Nongqiao Garden -
There were luxurious carriages and charming voices.
A rain last night had washed the bluestone pavements until they shone. The bright sunbeams pierced through the clouds and scattered on the ground. The air was filled with a sweet fragrance. Exquisitely dressed young ladies and noble maidens alighted from the carriages, some dainty, some gentle, some reserved, and some lively.
In groups of three or five, it was a bustling scene.
"How come there are so many participants this year?"
Looking at the endless stream of people in front of her, Ye Xi was truly quite startled.
At the mention of this, Saixing became enthusiastic. She leaned close to Ye Xi and began to whisper the information she had gathered:
"Miss, you don't know. There are two reasons for this, and one of them is even related to you."
"Hmm?"
Ye Xi was a bit confused:
"What does it have to do with me? Could it be that everyone knows about the Gu - medicine pill in the Bodhi bracelet and they all come to compete with me for it?"
"Not really,"
Saixing shook her head:
"Actually, there were some changes to the Qingyun Competition this year, and many noble maidens didn't want to participate at first. But after the prince publicly accepted your betrothal note and announced that you would be the future Princess of Yu'an, the female relatives in the entire capital almost caused an uproar.
"No one expected that after so many years of showing no interest in women, our prince would suddenly have a change of heart and do such a bold and delightful thing. Such a straightforward act of showing love, just like in a storybook, was something they had never encountered before. Those who were envious wanted to show off their talents in this year's competition, hoping to meet their own 'Prince of Yu'an'.
"As she said this, Saixing angrily clenched her fist:
"Those who were jealous thought that you only won the prince's favor by pleasing the young heir. They thought that in terms of appearance and family background, any noble maiden in the capital was better than you. Since the prince took a fancy to you, they thought they had an even greater chance. So they all wanted to showcase their talents in the Qingyun Competition, hoping that perhaps they might accidentally catch our prince's eye and be taken back as a concubine.
Ye Xi's heart suddenly tightened.
She was suddenly stunned. She had been so preoccupied with her own messy affairs that she hadn't even thought about the possibility of Yi Yuan taking concubines.
Taking concubines was a very normal thing. But after experiencing so much and now having a second chance at life, she only wanted to find a devoted partner to grow old with.
What about Yi Yuan?
She was certain of Yi Yuan's love for her at present, which was genuine and sincere. But this didn't conflict with his taking concubines. He could take concubines for various reasons, even for the inescapable reason of having more heirs.
It felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on her heart, making Ye Xi feel stuffy and uncomfortable.
"Miss, what's wrong with you?"
Seeing Ye Xi's sudden change in complexion, Saixing asked with concern.
"I'm fine."
Ye Xi replied in a muffled voice.
Talking about being jealous over something that hadn't even happened would only make people laugh at her. Afraid that Saixing would continue to ask, Ye Xi quickly changed the subject:
"One reason is related to me. What's the other reason?"
"It's Young Master Shen,"
Seeing that Ye Xi didn't want to say more, Saixing answered along:
"If we're talking about before the prince got engaged, every noble maiden had a little hope. But since the prince has publicly announced that he wants to marry you. Those proud young ladies naturally started looking for other good - match candidates.
"Although Young Master Shen's family background is slightly inferior to the prince's, his appearance and talent are second to none. He will definitely participate in the autumn imperial examination this time, and he has also signed up for the Qingyun Competition. Naturally, all the noble maidens have flocked here upon hearing the news."
Thinking of Shen Zhou's extremely handsome and almost demonic face, Ye Xi couldn't help but nod in agreement.
As they were talking, Lingyan rushed back and whispered:
"Miss, I've found Cao Wei.
"She's under the flower - lined corridor in the northeast corner of the garden. Most of the young ladies there are from small official families. She's talking to those young ladies we saw by the Fang Sheng Lake that day."
"Good,"
Ye Xi stood up.
"Let's go and return her courtesy."
"With Sister Cao's talent, winning the championship is a sure thing,"
Before Ye Xi and the others got close, they heard a sweet compliment. Judging from the voice, it should be Miss Zhu they met that day.
Then another female voice said:
"Exactly. I heard that Sister Cao's tutor was appointed by the palace and personally selected by the queen. Among the noble maidens from noble families, who can compare?"
This voice should belong to Miss Jiang.
Cao Wei was overjoyed by the flattery. The Hundred - Butterfly - Playing - with - Flowers fan in her hand was almost a blur as she waved it.
"Where, where. It's just that my aunt, the queen, dotes on me a little. As for the Qingyun Competition..."
"Thud -"
"Ah -"
A dull sound and Cao Wei's scream rang out one after another, interrupting what she was about to say.
When they looked closely, they saw a copper needle firmly stuck in the rib of the fan that Cao Wei was waving. It was less than an inch away from Cao Wei's finger, and the end of the copper needle was still trembling.
Cao Wei turned pale and threw the fan away in fright.
"Oops, a mistake,"
Before Cao Wei could get angry, she heard a familiar, nonchalant voice beside her.
Sure enough, when she turned her head, she saw Ye Xi wearing her usual veil hat, holding a wooden tiger in her hand. It was obvious that the copper needle had been shot from this strange - looking tiger in Ye Xi's hand.
"Are you crazy?"
Cao Wei was extremely angry.
"I haven't offended you today."
"Then you admit that you offended me before,"
Ye Xi retorted sharply.
"You..."
"Miss Ye," just as Cao Wei was about to argue, Miss Zhu quickly took the lead.
She still resented Ye Xi for "instigating" Yi Yaofeng to scold them for standing up for the Ye family last time. And this was a good opportunity to please Cao Wei. Finally getting hold of Ye Xi's mistake, she couldn't sit still anymore. She accused Ye Xi:
"You're attempting to harm the young lady from the national uncle's mansion in public. There are so many pairs of eyes watching here. This is a serious crime. I think the Prince of Yu'an, as the emperor's right - hand man, won't bend the law for personal gain and use his power to suppress others, right?"
"Humph -"
Ye Xi gave her a cold look and didn't want to say another word to her. She just gently waved her hand and said:
"Lingyan."
Lingyan nodded. The next moment, the fan that Cao Wei had thrown away was in Lingyan's hand.
Ye Xi calmly pulled out the copper needle and inserted it back into the mouth of the Qianji Tiger.
Saixing beside her laughed and said:
"Miss, I wonder how you define 'attempting to harm in public'? Where is Miss Cao injured? And where is the physical evidence? All of you witnesses are Miss Cao's friends, so your testimonies don't count."
"You, you..."
No one expected Ye Xi to be so shameless. Both Miss Zhu and Cao Wei were so angry that they couldn't speak.
Ye Xi didn't care about their anger. She walked straight up to Cao Wei, grabbed her wrist, and said in a voice as cold as ice:
"As for Miss Cao, you secretly hired assassins. Now I have both witnesses and physical evidence. I'll surely make you unable to defend yourself!"
"What!?"
All the young ladies present were shocked. Ye Xi's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and all the young ladies from official families nearby heard it.
Miss Zhu, who had been so indignant and speaking up for Cao Wei just now, instantly took a few steps back.