"I... I..."
Cao Wei stammered, unable to say a word.
"Madam Qin,"
Qiao Yan spoke up.
"Miss Cao tried to attack others but ended up falling and getting covered in mud. Instead of reflecting on her own actions, she blamed us, thinking we were mocking her."
"Then she wanted to drag us down with her."
As she said this, she pointed at the young ladies beside them with tears welling up in their eyes, looking wronged, and continued,
"They are all victims and can testify."
"You..."
Cao Wei still wanted to argue, but the young ladies who had flattered her before began to shout one after another.
One said, "That's right, that's right. We were just standing there quietly, and suddenly she went crazy and threw mud clods at us."
Another said, "Miss Cao has a noble status. We admit we can't compare. But even a clay figurine has a bit of temper. Miss Cao took her anger out on us for no reason. Even if we are not well - known, we can't just swallow this humiliation."
"Yes, yes..."
The other young ladies shouted together, asking the two madams to make a fair decision and seek justice for them.
The two madams glanced at each other, and both saw the dilemma in each other's eyes.
After all, the competition hadn't started yet, and they didn't have much power to deal with this matter. If they wanted to make a ruling, they would have to send the case to the officials. But if they did so, it wouldn't just be a matter of a few young girls' squabbles. It would also make them look bad.
Not being able to handle such a small matter well might even cost them their positions as the judges of the Qingyun Competition.
They looked at each other for a long time, and finally, they both turned their eyes to Princess Yizhen, who was standing beside them.
At this moment, she was the only one who could make a ruling.
Yizhen understood what the two madams were thinking. Immediately, she gave a shallow smile, which was extremely charming.
Many people around, including Ye Xi, saw Yizhen so clearly for the first time.
She truly had a face like a hibiscus and peach blossom, and a slender waist like a willow. The noble aura of the royal family and her amiable temperament were overflowing in every gesture, making people yearn for her but not daring to offend her.
When she spoke softly, her voice was soft and clear. She spoke slowly and convincingly:
"With the evidence right in front of our eyes and the testimony of the young ladies from various families, there is probably no injustice in this matter."
"Since Miss Cao is in the wrong, she should be punished. First, she must compensate for the clothes and accessories. Second, the grievances of the young ladies from various families must be vented. Miss Cao should sincerely apologize to each of the young ladies to show her repentance."
"Apologize?"
Apologizing to those insignificant young ladies was more painful than killing Cao Wei.
Cao Wei stiffened her neck and stubbornly refused:
"I didn't mean to throw at them. It's their own fault for standing so close. They couldn't dodge in time and blamed me. I won't admit it."
As soon as she said this, all the young ladies were angry and rushed forward to denounce Cao Wei.
Madam Qin and Madam Wei quickly stood up to calm everyone down, but they heard Yizhen chuckle and say,
"Oh? I wonder who Miss Cao wanted to throw at?"
Her eyes swept over to Ye Xi's side casually, and Yizhen tapped her fingertips lightly:
"Is it Miss Xi over there?"
Cao Wei panicked.
That was exactly the case, but she couldn't admit it.
"No... no..."
"She clearly was!"
Seeing that Cao Wei was still lying at this moment, Saixing couldn't help shouting.
Ye Xi gently nudged Saixing's arm, signaling her not to talk too much. If it were someone else, it would be fine, but this was a princess, and everyone in the Great Yin knew that she was the most favored one in the palace. Saixing's rash interruption might be accused of disrespect.
Moreover, it was obvious to everyone, and Princess Yizhen surely knew it too. She was just putting pressure on Cao Wei.
Sure enough, Yizhen's beautiful eyes glanced at Saixing casually, but there was no sign of annoyance. She just took a quick look and then shifted her gaze. Instead, she patted the hand of the bright and charming young woman behind her affectionately and said,
"Forget it. I heard that Miss Yun from the Yun family came to the capital for the first time today, so I came out of curiosity to have a look. I'm just here for fun and don't want to get involved in other trivial matters."
"Since Miss Cao from the Cao family refuses to admit her mistake, her apology won't be sincere. What's the use of such an apology?"
"In my opinion, there's no need to say those insincere words. Just disqualify her from this year's Qingyun Competition. It can be regarded as a compensation for the grievances of the young ladies."
Since the establishment of the Qingyun Competition, this was the first time someone had been publicly disqualified from the competition.
It was a great loss of face.
The official's daughters felt very relieved and immediately praised Princess Yizhen.
"No!"
Cao Wei shouted in a panic.
The reputation of the Cao family had been bad recently, and she wanted to make a name for herself in the Qingyun Competition to reverse the situation.
But now she didn't even have the qualification to enter the competition...
Her marriage and her sweetheart would all be gone.
"This is just a trivial matter. You can't just disqualify me from the competition because of this!"
Cao Wei shouted.
But Yizhen no longer paid attention to her. She left the rest of the matter to Madam Wei and Madam Qin and walked towards Ye Xi gracefully with Yun Qianying.
"Miss Xi,"
Yizhen smiled sweetly.
"You are the apple of my uncle's eye. This punishment can be regarded as an explanation to you."
"Your Highness is too kind. I don't deserve such kindness,"
Ye Xi quickly bowed respectfully.
Originally, her engagement with Yi Yuan had already attracted a lot of jealousy. With Princess Yizhen's obvious partiality, it would attract even more hatred.
"A Zhen,"
Before Yizhen could say anything, Qiao Yan had already come over.
"You are being too partial to her. Why don't you say it's for my sake?"
"When have you ever suffered a loss? Do you need me to seek justice for you?"
Yizhen stretched out her slender finger and gently tapped Qiao Yan's forehead. Her actions were natural and intimate, indicating that their relationship was extraordinary.
Then she pulled Yun Qianying over and introduced her to the others:
"This is the second young lady of General Yun's family. Her boudoir name is Yun Qianying. This is her first time in the capital. I'm not convenient to go out in the palace. A Yan, if you have time, please take care of her for me."
Then she introduced Qiao Yan and Ye Xi to Yun Qianying.
After they greeted each other, Ye Xi wanted to leave after the day's events. But unexpectedly, Qiao Yan spoke up first:
"A Zhen, why are only Madam Qin and Madam Wei here as the judges? Where is my aunt? As the main judge of the Qingyun Competition, how could she be absent from such an important occasion?"
Yizhen obviously stiffened and looked at Qiao Yan uneasily:
"Madam Yushi has a lot of things to do. I think she must have something important to attend to..."
But Qiao Yan had already keenly sensed Yizhen's evasion and immediately frowned tightly:
"Don't try to fool me. Did those shameless people from the Luo family bully my cousin and Lianyi again?"
"No," Qiao Yan stamped her foot.
"She's not here on such an important occasion today. It must be a big deal, which forced my aunt to go there at this time..."
The more Qiao Yan said, the more anxious she became. She quickly bowed and said goodbye:
"No, I have to go and have a look. I'll leave first."
Finally, she pointed at Ye Xi and said:
"Remember the matter of the Qingyun Competition. I will surely make you lose completely."
"Jian Yue, hurry. Go and send a message to the Slow - Ping Immortal. I think we will definitely need her help today..."
As she spoke, she walked farther and farther away. In a moment, she disappeared from sight.