As soon as these words were spoken, not only the servant was stunned, but Pei You herself was dumbfounded as well.
It wasn't until the servant spoke up, "Miss Chen, stop joking with a lowly servant. Isn't Miss Chen herself the Ninth Prince's fiancée?"
When most people heard that an imperial prince had reserved the entire establishment, even knowing that the Ninth Prince had a physical disability, they prudently chose to back down.
Everyone knew that although Cheng Yunyin, the Ninth Prince, had crippled legs and could not walk properly, making him ineligible to inherit the throne, he was deeply doted on by the Emperor. His temperament was all the more capricious, sharp, and tyrannical.
Chen Yunxin had also been betrothed to the Ninth Prince since childhood, simply waiting for her coming-of-age ceremony to be married.
Before Pei You had a chance to retort, she saw a ferocious-looking guard carrying a wheelchair forward. The muscles on his body were so bulging they nearly ripped through his clothes, and a jagged scar ran across his face.
Meanwhile, the man in the wheelchair had a lean, slender build and wore a dark robe. He possessed striking, refined facial features, but his brow was heavily clouded with gloom, entirely ruining his original handsome appearance.
Cheng Yunyin looked with an unfriendly gaze at the only two people left, Pei You and Chen Yunxin. "Get out."
Chen Yunxin's face turned pale. Cheng Yunyin had never given her, his fiancée, a single pleasant look; only with the return of Pei You, the true eldest daughter of the Chen family, could she finally extricate herself from this engagement.
This was the real reason the Chen family had brought Pei You back: to take Chen Yunxin's place in marrying the Ninth Prince, who was already a cripple.
Startled for a moment, Chen Yunxin managed to put on a forced smile, leaned forward, and curtsied. "This humble daughter greets the Ninth Prince."
She yanked Pei You forward, pushing her right in front of Cheng Yunyin. "This is the Marquis's Mansion's true daughter—Pei You. She was lost more than a decade ago and has only just been found back in the countryside. She is your true fiancée."
Cheng Yunyin glanced sideways at Pei You, who was still entirely out of her depth. He held no regard for a scheming, hypocritical woman like Chen Yunxin, but that didn't mean the Chen family could just pick up any random daughter from the streets to fob him off!
Cheng Yunyin's dark, hawk-like eyes swept over Pei You, lingering briefly on her striking face before looking away. "For Chen Boyuan to treat this Prince with such perfunctory disrespect—it seems he no longer needs to hold the title of Marquis."
Chen Yunxin anxiously opened her mouth to explain, "Your Highness misunderstands. Pei You is indeed the legitimate eldest daughter of the Marquis's Mansion; it is simply that her return was rather hasty, and the news has not yet been made public."
Cheng Yunyin let out a cold, mocking laugh, staring derisively at Chen Yunxin's already trembling legs before saying in an eerie tone, "Since the Marquis of Wangyuan looks down upon this Prince as a useless cripple completely unable to stand, and is in such a rush to help Miss Chen rid herself of me, then naturally I shall report this to His Majesty the Emperor and grant Miss Chen her wish."
Chen Yunxin froze. She had long known that passing off this bride swap would not easily get past the Ninth Prince, but she never imagined this madman would go so far as to directly call off the engagement!
Glancing at Pei You, who could only stare fixedly at the Ninth Prince's useless legs, Chen Yunxin cursed her inwardly as a complete fool.
After observing those legs for a moment, Pei You reached a verdict. Ignoring the Ninth Prince's murderous, crazed aura, she spoke earnestly, "Your legs are not completely beyond saving. With proper treatment, you can still stand up."
At these words, Chen Yunxin stared at Pei You in absolute shock. Who didn't know that the Ninth Prince's legs, crippled since he returned from the battlefield with completely shattered meridians, were beyond the help of any medicine or stone?
The entire Imperial Medical Academy was utterly helpless, declaring that only the divine doctor Pei Qing, who had lived in seclusion for many years, might possibly possess a cure.
Chen Yunxin grabbed Pei You's wrist in a panic. "Forgive me, Your Highness! Pei You has just returned from the countryside and has not yet been properly disciplined by the household..."
Cheng Yunyin let out an amused, mocking chuckle. Stand up? Ever since his legs were crippled, no one had ever dared utter the word "stand" in front of him. In his eyes, Pei You was already a dead person. "Do you know what happens to those who try to swindle an imperial prince?"
Before his voice had even faded, the personal guard standing guard behind him partially drew his saber. If the slender, chilling blade were to sweep past the young woman's delicate neck, it would unquestionably result in a severed head.
Pei You paid no mind to the blatant threat and instead crouched down in front of Cheng Yunyin's legs.
These legs were stiff and rigid; the man before her had a sickly, gloomy complexion, with deep, purplish eye sockets. Her grandfather had taught her about cases exactly like this.
Cheng Yunyin had long since given up all hope for these legs. Seeing Pei You crouch down, he didn't react much, merely watching with an amused look. The last person who had crouched before him to fiddle with these legs was already dead.
It wasn't until Pei You reached out and stroked down his legs step by step, pressing upon a specific acupoint, that Cheng Yunyin felt a sudden sharp jolt of pain between his legs. Cheng Yunyin froze instantly. He had sensation!
After seven years, these legs of his, which had been nothing more than decorations, actually felt pain!
This was a major matter and must not be publicized. Suppressing his turbulent emotions, Cheng Yunyin reached out and gripped Pei You's jaw.
Pei You frowned and let go, thinking she had pinched her patient too hard. "Did it hurt?"
This was no coincidence—this woman genuinely knew that pressing him there would produce sensation!
Having already grown completely dead inside regarding the cure for his legs, Cheng Yunyin suddenly felt a spark of anticipation reignited. "You are the very first person who has dared to touch this Prince's legs."
He lifted the hand pinching the woman's jaw slightly upward, their gazes locking.
Pei You saw in those hawk-like eyes the excitement of a hunter spotting his prey, as the man said, "Fiancée, this Prince will be waiting for you."
Cheng Yunyin released his grip and instructed the shop's attendant, "This is my fiancée. Charge everything to my account."
With that, he had his guard push him away, eager to return and re-evaluate these legs of his.
After the wave of tension subsided, Chen Yunxin nearly collapsed to the floor from exhaustion, but fortunately Lichun and Zhixia caught her.
Pei You merely stood up and brushed off her hands. The patient's muscle atrophy was relatively minor; it seemed he usually paid attention to maintaining them, which would make later treatment much easier.
Chen Yunxin cast a suspicious gaze at Pei You. "The Ninth Prince's leg injury..."
Her grandfather had said that a patient's condition must not be casually divulged, so she simply replied, "I don't know."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Chen Yunxin felt she was being utterly petty. What genuine skills could someone coming from a village possibly have?
She must have foolishly rushed up and grabbed the Ninth Prince's legs, accidentally managing to pique his interest.
That dead girl certainly had some luck on her side, but the Ninth Prince had a tyrannical temperament; even if she really married him, she would only suffer abuse in the back courtyard.
As for her, Chen Yunxin's sights were set on the Crown Prince. Only the most noble position in this entire world was worthy of her!
Pei You had no idea what was running through Chen Yunxin's mind. She figured that, based on the man's words, he intended to use those clothes to pay for her consultation fee.
Pei You felt she was getting the short end of the stick since she already had all those garments, but since the other party was an imperial prince, it was better not to offend him.
"Can we pick out our clothes now?" Pei You reminded them. The attendant nearby also quickly put on a flattering smile. "Miss Pei, Miss Chen, this way please. All the new arrivals are on this side."
The two of them listened together as the attendant introduced the new garments. Chen Yunxin felt utterly exhausted after the recent ordeal, whereas Pei You looked and listened with earnest concentration.
This new pink dress was actually identical to the one she was already wearing, but Pei You didn't like the embroidered pattern on it, so Jiang Sinian had taken it back to alter.
Yet according to the attendant, this dress had only been delivered to the shop two days ago—and yet Jiang Sinian had given it to her to wear half a year ago.
Pei You sighed softly. Although Jiang Sinian was always teasing her, he actually treated her very well, constantly gifting her clothes and jewelry.
Now that she had left the village, the person Pei You missed the most turned out to be him.
Through the second-floor window, a refined young nobleman dressed in white inside the teahouse opposite lowered his white jade teacup, watching Pei You in her pink dress with keen interest.
The man's distinct-jointed fingers rhythmically tapped against the wooden table as a clear, slightly raspy voice sounded, "She's even wandered as far as Feiyi Workshop; this scatterbrained little Pomelo should finally be thinking of me by now. Go, bring her to see me."
No one answered aloud, but a single breath vanished from the room, heading straight toward Feiyi Workshop.
Pei You bought the clothes from her wardrobe all over again. Just as she was about to pull out a gold ingot to pay, she remembered that the Ninth Prince had already settled the bill, so she walked outside alongside Chen Yunxin.
Just as she stepped out of the door, she brushed past someone. A cool object was pressed into her hand, and a voice murmured softly by her ear, "Miss Pei, my young master invites you to the third floor of the teahouse across the street."
Pei You lowered her gaze to look at the pomelo in her hand. Delighted, she raised her head to search, but the person was already gone.
She grabbed Chen Yunxin's sleeve. "Sister, I want to go sit at the teahouse across the street." Chen Yunxin only wanted to return to the mansion now and naturally refused to accompany her to any teahouse.
"Go by yourself. Have the carriage driver pick you up in an hour." Unable to maintain any pretense of sisterly demeanor a moment longer, Chen Yunxin spoke bluntly and got into her carriage, driving away.
Pei You watched the carriage depart, then looked up and caught sight of a corner of white robes visible on the third floor of the teahouse, and walked over.