Chapter 96: Feeling Attacked
The Wang family was hosting a tea party, so it wasn’t an overly formal affair. At the entrance, only a man of the younger generation and the butler were there to greet the guests.
"A humble welcome to the Princess and Your Highness, Prince Wei."
Xiao Li’s job was to look beautiful. Xiao Jingyi raised a hand. "You may rise."
The young man was, of course, Wang Shiqi. He tugged at his sleeves, his gaze burning as he stared at Xiao Li, grinning so wide his eyes nearly disappeared.
The butler gave his sleeve a couple of tugs to no avail. Unable to bear the sight, he could only smile and bow. "Please, come inside. We have been waiting for our two honored guests."
Xiao Li was momentarily blinded by the two rows of pearly whites. Distracted, she kicked the Wang family’s door threshold and swayed slightly.
"Princess, be careful!"
The flash of white teeth was gone, replaced by the face of a young man filled with concern.
"What is this threshold doing here? How dare it trip the Princess! Butler, get rid of it later."
The butler: "..."
Xiao Li and Prince Wei: "..."
"I’m fine." Xiao Li struggled to keep her eyelid from twitching. ’I’m dressed so beautifully today; an eye twitch would completely ruin the aesthetic.’
Wang Shiqi, completely oblivious to how strange he sounded, simply offered his arm with immense eagerness. "Princess, you are truly as kind and magnanimous as you are beautiful. To express my apology, please allow me to escort you."
Anyone who wasn’t a fool could see Wang Shiqi’s glaringly obvious intentions.
Xiao Jingyi glanced from Wang Shiqi to Xiao Li and came to a firm conclusion in his heart: ’He doesn’t stand a chance!’
’Wang Shiqi’s only decent quality is his family background. He’s only passably handsome, and on top of that, he’s a good-for-nothing playboy who lives for pleasure. He’s a far cry from Lu Yanzhi. There’s no way my Imperial Sister would be interested in him.’
Xiao Li already had her suspicions. Looking at the man before her now, it was all perfectly clear.
"And you might be...?"
The butler hastened to make the introduction. "Your Highness, this is the Third Young Master of our household, Wang Shiqi."
Wang Shiqi immediately composed himself and bowed. "Shiqi greets the Princess."
After completing his bow, he didn’t forget to once again offer his bent arm, determined to escort Xiao Li.
The butler couldn’t even watch. ’You’re a young master of the Wang family, not a eunuch.’
’Even though the Princess is noble and breathtakingly beautiful, there’s no need to be such a sycophantic bootlicker.’
Then, he saw the beautiful Princess slowly place her slender, jade-like hand on Wang Shiqi’s elbow. "Then I shall trouble you, Mr. Wang."
Wang Shiqi’s cheeks flushed, and he grinned so wide it almost reached his ears. "It’s my pleasure, my pleasure. Princess, please watch your step."
The butler: "..."
Xiao Jingyi remarked with a smile, "Your young master has quite a future ahead of him."
The butler could only offer a strained, noncommittal smile, not daring to ask if that was a future as a Prince Consort or as a eunuch.
The Wang and Lu families were both great aristocratic families of equal standing, so their residences were naturally immense. However, the Lu family’s decor emphasized artistic conception, featuring an understated and austere style. The Wang family was the complete opposite; as far as the eye could see, everything was vibrant, luxurious, and bright.
It was winter, and snow had already fallen outside. Green leaves were a rare sight, yet the Wang family still had fresh flowers on display.
The covered walkways were sealed with layers of gauze to block the cold wind. On either side, pots of colorful flowers were placed every few feet.
There were chrysanthemums and autumn begonias, and around a corner, even a sweet olive tree in full, brilliant bloom. Its sweet fragrance was enough to make one hungry.
Though these might seem like common flowers, the effort required to preserve them from their natural season and have them blooming in the middle of the twelfth month was worth more than the flowers themselves.
Xiao Jingyi, a pauper by comparison, was amazed. "The Wang family is truly extravagant."
’He would never be willing to spend so much Silver on flowers. That’s not how you spend money—it’s an outrageous waste!’
The butler seized the opportunity to curry favor. "Our Madam has always loved flowers, and she personally tended to all of these. When she heard our distinguished guests were coming, she had them all brought out and instructed us not to neglect you in any way."
The words were clearly pointed.
Although it felt a bit like being forced into a matchmaking session, the Wang family’s attitude was leagues better than the Lu family’s, so Xiao Li was in a reasonably good mood.
’Of course, there was no way she was going to marry herself off again.’
"Princess, Prince Wei, you’re finally here."
The two madams of the Wang family approached side-by-side. Their eyes lit up when they saw Wang Shiqi escorting Xiao Li.
’Oho, they’re already holding hands! There’s hope!’
(She was clearly just resting a hand on his elbow. How is that holding hands? Are they blind?!)
The two women came forward and gave a shallow curtsy. "It’s cold out here. Please, hurry inside."
The Wang family’s party was set in the largest of their gardens, the Hundred Flower Garden, which was where Madam Wang cultivated her flowers.
Four two-story pavilions were connected. Inside, tables and chairs were set up with wine and refreshments. With the Silver Frost Charcoal Fire lit, it was quite warm.
Charcoal braziers were also lit in the connecting walkways so it wasn’t too cold.
In the courtyard below, heating pipes had even been laid under the ground. Even out in the open air of this small garden, one wouldn’t feel particularly cold.
Setting everything else aside, this setup alone was a display of incredible extravagance.
The two Wang madams fussed over Xiao Li with an almost absurd level of enthusiasm. In the end, the butler had no choice but to lead Prince Wei away to the neighboring pavilion for the male guests, with Wang Shiqi in tow.
The moment he was out of Xiao Li’s presence, the Third Young Master Wang, who had just been wearing a dopey grin, instantly adopted the refined posture and bearing of a young master from an aristocratic family. "Prince, after you!"
Xiao Jingyi: ’...’ ’That change was so abrupt. It was like he became a completely different person.’
It made one inexplicably want to take him down a peg. "Mr. Wang, you were feigning such enthusiasm for my Imperial Sister just now that this Prince almost didn’t recognize you."
’Feigning?’
Wang Shiqi couldn’t stand to hear that.
"It’s clear from your words that you’ve never met a woman you truly admire, Your Highness. Where the heart yearns, one’s actions will follow. It’s naturally different from how one treats others."
Xiao Jingyi felt personally attacked. ’He shouldn’t have asked.’
Still, while Wang Shiqi’s behavior was odd, Xiao Jingyi didn’t find it strange that he would like Xiao Li. Her beauty grew more magnificent by the day; he could hardly even remember what she looked like a year ago.
With such transcendent, breathtaking beauty, it would be stranger if she didn’t attract a swarm of admirers.
’Ah, his Imperial Sister...’
------
Xiao Li had agreed to come because she didn’t want people to keep saying she was pining away over Lu Yanzhi’s death. But the moment she stepped inside, she regretted it.
Everywhere she looked, there were unfamiliar young ladies from aristocratic families. They were a feast for the eyes, like a vibrant bouquet, but every single one of them was a rose with thorns.
They wore false smiles, but their gazes were anything but friendly.
Clearly, they did not welcome this infamous Princess. They were only feigning civility because of her royal status and out of respect for the Wang family.
Xiao Li had seen plenty of scenes like this and wasn’t incapable of handling them. It was just that in the past, she had been forced to navigate such relationships as Xiao Wan’s shadow. Now, in this Otherworld, she had no desire to put herself through that ordeal again.
’Xiao Li had never been one to hate other women. On the contrary, she preferred sweet, gentle girls to men. But she was selective. She either liked the genuinely naive and sweet type—the kind who weren’t too bright but weren’t detestable—or she liked the schemers. The ones with ambition and ability, who were thrillingly wicked and would stop at nothing to achieve their goals, like Jiang Yu’er.’
’But this... this was just exasperating.’