Chapter 18: The Crown Princess Xue Yingyue appears, Xiao Chongheng...
After listening, Pei Xuanlin did not answer, but looked at Ling Zhenli and gave her the choice of whether to accept the challenge.
Faced with Pei Chanlian's aggressive behavior, Ling Zhenli realized that she was deliberately targeting her. Since she was already there, she might as well make the best of it and grant this arrogant and willful princess's wish.
A man and a woman working together? Great! She wanted to see whether Xiao Chongheng and his wife were more capable, or whether she and Pei Xuanlin were better.
“Since the princess has extended such a generous invitation,” Ling Zhenli slowly rose, looking at Pei Chanlian with icy eyes, a perfectly curved smile playing on her lips, “then I will gladly accompany you.”
Pei Chanlian instantly sensed her disgust, but so what? She also disliked her. Who told Xiao Chongheng to break the rules and keep glancing at his sister-in-law?
If she could, Pei Chanlian would love to gouge out his dog eyes.
Ling Zhenli accepted the challenge, and Pei Xuanlin naturally accompanied her. He immediately called for someone to bring over polo clothes.
*
While changing clothes, Tao Xia whispered a reminder: "Your Highness, when Miss was still unmarried, she learned horseback riding. I wonder if you..."
"It's alright." Ling Zhenli smiled with relief as she watched her tighten the jade belt around her waist. "My riding skills are also quite superb."
Thinking of this, Ling Zhenli choked up. Her riding skills were taught by her deceased father. Thinking of her father, her hatred for Pei Shenai and Xiao Chongheng intensified.
As soon as she arrived on the field after changing into her riding clothes, she encountered Xiao Chongheng, who was standing not far away, staring intently at Ling Zhenli, as if waiting for her to come over.
Ling Zhenli pretended not to see him and walked forward, outwardly calm but inwardly turbulent.
She had been intimate with this man and had given her all in loving him, but Xiao Chongheng not only trampled on her feelings but also crushed her dignity.
Seeing that Ling Zhenli was unwilling to talk to him, Xiao Chongheng still used the action of adjusting the saddle to get closer to her and talk to her, even though there were people all around.
"I didn't expect you to be interested in the hairpin my mother prepared for her daughter-in-law."
As a result, his very first words offended Ling Zhenli. Ling Zhenli had once eagerly hoped to marry him, even if it meant becoming a concubine without any status. It was he who rejected her because he disliked her status.
Thinking of this, Ling Zhenli smiled speechlessly.
"Your mother already has a daughter-in-law, why bring this up again? Is she trying to find you another daughter-in-law? What's the point of you coming to me with this? You might as well go around telling everyone that this is what your mother is preparing for her next daughter-in-law, or even that you'd better take a concubine."
Xiao Chongheng's face changed with anger at these words. "That's not what I meant."
Ling Zhenli snorted coldly, angrily saying, "Do you think I wanted to come? It was your wife, Princess Roujia, who insisted on dragging me and the Crown Prince here to compete with her. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come."
At this moment, the opening drums sounded, and Ling Zhenli took the opportunity to mount her horse.
Xiao Chongheng realized something was wrong. Pei Chanlian wouldn't have dragged Ling Zhenli into the competition for no reason. It must be because he saw that Pei Chanlian had special feelings for Ling Zhenli and wanted to assert his ownership of her.
Then so be it, let her see for herself that he truly loves Ling Zhenli.
...
As expected, Pei Chanlian was the first to grab the ball when the game started.
She wore a crimson riding outfit and galloped like a burning fire.
Ling Zhenli didn't rush to catch up. Instead, she deliberately lagged behind by half a horse length. During this time, Xiao Chongheng stayed by her side, not to stop her, but to prevent others from getting close to her and getting hurt.
As the princess looked back triumphantly, she suddenly realized that Pei Xuanlin had left the field at some point and was blocking the passing lane.
"Catch it!"
Pei Xuanlin gave a clear shout, and the polo ball flew in an arc towards Ling Zhenli.
The moment she swung her stick to hit the ball, she saw Princess Roujia's frustrated and resentful face, and felt a secret sense of satisfaction.
"Bang!"
The polo ball went perfectly into the hole.
Cheers erupted from the sidelines. Ling Zhenli gripped the reins, her face devoid of joy, coldly watching her defeated opponent, Pei Chanlian, who looked unconvinced.
Xiao Chongheng could have gotten ahead of her to receive that ball, but he didn't.
Hsiao Chung-heng, what exactly are you trying to do?
...
Five goals in a row, Ling Zhenli and Pei Xuanlin scored two goals, while the other three teams each scored one goal, and the two of them won.
After the match ended, Ling Zhenli dismounted and let out a long sigh of relief, but a burning pain shot through his right hand.
Ling Zhenli then realized that her tiger's mouth was cracked from the impact, and blood stained the rope binding the golf club.
When Pei Xuanlin saw her raise her hand, he noticed that there was an injury on her hand and quickly went over to check on her injury.
"Quickly, go and call the imperial physician to come and bandage it."
Pei Xuanlin gave the order to the palace servants, who immediately set off.
"I was so engrossed in the competition that I didn't even feel the pain." Ling Zhenli smiled at him, trying to reassure him and put him at ease.
Pei Xuanlin's eyes were full of heartache. After the imperial physician arrived, he personally applied medicine to her wounds and asked the physician to teach him how to bandage her so that he could change the bandages after returning to the palace.
"Go and get a bag of ice to apply to the Crown Princess."
Pei Xuanlin had barely finished speaking when Ling Zhenli smiled and shook her head to stop him: "Sanlang, I'm fine, there's no need to make such a fuss."
Before the two could exchange more than a few words, a palace servant came to invite Pei Xuanlin.
"Your Highness, the Tibetan envoy has requested a contest with the Princess, and she has already agreed. Now, she requests your presence... The Prince of Huainan has already gone there."
"good."
Pei Xuanlin gave Ling Zhenli a few more instructions on how to take care of her wound, and then went with the palace servants.
Pei Xuanlin had barely left when Pei Chanlian spoke up.
Several palace maids followed behind her, carrying the spoils of her polo match victory: the coveted golden hairpin adorning the pavilion.
She dismissed all the palace maids, saying she would personally serve the Crown Princess, and took the gold hairpin from the maids, presenting it to them with both hands.
Ling Zhenli wanted to see what else she would do, so she gestured to the palace maids to leave.
After the palace maids left, Pei Chanlian had a meaningful smile on her face. She put the jade plate with the gold hairpin on it aside and gestured for her to sit down.
"We can finally sit down face to face and have a proper talk."
Ling Zhenli sat down, smiling calmly: "We've never met before, what's there to talk about?"
“I won’t beat around the bush.” Pei Chanlian stared at Ling Zhenli with a meaningful look in her eyes. “If you don’t mind, I would like to personally put this gold hairpin on your head.”
Ling Zhenli remained silent.
When Pei Chanlian saw that she did not agree, she realized that the Crown Princess had ulterior motives. It was no wonder, as her father, Xue Wenmian, was as shrewd as a fox in the court. Like father, like son, Xue Yingyue was certainly no ordinary person.
"We've always kept to ourselves... If we keep fighting, we'll both be severely injured."
Ling Zhenli sneered, clearly displeased: "I have never met you before, nor have I ever fought with you. Why do you say such things, Princess?"
"Although I do not know what kind of relationship the Crown Princess had with my husband when she was still a young lady, whatever that relationship may be, please do not associate with my husband anymore, so as not to hurt the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess."
Pei Chanlian maintained her smile and, as she spoke, personally poured Ling Zhenli a cup of wine.
Ling Zhenli gave her face, took a sip of wine, and said indifferently, "I have never met the Duke of Yan, nor do we have any old acquaintances. Princess, you are overthinking it."
Pei Chanlian smiled, clearly not believing Ling Zhenli's words.
"Actually, I felt a sense of kinship with the Crown Princess the moment I met her, and I wanted to become her best friend, a sworn sister."
Hearing that it was a plea for peace, Ling Zhenli didn't take it to heart and gave a perfunctory reply:
"Yes, from now on, let's treat each other like sisters whenever we meet, no need for formalities..."
Pei Chanlian clearly saw through her perfunctory attitude and narrowed her eyes slightly: "Just saying it like that seems a bit insincere."
"Sincerity?" Ling Zhenli found this Princess Roujia difficult to deal with and her face showed displeasure. "What kind of sincerity does the princess want?"
"Our bodies, hair, and skin are given to us by our parents; I now vow to cut my hair and skin as a sacrifice..."
"Roujia, what are you saying?"
A sudden, stern voice interrupted Pei Chanlian. She turned around, her eyes filled with resentment.
Prince Yang Chongzheng of Gao'an has arrived.
Ling Zhenli narrowed her eyes, realizing that this man had come to support Pei Chanlian.
"Your Highness, please forgive my sister-in-law's rudeness and impetuosity."
"It's alright, it wasn't a big deal to begin with."
Ling Zhenli's attitude turned cold. Pei Chanlian's words about cutting her hair and severing her skin as a vow clearly indicated that he had anticipated her affair with Xiao Chongheng and wanted to use this to coerce her.
"Princess Xie doesn't mind."
“It’s not that I don’t care.” Ling Zhenli turned her head slightly and gave a wicked sneer. “I ask Prince Gao’an to take your sister-in-law back and discipline her properly. If she says such nonsense in front of me again, I will punish her severely.”
"You!" Pei Chanlian was furious and suddenly stood up.
Ling Zhenli remained calm and composed, and sneered, "Why haven't you taken the princess away yet? Can't you hear what I'm saying?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Yang Chongzheng winked at the people behind him, signaling them to quickly pull Pei Chanlian away, and then he bowed and took his leave.
After they left, Ling Zhenli was finally able to catch her breath.
Although she was genuinely annoyed, she kept a straight face and didn't give herself away, fearing that her identity would be exposed.
As for this hairpin...
"Yingchun, take the hairpin back to the Princess and tell her that I wish she would put it on for me herself."
Ling Zhenli laughed freely. Given her current status, even if the person instigating her was Princess Wuyang, she had no choice but to comply.
...
When the eldest princess personally put the pavilion hairpin on Ling Zhenli's head, her smile didn't reach her eyes; she was slightly dissatisfied but dared not show it on her face.
"This hairpin is perfect for the Crown Princess. I never imagined that she, who used to stay at home all the time, would be such a good horsewoman."
Ling Zhenli smiled slightly, calmly touching the pearl necklace she was wearing, and glanced at Pei Shenai: "The Prime Minister's residence has everything. My father personally taught me horsemanship when I was young. Today, I can only say that I did not disgrace my father's reputation."
After she finished speaking, she saw Princess Roujia arguing with Xiao Chongheng. She didn't know what they said, but Pei Chanlian was so angry that she broke the lotus fan in her hand.
Xiao Chongheng's gaze fell on her again. As soon as Ling Zhenli met his eyes, she looked away first.
Pei Shen'ai was right next to Ling Zhenli and saw Xiao Chongheng and Pei Chanlian arguing, as well as Xiao Chongheng looking at Ling Zhenli.
Xiao Chongheng has been acting very strangely lately...
With the appearance of Crown Princess Xue Yingyue, Xiao Chongheng became even more suspicious...
Her good son, whom she had entrusted with such an important task, had only a fleeting affair with a prostitute at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. She wanted to get rid of that woman, but she was afraid of hurting the bond between mother and son.
When they inquired further, they learned that the woman had been redeemed from the brothel, and her good son was also searching for her, not knowing her whereabouts. Pei Shen'ai then sent someone to tell Xiao Chongheng's men that the woman had been executed.
But in reality, Pei Shen'ai didn't know the woman's whereabouts either.
Thinking of this, Pei Shen'ai suddenly realized something, broke out in a cold sweat, and dared not think further.
Knowing that this place was not suitable for her to stay any longer, Ling Zhenli took the initiative to leave. Pei Shenai also noticed the sensitive atmosphere between the Crown Princess and her son Xiao Chongheng, so she took the initiative to send someone to escort her back to her seat to rest.
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