right at the pressure point. With a sharp twist, Yang Jinhui’s entire arm went numb, and she cried out in pain, completely losing all strength in that arm.
Yang Jinhui, tears welling in her eyes from the pain, was forced to release the Ninth Princess of Xijiang. In the brief moment of hesitation, the tables were turned. The princess, calm and composed, raised her hand and pushed Yang Jinhui toward the lotus pond. With a splash, Yang Jinhui fell straight into the water.
Wei Zhuo, watching from the lakeside pavilion, couldn’t help but be impressed by the dramatic turn of events. He almost applauded, whispering to himself, “Well done, that was brilliant!”
However, given Yang Jinhui’s connection to Xiao Jingyao, Wei Zhuo held back his enthusiasm. He stole a glance at Xiao Jingyao, only to be surprised to see him struggling to hide a smile, his lips curling up in amusement.
This was likely the first time anyone had dealt with Yang Jinhui in such a way. She had finally met her match.
Earlier, Xiao Jingyao had been wondering if the Ninth Princess and Yang Jinhui were secretly scheming together, but after witnessing this, he dismissed that thought. The situation had cleared up in his mind.
Yang Jinhui rarely experienced such humiliation. Whether inside or outside the palace, people usually fawned over her, flattering her to her face and keeping their true thoughts hidden. No one dared lay a hand on her, even if they secretly resented her. The Ninth Princess of Xijiang, however, was the first to actually do so.
No, she wasn’t the first—she was actually the second. There was another person who, regardless of who Yang Jinhui was, would act without hesitation. That person would never show mercy or allow herself to be taken advantage of. In fact, Yang Jinhui was afraid of her.
But that person was no longer here. If she were still alive… how wonderful that would be.
Xiao Jingyao’s smile slowly faded, and a misty sheen appeared in his eyes, blurring his vision.
He really missed her… He raised his hand to cover his eyes.
……
Meanwhile, by the lotus pond, after pushing Yang Jinhui into the water, Yu Shu watched as she flailed in the pond, panicked, shouting, “Help! Help!”
Yu Shu stood by the shore, coldly watching as Yang Jinhui flailed in the water, showing no intention of helping her. Qingli, noticing that her princess hadn’t spoken, didn’t step in either. Fortunately, the lotus pond wasn’t too secluded, and servants passing by heard the cries for help. They hurried over, some pulling on ropes, while others jumped into the water to rescue her. Soon, they managed to pull Yang Jinhui from the water.
As Yang Jinhui was pulled out, her meticulously styled hair came undone, plastered to her face in a tangled mess. Her once elegant water-red dress was soaked, clinging to her body, dripping wet. The cold wind caused her to shiver uncontrollably, and she sneezed repeatedly. One of the servants quickly draped a clean cloak over her to keep her warm.
“It’s her! It’s her who pushed me into the water!” Yang Jinhui pointed a trembling finger at Yu Shu, her eyes filled with rage, looking like an enraged tiger caught in the water.
Her accusation caused the crowd around them to turn and look at Yu Shu. Most of the onlookers eyed her with ill intentions. Some sneered in mockery, others scrutinized her with judgmental gazes. There were even a few who relished the idea of the situation escalating into a bigger spectacle. Those who were used to flattering Yang Jinhui eagerly joined in, ready to blame Yu Shu.
“Do you think just because you’re the Ninth Princess of Xijiang, you can act so recklessly?”
“How can you casually push someone into the water like that?”
“What do you think your status is? And what is Jinhui’s status? What if something happens to her? Are you ready to bear the consequences?”
“A princess from a remote country, and yet you dare to act so insolently in our Daxia? You really have an audacity!”
“Today is Princess Changping’s birthday banquet. Are you trying to make a scene at her celebration, showing no respect for her?”
“Let’s report this to Princess Changping and have her settle this on Jinhui’s behalf!”
The people standing with Yang Jinhui were loudly criticizing Yu Shu, each one indignantly defending Yang Jinhui, as if Yu Shu had committed an unforgivable crime. It seemed like even killing her with a knife wouldn’t be enough to make up for her actions.
Seeing so many people on her side, supporting her, and backing her up, Yang Jinhui raised an eyebrow at Yu Shu in smug triumph. So what if you’re the Ninth Princess of Xijiang? You’re just a princess from a small, remote country. No one is afraid of you. There’s no way you’ll leave here unscathed today!
Yu Shu understood the meaning behind Yang Jinhui’s look. She met her gaze coldly, showing not an ounce of fear.
However, Qingli couldn’t bear to let Yu Shu be pointed at and criticized by those people. Stepping forward, she stood in front of Yu Shu, hands on her hips, adopting a fierce stance. With a glare, she shouted, “What do you all even know? You all have eyes but you’re blind as bats!”
Qingli pointed directly at Yang Jinhui and continued her tirade without stopping. “Do you know what she’s done? She’s a hypocritical little schemer! She’s the one who lured our princess here to the lotus pond! She was the first to make a move, trying to push our princess into the water. When her plans backfired and she fell in instead, now she’s trying to turn it around and blame someone else!”
“And you!” Qingli pointed at the few women who had been accusing Yu Shu, her face full of sarcasm. “Earlier in the flower hall, you were all mocking her, calling her delusional for wanting to marry the emperor, saying she was like a toad dreaming of eating swan meat. What’s this now? You can’t say a word in front of her, but now you’re helping her wrongfully accuse someone else? You’ve changed your tune so quickly! You’re all so fake and disgusting!”
The few women, stunned by Qingli’s forceful outburst, stood frozen for a moment. It wasn’t until a while later that one of them, trembling with anger, jumped forward to retort, “Y-You’re slandering us!”
Qingli glanced at her with disdain and snorted, “Would you like me to repeat what you said in the flower hall?”
With that, Qingli proceeded to repeat the words the woman had said earlier.
“You… you…” The woman trembled, unable to speak.
In a flash, Yang Jinhui slapped the woman across the face. “You filthy thing!”
“Princess Changping is here!”
“What’s going on here?” Princess Changping asked, her face stern. From her expression, it was clear she was very displeased.
Immediately, Yang Jinhui burst into tears, falling to her knees at the feet of Long Princess Changping, her voice pitiful. “Princess, I almost drowned in the lotus pond because of West Jiang’s Ninth Princess! This is your birthday celebration, and she treated you with no respect at all! What she did was utterly disrespectful!”
**