Zhang You and the others were guarding Qiao Si outside the pavilion. When they saw from afar that something was wrong with Qiao Er, they immediately went in to get help for her.
"Princess, there's trouble with the second young lady." Zhang You walked to her and whispered to her.
She was originally talking with Miss Ling and another girl in the pavilion. When she heard that Qiao Er was in trouble, she realized that this was directed at Qiao Er.
She ignored them and rushed to Qiao Er with Zhang You and the others. Qiao Er had only brought Jinglan, a maid, with her when she went out, and now she was surrounded by those noble ladies who wanted to see her laugh.
She listened to Ling San's words expressionlessly. Although she wasn't in the capital, Ling San had liked Xie Zhuan during her early years there, but Xie Zhuan had never liked her. Now that she had brought another woman to her, she probably wanted to see her and this woman fight each other.
After hearing her provocative words, Qiao Er simply said calmly, "Zhu An will explain the truth to me. After all, this is a family matter between us and has nothing to do with Miss Ling San. Miss Ling San doesn't need to be so enthusiastic."
"Qiao Er! Don't be ungrateful! I'm helping you see the truth! Has anyone of them told you? Haha - everyone knows that Xie Zhuan has liked Lin Qingyao for a long time, but you are the only one who has been kept in the dark! You've wasted so many years!" Ling San was furious at his lack of resistance and started scolding Qiao Er, pointing at him.
Qiao Si heard it clearly and his face immediately darkened.
Seeing Qiao Si's unfriendly look, the onlookers made way for her to pass.
"Miss Ling San, what do you mean by this? It's definitely not your turn to interfere in the affairs of Prince Qiao's Mansion, is it?"
Qiao Si's cold voice startled Ling San. She was indeed concerned about Qiao Si. Not only because of her status as a princess, but also because of the rumors about her in the capital over the years.
Everyone knew that Qiao Si of Dingzhou was like a tigress, willful and ferocious. She could kill people at will if she disagreed with them. It was said that it was because of her constant killing that the people of Dingzhou remained so quiet and did not dare to offend her.
Ling San saw her unfriendly look and was afraid that she would suddenly have a seizure. Back in the capital, she would make a scene from time to time, but they were still young at that time, and she only beat them twice. But she had killed people in Dingzhou. She didn't dare to anger her.
"I'm not wrong. Mr. Xie originally wanted to break off the engagement with your family." She muttered softly, but Qiao Si had heard it clearly.
"Oh? Really?" She glanced around, her cold and majestic eyes startling them. "Xie Zhuan is here for the chrysanthemum viewing banquet, right? Where is he?"
The chrysanthemum viewing banquet was divided into a men's and women's area. Qiao Si wanted to find Xie Zhuan and take the initiative to seize the opportunity, so as to avoid being forced to come to the mansion to cancel the engagement.
But in this way, Qiao Er will definitely be wronged. At her age, it is difficult for her to find a husband in the capital. In addition, if the engagement is broken off, her reputation will be damaged. I am afraid...
Qiao Er walked up to her and gave her an encouraging look, which seemed to say, "I trust you, don't worry about me."
Only then did Qiao Si become determined to find Xie Zhuan.
The male guests were on the other side of the hall, separated by a wall, and Qiao Si walked straight over.
"Ah? Princess, you can't go there! That's a men's place!"
Amidst the servants' attempts to stop them, Qiao Si had already walked over with Qiao Er. Zhang You and the others followed closely behind them. The women behind them couldn't help but be tempted to watch the spectacle unfold, and they all crowded behind the courtyard wall, leaning in to watch.
Qiao Si walked to a distance from them and called out Xie Zhuan's name. The man also watched the excitement for a while.
Xie Zhuan, a man in his twenties, was handsome, with a face like a jade, and a tall, slender figure accentuated by his blue brocade robe. He felt a little embarrassed when he heard Qiao Si's call, but he still came over.
Qiao Si couldn't stand his shyness when he saw him being so coy. "Xie Zhuan, I heard you have someone else you love?"
Xie Zhuan hadn't expected her to be so direct, and the words he was about to say to her were stuck in his throat. He glanced at Qiao Er, who was standing next to Qiao Si. Over the years, she had become even more gentle, and he was a little hesitant to recognize her.
"What are you standing there for? My princess is asking you a question." Zhang You looked at him like this. He'd already cheated on her, and now he was regretting it? He kept staring at Qiao Er. What were he looking at? She questioned him directly, showing Qiao Si's style—unreasonable.
Xie Zhuan finally came back to his senses and bowed slightly to Qiao Si. "My Lady, can we discuss this later? There are so many people here, and I'm afraid it will tarnish the Second Young Lady's reputation."
Qiao Si snorted coldly, "Are you concerned about my second sister's reputation now? Why didn't you think about it before doing such a thing?" Qiao Si had already determined what he had done, and now he just wanted to use his mouth to say it out loud, taking the opportunity to cancel the engagement and save some face for Qiao Er.
Xie Zhuan glanced at Qiao Er, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes: "After many years of separation, I did have feelings for Qingyao, but because I was engaged to Ayin, I didn't marry her. I never found a chance to tell Ayin..."
"What? Why can't you say this? Since you have changed your heart, why are you still dragging my second sister along? Since you have changed your heart, why don't you think about giving that girl a name? You are wavering yourself, but you want two women to waste their best years for you. You are really a good young man trained by the Xie family!" Qiao Si couldn't stand him when he saw him like this. He was dragging his feet, wavering, and had no sense of responsibility!
Xie Zhuan's face flushed at Qiao Si's words. He had always prided himself on being refined, but now that something like this had happened and Qiao Si had publicly shattered that image, he felt nothing but shame. "I didn't mean to delay Ayin. I wanted to write to inform her immediately, but I heard that Prince Qiao's mansion was in danger in Dingzhou, and Princess Qiao was... I just didn't want to expose Ayin to the rumors at this time. I wanted to tell her later..."
When Qiao Si heard him mention the princess, a flash of hatred flashed across her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it. She continued to question, "Haven't you been wasting my second sister's time these days? You're just saying all this because you don't want to take responsibility. Fine! As you wish, I'm here today, and all of you gentlemen and ladies are witnesses, as Qiao Lanyin of the Qiao Palace and Xie Zhuan break off their engagement!"
Xie Zhuan didn't expect her to be so straightforward. He looked at Qiao Er with concern, wanting to see how she would react.
Qiao Er looked at him coldly. The tenderness he had in those days was gone from his eyes. His composure was like a pool of stagnant water. "My princess's wish is mine. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. I will send someone to return the Gengtie jade pendant to you after we return home."
There was some pain in Xie Zhuan's eyes. He didn't want to treat her like this. "Ayin, I'm sorry. I let you down. I will make it up to you."
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