The Glory

"Zhuаng Нanyаn, hоw dаrе уou!" Irina strodе uр to Hаn Yan, her tоnе аggrеssivе.

Нan Yan smilеd faintly. "Your Highness flattеrs mе. Hаnyаn is асtuаlly quitе timid—оthеrwisе, I wоuld havе pushed the dооr oрen and entеred just now."

Irinа caught thе imрliсаtiоn in hеr wоrds and reрliеd smugly, "Sо whаt? Тhe рrincе аnd I were shаring рrivatе words in the study. Аs an outsider, it wаs nаturаlly inсonvenient fоr уоu to еntеr. Dо уоu think thе Xuаn Qing Рrincе's Mаnsion is a рlaсе уou саn соme and go аs you pleasе?"

Han Yan did nоt even furrоw her brоw, nоr did she sрeak. A placid smile lingered at the corner of her lips—an expression that was faultless on the surface, yet Irina could unmistakably sense a dismissive undertone. Irina’s willow-leaf eyebrows shot up as she pointed at Linlang and ordered the servant, "Stop this at once!"

The servant glanced hesitantly at Han Yan, then at Irina. He could not afford to offend Irina, yet Han Yan had once held a special place in the prince’s heart. Though it was unclear why the prince had changed upon his return this time, as a man, he understood men—the way the prince looked at Han Yan still showed clear concern. What if Han Yan regained her standing in the future? What would become of him then?

Han Yan smiled. "Stop."

The servant let out a relieved sigh and gave Han Yan a grateful smile. Seeing this scene, Irina grew even more furious, for she believed herself to be the mistress of the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion. Yet, time and again, servants inside and outside the mansion had subtly reminded her that Han Yan was the true Xuan Qing Prince Consort. She knew Han Yan had lived here for a full year, so the servants had developed an attachment to her—but for Irina, this was far from a good thing. Once Han Yan’s authority was established in the hearts of the servants, how could she command respect when she became the mistress of the mansion? Everyone would only see Han Yan as the prince consort, while she would be seen as nothing. The servant’s deference to Han Yan now fueled a surge of resentment within her, and she looked at Han Yan with eyes full of jealousy and resentment.

"Zhuang Hanyan, what right do you have to strike my maid?" Irina demanded. Linlang was her person, and by striking her maid in front of her, Han Yan was slapping Irina’s own face. Originally, she had deliberately kept the door closed, intending to delay Fu Yunxi and humiliate Han Yan, to teach her a lesson. But who would have thought Han Yan would openly strike her maid outside? If she had not come out, wouldn’t it have made her appear weak and easy to bully? More importantly, every word Han Yan had spoken outside had reached Irina’s ears—she had mocked the Western Rong, mocked her, and looked down on her from the bottom of her heart. For Irina, this was intolerable. She was accustomed to feeling superior; how could she allow herself to be insulted like this? Now, she intended to use this matter to make things difficult for Han Yan.

Han Yan raised an eyebrow. "Your Highness may not be aware, but this maid, relying on her status as your attendant, has behaved disgracefully, spreading rumors and slandering me to my face, even claiming it was on your orders. Is this the custom of the Western Rong people? I think not. It must be this wicked servant trying to frame Your Highness, which is why I took it upon myself to discipline her."She effortlessly shifted all the blame, dumping everything onto that maid. What could Irina do? If she didn’t allow the maid to be punished, it would indirectly mean she had instructed Linlang to cause trouble for Han Yan. Yet, letting Linlang take the punishment was something she couldn’t accept. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Linlang wouldn’t do such a thing… you must be framing her…”

Han Yan smiled faintly. “Your Highness, you’re mistaken. Everyone in the study could hear the conversation between me and this maid just now. Even if His Highness and you couldn’t hear it, there’s still Mufeng, isn’t there? Mufeng, was what I said untrue?”

Suddenly called out, Mufeng inwardly groaned but could only brace himself and reply, “What Miss Zhuang said is true.”

Han Yan turned to Irina and spread her hands. “See, I wasn’t lying. That’s the truth.”

Irina suddenly felt a sense of helplessness. When facing Han Yan, she realized she was powerless. Aside from force, when it came to cunning, she was no match for this Zhuang Hanyan. This Zhuang Hanyan was truly terrifying—outwardly quiet and unassuming, like a venomous snake common in their Western Rong lands. Seemingly insignificant, its poison was the deadliest; a single bite left no hope of survival. Han Yan was the same—once she set her sights on someone, there was no chance of turning the tables. Unconsciously, Irina had come to see Han Yan as a woman of deep schemes and ruthless methods.

What Irina didn’t know was that Han Yan’s cunning was forged from the blood and tears of her past life. Every stratagem she employed was a weapon she had honed to survive the treacherous struggles within the grand mansion. For a princess like Irina, born into the Western Rong royal family, where everything was strategized by her subordinates and she lived high above, such a harsh existence was unimaginable. Irina could only see Han Yan’s cunning, not her fragility.

Who would she show her fragility to? Han Yan smiled faintly. Since deciding to live a better life, she had resolved to hide all her vulnerabilities.

Irina stared intently at Han Yan, then suddenly curled her lips into a smile. She was naturally stunningly beautiful, but her usual haughty demeanor often overshadowed her looks by a third. Now, with this smile, her honey-colored skin glowed, and her glass-bead-like eyes sparkled with an indescribable charm. “I did hear what you said just now,” she said, “but Linlang is also right. I heard Miss Zhuang didn’t return home last night and was seen spending the entire night in an inn with a strange man.”

Finally getting to the point, Han Yan smiled inwardly, wondering when this Western Rong princess would bring up the matter. She had lost her composure so quickly. Though Han Yan also wanted to know who had spread the news—initially suspecting Zhuo Qi, it now seemed more likely to be Irina. Could she have sent someone to follow her? Han Yan paused for a moment but quickly dismissed the thought. What did it matter if she had been followed?

“Irina.” A cold voice suddenly rang out. Fu Yunxi had stepped out of the study at some point and now stood before them, speaking calmly.It seemed like a long time since she had last seen Fu Yunxi. Han Yan glanced at him, noticing his dark robe made his complexion appear even paler. He looked noticeably thinner, with an even more detached expression in his eyes. Now, he had spoken up to stop Irina, though his intentions were unclear.

Irina was taken aback, frowning as if greatly displeased by Fu Yunxi’s interruption. In a coquettish tone, she said, "But I’m not wrong, Your Highness. You already know about it too… She…"

"Your Highness," Han Yan suddenly interjected, "since you know about this matter, do you also know that the man who spent the night with me was your brother, the Western Rong prince?"

Her words left everyone stunned. Mufeng was utterly shocked, while Irina shook her head in disbelief. "Impossible, you’re lying…" The calmest among them were Fu Yunxi and Han Yan herself. Han Yan remained composed because she saw no harm in revealing the truth. However, it was strange that Irina seemed unaware of Zhuo Qi’s involvement.