Chapter 045: Stirring Up Hatred

“That’s great, I think so too!” Yao Xi, hearing Jiang Xuening’s words, felt reassured, and a smile spread across her face like melting ice. She continued, “I’ll write to my father right away. Although Zhang Zhe took the initiative to break off the engagement, it wasn’t because he didn’t want to marry me, but because he was afraid that marrying him would bring me down. But if I’m willing, he won’t have any more concerns. Then, then…”

Then the marriage could happen.

With the high status of the Yao family, and considering her own beauty and upbringing, Yao Xi thought, how could Zhang Zhe have any reason to refuse?

However, it was difficult for a young lady to say such things, so she hesitated for a long time without saying it out loud.

But Jiang Xuening understood.

For the rest of the walk, Yao Xi stayed by her side, seemingly changing her hostile attitude and wanting to be friends. After all, without Jiang Xuening’s previous advice, she might not have realized Zhang Zhe’s noble character.

But Jiang Xuening didn’t want to get close to her.

In her heart, did she really like Yao Xi or approve of her as a person?

The answer was no.

She didn’t support the marriage between Yao Xi and Zhang Zhe either.

But at this moment, Zhang Zhe knew nothing about Yao Xi.

In this life, because of her own intervention and advice, Yao Xi hadn’t used underhanded means to slander Zhang Zhe, tarnishing his reputation. From Zhang Zhe’s perspective, Yao Xi was innocent. If she not only didn’t mind the breakup but also wanted to marry Zhang Zhe after receiving the letter, what kind of person would Zhang Zhe think Yao Xi was?

It was obvious.

A high-born lady willing to marry into a humble family, offering help in times of need without taking advantage, neither greedy nor untrustworthy.

She would seem like an excellent girl.

Zhang Zhe would likely agree.

Jiang Xuening knew what kind of person Yao Xi was and didn’t think Zhang Zhe should marry her.

But she had no right to interfere anymore.

Previously, she had reprimanded You Yue and warned Yao Xi because she couldn’t stand by and watch Zhang Zhe’s reputation be tarnished. Now that Yao Xi was willing to marry him, anyone in the world could criticize or oppose it, except her—she had no standing.

Because she had personal feelings for Zhang Zhe.

If she tried to sabotage this marriage, she couldn’t honestly say it was just because she disapproved of Yao Xi’s character.

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In the early morning at Fengchen Hall, the palace servants had already tidied up each desk neatly. There were three rows of three desks each, making a total of nine. The middle desk in the front row was made of carved purple sandalwood, with a seat covered in gold and red brocade, clearly different from the other desks. Even the stationery on it was more luxurious.

This was obviously the seat of Princess Leyang, Shen Zhiyi.

When everyone entered, they immediately noticed the special position and naturally sat at other desks, mostly in the same spots as their first visit to Fengchen Hall.

Jiang Xuening almost without hesitation chose the corner seat by the window.

It was the same seat she had initially chosen.

Even with the window open and daylight streaming in, it was still the least noticeable spot compared to the front two rows—she didn’t want to sit in the front under Xie Wei’s watchful eyes for the next six months.

Xiao Shu and Chen Shuyi, confident in their knowledge and status, chose the seats to the left and right of the princess’s seat; Yao Xi chose the middle seat in the second row, right behind Shen Zhiyi’s seat; Fang Miao and Zhou Baoying sat on either side of her; leaving You Yue, Yao Rongrong, and Jiang Xuening in the last row from left to right.

Today was Shen Zhiyi’s first official visit to Fengchen Hall.

The Empress and Su Shangyi had already instructed her over the past few days that the matter of starting her studies was something her brother had managed to get approval for with great difficulty. There was considerable opposition in the court, with many believing it was inappropriate according to the rites, so she had to cherish the opportunity and not treat it lightly.

Thus, she specially wore a fitting palace outfit of goose yellow with gold embroidery.

Jiang Xuening and the other eight companions had just arrived, and there was still a quarter of an hour before the scheduled time. She entered with two personal attendants.

Everyone bowed and greeted her, “Greetings to the Princess, we pay our respects to the Princess.”

Shen Zhiyi hadn’t been this happy in a long time. Her bright face was full of smiles, and with her hands behind her back, she lightly jumped onto the threshold and said to everyone, “From now on, you will all be my companions. We will see each other often, so there’s no need for formal greetings every time. It tires you and me. Please rise.”

As she spoke, her gaze swept around.

Then she exclaimed, “Ning Ning, why are you sitting at the back?”

Shen Zhiyi had a cherry blossom petal on her forehead. Since the Chongyang Banquet, her face had lost its usual gloom, and she had let go of the airs of a princess, becoming more approachable and even a bit playful like a young girl.

Jiang Xuening was startled by her concerned gaze.

She remembered seeing Shen Zhiyi this happy and carefree in her previous life, but after learning she was a girl, such expressions disappeared from Shen Zhiyi’s face, and she reverted to the gloomy and increasingly bad-tempered Princess Leyang.

Jiang Xuening had experienced Shen Zhiyi’s “kindness” before and feared she would be asked to sit at the front. She quickly blinked and explained, “I am foolish and not good at my studies. Sitting here avoids annoying the teachers. If I accidentally get kicked out, wouldn’t that be bad?”

This was a subtle way of saying she didn’t want to be noticed by the teachers.

Shen Zhiyi understood and couldn’t help but laugh, “With this princess protecting you, who would dare kick you out?”

The others in the hall immediately focused their attention on Jiang Xuening, with feelings of jealousy, complexity, apprehension, and contemplation.

Jiang Xuening could sense the subtle atmosphere in the hall.

But she didn’t dare look up.

She feared that if she did, the sharp gazes would pierce her!

Shen Zhiyi, having grown up pampered in the palace, didn’t know what it meant to “act with restraint” except towards her brother and mother. When she liked someone, she would be openly kind to them.

She actually wanted Jiang Xuening to sit beside her.

It would be comfortable to have her close by, just a turn of the head away.

But looking ahead, the seats on either side of her were already taken by Xiao Shu and Chen Shuyi, both of whom she had known for a long time. Asking either of them to move for Jiang Xuening would be awkward and unnecessary.

So Shen Zhiyi had to give up.

She muttered, “If you want to sit here, then sit here for now. If you get tired of it, you can change seats anytime.”

Jiang Xuening breathed a sigh of relief, “Thank you, Princess, for your care.”

Shen Zhiyi then walked past her and sat at the middle desk in the front row.

At this moment, Xiao Shu stood up and naturally placed a brocade box on Shen Zhiyi’s desk, winking and smiling at her.

Shen Zhiyi exclaimed in delight, “Ah Shu brought me a gift!”

She picked up the brocade box and opened it, revealing a delicate shadow puppet, which she immediately loved.

Chen Shuyi also stood up at this moment, presenting her prepared gift with both hands, “I heard that the Princess likes the paintings of Master Gu Qi. My family has a collection, and I brought one for you.”

Shen Zhiyi was delighted again, “Shuyi is so good to me!”

Everyone had prepared gifts for Shen Zhiyi, as they were to be her companions. Some were more valuable, while others were just tokens of goodwill.

Originally, no one dared to be the first to present their gift.

But with Xiao Shu and Chen Shuyi leading the way and Shen Zhiyi so delighted, everyone else gathered the courage to present their prepared gifts as well.

In no time, Shen Zhiyi’s desk was filled with various items.

Jiang Xuening was dumbfounded.

She remembered that she had spent her time at home dealing with matters concerning You Fangyin and Yan Lin, and hadn’t thought about Shen Zhiyi at all. Now everyone had presented their gifts, but she had nothing prepared!

Her eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

She silently hoped that with so many people giving gifts and her being in the corner with little presence, no one would notice her.

But things didn’t go as she wished, and someone had to speak up.

You Yue, who had been watching Jiang Xuening since Shen Zhiyi entered, noticed that everyone had brought gifts except Jiang Xuening, who sat still with her head down.

Wasn’t this a perfect opportunity for her?

Having learned from the previous incident, she no longer confronted Jiang Xuening directly. Instead, she feigned curiosity and said with a pinched voice, “I didn’t expect everyone to be so in sync, bringing gifts for the Princess. Although the items are different, each has its own novelty. But I see Second Miss Jiang sitting quietly. Could it be that she has prepared something special?”

With these words, all the attention that had just shifted away returned to Jiang Xuening.

Even Shen Zhiyi turned her head, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she looked at Jiang Xuening.

Clearly, she was expecting a surprise from Jiang Xuening.

At that moment, Jiang Xuening really wanted to rush over and tear apart You Yue’s troublesome mouth, but when she turned and met Shen Zhiyi’s expectant eyes, she felt a sense of helplessness.

She truly had nothing prepared.

Should she just take off the jade pendant she carried and use it as a makeshift gift?

Jiang Xuening couldn’t bring herself to do that.

She lowered her eyes slightly, avoiding Shen Zhiyi’s gaze, and sighed, “I didn’t prepare a gift.”

Xiao Shu, sitting in the front row, raised an eyebrow and gave a silent, mocking laugh.

You Yue, on the other hand, showed a triumphant smile, quickly covering her mouth in exaggerated surprise, “No way, the Princess treats Second Miss Jiang so well, and you… you didn’t even prepare a gift…”

She deliberately left the rest unsaid, but the malicious intent was clear.

The others’ expressions towards Jiang Xuening were somewhat subtle: they should have sympathized with her, but someone so favored by the Princess didn’t need their sympathy.

They all watched silently.

They thought: even if the Princess likes Jiang Xuening, in such a stark contrast, she should realize Jiang Xuening doesn’t care as much about her, and she wouldn’t be happy about it.

They were right. Shen Zhiyi felt an indescribable disappointment and even a bit of sadness when she heard Jiang Xuening say she hadn’t prepared a gift. She thought, I’ve been so good to her, and everyone else thought to bring me gifts, so why didn’t she?

But in the next moment, she saw Jiang Xuening’s lowered head and downcast eyes.

There was no argument, no explanation.

She had a strikingly beautiful appearance, with every movement of her eyes and brows like a delicate tremor on a dew-laden branch. At this moment, her long neck was bowed, making one’s heart soften and even feel a pang of pity.

Shen Zhiyi suddenly remembered what Yan Lin had once told her, thought of Jiang Xuening’s background, and her situation at home…

Jiang Xuening was just thinking about what kind of excuse she should make. She had just come up with something and was about to explain, “Actually, I—”

But before she could finish, Shen Zhiyi’s eyes had reddened, and she said to her, “I know, I know everything.”

You, you know what?

Jiang Xuening’s heart skipped a beat, almost thinking Shen Zhiyi had discovered some secret of hers. But when she looked up, she was almost scared by Shen Zhiyi’s tearful expression.

Something felt off: “Your Highness…”

But Shen Zhiyi had already stood up, came to her, took her hand, and with a determined look, said, “Ning Ning, don’t worry, as long as I’m here, no one will bully you! What’s the big deal about not having a gift? Your presence as my companion is the best gift I could receive.”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

But to me, that’s a bolt from the blue! And what on earth are you imagining now?

Everyone around thought that even if Shen Zhiyi didn’t blame her, she would still feel some resentment. Who could have expected such a turn of events?

Xiao Shu was stunned.

You Yue’s jaw almost dropped to the floor!

Shen Zhiyi had already decided in her heart that Jiang Xuening was a pitiful girl, unloved by her parents, and in such a situation at home, how could she prepare a gift?

She almost blamed her, which was really unfair.

So, feeling pity, she couldn’t help but want to be kind to her. She pointed to her desk and said, “Look, these are all gifts they brought me. See if there’s anything you like, and it’s yours!”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

Swish, swish, swish—

The surrounding gazes were like flying daggers! No one could believe what they were hearing. The gifts they had carefully prepared for the Princess were to be given to someone who hadn’t prepared anything?!

So Jiang Xuening is the treasure, and we’re just grass!

Even Jiang Xuening couldn’t help but feel a pang for them.

And then another pang for herself.

This instantly made her the target of everyone’s resentment!

But looking at Shen Zhiyi’s sincere and bright face, genuinely kind to her, she couldn’t bring herself to blame her.

So, Jiang Xuening suddenly had a new realization—

From now on, she would wholeheartedly cling to Shen Zhiyi’s powerful support. As for others, it didn’t seem like they could be friends anymore, so she might as well not care!

In Fengchen Hall, the atmosphere was momentarily stagnant.

Everyone had their own thoughts.

Fortunately, at that moment, a calm voice came from outside, breaking the suffocating silence. It was Xie Wei, who stepped onto the platform and softly asked, “Has the Princess and her companions all arrived?”

Jiang Xuening’s eyelid twitched immediately.