"What does Your Highness Prince An mean by this?" Under a peach blossom tree, Liu Wanting furrowed her brows, looking at the wooden token Prince An was playing with in his hand.
Although she was to hold her wedding ceremony on the same day as Tang Qingwan, she was ultimately only a side consort. Her wedding could not be held with great extravagance, and she entirely lacked the etiquette and grandeur befitting a primary consort.
Therefore, seeing the Tang Manor covered in red silk, she couldn't help but turn red-eyed with jealousy.
Xiao Yi's gaze fell upon the large red flower tied to the peach blossom tree. The bright and festive flower was now completely ruined, slashed apart by a sharp object resembling a hairpin.
"Liu... County Princess, instead of preparing for your wedding in your own manor, you ran over to the Tang Manor. What, are you so impatient to serve the main wife her tea?"
Xiao Yi's words always pierced straight to the heart. His previous remark calling her "Little Shorty" had caused Liu Wanting to hold a grudge for days.
Hearing these words now, the uncontrollable jealousy in Liu Wanting's heart surged forth once again.
Her second greatest hatred in this life was becoming a side consort.
She didn't know what kind of mentality it was, but looking at the pink decorations filling her boudoir's courtyard made her feel incredibly unhappy.
Even her father and mother were extremely cautious, terrified of overstepping the regulations.
But she was a County Princess personally titled by the Emperor and the legitimate daughter of the Minister of War. Those things were nothing short of an insult to her.
Thus, she brought a wedding gift and came to the Tang Manor.
But how did venting her anger on a peach blossom tree offend this lord, making him insist on finding trouble with her?
"Your Highness Prince An, after tomorrow, according to etiquette, you should call me royal sister-in-law."
Even as a side consort, her name would be entered into the royal genealogy.
Xiao Yi, however, acted as if he had heard a hilarious joke, his lips curling into an unbridled cold sneer. "Royal sister-in-law?"
"Miss Liu, have you been called County Princess and Side Consort so much lately that you've been praised too high and forgotten how you got your County Princess title?"
"Actually, that day in the Fengluan Palace, this Prince felt that Imperial Father's conferred title wasn't accurate enough. You should be called the Princess of Swill. After all, it was exchanged for that."
"Your Highness Prince An." Liu Wanting was so angry she saw stars.
"This subject's daughter did not provoke you, why must you make things difficult for me?"
These days, she had even been taking detours to avoid him, and she certainly hadn't gone looking for trouble with Cui Yunfeng. Why was he still clinging to her and not letting go?
Had she dug up his ancestral graves or something?
Liu Wanting's face turned livid with anger, her breathing constricted.
Especially that phrase "County Princess of Swill"—the humiliation of that day seemed to surge back all over again.
Xiao Yi had always had a venomous tongue.
His gaze flickered seemingly inadvertently toward a corner of clothing exposed behind the garden, while his hands repeatedly rubbed that wooden token.
A scapegoat that had delivered itself right to his door with such difficulty—how could he not make good use of it?
He lowered his eyes, concealing the wicked smile at the corner of his lips.
"This wooden token, does Miss Liu recognize it?"
Liu Wanting looked down at the token thrown at her feet, her face full of bewilderment. "This is a token under my father's jurisdiction, naturally I recognize it."
Was there a problem?
This thing clearly had "Ministry of War" carved on it; who wouldn't recognize it?
Xiao Yi said, "A few days ago, the eldest Miss of the Cui family's horse suddenly went mad, and she fell off a cliff at Anshan Temple..."
Liu Wanting's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this. "Is she dead?"
Cui Yunchu—she dreamed of strangling her to death.
Xiao Yi shook his head. "Not dead. I've disappointed Miss Liu."
That was indeed quite disappointing; the expression on Liu Wanting's face spoke volumes.
A crooked smile hooked the corner of Xiao Yi's lips. "What vicious thoughts you have, Miss Liu."
"."
Unable to hide her disappointment in time, Liu Wanting blankly raised her eyes to look at Xiao Yi.
"The carriage the eldest Miss Cui was riding in originally belonged to the Tang family's daughter. So the person you initially wanted to harm was Miss Tang, but by a twist of fate..."
Xiao Yi's gaze landed on that corner of clothing as he continued, "...you nearly killed the eldest Miss Cui, and even Yunfeng met with your vicious hands. Tell me, how should this Prince settle this score with you?"
Liu Wanting opened her mouth slightly, the expression on her face indescribable. "What is Your Highness talking about?"
"Why can't I understand?"
Xiao Yi, "Miss Liu's ability to put on an act is truly inherited in the same vein as your father."
This time, Liu Wanting dared to point at the heavens and swear.
Seeing Xiao Yi's expression growing increasingly icy, she stumbled back a step. "It wasn't me, Your Highness Prince An, you've found the wrong person. I didn't do it."
Even her father had warned her to stay far away from Xiao Yi; even her father was quite wary of this man's madness.
At this moment, Liu Wanting's eyes held only fear of what lay behind Xiao Yi's wicked smile.
She explained incoherently with a bewildered face.
But the person who wrongs you knows of your innocence better than anyone else.
"But this Prince found your wooden token at the bottom of the cliff. How do you explain that?"
Xiao Yi stepped on the wooden token with his short boot, and Liu Wanting could hear the sound of the wood shattering with unparalleled clarity.
Liu Wanting's face turned deathly pale.
How to explain? She had said everything she should, but the person in front of her clearly didn't believe her.
She knew all too well how much this man valued Cui Yunfeng.
Liu Wanting remembered the taste of swill spreading over her mouth and nose, and immediately felt like retching.
"It was actually you who harmed my eldest sister!" Cui Yunfeng rushed in from the garden entrance. "Liu Wanting, you are truly vicious."
Cui Yunfeng had no doubts about this; after all, it was perfectly reasonable for someone who had once plotted to push her into a lake to do any other evil deeds to her.
Before Liu Wanting could react, she received a heavy slap to her face.
Cui Yunfeng used a lot of force, hitting Liu Wanting so hard that her ears rang and buzzed.
"You should rejoice that my eldest sister is alive, otherwise I would make you pay with your life."
Xiao Yi looked at the pretty girl with red eyes full of hatred, looking as if she wanted to tear Liu Wanting apart. The weather wasn't cold at all, but his body suddenly shivered.
Cui Yunfeng went up to hit her again, but Xiao Yi hurriedly grabbed her wrist. "Careful with your hands. It's not worth hurting yourself for someone like her."
Because Cui Yunfeng had used so much force, Liu Wanting's face was swollen high, burning with pain, and she saw sparks from the blow.
She was both dazed and furious. Biting her red lips until they bled, she glared fiercely at Cui Yunfeng and screamed, "It wasn't me."
"You've lost your mind."
Cui Yunfeng pushed Xiao Yi away, picked up the wooden token, and threw it at Liu Wanting. "The physical evidence is all here, and you still dare to quibble."
"I..." Liu Wanting couldn't breathe properly, exhaling more than she inhaled, and her vision darkened in waves.
"Ah—" She grabbed her hair and suddenly let out a loud roar, giving Cui Yunfeng a huge fright.
She must have truly lost her mind today to come to the Tang Manor.
A whole nest of lunatics. "You people from the Tang and Cui families are all sick in the head."
Cui Yunfeng: She still dared to curse.
"You vicious woman, I will definitely tell my brother-in-law the Crown Prince."
"Ah—" All the filthy words in this life were not enough to describe and vent Liu Wanting's mood at this moment.
She wanted to fight back, but Prince An was watching like a tiger glaring at its prey. She was afraid she would be dead before she even laid a hand on Cui Yunfeng.
This brute was incredibly stubborn even in the Golden Throne Room. He wouldn't care whose daughter she was or what her upcoming status would be.
Even if she died, the Emperor wouldn't kill his own biological son for a mere subject's daughter like her.
There was no reasoning with a brute, especially when that person had power and influence. She had absolutely no capital to clash with him head-on.
The pros and cons raced through Liu Wanting's mind, but ultimately, she chose to walk away, consumed by grief and indignation.
She was left utterly baffled, her mind swirling with unanswered questions.
Never in her entire life had Liu Wanting suffered such a humiliating injustice or been forced to take the blame for something so massive, all without the slightest chance to defend herself.
