Chapter 66: A Show of Force (Second Update)

The horse came to a halt just like that, barely three feet away from the carriage!

...

A deathly silence fell over the entire long street.

The noble ladies of various households descended from their carriages one after another, watching the scene with lingering terror.

Who could have imagined such a thing would happen right before the Grand Princess's gates?

However, when they saw the woman in red sitting high upon the horse, they all withdrew their shocked expressions.

So it was her; no wonder she was so bold...

The woman in red stowed her long whip and looked down at Ye Shixian with a flamboyant gaze. "Hey, are you alright?"

Ye Shixian’s hair was disheveled, her carefully chosen hairpins were tangled together, her eyes were brimming with tears, and the shock had not yet faded from her face. She looked anything but "alright."

But hearing that voice, her heart trembled, and the questions that had been lodged in her throat suddenly became impossible to utter.

She struggled to climb up from the ground. Even without looking up, she knew how many eyes were fixed upon her.

Ye Shixian was consumed by shame and indignation, her resentment reaching its peak.

Before she had even entered, she had made such a fool of herself in front of the Grand Princess's manor; her reputation was utterly ruined!

At that moment, a hand suddenly appeared beside her, supporting her arm.

Ye Shixian turned her head to see that Ye Chutang had descended from her carriage at some unknown point. With a concerned expression, she whispered, "Shixian, how are you?"

Ye Shixian’s face flushed and paled in rapid succession.

She wanted to shake Ye Chutang off immediately, but in front of so many people, she absolutely could not do so.

In the end, she could only suppress her emotions, shake her head, and force a smile.

"I... I am fine. Cousin, do not worry."

Once she finally managed to stand, she ignored everything else and immediately knelt to salute the woman in red.

"Greetings, County Princess Qinyang."

Ye Chutang’s eyes flickered slightly.

As expected, there was no one else but County Princess Qinyang, Li Yue, who possessed such fine horsemanship and dared to gallop so recklessly before the Grand Princess's manor.

The County Princess's father was the King of Yannan, who guarded the southwest and possessed illustrious military achievements.

As his only daughter, the County Princess had been pampered since childhood, developing a spirited and flamboyant temperament.

Even princesses and princes were quite polite toward her, not daring to flaunt their imperial authority in her presence.

Anyone could see that the County Princess had been intentional just now, but so what?

Ye Shixian did not even dare to utter a single word of reproach.

The woman in red flipped down from her horse.

She was tall and slender, dressed in red riding attire with black boots, her hair tied up simply, her features bright and commanding.

One look was enough to tell she had been raised in indulgence.

Several attendants hurried up behind her.

"County Princess! County Princess, you—"

The County Princess casually tossed the long whip toward them. "This horse is startled. Take it back and train it properly."

The attendant hurriedly caught the whip and responded repeatedly, "Yes!"

Only then did the County Princess look back at Ye Shixian. She took a step forward and asked, "Are you truly alright? I think perhaps you should visit a clinic. We wouldn't want something to happen later and then have people saying it was because of me."

How could that be allowed!

She had waited so hard for today; if she left now, wouldn't it all be for nothing!

Ye Shixian swallowed her tears and forced a smile. "Thank you for your concern, County Princess. This humble girl is truly unharmed."

The County Princess raised an eyebrow, not at all surprised by her answer.

She shrugged.

"Fine. Since you say you're fine, then we won't go. Xiao Jiang, send a gift to the Ye residence later as an apology to Miss Ye."

The attendant following behind her immediately complied.

The smile on the corners of Ye Shixian's mouth almost failed to hold.

The County Princess had long disliked her, and this time she had gone even further, directly giving her a true show of dominance in public!

How could she ever hold her head up again in the circle of noble ladies in the capital...

The County Princess had originally turned to leave, but her peripheral vision caught sight of Ye Chutang standing beside Ye Shixian. She couldn't help but stop and look her up and down.

An ordinary person might be curious, but they wouldn't be so blunt or brazen; however, the County Princess was clearly no ordinary person.

She asked, "Who are you? Why haven't I seen you before?"

Ye Chutang lowered her eyelids, just as she was about to respond, when the County Princess suddenly remembered something. "Oh! I know! You are that Second Miss Ye who just returned to the Ye family, aren't you?"

It seemed the news of their return had indeed spread throughout the entire capital.

Ye Chutang nodded slightly. "This humble girl, Ye Chutang, greets County Princess Qinyang."

The County Princess's gaze shifted between the two of them, and she let out a sneer.

"Cousins... Ye Shixian doesn't look much like you at all... I thought since she had lived in your household for a few years, sharing the same air and water, she would surely grow to look more and more like you!"

Anyone could hear the sarcasm in those words.

Someone nearby let out a "pfft" of laughter.

Although the laughter was quickly suppressed, Ye Shixian still felt as if she had been slapped in public, her face burning with pain.

The affairs of the Ye family were no secret.

Previously, everyone thought that Ye Zheng's entire family had died. Since Ye Heng was a biological brother, it was considered perfectly acceptable for him to handle their family's affairs and move into their residence; it was not for others to comment on.

But things were different now—Ye Chutang and her siblings had returned!

Everyone knew that the two branches of the Ye family were now living together, and Ye Heng's family had no intention of moving out. Any observant person could see what their intentions were.

However, these were ultimately family matters, and since Ye Chutang and her siblings were orphans without support, while Ye Heng had just been promoted to the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review with a bright future, no one was foolish enough to come and stir up trouble.

Yet, the County Princess was the exception.

She would not hold a mere fourth-rank official in any regard, not to mention she had long found Ye Shixian eyesore. Today, she had made up her mind to humiliate her in public!

Ye Chutang's brows rose slightly; she actually found this County Princess quite interesting.

"The County Princess must be joking. Shixian and I have different fathers and mothers; naturally, our appearances differ."

"Ah, right!"

The County Princess realized.

"She should look like her own mother! Or, she should look like her full brother! Oh, that's right, your mother didn't come with you today?"

Ye Shixian bit her lip secretly, her heart filled with extreme resentment.

Many people knew about the accident involving her mother at the banquet a few days ago; the County Princess's words were clearly intentional!

However, she could only suppress her humiliation and reply in a low voice, "My mother is unwell, so she did not come."

The County Princess waved her hand.

"Forget it. The Grand Princess is still waiting in the manor; we cannot keep her waiting. I'm off!"

With that, she walked directly into the manor.

The other noble ladies looked at one another, and finally, they all followed suit.

No one took the initiative to greet Ye Shixian.

Standing there, Shaoyao helped her adjust her clothes and hair ornaments while complaining in a low voice, "The County Princess is truly too much! To bully you like this, if Young Master Murong finds out, I don't know how much he will ache for you—"

Ye Shixian frowned slightly, cutting her off. "Shaoyao."

Only then did Shaoyao reluctantly fall silent.

Ye Chutang's eyes narrowed slightly.

Murong?

(End of Chapter)