Compared to Yan Ningshuang's disheveled and unsightly state, Xiao Jingyue remained much calmer. He stood up, straightened his collar, and said with displeasure, "Who allowed you all to come in!"
A woman's voice rang out, both shocked and furious: "Third Brother... you... what are you doing!"
Xiao Jingyue raised an eyebrow and looked at the crowd that had appeared in the greenhouse.
Leading the group were Xiao Jingyuan, who had just spoken, and Zhao Yingqiu, who stood stunned and speechless. Behind them were several maids and a few older matrons. One of the older matrons served the Old Princess Consort, while the other two looked unfamiliar. Their clothing was made of exquisite fabric, indicating they were not from the Yanbei Prince's Mansion.
The two unfamiliar matrons were visibly shocked upon seeing the scene inside. After recovering, they hurried over to Yan Ningshuang and helped her up from the floor.
"Miss Yan, are... are you all right?"
"How... how could this happen?"
Yan Ningshuang's collar had been torn earlier by Xiao Jingyue, and being stared at by so many people now was utterly humiliating. She was filled with shame and rage; if she had a knife in her hand at that moment, she would not hesitate to stab Xiao Jingyue several times.
Noticing Yan Ningshuang's distress, Zhao Yingqiu quickly took a cloak prepared by her maid before leaving and walked over to Yan Ningshuang in a few steps, draping it over her shoulders to cover her torn clothes.
The two matrons then turned their attention to Xiao Jingyue, the instigator: "Third Young Master Xiao! What is the meaning of this? Miss Yan came to Yanbei by the decree of Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. She is the Empress Dowager's grandniece, the treasured daughter of the Yan family head! How dare you... how dare you humiliate her like this! You... you are simply going too far!"
At this moment, the Old Princess Consort's matron quickly interjected, "Could there be some misunderstanding here? Third Young Master?"
"What misunderstanding could there be? All of us just witnessed it—your Xiao family's third young master bullied our Miss Yan! Today, you must give us an explanation!"
The Old Princess Consort's matron deeply regretted accompanying them on the garden tour today, only to stumble upon such an incident. She glanced at Xiao Jingyue again, hoping the third young master would say something to explain, though given the circumstances, any explanation was unlikely to be believed.
Xiao Jingyue, having been interrupted from his earlier intentions and now surrounded by so many onlookers, felt increasingly irritable. He said unhappily, "What explanation? She came with me willingly—it's not like I kidnapped her!"
Yan Ningshuang cried out in shame and anger, "You deceived me..."
Before she could finish, Xiao Jingyue interrupted with a mocking smile, "I deceived you? What did I deceive you about? Why did you follow me here? Did I force you to come?"
Yan Ningshuang fell silent. She had come for Xiao Jingxi, but she couldn't say that now, nor did she have proof that she had been deceived by Xiao Jingyue.
Xiao Jingyue curled his lips. "Only you can command your own maids. You were the one who told them not to come in earlier." He glanced at the two matrons and said with a smile, "What explanation do you two want from me? How should I explain? That Miss Yan and I are mutually attracted? Fine, I'll explain it that way! At most, I'll marry her."Everyone was taken aback by these words.
Xiao Jingyuan, who was standing nearby, quickly interjected, "Third Brother, you are already engaged. It was arranged by the Empress Dowager's decree earlier."
Before Xiao Jingyue could respond, Yan Ningshuang was the first to react. Trembling with anger, she retorted, "Who wants to marry you? How dare you think you're worthy?"
Xiao Jingyue, who had been acting carefree and nonchalant, narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this. Then, with a smile, he said to Yan Ningshuang, "If I'm not worthy, who else is? Besides, given the situation we're in now, if I don't marry you, who else would you marry?"
Xiao Jingyue's words struck Yan Ningshuang like a bolt from the blue.
She had been avoiding thinking about it, but now his words forced her to face reality. When Xiao Jingyue had taken advantage of her, these people had witnessed it firsthand—and it happened right in the Yanbei Prince's Mansion. This incident would inevitably reach Xiao Jingxi, and how could she ever face him again after that?
The two matrons sent by the Empress Dowager exchanged glances. One of them said, "We must go see the Old Princess Consort and the Princess Consort."
The other added, "Third Young Master Xiao, it is not up to you to decide whom you will or will not marry!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingyue did not argue. Instead, he merely curled his lips in a resigned, almost defiant manner.
The matrons decided to go together to see the Old Princess Consort and the Princess Consort. Xiao Jingyuan also sent a maid to summon her mother, Su Shi. Regardless of how Xiao Jingyue's situation would be handled, they could not remain in the dark.
Zhao Yingqiu accompanied the despondent Yan Ningshuang back to her quarters. Throughout the journey, Yan Ningshuang remained silent, her face deathly pale, as if she were ill.
Once they entered the room, Yan Ningshuang suddenly asked in a dry, strained voice, "How did those people end up there?"
She was referring to Xiao Jingyuan, the matrons sent by the Empress Dowager, and even the Old Princess Consort's attendants. It all seemed far too coincidental. Xiao Jingyuan usually had no dealings with them, and the Empress Dowager's two matrons did not reside in the prince's mansion but stayed in an outer villa with several other young ladies.
Zhao Yingqiu explained, "Those two matrons came to give us some instructions. Aren't we returning to the capital in a few days? On my way back, I happened to run into them as they were being escorted out by the Old Princess Consort's people. When I heard you had gone to the garden, I thought that since we’ll be leaving soon and haven’t had a proper tour of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, I asked the matrons to accompany me to find you. As for Miss Xiao, we encountered her along the way."
Was it truly just a coincidence?
Yan Ningshuang did not want to think about how she would face Xiao Jingxi in the future, so instead, she pondered the peculiarities of the day’s events. First, how was it that she and Zhao Yingqiu happened to run into Third Young Master Xiao in the garden? She had stayed at the Yanbei Prince's Mansion for quite some time and had never encountered Xiao Jingyue before.
And why was it that Zhao Yingqiu’s dress was discovered to be stained by a maid precisely when they were on their way together?
Miss Yan was not entirely foolish when it came to matters unrelated to Xiao Jingxi.
Zhao Yingqiu glanced at Yan Ningshuang's expression and suddenly realized, belatedly, that Yan Ningshuang was suspecting her.Zhao Yingqiu hurriedly said, "Ningshuang, are you suspecting I did something? We've known each other for so many years, practically bosom friends—what would I gain from harming you?" At this point, Zhao Yingqiu was nearly on the verge of tears. "Besides, I really wasn't feeling well today. Haven't you seen me unwell before? You can check if the timing matches up."
Zhao Yingqiu suffered from dysmenorrhea, and once when she was in excruciating pain, Yan Ningshuang happened to visit the Zhao family and witnessed it.
Yan Ningshuang thought to herself that Zhao Yingqiu truly had no reason to harm her. Moreover, their relationship had always been quite good. Zhao Yingqiu was gentle-natured, easy to get along with, and rarely had conflicts with others.
Yan Ningshuang was flustered and worried about what those people might say about the incident, so she didn’t press further. Now that she had returned, she began to worry about what the two matrons and the people from Yanbei Prince’s Mansion might discuss.
Given her disheveled state earlier, she naturally couldn’t accompany them to see the Old Princess Consort and the Princess Consort, so the two matrons had told her to return and tidy up.
Zhao Yingqiu, who had been somewhat angry earlier, couldn’t help but comfort Yan Ningshuang now. "Actually, there weren’t many people present today. Perhaps this matter will be kept under wraps. After all, you’ll be returning to the capital in a few days."
Hearing this, Yan Ningshuang’s expression did not ease. Neither outcome was what she wanted. She only hated that the person in the greenhouse that day was Xiao Jingyue—how could it have been Xiao Jingyue!
Yan Ningshuang didn’t know how the two matrons sought justice for her, as no one came to summon her for a confrontation. However, the next morning, the two matrons arrived at Yanbei Prince’s Mansion to take Yan Ningshuang and Zhao Yingqiu to stay at a separate residence.
Yan Ningshuang didn’t want to leave Yanbei Prince’s Mansion; she only wished to stay close to Xiao Jingxi.
The two matrons, however, were firm in their stance.
"Miss, it’s no longer appropriate for you to stay in the Prince’s Mansion."
"That’s right, Miss Yan. We’ve barely managed to keep this matter from spreading. What if something else happens?"
Only then did Yan Ningshuang look up and ask, "The matter hasn’t spread?"
The matron quickly replied, "No, no, don’t worry, Miss. This time, Yanbei Prince’s Mansion is at fault! Last night, the Princess Consort issued an order forbidding anyone from mentioning this matter again. I’ve already reported it to the Empress Dowager. Once we return, Her Majesty will also see justice done for you!"
"You reported the matter back to the capital?" Yan Ningshuang suddenly asked.
The two matrons exchanged glances and smiled apologetically. "Miss, we serve the Empress Dowager. This is a serious matter, and we couldn’t possibly handle it on our own."
Yan Ningshuang closed her eyes and fell silent.
In the meantime, the two matrons had already arranged for Yan Ningshuang’s belongings to be packed. Before she could even bid farewell to the Old Princess Consort and the Princess Consort, Yan Ningshuang was escorted out of Yanbei Prince’s Mansion by the two matrons.
Fearing that Yan Ningshuang might make a scene, the matrons didn’t tell her that after she left, Xiao Jingyue had spoken before the Old Princess Consort, the Princess Consort, and others, expressing his intention to marry Yan Ningshuang.
After Yan Ningshuang left Yanbei Prince’s Mansion, no rumors or gossip spread. It was as if the incident that day had never happened.In the blink of an eye, it was time for these people to return to the capital. Aside from the six young ladies who remained to prepare for marriage and Pei Zhiyan, who had unfinished business and did not plan to return to the capital, everyone else was leaving. As for the matter between Xiao Jingyue and Yan Ningshuang, no one brought it up again.
And so, Yan Ningshuang left Yanbei without causing any further trouble, which was surprisingly smooth.
Just when everyone thought the matter had come to an end, the Xiao Family suddenly received another imperial decree.
Apologies for the late update today...〒_〒.
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