Returning to her own courtyard, Han Jintang began to review yesterday’s events. The incident last night had caught her completely off guard, and the plan she had previously agreed upon with the Second Prince was now utterly ruined.
Even so, she had no intention of giving up on Han Shengyu’s face.
Only her beauty could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Yin Shuyi!
That fool Yin Shuyi still didn’t know that her betrothed had long since hooked up with her concubine-born younger sister—protecting a lowly, concubine-born girl like a true sister, only to end up bitten in the back by an ungrateful wolf.
Who wouldn’t want the position of Crown Princess?
She both adored the Crown Prince and coveted the seat of Crown Princess, so naturally she could not allow the sisters of the Yin family to succeed.
It was just that she hadn’t expected the Second Prince to be so utterly stupid, incapable of managing even the people around him, to the point of leaking news and making a blunder at the palace banquet—causing her to suffer alongside him.
Originally she had assumed it was merely a coincidence, but after what happened last night, she no longer thought so.
She and the Second Prince had clearly been targeted by someone, and who else besides the Crown Prince possessed such capability? Could the Crown Prince know that the Second Prince favored Yin Shuyi?
The Crown Prince could target the Second Prince all he liked, but he must not harbor any misunderstandings about her—after all, she was a woman who intended to become the Crown Princess.
She had originally planned to bring Han Shengyu before the Crown Prince to show her face in a few days, but now it seemed she would have to move the timeline forward.
Recalling the attitude of the sisters next door, the icy chill on her face grew even colder.
In Han Jintang’s eyes, this was hardly a major issue. If she personally went over, spoke a few words of weakness, and put on a show of her helplessness and grievance, the matter would surely be settled.
At this thought, she summoned Miaoyun and Wenzhi to serve her as she changed into an outfit that she intentionally styled to make herself look frail and worn before the mirror. Only then did she step into a soft palanquin and head next door.
She had not expected to be stopped right at the gatekeeper’s lodge. Miaoyun took a step forward and said with a cold face, “You dare block the Eldest Miss’s palanquin?”
The gatekeeper was a guard under Han Jing’s command. Seeing Miaoyun’s hostile demeanor, his expression turned equally cold. “Our Third Miss has instructed that no one is to be let in without prior announcement. We ask Eldest Miss Han to wait a moment while I send someone inside to deliver the message.”
Unable to reason with him as he cited “Third Miss” with every breath—making her eyes spin with irritation—Miaoyun had no choice but to return and report to her young lady.
Only now did Han Jintang sense that something was amiss. Her face naturally turned unsightly as she said indifferently, “Then we shall wait.”
In any case, she was determined to see them today—what was an announcement, anyway?
To put on airs before her—sooner or later, she would make her pay it back.
After the gatekeeper announced the visit, the only person who came out to greet the guest was Han Shengyu. She wore an everyday, lotus-pink jacket and skirt, her hair styled in double buns, her face clean and showing a hint of youthful innocence. Yet her eyes were lively and her demeanor proud as she casually blocked the main gate, showing not the slightest intention of inviting Han Jintang inside.
“Eldest Miss Han honors us with her presence; what a rare guest,” Han Shengyu uttered polite words, yet she didn’t even bother to offer a perfunctory smile. “May I ask what guidance you bring? If it is to speak of sisterly affection, then please turn back.”
The moment Han Jintang laid eyes on Han Shengyu, she froze. Though only twelve years old, her features were already remarkably stunning; in another two years, she feared even Yin Shuyi would pale in comparison.
With this face, she was naturally exceptionally satisfied.
However, Han Shengyu’s words caused the smile on her face to freeze instantly. Forcefully suppressing her anger, she said, “Sister Shengyu, what kind of talk is that? One stroke cannot write two Han characters; when all is said and done, you and I are sisters.”
Using clan bloodlines to pressure her?
If Han Shengyu were an ancient person, she might indeed have feared it. Regrettably, she was not.
“Though you know neither astronomy above nor geography below, that mouth of yours can certainly spout nonsense. Who is sisters with you? A sister who would rather feign illness to meet secretly with a man than see the sisters who endured a grueling, overnight journey to arrive in Jincheng for her sake—a sister like you is one we cannot afford to have.”
Han Shengyu had held back her fire for a long time, and now her firepower was unleashed in full force. “What, is the ancestral hall run by your family? You want to be sisters so we are sisters, and you don’t want to be sisters so we aren’t?”
Having never been scolded like this in all her life, Han Jintang stood dazed for a moment. Only with great effort did she recover, trembling all over with rage. Gazing at Han Shengyu with a sharp, angry glint, she snapped, “Does Third Uncle and Third Aunt know you speak like this?”
“Does Consort Yang know you met secretly overnight with the Second Prince and ruined your reputation?”
What of it?
Who didn’t have an overarching authority above them?
You might not fear Uncle Han Yingquan and his wife, but do you fear Consort Yang?
Weren’t you scolded like a dog when you entered the palace this morning?
Han Jintang trembled with rage, black spots floating before her eyes. Digging her fingernails deep into her palms, she barely managed to maintain her composure: “Han Shengyu! How dare you! Is this the upbringing of your Third Branch?”
“Oho, and what is the upbringing of your First Branch? Meeting secretly with someone on a dark and windy night? What a splendid upbringing indeed!”
Standing at the entrance and sensing the faint, passing glances of the surrounding servants, Han Jintang’s face flushed red and pale in turns, having never suffered such humiliation in her life!
Supported by her maidservants, she almost stumbled back to her own family’s manor, falling ill immediately upon her return.
This time, she was truly sick—from sheer rage.
Having easily dispatched Han Jintang, Han Shengyu turned back with light steps. Just as she crossed the main gate, she spotted the figures of Han Huiyu and Han Qingning hiding by the door, while near the screen wall, Han Jing stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes turned toward the sky, deliberately avoiding looking at her.
The expressions on the three of them were quite strange.
The moment Han Shengyu saw them, her eyes darted around, and she threw her head back with a triumphant laugh. “Wasn’t that satisfying?”
Han Huiyu covered her face with her handkerchief.
Han Qingning asked in a small voice, “Shengyu, are you… are you truly not afraid?”
“Han Jintang doesn’t do a single thing resembling a human being; if we treat her as a human, wouldn’t we be the ones taking the loss?”
The corner of Han Qingning’s mouth twitched. Gritting her teeth, she added, “I fear First Uncle and First Aunt will come to our door. After all, they are elders.”
“What, do they want to rely on their age to intimidate us and use their seniority to bully the small? If they come today, tomorrow I’ll go find a rope and hang myself right at the entrance of the Court of Judicial Review!”
Han Qingning stared at Han Shengyu with wide eyes. Wasn’t… wasn’t that something only a shrew would do? Shengyu was still so young, yet she already knew these tricks of weeping, throwing tantrums, and threatening to hang herself?
For some unknown reason, she suddenly felt a surge of pity for Third Aunt.
Seeing that Han Qingning actually believed her, Han Shengyu burst into a hearty laugh.
Only then did Han Qingning realize she had been teased; her complexion turned green, then purple, then black, twisting the handkerchief in her hands into a tight knot.
“Sister Qingning, think about it—why did my father have me bring so many guards along? It was precisely to protect us!”
Brought out for a walk as an example, Han Jing turned around with an expressionless face and walked away.
Han Shengyu didn’t mind in the least, pulling Han Huiyu with one hand and Han Qingning with the other back into the room, locking the door to plot major matters.
“Eldest Sister, Sister Qingning, there is one thing I should mention to you both first—prepare yourselves mentally.”
If Han Shengyu hadn’t said anything, it might have been fine, but hearing this, both of their hearts began to thump with a growing sense of unease.
Han Huiyu spoke first: “What… what did you do this time?”