Free Web NovelChapter 69: Chapter 45: This Must Be a Reincarnated Pig
Song Yunzhao felt a headache coming on. She was in no mood to deal with a bunch of two-faced people, so she looked to He Lan Yun. "County Princess, for the sake of the rapport we’ve built today, could I trouble you to fend them off for me?"
’So now you see my value.’ He Lan Yun cleared her throat, casting a smug glance at Song Yunzhao. "Look at you, so pathetic."
Song Yunzhao: ...
’Fine. Since I’m the one asking for a favor, I’ll endure it.’
Song Yunzhao quickly washed her face and hands and changed her clothes. Song Yexi had not yet returned when a cacophony of chattering voices drifted in from outside. It seemed everyone was back from Qiushui Pavilion.
Soon enough, there was a knock on Song Yunzhao’s door. A gentle voice called from outside, "Miss Song, we were all so worried about you and came to visit. May we come in?"
The voice was unfamiliar; Song Yunzhao couldn’t place it. ’We’re clearly not destined to be friends, so why bother with this pointless socializing? I refuse to waste my life on this.’
In that brief moment of hesitation, another voice spoke up from outside. "This Miss Song certainly puts on airs. We all came to see her out of the goodness of our hearts, and now we can’t even get through the door. I suppose she’s truly not one of us anymore."
Those words, dripping with sour grapes, made He Lan Yun see red. She immediately shot back, "Which family do you belong to? State your name! I’d like to see what gives you the right to say such a thing. Did you know Song Yunzhao before this? Are you friends? You want to visit her, so she has to let you in? Who do you think you are? A Bodhisattva in a temple that people must bow down to on sight?"
The moment He Lan Yun’s voice rang out, the crowd outside fell instantly silent.
Everyone knew this Princess Ming’an had a foul temper. If she hadn’t started a dispute with Qin Xiyue today, would those two concubines have ended up in the water?
It was said they were just unlucky and slipped, but if her personality weren’t so aggressive and unrelenting, people wouldn’t be so afraid that they’d go out of their way to avoid her.
Song Yunzhao gave He Lan Yun a thumbs-up.
He Lan Yun huffed and lifted her chin, as if scorning Song Yunzhao for not daring to show her own face. She then strode outside, pulling the door open only to shut it firmly behind her, cutting off any curious gazes that might try to peer inside.
Song Yunzhao tutted. ’She’s far too easy to provoke. No wonder people are always making her fly off the handle.’
’But it’s also kind of cute sometimes.’
Song Yunzhao felt a pang of guilt. ’If I’d known she was like this, I would have gone a little easier on her during our argument.’
As He Lan Yun stood there, the crowd outside subconsciously took a step back, and the look on everyone’s face soured.
"Who was it that just spoke?"
No one answered.
He Lan Yun sneered. "All that talk and not an ounce of courage to back it up."
Just then, Qin Xiyue, Lu Zhixue, and a few others arrived, fashionably late. Hearing her words, they all looked over in unison.
Not far behind them, Song Qinghan and Zhao Xiaoyu trailed along as well.
"Princess Ming’an, must you be so overbearing? We only came here out of goodwill," someone in the crowd said, displeased.
"Goodwill? It looks to me like you’re here to fish for information. Don’t use ’goodwill’ as an excuse, and don’t think for a second that people can’t see your petty little schemes." He Lan Yun’s eyes fixed on a pretty young woman in the crowd, the mockery in her gaze undisguised.
"You... you’ve gone too far!"
"Oh? And so what if I have? You know perfectly well that Song Yunzhao is still unwell, and a patient needs to rest. But look at all of you, forcing a visit like this. It seems to me you’re hoping she’ll get so exhausted she’ll be bedridden for good."
Those were hardly kind words, and they managed to offend everyone at once. Even those who had genuinely come with good intentions were now so angry they turned and stormed off.
Seeing one person leave, the others awkwardly followed. Staying any longer would just be humiliating.
With the crowd driven away, He Lan Yun’s mood improved immensely. She turned to look at Qin Xiyue and her companions. "Well? Are you here to pay a visit too?" fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
After a display like that, they couldn’t possibly say yes.
Lu Zhixue glared at He Lan Yun, her displeasure plain. "What an impressive show of power, Princess Ming’an. How could humble women like us dare contend with a County Princess? Why don’t you continue standing guard here for her? We have to go back and get some proper rest; we have no time to be visiting anyone."
Lu Zhixue’s expression soured. She spat out these words, then turned and went back to her own room, slamming the door shut with force.
Not wanting to lose face by arguing with He Lan Yun, Qin Xiyue simply nodded to Han Jinyi and Fan Qingru before turning to return to her own room as well.
Fan Qingru held no grudge against He Lan Yun. She was from the Han State Duke Mansion, and her family had regular dealings with Duke Zhen’s Mansion, so she simply nodded at He Lan Yun before returning to her room.
Han Jinyi also had nothing to say to He Lan Yun, but her disposition had always been proper and poised. She took a step, then looked back at He Lan Yun and said in a low voice, "County Princess, was that really necessary?"
He Lan Yun looked at Han Jinyi. "You’re a perfectly fine young lady. Why do you spend all day acting like one of those wooden fish in a prayer hall? What’s the fun in that?"
That was enough to send Han Jinyi storming off as well. ’No good deed goes unpunished,’ she thought.
’I was just trying to advise her to rein it in a little, to not make an enemy of everyone, and what does she do? She calls me a wooden fish!’
He Lan Yun’s gaze finally landed on Song Qinghan and her companion, but before she could open her mouth, the pair turned and walked away.
’Tsk. No fun at all.’
’That verbal beating from Song Yunzhao that left me practically bleeding internally wasn’t for nothing. All those lessons on how to curse people out from my family’s matrons paid off. If I had learned all this earlier, would I have ever let Song Yunzhao get the upper hand?’
Having berated everyone into leaving, He Lan Yun returned to her room triumphantly. But after she sat down and thought it over, she started to feel like she’d gotten a raw deal. She’d just been a big sucker for Song Yunzhao.
In the room next door, Song Yunzhao was already eating the meal her cousin had brought back for her. The two of them ate together at the same table.
"I never would have guessed the County Princess was so warm-hearted. You really can’t tell from her usual demeanor," Song Yexi sighed. "If she hadn’t stepped in, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to stop all those people today." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Song Yunzhao picked up a piece of stir-fried bamboo shoots with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth. After swallowing, she heard her cousin’s words and said slowly, "She’s not so bad."
Song Yexi shot her a look. "You have to thank the County Princess properly. You can’t just let her help you for nothing. What do you think would be a good way to thank her?"
Song Yunzhao replied, "Ms. Xi, you don’t need to worry about it. I have it under control. The County Princess wouldn’t care for any ordinary gift. I know what to do."
"As long as you have it handled. Just let me know if you need my help."
"Of course."
After the two finished their meal, a palace maid came to clear away the bowls and chopsticks.
Song Yunzhao considered for a moment, then looked at Song Yexi. "Tonight, Song Qinghan will definitely try to get information from you, Ms. Xi. I need you to do me a favor."
Song Yexi looked at Yun Zhao. "What kind of favor?"
Song Yunzhao gave a particularly innocent smile. "If Song Qinghan asks you what’s going on, just tell her the truth."
Song Yexi paused for a moment, then a smile spread across her face. "That’s an excellent idea."
’Chief Steward Zhang’s attitude toward Yun Zhao today was so respectful and nervous. If Song Qinghan finds out, she’ll probably burn with anxiety and anger. Knowing her personality, she definitely won’t just sit back and wait for things to happen. This should be fun to watch.’
