Deliberately putting Liu Laoshi and Ling Xiao on the same footing was, without question, both a provocation and an insult.
Jiang Shi’s brow furrowed, and Ling Ji’s gaze darkened as well.
Ling Jingshu’s smile faded, and she replied evenly, “This young lady is truly kind and generous of heart, to care so deeply for a servant’s illness — even more than for one’s own family. It’s quite admirable indeed.”
Third Miss Liu: “…”
Accustomed as she was to throwing her weight around at home, Third Miss Liu had never been mocked and ridiculed like this before. Her face flushed red at once as she retorted, “What do you mean, more than my own family! How dare you insult me like this!”
Ling Jingshu’s lips curved. “Just now, you said yourself that your family’s servant had been carried inside and that you were even more worried. I merely followed up on what you said yourself — how does that become an insult to you?”
Third Miss Liu was left speechless, unable to find a retort.
Her face flushed red, then pale, and the back of her ears burned hot with embarrassment.
Fortunately, the thin veil concealed her face — otherwise she would have utterly humiliated herself in front of everyone.
Ling Ji and his wife exchanged a glance and, with perfect mutual understanding, kept silent.
This Third Miss Liu was nowhere near a match for Ling Jingshu. Even with that fierce, overbearing middle-aged woman backing her up, there was nothing to fear.
Sure enough, seeing her mistress losing in this verbal exchange, the middle-aged woman immediately stepped forward to shield her, lifting her chin and sneering. “What a sharp tongue this young lady has. Our young lady is kind and generous, caring for the servants in her household, and wishes to go in and check on him herself — is there something wrong with that? What exactly is this young lady’s purpose, standing in our way like this? Huichun Hall is open to everyone — does this young lady mean to bar our young lady from entering?”
Her manner was aggressive, clearly spoiling for a loud scene.
A flash of displeasure crossed Han Yi’s eyes, and he was about to speak when Ling Jingshu calmly cut in. “This steward-matron has gotten a few things wrong. First, it was Steward Han who told you to wait outside. If you’re displeased about that, you shouldn’t take it out on my brother and me.”
“Second, it was your mistress who insulted my brother and me first, which is why I spoke up in response. If anyone deliberately stirred up trouble here, it certainly wasn’t me.”
“And third, whether or not you go into Huichun Hall has nothing to do with me. I’m here today to accompany my brother for treatment — I have neither the time nor the inclination to concern myself with irrelevant people.”
With that, without so much as a glance at the “irrelevant people,” she turned gracefully and walked into Huichun Hall.
The middle-aged woman, thoroughly humiliated, was seething with anger. When she heard snickering nearby once more, her embarrassment and fury only deepened. She spun around at once, glaring fiercely though her bluster masked an inner unease, and shouted, “Who’s laughing?”
No one wanted to get into a shouting match with such a fierce steward-matron, and the snickering and whispering quickly died down.
The middle-aged woman turned back and forced a smile to comfort Third Miss Liu. “That young lady just now, whoever’s household she’s from, has such a sharp and biting tongue, with not the slightest air of a proper young lady. There’s no need for you to bother with someone like that. Why don’t you go back to the carriage and rest for a while? You can come back down once Imperial Physician Wei arrives.”
Third Miss Liu had never been humiliated so badly before, and her eyes had already turned red with anger. She was ready to simply leave. But upon hearing the mention of Imperial Physician Wei’s name, she found herself unwilling to go after all, and after a long pause, finally murmured an assent.
The middle-aged woman secretly breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to help her young lady back to the carriage.
They had only taken a few steps when a large, imposing procession came into view.
Third Miss Liu’s entourage of maidservants, matrons, and guards had already been considerable, but this new group was more than twice as large, surrounding the young lady at its center like stars clustering around the moon.
This young lady was tall and her figure beautifully developed. The purple dress she wore was made of some unknown but clearly precious fabric — thin, light, and soft, with subtle patterns that shimmered as she walked, exquisitely magnificent.
She too wore a veiled hat, the thin gauze beneath it studded with several rubies, and on her wrist she wore a bracelet of matching gemstones. Though her face remained hidden, every gesture and movement carried an air of proud, noble bearing.
Why had she come here too?
Third Miss Liu recognized this young lady, her thoughts churning with unease, and stepped forward to curtsy. “Jiaoniang greets Princess Fumin.”
Princess Fumin’s father, Prince Rong, was a first cousin of the reigning Emperor. Prince Rong oversaw the Imperial Clan Court, making him a man of considerable standing and power even among the imperial relatives.
Princess Fumin was Prince Rong’s only daughter, a frequent presence at court, and on good terms with Princess Changping. Her status was exalted, naturally far beyond what any ordinary official’s daughter could compare to.
Princess Fumin glanced at Third Miss Liu, gave a small acknowledging hum, and asked coolly, “What brings Third Miss Liu to Huichun Hall today?”
The two of them had only met a handful of times, hardly close and with little real connection between them — at most exchanging a polite word or two whenever their paths crossed.
Third Miss Liu replied, “My household’s gatekeeper, Liu Laoshi, suddenly fell gravely ill today. A life is a life after all, and I couldn’t bear to do nothing, so I brought him here to Huichun Hall for treatment.”
The words sounded grand and noble enough.
But who didn’t see through her real intentions?
Princess Fumin’s lips curved in a half-smile that wasn’t quite one. “How compassionate of you. To go to such trouble over an utterly insignificant gatekeeper.”
Whether intentionally or not, she placed a slight extra weight on the words “trouble.”
Third Miss Liu, embarrassed and indignant, let out a soft snort.
Throughout the capital, there was no shortage of young ladies from prominent families secretly infatuated with Imperial Physician Wei, and Princess Fumin was undoubtedly the foremost among them — relying on her status as a princess to openly and unabashedly pursue him…
And yet Princess Fumin had the nerve to criticize others.
Wait a moment!
An idea sparked in Third Miss Liu’s mind, and she deliberately lowered her voice. “Princess Fumin arrived a little late today — you missed quite a show!”
Princess Fumin raised an eyebrow and gave a noncommittal “Oh?” “And what show might that have been?”
A glint flashed in Third Miss Liu’s eyes as she said in a low voice, “Nothing too remarkable, really. Some young lady appeared out of nowhere, accompanying a family member for treatment, and brazenly went straight into the inner hall of Huichun Hall to wait for Imperial Physician Wei!”
Displeasure stirred in Princess Fumin’s heart, though her tone remained deliberately indifferent. “Oh? And what does this young lady look like?”
Third Miss Liu deliberately hesitated for a moment. “She wore a veiled hat, so I couldn’t make out her face either. That girl wore a bamboo-green dress, with no fine jewelry to speak of, but her bearing was outstanding, her figure graceful, and her voice lovely — she’s probably a rare beauty. But that girl has quite a sharp tongue, and just now insulted me for no reason at all. Given the Princess’s exalted status, I’d imagine that girl wouldn’t dare speak so freely once she’s faced with you.”
This trick of deflecting trouble onto someone else and stirring up conflict was hardly a clever one.
Anyone with a modicum of sense could have caught the provocation hidden in Third Miss Liu’s words.
But understanding it was one thing — whether one chose to take the bait was quite another.
Princess Fumin was proud and arrogant by nature, holding herself in extremely high regard — how could she possibly think much of some ordinary young lady? Hearing this, however, her lips curved. “The way you put it has stirred up some curiosity in me. I suppose I’ll have to go in and meet her for myself.”