22
Yang Jinhui wept as she spoke, tears streaming down her cheeks, her lips trembling. She looked utterly wronged, all while expressing great indignation on behalf of the Grand Princess Changping. Not once did she mention her own intent to harm someone first; instead, she placed all the blame squarely on Yu Shu, turning the tables with remarkable skill—her talent for playing the victim had become nothing short of masterful.
Today was meant to be a joyful occasion—the birthday celebration of the Grand Princess Changping. But this unexpected incident had completely ruined her mood. From the start, she had already assumed Yu Shu was behind it, and with Yang Jinhui fanning the flames, her anger only grew.
Now, with her face dark and her eyes filled with hostility, the Grand Princess stared at Yu Shu. If she could, she would have dragged her out and beaten her to death on the spot. How dare she cause trouble at her birthday banquet? Clearly, she had grown tired of living.
But it was her birthday banquet, and this was supposed to be a joyous day—hardly the time for bloodshed. The Grand Princess forced herself to hold back, suppressing the urge to have Yu Shu dragged away and flogged.
“Princess Yu Shu of Xijiang, what is the meaning of this?”
Her voice was cold and accusatory, every word laced with suppressed fury. Even a fool could hear the rage behind her gritted teeth. Yu Shu had no doubt—were it not for the crowd present, the Grand Princess would have erupted long ago.
Qingli, protective of her mistress, quickly stepped forward before Yu Shu could speak and said, “Your Grace, the Grand Princess, my princess had no intention of disrupting your birthday celebration. It was Miss Yang who struck first. My princess merely acted in self-defense. I ask that you investigate the matter fairly.”
“Impudent!” the Grand Princess Changping snapped, her voice like a whip. “And what are you? Did I ask for your opinion?”
She looked down on Qingli with utter contempt. Just a lowly servant—how dare she play the loyal handmaid in front of her? Did she not know where she was? This wasn’t a place for a slave to speak out of turn.
Qingli froze, caught off guard. She had never expected someone of such noble status to be so unreasonable—jumping to conclusions without hearing both sides, utterly disregarding the truth. The so-called “civilized and cultured” Daxia court was a real eye-opener: all pomp on the surface, but vile and repulsive underneath. And this Grand Princess? A blind fool who couldn’t even recognize the truth when it was staring her in the face.
“There’s no need to scold my maid, Your Grace,” Yu Shu said calmly as she pulled Qingli to her side and stepped forward to meet the Grand Princess’s gaze. “She only spoke the truth. Or is it that Your Grace forbids even the truth from being spoken?”
Her voice was steady, and her jet-black eyes met the Grand Princess’s with quiet strength—serene yet unyielding, showing no trace of fear or submission. She stood tall, unshaken by the Grand Princess’s rank and authority, as if in her eyes, the woman before her was nothing special at all.
As their eyes met, a strange, familiar dread rose again in the Grand Princess’s chest—an oppressive feeling that made it hard to breathe. She had felt this before. There had once been someone else who made her feel just like this: insignificant and powerless. That same feeling now returned—she hated it. She hated her. She was the elder, and yet whenever that person stood before her, she always felt inexplicably diminished.
Fortunately, that person was dead now—or so the Grand Princess Changping reminded herself. But still, this Ninth Princess of Xijiang felt far too similar to her. They were clearly two different people, so why did they evoke the same unsettling feeling?
A wave of discomfort churned in the Grand Princess’s chest, her expression growing increasingly sour—especially after Yu Shu’s pointed question.
“I don’t know whether what she said is true or not,” the Grand Princess said coldly, her face stony. “But the fact remains—you caused a disturbance at my birthday banquet. Is this how guests from Xijiang conduct themselves?”
Yu Shu gave a quiet, incredulous laugh. “I came to your residence as a guest. Shouldn’t your household be responsible for ensuring my safety? If danger arises, am I not allowed to defend myself? Was I supposed to just stand there and let her push me into the water? Tell me—if I had fallen into the water instead of her, would Your Grace have defended me the same way? Would she have been punished?”
Of course, that was impossible. If it had been her—the Ninth Princess of Xijiang—who fell into the water today instead of Yang Jinhui, there wouldn’t have been a crowd gathering in concern. No one would have stepped forward to defend her. They would’ve just mocked her misfortune, laughing at her disgrace without offering even the most basic sympathy. She could have drowned right there, and it would have meant nothing. The Grand Princess Changping might not have even bothered to come and look.
That was the reality.
Yang Jinhui was the emperor’s sworn sister, and possibly a future empress. And Yu Shu? She might carry the title of “princess,” but she was from a remote, weak nation on the fringes—one that depended on Daxia for survival, that had to beg the emperor for favor. Of course they looked down on her. Who would care about a beggar lingering at their doorstep?
Yu Shu knew all too well what kind of people they were—always fawning over power, trampling the weak, chasing favor wherever the wind blew. They were shamelessly obvious about it.
“Princess of Xijiang, how could you be so cruel?” Yang Jinhui, sensing things weren’t going her way, cursed inwardly. This Ninth Princess was far more cunning than she’d anticipated—sharper than any rival she’d dealt with before. But there was no way she’d let this go quietly.
Her eyes reddened as she lifted her head, her body trembling like leaves caught in the wind—looking every bit the picture of pitiful fragility.
“You’re so good at pretending to be innocent,” she said tearfully. “I brought you to the lotus pond out of kindness, sincerely hoping we could become friends. But not only did you reject my goodwill, you pushed me into the water—and now you’re falsely accusing me? How could you be so vicious?”
Tears streamed down Yang Jinhui’s face, each drop falling like it carried the weight of a great injustice. She sobbed, playing the victim with each word, painting Yu Shu as cold and cruel. “I know you came to Daxia for a marriage alliance. Ever since you arrived in the capital, my royal brother hasn’t summoned you even once. You must be anxious, but no matter how anxious you are, that doesn’t give you the right to take it out on me. I’m only his sworn sister, nothing more. You asked me to help you meet him, and I told you it wouldn’t be proper. I refused—and now you hold a grudge? So much so that you pushed me into the lotus pond? A woman like you—how are you even worthy of marrying my royal brother?”
Ah… so this was the story she was spinning.
After Yang Jinhui finished speaking, a look of sudden realization spread across the faces of those gathered. So that’s why the Princess of Xijiang and Yang Jinhui were seen together, and why conflict broke out between them—it was all because of the emperor! That explained everything. After all, what woman in the world wouldn’t want to marry the emperor? Especially when one was a diplomatic princess sent for a marriage alliance, and the other his sworn sister—both had reason to long for such a powerful and promising match.
Yu Shu actually laughed—genuinely amused by how absurd Yang Jinhui was being. She gave her a cold, sidelong glance and said, “Is crying and putting on a show all you know how to do? Your schemes are written all over your face—who here doesn’t know what you’re after? You tried to frame me, but your plan backfired. The only one who suffered was you. But it seems you still haven’t figured out one thing—whether or not I’m worthy of marrying the emperor… isn’t up to you.”
“You’ll never marry him! Who do you think you are? You filthy wench!” Yang Jinhui screamed, enraged by Yu Shu’s calm retort. The anger surged to her head, and without thinking, she blurted out the venomous insult that had been festering in her heart.
The insult caused an even bigger stir. The onlookers were now fully entertained—both the Princess of Xijiang and Yang Jinhui had high status. Who would come out on top? Who had the sharper edge?
“That’s enough!” barked the Grand Princess Changping. Seeing Yang Jinhui grow increasingly reckless—and worse, dragging the emperor into this—she felt fury bubbling in her chest. At this rate, her entire birthday celebration would be ruined.
“They’re both drunk! Take them to a side hall to sober up—now!” she ordered her attendants sharply.
**