Chapter 011: Reverse Scale

“What? She ran away?”

Second Miss You Yue, who was entertaining guests in the flower hall, was pulled aside by her maid to the corridor. Upon hearing that You Fangyin had escaped from the woodshed, her pretty face darkened.

“Didn’t I tell the servants to guard her? What were they doing?”

The maid, seeing her anger, dared not speak.

You Yue snorted coldly and said, “She must have gone to see her lowly aunt. Since we have guests today, we shouldn’t make a fuss. Tell everyone not to worry about it for now to avoid any rumors. Later, when my sister and I take the guests to the garden to admire the flowers, you can go to that woman’s room and capture her for me. We’ll deal with her properly.”

The maid responded softly and went to deliver the message.

At this moment, the guests for the banquet had all arrived.

Everyone gathered in the flower hall to chat.

Many young ladies from noble families hadn’t planned to come, but upon hearing that Yan Lin and Shen Jie were at the Qingyuan Marquis’ residence, they couldn’t stay away.

Who in the capital didn’t know that Young Marquis Yan was a talented and handsome man?

He excelled in both martial arts and literature, and his position as heir had been secured early on. In two months, he would undergo the coming-of-age ceremony.

After the ceremony, it would be time to discuss marriage.

Even if one didn’t admire the high status of the Yongyi Marquis’ residence, Yan Lin alone was enough to attract people, not to mention the unmarried Prince of Linzi, Shen Jie.

When Jiang Xuening walked into the flower hall, she saw a room full of young ladies, all with polite and appropriate smiles on their faces, regardless of their family status.

Only two people had genuine smiles.

One was the eldest Miss You Shuang, and the other was the second Miss You Yue.

It was no wonder.

In her impression, the declining Qingyuan Marquis’ residence hosting a banquet on the same day as the Chengguo Duke’s residence, and still having so many guests, would make anyone in their position unable to hide their joy.

The servant who led her in announced with a smile, “The second young lady of the Jiang family has arrived.”

The noble ladies who had been chatting in the hall didn’t pay much attention at first, only habitually looking towards the entrance.

But that one glance stunned them.

When Jiang Xuening walked into the hall, someone fell silent, and it spread, causing the entire hall to suddenly quiet down.

Since returning to the capital, Jiang Xuening had rarely attended such banquets.

Most of the young ladies in the capital were well-bred, each with the grace of Jiang Xuehui. In her first two years back, she was learning etiquette and couldn’t be taken out by Meng. Later, after meeting Yan Lin, she grew impatient with the tedious rules and the activities favored by the noble ladies, such as perfumery and playing the zither, and naturally avoided these gatherings.

Not to mention, such occasions usually included Jiang Xuehui.

With such an impressive elder sister, even though Jiang Xuehui didn’t intentionally overshadow her, in the eyes of others, Jiang Xuening, the second young lady, was always inferior. She didn’t want to put herself in such a position.

Therefore, although many had heard of her, few had seen her in person.

At first sight, everyone felt a pang of envy.

When the heavens created her, they were indeed too partial—

Even though she wasn’t dressed up, her makeup was very simple, which only made her natural beauty stand out more. Her eyebrows were not painted but looked dark, her lips were not tinted but appeared red, and her fair skin was like the snow on the mountaintop, giving her an untouchable aura. However, her bright eyes, like stars in the night, brought her back to the mortal world, adding a natural charm and liveliness.

She even had a touch of allure.

She seemed to keep people at a distance, yet at the same time, she drew them in with her charm.

Her fluffy black hair was styled into a simple yet elegant bun.

Although her figure was not fully developed, it already showed signs of grace and elegance. Her slender waist swayed gently as she walked, reminiscent of willow branches swaying in the spring breeze, fresh and tender.

In the brief silence, someone hummed, “Why is she here?”

This brought the young ladies who were further away back to their senses.

Some who had seen her before whispered among themselves, while others who had never seen her before asked around.

Although the voices were low, Jiang Xuening could tell from the expressions of these so-called “noble ladies” that they didn’t have a good impression of her, and there was a hint of wary hostility.

But soon, this hostility turned into obvious disdain.

After all, a country girl who had spent the first fourteen years of her life on a farm, even if she returned to the capital, couldn’t compare to these noble ladies who had been pampered since childhood.

In her previous life, she was particularly sensitive to these looks.

But in this life, she looked at them with much more composure: having been an empress, even if she couldn’t outwit the cunning people of the previous dynasty, she had still fought her way to the throne. Looking at these “defeated opponents” was no different from watching clowns.

The atmosphere in the flower hall was a bit awkward.

Fortunately, the two hosts of the banquet were present.

Upon hearing the servant’s announcement, You Shuang quickly came forward. Her eyes flashed when she saw Jiang Xuening, and she smiled slightly, greeting her, “I think we only met briefly at Minister Zhang’s banquet before. I didn’t expect you to come today. Please come in.”

You Yue, however, stared daggers at Jiang Xuening.

Today, as the host, she was dressed up and felt that she looked quite beautiful when she checked herself in the mirror before leaving. Moreover, the You family hadn’t had such a prestigious event in a long time, so her eyes and brows were filled with excitement, like a bright red flower blooming on a branch. Even if she couldn’t outshine everyone, she was definitely radiant and could be easily spotted in a crowd, like a dazzling pearl.

But Jiang Xuening’s arrival overshadowed her completely.

Like a bright moon rising into the night sky, making the pearl dim.

You Yue, who was already narrow-minded, felt that Jiang Xuening was too beautiful and an eyesore. She also looked down on her for growing up in the countryside. She forced a smile and deliberately said, “Why do I only see you today, and not your sister?”

Many people around were secretly observing.

Most people had heard about the situation of the two legitimate daughters of the Jiang family.

Bringing up the sister in front of the younger one was clearly meant to make Jiang Xuening uncomfortable.

They were all waiting to see how Jiang Xuening would respond.

But to their surprise, she remained very calm, neither embarrassed nor angry. She smiled and replied to You Yue, “My sister and mother have gone to the Chengguo Duke’s residence and asked me to apologize to the You family on their behalf.”

You Yue’s face changed suddenly.

Others also took a deep breath: this second Miss Jiang seemed calm, but her words were sharp!

Who didn’t know that the Qingyuan Marquis’ residence and the Chengguo Duke’s residence had events on the same day?

In families with many smart people, some would go to one place while others went to another. Everyone understood this, but no one would say it out loud. Jiang Xuening’s response clearly indicated that the higher-status Madam Jiang and the eldest daughter had gone to the Chengguo Duke’s residence, leaving only her to come to the Qingyuan Marquis’ residence. This was no different from slapping You Yue in the face.

You Yue took a step forward, ready to lash out.

Standing beside her, You Shuang’s eyelid twitched. Quick as a flash, she grabbed You Yue’s hand and quickly took over the conversation, “What does it matter? We all live in the capital, and there will be plenty of opportunities to gather for flower viewing and moon gazing in the future. Let’s sit down and talk.”

Only then did they invite Jiang Xuening to sit down.

Some noble ladies who had interacted with Jiang Xuening before were now doubting their previous impressions of her: the second Miss Jiang, who was always considered unremarkable except for her looks, seemed more dignified today than any of them.

Jiang Xuening knew many people were secretly observing her, but she didn’t mind.

She hadn’t come for the banquet anyway.

Disliking the hypocritical socializing in the capital, she barely spoke after sitting down, only half-listening to the idle chatter around her, her mind preoccupied with You Fangyin.

The image of You Fangyin from her previous life and the figure she encountered in this life kept flashing and overlapping in her mind, making her restless.

You Yue fumed for a while, but seeing Jiang Xuening silent after sitting down, and with the other young ladies flattering her because of Yan Lin and Shen Jie, she gradually forgot the earlier conflict.

They started talking about recent events in the capital.

You Yue clapped her hands, remembering something, “Oh, there’s something interesting. Have you heard about the dispute between the Censorate and the Jinyiwei?”

Jiang Xuening, absentmindedly picking up a piece of osmanthus cake, froze at the mention of the Censorate, her hand pausing as she looked up at You Yue.

You Yue, with a mocking smile, said to the others, “Everyone knows that after the late emperor established the Jinyiwei, he relied heavily on them, entrusting many judicial matters to them. The other day, Commander Zhou of the Jinyiwei arrested two scholars who wrote slanderous books about the court. Everyone knew it was the emperor’s will. The men were imprisoned, but guess what? The next day, someone submitted a memorial to the emperor, saying the Jinyiwei had arrested people without the Censorate’s approval and wanted to impeach Commander Zhou! It turned out to be Zhang Zhe, a mere seventh-rank Censorate official. How bold of him, as if he had a death wish!”

Commander Zhou had some connections with the Qingyuan Marquis’ residence.

Because of this matter, the Qingyuan Marquis had already cursed Zhang Zhe several times in his study, so You Yue naturally spoke disdainfully of him.

Others chimed in, “A minor official daring to challenge the Jinyiwei, how foolish!”

Jiang Xuening’s fingers relaxed, and the piece of osmanthus cake fell back onto the plate. She unexpectedly spoke up, laughing, “If that’s considered ‘foolish,’ then what, in your esteemed opinions, constitutes ‘wisdom’?”

Everyone was stunned.

They had been talking for so long that they had almost forgotten Jiang Xuening was there. Her sudden interjection left them momentarily bewildered.

Seeing the expression on the second Miss Jiang’s face, they couldn’t help but be slightly surprised—

Even when You Yue had tried to provoke her earlier, Jiang Xuening had remained calm and indifferent.

At this moment, although there was a smile on her lips, it was somewhat cold.

Her beautiful eyes lifted, quietly looking at people, inexplicably exuding a sense of intimidation. Coupled with the cold smile at the corners of her lips, it had a sharp, sarcastic edge.

You Shuang was stunned.

You Yue, however, was immediately provoked by her words, her face completely falling: “Your words sound like you’re defending this Zhang person, but I’ve never heard that Assistant Minister Jiang is so capable that he would support a mere seventh-rank official of unknown origin.”

Her words implied that Zhang Zhe was backed by Jiang Boyou.

Jiang Xuening had never been one to tolerate insults, especially when You Yue’s words repeatedly touched her sore spots!

Thus, the last trace of a smile disappeared from her face.

She took the handkerchief handed to her by Tang’er and wiped her hands, saying word by word, “According to the court’s laws, the Jinyiwei must have both an imperial edict and the approval of the Censorate to arrest someone. This Commander Zhou acted recklessly, disregarding the court’s laws, and was rightfully impeached by Lord Zhang! How is it that Miss You is now defending him, as if to disregard the laws of our dynasty and turn black into white?”

The faces of those around them changed.

Although the Jinyiwei had become increasingly arrogant, people in the court and the public had gradually become accustomed to their ways. This was the first time someone had brought up the laws in such a setting, making everyone hesitant to speak.

Even You Yue, upon realizing the situation, felt a chill.

However, she had always disliked Jiang Xuening and had just been publicly embarrassed by her. If she backed down now, it would be a loss of face, so she gritted her teeth and retorted, “You may cite the laws, but let’s see what happens to this ‘Lord Zhang’ in the end.”

Jiang Xuening smiled slowly, “I’m also waiting to see what happens to Commander Zhou.”

When she smiled, there was no warmth in her eyes, only a fierce glare directed at You Yue, filled with hostility!

In her previous life, although she had never actively harmed anyone, she had experienced the brutal struggles of the court, and something in her had changed, making her different from these sheltered young ladies.

Her gaze carried a hint of bloodlust.

You Yue had never seen such a look before.

For a moment, she was so shaken by this gaze that she trembled, opening her mouth but unable to say a word.

She had no idea what the name “Zhang Zhe” meant to Jiang Xuening: he was the only person she felt guilty towards in her previous life. She had been cowardly, but in the end, she had given him all her courage.

How could she allow anyone to insult him?

Even if it were Xie Wei sitting here today, she would still dare to rebuke him without hesitation!