Chapter Ninety-Five: Hair-Tearing Flowers

However, Song Yiqiu clearly saw that Ruan Jiawen's posture in gripping the reins was very strange, and that he would occasionally adjust the direction slightly as they approached, showing skill in every aspect, and there was no trace of panic on his face.

She was wary, unsure of the other party's intentions, and could only skillfully maneuver her horse to avoid them.

After two or three rounds of this maneuvering, Song Yiqiu keenly noticed that although Ruan Jiawen was intentionally aggressive, she would always cleverly avoid certain areas of grass.

Within that small space, she always seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally trying to drive her horse to another patch of grass.

It's a trap!

Song Yiqiu already had a guess in her mind. She pretended to be driven out of control by Ruan Jiawen, and accidentally let go of the riding whip in her hand, poking at the strangely colored grass.

The next second, the seemingly flat turf suddenly sank, revealing fresh soil underneath, clearly indicating that it had been turned over beforehand.

"My God! That meadow is hollow!"

"Here we go again! Another trap?"

"Are they trying to make Miss Song stumble this time? How vicious!"

"Who is it that has repeatedly sabotaged the Emperor's presence!"

The crowd erupted in uproar and murmurs. This time, it wasn't just out of sympathy for Song Yiqiu, but also because there were other noble ladies present, and people were worried about their safety.

Song Yiqiu looked up at Steward Yan, who was wiping the fine sweat from his brow with nervousness:

"Lord Yan, why is the turf here so soft? Was it neglected to be compacted in order to plant new grass?"

"These wild horses are easily startled. If any of your horses were to accidentally trample them, they could be frightened and injure someone. Please advise, sir, whether we should take a detour?"

Song Sang, standing in the stands, spoke with such intensity that she almost ground her teeth to powder, her silk handkerchief twisted into a pretzel:

"That good-for-nothing Ruan Jiawen can't even do this little thing right!"

Manager Yan's face turned ashen, and cold sweat poured down his back. With accidents happening one after another, he would likely be held responsible.

After rushing over to check, he knelt down with a thud:

"Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Highness, please forgive me! This place...this place has been thoroughly checked by this servant, and there is absolutely no problem. It must be...it must be someone who deliberately sabotaged it. This servant failed to supervise properly and deserves to die."

The emperor, seated on his high throne, had a dark expression on his face.

He detested nothing more than such intrigue and backstabbing at a grand banquet, and was now waving his hand in annoyance.

Song Yiqiu feigned innocence, her gaze sweeping across the crowd. Soon, she spotted a servant boy with a strange expression next to Ruan Jiawen, who was about to sneak away.

She immediately pointed, pretending not to care:

"Hey? Young man, I think I saw you lingering here for a while, looking flustered. Do you know why the grass turned out like this?"

When the servant was called out in public, his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground. After being dragged to the center by the guards, he could only kowtow with tears streaming down his face.

"My lord, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life! Yes...yes..."

His gaze flickered in terror toward Ruan Jiawen's direction.

Ruan Jiawen was terrified and instinctively looked to Song Sangyu in the stands for help:

"Sister Sangyu! Help me! This...this has nothing to do with me!"

In her heart, Song Sangyu cursed Ruan Jiawen for being an idiot—why was she dragging her into this now?—but she forced a calm expression and hurriedly stood up to explain:

“Your Majesty, please understand! This matter has nothing to do with me. I know Sister Ruan’s character and integrity. This servant must be deaf and blind, making baseless accusations.”

Seeing that the two were trying to distance themselves, the servant, in order to protect himself, could no longer care about anything else and hurriedly spoke:

“It was Miss Ruan! It was Miss Ruan who ordered me to do it! She said... that it was Miss Song's idea, and that as long as Miss Song is embarrassed, there will be a big reward afterwards.”

"You're talking nonsense!"

Song Sangyu screamed in rebuttal, her face turning bright red.

"When did I order you around! Ruan Jiawen, don't try to pin this on me for what you've done!"

Ruan Jiawen also became anxious:

"Song Sangye! You were the one who asked me to tamper with the divination blocks and to arrange for people to loosen the turf. Now you want to pin it all on me?"

The two started arguing on the spot, disregarding all decorum, and each exposed the other's shortcomings. The onlookers, however, found it amusing and enjoyed the spectacle.

It's common for daughters of officials to frame and scheme against each other, but it's rare for it to come to light.

Amidst the chaos, Fu Langxing, who had been standing beside Song Sangyu, turned his head in confusion and stared at her in disbelief.

Unable to believe that her usually gentle and kind sister Sangyu would get involved in such a petty squabble among noble ladies, she spoke with difficulty:

"Sang Yu... tell me, is this... really related to you?"

Song Sangyu's heart skipped a beat. When she met Fu Langxing's disappointed eyes, she panicked instantly.

She quickly grabbed Fu Langxing's sleeve, tears welling up in her eyes, sobbing uncontrollably, her voice filled with endless grievance:

"Young Master Fu! How can you not believe me? Even you doubt me? This is clearly a group of villains who can't stand to see me doing well and have conspired to frame me!"

"You should know my temperament. I can't even bear to step on an ant, how could I do such a vicious thing? Brother Langxing, look at me, don't you believe me?"

She tried desperately to explain, attempting to find that unconditional trust she used to have in Fu Langxing's eyes.

Fu Langxing, contrary to his usual behavior, remained silent, slowly pulling his sleeve from her hand and gazing into the distance, no longer looking at the woman beside him.

"Enough!" Song Qingming, the father, could no longer hold back and suddenly stood up, his face turning frighteningly pale.

He strode to the center of the arena, bowed deeply in the direction of the emperor,

"Your Majesty! I have failed in my duty to manage my household properly, resulting in such a despicable act that has disturbed Your Majesty's presence and defiled the place. I... am guilty beyond redemption even if I die ten thousand times!"

He wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground; his whole family was a handful.

The emperor, displeased as he watched the farce escalate, waved his hand dismissively.

"Minister Song, the Autumn Hunt is a grand national ceremony, yet someone has resorted to such underhanded tricks here. It is truly disappointing. Since this matter involves your Song family, I order you to investigate thoroughly and give me, and Miss Song, an explanation!"

"My lord, I obey the order!"

Song Qingming's back was soaked with cold sweat. Knowing that the emperor had already shown mercy, he dared not say anything more.

Song Yiqiu remained seated on her horse, calmly gazing at the judge, her demeanor as composed as ever.

"My lord, since this place is inconvenient to pass through, may I be permitted to change my route and continue the exhibition?"

Manager Yan readily agreed, eager to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

Song Yiqiu pulled on the reins, guiding the now-tamed wild horse, and demonstrated her riding skills along the new route.

She stood tall and straight, and was skilled at riding horses. Even though she had just been framed, she remained calm and composed.

She just didn't expect that Song Sangyu had a backup plan.

A tiger's roar startled Song Yiqiu.