He spoke in the same tone he always used when he was annoyed with her: "Shen Qingyan! If it weren't for the sake of your father and brother, this prince wouldn't tolerate you! You shameless, ungrateful hussy! The entire Prince's Estate has been turned into a den of filth because of you!"
Shen Qingyan gave a contemptuous smile. "Your Highness encourages his servants to insult his own wife at will, and now you have the nerve to shift the blame onto me. Is this the 'stature' of a Prince?" The implication was clear: had she not been provoked, she would never have laid a hand on anyone.
"Are you saying this prince has wronged you, then?"
In an instant, everyone held their breath. Was the Princess Consort insane? How dared she challenge the Prince? Even the head maid was bewildered by Shen Qingyan’s actions. Not even Side Consort Qing, who was the most favored, dared to speak to His Highness in such a manner. Everyone thought Shen Qingyan had lost her mind. Instead of trying to appease the Prince’s temper, she was actually criticizing him. Even if the Prince were in the wrong, one simply did not act like that.
Seeing this, the head maid gave the maid a wink. The girl, who had been slapped by Shen Qingyan and had initially wanted to stay out of the mess, now found she had no choice but to comply.
The maid immediately got into character. With her face swollen from the slap, she stepped forward, wailing as she accused Shen Qingyan of her "vicious" deeds.
"It was the Princess Consort... her maid was disrespectful first. We sisters were merely kind enough to teach her some manners, but the Princess Consort came up and attacked us without rhyme or reason. Wuu wuu... I beg the Prince to seek justice for us!"
The head maid was secretly delighted, thinking her affection for the girl had not been in vain. The Prince must surely loathe the Princess Consort even more now! Excellent—the more the Prince despised her, the better it was for her mistress.
Shen Qingyan couldn't help but want to applaud this young maid for her ability to twist the truth. Was her acting not better than some of the young starlets in historical dramas these days?
"Is this what you call 'wronged'? Shen Qingyan! It seems this prince has been too lenient with you lately!"
The rage on Xuanyuan Ming’s face was visible to everyone. They all assumed the Princess Consort was finished.
Shen Qingyan flexed her wrists. *Interesting.*
"Xuanyuan Ming, you brought this on yourself." Shen Qingyan’s eyes flickered, and the icy aura radiating from within her made Xuanyuan Ming pause for a split second, stunned.
Just as Shen Qingyan prepared to make her move, a lazy voice drifted down from the rockery. Almost immediately, a figure leapt down from the heights.
Sunlight fell upon his face, highlighting his handsome features. His long hair was tied up casually, and a faint, harmless-yet-rebellious arc played on his lips. Dressed in a navy blue martial outfit, he carried himself with an unrestrained air.
Shen Qingyan: "???"
*Who is this young master?* She withdrew her killing intent, the icy chill vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.
"Good afternoon, Third Brother!" He laughed, then turned his gaze toward Shen Qingyan with a smile that looked perfectly innocent yet sent a shiver down one's spine.
*So, it’s his brother.* Shen Qingyan decided to stay and watch the show.
"What are you doing here?" It seemed the Prince was less than thrilled by his brother's arrival.
He looked at Shen Qingyan with a sly glint in his eye, still wearing that harmless mask. For a fleeting moment, Shen Qingyan caught a glimpse of what lay beneath—an unreadable emotion. Her intuition told her that this sweet-looking youth was a force she should not provoke.
"Everyone knows the peach blossom wine in your cellar is to my liking. Naturally, I’ve come to steal some!" It was the first time she had seen someone speak of stealing with such justified confidence.
"Third Brother, the servants in your estate are truly unrefined. Not only did they disturb this prince's sleep, but they even encouraged the lower staff to bully a young girl! I couldn't just stand by and watch."
Hearing this, the maid felt a jolt of alarm: *Could this little prince have seen everything?*
The head maid’s pupils dilated at the thought. *It’s over. If that’s true, he knows everything—about us insulting the Princess Consort and bullying her maid!* Her heart plummeted like a rollercoaster. She could only pray that this young noble would be merciful and keep his mouth shut.
Chi Yan curled his lips into a charming, wicked smile. He dragged the head maid out, his tone sounding innocent. "Third Brother, are all the servants in your house this arrogant?"
Xuanyuan Ming, confused, asked bluntly, "What are you trying to say?"
The head maid was so terrified she nearly fainted. She kept her head down, preparing to beg for mercy at any moment.
Chi Yan glanced at Shen Qingyan and continued, "I just can’t stand those who rely on their seniority to bully a weak, defenseless little maid. Third Brother, it’s not that I want to lecture you, but are the rules of your estate just for show? You let this lot act like bullies, riding on the coattails of their master’s status? A whole group of them ganging up on a young girl—even as an outsider, I couldn't watch!"
He turned his gaze back to Xuanyuan Ming. "Third Brother, I have a good idea... How about we lock these bullies up and don't feed them? That should teach them to behave!"
With those few words, Chi Yan had cleared Shen Qingyan of any suspicion of bullying and ruthlessly exposed the head maid's power-tripping.
Shen Qingyan: "..."
*He just whitewashed my reputation?* To be honest, if this young master hadn't helped, she wouldn't have minded showing him "why the flowers are so red" right in front of Xuanyuan Ming. But since someone else was handling it, it saved her from having to go on a rampage. As the Buddha said, lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot.
Seeing that Chi Yan had exposed her, and unable to deny it, the head maid knelt down, her face deathly pale, and begged for forgiveness. As for the maid she had used, she quickly dumped all the blame onto the head maid to save her own skin.
Chi Yan stretched his back, ignored the head maid’s pleas, walked up to Shen Qingyan, and grabbed her by the back of her collar. He turned to Xuanyuan Ming, demanding, "Third Brother, this little maid has remarkable courage and is quite to my liking. Why don't you let me have her? Didn't you take a fancy to my 'Azure Sea and Tides Painting' last time? Take her as a trade for it!"
Shen Qingyan: "???"
Xuanyuan Ming: "???"
Everyone else: "???"
Xuanyuan Ming let out a long, weary breath. "A-Yan, your usual mischief is one thing, but do you even know who she is?"
Chi Yan replied with utter indifference, "Who is she?"
Shen Qingyan wanted to end this farce, but she didn't know whether to stay or go. Besides, she was still being held like a chicken by this young man. Did she have no dignity?
Xuanyuan Ming rubbed his temples. "She is this prince's Princess Consort!"
His tone was as disgusted as ever when he mentioned her. Chi Yan’s eyes flickered, but he continued, "Whatever, you don't like her anyway—just give her to me!"
Shen Qingyan felt like swearing. This place was truly not somewhere to stay for long.
She took a few steps back. "I am humbled by your kindness, but I only wish to follow His Highness! Though the mountains may crumble and the earth and sky may merge, I would never part from you." In truth, she only said this to avoid further complications; if she let the boy continue his charade, things might get even messier.
Her declaration of love made Xuanyuan Ming look revolted. It seemed this woman still couldn't shake her obsessive love for him. Xuanyuan Ming grew more certain that all of Shen Qingyan's recent changes were merely ploys to attract his attention.