Chapter 051: A Clumsy Attempt Backfires—Remain on Your Knees!

Wu Qingqiong quickly straightened the vermillion hairpin by her temple, then hurriedly rushed out, head down, in a fluster. This is going to be trouble! Wu Tan felt a headache coming on, but it was already too late to try to stop her. She and Wu Qinglin hurried a few steps forward, reaching the main path, and looked to the right—only to see Wu Qingqiong, seemingly by accident, had already blocked the little prince, Xiao Yun.

At that moment, Xiao Yun was strolling down the path with Xiao Youzi. There were several groups of young ladies and gentlemen out walking as well. But upon seeing the prince passing by, everyone would step aside, bowing and paying their respects. Wu Qingqiong, however, dashed out unexpectedly and ended up blocking Xiao Yun directly.

Xiao Yun had likely never encountered anyone bold enough to block his path in the palace, so he was momentarily stunned. Wu Qingqiong glanced up at him in a hurry, her face instantly flushing crimson with embarrassment. She quickly knelt to beg forgiveness. “Your Highness, I am at fault. I was walking too quickly and didn’t notice you approaching; I’ve offended you—please, forgive me.”

Xiao Yun didn’t seem to take it to heart and, looking rather uninterested, gave no reply, simply preparing to walk around her and continue forward.

Wu Qingqiong grew anxious at once. Still kneeling, she shifted direction and called out in a clear voice, “Your Highness…”

Even Xiao Yun, unaccustomed to such situations, sensed something odd in her tone. He furrowed his brow, finally lowering his gaze to look at the kneeling girl and her maid.

“I…” Wu Qingqiong met his eyes, but found she couldn’t think of anything else to say—her eyes shining, bashful and timid as she gazed at him.

Though still not of age, Xiao Yun understood well enough what such a look meant. In his mind, all noble young ladies were supposed to be reserved and dignified; such an awkward attempt to engineer a chance encounter was simply distasteful.

His displeasure was plain upon his face.

Wu Qingqiong, kneeling under his gaze for a long moment, failed to comprehend the meaning behind it—she only felt her cheeks burning, her heart fluttering with excitement, and opened her mouth again, “Your Highness, did I startle you just now?”

Meanwhile, Wu Tan and Wu Qinglin watched anxiously from the shadows, both looking worried. Xingzi was even more distressed. “Miss, what do we do?! Should we go pull Third Miss away?”

They were still in the palace—had Third Miss taken leave of her senses? To boldly block the prince’s path and attempt conversation in front of so many watching eyes—after this, people would surely gossip that the daughters of the Wu family lacked decorum. Such rumors would inevitably affect her own reputation.

Xingzi stamped her feet in frustration.

Wu Tan merely rolled her eyes. “I’m not going! His Highness already has a poor opinion of me—if I go out there, it’ll only make things worse!” She then grabbed Wu Qinglin’s arm and dragged him off. “You’re not going either—no need for us both to be embarrassed.” Without further ado, she hauled him toward Yonghe Palace on the other side of the imperial garden.

At this point, ignoring the spectacle was the best way to keep the commotion to a minimum, so Wu Qinglin did not protest, only pulled his arm free and scolded, “Let go! This isn’t the place for such behavior.” Wu Tan, sensing his anger, wisely refrained from provoking him further, and the siblings quickly disappeared.

Back on the path, Wu Qingqiong and Xiao Yun remained at an impasse.

Her face full of bashful anticipation, Wu Qingqiong waited, but Xiao Yun still ignored her, glancing sideways at Xiao Youzi with a questioning look.

Xiao Youzi, quick-witted as ever, immediately understood and whispered in his ear, “She’s from the Dingyuan Marquis household.”

Xiao Yun had no recollection of Wu Qingqiong, though he certainly knew which family the Dingyuan Marquis belonged to. Even so, he frowned, puzzled.

Xiao Youzi had to be more explicit. “You know their Second Miss, Wu Tan. This is her half-sister.”

“Wu Tan?” At the mention of Wu Tan, Xiao Yun’s confusion cleared, and his eyes finally settled properly on Wu Qingqiong. He scrutinized her briefly. “You’re Wu Tan’s sister?”

Wu Qingqiong had been kneeling for some time, her embarrassment mounting. She sensed something was amiss, but now that Xiao Yun finally addressed her, she rallied her spirits and answered brightly, “Yes!”

She managed a smile, though inwardly she felt far from pleased—her whole scheme to engineer a chance meeting with the prince was meant to leave an impression, to make herself known. She hadn’t expected that he wouldn’t even recognize which family she came from without mentioning Wu Tan!

Her frustration was just rising when Xiao Yun gave a cold laugh. “Since you’re aware you’ve offended me, then kneel here and reflect on your actions.”

With that, he stepped around her and strode off.

Wu Qingqiong felt as though struck by lightning, frozen in place, unable to respond for a long while. Her maid, Mu Jin, was on the verge of tears, frantically tugging at her sleeve.

After two steps, Xiao Yun suddenly turned back.

“Miss!” Mu Jin quickly reminded her.

Wu Qingqiong, already on the verge of tears from Xiao Yun’s earlier rebuke, forced herself to rally, biting her lip and kneeling prettily in his direction once more. “Your Highness…”

Xiao Yun looked down at her, lifting his chin. “Your sister didn’t come to the palace today?”

“She—she did,” Wu Qingqiong stammered.

Xiao Yun scanned the area, not spotting any sign of Wu Tan. It wouldn’t do to call her out just to find fault, so though displeased, he only snorted coldly. “Stay kneeling, then.”

With that, he left for good.

Now, the onlookers, who had held back, burst into waves of mocking laughter.

To Wu Qingqiong, those laughs stung like slaps—her anger and humiliation mingled, and at last, tears began to fall. She had originally followed Huo Yunhua and her maid from Changchun Palace, suspecting them of some mischief, but seeing the prince, Xiao Yun, ahead, she’d immediately abandoned her original plan, choosing instead to follow him in hopes of a manufactured encounter. Xiao Yun had gone to Wanshou Palace, which she couldn’t enter, so she’d waited nearby until he emerged, intending to make herself noticed. She never imagined things would end like this!

The more Wu Qingqiong thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. But in public, she still tried to maintain her composure, stifling her sobs as her shoulders trembled.

Wu Tan, meanwhile, pretended not to know a thing, watching Wu Qinglin enter Yonghe Palace before returning to Changchun Palace herself, telling the Old Madam and Lady Meng she’d searched everywhere but found no one.

As for Wu Qingqiong, kneeling on the busy path, word of the incident quickly reached Zhengyang Palace.

At that time, Empress Jiang was speaking with her mother and niece. Upon hearing the report from a palace maid, she felt a jolt of anxiety, her brow furrowing deeply. “What’s wrong with that boy? Does he simply dislike every girl from the Wu family? One behaves like this, and the other is no better?”

The alliance by marriage with the Wu family was imperative—if her son kept tormenting the Wu girls, what was to become of it?

Wu Tan: Damn it! Just because we have different mothers, I get dragged into trouble by this idiot again!