Chapter 52: Ruining Her Face

"Well, that's true anyway. One of you is a sickly invalid, and the other is the daughter of a disgraced official. Neither of you has any room to look down on the other, so you might as well just make do and live together."

Jiang You'an smiled faintly. "Is my dear cousin unable to find a husband out there, making her so anxious she can't sit still at home, which is why she jumped out to point fingers and meddle in other people's marriages? You can't go three sentences without mentioning me and Young Master Su, as if you understand our affairs better than anyone else. I suppose you must have turned our situation over and over in your mind, but simply can't figure out why the Matchmaker in the Moon refuses to tie a red string for you, leaving you green with envy?"

"Me? Jealous of you? Have I lost my mind?"

Jiang You'an shrugged. "How on earth would I know what goes on in your head? It's such a fine day to go out and attend a banquet, yet I run into a freak like you, so utterly inexplicable for no reason at all."

"You!"

That young lady was trembling all over with rage. The others originally wanted to chime in, but seeing how sharp Jiang You'an's tongue was, they didn't dare to make a sound.

Li Lianzhu, who had been watching the spectacle from the sidelines the whole time, finally spoke up, "We were having such a nice chat, how did it end up in a quarrel? There now, let's all calm down. Earlier, I had people gather flowers from the garden to make sachets. There is one for everyone."

Li Lianzhu had her servants bring over the sachets and distribute them to each person.

Although Jiang You'an had won the verbal sparring match, hearing those caustic and malicious remarks still left her feeling deeply unsettled, and she stood there holding her sachet in a daze.

Lu Yunyao could tell that she was definitely unhappy, and she also felt those people had gone too far. However, she was not good with words and couldn't help Jiang You'an.

Seeing Jiang You'an like this, she wanted to talk to her to offer some comfort. She sniffed the sachet in her own hand and let out a surprised expression, "It smells so good! Sister You'an, smell this."

Jiang You'an lowered her head and took a brief sniff, replying succinctly, "It is quite fragrant."

Lu Yunyao said softly, "Sister You'an, don't take to heart what they said. As long as Young Master Su loves and cherishes you, and you two live your lives well, nothing else anyone says matters."

Jiang You'an forced a smile and said she was fine.

Yet in her heart, she felt that although those words were harsh, they were also the truth.

She was only fortunate enough to marry Su Mingxiu; Su Mingxiu afforded her status and wealth, but she had no ability to bring him any practical benefits.

Because of her background, Su Mingxiu was even dragged out to be ridiculed by these people.

She sighed inwardly.

After sitting a while longer, Li Lianzhu announced that she wanted to go view the blossoms in the peach orchard outside, and everyone stood up in succession.

Jiang You'an followed behind Lu Yunyao. As they walked, a cup of wine was suddenly splashed onto the hem of her skirt.

"Oh dear, I am so sorry! It was quite accidental."

Jiang You'an turned her head to look, and it was none other than the young lady she had argued with just moments ago. It was clearly deliberate!

Seeing this, Li Lianzhu remarked, "Our estate has spare garments kept in the parlor ahead. You'an, you should go change into them first."

Jiang You'an suppressed her rising anger and nodded in agreement.

Li Lianzhu pointed her in a direction and smiled, "Go quickly and return soon, we are still waiting for you to view the flowers together."

Jiang You'an walked toward the parlor, but halfway there, her steps faltered to a hesitant halt.

If Li Lianzhu truly intended to scheme against her, could this be a trap? There was no telling what might be waiting for her inside that parlor!

With this thought, Jiang You'an didn't dare to go. It was merely a splash of wine, and it wasn't all that noticeable; it would be fine even if she didn't change her clothes.

She immediately turned back. As she pivoted, the sachet tied at her waist fell off. She bent down to pick it up, patted away the dust, and lowered her head to sniff it, only to be hit by an intensely rich fragrance.

This sachet... didn't smell like Lu Yunyao's at all. Besides, if it only contained dried flower petals, it wouldn't be this potent; it smelled as though some kind of spice had been added.

She took another careful sniff and realized something was wrong. There was a large amount of thyme inside, emitting a heady, pungent aroma that would instantly attract bees the moment they caught wind of it. If she were to enter that peach orchard like this, wouldn't she end up stung into the shape of a pig's head?

So this was what they had waiting for her.

Jiang You'an sneered coldly.

However, how should she dispose of this sachet?

Hide it inside her inner garments? The scent was far too strong and simply couldn't be masked. After all, it was a gift bestowed by the princess; throwing it away directly would be an act of disrespect toward the princess. Furthermore, the sachet was sealed tight, leaving no way to pour out its contents.

What was she to do?

Jiang You'an stood on the spot, struggling in distress, when she suddenly heard someone call her name.

"Miss Jiang?"

She turned her head, and it turned out to be Li Zhengfu.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Li Zhengfu walked over with a smile. "You came to attend Lianzhu's banquet, didn't you? Why are you alone out here? Oh? How did your skirt get stained?"

Jiang You'an felt rather reserved. "I accidentally soiled my dress just now, making a fool of myself in front of Your Highness."

"It's no matter. I'll have someone prepare a new set of clothes for you. Your skin is fair, you would look lovely in pink."

Jiang You'an found these words extremely uncomfortable. She felt that Li Zhengfu was somewhat abnormal, speaking without any sense of propriety or restraint.

"I wouldn't dare trouble Your Highness."

"There is no need to be so formal with me. I am more than happy to be of service to a beauty." As Li Zhengfu spoke, he reached out to pull Jiang You'an, startling her into taking a step back.

It was only then that it dawned on her: Li Zhengfu was harboring evil intentions toward her. That day when she left the restaurant, Lu Xuanheng's displeasure had been entirely because of this!

Seeing her take a step back, Li Zhengfu chuckled softly. "It's not our first time meeting, why so distant?"

Jiang You'an glanced at him; the smile on his face was unequivocally malicious!

The people in the Prince Xian's Estate were rotten to the core. Prince Xian was connected to the murder of her father, Li Lianzhu wanted to sabotage her, and Li Zhengfu wanted to violate her!

Even when bullying the soft persimmons, they couldn't just keep picking on her alone!

A fire flared up in Jiang You'an's heart. She took a deep breath, steadied her mind, and hatched a plan.

Her red lips curved into a smile as lovely as spring blossoms. "Please forgive Your Highness, but for a man and a woman to stand too close alone makes me afraid of gossip if others should see. The Princess is still waiting for me in the peach orchard, and I dare not delay, so I must be going. If Your Highness has leisure, you are welcome to come as well."

With that, she curtsied and turned to walk away.

Li Zhengfu was still savoring her breathtaking smile when he suddenly saw an object fall from her person.

He walked over, picked it up, and saw it was a sachet. He looked up, intending to call out to her, but she was already out of sight.

He brought the sachet to his nose and sniffed it, a smile curling the corners of his lips as he too headed toward the peach orchard.

When Jiang You'an arrived in the grove, she deliberately kept her sleeves gathered over her hands so no one would notice that the sachet at her waist was gone. Seeing that she was still wearing the same outfit, Li Lianzhu asked her, "Why didn't you change your clothes?"

Jiang You'an replied with a completely natural expression, "I lost my way, and not daring to keep the Princess waiting, I came straight here instead."

Li Lianzhu smiled. "Very well, let's go further in and take a look."

The further they walked, the denser the blossoms became, and everyone was enjoying the flowers while chatting and laughing.

Suddenly, a buzzing sound echoed through the air—it was the buzzing of bees.

Everyone followed the sound and looked over, and to their horror, a massive swarm of bees came flying toward them.

The crowd scattered in all directions. Li Lianzhu retreated further back as well, her gaze locked squarely on Jiang You'an.

She had arranged for someone to release the venomous bees at this exact moment. With only Jiang You'an present, the bees would be drawn to the sachet on her person, and after being stung thoroughly by those venomous bees, her face would be completely ruined!

She stared at the swarm of bees, watching them fly with absolute, unswerving purpose toward a single target. To her shock, however, the bees bypassed Jiang You'an entirely and rushed straight at the person approaching from behind her.

She looked closely, and to her utter disbelief, it was her own stupid brother!