Nan Shiying swallowed the tea in her mouth and twirled her cup, looking at Hui’an. "Princess Hui’an, this joke is not funny at all!"
"Does Her Highness think Hui’an is joking?"
"I hope you are joking!" Nan Shiying’s lips curved upward, a smile even in her eyes. The sky was overcast today, as if it might rain at any moment. A gust of wind carrying dampness blew into the pavilion, and Hui’an shivered inexplicably. Her hand on the table suddenly clenched into a fist.
A hint of panic spread through her heart!
Her voice was a little dry, and under Nan Shiying's gaze, whose smile held a chilling light, she spoke the words. "Unfortunately, I am not joking!"
"The reason!" Nan Shiying put down her teacup and asked.
Hui’an replied, "A hunch!"
"A hunch?" Nan Shiying raised her eyebrows slightly. The air pressure in the pavilion dropped lower, making it difficult to breathe.
"And understanding!"
"Understanding Yu Chengxuan!"
Hui’an quickly explained, fearing Nan Shiying would leave at any moment. "Yu Chengxuan would not have to marry Nan Yuan’er solely because of her destiny as empress!"
"He doesn't believe in fate, never has!"
Yu Chengxuan did not believe in fate; he was unwilling to believe and disdained to believe. Therefore, Hui’an did not believe he would insist on marrying Nan Yuan’er because of her empress destiny. Perhaps it was because she was an outsider that Hui’an's perspective was different and broader. During the palace banquet that day, Hui’an had seen Yu Chengxuan looking at Nan Shiying more than once.
She sat beside him and couldn't see the look in his eyes clearly, but she was certain that Yu Chengxuan was looking at Nan Shiying.
Nan Shiying clicked her tongue. "It's all just your speculation!"
"Hui’an, who do you want to marry?"
Nan Shiying was too lazy to listen to her groundless conjectures. Whether Yu Chengxuan wanted to marry Nan Yuan’er or was still plotting against her, with her and Ji Jinmo present, whatever he wanted to obtain or stir up would ultimately be in vain.
She was reminding Hui’an that instead of saying these useless things, she should think about whom to marry to maximize her own interests!
Hui’an fell silent.
She had indeed considered a few candidates. "The Liu Manor, the Qin Manor... the Nan Manor!"
"Liu Cheng, Qin Mo, Nan Yujin!"
"Heh, good choices!"
The first two were well-known dissolute youths in the capital, frequent visitors to brothels and casinos. If one day they were to die of a sudden stroke during coitus in a brothel, no one would be surprised.
As for the last candidate, Nan Yujin!
This meant that in her heart, she had already decided to target the Nan Manor.
"Just Nan Yujin!"
Nan Shiying had initially intended to trouble Hui’an by having her become the second wife of that old lecher Qin Qiancheng, but Nan Yujin was also not bad!
"Alright!"
Hui’an nodded in agreement.
"I... be careful!"
Hui’an was about to say something more when she caught sight of a figure rushing rapidly towards Nan Shiying. Hui’an cried out a warning in alarm.
But the person's movements were too fast. In a blink, she reached Nan Shiying, grabbed the teacup from the table, and flung it at her. Nan Shiying dodged to the right, and the scalding tea grazed her sideburns, splashing onto the ground behind her.
"Qin Yushan?"
Who did she think it was? Wasn't this the useless daughter of that old lecher Qin Qiancheng?
Nan Shiying had never seen such a simple-minded, atrophied idiot. After many days, she had not improved at all, still so reckless and volatile.
Lü Wan rushed into the pavilion and grabbed Qin Yushan's hair. Qin Yushan instantly turned, her palm chopping like a knife towards Lü Wan’s wrist. Lü Wan pressed down on the wrist holding her hair, grasped her wrist, and bent it inward. Then, she lifted her foot and kicked Qin Yushan squarely in the knee.
With a "crack~," something seemed to snap.
A scream erupted and immediately spread.
After subduing Qin Yushan, Lü Wan apologized to Nan Shiying. "Your servant's guard was not sufficient. Please punish me, Your Highness."
The lake was divided into two sides. Lü Wan guarded one side, but Qin Yushan charged from the other. Her reaction was already very swift.
Nan Shiying waved her hand and looked down at Qin Yushan.
She picked up the teapot at hand, lifted the lid and set it aside. With two fingers, she lifted the teapot and brought it over Qin Yushan's head. She tilted it slightly, and scalding tea poured from the spout.
"Ah..."
The tea cascaded from Qin Yushan's head, and piercing screams echoed.
Qin Yushan's scalp blistered from the heat, and her face turned completely red. The high temperature damaged the subcutaneous tissue of her face, causing it to contract. In some places, blisters formed, while in others, the skin looked visibly distorted.
The people who rushed over at the sound gasped at the sight, their gazes filled with fear as they looked at Nan Shiying.
This one was truly ruthless!
"Nan... Your Highness, please calm your anger!"
Madam Liu, having heard the commotion, rushed into the pavilion. After a single glance at Qin Yushan, she quickly shifted her gaze, and her intended scolding turned into a respectful plea.
Nan Shiying looked at Madam Liu. Although Madam Liu was standing and she was sitting, there was a commanding presence of looking down from a high position. Madam Liu's hands, hidden beneath her sleeves, clenched into fists. At this moment, she wished she could pick up the teapot and smash it onto Nan Shiying's head, and then use the shattered pieces to scratch Nan Shiying’s increasingly beautiful face. Madam Liu regretted more than once not having killed Nan Shiying back then, thus leaving such a future trouble, forcing herself to bow to this vixen!
"Calm my anger?" Nan Shiying gave a cold laugh and pointed at Qin Yushan. "She attempted assassination, deliberately disrupting the alliance between Lin Yuan and Da Li, and instigating conflict between the two countries. Her intentions are so malicious and evil, I suspect she is a remnant of Miao Jiang or Xi Liang. What, Madam Liu, do you wish to harbor her? Could it be that you are also a remnant of Miao Jiang and Xi Liang?"
"No, no, this humble woman is not!" Madam Liu backed away several steps in fear.
How wicked her heart was, to label Qin Yushan as a remnant and to drag her into it as well. Just thinking about the fate of families connected to Miao Jiang and Xi Liang sent a chill through Madam Liu, making her legs weak and almost unable to stand.
Nan Yuan’er arrived in time and supported Madam Liu's unsteady body.
"Your Highness is joking. My mother..."
"Mother?"
"Miss Nan, you are indeed well-taught. I recall that although Madam Liu holds a noble title, she is merely a concubine. You have a legitimate mother, yet you call Madam Liu 'mother'?"
"Could it be that I am ignorant, or is this how the Nan Manor conducts itself?"
Nan Shiying's words were sharp, turning Nan Yuan'er's face pale. Nan Yuan’er had never imagined that just by calling out 'mother,' she would be so ridiculed and scolded by Nan Shiying.
She gritted her teeth, not daring to retort.
Now Nan Shiying was a princess consort, while she was merely the daughter of a minor court official. Previously, she had the Empress Dowager's protection. But for some reason, the Empress Dowager had not summoned her to the palace for service in a long time. The Emperor still had no intention of bringing her into the palace. If it weren't for the fact that Daoist Master Yun Qingzi had said her destiny had not changed a few days ago, she would have thought she was disfavored by the royal family!
She lowered her head and said, "It's just that this humble daughter was worried about her aunt and spoke mistakenly. It is by no means the rule of the Nan Manor. I beg Your Highness to see clearly!"