Chapter 155: Repeated Rebuffs, Qingyang Suffers a Setback (Part 1)

"Greetings, Your Royal Highness the Eldest Princess!" Everyone quickly bowed in unison.

In the entire room, only Xiao Yue remained standing.

Wu Tan also offered a token gesture of lowering her head—
Her legs were currently incapable of bending.

Yet, despite being small and inconspicuous, standing right beside Xiao Yue at this moment made her extremely conspicuous.

Eldest Princess Qingyang spotted her at a single glance. Coupled with the fact that Wenlü had already returned and lodged a heavy complaint against Wu Tan, the princess had arrived already ablaze with fury. The moment she laid eyes on Wu Tan now, her gaze turned icy.

"Imperial Sister is here?" Xiao Yue greeted her in a flat tone.

Only then did Eldest Princess Qingyang shift her gaze to his face. Brimming with anger, she spoke with ill intent: "Why are you here too? This palace does not recall you having any particular friendship with the Li family."

Wenlü had omitted any mention of Xiao Yue when reporting back, and seeing Wu Tan standing pressed right against Xiao Yue's side, the princess even suspected that Xiao Yue might be the reinforcement Wu Tan had summoned.

Xiao Yue replied, "I happened to be in the neighborhood and heard that Changping was injured, so I came to take a look on your behalf, Imperial Sister."

"How very thoughtful of you!" Eldest Princess Qingyang was unimpressed, letting out a sarcastic, cold hum.

She had rushed over directly with an imperial physician, having no time to request one from the palace. As it happened, a certain Physician Liang lived just a street away from the Eldest Princess's residence, and since he was not on duty in the palace today, Eldest Princess Qingyang had summoned him directly.

At this moment, looking around and failing to see Li Xun'er, her heart skipped a beat, and she inevitably grew nervous. "Where is Xun'er? How is she?"

She no longer had the bandwidth to settle scores with Wu Tan or pick a fight with Xiao Yue.

Madam Li hurriedly made way. "The doctor has already examined her. The commandery princess is resting inside."

She offered no further elaboration.
Such a scandal—even though many people already knew about it—would make whoever uttered the words the target of offense.

Eldest Princess Qingyang temporarily pushed everything else aside and hurried into the inner room with a few quick strides.

Li Xun'er was still asleep on the bed, unconscious. The princess walked over, bent down, and shook her daughter twice. "Xun'er?"

Seeing that Li Xun'er was completely unresponsive, she flew into a rage. Turning back, she scolded harshly, "What on earth have you all done to my Xun'er? Why won't she wake up? Is she severely injured? Physician Liang!"

Carrying his medicine box, Physician Liang hurriedly stepped forward to examine and treat Li Xun'er.

Madam Li explained, "Your Royal Highness, please calm your anger. The physician has already examined the commandery princess and administered acupuncture. He said there is nothing serious and she will regain consciousness immediately."

With that, she turned to look at Xiao Yue for help.

Seeing Li Xun'er unconscious, Eldest Princess Qingyang was consumed by anger and embarrassment. She whirled around abruptly, glared fiercely at Wu Tan, and snapped, "I heard you were the one who pushed Xun'er down the stairs and injured her, and even blocked her from returning to her estate for medical treatment? Wu Tan, how utterly audacious of you to dare harm a commandery princess of the realm! Someone come, seize this little wretch for me at once!"

Eldest Princess Qingyang had always been tyrannical and unreasonable. Launching into an arrest without distinguishing right from wrong was entirely in character for her.

Two guards from the Eldest Princess's estate rushed inside.

Wu Qingshan frowned and was about to step forward, but Wu Tan had already shrunk back behind Xiao Yue, explaining with a wronged expression, "This subject's daughter never touched Commandery Princess Changping. It was the commandery princess herself who lost her footing on the stairs and fell, dragging me down with her."

Eldest Princess Qingyang completely unreasonable, retorted, "I will not listen to your sophistry. Seize her!"

She waved her hand with an aggressive attitude.

Wu Tan shrank further behind Xiao Yue and continued reasoning, "Even if Your Royal Highness is a doting mother, you must still reason things out. At the time of the incident, it wasn't just Commandery Princess Changping and myself present; so many people witnessed it. If I truly pushed the commandery princess, this subject's daughter would willingly accept punishment, but I truly did nothing of the sort."

Before Eldest Princess Qingyang, she maintained strict propriety. Reason was reason, and her demeanor remained extremely humble.

The two guards rushed in, yet hesitated and did not reach out to grab her. This was not out of respect for Wu Tan's status as a daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan's estate, but rather because—

Although Xiao Yue had not explicitly spoken to protect her, he tacitly allowed her to hide behind him. That attitude was unmistakably clear.

A mere Marquis of Dingyuan's estate meant nothing in the eyes of the Eldest Princess, but His Highness the Prince of Sheng was entirely different!

The two guards exchanged glances, hesitating awkwardly and failing to advance.

Sensing something amiss, Eldest Princess Qingyang looked back in confusion. "Are you all deaf? Did you not hear my orders? I told you to seize that girl!"

The guards dared not defy their master. Bracing themselves, they were just about to step forward when Wu Qingshan stepped out, cupped his hands, and said, "Please calm your anger, Your Royal Highness. It is only human nature for you to care for the commandery princess's safety, but my younger sister is also a well-read young lady from a noble household. She has no grievances with the commandery princess; why would she casually push her down the stairs? Even if Your Royal Highness wishes to investigate this matter, taking it all the way to the imperial presence would still require giving us an opportunity to defend and explain ourselves, would it not? To casually let the guards of your estate arrest people from the Marquis of Dingyuan's estate—no matter how one looks at it, there is no such logic!"

How could Eldest Princess Qingyang tolerate a junior lecturing her? Her gaze darkened again. "The Marquis of Dingyuan certainly has fine parenting skills, teaching sons and daughters who grow increasingly unruly. Does it fall to the likes of you to lecture me in my presence?"

With a serious and calm expression, Wu Qingshan remained unyielding as he continued, "Not to mention that this military officer firmly believes my younger sister is entirely blameless, even if Wu Tan had indeed acted improperly, above us sits His Majesty, and below us is the Capital Magistrate's yamen. Apart from these two authorities—your Eldest Princess's estate possesses neither the right to make arrests nor the responsibility of interrogation. If Your Royal Highness insists on acting willfully, then this military officer will have to overstep his bounds. Offenses given!"

Eldest Princess Qingyang prided herself on her imperial lineage and had possessed an overbearing and unreasonable personality since childhood. Everyone she encountered avoided her like the plague; truly, no one had ever openly opposed her.

Yet today, it was precisely this Wu family: first Wu Qinglin rejected a marriage proposal, then Wu Tan provoked Li Xun'er, and today even Wu Qingshan, the second son, openly stepped forward to defy her?

Eldest Princess Qingyang had never suffered such indignity in her entire life. Flying into a rage on the spot, she sneered, "I refuse to believe it! Would you actually dare raise a hand against me?"

Turning back, she roared angrily at the two guards, "What are you still standing there for? Seize that girl for me! Today, I will personally discipline her right here. Let me see who dares stop me!"

"Understood!" Helpless, the two guards could no longer stall. Rolling up their sleeves, they stepped forward to make the arrest.

Wu Tan had decided to lean entirely on Xiao Yue today. Although she wasn't sure whether Xiao Yue would help cover up Li Xun'er's scandal, her subconscious convinced her that Xiao Yue would never stand by and watch Eldest Princess Qingyang strike her... and so she hid directly behind him.

Xiao Yue did not move.

Wu Qingshan immediately stepped forward to meet the two guards in combat.

The Marquis of Dingyuan's estate placed great emphasis on martial arts, and the sons they raised were all meant for the battlefield; every one of them possessed formidable skills. Although the guards brought out from the Eldest Princess's estate were no mere decorations, they lasted only three or four moves under Wu Qingshan before being kicked out into the courtyard one after another.

"You!" Eldest Princess Qingyang truly had not expected Wu Qingshan to dare resort to violence in her presence. Utterly dumbfounded, she trembled with rage. "You have truly rebelled! Is your Marquis of Dingyuan's estate attempting treason?"

Standing at the forefront, Wu Qingshan said coldly, "I would not dare! The family instructions of the Marquis of Dingyuan are to remain loyal to the sovereign and love the country—a tenet the descendants of the Wu family dare not forget at any time or place. However, loyalty to the sovereign does not equate to allowing ourselves to be bullied at will. If Your Royal Highness truly wishes to hold my younger sister accountable, let us go before the imperial throne to argue our case face-to-face. We will by no means allow you to administer private punishment here."

Eldest Princess Qingyang had brought a total of eighteen guards out with her today, but judging by Wu Qingshan's martial prowess, even if she called all of them inside, they would all be beaten back out in less than a quarter of an hour...

That would only humiliate her further!

Trembling with rage yet lacking the physical strength to match her opponent, she found herself truly deadlocked, unsure of what to do next.

Huo Yunhao and the group of young ladies had been standing to the side for a long time. Originally wanting nothing to do with these turbulent waters, she saw that the situation was spiraling out of control and felt compelled to step forward. Bowing to Eldest Princess Qingyang, she advised, "Please calm your anger, Your Royal Highness. There may truly be some misunderstanding here. When the commandery princess met with her accident, everyone was in the courtyard, and indeed no one saw the Second Miss Wu make any excessive movements."

The young master of the Wu family was fiercely protective, and as for that Prince of Sheng—

Though she didn't know the full story, it was evident that the man shared a close friendship with Wu Tan and intended to protect her.

As the saying goes, an arm cannot twist a thigh, and Li Xun'er had already committed a fault. If she didn't help these young ladies establish the right stance now, and Eldest Princess Qingyang later coerced them into testifying against Wu Tan to indict her, every single one of them present today would meet a miserable fate.

Among those young ladies, most came from unremarkable backgrounds and had initially been too afraid to speak up. Now that Huo Yunhao had taken the lead—

Though most of them failed to fully grasp the political currents, they assumed Huo Yunhao was merely trying to persuade the Eldest Princess to let the matter rest and resolve the conflict...

None of them wanted the commotion to continue, so they hastily chimed in, "Indeed! Please calm your anger, Your Royal Highness. At the time, it truly was nothing more than an accident..."

Voices rose in a chorus, plunging the room into a chaotic din.

Wenlü immediately refused to let the matter drop. Stepping forward, she yelled angrily, "Have all of you been bought off by the Marquis of Dingyuan's estate? You are unanimously speaking up for them! Do you think this can cover up the truth?"

With so many people present, she glanced left and right before marching aggressively toward Huo Yunhao and raising her hand to deliver a slap—

None of the young ladies expected a mere maid of the princess to act with such audacity, and some covered their mouths in shock.

Yet Huo Yunhao was not one to passively take a beating. Her gaze turning icy, she instantly caught Wenlü by the wrist.

Wenlü's slap failed to land, leaving her momentarily stunned.

Looking at her coldly, Huo Yunhao asked, "You are a registered bondservant, aren't you?"

Not expecting her to bring this up publicly, Wenlü was caught off-guard and remained blank for a moment, failing to grasp the intent behind the question.

Huo Yunhao then turned to Madam Li. "Madam, would you be so kind as to lend me two servants from your estate? This bondservant has committed insubordination and shown me disrespect. Regardless of whose household she belongs to, as a daughter of an official's family, I am entirely within my rights to hold her accountable! Nanzhi, escort her to the yamen and ask Magistrate Hu of the Capital Magistrate's yamen to handle this impartially and uphold justice for me!"

Wenlü had grown accustomed to acting arrogantly under Li Xun'er's protection, often disciplining others on her behalf. She never dreamed she would kick an iron plate today.

"How dare you?!" she shrieked.

Madam Li hesitated, unsure whether she ought to summon people, but Eldest Princess Qingyang had already flown into a rage. "No outsider has the right to deal with someone from my household! Let me see who dares move her!"

Huo Yunhao truly wished to avoid making enemies, but she was even less of a submissive soul. Handing Wenlü over to Nanzhi, she formally curtsied to Eldest Princess Qingyang with proper etiquette and said with a solemn expression, "This subject's daughter is of humble standing and dares not presume to punish a servant of Your Royal Highness's estate. However, since she behaved disrespectfully toward me, I have every right to pursue the matter. Forgive this subject's daughter for her lack of decorum; I shall take my leave now and personally escort her to the Capital Magistrate's yamen to seek justice."

Unwilling to stay a moment longer, she exchanged a meaningful glance with Nanzhi.

Using all her strength, Nanzhi grabbed Wenlü and prepared to walk out.

Naturally unwilling, Wenlü dropped straight to the ground in a dead weight. Panicked, she cried out to Eldest Princess Qingyang for rescue, "Your Royal Highness! Save me, Your Highness!"

"Audacious! Bring her back to me at once!" Eldest Princess Qingyang felt she had suffered enough grievances today. The Wu siblings held her in low regard, and now even Huo Wenshan's daughter dared oppose her. Her face had flushed entirely red with fury.

Huo Yunhao glanced back. With Wenlü sitting heavily on the floor, it was impossible for her and Nanzhi alone to drag the maid out. Still, having already offended Eldest Princess Qingyang, she cared little. Remaining calm and composed, she spoke in a measured tone, "Your Royal Highness possesses a noble and exalted status; naturally, this subject's daughter dares not forcefully remove someone you forbid me to take. However, neither is there any reason why I should bow and yield to a bondservant. I shall go report the case to the Capital Magistrate's yamen. When the yamen arrives to make arrests and damages the Eldest Princess's prestige, I can only ask for your understanding."

With another proper curtsy to Eldest Princess Qingyang, she said, "This subject's daughter takes her leave."

Giving Nanzhi a signal, the mistress and servant walked straight out the door.

Sitting on the floor, Wenlü suddenly panicked—
The capital of Dayin was crowded with nobility and strictly observed the distinctions between superior and inferior. With the Huo family miss acting with such resolute temper, if she truly took the matter to the Capital Magistrate's yamen, a sound beating with heavy wooden staves was the least she could expect.

"Your Highness..." Wenlü turned tearfully toward Eldest Princess Qingyang for help, her voice trembling.

Furious as the princess was at Huo Yunhao's defiance and lack of respect, this was hardly the time to concern herself with a mere servant. Having nowhere to vent her accumulated wrath, she glared fiercely at the maid: "That will teach you to be arrogant!"

Left completely isolated, Wenlü burst into tears instantly, covering her face as she sobbed mournfully.

"Shut your mouth!" Eldest Princess Qingyang snapped with extreme irritation.

Looking around the room, aside from the timid group of young ladies huddled in the corner, there truly seemed to be no one left whom she could casually bully. Feeling stifled no matter where she looked, her gaze finally locked onto Xiao Yue's face, and she asked with ill-humor: "What do you have to say? Will you just stand by and let them climb all over us, trampling the dignity of the imperial family underfoot?"

Hiding behind Xiao Yue, Wu Tan pulled on his sleeve and peeked out half her head from behind him, secretly lifting her gaze to study his expression.

Standing tall and straight, Xiao Yue wore a detached and indifferent expression, as if none of this concerned him. He merely offered a light, effortless smile and replied, "This prince believes Imperial Sister would do better to first check on Changping's condition before concerning yourself with anything else."

At these words, Madam Jiang and her son instantly grew tense.

"Chang..." Madam Jiang anxiously opened her mouth to say something—
Although Jiang Pingzhi hadn't explicitly told her that he and Li Xun'er had consummated their relationship, the two had clearly become entangled, and now that Li Xun'er was diagnosed with pregnancy, the matter was eight or nine parts certain.

In truth, she had wanted to warn the princess the moment Eldest Princess Qingyang walked in. First, she feared being blamed and didn't know how to broach the topic; second, Eldest Princess Qingyang had burst in like a storm of fury and terror, leaving her no opportunity to insert a word.

At this moment, she opened her mouth, yet under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she still couldn't bring herself to speak. In the end, she fell silent, breaking out in a nervous sweat while harboring unspoken words.

Prompted by Xiao Yue, Eldest Princess Qingyang finally remembered Li Xun'er and turned back toward her bed in the inner room.

With peace temporarily restored to the room, Lin Yanyao tugged on Wu Qingshan's sleeve, casting a worried look toward Wu Tan.

Although both Wu Qingshan and Lin Yanyao had arrived by now, Wu Tan still refused to let go of Xiao Yue's sleeve—
Using him as a shield was one reason, but more importantly, if a critical moment arose and he wanted to switch sides, she could drag him down with her on the spot!

Should she move over to Wu Qingshan and Lin Yanyao's side only for Xiao Yue to suddenly speak up in Li Xun'er's defense, it would be too late to cover his mouth.

Wu Tan's mental abacus clicked away at lightning speed.

Noticing Wu Tan lingering by Xiao Yue's side, Lin Yanyao felt it looked somewhat improper and quietly reminded Wu Qingshan, "Look at Tan'er... shouldn't we call her over?"

Although the entire Wu family tacitly approved of her interactions with Xiao Yue, they were neither formally engaged nor married. Clinging together unreservedly in public like this was hardly appropriate.

"Dragging her over now would only draw more attention," Wu Qingshan murmured softly, gesturing for her not to interfere.

As long as Xiao Yue was willing, having such a ready-made shield meant it would be a waste not to use it!

On second thought, Lin Yanyao realized he was right. Rushing over to pull Wu Tan away now would appear overly deliberate. And so, though she still felt it was somewhat improper, she exercised restraint and remained silent.

Inside the inner room, Physician Liang was checking Li Xun'er's pulse over and over again, his expression shifting between startled uncertainty and grave tension.

"How is she? Is it serious? Why are you examining her for so long?" Walking back to the bedside, Eldest Princess Qingyang saw that Li Xun'er remained unconscious, and her heart bounced anxiously.

Physician Liang occasionally visited the Eldest Princess's estate to treat the mother and daughter. Having an existing relationship, he naturally knew Li Xun'er's background and lacked the bluntness of the previous physician.

"The commandery princess has no major issues..." he said, his eyes darting about as he hesitated repeatedly, speaking evasively. "She will be fine once she wakes up after a while. However... it would still be best to have the commandery princess taken back to the estate to recuperate."

"She's fine? Then why hasn't she woken up yet?" Still doubtful, Eldest Princess Qingyang stared fixedly at the unconscious Li Xun'er on the bed, consumed by worry.

Daring not reveal the truth in public, Physician Liang merely urged, "She is truly fine. She will wake up after resting a bit longer."

Following closely from outside, Wenlü feared the princess would punish her for exaggerating or lying in her report, and so she aggressively questioned, "How can you say she's fine? The commandery princess lost consciousness the moment she fell down the stairs. It's been an hour, hasn't it? Why hasn't she woken up?"

What on earth was wrong with this Physician Liang? Wasn't he clearly trying to help the Wu family miss escape blame?

Harboring unspeakable difficulties, Physician Liang opened his mouth, only to give up in the end.

Yet the more he acted this way, the more Eldest Princess Qingyang and Wenlü suspected he was hiding something and felt uneasy.

Suspecting he was trying to protect Wu Tan because of Xiao Yue, Eldest Princess Qingyang glanced back at the two of them, speaking with pointed intent: "You may speak plainly. Since my daughter has been injured, I will certainly demand a proper accounting from her. No matter who wants to protect her, there is a limit. If worse comes to worst, I will simply go into the palace and seek justice before His Imperial Majesty!"

Because Physician Liang had heard upon entering that another doctor had already examined Li Xun'er, he felt anxious inside and kept stealing glances at Xiao Yue while wiping cold sweat, urging, "The commandery princess is truly fine, Your Royal Highness. It would be best to take her back."

Seeing him behave thus, Eldest Princess Qingyang was genuinely perplexed—
Could she truly be unharmed?

Just as she hesitated, Xiao Yue unexpectedly broke the silence without warning: "Since Changping is fine, it is time we discussed my affairs!"

Unconvinced, Eldest Princess Qingyang turned back to him with displeasure and asked defensively, "What affairs could you possibly have?"

Because Wu Tan was unsteady on her feet and treated him like a walking support frame, Xiao Yue had remained standing in place without moving. At this moment, he merely indicated the local physician from the outer room and Physician Liang with his eyes. "You two had better compare notes and decide whether to accuse this person of slandering the imperial family's reputation—a crime punishable by the extermination of nine familial generations—or have you confess to incompetence and pure charlatanism, resigning from the Imperial Medical Academy of your own accord and being exiled from the capital!"