"Ah! Stop it! Stop it quickly!"
Princess Yongjia was so frightened that her face turned pale and her scream pierced the sky. There was no trace of her previous arrogance and pride left.
Her guards rushed forward in a flurry to stop her, and the scene immediately descended into chaos. Princess Yongjia tripped over her own magnificent skirt while trying to avoid them, and fell to the ground in a sorry state, covered in dust, her hair disheveled, and her gold hairpin askew, looking utterly miserable.
Xin Jiuwei slowly stood up, brushing the grass clippings off her clothes. Her face was pale, and she was slightly out of breath, but her eyes were clear and calm. She looked at Princess Yongjia, who was being helped up by guards not far away, trembling with anger, pointing at her and unable to speak, "You, you..." A faint, yet chilling smile curved her lips:
“Princess, your precious horse is indeed quite ‘fierce.’ I, Jiuwei, am not learned enough to ‘tame’ it, and I almost caused you to be frightened. I am truly ashamed.” She gave a slight curtsy, her posture respectful, but her words were like a resounding slap in Yongjia’s face.
Just then, a clear, deep voice came: "What's going on?"
The crowd parted, and Xiao Xun, dressed in black riding attire, rode up with a tall and straight posture. His gaze swept over the disheveled and furious Yongjia, then fell on Xin Jiuwei, who, though somewhat disheveled, stood ramrod straight with a cold look in her eyes, and finally settled on the subdued "Chasing Wind," whose rump was adorned with a white jade hairpin and which was still neighing violently.
"Sixth...Sixth Imperial Brother!" Princess Yongjia cried out as if she had seen a savior when she saw Xiao Xun, "It's her! Xin Jiuwei! She deliberately startled the horse to harm me! Imperial Brother, you must avenge me!"
Xiao Xun frowned slightly and turned his gaze to Xin Jiuwei: "Xin Jiuwei, you speak."
Xin Jiuwei met his gaze without flinching, her voice clear and calm: "Your Highness, the Princess kindly lent me her horse for a test ride. However, the horse was wild and suddenly went out of control. To protect myself, I had no choice but to injure the horse and escape. Disturbing the Princess was certainly not my intention." She avoided Yongjia's accusation of tampering with the horse, stating only the facts and leaving the choice to Xiao Xun.
Xiao Xun's gaze lingered on her calm, expressionless face for a moment, then fell upon the blood-stained jade hairpin, a barely perceptible flicker passing through the depths of his eyes. He turned to Yongjia, his voice icy and unyielding: "Yongjia, you knew this horse was wild, why did you lend it to someone? As a princess, such reckless behavior, disturbing everyone, what kind of decorum is this! Apologize to Miss Xin now!"
“Brother! It was clearly her…” Yongjia couldn’t believe it.
"Apologize!" Xiao Xun's voice suddenly became louder, carrying the unique pressure of a prince.
Princess Yongjia trembled with rage, her face alternating between pale and flushed. Under Xiao Xun's icy gaze, she ultimately dared not resist, and with immense humiliation, she forced out a few words through gritted teeth: "I...I'm sorry..."
Xiao Xun stopped looking at her and turned his gaze back to Xin Jiuwei. His tone softened, but carried a sense of public declaration: "Are you injured?" This concern was more embarrassing for Yongjia than any accusation.
Xin Jiuwei lowered her head slightly: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am fine." She knew that Xiao Xun was fulfilling his contract and protecting her, his "pawn's" face. Her heart was cold, but she cooperated by showing a hint of "gratitude" on her face.
The commotion seemed to have subsided. Xin Jiuwei, with her composure and ruthlessness, coupled with Xiao Xun's forceful protection, had inadvertently caused Princess Yongjia to be publicly humiliated. However, the Second Prince, Xiao Zhuo, who had been observing coldly all along, finally rode over leisurely, a gentle smile on his face: "Alright, alright, it was all a misunderstanding. Yongjia meant well, but horses are unpredictable. Miss Xin was frightened, and it's only natural for Sixth Brother to be protective of his wife. Everyone, disperse, don't spoil the autumn hunt." He casually attributed the "frightened horse" to an accident and described Xiao Xun's protection as "being protective of his wife," both appeasing Yongjia and subtly pointing out Xin Jiuwei's "troublemaking" nature and Xiao Xun's "bias," planting a subtle seed in everyone's hearts.
Looking at Xiao Zhuo's gentle and refined smiling face, Xin Jiuwei felt alarm bells ringing in her heart. Compared to Yongjia's arrogance and domineering nature, this second prince was the truly terrifying viper.
On the carriage back to Jingyuan, Xin Jiuwei leaned wearily against the side. Xin Kui handed her hot tea and said in a low voice, "Miss, today... was too dangerous."
"Was it dangerous?" Xin Jiuwei opened her eyes, her gaze icy and unfathomable. "It was just the beginning." She opened her tightly clenched palm, where lay a broken white jade hairpin, stained with specks of blood. She looked at the hairpin, her expression complex. It was one of the keepsakes left by her mother.
“Miss, your hairpin…” Xin Kui felt a pang of heartache.
“It’s alright.” Xin Jiuwei put away the broken hairpin, her tone calm. “A hairpin is worth it to make Yongjia lose face in public.” She paused and said in a low voice, “Xin Kui, find a way to investigate which official is in charge of the procurement of supplies for the Northern Border Army recently. Even if it’s just a minor official in charge of purchasing firewood and charcoal, find out his name.”
She began to use her identity as the "Sixth Prince's Consort," even the smallest cracks, to pave the first step for her brother, Xin Yunzhou, who was far away in the northern border, living a life of constant danger. Every step on the path of revenge and protection was fraught with peril.
Princess Yongjia suffered a humiliating defeat at the autumn hunt, fueling her intense hatred for Xin Jiuwei. While things appeared calm on the surface, her underhanded tactics grew increasingly vicious. A few days later, Xin Kui, while investigating any possible clues left by Qi Huaiyu, was ambushed in a dark alley.
The opponent was ruthless and each move was deadly, clearly intending to kill Xin Kui! Although Xin Kui was highly skilled in martial arts, he was no match for the many hands he had, and he was caught off guard. He fought desperately to break through the encirclement, but he was also slashed in the left arm, the cut so deep that the bone was visible. He lost too much blood and staggered back to Jingyuan, his face as pale as paper.
"Miss..." Xin Kui collapsed at the entrance of Jingyuan Garden, her breath barely audible.
"Xin Kui!" Xin Jiuwei exclaimed in shock, quickly helping Chen Qing into the house. Looking at Xin Kui's bloody, mangled wounds, deep enough to expose bone, Xin Jiuwei felt as if her heart was being gripped by an icy hand, filled with both shock and anger. Was it Yong Jia? Or Xiao Zhuo? Or perhaps… Qi Huaiyu?!
"Go fetch a doctor! Quickly!" Xin Jiuwei ordered Chen Qing sharply, her voice trembling without her even realizing it. She took out the wound medicine she had prepared and hurriedly tried to stop the bleeding for Xin Kui, but the wound was too deep and the blood was gushing out, and ordinary medicine powder was simply not enough to stop it.
Chen Qing returned quickly, his face grim: "Miss, all the doctors at the nearby clinics... have been asked to leave. The few remaining clinics, upon hearing it's Jingyuan... all claimed their doctors were out on house calls and hadn't returned." Clearly, someone had made arrangements to deliberately make things difficult for them.
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