With things turned out this way, the banquet could not continue. Seeing Xiao Shu'er's expression, the young ladies wisely bid farewell and left the boat shop.
Xiao Shu'er stood in the middle of the messy boatyard, panting heavily. Given her temperament, how could she possibly stand by and watch Meng Yuxiu leave with him so arrogantly after such a thing?
She really tormented her. Xiao Shu'er had never suffered such a loss since childhood, and she never wanted to suffer it again.
Meng Yuxiu was the man she had her eye on. As the dignified Princess, she would never allow Chang Lili, this wild country girl, to snatch Meng Yuxiu away.
But Chang Lili had given her some strange poison, and she was at her mercy, so she could only swallow her anger.
"An invisible and colorless poison?" Xiao Shu'er carefully recalled Chang Lili's words.
Although Chang Lili described the medicine as miraculous, making it seem like there was no other way but to get the antidote from her, Xiao Shuer still wanted to give it a try. After all, the Imperial Medical Academy in the palace had gathered the most outstanding doctors in the world.
After the guests had all left, Xiao Shu'er did not linger any longer.
"Bai Mei, let's go back to the palace."
Xiao Shu'er didn't pursue the matter, which Bai Mei found strange, but she didn't dare to ask any further questions.
Once inside the ornately decorated carriage, Xiao Shu'er gradually calmed down. As the carriage moved slowly forward, Xiao Shu'er thought that once she returned to the palace, she would definitely have the imperial physicians cure the strange poison in her body.
"Chang Lili, I will make you wish you were dead!" Xiao Shu'er suddenly said through gritted teeth in the carriage, making Bai Mei, who was standing next to her, shudder.
On the bustling street, the long neighing of horses suddenly rang out, the sound of galloping horses growing louder as they approached.
Xiao Shu'er's brow twitched, and she immediately recalled the scene of Meng Yuxiu and Chang Lili riding away together on a horse.
"Is it them? Is it Brother Meng and that bitch?" Xiao Shu'er asked impatiently, probably a little confused from anger.
Bai Mei wanted to say that it couldn't be them, since the General's Mansion didn't take this route this time, but Xiao Shu'er was so angry that she was like a pine needle, ready to ignite at any moment.
She could only obediently peek out of the carriage, then pulled her head back in surprise and said, "Princess, it's not General Meng, it's Young Master Hu."
"Cousin?" Xiao Shu'er asked in confusion.
Hearing that it wasn't Meng Yuxiu, she was clearly disappointed. She was also in a bad mood and didn't intend to pay any attention to her cousin.
But the next moment, a thought flashed through her mind, and she suddenly said, "Quick, stop my cousin!"
Bai Mei hurriedly went.
Hu Pin's voice came from outside the carriage: "Bai Mei? What are you doing here? Is someone in the carriage?"
Xiao Shuer quickly lifted the carriage curtain, displaying an unusual enthusiasm: "Cousin, I didn't expect to meet you here."
Her tearful appearance instantly softened Hu Pin's attitude, who was sitting on his horse with a hint of fierceness emanating from him.
"What's wrong with you?" Hu Pin, who had a fairly decent appearance, asked in surprise.
His cousin, a princess, was pampered since childhood and even he had to give her some respect. He had never seen her like this before.
Xiao Shu'er wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "It's a long story."
Afterwards, the two went to a nearby teahouse. Xiao Shu'er stood to the side with a frown, watching Bai Mei wipe the teahouse stools again and again until they were almost shiny with oil before she finally sat down.
As soon as they sat down, they began to weep and complain, naturally about Chang Lili's rudeness towards her. However, in front of Hu Pin, she still had to maintain her composure and couldn't be too blunt.
"She's just a commoner, she probably has her eye on the general's wife's position and wants to climb the social ladder, that's why she keeps pestering Brother Meng." Xiao Shu'er looked aggrieved.
"But she's been bothering Meng Yuxiu, so why is she bothering you again?" Hu Pin asked curiously.
"I... I only got a little closer to Brother Meng, and she started to bully me. I kindly invited her to the banquet, but she did the opposite. When we arrived, she humiliated me in every way. Brother Meng must have been bewitched. After she made a scene, he just took her away." Xiao Shu'er became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, and finally, blushing, she squeezed out two tears.
In fact, the story of Chang Lili and Xiao Shuer had already spread throughout the capital, and Hu Pin had also heard about it. It was said that Chang Lili did not take Xiao Shuer seriously at all.
He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, indignantly saying, "Cousin, don't be sad. This woman is so cunning and vicious, and so vain. Of course you can't handle her. You've suffered such injustice, and Meng Yuxiu still doesn't do anything about it. He's really disregarding etiquette. I'll go and teach them a lesson for you!"
After Hu Pin finished speaking, he walked out of the teahouse. In front of the teahouse, he handed his horse to the accompanying guards. At this moment, she took the horse back from the guards and also took back the knife hanging on the horse.
He stormed off, sword in hand.
Xiao Shu'er, looking delicate and frail, chased after him, calling out weakly, "Cousin, cousin, maybe you shouldn't go..."
When she reached the door, she could only see Hu Pin's departing figure. Her previous aggrieved expression vanished, replaced by a cold smile.
At the entrance of the General's Mansion, Chang Lili and Meng Yuxiu had just arrived, and the atmosphere between them was a bit strange.
Chang Lili wanted to ask Meng Yuxiu why he was in the boat shop, while also thinking about the delicious wine and food there. However, she hesitated several times because she could clearly sense that Meng Yuxiu had a stern face and seemed unhappy.
The two had just dismounted when a man rode up at full speed, exuding a murderous aura. To Meng Yuxiu and Chang Lili's astonishment, he drew his sword and charged at Chang Lili.
Chang Lili's mind raced, thinking that this was probably an assassin sent by Xiao Shu'er, and that she was the only one in the capital who wanted to kill her.
But then again, it seemed unlikely. After all, Xiao Shu'er thought she was poisoned and had been obedient just now. It was unlikely that she would act like this now.
Lost in her thoughts, she completely forgot to dodge the fatal blow. Fortunately, Meng Yuxiu reacted quickly and pulled her back, causing the knife to miss its target.
Upon recognizing the person on horseback, Meng Yuxiu coldly called out, "Hu Pin."
Knowing the visitors were hostile, he dismounted and coldly looked at the two men, saying, "General Meng, everyone says you keep a woman in your mansion. She's so beautiful that even the hardest steel has been melted into softness. I thought she was some kind of stunning beauty, but it turns out you only have this much taste."
Chang Lili naturally didn't recognize Hu Pin. She was probably frightened by his murderous attack just now, and asked in a daze, "You know each other? Who are you? I have no grudge against you, why are you trying to kill me?"
As she asked, she felt a lingering fear, lamenting her bad luck this year. After thinking about it, she realized that her luck had been bad ever since she met Meng Yuxiu.
Hu Pin sneered, "You may have no grudge against me, but you should at least know Princess Xiao Shu'er, right? She is my cousin. You have insulted her like this, so I have come to capture you, a lowly commoner who has disregarded the dignity of the royal family!"
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