Chapter 4
They heard the commotion too and looked over.
The Seventh Princess led the Cui sisters forward to pay their respects.
“You’re here, Seventh Sister,” the Third Princess said with a smile. “Oh? Why is your face so red?”
The redness was barely noticeable. Without a word, no one would have paid it any attention. But once someone looked closely, it did spoil her appearance.
The young gentleman looked over too. He frowned slightly and raised his hands in greeting to the Seventh Princess.
Blushing, she stepped back in embarrassment.
All the fierceness with which she had arrived seemed to vanish at the sight of him.
[Love really does strip you of every scrap of backbone.]
[Keep fawning over him. You’ll end up with nothing.]
The Third Princess continued, “And the eldest Miss Cui is here as well? Looking for a husband? You’ve only just broken off your engagement to my fifth brother, and already you can’t wait to find someone else. How disgraceful.”
The Third Princess seemed to have claimed the moral high ground.
The comments supported her too.
[Now that’s satisfying. Call her out to her face!]
[I have no respect for women like that. All over him when he’s powerful, then kicking him aside the moment he loses everything. Could she be any more shameless?]
[What are you people talking about? This is a feudal society. What do you expect her to do? When it’s time to get engaged, it’s all parental orders and matchmakers. When it’s time to break it off, suddenly she’s supposed to defy her entire family? Who actually gets to decide? She didn’t arrange the engagement and she didn’t end it, but she gets all the blame. Well done, all of you.]
[If the Cuis really loved their daughter, they wouldn’t make her socialize in the middle of this scandal. They’d wait for it to die down, then quietly look for a husband. But they’re forcing her out to make a public show of cutting ties with the Fifth Prince. Why aren’t you cursing her parents? Afraid you can’t win an argument with them?]
[You won’t go after the men or the older women. You only dare bully a young girl. Cowards!]
Cui Mingxue’s eyes reddened. She lowered her head and listened to the reprimand.
Cui Mingwei opened her mouth, but Cui Mingxue caught her and firmly held her back.
The Seventh Princess, however, raised her head and said coldly:
“Third Sister, how did you know I had a rash? I’m wearing so much powder that no one else noticed, yet you saw it at once. You wouldn’t happen to have tampered with my face cream, would you?”
“Your mouth is as filthy as your hands. You call other people immoral, while you’re carrying on with my fiancé. What does that make you?”
She turned and took Cui Mingxue’s hand.
“Don’t listen to her. What good can come out of a nasty creature’s mouth? Obey your parents, and they say you’re chasing power. Disobey them, and they call you unfilial. Let them say whatever they like. Wretches like that simply don’t want you to be happy.”
The Third Princess went deathly pale.
The young man stepped in front of her protectively. “Seventh Princess,” he said coldly, “I happened to meet the Third Princess, and we were discussing poetry. We only exchanged a few words. It’s not what you think—”
The Seventh Princess raised her hand and slapped him across the face.