Chapter 22: Severing Ties! We’re Severing Ties the Moment We Get Back
Xiao Li changed her clothes and was about to go pick a horse. Before she even got close, she heard a commotion ahead.
Her intuition told her that the female lead was bound to be involved in a situation like this.
Sure enough, in the middle of the crowd, Liu Xueyin had her arm around a woman in pink, glaring angrily at someone.
Across from them was Zhao Yuan, who was so anxious he was practically hopping. His round body trembled as he explained, sweating profusely, "I really didn’t take liberties with her! She’s the one who backed into me."
Liu Xueyin sternly played the part of a righteous hero. "You deliberately stood behind her! Your intentions were foul."
The slender Li You stood behind Zhao Yuan, frowning without a word.
"What’s going on?"
A guard shouted, and then Prince Chen, dressed in riding attire, tall and handsome, strode over.
His gaze, sharp as a torch, swept across the crowd before landing on his own Princess Consort. "What happened?"
Liu Xueyin seemed hesitant around Prince Chen, but she still chose to lean on him in the end. "Your Highness, this man took liberties with Ru and now denies it with excuses. Please, Your Highness, deliver justice for Ru."
Zhao Yuan hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, please see the truth. I truly didn’t do it. She really was the one who backed away."
Li You stepped forward. "Your Highness, while we may be dandies and have indeed flirted with young ladies before, we’ve been around long enough to know how to read a situation. If it were a plainly dressed girl on the street, we might use our status to tease her a bit. But this is the daughter of Vice Minister Zhou from the Ministry of Criminal Justice. Even if we were brazen enough to risk our necks for a woman, we would never dare to be so presumptuous with her. Not to mention, we are here choosing horses, in public, under everyone’s watchful eyes. And we were just beaten up because of an incident with the Princess Consort. We wouldn’t risk our entire families just to grope a girl."
"Just now, Zhao Yuan and I came over here, chatting while waiting for someone. Miss Zhou came to pick a horse but was frightened by it. She stumbled back several steps and bumped into Zhao Yuan. He reached out to steady her, and then the young lady screamed. The Princess Consort then came over and began berating us. We have been truly wronged. We implore Your Highness to see the truth."
Xiao Li, who had been watching the show from a distance with casual indifference, found herself taking a second look after he finished speaking.
’His words were sincere and his logic was clear. This guy has some substance to him.’
Zhao Yuan huddled next to Li You and said plaintively, "It was the same thing at Huilong Alley the other day. We were just passing by a doorway when a woman in white rushed out of a pharmacy and ran right into us. I was just trying to be nice and steadied her. I even picked up the packet of medicine she dropped. Seeing how beautiful and frail she looked, I asked if she needed help. Then the Heir of Pingnan Marquis and Young Master Liu charged over and gave us a brutal beating right there in the street! They nearly killed us!"
Liu Xueyin’s eyes went wide with fury. She pointed an indignant finger at them. "You... you’re twisting the truth! This is outrageous!"
"We’re telling the truth! You can’t just slander us because you’re the Princess Consort—" Zhao Yuan retorted bluntly. Li You quickly grabbed him to stop him from saying more.
"I’m slandering you? You think a woman like me would use her own reputation to slander you? I..."
"Silence!"
Prince Chen sharply cut off Liu Xueyin, who was still trying to argue. "How long are you going to keep making these ridiculous scenes?"
"This matter ends here!"
Prince Chen turned and stalked away, leaving Liu Xueyin standing there in a daze, the very picture of wounded, fragile indignation.
"Sister."
Liu Changge came over and quickly supported her.
Liu Xueyin collapsed limply into his arms, tears slowly tracing paths down her cheeks, her heart broken. "Changge, the Prince... how could he treat me like this?"
Liu Changge was also furious, but he couldn’t direct his anger at Prince Chen. Instead, he stared at Zhao Yuan and Li You, who were standing nearby, a vicious look in his eyes. "Don’t worry, Sister. I’ll make them pay."
Liu Changge then helped Liu Xueyin walk away, leaving the girl in pink standing rooted to the spot. She watched them go, tears welling in her eyes but not quite falling, her expression utterly bewildered.
Zhou Ru: ’So? I’m the one who was supposedly assaulted, so why is Liu Xueyin crying even more tragically than I am?’
「---」
Xiao Li was choosing her horse. Xiao Jingyi hadn’t arrived yet, but the four dandies had sidled up near Xiao Li. However, wary of something, they didn’t dare get too close. They stood stiff and awkward, looking completely uncomfortable.
Xiao Li knew why they were so reserved. They had probably been struck by the thought that their reputations weren’t very good and were afraid of being disdained by a princess like her.
Not that Xiao Li paid the four of them much mind, so there was hardly any disdain to speak of.
’These four are idle, profligate sons of the rich, but it’s not like I’m a saint myself. I’m certainly not a judge, so I have no right to pass judgment on them.’
’Besides, this identity as a princess is just a fleeting dream to me. I don’t think being a princess is all that noble. I am Xiao Li, a woman who survives by her own means, not the helpless chess piece, Princess Xuanyang.’
Xiao Li finished picking her horse and turned around, only to be confronted by a face with a silly, infatuated grin—the kind that looked like it was about to start drooling.
Noticing Xiao Li’s gaze, the other three realized that Zhao Yuan was staring dumbly at Xiao Li, his eyes practically glued to her.
The tall, thin Qian Yu, standing behind the others, lightly tapped the short Sun Buwu. Without a moment’s hesitation, Sun Buwu leaped up and smacked Zhao Yuan hard on the back of the head.
"OW!"
Zhao Yuan cried out in pain. A moment later, he took a kick to the back of his knees and fell, kneeling directly in front of Xiao Li.
Li You quickly apologized. "Your Highness, please forgive him! Zhao Yuan just has a weakness for beautiful women. Your Highness’s beauty could topple nations, and for a moment he lost his head and offended you, but he had no ill intent. We beg for Your Highness’s forgiveness."
’Even as he apologized, Li You was breaking out in a cold sweat. That bastard Zhao Yuan was always causing trouble, and the trouble was getting bigger and bigger. First the Princess Consort, now the Princess.’
’If he wants to get himself killed, he can do it alone! That’s it, we’re no longer friends. The moment we get back, we are no longer friends!’
Qian Yu shot a look at Sun Buwu, who kicked Zhao Yuan squarely in the rear. Zhao Yuan finally snapped out of it and immediately begged for mercy. "Please forgive me, Your Highness! I truly know I was wrong!"
Xiao Jingyi arrived fashionably late. Seeing the four trembling men, he walked to Xiao Li’s side. "How have you all managed to offend my Imperial Sister?"
Li You was about to explain, but Xiao Li took the reins from a nearby guard and swung herself onto the horse.
"Get up. Don’t let it happen again."
With that, she spurred her horse and galloped away, a valiant and heroic figure.
Zhao Yuan was still kneeling on the ground, but he had started grinning foolishly again. "The Princess is so cool!"
Li You backhanded him sharply on the head again. "You’re still at it?!"
’He must have a death wish.’
Qian Yu had already moved to Xiao Jingyi’s side and was giving him a simple, clear account of what had just happened.
After hearing the story, Xiao Jingyi tapped his head with his fan in exasperation. "You lot are really experts at getting me into trouble. Be more careful from now on, or I won’t be able to protect you."
"As for my Imperial Sister, you don’t need to worry. She’s not that narrow-minded."
Just as he finished speaking, he saw Xiao Li completing a lap on her horse. Her posture was graceful as she galloped freely, a look of pure joy and firm resolve on her face. She was reveling in the exhilarating freedom of a wild ride.
Xiao Jingyi’s smile deepened. ’My Imperial Sister is so bold and dazzling now. It’s impossible to look away.’