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Cang Yile's hands, hidden behind him, gradually clenched tightly. In those enchanting eyes, a hint of murderous intent began to emerge.
If Xia Yuhan had not been framed back then, if he had not inadvertently fallen into the trap set by others, it would certainly have been someone else who ruined her. This grudge, he must avenge.
However, recently he had been tirelessly working to uncover the Puppet Master behind this case, but to no avail. He had pointed fingers at the Queen and the Emperor several times. Although the Queen and her faction had sufficient reasons to deal with Xia Yuhan, he lacked evidence to prove their involvement.
No matter what, he had already harmed Xia Yuhan once and was determined to protect her well from now on.
From this moment on, he would no longer be the Cang Yile that everyone looked down upon. He would make sure everyone knew that Cang Yile was not a coward.
He did this merely to leave a good and perfect image in front of her.
He did this only to one day show her through his actions that he, Cang Yile, would cherish and protect her with all he had.
...
At the beginning of the Flower Viewing Banquet, the simultaneous appearance of Xia Yuhan and Cang Yile caused quite an unpleasant stir.
However angry the Queen was inside, she would not show it on her face. Princess Changning was different. Seeing that Xia Yuhan had not been killed on the way and had even been saved by Jiang Tingyu made her extremely jealous.
Since childhood, she had always been a high-and-mighty princess. Whatever she wanted or whoever she liked, she would always get it.
Now seeing the audacious Xia Yuhan come here, not only did she fail to recognize her place by speaking for Cang Yile, but she also tried to take away her Jiang Tingyu, which made her even angrier.
“Everyone please rise. The Flower Viewing Banquet is about to begin. Let’s not ruin the atmosphere,” the Queen announced.
With the Queen's voice, everyone below finally dared to breathe a sigh of relief in private and hurriedly got up from the ground. They scrambled to take their designated seats. Although Cang Yile held no real power, he was still a prince of a nation. He chose a seat near Princess Changning.
Only Xia Yuhan remained standing after everyone else had taken their seats. She stood still until most people were seated before casually taking a few steps.
At this moment, there were no empty seats left at the banquet except for one. But that empty seat was certainly not meant for her.
This empty seat was located just below and beside the Queen. Even Princess Changning did not sit there. She was merely the illegitimate Second Lady of the Xia Residence. If she were to sit there openly, it would surely provoke public outrage.
This kind of behavior that would draw everyone's ire towards herself was something Xia Yuhan absolutely would not do.
However, if she did not take a seat, it would clearly indicate her disregard for the Queen or show extreme dissatisfaction towards her. Offending the Queen openly was something she could not afford to do.
Because the seating arrangements for this banquet were entirely managed by the Queen. If she did not take a seat, it would be like slapping the Queen in the face.
Moreover, if Xia Yuhan had to take a seat and squeezed into a spot with others, it would imply that she was nothing more than a paper tiger. The so-called heroic deeds of resisting rumors were merely fabrications by others.
The Queen's schemes were indeed very deep. Sending someone to assassinate her on the way to the palace was not enough; now she was being forced into a situation where she could neither advance nor retreat, leaving her with no way out.
The Flower Viewing Banquet had just begun, and the atmosphere was already so tense. It was evident that the subsequent segments would be one trap after another for Xia Yuhan, waiting for her to fall into them. If she were not careful, she could offend the Queen openly, and then the Queen would have a hundred reasons to have her executed.
As Xia Yuhan watched fewer and fewer people searching for seats, the embroidered fist hidden in her sleeve tightened even more. What should she do?
Her delicate brows furrowed slightly before relaxing again. Xia Yuhan noticed that Xia Wan'er, who had already taken her seat, shot her a provocative glance while others were distracted. Suddenly, she gave Xia Wan'er a mischievous smile, causing Xia Wan'er to shiver all over.
Having crossed paths with Xia Yuhan so many times, what terrified Xia Wan'er most was that soul-chilling smile on Xia Yuhan's face, sending chills down her spine.
But this time, no matter how hard Xia Wan'er thought about it, she could not figure out how Xia Yuhan would deal with her. At that moment, ensuring her own safety was already difficult enough; how could she think about dealing with Xia Wan'er? With this thought in mind, Xia Wan'er's panic lessened somewhat.
As everyone found their seats, all eyes turned to the still-standing Xia Yuhan.
It was at this moment that Xia Yuhan realized their seats had been arranged according to the status of ministers and the standing of prominent families in the capital. In terms of the Xia Manor, since they had invited two people, there was no reason to only provide one seat.
Even if Cang Yile occupied one spot, that seat was not reserved for her.
Clearly, this was intentional on the part of the Queen.
Amidst the gazes filled with hatred, sympathy, and pity from everyone present, Xia Yuhan calmly walked towards the seat beside the Queen. Then, under immense pressure, she composed herself and sat down leisurely.
She had just taken her seat. Those above Xia Yuhan in status were not pleased, especially the daughter of the Lord Left Chancellor. She was the first to stand up against Xia Yuhan. How could the daughter of the Left Chancellor of the Azure Dragon Kingdom, a noble lady, be content to sit beneath a princess and Jiang Tingyu? What right did this unknown and lowly Xia Yuhan have to act so arrogantly?
"Empress, this sister from Xia Manor is truly lacking in discipline. Such ignorance of etiquette offends the Empress. Your Majesty should impose a severe punishment," said the daughter of the Lord Left Chancellor, rising to firmly denounce Xia Yuhan.
With someone leading the charge, the other young ladies present also began to speak out. Fortunately, on the male side, led by Jiang Tingyu, they chose to remain silent. Thus, the young masters from powerful families did not voice their opinions.
"Indeed. Although she is General Xia's daughter, she is merely a concubine's child. Yet she is so arrogant as to directly disrespect Princess Changning and the Empress. If she is given any leeway in the future, won't it cause trouble?"
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, this second sister from Xia Manor believes that all the merits earned by General Xia for the Azure Dragon Kingdom belong solely to her. Now she is brazenly disregarding even Your Majesty's face."
"As the head of the harem, Your Majesty has not allowed even her own biological daughter, Princess Changning, to sit beside her. A concubine's child who cannot find her rightful place sits where she does not belong. This is truly a sign of disrespect towards Your Majesty. I implore you not to forgive her easily."
"…"
Xia Yuhan deeply felt the terrifying nature of a group of women gathered together. These young ladies, despite their noble birth, had hearts colder than her own stomach. They could hardly tolerate anyone else.
There was no way around it; being the first to stand out made her a target. Coupled with her earlier defense of Cang Yile, she had already become that target for criticism. It was only natural for her to be attacked.
However, after one person took the lead, many other young ladies with influential fathers in court followed suit. Did they not find it suspicious?
Hmph. They actually conspired privately with these young ladies to deal with her, Xia Yuhan. Hmph. The Empress truly thought highly of her.
Throughout it all, Cang Yile and Jiang Tingyu remained calm and collected as they sipped their tea. Especially Jiang Tingyu; it seemed as if what was happening at that moment had nothing to do with him at all. He showed no intention of helping Xia Yuhan.
The princess sitting next to him would not miss an opportunity to drink tea with Jiang Tingyu and kept trying to curry favor with him. But Jiang Tingyu remained indifferent, acknowledging only mechanically when he refilled the princess's cup while treating Princess Changning as if she did not exist.
After all the young ladies finished their attacks on her and as Queen cast a hostile glare in her direction, Xia Yuhan slowly stood up. She bowed three times before the Empress and then pleaded, "Empress, Yu Han has committed an offense. The offense lies in disrespecting Your Majesty's dignity. I ask for Your Majesty's punishment."
Upon hearing this, the young ladies gasped softly. After expending so much effort against her, they did not expect Xia Yuhan to admit defeat so quickly. They couldn't help but spit at her in their hearts; rumors were indeed just rumors. The myth surrounding Xia Yuhan was now revealed to be nothing more than that.
However, before Queen could say a word, Xia Yuhan spoke up again.
In this situation, taking the initiative is most advantageous for her. Although it is quite risky, she can only take the chance.
"But Your Majesty, you must take responsibility for Subject Daughter Xia Yuhan. This Flower Viewing Banquet is primarily organized for Subject Daughter. There are no seats available around. If she randomly finds a place to sit, wouldn't that be a direct slap in your face? Therefore, in order to preserve your dignity, Yu Han can only risk sitting in the honored seat."
"However, even so, it still leads to misunderstandings from others. Yu Han is at fault for not clearly expressing your intentions, causing other Sisters to mistakenly believe that only sitting in the honored seat shows respect for you."
Upon hearing this, the Young Ladies below were momentarily speechless. They never expected that Xia Yuhan had such a strategy. Indeed, they had underestimated her.
Xia Yuhan's actions were undoubtedly correct. Her sitting in the honored seat was justified since it was organized by the Empress for her. Allowing her to sit below would be a blatant disregard for the Queen.
Yet their stance was to let Xia Yuhan casually find a seat below...
They never anticipated that after all this, it would backfire on themselves.
The previously fierce Young Ladies now found themselves at a loss for words. They had initially thought of showing off their family's prestige in front of Jiang Tingyu, the prince, and other young masters, but instead ended up losing face.
Jiang Tingyu, who had been sipping tea leisurely, slowly brightened his eyes upon seeing the situation turn around. The corners of his lips unconsciously curled up, and his gaze was filled with admiration for Xia Yuhan.
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