Yan Chaoxi lowered her head, and when she looked up again, her eyes were full of grievances for being slandered. "What my maid said is true. The bottle is mine. But I never told Consort Xu that the bottle was beauty water. I just used it to soak my feet. I would put in one or two drops each time and then dilute it with a lot of water so as not to harm my skin."
"Who would have thought that Consort Xu would steal it and even apply it directly to her face? If anyone is wronged, it's me. My things were stolen, and then the thief turned around and accused me. I'm the one who's truly wronged."
As Yan Chaoxi spoke, she couldn't help but raise her hand to wipe away tears, perfectly portraying an innocent woman who had been wronged.
Yan Wu shifted his gaze back, lifting his eyelids to see how genuinely she was crying. He chuckled inwardly; this little princess from Dongqi was quite the actress. This pitiful look was probably all an act, and she was probably up to no good.
"You shameless woman! If you hadn't kept quiet about your beauty tonic, would I have coveted your little thing? Your Highness! No matter what, it's because of Yan Chaoxi that my face has become like this. You must do me justice!"
Consort Xu, clutching her aching stomach from the kick, got up from the ground, sobbing and trying to lean against the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince stepped back without showing any emotion, his eyes filled with disgust. "Alright, this was your fault to begin with. If you hadn't stolen the concubine's things, how would you have ended up with your face like this? It's all your own fault!"
"Your Highness, I also have a complaint to file. Consort Xu not only stole my medicine bottle, but also the jewelry I kept in the box. Just now, she even verbally insulted me."
"Her actions not only trample on my dignity, but also show no regard for the marriage alliance between Eastern Qi and Great Liang!"
She was, after all, a princess of the country, and she would never allow a mere concubine to ride roughshod over her!
Yan Chaoxi wore a veil, but her eyes revealed a look of heartache. The Crown Prince thought this made sense and ordered people to search for the missing jewelry of Consort Xu in her room.
A short while later, a palace maid returned, carrying all of Consort Xu's jewelry. Yan Chaoxi pointed to a few pieces, saying, "These are all mine."
"Take the items back to the concubine's courtyard." The Crown Prince glanced at Consort Xu and said coldly, "Consort Xu, as a concubine of the Eastern Palace, has committed insubordination by stealing the concubine's jewelry. She shall be given twenty strokes of the cane as a warning to others. From now on, you shall stay in your courtyard and reflect on your actions. You are not allowed to come out!"
"Your Highness! Don't you feel any pity for me? Is Yan Chaoxi completely without fault?!"
Xu Liangdi had almost run out of tears. She couldn't understand why the Crown Prince, who had always doted on her, would disregard their past relationship and punish her in public.
Yan Chaoxi didn't understand, "What did I do wrong? Did I tell you to steal it?"
The Crown Prince had made up his mind; he never wanted to see that disgusting face again. "Take Consort Xu back!"
The Crown Princess, who rushed over, was also shocked to see Consort Xu's face. Consort Xu used to be one of the most beautiful women in the Eastern Palace, and even she often envied that face. She never expected that she would become like this overnight!
But who can she blame? It was her fault for stealing! The Crown Princess secretly gloated. Hearing the Crown Prince's words, she quickly ordered the palace servants to take the resentful, tearful Consort Xu back.
Xu Liangdi hated Yan Chaoxi to the core. She knew the Crown Prince wouldn't soften his heart; with her face ruined, the Crown Prince might never come to her courtyard again. Her venomous gaze was fixed on Yan Chaoxi; if looks were knives, Yan Chaoxi would have been riddled with holes by now.
This scene happened right before Yan Wu's eyes.
"Thank you, Your Highness, for standing up for me!" Yan Chaoxi said gratefully as the others were taken away.
The Crown Prince grunted in response, waved his hand to disperse the onlookers, and then looked at the Crown Princess and Consort Zhao, his brows furrowing even deeper.
Why do these two look so gloomy and listless? One of them doesn't even have a pretty woman anymore?
He glanced at Yan Chaoxi again; she was wearing a veil, so her face probably hadn't healed. The crown prince then looked away and walked away.
Yan Wu also followed.
Now, the clever people in the Crown Prince's harem all realized that Yan Chaoxi was no pushover, and they all gave up on trying to deal with her. Only a few, like the Crown Princess, thought that Consort Xu was just unlucky and that Yan Chaoxi had nothing to do with it.
Others didn't care about this matter, such as Consort Zhao. She was suffering from a terrible headache, and the imperial physicians couldn't find the cause. Her head was throbbing and she couldn't find any relief, so she couldn't spare the attention to listen to such trivial matters.
...
As soon as it got dark, Yan Chaoxi went out alone again, following the same route as before, and arrived at Yan Wu's two houses.
I stood on tiptoe and peered inside. There were no lights on, and it was pitch black so I couldn't see if anyone was there.
The door wasn't locked, so she quietly pushed it open and looked around Yan Wu's living quarters. The two rooms weren't large; one was where he slept, and the other was used for storage.
Just then, a cold voice came from behind, "What are you doing here?"
Yan Chaoxi turned around and saw Yan Wu standing at the door at some point, dressed in black that almost blended into the night, clearly having just returned from outside.
She complained in a sweet voice, "Why do you walk so quietly? It's scary."
Yan Wu walked straight into the house and put down the sword he always carried. "This seems to be my house."
Yan Chaoxi turned on her toes and followed her inside.
Yan Wu's face was frosty. He sat down at the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and ignored her.
Yan Chaoxi glanced at him, and said with a wronged expression, "Why are you ignoring me?"
"Do I know you well?"
Not familiar? Then who was it that kissed her so hard her lips were swollen the day before yesterday?
Yan Chaoxi snorted and sat down unhappily in the seat next to him, smelling a faint scent of blood.
"Are you injured?"
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