Ruan Niang had a splitting headache. Originally, she had wanted to take Wei Dongling out to relax and make the acquaintance of some young masters from prominent families. However, this girl had been anything but well - behaved from start to finish. She was either jumping around or wailing loudly. In this state, which young master would be so blind as to take a fancy to her?
Ruan Niang cast a sidelong glance at Wei Dongling, who was wiping away her tears aggrievedly, and could only sigh, "Fine then, let's go back first."
Luo Xunlong waved his hand and said, "Let's go back together. There's nothing interesting about this horse - racing anyway." Yu Haiming also nodded in agreement.
Wei Dongling was disheartened and was no longer willing to watch the horse - racing. She took Cuihuan with her and planned to say goodbye to Shangguan Yun and Murong Xuan before leaving, since she still owed them silver.
Just thinking about it made her feel a pang of pain.
When she looked up, she saw He Yao walking towards them accompanied by several elegantly dressed noble ladies.
When enemies meet, their hatred burns hotter. He Yao glared at Wei Dongling with eyes that seemed to be on fire. Pointing at her, she said to the lady beside her, "Mother! It's her! She's the despicable woman who dared to compete with me for my fiancé!"
The lady beside He Yao was Princess Jiaxin, also known as the Murong Clan. Hearing what her daughter said, Princess Jiaxin's look towards Wei Dongling turned cold. Due to the presence of other noble ladies, she didn't want to show her malice too obviously, so she simply said, "She's just a shrew. Yao Yao, don't bother arguing with her."
He Yao became even angrier upon hearing this and persisted, "She also killed my two personal maids, Cai Qing and Cai Yue!"
Princess Jiaxin was taken aback and frowned in displeasure. With a dark face, she asked, "Did she really kill Cai Qing and Cai Yue?"
Wei Dongling originally wanted to turn around and leave. Hearing what He Yao said, and still seething from losing her silver, she couldn't contain her anger. She roared, "Your Highness, don't make unfounded accusations! Your maid Cai Yue was the one who shamefully drugged a man with aphrodisiacs. She miscalculated and ended up harming herself, so she was too ashamed to go on living and committed suicide! As for Cai Qing, she was so malicious that she was caught poisoning someone and was then given the death penalty! May I ask, Your Highness, what does the excellent training of your maids have to do with me?"
Princess Jiaxin only had He Yao as her daughter and always indulged her. Seeing her daughter being retorted by this commoner in such a sarcastic way, her face darkened even more. Without even bothering to verify whether Wei Dongling's words were true or not, she stared at her and sneered, "Oh, this commoner has quite a sharp tongue!"
He Yao's eyes were red as she sobbed, "Mother! She's talking nonsense! You must stand up for me!"
Hearing her daughter's sobs, Princess Jiaxin felt heart - broken. She quickly comforted her, "Yao Yao, don't cry. Although this commoner is insolent, this is the horse - training ground of the Prince Rui's Mansion, and all the guests here today are noble. Let's forgive her for now!" Princess Jiaxin meant that they should give some face to the Princess of Rui and not cause a scene here. Of course, this was also said for the Princess of Rui's sake.
He Yao naturally understood her mother's intention. She turned around, bowed to the Princess of Rui, and cried, "Auntie, look, even my mother doesn't care about me. She just watches me being wronged. Waaah..."
Seeing He Yao being so overly affected, Wei Dongling rolled her eyes and looked at the Princess of Rui.
The Princess of Rui was in her forties. She was dressed in magnificent clothes and had well - maintained skin. How could she not see what this mother - daughter pair was up to? But she still had to keep up appearances. The Princess of Rui pretended to support He Yao tenderly, frowned as she looked at Wei Dongling, and waved at the servants beside her, saying, "It's a great offense to offend the county princess. Someone! Take this commoner away."
Wei Dongling was completely stunned. She thought, Can't people just be decent? I'm just passing by!
Seeing the servants beside the Princess of Rui coming to seize her, Wei Dongling was about to run away with Cuihuan's hand in hers when a familiar voice came from behind, "What has upset Mother so much that she wants to detain my friend?"
Wei Dongling turned around and saw that it was Murong Xuan, along with Shangguan Yun.
When He Yao saw Murong Xuan and Shangguan Yun approaching, her face instantly sank.
When the Princess of Rui saw her most proud youngest son, Murong Xuan, coming, the frost on her face melted away. She waved at him and said with a smile, "Xuan'er, come here quickly. This is your aunt, Princess Jiaxin."
Murong Xuan stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your humble servant pays respects to Princess Jiaxin." He bowed formally but only addressed her distantly as "Princess," not "aunt."
Princess Jiaxin could easily sense his faint aloofness. She suppressed her unhappiness and stepped forward warmly to pretend to support him, saying, "Xuan'er has grown so big now. I remember when I held you in my arms, you were only two or three years old. In a blink of an eye, you've grown into a handsome young man! Sister Princess is truly a blessed woman. You've raised your sons so well!"
Although the Princess of Rui knew it was just flattery, she still felt quite pleased. But she said, "What are you saying, Princess? Sons are not as sensible and considerate as daughters. I really envy you for having such a beautiful and generous daughter like Yao Yao!"
Wei Dongling couldn't help but curl her lips.
The Princess of Rui noticed Shangguan Yun beside Murong Xuan at a glance and said in surprise, "Yun'er is here today too?"
Shangguan Yun had no choice but to step forward and bow, saying, "I pay my respects to the Princess."
The Princess of Rui quickly went to help him up, "Yun'er, you don't need to be so formal. Get up quickly."
Shangguan Yun nodded and stepped back to stand beside Wei Dongling. He gave her a reassuring look.
The Princess of Rui saw his action and lowered her eyes with a smile, saying, "So this young lady is a friend of Yun'er and Xuan'er? It was really a misunderstanding! Since you're all friends, Yao Yao and this young lady can talk about their matters privately!" She didn't really want to stand up for He Yao in the first place, and now she was trying to smooth things over.
Princess Jiaxin was speechless. He Yao felt a bit nervous when she saw Shangguan Yun and Murong Xuan, but she said, "Anyway, my two personal maids lost their lives because of Miss Wei. Since we're all friends, and for the sake of Auntie the Princess, I won't punish you. I just wonder if Miss Wei dares to have a competition with me. If you win, this matter will be settled."
Wei Dongling was completely confused. She thought, What? Are you just being unreasonable? What does the death of your two maids have to do with me?
Murong Xuan was a bit unhappy. He knew exactly how He Yao's maids had died.
Before Murong Xuan could say anything, He Yao snorted at Wei Dongling and said, "But if you lose, from now on, you must not compete with me for my fiancé, and you must never appear in front of him again!"
Never appear in front of Yu Zixi? Wei Dongling was furious. She thought, You're crazy! Who the hell wants to compete with you?
Murong Xuan originally wanted to help Wei Dongling decline, but when he heard what He Yao said, he couldn't help but feel a bit curious.
The Princess of Rui glanced at her son's expression and asked with a smile, "Yao Yao, what do you want to compete with this young lady in?"
He Yao bowed and replied, "Auntie, I want to compete with her in horsemanship."
The Princess of Rui smiled and said, "That's great. It won't ruin our harmony. What's your opinion, young lady?"
Wei Dongling curled her lips and didn't say a word. Shangguan Yun tugged at her skirt, indicating that she shouldn't be disrespectful to the Princess of Rui.
Wei Dongling said dejectedly, "The death of your two maids has nothing to do with me. But if you're so insistent on having a competition, it's okay. If I win, you have to give me an extra ten thousand taels of silver as a prize."