Chapter 27
Xie Qinghong hadn't expected that she would be stopped on her way back after just regretting the prize. Qiu Ran had someone bring the prize to her, and with an elegant air, he fanned himself with a folding fan and said, "I heard that Miss Xie likes this. It was not in vain that I overpowered everyone to win the championship. I specially brought it to make you smile. Is that alright?"
Cai Tou is a new fruit-filled rice dumpling launched by the most famous dim sum restaurant in the city. It is available in limited quantities every day and is in high demand due to its novelty and deliciousness. Xie Qinghong tried a few and found that the taste was sweet but not cloying, which suited her better than plain sugar rice dumplings.
"No need, I don't like it. I'm afraid Mr. Qiu has made a mistake." Xie Qinghong avoided his outstretched hand and frowned slightly.
Qiu Ran was a little embarrassed after being rejected in public. His gaze fell on the top of her head, and he suddenly sneered: "Miss Xie, there's no need to be so fierce. You're still wearing the flower crown your lover gave you. Why can't you accept my fruit rice dumpling? I wonder what that supposedly cruel Prince of the South would think if he heard that his fiancée was being affectionate with another man?"
Her cousin stared wide-eyed, never expecting Qiu Ran to be so shameless. She was about to say that he wasn't some lover at all, but clearly the Prince of Nan himself, who was far more gentle than her. But Xie Qinghong stopped her before she could speak.
Xie Qinghong smiled and said, "Then Young Master Qiu can tell the Prince of Nan for me, I won't tell him myself."
Qiu Ran sneered: "With Miss Xie's words, I will certainly pass on the message another day. Although Huaizhou is not under the jurisdiction of the Southern King, it is still in the south. My father has sat and drunk wine with the Southern King, and even the Southern King's heir has to call himself a junior and respectfully address my father as Uncle. You should consider what I'm saying."
Xie Qinghong slightly raised his chin, and a hint of disdain naturally showed: "I thought it was some kind of relationship. Young Master Qiu's word is law. Go and talk to Pei Du and have him come to me. I'll be waiting for you anytime."
After saying that, she led her cousin past him without giving him a second glance, infuriating him, but he was still wary of her status and dared not stop her again. After walking for a while, her cousin couldn't help but laugh out loud: "If he knew that today was the Prince of Nan, he would probably turn green with rage."
Xie Qinghong chuckled. How could she let herself suffer a loss? This person had insulted her first, and she was determined to teach him a lesson. So she reminded her cousin, "Don't tell anyone. I'm waiting for him."
My cousin's mind raced, and she immediately understood: "Don't worry, cousin, I'll keep my mouth shut and see what other tricks he has up his sleeve. I just never expected that he would be so shameless, someone everyone always said was so refined and handsome! We were all wrong about him!"
Xie Qinghong said, "So it's alright if the inside is just a straw man, but it's terrible if the inside is full of filth. No matter what, a person with a dirty mind is unacceptable. He has lost face today, so he is using the belittling of me to elevate himself. If my conduct is improper, then he has no fault."
She could guess what Qiu Ran would do next, so she spared no effort to smear her, accusing her of having an affair and leaving her speechless. After all, in his opinion, she did receive a flower crown from a strange man on the Dragon Boat Festival. If others had noticed, they would have thought that she and the man were behaving intimately and had been secretly having an affair for a long time.
As expected, Qiu Ran did not show himself, but instead ordered his men to spread the rumor that "the Xie family's daughter secretly met her lover under the willow tree on the Dragon Boat Festival." It was indeed one of his servants who saw her that day while strolling on the street. The servant knew that Qiu Ran had taken a liking to the Xie family's daughter since the day she arrived in Huaizhou, but he had suppressed his feelings because she was already engaged to the notoriously cruel Prince of the South. He did not try to provoke her as before.
But he happened to see the Xie family's daughter and her lover having a secret rendezvous. Wasn't this just handing her leverage? If he used this to blackmail her, noble ladies value their reputations, so he wasn't afraid she wouldn't back down. If she didn't back down, then he could just spread the rumors and use gossip to trample her into the mud, waiting for the Prince of Nan's mansion to annul the engagement and hold him accountable. Then, he could reach out and help her out—wouldn't that be a piece of cake?
They were used to doing this kind of thing back in their hometown. It was only in the last year or two since they came to Huaizhou that the young master had been restrained and become more discreet, and the servants had all settled down. But even though they hadn't done it for a long time, their skills hadn't become rusty.
The servants first spread some gossip within the academy. The academy was divided into male and female sections; the male section was called White Crane Academy, and the female section was called White Deer Academy. Their plan was to spread the word first within White Deer Academy, so that the women there would already dislike this young lady from a prominent family in Wangjing. If they learned of her improper behavior, they would inevitably isolate her, leaving her with no one to talk to in the academy.
Don't underestimate the power of this tactic. Being ostracized can bring out the cowardice in a person's heart. The ostracized person will wonder if they did something wrong, and will try to change themselves to gain recognition. They may also give in to depravity and fall into ruin.
After delivering the message, the servant returned to report: "Don't worry, sir. I will make that Xie girl suffer. The girls from Bailu Academy are all learned and proud, and they will definitely not want to associate with her anymore. I will go to Baihe Academy again tomorrow to deliver the message. You can say a few words then, and the matter will be settled."
Qiu Ran lay lazily on the couch, and sneered upon hearing this: "I have never actually used this method to coerce a noble lady, but who told her to be so unruly? This Huaizhou is my territory. Since she has come here by mistake, I can only personally teach her some manners. Heh, it's more interesting to see a high-and-mighty noble lady break her spine and fall into the mud."
The servant flattered, "Young master's methods are truly brilliant. No matter how fierce those girls were in the past, didn't they all beg you not to abandon them in the end? Although this family has a higher social standing, they were all betrothed to the Prince of the South. They must not be favored by their families, otherwise how could they have come to the South?"
Qiu Ran agreed wholeheartedly and casually tossed a silver coin: "You've done a good job this time, this is a reward for you. However, the Xie family is also a prominent clan, so marrying her isn't out of the question, as long as she's decent." He was really tired of staying in Huaizhou, and finally had some hope.
The next day, Xie Qinghong arrived at the academy and before he could even sit down, he was immediately surrounded by several classmates who asked him questions with concern:
"Qinghong, for some reason, some bad things have been circulating today. Did you offend some villain?"
“They must be jealous of our Qinghong. Spreading rumors out of thin air is despicable! I don’t think these rumors are circulating outside. They’re just being deliberately spread in our academy. Let’s investigate and find out where the source is and root them out.”
"Qinghong, don't worry, we all believe in you!"
Xie Qinghong had learned about the endearing qualities of these classmates from her cousin yesterday. Seeing their righteous indignation now, she couldn't help but feel a little touched and deliberately asked with a smile, "What are you spreading?"
"Some people say you secretly met your lover yesterday and even wore the floral crown he gave you..."
Xie Qinghong said, "The secret meeting was a lie, but wearing the flower crown was real."
The classmates were silent for a moment, then resumed their enthusiastic discussion:
"What kind of floral crown is that? Oh dear, it's a pity I didn't see it yesterday."
"Qinghong is so beautiful and talented, it's not surprising that she has a few admirers. Those who spread rumors must have never seen anything like this."
"The hollyhocks and gardenias behind the academy are in bloom. I planted them myself. Qinghong, shall we pick some to make flower crowns? I'm sure mine will be prettier than theirs!"
After class, the group went hand in hand to the back garden to pick flowers to make flower crowns. The servant who had spread the rumor sneaked over to inquire, but upon seeing this scene, he couldn't help but doubt whether he had actually spread the news. Wasn't everyone saying that the women in this academy were all aloof? Why were they so affectionate with that Xie family girl?
He reasoned that their intimacy was merely superficial, a pretense born of the Xie family's power. Therefore, it was time to proceed to the next step.
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