“Jiu’er, you… you are to marry Young Lord Xu?”

Young Lord Xu — though Xiao Yingtao had never met him, she had heard a thing or two about him.

Being of the Nanmen clan, they were all technically the Empress’s nephews. But it was said that among all the young lords, Young Lord Xu was the one who lived the most wretched existence.

The Nanmen clan’s influence in the imperial capital was formidable — they commanded great military power, and even the Emperor had to regard them with a measure of caution.

The various young lords of the Nanmen clan each held military authority as well. Within the court, it could be said that their influence was evenly matched with that of the imperial family.

And yet within this powerful clan, there existed one young lord who held not even a fraction of military power — who was, in the eyes of the clan, nothing at all.

This was something known to anyone in the imperial capital with even the slightest awareness of affairs.

Feng Jiu’er said nothing, merely looking at Feng Qingyin with an expression of calm indifference.

No wonder her grandfather, when urging her earlier, had said only that as long as she got along well with Young Lord Xu, she might not have great wealth and status, but she could at least live a peaceful life.

Even without real power, he was still a young lord, and that was not so wretched a life.

In everyone’s eyes, a young woman as unsightly and notorious as her, having been rejected by the Crown Prince, had someone willing to take her at all — that in itself was already overreaching her station.

“What is the matter? Are you so furious you cannot speak?” Feng Qingyin covered her lips and laughed, soft and gentle as a breeze.

“Jiu’er, do not be afraid. Whatever else may be said of him, he is still a young lord — he can at least keep you fed.”

“But you are about to be married — what are you still doing at the Academy? Why not go home early and embroider a pair of mandarin duck pillowcases to please your husband on your wedding day?”

“Miss, even if she embroiders a pair of living mandarin ducks, that young lord still won’t fancy her!” chimed in the maidservant trailing behind Feng Qingyin, laughing gleefully.

“How can you be so discourteous to Jiu’er!” Xiao Yingtao was nearly beside herself with fury. Even a mere maidservant dared to mock a young miss of their own household!

“What? What did I say? Is what I said not the truth?”

Feng Qingyin’s maidservant, Qin Xue, shrugged with an air of complete indifference. “I am only speaking the truth. Naturally, I also hope that once Ninth Miss has married in, she will live well. My intentions are entirely good.”

“Is that so?” Feng Jiu’er suddenly stepped forward two paces.

Qin Xue instinctively flinched back two steps, startled by the cold, sharp aura that bore down on her in an instant.

But with Feng Qingyin standing right there, her alarm quickly faded. She immediately stepped forward again: “What I said is, of course, the truth—”

A sharp cry rang out, followed by the resounding crack of a slap. Qin Xue flew backward like a kite with its string snapped, struck by a single blow and sent hurtling through the air.

She crashed to the ground with a heavy impact, blood trickling from the corner of her lips, nearly losing consciousness altogether.

Feng Qingyin had not had time to react. By the time she did, her face had gone pale with shock.

“Feng Jiu’er, you… you dare to injure my people!”

She pointed at Feng Jiu’er, so enraged that her very fingers trembled.

“Your people?” Feng Jiu’er fixed her gaze on Qin Xue, still coughing up blood where she lay on the ground, and let out a cold laugh. “A maidservant serving a secondary young miss, and she dares to say such brazen things to me, the proper Ninth Miss!”

“Elder Sister Qingyin, would you not say this counts as a gross act of disrespect?”

“Since Elder Sister Qingyin is unable to discipline her own servants, allow me to do it in her stead — lest she one day cause offense outside these walls and damage Elder Sister Qingyin’s own reputation.”

“You…”

“Miss, she is bullying me!” Qin Xue managed to claw her way up from the ground with great effort, spat out a mouthful of blood, and immediately dissolved into tears.

“So what if I am bullying you?” Feng Jiu’er strode forward, seized Qin Xue by the collar, and with a sudden powerful swing of her arm…