Chapter 79 Covering Up

She dragged her tired body back to her seat.

As soon as Madam Xiao saw her enter, she immediately greeted her with concern, looking her up and down with undisguised heartache in her eyes.

"My dear child, what's wrong with you? Why are you like this? Are you feeling any better now?"

She never doubted that her Yuyao was a person with a strong appetite. When Yuyao entered the palace in the morning, she said she was not feeling well, which meant that there was a hidden problem. It was because she, as her mother, did not discover it sooner and take her home that Yuyao was embarrassed in front of so many people.

Madam Xiao was both worried and guilty. She checked Xiao Yuyao several times and saw that she was only a little pale and there was nothing else wrong, but she was still very upset.

"Mother, someone must have harmed me..."

Just as Xiao Yuyao shed two tears, she caught a glimpse of Xiao Yuxuan smiling radiantly beside the Fourth Prince.

The Emperor and Empress had already left. The most lively group now was a group of teenagers led by the Fourth Prince and Princess Min-young.

Xiao Yuxuan stood between Qi Huan and Qi Minying, her arm intimately linked with Qi Minying's, chatting with a group of young men and women of similar age, while Qi Huan—

His gaze kept falling on Xiao Yuxuan, and a gentle smile always graced his lips. He was clearly captivated by her!

Fine, let her be embarrassed, and then go and seduce the Fourth Prince yourself. Xiao Yuxuan is truly shameless!

Xiao Yuyao's words caught in her throat, leaving her speechless and unable to say anything.

"What? Someone's trying to harm you?! Is there something wrong with what you ate? But who would dare to be so audacious as to do such a despicable thing at a palace banquet!"

Madam Xiao didn't notice the momentary unease in her expression; after a brief thought, she denied it.

"Yuyao, this must be a misunderstanding. Didn't you say you weren't feeling well this morning? It's your mother who didn't consider your feelings. She should have taken you back a long time ago!"

"His Majesty and the Empress have already left their seats. I'll go and take my leave now, so you can go home and rest early and have the royal physician examine you..."

"No, I don't want to go back!"

In her haste, Xiao Yuyao instinctively interrupted Madam Xiao.

Seeing the other person's surprised expression, Xiao Yuyao quickly added:

“Mother, Yuyao means that since we’re going back, we should also ask Fifth Sister. Since we’re family, we should let her go back with us. But seeing her chatting happily with the princess and the others, I’m afraid she’s forgotten all about returning home…”

"Besides, she entered the palace with the Eldest Princess this morning. If other people who don't know the truth think that Fifth Sister doesn't like her family and is only trying to curry favor with the Eldest Princess, that would be bad."

These words struck a chord with Madam Xiao; not to mention others, she herself felt the same way.

But since she was facing another daughter, she didn't say it outright.

Madam Xiao had already harbored resentment since Qi Minying came to find Xiao Yuxuan.

One minute she's the eldest princess, the next she's Princess Minying. She really has a wonderful daughter. She hasn't even been able to show her filial piety to me much since she was found, and she's always running off to those powerful and wealthy people.

If she still cared about her family and knew how to repay them, that would be one thing. But instead, she was selfish and self-serving. Yu Yao was only worried that she wouldn't remember the rules in the Princess's mansion and wanted to help her out of kindness, but she was humiliated by her and her wicked servants.

Madam Xiao felt a surge of anger whenever she thought about that incident, and her expression turned even more unpleasant at that moment.

"Who cares what she does? She's ambitious, let her climb and see how high she can go. Let her fall down and come looking for us."

How could Xiao Yuyao not hear the resentment in Madam Xiao's heart?

But she couldn't let Xiao Yuxuan stay at the palace banquet and seduce the fourth prince.

It wasn't that she didn't trust the Fourth Prince, but since Xiao Yuxuan already knew about her affair with Xiao Jue, if she were to expose it, the Fourth Prince would dislike her even more.

Today's events were just an accident, and she wouldn't let such a small thing defeat her.

“Mother, that is true, but Fifth Sister is, after all, a daughter of the Xiao family. If outsiders criticize her, Father and Mother’s reputation will also be affected. Yuyao should go and ask her.”

Madam Xiao looked reluctant, "Don't take what those people said to heart..."

Xiao Yuyao gave a broken smile: "Mother, Yuyao is alright."

As soon as she approached, noble ladies saw her, gathered in twos and threes, and covered their noses with handkerchiefs while laughing, their eyes full of undisguised mockery.

Xiao Yuyao was once the most popular girl in the capital, the envy of all the noble ladies. But now? She's lost face at the palace banquet.

Xiao Yuxuan had been keeping an eye on Madam Xiao's movements and saw her approaching immediately.

As expected of Xiao Yuyao, she adapted so quickly and acted so nonchalantly.

A hint of embarrassment appeared on her face as she stepped out of the crowd and blocked Xiao Yuyao's path.

"Fourth Sister, are you looking for the Fourth Prince? They're talking, so it's best not to disturb them. If we disturb them, our Xiao family really can't afford to offend them..."

With just a few words, he exposed Xiao Yuyao's plan and reopened her old wounds.

"How could I possibly disturb the Fourth Prince? Fifth Sister, are you saying this because you also dislike me as your older sister?"

Xiao Yuyao suppressed her nausea and did not shake off her hand, her face showing a hint of timidity and sadness, as if she were the most innocent and pitiful person.

"Fourth sister, since you're not feeling well, you should go home quickly."

Xiao Yuxuan stood beside the dazzling palace lanterns, her whole being enveloped in a layer of radiance, which inexplicably added a touch of compassion and pity to her.

It was as if they were pitying her, that all her scheming had been in vain.

Xiao Yuyao's face contorted in a grimace for a moment.

Several girls nearby had already overheard the conversation and chimed in:

"Yes, Miss Xiao cares about you so much, you should go home quickly, so as not to displease the nobles again, hehe."

"You used to say you were worried that Miss Xiao Wu hadn't learned proper etiquette, but now it seems that you, the one who usurped the place, are the more vulgar one."

Xiao Yuyao stood there, swaying precariously, biting her lower lip, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I was caught off guard today and fell into their trap. In these fourteen years, have I ever disgraced the Xiao family? Waaah..."

She was sobbing softly, and some busybodies noticed something was wrong and asked:

"You mean someone is trying to harm you? Do you have any evidence?"

Xiao Yuxuan frowned. Even at this point, Xiao Yuyao still wouldn't give up?

When Xiao Yuyao saw people gathering around to ask questions, she felt that she had regained some ground. After all, she had known these girls since childhood, and she knew their tendency to enjoy watching the drama unfold.

As long as the fire doesn't burn them directly, they can choose whom to speak for with a mere thought.

Since Xiao Yuxuan wants to ruin her, she'll have to see if she'll admit defeat.

Caihe, who was behind her, looked like she could no longer hold back. She took half a step forward and said sternly:

"Since Fifth Miss is still so stubborn, this servant will no longer cover for you."

"Fifth Miss, do you dare tell everyone where Chunwen, who's always by your side, has gone?!"