"You heard her, she admitted it herself," Wen ngxin said as if she had caught her smoking gun, her anger intensified by Zheng Nianru’s attitude.
"You heard your mother’s fart," Nian Xia took a step forward and cursed loudly, startling the group of young ladies raised in seclusion, while Wen ngyue bit her lip unsure what to say next, and Wen ngrong’s eyes reddened. Wen ngxin, mouth agape, never imagined she’d be cursed by a servant.
Ju Nanyi also blinked in surprise, feeling sowhat confused as to where he was. Such cursing couldn’t even be heard from the servants in the houses of fourth-rank officials.
"What are you standing there for, slap her face for —" Wen ngxin recovered and imdiately scolded her nearby servants.
The servants certainly hadn’t expected this turn of events and hurried forward when they realized what was happening. Two nannies tried to grab Nian Xia, but she kicked them down, toppling them to the ground. Before the other servants could react, she punched out, knocking down a large group in a chaotic heap.
"You, you, you..." The four sisters of the Wen family stood among the fallen servants, like bare trees with their leaves shaken off by the autumn wind, trembling and nearly in tears.
Ju Nanyi withdrew his previously extended foot; it seed he was not needed, as the movent matched the previous curse he had heard.
Nian Xia grabbed Wen ngxin’s jaw with one hand, and Fu Dong, who hadn’t managed to make a move until then, grabbed Wen ngshu. The remaining two, already drained of all strength just standing, were likely to faint if Nian Xia spoke again.
Zheng Nianru slowly walked over, looking at Wen ngxin’s contorted face twisted with pain, her panic-stricken eyes, and her uncoordinated struggles that made her look as pitiful and self-inflicted as a chick in the beak of an eagle, in Nian Xia’s grip.
Zheng Nianru suddenly laughed, a laugh that made Wen ngxin almost forget to struggle. Fear in her pupils magnified, and the face that slowly drew near Wen ngxin’s had a gentle smile.
"That brother of yours, Wen Zan—his leg wasn’t broken by a fall. My n broke it deliberately, smashing it with a hamr, blow by blow, the flesh a bloody ss until the bone was exposed, as thick as this. Oh, and that eunuch, I had him chopped into pieces and fed to the dogs..."
Zheng Nianru spoke slowly, her voice soft, each word like a dewdrop sliding into the ears of the woman in front of her.
Ju Nanyi slightly furrowed his brows. He had heard it, although faint. The lightness in her voice oddly combined with the macabre content made his skin crawl, and a chill breeze only heightened this eerie sensation...
"Ah—" Wen ngyue scread sharply and fainted outright before Zheng Nianru had finished speaking. Wen ngxin, in a daze, nearly forgot her fear, replaying Zheng Nianru’s words over and over in her mind until her face paled and her lips dried and trembled.
Wen ngshu’s face turned deathly white, but as the oldest among the four, she still managed to kneel down quickly, despite the fear.
"Your Highness the Princess, it was us who offended you. We believed so idle gossip as truth. Please, have rcy on them," she pleaded.
Zheng Nianru looked down at Wen ngshu on the ground, her innocent eyes like a sprite untouched by the world’s affairs.
"Finally, one who knows her place?" Zheng Nianru comnted, observing Wen ngshu on the ground. She hadn’t planned on doing much to these girls anyway—touching anyone from the Wen family now would just cause Zheng Congyuan trouble.
"Your Royal Highness, please spare us, please spare us," the ground full of servants seeing Wen ngshu kneeling, all knelt down, begging for rcy in unison.
"Let them go," she said.
Nian Xia was taken aback. To let them go just like that seed too lenient, didn’t it?
Fu Dong released her grip first, and then Nian Xia reluctantly withdrew her hand.
Wen ngshu imdiately fled with her sisters in tow, their soft sobs trailing behind them.
"Commandery Princess, you’re too kind-hearted. You should have slapped them a few more tis, slap, slap, slap, to make it loud and clear," Nian Xia said, kicking pebbles on the ground.
Fu Dong supported Zheng Nianru and gave Nian Xia a glare. Aren’t you coming over? The princess is tired from walking, and she will get angry again later.
"Your Royal Highness the Princess—" Before Zheng Nianru could round the corner of the garden and reach the tree where Ju Nanyi was hiding, Ju Nanyi erged from behind the tree and bowed respectfully.
Zheng Nianru stopped in her tracks. Even with his head bowed and in complete silence, just standing there bending slightly, the figure seed like an unreal dream to Zheng Nianru.
The next mont, Zheng Nianru turned her head away. She doesn’t know him now, so why bother with him?
Nian Xia looked on in astonishnt. That man is... too handso. Handso isn’t sufficient to describe him. The Crown Prince is handso too, gentle like jade, and Nann Yu is attractive, with delicate features like those of a young lady. But this man, he’s like the unsung orchids in the mountains, an unforgettable presence.
Yet their princess just ignored him like that, which didn’t seem to make sense.
Ju Nanyi was slightly taken aback, but this wasn’t a ti for him to stumble into a play without a role. So, he took a step forward, blocking Zheng Nianru’s path.
"Your Royal Highness the Princess, I have a question to ask you," Ju Nanyi said, still not lifting his head. From the corner of his eye, he could only see the edges of her light purple gossar robe fluttering in the breeze, the robe’s embroideries of entwining begonias blossoming and swaying with the wind.
"Sir, our princess doesn’t know anything about it," Fu Dong interjected.
"Has the princess seen the Fourth Prince at the Traveling Palace?" Ju Nanyi didn’t want to waste words any further, and went straight to the point. He lifted his head slightly but only dared to gaze at the hem of her dress.
Zheng Nianru glanced at Fu Dong.
"Our princess does not know the Fourth Prince," Fu Dong said without a hint of hesitation and promptly replied.
Zheng Nianru stepped away, her skirt blossoming like spring flowers, carrying away all the hues of spring without a trace of nostalgia.
Ju Nanyi stood there for a long ti, uncertain whether he felt a sense of loss or simply because he failed to fulfill Eunuch Ho Sheng’s entrustnt. Perhaps he had hoped to hear her voice just once more.
"Princess, could that be soone from Noble Consort’s faction?" Fu Dong was worried. To stop the princess and question her, he must have known sothing. Wouldn’t that...?
"Doesn’t Noble Consort Wen always dislike Zheng Haoyuan getting close to ? Isn’t this just perfect?" Zheng Nianru said lightly, her mind calm, even filled with so reminiscence. Those unstoppable mories, upon suddenly seeing the person himself, beca strangely boring all of a sudden.
Yes, in this life, she had not planned to provoke this person. Which eye, which nerve of hers in her previous life had thought he was easy to manipulate, obedient, and capable of handling matters gracefully? Soone she could use and discard, again and again?
Carefully, Nian Xia opened the courtyard door. Why had the princess suddenly beco upset?
"Is it her?" Atop a hill, soone lay leisurely on a recliner, watching with interest as the trio, comprising of the princess and her two servants, slowly walked into the courtyard.
Zheng Muyuan seed to be in a good mood. Perhaps in a few days, he would get to know her, disguising as Fu Gong. If Fu Gong could escape from the Imperial Palace for her, she must be quite the catch. Would he also be able to have such joyful tis with her in the future?
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