Chapter 078: With The Eldest Princess

“It was really that little wretch who attacked me, she even picked up a bench! I didn’t even dare to touch her! It was all Jiang Xuening’s instigation, she deliberately urged the little wretch on to do it!”

“She’s always been bullied by you, how dare she hit you?!”

“Really, father, I’m not lying, listen to me…”

“You’ve always been domineering in the mansion, but now you even hit her outside. What will people say about the Earl’s mansion if this gets out? You even got caught by the Jinyiwei, and they took you away! Do you know how much it cost the mansion to get you out?”

“What?”

“Thirteen thousand taels, a whole thirteen thousand taels, all gone!”

…

Because others said it was her fight with You Fangyin that got her caught and interrogated by the Jinyiwei, everyone in the Earl’s mansion thought she had hit You Fangyin outside, which led to this disaster.

Even the Earl of Qingyuan thought so.

After all, who would believe that someone as cowardly as You Fangyin, who was usually bullied by even the lowest maids in the mansion, would pick up a bench to fight against the legitimate young lady You Yue, who almost strangled her?

It’s simply a lie that doesn’t even sound believable!

You Yue faced the Earl of Qingyuan’s wrath, with no way to explain herself!

She spent a night in the cell, cold and hungry, with the jailers being particularly harsh, giving her sour cold rice, and not even lighting a lamp at night. In the darkness, she could hear the sound of rats scurrying and squeaking, which scared her into screaming…

She didn’t dare to close her eyes all night.

By the time the people from the Earl’s mansion came to take her back the next morning, her eyes were swollen from crying, her eyes were bloodshot, her clothes were dirty, her hair was messy, and she threw herself into the Countess’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

You Yue originally thought that once she returned to the mansion, this nightmare would end.

Unexpectedly, it was just the beginning.

As soon as she returned, she was scolded by her father, ordered to kneel on the ground, and questioned about how she caused such a big trouble. He said that if she hadn’t bullied and beaten You Fangyin, the Jinyiwei wouldn’t have been involved!

Heaven knows the truth is that You Fangyin was the one who first picked up the bench to hit her!

At that time, she didn’t even have the courage to fight back!

But who would believe her, given that she usually bullied You Fangyin? When she tried to defend herself with the truth, not a single person, from her parents to the maids, believed her. Instead, they all frowned, thinking she was making excuses and shirking responsibility!

And thirteen thousand taels!

How much money is that! You Yue’s eyes widened: “Father, are you crazy? How could you give them thirteen thousand taels?! That new Jinyiwei officer, Zhou Qianhu, is in cahoots with Jiang Xuening! Giving him the money is the same as giving it to Jiang Xuening! I know, I know…”

As she spoke, her face suddenly twisted.

“This is a trap, a setup! Father, believe me, it was that little wretch Jiang Xuening who deliberately incited You Fangyin to hit me, then reported it to the authorities, bringing that Zhou guy here to extort money from our mansion! Since they dared to do such a thing and forced you to pay, we should report it to the palace. We can make sure they won’t get away with it!”

The Earl of Qingyuan’s heart bled at the thought of the thirteen thousand taels. Although he managed to save You Yue, the mansion was already struggling financially, and losing over ten thousand taels felt like having his tendons pulled and his skin peeled.

Seeing his beloved daughter return, he felt no joy, only greater anger.

Hearing her still talking nonsense, the Earl of Qingyuan finally lost his patience!

“Slap!”

In his rage, he slapped You Yue across the face!

Just as she was about to call for someone to report Zhou Yinzhi for accepting bribes, You Yue’s face was slapped sideways, her head buzzing, and she fell to the side!

“Yue’er!”

“Father!”

“Earl, what are you doing?!”

Some went to help You Yue, others tried to pull the Earl away, and the hall was in complete chaos.

You Yue couldn’t believe that her father, who had always doted on her, would hit her, especially over her wrongful imprisonment. She was stunned, tears streaming down her face.

She pushed away those who tried to help her.

Standing up, she ran out of the hall and back to her room.

She took the key, rummaged through her belongings, and gathered anything valuable.

The maids and servants, seeing her terrifying expression, didn’t dare to stop her.

But they didn’t know what she was planning to do.

The Countess stayed in the hall to calm the Earl, but only the eldest daughter, You Shuang, worried about her, ran back to check on her. Seeing her sister gathering her savings, she was shocked: “What are you doing? Father was just angry for a moment. You usually bully You Fangyin, locking her in the woodshed for ten days. This time you hit her outside, causing this trouble. Are you planning to run away from home to threaten someone?”

“Even you don’t believe me?”

You Yue always thought her sister was on her side. In the mansion, only the two of them were legitimate daughters, while You Fangyin, born of a concubine, wasn’t even worthy to carry their shoes.

She never spoke up when You Yue went too far with You Fangyin.

Now she was pretending to be a good person!

You Yue sneered: “Fine, fine, don’t believe me! Jiang Xuening is a ruthless demon, and we’re all in the capital. Sooner or later, you’ll see what happens to you!”

You Shuang thought You Yue had lost her mind after a day in jail and was stunned by her words.

But You Yue had already started counting her private savings.

There was a frightening obsession on her face as she said, “As for running away from home? Don’t worry, I’m not that stupid. It’s just because of those over ten thousand taels of silver that you’re all so harsh with me? I’ll show you that over ten thousand taels of silver is nothing!”

“What are you counting money for?”

You Shuang was inexplicably a little scared.

You Yue just smiled at her, “Nothing.”

But in her heart, she thought, that little wretch You Fangyin is also locked up in jail now, suffering, and definitely worse off than herself. One day, she will return to the mansion.

By then, she would exact her revenge tenfold, a hundredfold!

After saying this, she turned and called in the servant who had been sent to the Shuxiang Inn to gather information, asking, “How is Ren Weizhi doing?”

The servant had been secretly gathering information these past few days and had just received an important piece of news early this morning. Hearing You Yue’s question, he quickly reported from outside, “Yesterday, a well-known businessman from the capital, Boss Lu of Youhuang Pavilion, visited Young Master Ren at the inn. He went again early this morning. There’s a rumor that Boss Lu has already invested some money, but it’s not confirmed yet.”

You Yue was delighted to hear this.

With such a big businessman involved, the matter seemed reliable.

But then she became anxious.

If someone else got ahead of her in this matter, she wouldn’t get any benefits.

Immediately, she said, “I understand,” and took the silver notes from the box, turning to leave.

You Shuang’s eyelids twitched as she grabbed her, asking, “Where are you going?”

You Yue impatiently shook her off, “None of your business!”

*

Two days of rest passed in the blink of an eye.

It was time for the companions to return to the palace.

People gradually arrived at Yangzhi Zhai, and it started to become lively.

Jiang Xuening had spent quite a while talking in You Fangyin’s cell that night before leaving. When she returned, she was inexplicably plagued by nightmares and barely slept all night. During the day, she was busy sorting out the things Yan Lin had given her, packing them into boxes to be handled by Jiang Boyou. So, when she returned to the palace the next day, she still hadn’t fully recovered.

But she just looked a bit tired.

There were many companions who looked worse than her.

After the previous incident of confiscating the words of the rebel party, all the palace maids in Yangzhi Zhai had been replaced with new faces.

They all stood far away with their heads bowed.

In Liushui Pavilion, Chen Shuyi was making tea, Xiao Shu was drinking tea, Zhou Baoying was eating snacks, and Yao Rongrong was sitting cautiously beside them, observing everyone without daring to speak.

Yao Xi and You Yue sat opposite each other.

Both had slightly red eyes, but Yao Xi kept her head down, eyes lowered, face somber, staring at the cup in front of her, exuding a faint sense of gloom, but said nothing; You Yue’s eyes were still swollen, even after rolling them with boiled eggs, looking as if she had just been beaten, her eyes lifted, glaring unreservedly at Jiang Xuening, who had just walked in from outside.

Even a fool could tell something was wrong with the atmosphere.

Jiang Xuening didn’t notice Yao Xi when she first entered, because You Yue looked so miserable and conspicuous that she couldn’t help but notice her immediately.

She had expected You Yue to be in a bad state, but not this bad.

Judging by the look in her eyes, as if she wanted to eat her alive, she must have found out about the ten thousand taels too.

But Jiang Xuening felt no guilt at all.

With a slight smile on her lips, she walked in and directly met You Yue’s gaze, jokingly saying, “Miss You, you look like you’ve been through a disaster at home. Even makeup can’t cover the marks on your face. What happened?”

You Yue hated her to the core.

But after the incident at the teahouse, she finally understood completely: whether in the palace or outside, she couldn’t win against this woman. At least not for now!

This woman was as venomous as a snake, extremely malicious!

She both hated and feared Jiang Xuening, and knowing she had no advantage in Yangzhi Zhai, she could only swallow her anger and blood, not daring to say a word in response to Jiang Xuening’s obvious provocation and mockery.

Everyone present was perceptive, and from this simple exchange, they guessed that You Yue must have suffered a great loss at Jiang Xuening’s hands in the past two days outside the palace. Although she was full of hatred, she was too scared to even retort.

Seeing that You Yue had backed down, Jiang Xuening felt relieved.

She sat down leisurely, but when she looked up, she accidentally met Yao Xi’s cold gaze. However, when Yao Xi saw her looking up, the coldness disappeared.

Yao Xi even smiled at her.

Jiang Xuening suddenly remembered that night in the palace when Zhang Zhe said he wanted to break off the engagement. Thinking of Yao Xi’s smile now, she felt a chill down her spine: Yao Xi was narrow-minded and not very pure-hearted. Could she think that Jiang Xuening had reported her and ruined her engagement?

But Yao Xi didn’t say a word.

Jiang Xuening couldn’t ask either.

This brief exchange of glances seemed like it never happened, not causing any ripples.

The eight companions mostly arrived in the evening.

When they left last time, Princess Leyang Shen Zhiyi was still grounded by the Empress Dowager;

When they returned to the palace this time, Shen Zhiyi’s grounding had been lifted. Since they had become familiar with Shen Zhiyi, Xiao Shu suggested they visit her in Mingfeng Palace to relieve her boredom.

Shen Zhiyi was indeed very bored.

She had argued with her mother while pleading for the Yongyi Marquis’s mansion. Although she was told to reflect on her actions, she didn’t know what she had done wrong. So, although her grounding was lifted today, she was still sulking and didn’t want to go to Kunning Palace to pay respects.

The companions arrived just in time.

Mingfeng Palace was her residence, filled with all sorts of entertainment. She gathered everyone to play, sometimes performing shadow puppets, sometimes playing double six, and even playing hide-and-seek a few times. It wasn’t until late when Nanny Su reminded them that they stopped.

Jiang Xuening hadn’t slept well the previous night and hadn’t closed her eyes all day. She was distracted while playing, almost dozing off while watching them play double six.

Shen Zhiyi noticed this.

Ignoring what others might think, she dismissed everyone and took Jiang Xuening’s hand, pouting, “Ning Ning, are you sleepy? Yangzhi Zhai is far from my residence. Why don’t you sleep here tonight?”

Sleep here?

Hearing the word “sleep,” Jiang Xuening was instantly wide awake, no longer feeling sleepy at all!

She wanted to refuse.

But the joyful expression Shen Zhiyi had while playing with others was gone, her eyelids lowered, and she smiled a little, looking somewhat dejected and melancholic, saying softly, “I want someone to talk to.”

At that moment, Jiang Xuening realized that she seemed to respond better to gentleness than to force.

She knew why Shen Zhiyi was grounded and knew she had been close to Yan Lin since childhood. Thinking about how she, as the esteemed princess, could only watch helplessly as her brother surrounded the Yongyi Marquis’s mansion with heavy troops…

The words she was about to say stuck in her throat.

Jiang Xuening finally said, “Okay.”

The princess’s bedchamber was as luxurious as one could imagine, with golden hooks, fragrant curtains, and soft pillows.

Shen Zhiyi managed to drag Jiang Xuening onto the bed.

She changed Jiang Xuening into her own nightclothes, dismissed the palace maids and nannies, and barefoot, hugged an embroidered pillow and lay down beside her, just like her, flat on the bed.

The deep palace was silent.

The lights in the hall were extinguished, with only the Korean paper on the windows reflecting some light from outside.

Jiang Xuening suddenly felt a bit dazed.

Shen Zhiyi, lying beside her, looked at the canopy, blinked, and said, “Ning Ning, why do adults think differently from us? Yan Lin is so good, and the Marquis’s mansion is so good. When I was little, I went to their mansion, and the cherry tree there was so tall, with red cherries on it. I heard it was planted by Yan Lin’s aunt. I was greedy and mischievous, always wanting to pick cherries from that tree. Yan Lin always said they weren’t ripe and wouldn’t let me climb. Once, I tricked him into thinking his uncle called him to practice martial arts, and I climbed the tree to pick cherries. They were so sour they hurt my teeth.”

Tears slid down Jiang Xuening’s cheeks.

Shen Zhiyi clasped her hands in front of her, wanting to cry: “When Yan Lin came back to find me, he couldn’t. I was hiding in the tree, wanting to scare him, but I accidentally fell, hit the ground, and cried in pain. Yan Lin was scared and scolded me, saying I deserved it. His mother saw how fierce he was and used the family rules to punish him to vent my anger. I don’t remember how old I was then or what happened afterward, just that the tree was so tall, the sun was so bright, and the cherries, though I remember them being sour, seemed so sweet now…”

As she spoke, she really started to cry.

She hadn’t cried once in the past few days, even when she was angry. But maybe she felt Ning Ning was different from others, that she could speak such words to her.

She was close to Xiao Shu, but that closeness had a barrier…

Sometimes it even made her uncomfortable.

She was the most noble princess in the palace, but others looked at Xiao Shu, and her mother treated Xiao Shu, as if she were no less than herself. And she always felt that Ning Ning and Ah Shu were different.

Shen Zhiyi had never felt so sad. She couldn’t help but hug Jiang Xuening, burying her head in her, tears falling, but not daring to let the palace people outside hear, so she suppressed her sobs.

Jiang Xuening felt her neck getting wet.

She heard her muffled voice: “I’m so scared that in the future, Yan Lin will be gone, the companions will be gone, everyone will be gone, and you will be gone, leaving only me…”

Jiang Xuening’s throat tightened.

She had to keep her eyes wide open, restraining herself with all her might, to prevent her emotions from collapsing in such a night, in such a deep palace.

Even a princess has moments of deep sorrow and fear…

Who in this world can escape such feelings?

Shen Zhiyi cried for a long time, and when she was tired, she gradually fell asleep beside her.

Jiang Xuening tucked her in.

She turned to gaze at this princess, who should have been showered with love, thinking of her tragic and even heroic fate in the previous life. After a long time, she gently kissed her forehead, then stepped back, barefoot on the cold floor of the bedchamber, walked to a carved window, and gently opened a crack to look outside.

Palace lanterns hung high.

Red walls and flying eaves, layer upon layer.

Mingfeng Palace, compared to the simple Yangzhi Zhai, was too much like Kunning Palace. Jiang Xuening couldn’t sleep, and didn’t dare to sleep.