Chapter 29 Slapping at the Banquet
Su Xiaoyu quickly got up, lifted her skirt, and ran towards the pavilion.
When she squeezed into the crowd, she saw that a number of young men and women had already gathered around the pavilion to watch the spectacle, each with a different expression.
The crowd was buzzing with discussion:
"What's going on? Why are they arguing?"
"It seems that Miss Xiao and Miss Du had a conflict. Look how sadly Miss Du is crying..."
"Last time, Miss Xiao pushed Miss Du into the water. Could she be doing it again this time?"
In the very center of the crowd, Xiao Lingxi was furious, her face flushed red and her chest heaving violently as she pointed at Du Tingting opposite her.
"You...you're spouting nonsense! You clearly ran right into this!"
Across from her, Du Tingting was being helped by her maid, a large, deep purple wine stain stained her once-beautiful skirt, making it particularly jarring.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, one hand covered her shoulder, and her voice was choked with sobs, as if she were filled with endless grievances.
“Lingxi, I… I know you’re angry with me because of what happened when I fell into the water last time. It’s all my fault, no matter what. I mustered up the courage to come here today, just to apologize to you sincerely in front of everyone and beg for your forgiveness… But why are you doing this to me?”
As she finished speaking, tears streamed down Du Tingting's face. "I only wanted to reconcile with you. If you weren't happy, I would have left. Why... why did you have to hit me and ruin my clothes? How... how am I supposed to explain this to the Imperial Concubine..."
Her maidservant chimed in, pointing at Xiao Lingxi and saying, "Second Miss Xiao, you've gone too far! My young lady sincerely apologized, and you not only didn't appreciate it, but how could you deliberately bump into someone? This dress was a gift from the Imperial Concubine; aren't you deliberately trying to embarrass our young lady?"
Through their singing, recitation, acting, and fighting, the master and servant portrayed Xiao Lingxi as a narrow-minded, unforgiving, arrogant, and domineering person who deliberately damaged the imperial gift.
Sure enough, the onlookers, unaware of what was going on, began to whisper among themselves:
"The second young lady of the Yongning Marquis's mansion has quite the temper..."
"Yes, Miss Du has already apologized so humbly, why bother..."
“Damaging the Imperial Concubine’s gifts is no small matter…”
Xiao Lingxi was almost bursting with rage!
She has a straightforward personality and hates this kind of roundabout scheming the most, but every time she meets Du Tingting, the other party uses this trick to provoke her, and it never fails.
Seeing Du Tingting's innocent and naive demeanor, and hearing the surrounding chatter, a surge of anger rushed to his head!
"Shut up!"
Xiao Lingxi shouted angrily, and before anyone could react, she stepped forward and slapped Du Tingting across the face!
"Smack!"
A crisp slap echoed around the pavilion. It was accompanied by Xiao Lingxi's warning:
"Du Tingting! If you dare to put on airs and spout nonsense here again, I'll beat you up every time I see you!"
Du Tingting staggered from the solid slap, and half of her face quickly swelled up.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment.
Everyone was stunned!
Du Tingting was also stunned by the blow, covering her face and looking at Xiao Lingxi in disbelief.
Then, in front of everyone, she burst into tears, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Her maidservant immediately screamed, "Someone's been assaulted! The second young lady of the Yongning Marquis's mansion has assaulted someone! Is there no law anymore?!"
The surrounding chatter instantly turned into exclamations and even harsher accusations:
"My God! She really did it!"
"That's outrageous!"
"If she dares to commit violence in full view of everyone, what else wouldn't she dare to do?"
"Quickly! Go and inform the Princess!"
Su Xiaoyu watched anxiously from the side!
[Oh no, with Second Miss's fiery temper, she's probably in deep trouble now. Du Tingting's move was too vicious! I have to think of something right now...]
Just as Su Xiaoyu was racking her brains to find a way to salvage the situation, Lin Wan'er stepped forward and stood between Xiao Lingxi and Du Tingting.
Her graceful posture instantly attracted everyone's attention.
"Everyone, please calm down." Lin Wan'er's voice was clear and calm, with an inexplicable air of persuasion.
“Sister Lingxi is straightforward, and Sister Du has been wronged. They are both in a bad mood right now, and their words and actions may be a bit extreme. If this matter disturbs Her Highness the Princess and spoils the guests’ enjoyment of the banquet, it would be unwise.”
She first blamed both sides equally, defining the conflict as "both sides were angry," and blurred the lines between right and wrong.
Then, she turned to Xiao Lingxi:
“Sister Lingxi, no matter what, it’s wrong to resort to violence, and Sister Du’s clothes… it’s such a pity. How about this, you apologize to Sister Du, and we can let this matter rest for now, so that others won’t laugh at us, okay?”
Then, she looked at Du Tingting, her tone reassuring:
"Sister Du, Sister Lingxi has already realized her mistake. Look, let her apologize to you, and then let my maid Qingdai accompany you to change your clothes. I have prepared a new dress. Although it is not as good as the one bestowed by the Imperial Concubine, it is still acceptable and can solve your immediate problem. Is that alright?"
Xiao Lingxi was trembling with rage. Apologize to that bitch Du Tingting? Absolutely not!
Just as she was about to explode without restraint, Su Xiaoyu, taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused on Lin Wan'er, quietly squeezed behind Xiao Lingxi, tugged at her sleeve, and whispered quickly:
"Second Miss, don't admit it! They're just trying to force you to confess so they can solidify the charges! When the Eldest Princess arrives, you should insist that Miss Du bumped into you on her own, that you were walking on the left, while her skirt was soaked on the right. You said you were framed by her and that you hit her in a fit of rage! The rest... is up to the Heir Apparent!"
Su Xiaoyu's words were like a wake-up call, instantly calming Xiao Lingxi down considerably.
Yeah! That bitch's skirt was clearly wet on the right side, but she was clearly walking on Du Tingting's left side!
Hurrah!
Xiao Lingxi took a deep breath, ignoring Lin Wan'er's 'well-intentioned' suggestion, and instead raised her head, saying to Du Tingting and Lin Wan'er:
“I appreciate Miss Lin’s kindness. But I have done nothing wrong! I will never apologize! It was Du Tingting who came to frame me. I hit her because her intentions were despicable! Everything is up to Her Highness the Princess to decide!”
Upon hearing Xiao Lingxi's words, Lin Wan'er's smile froze for a moment.
She cursed Xiao Lingxi inwardly, thinking she was an idiot who wouldn't listen to her arrangements.
If it weren't for wanting to make a good impression on everyone in the Marquis's mansion, she wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess.
Just then, a message came from outside the crowd:
"Gentlemen, Her Highness the Princess requests your presence!"
Upon hearing this news, Du Tingting's lips curled into a satisfied smile, while a calculating glint flashed in her eyes.
Xiao Lingxi's heart tightened at first, but remembering Su Xiaoyu's reminder and that her older brother was also there, she instantly calmed down.
Finally, each with their own thoughts, the group arrived at the main flower hall where the eldest princess was located.
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