Chapter 8: A Narrow Encounter

Chapter 8: A Narrow Encounter

Hua Ling emerged from the study, feeling triumphant. As she strolled back, her mood was bright and sunny, and everything she saw was pleasing to the eye. Humming a little tune and walking with a swaggering, self-satisfied gait, she took in the surrounding scenery, feeling absolutely content!

"Ouch!" Hua Ling didn't know what she had bumped into, but she stumbled and fell to the ground. "Who’s so blind!" Hua Ling shouted angrily. It hurt like hell; she had landed right on a small stone, and her poor little bottom was aching terribly.

"Oh my, look who it is. So it’s you, you jinx. Why aren't you staying put in your Yinlü Pavilion instead of running out here to scare people?" A delicate yet vicious voice pierced Hua Ling’s ears.

Hua Ling was already fuming—she hadn't provoked anyone, yet she’d run into such bad luck. Hearing this, she became even angrier and looked up at the person who had bumped into her. The woman looked decent enough, though a bit inferior to herself. Judging by the clothes she wore, which seemed even better than her own, she must have had some status. To not even put the Prime Minister’s wife in her eyes—she was arrogant and domineering indeed.

Hua Ling stood up, brushed the dust off her clothes, and gave a cold smile. "You neither bow nor greet me when you see me, Madam. You’ve got some nerve."

"What kind of thing are you? How dare you call yourself 'Madam'? Everyone in the Prime Minister’s estate knows you’re just a bitch cast into the cold palace. How dare you bark orders at me? It seems the punishment you received last time wasn't enough. Today, I’ll teach you a lesson so you’ll know how to behave when you see me in the future." As she spoke, she swung a slap toward Hua Ling’s face, her eyes filled with malice and her lips curled in a triumphant smirk.

Hua Ling grabbed her wrist, pulled hard, and threw her heavily to the ground. The onlookers were shocked; they had never seen their mistress act so fiercely before. The woman on the ground stared up with an expression of disbelief.

Hua Ling walked over to her, looked down from above, and said, "What did you call me just now? A bitch? Who gave you permission to call me that? Mu Yelei?"

The woman stood up with the help of her maids and said, "You dare treat me like this? I’m going to complain to my cousin. Let’s see how he punishes you!"

"Oh, so you’re a cousin, are you? My, my, my memory must be failing me. In my memory, there has never been a bitch like you—someone so devoid of respect, manners, and decorum, and so arrogant and domineering. By all means, go complain to your cousin. Go on! I’d love to see how Mu Yelei handles this." Hua Ling said unhurriedly, a mocking smile on her face. This Xia Ziying was truly useless; to think she let a woman like this bully her so much.

The woman who called herself the cousin’s face turned a mix of green and red, and her eyes filled with suspicion. Was this really the timid, mouse-like Xia Ziying? She seemed like a completely different person, and seeing her smile made the woman feel a bit uneasy. The large group of followers behind her also looked uncertain; the mistress seemed different today.

"You dare insult me? Someone, slap her mouth!" the cousin ordered her servants, her face full of indignation. This woman had stolen the position of Prime Minister’s wife from her, and now she dared to be so rude—she deserved to die.

Upon her command, several people rushed out from behind her and headed toward Hua Ling. *Damn it, these dog-like servants can’t even tell who the real master is!* Hua Ling cursed inwardly. She felt truly sorry for Xia Ziying; to have lived to this point—sigh, no wonder her soul departed to the heavens.

Hua Ling swept her sharp gaze across them and let out a cold snort. She moved with lightning speed, and with a series of *slap, slap, slap* sounds, each person was left with a red handprint on their face. She then said, "Take your dog-like servants and the evidence on your faces, and go complain to your dear cousin. Tell him that I, your grandmother, am waiting for his arrival at Yinlü Pavilion!" With that, she walked away, a satisfied smile still on her face.