Bian Ruohan stood in place, not caring that rainwater had accumulated into a puddle at her feet, nor that rain falling from her umbrella splashed on the ground and dirtied her skirt hem.

After a long while, she suddenly had a realization, “Those two maids accompanying the carriage just now—aren’t they second-class maids from Prince Zhongshun’s consort’s side?”

She couldn’t be mistaken. Although she couldn’t remember those two girls’ names, she remembered their delicate faces! When she first saw those two maids, she had wondered how Qin Yining could be so fortunate that even the four servant girls attending her were exceptionally outstanding. In comparison, the people serving by her side seemed particularly mediocre.

Now it seemed that the woman in men’s clothing who had switched carriages just now—could she be someone from the prince’s mansion?

“No, no…” She hadn’t heard of any female guests visiting the prince’s mansion recently.

And that figure was too similar to Qin Yining’s!

Most likely, that was Qin Yining in disguise. Seeing her intimate manner with that ordinary-faced guard just now, Bian Ruohan suddenly understood everything.

Qin Yining had come out to have an affair! That’s why she deliberately disguised herself!

Bian Ruohan immediately became excited, and even her hands and feet that had been cold and wet from the rainy weather suddenly warmed up!

“Pretending to be a proper woman, but actually doing such adulterous things! Truly laughable!”

Bian Ruohan suddenly turned around, facing the wooden-like faces of the accompanying maids and old women.

Bian Ruohan instantly felt completely uninterested!

“All of you get out of my way!” Pushing everyone aside one by one, Bian Ruohan turned the street corner and boarded her own carriage, urging, “Chase that carriage from just now quickly! If you can’t catch up, I’ll drive you all away!”

The maids and old women dared not object, nodding repeatedly. The coachman dared not be perfunctory and hurriedly headed in the direction Qin Yining’s carriage had gone.

Bian Ruohan didn’t care how bumpy her carriage became due to the acceleration, bouncing until many of her hairpins and ornaments slid from her chignon.

“Quick, quick! Chase them! If you lose them, I’ll have your lives!” Bian Ruohan repeatedly pounded the wooden walls of the carriage.

The coachman was so frightened his body shook, not daring to be careless at all. He cracked his whip to drive the carriage at breakneck speed, making the following maids and old women run until they were gasping for breath, their rain gear scattered, getting soaked by rainwater without caring.

Soon, Bian Ruohan’s carriage turned a street corner.

On the rainy day, there were no pedestrians on the streets at all. Beyond layers of rain curtains, she could see the carriage Qin Yining had been riding in moving ahead.

Bian Ruohan lifted the carriage curtain, craning her neck to look forward. Confirming that there was only one guard on the carriage shaft alongside the coachman, with two maids wearing rain gear sitting at the back of the carriage, she became even more certain that another guard was sitting inside the carriage with Qin Yining.

“That slut, not content with seducing other people’s husbands, actually sneaks out behind her own husband’s back to have affairs! This truly shows that appearances can be deceiving—even someone as heroic as Prince Zhongshun has been cuckolded!”

Bian Ruohan was both gritting her teeth in anger and gloating.

She absolutely had to tell Prince Zhongshun about this! She wanted to see how someone like Prince Zhongshun, with his distinguished military achievements and fiery temper, could tolerate his princess consort having affairs outside!

At worst, Prince Zhongshun might directly strangle that slut to death!

“Hurry up, catch up!” Bian Ruohan excitedly continued pounding the carriage.

The coachman dared not slack off and whipped again harshly, anxiously speeding up. This made the maids and old women following Bian Ruohan’s carriage at full sprint fall even further behind, unable to keep up with Bian Ruohan at all.

At this time, on the carriage shaft ahead, Mu Jinghu said to those inside the carriage, “There’s a carriage chasing us from behind. It also looks like it belongs to wealthy nobility.”

Hearing this, both Qin Yining and Pang Xiao curiously pushed open the carriage window to look back.

Qin Yining then smiled bitterly, “It seems to be the Bian family. We only just passed each other—could she have recognized me?”

Pang Xiao looked at Qin Yining and smiled, “Actually, with your disguise like this, there are absolutely no flaws visible in your face. If someone unfamiliar with you saw you, they definitely couldn’t recognize you. But those familiar with you, if they carefully observe your figure and mannerisms, there are still flaws.”

Qin Yining nodded, “Perhaps Bian Shi noticed something. This shows just how much Bian Shi hates me—to be able to recognize me even like this, she even recognizes my figure.”

Pang Xiao sneered, “She considers you her imaginary enemy in her heart, so naturally she has nothing better to do than study you. When she sees you, she can naturally notice things.”

Qin Yining shook her head, “She doesn’t find it tiresome either. If she really cares so much about Earl Zhongyi, then she should properly live with Earl Zhongyi. Why does she always keep her eyes on me? I haven’t provoked her—how innocent am I!”

“Who told you to be more beautiful than her, smarter than her, more likeable than her, and to have a loving husband that she doesn’t have? She’s jealous of you, so naturally she wants to catch you in some wrongdoing.” Pang Xiao said with a smile.

Qin Yining burst into laughter. Although Pang Xiao’s words had some boastful elements, it had to be said that what Pang Xiao said was also the truth. Some people might be naturally incompatible, disliking each other from the first meeting. She and Bian Ruohan were such people. Combined with Lu Heng’s actions on his wedding day, no wonder Bian Ruohan stared at her like a black-eyed chicken.

“So what do we do now?” Qin Yining looked back again and discovered Bian Ruohan’s carriage had gotten even closer.

Pang Xiao looked down at himself, then at Qin Yining, and couldn’t help but laugh, “She really knows how to pick her timing. Chasing us now—could we possibly admit to being disguised? Let her make her fuss.”

“That’s true.” Qin Yining touched her own face, then looked at Pang Xiao’s unfamiliar, ordinary face, and couldn’t help but laugh.

While the two were laughing and chatting here, Bian Ruohan’s carriage behind had been urged by her to speed up considerably.

“Overtake them and block that carriage ahead!”

Bian Ruohan completely ignored how far behind the maids and old women had been left, only urging the coachman to speed up.

The coachman was forced into having no choice but to continuously drive the carriage faster.

This was only possible because on this rainy day, common people who could avoid going out stayed home, making the streets very spacious. Otherwise, driving so recklessly could have caused fatalities if they hit someone.

Bian Ruohan’s carriage galloped all the way, the horses pulling the carriage shaft had several bloody marks whipped onto their hindquarters, and finally neighed as they overtook Qin Yining’s carriage.

Bian Ruohan shouted loudly, “Block them in front! Stop them for me!”

The coachman’s heart felt bitter waves of anguish, but he had to display the highest skills of his lifetime, doing everything possible to stop the carriage and position it diagonally across the middle of the road, blocking the path of the carriage behind.

Bian Ruohan was thrown around inside the carriage until her head hit the carriage wall, nearly knocking her unconscious. But right now she couldn’t care about much else.

Qin Yining’s carriage had already slowly stopped when they saw the other party’s intent to obstruct.

Bian Ruohan didn’t care whether her head hurt from the impact. She pushed past the coachman and jumped down from the carriage, taking a few steps to reach Qin Yining’s carriage, sneering coldly, “Surname Qin, the good deeds you’ve done—I saw them all!”

Pang Xiao and Qin Yining exchanged glances inside the carriage, then lifted the curtain and said sternly, “Who are you? Why are you blocking our path? Step aside!”

“Get lost to one side! This madam is speaking—what business is it of yours! You’re nothing but an adulterer—what right do you have to speak to this madam!” Bian Ruohan looked down on Qin Yining’s affair and even more so on him being an ordinary-faced commoner.

This tirade stunned Qin Yining, Pang Xiao, and Mu Jinghu into silence.

Qin Yining never expected Bian Ruohan’s imagination to be so rich—she hadn’t done anything yet, but the accusations had already been thought up.

Qin Yining said helplessly, “Tell her to leave. We don’t know her, and we still need to travel.”

As soon as she spoke, Bian Ruohan outside immediately put her hands on her hips and started shouting, “You come out here! Surname Qin, don’t think I don’t know what you’ve done! You pretend to be a good person in front of common people, selling grain and making empty promises! When people find out you’re having affairs outside, they won’t worship you like a deity anymore!

“Those ignorant people have all been deceived by your sanctimonious appearance! What kind of young lady from a noble family are you, what kind of Prince Zhongshun’s consort! Does your prince know you’re having affairs outside! I tell you, a vicious woman like you who doesn’t observe wifely virtue deserves to be drowned in a pig cage! I’m going right now to tell your prince about your affairs—let’s see what good comes to you!”

Bian Ruohan’s voice was very sharp, and even in the pattering light rain, it could carry very far on the quiet street.

Qin Yining frowned at her shouting and said with a dark face to Mu Jinghu outside, “Young Master Mu, please capture her and gag her mouth.”

Mu Jinghu had long since tired of listening to her chatter. Hearing this, he immediately stepped forward and effortlessly twisted her arms behind her back.

Bian Ruohan cried out in pain with a sharp “Mama!” and was about to curse when her mouth was stuffed with a torn cloth.

Pang Xiao asked Qin Yining, “Now that we’ve captured her, what do you plan to do?”

Qin Yining rubbed her forehead, “We can’t just let her spread nonsense and slander me outside.” But what to do with the captured person was indeed difficult to handle. She couldn’t just kill Bian Ruohan.

Mu Jinghu carried Bian Ruohan over like carrying a chick.

Bian Ruohan was both shocked and angry, making muffled struggling sounds in her mouth.

The coachman and servants following Bian Ruohan, seeing the situation was wrong, had long since disappeared without a trace.

Mu Jinghu asked, “How should we deal with her?”

Qin Yining was extremely troubled and said angrily, “Bring her along for now, we’ll discuss how to handle it later. See whether it’s better to tie her to a big stone and throw her in the river, or directly throw her to the back mountain to feed the wolves.”

Upon hearing this, Bian Ruohan was so frightened her soul nearly left her body. She made continuous muffled sounds in her mouth, tears and snot flowing down.

Hearing the pig-like squealing from behind, Pang Xiao said amusingly, “That’s good. If that doesn’t work, we’ll sell her to human traffickers. Given her delicate skin and tender flesh, she might fetch a good price.”

“Right, many mountain people can’t find wives—we’ll just sell her to some mountain valley.” Qin Yining said angrily, deliberately trying to frighten her.