Chapter 586   Power Demonstration; Madam Censor-in-chief Chen Gets Humiliated

“Is Second Young Lady inside?” Commandery Princess Xianyun stood at the window and looked in the direction of the Moon-embracing Tower. From here, she could see the tall building in the distance.

“She’s inside. I saw her saying something to the guards before going in. I waited outside for a while but didn’t see her come out,” Qiuhuan said, bowing her head.

A gloomy smile appeared on Commandery Princess Xianyun’s face. “Is the Prince inside?”

“Yes. The Prince went out early in the morning but came back. He hasn’t come out since.” Qiuhuan had asked a few people and got the same answer.

“Good!” Commandery Princess Xianyun said. Her face, which had been gloomy for the past few days, revealed a sinister, smug look.

It didn’t matter if Yun Luoluo truly entered Ao Chenyi’s room. As long as Ao Chenyi was in the Moon-embracing Tower, as long as Yun Luoluo come out with her clothes disheveled, he would have no choice but to bear this responsibility.

Everyone stopped in front of the Moon-embracing Tower, with many raising their heads and looking at the famous tower. Suddenly, a woman appeared at the gate with her clothes disheveled and several strands of hair hanging from her neck. Her collar was loose and several sharp-eyed mistresses noticed the red marks on her neck. They couldn’t help but exchange looks.

Her belt was loose as if she had tied it up in a hurry. It was clear that there was something wrong with her.

She seemed surprised to see so many people as well. She got so frightened that she cried out and widened her eyes. For a moment, she seemed unsure if she should go in or out. Her eyes were wide with panic as she faced everyone.

“Is that Second Young Lady Yun?”

“It’s Second Young Lady Yun! Didn’t someone say that she’s accompanying Princess Yun right now? Why is she here in Prince Yi’s place...” The person speaking couldn’t finish her sentence. She blushed, as if realizing something, and stopped speaking.

Instead of accompanying her sickly sister, Second Young Lady Ning came to her brother-in-law’s place and appeared in such a state. One couldn’t help but suspect what had happened. Had Prince Yi taken a liking to Yun Luoluo from the Lord Peace’s Manor? Considering Yun Luoluo’s status, she would at least deserve a consort position...

Many people had the same thought.

They didn’t expect to run into Yun Luoluo after her rendezvous with Prince Yi. Most importantly, this banquet was organized by the new Princess Ning. Many mistresses and young ladies who had always looked on Ning Xueyan let out quiet, sarcastic laughter. They waited to see what she would do next.

Regardless of how she would handle this, having such a scandal at her banquet was undoubtedly humiliating. Princess Ning was thoroughly disgraced this time; she couldn’t even hold a banquet properly! She even let others stumble into such a matter at her manor. It seemed that she was an incapable one. They had long heard that the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor was a cowardly and useless person.

“Second Young Lady Yun, why are you here?” Ning Xueyan emerged from the crowd with a smile. She walked over and looked Yun Luoluo up and down as if she didn’t notice the latter’s panicked expression and obvious red marks on her neck. She might have had an excuse when she was standing far away, but now that she was so close to Yun Luoluo, it was impossible to miss.

“I... I...” Yun Luoluo looked flustered as if she had been caught red-handed. She couldn’t even voice a proper reply. She even grabbed her neck as if subconsciously. Realizing that one of her collar buttons was unfastened, she immediately panicked and covered it with her hand. She looked so flustered that her face was bright red.

“Second Young Lady Yun, did something happen inside?” Ning Xueyan asked, her voice still as gentle and calm as ever. She seemed like she didn’t think much of Yun Luoluo covering her red marks in a panic.

“I... His Highness...” Yun Luoluo looked like Ning Xueyan was pushing her to the edge of tears. She backed up until she was behind the gate as if she was trying to shrink herself.

The two guards standing at the gate saluted Ning Xueyan without sparing Yun Luoluo a look.

“Princess Ning, stop asking. Look at her state... What can a young lady like her say?” a mistress beside Ning Xueyan said in a low voice. It was Censor-in-chief Chen’s wife from before.

Her voice wasn’t loud but everyone was watching quietly in a tightly-packed group. Everyone heard what she said well and immediately shot Ning Xueyan mocking looks. Some even looked as if they were ready to watch a good show. They didn’t think that they would witness something like this at Prince Yi’s Manor today.

Heng Yuqing could tell that something was off. She reached out to pull Ning Xueyan’s sleeve, hinting at her to pay attention to Yun Luoluo’s abnormality. She was the only one truly on Ning Xueyan’s side here.

“Madam Chen, do you think that there’s something she came to Prince Yi’s courtyard for that she can’t speak about? Ning Xueyan turned her head and glanced at Censor-in-chief Chen’s wife coldly. Her expression looked sharper than before.

Since these people had served themselves up on a platter to let her demonstrate her power, she would be disappointing their intentions if she didn’t make use of this chance.

This was her first banquet and first chance to demonstrate her power. She would let everyone know that she wasn’t easily bullied.

Madam Censor-in-chief Chen didn’t expect Ning Xueyan, who was said to be cowardly and so sickly that she was on the edge of death, would be this sharp-tongued. Everything that she prepared to say was stuck in her mouth. She blushed and stammered, “That’s... not what I meant.”

“If that’s not what you meant, what is it that you meant? Or are you going to interrupt me when I’m asking Second Young Lady Yun something? Are you trying to make it so that I can’t find out anything?”

Ning Xueyan wasn’t going to let her off today. She held this banquet to demonstrate her power. Since these people had come here to let her step on them, she would surely step on them with every bit of strength she could muster. She would step on them until their faces hurt.

She was Princess Yi and arguably the Crown Princess. One could even say that aside from the Empress, the imperial concubines in the palace couldn’t even compare to her in terms of status. Madam Censor-in-chief Chen had greatly disrespected her by speaking without permission; she was also ignoring her status. Ning Xueyan had every right to berate her.

Madam Censor-in-chief Chen was ashamed to be berated by Ning Xueyan. With a red face, she muttered quietly, “I... I just think that Second Young Lady Yun is in an awkward situation, so I wanted to help resolve the dispute between you two.”

“Helping me resolve a dispute? What dispute do I need to resolve? Besides, since when is Second Young Lady Yun’s status comparable to mine? Or do you think that Second Young Lady Yun is also a princess of Prince Yi’s Manor now? Are you making that decision on the prince’s behalf?” Ning Xueyan said coldly.

...

Her words were very sarcastic. Even if Yun Luoluo truly had an affair with Prince Yi, she would never become the princess. The fact that Prince Yi had two princesses was unprecedented enough. Besides, Yun Luoluo was in such a state; she was discovered to be in an ambiguous relationship. She could never a legitimate wife.

Ning Xueyan’s last sentence, in particular, made Madam Censor-in-chief Chen’s face turn deathly pale in an instant. Making a decision on Prince Yi’s behalf? Not even a million years would she dare to do so. She was regretting it now. Had she known earlier that the new Prince Ning would be so difficult to handle, she would never agree to do as Commandery Princess Xianyun said. Didn’t Commandery Princess Xianyun said that Princess Ning was cowardly and unfavored? That she only got her position out of sheer luck?

Why did she feel like Princess Ning was more imposing than Commandery Princess Xianyun? Moreover, Princess Ning was also so cold that she made a shiver run down her back! Was Princess Ning truly a young lady who wasn’t even fully fifteen yet?

“Princess Ning, I... I’ve overstepped my place!” Madam Censor-in-chief Chen was forced to apologize with a red face.

At that moment, Xinmei had one of the guards bring out a chair. Ning Xueyan sat at the gate of the courtyard and stared at Yun Luoluo, whose expression had somewhat changed. Yun Luoluo was indeed shocked to see this. Ning Xueyan had been so kind and obedient to her the past few days that it was as if she had no temper at all, yet she was being so imposing now.

She believed that her indistinct explanation and the fact that everyone saw her coming out of the Moon-embracing Tower in a disheveled state would be enough. Her sister told her that Prince Yi was still inside the tower, so this incident could never be fully explained. The Lord Peace’s Manor could be considered relatives of the Emperor and couldn’t be disgraced in such a way. The Emperor would surely make Prince Yi take responsibility, and she would be able to become his consort.

Initially, she wasn’t happy with her sister’s arrangement but she had no other choice. Now that she had entered Prince Yi’s Manor, her reputation would surely be ruined by the time she left. She wouldn’t be able to find a husband from an influential noble family anymore. Marrying Prince Yi was her best option. Who knew? She might even become an Empress in the future.

This plan could be considered a solution to her current predicament. Besides, after taking a clear look at Ao Chenyi that day, she was completely starstruck. She hesitated to ruin her reputation at first, but her determination became firm right after.

She didn’t care for Ning Xueyan’s reaction. She truly looked down on Ning Xueyan; Ning Xueyan was just a consort who got lucky and became the princess. Once she enters the manor, she would rob Ning Xueyan’s position and become Prince Yi’s consort. Ning Xueyan was nothing to her.

For the past two days, she had been observing Ning Xueyan. She noticed that Ning Xueyan was even-tempered, sickly, frail, and obviously a useless person. Once she appeared in front of everyone with her messy clothes, Ning Xueyan would surely get so shocked that she couldn’t even speak straight and decide her status without another word. When that time comes, even if Prince Yi got angry, he would only blame Ning Xueyan.

But what was with Ning Xueyan’s reaction? Ning Xueyan was so calm that she even got someone to fetch her a chair. This...

“Second Young Lady Yun, is there something you’re feeling awkward about? Can you tell me about it? Shouldn’t you visiting Sister Yun at this time?” Although Ning Xueyan was smiling, her eyes were cold. Anyone could tell that she was truly furious.

No one dared to say anything, especially after seeing Madam Censor-in-chief Chen get berated so badly that she didn’t dare to raise her head.

“I... I did something wrong! Please forgive me, Sister Ning!” An idea struck Yun Luoluo, prompting her to kneel in front of Ning Xueyan. She bit her lip, looking pitiful.

Ning Xueyan glanced at Yun Luoluo from high above. Her ink-like, cold pupils met Yun Luoluo’s aggrieved eyes. Her face suddenly turned stern. “Since when did I become your older sister, Second Young Lady Yun? I don’t remember ever having a younger sister like you!”

Ning Xueyan emphasized the words “younger sister” with force, making them sound even more sarcastic.

“I... I... with His Highness... We... We didn’t do it... on purpose...” Now that things have come to this, Yun Luoluo had no choice to continue her act even though she felt that a major mishap had occurred. No matter what, she had to force Ning Xueyan to acknowledge her “affair”.