Chapter 50 – The Plot Unravels

Even a piece of rotten wood can be shaped into something useful with the patient guidance of an older male cousin.

Not to mention, in their previous lifetime, Pei Xuan taught Cui Ti hand-in-hand for three years after their marriage.

Now, Cui Ti can write beautiful characters and compose fine poetry even with her eyes closed. Besides the fact that she is also a reincarnated soul, Dou Qingyue couldn’t think of any other explanation.

Being an “old acquaintance,” there was even less reason to show mercy.

She glanced at the indignant Cui Dai.

Cui Dai’s brow twitched, and she awkwardly avoided her gaze.

Laughing at Cui Ti’s public humiliation was one thing, but ruining someone’s reputation was absolutely out of the question.

No matter how much she disliked Cui Ti, they were still both part of the Cui Family. If the eldest daughter of the Cui Family was disgraced, how could she, the third miss Cui, fare any better?

She sighed inwardly at how Dou Qingyue, despite her sterling reputation, turned out to be not so virtuous at heart—a testament to her deep cunning.

She was happy to see the two of them clash.

Cui Dai might be a bit foolish, but after that incident with Yunhong, when she went to the Pei Family to apologize with a rod on her back, her Brother-in-law had already given her a severe scolding. She bore resentment towards Cui Ti, but not to the point of losing her mind and seeking her own doom.

Dou Qingyue thinking she could use her as a pawn? Dream on.

Feigning ignorance, she turned her face away and lowered her head, sipping the pear blossom wine in small sips.

Failing to manipulate her, Dou Qingyue’s smile didn’t falter. Just then, a maid hurriedly approached: “Miss, the Young Prince and a group of literary scholars request an audience.”

Young Prince?

The minds of the noble ladies present began to stir, but constrained by propriety and dignity, none dared to be the first to rise.

Among the many princes of Xi Jing, when one mentioned the “Young Prince,” there was only one person who came to mind—the 17-year-old Prince Huai, Xiao Jingcan.

He was the adopted son whom Your Majesty had taken in during a tour. Though an adopted son, he was more favored than many an Imperial Prince.

Crowned at a young age, he was known for his unrestrained nature. With his striking looks, his harem of concubines was too numerous to count on ten fingers.

Rumor had it that wherever he went, flirtations followed, and he had a penchant for stunning beauties. If he encountered a rare handsome gentleman, he would not turn him away either.

Such a person, who was indiscriminate in his attractions, surprisingly maintained a decent reputation both in the court and among the common folk. It was indeed a strange affair.

The maid said, “The Young Prince insists on boarding the boat, wishing to engage in a literary exchange with all of you.”

The women exchanged glances. Some were concerned about propriety between men and women but dared not offend the Young Prince. Others were eager for him to come aboard, hoping to form a good connection.

Cui Ti started to leave, but Dou Qingyue held her back firmly.

“Why the rush, Cui Ti? Why not stay here and hold the fort for us? As the Young Madam of the Pei Family and the Chancellor’s granddaughter-in-law, with you here, the Young Prince won’t dare to be too presumptuous.”

Her words effectively put Cui Ti on the spot, and the noblewomen present believed her. They all chimed in, urging Cui Ti to stay.

Dou Qingyue smiled, “Cui Ti, be our ‘pillar of stability’ just this once.”

Cui Ti stood there stiffly, ignoring the others. Instead, she turned her head and ‘looked’ at Raoliang, as if to say: Do you still think she is a good person?

Though the outing was ostensibly for boating on the lake, Cui Ti couldn’t help but suspect it might be a trap. She couldn’t be sure that Dou Qingyue had managed to enlist the Young Prince’s help, but his insistence on boarding at this particular moment was suspicious. Her brow furrowed slightly as she slowly sat back down.

“Such warm insistence is hard to refuse; I suppose I will take on this role.”

“You are generous, Young Madam.”

Flattering voices like flowing water arose. Cui Ti continued, “It would be unwise to clash with the royal family, but a woman’s reputation is precious. Since the Young Prince insists on coming, let’s set up a screen for privacy, to protect our good names.”

“You’re right.”

Dou Qingyue ordered someone to fetch a screen.

Raoliang, feeling uneasy, exchanged a covert glance with Haozhong. First, they listened to music and wrote poetry, then they urged her to stay, putting the Young Madam in a difficult spot with such high praise. They were truly seeing something new.

Was the cousin miss possessed?

“The Young Prince has arrived-“

With the screen set up, Xiao Jingcan strode in with an impressive aura.

As he entered, the ladies greeted him. It felt like stepping into a nest of beauties. Even with the screen and gauze veils, their graceful figures revealed who was a true beauty and who was ordinary.

Despite his vast experience with women, the sight made Prince Xiao’s heart flutter. Upon learning that the host was the daughter of General Dou and the woman seated to the left was the Young Madam of the Pei Family, he restrained his smile and behaved with much more decorum.

“It is presumptuous of me to intrude.”

He cupped his hands in apology.

The literary scholars behind him bowed in apology.

With such proper etiquette, the noblewomen couldn’t just drive them away and tacitly permitted them to join the so-called “literary gathering.”

As she drank and observed, Dou Qingyue’s eyes narrowed in a smile as she looked at a scholar wearing a silk cap. The scholar subtly nodded, and an invisible net began to close in.

As the sun dipped westward, Pei Xuan exited the Imperial Palace and headed toward Xianyue Pavilion to drink and listen to music.

Arriving half an hour late, she was promptly pulled aside by the ever-mischievous Song Zizhen and forced to drink three cups of wine. “We were waiting for you! If you hadn’t come, we would have gone boating without you!”

Zheng Wuji nodded in agreement, swaying slightly. “The scenic views, clear skies, drinking while boating-what a delight.”

Hearing the mention of boating, Pei Xuan’s thoughts stirred. “Boating on Guiming Lake?”

Zheng Wuji, now putting down his wine cup, replied sensibly, “One of the Eight Sights of Guiming Lake isn’t enough to pique your refined interest?”

Realizing they had misunderstood, Pei Xuan smiled. “As I thought, my Niangzi and younger female cousin are currently having fun on Guiming Lake with some noble ladies. Why don’t we…”

“Let’s go too!” Song Zizhen shouted before suddenly remembering to act reserved. He rubbed his hands together and asked sheepishly, “Xingguang, can we go?”

His eyes were filled with “I want to find a wife,” making Pei Xuan stifle a laugh. “We can sneak over.”

Sneak over?

How exactly?

Two quarters of an hour later, three ‘old men’ emerged from Xianyue Pavilion and rented a small boat at the lake.

‘Old Man Song’ looked back as they boarded, “Xingguang, this feels so thrilling!”

Pei Xuan lay lazily in the small boat, resting her head on her arms. Her long legs had no place to stretch out, so she awkwardly draped them over the side. Hearing Song Zizhen’s comment about the thrill, she chuckled softly. “We can’t get too close. Just a blurry silhouette will do.”

This way, they wouldn’t tarnish the ladies’ reputations.

Song Zizhen understood the reasoning perfectly. Grateful for Pei Xuan’s consideration, he willingly took on the role of the boatman.

“When I finally marry and have children, they’ll be everyone’s kids. You’ll all be their godfathers!”

He was so eager to find a wife that he had already planned out godfathers for his future children, even though he had no prospects yet. Zheng Wuji laughed at him for thinking too far ahead.

Song Zizhen protested, “Xingguang already has a wife. As her brother, how much worse could I be?”

As their small boat quietly approached the two-story tall ship, he exclaimed, “Why is there another boat here?”

Pei Xuan opened her eyes and saw the large ship nearby had a flag with the character ‘Huai’ on it.

In Xi Jing, who else but Prince Huai would dare to flaunt such a flag?

Zheng Wuji lowered his straw hat and whispered, “The ship is full of ladies. What’s Prince Huai doing on board?”

“Probably causing trouble, barging his way in.”

Isn’t barging in just like a crab?

Song Zizhen had a strong dislike for Prince Huai. He nudged Pei Xuan’s arm and said, “Your wife and our younger female cousin are up there. That guy is no good. Don’t be fooled by his appearance. After a few drinks, he forgets his name and loves to take beauties for himself. His good reputation is all fabricated by his people.”

“Hey? They’re coming out! They’re all coming out! Xingguang, what do we do next?”

“Do what? It’s clear that Prince Huai has bad intentions. His hands are almost on our sister-in-law!”

Pei Xuan’s eyes darkened. She pulled out a silver whistle hanging around her neck and blew a long, piercing note.

“Plop!”

A deathly silence fell over the area.

When those on the deck realized what had happened, their faces turned pale with fear. Someone shouted, “Man overboard! Man overboard! Prince Huai has fallen into the water!”

Xiao Jingcan couldn’t swim and flailed wildly in the water. His guards scrambled to rescue him.

At that moment, a small, rickety boat sped toward the scene.

Amidst the chaos, an ‘old man’ wearing a straw hat and dressed in simple clothes wielded a long bamboo stick and mercilessly struck Prince Huai on the head several times. The blows made him see stars and choke on water, nearly drowning him.

First, a girl in black suddenly emerged from the water and kicked Prince Huai, sending him flying. Then, the old man with the bamboo stick beat him like a drowning dog. Dou Qingyue’s plan was utterly foiled before it could even begin.

By the time Prince Huai was rescued by his men, both the old man and the girl who had kicked him had vanished.

With the situation in such disarray, Xiao Jingcan finally sobered up from the water he had swallowed.

“Young Prince, we should leave,” someone advised.

Xiao Jingcan coughed a few times, his head throbbing with pain. He deeply regretted losing control after being coaxed into drinking too much by the literary scholars, nearly causing a disaster.

He felt too ashamed to stay any longer and left in a daze.

In Dou Qingyue’s plan, it was supposed to be Cui Ti who fell into the water today.

Not only was Cui Ti blind, but as a frail woman, how could she resist the drunken advances of Prince Huai?

If she had ‘accidentally’ fallen into the water while resisting, countless eyes, both male and female, would have witnessed it. Even if she were saved, her soaked appearance would ruin her reputation.

Who would have thought it would be Xiao Jingcan who ended up in the water?

Seeing the black-clad girl, Dou Qingyue felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

In this lifetime, Dou Qingyue should not have known about the girl named little wolf, but having lived a second life, how could she not know that little wolf was her older male cousin’s personal bodyguard?

Her cousin even sent his personal bodyguard to someone else…

Her chest felt stifled, and she lost all interest in causing harm.

After such a frightening incident, the noble ladies left one after another. Haozhong and Raoliang nervously escorted the Young Madam Pei home.

Removing her disguise, Pei Xuan walked down the street with a sullen face.

Song Zizhen hadn’t expected her to be so furious. If they hadn’t stopped her, was Xingguang planning to kill Prince Huai with that stick?

He patted his still-frightened heart and whispered, “Let’s go back and have the Chancellor submit a memorial to the emperor to punish that bastard severely!”

“Indeed, trying to commit such a crime in broad daylight-if we can’t have him executed, we should at least drive him out of Xi Jing. Otherwise, who knows how many good women he’ll harm.”

The two of them went back and forth, discussing for nearly half an hour. Pei Xuan remained silent, ignoring their conversations. Zheng Wuji didn’t want to add to her distress and pulled Song Zizhen away.

Back home, Pei Xuan collapsed into a chair.

“Fujun, the Young Madam is back.”

As soon as Cui Ti entered, she saw her ‘husband’ with a troubled expression. Before she could speak, Bai Tang, who had been holding back, couldn’t help but complain to Pei Xuan.

“Cousin miss has a fair face but a dirty heart. She intentionally wanted to embarrass the Young Madam. When out and about, instead of helping each other as relatives, she teamed up with outsiders to scheme against her own family.

“My miss has been Young Madam Pei for several months now. If the Young Madam is not well, can the Fujun be well? And if the Fujun is not well, how can the Pei Family be well?”

Back home, Pei Xuan

Bai Tang’s pent-up words spilled out non-stop. Pei Xuan gently rubbed her forehead and suddenly stood up. “You all leave first!”

This sudden outburst made Bai Tang think Pei Xuan was taking her younger female cousin’s side and not believing her. Angrily, she assumed Pei Xuan was an ungrateful and blind gentleman.

“Let’s go!”

She motioned for Haozhong and Raoliang to leave.

As a servant maid, Bai Tang’s temper was even bigger than that of her actual master. Pei Xuan didn’t mind her rudeness and, looking into Cui Ti’s calm and gentle eyes, gradually felt her irritation subside.

Pei Xuan gestured for Cui Ti to come closer. Obediently, Cui Ti approached and, after a moment’s thought, sat on Pei Xuan’s lap, embracing her tightly.

Holding her soft waist, Pei Xuan felt a mix of guilt and tenderness. “Niangzi, tell me, did you suffer any grievances?”