Chapter Thirteen

The visitor approached with dignified steps, golden hairpin gently swaying, not a single sound of collision as she walked forward.

“Which lowly servant dares to make a racket before my carriage?”

In the distance, the guards were already kneeling far away, lowering their presence to avoid drawing the princess’s ire.

Qing Wu adjusted her towering, elegant hairpin; the jewels adorning the dangling ornaments absorbed the golden light reflected from the red bricks and green tiles, emanating an overwhelming aura that forbade anyone from meeting her gaze directly.

Qin Susu, seeing her approach step by step, almost clenched her silver teeth to the point of shattering, unwillingly diverting her eyes from the carriage and kneeling aside.

Ning Chun gave a subtle signal toward the palace wall; the guards picked up their cherry spears and returned to their posts. The eunuchs who had been carrying Qin Susu’s gifts sensed the tense atmosphere and feigned ignorance, carrying their burdens straight to the General’s Mansion.

When Hanyue caught up with the two chamberlains, the three of them left the palace together, only to find a vast courtyard where only Qin Susu and her nanny remained kneeling.

Qing Wu’s gaze swept over Cheng Shu and Zhi Xue before finally resting on Pei Muci.

He leaned weakly against the carriage, a few wisps of his flowing hair fluttering lightly with the breeze, softening the sharp lines of his stern face.

Satisfied that no harm had come to them, Qing Wu leisurely stepped over the kneeling old woman and Qin Susu, making no move to let them rise.

Hanyue casually noticed a shiny sequin on the ground, bent down to pick it up, and handed it to Zhi Xue.

“Isn’t this a spare button from the makeup box? How did it fall here?”

The princess’s buttons were soaked in concentrated saffron dye, and upon close inspection, revealed spiderweb-like red veins, making them easy to identify.

“What’s the matter?” Qing Wu saw Hanyue whispering quietly to Zhi Xue and assumed the latter had been mistreated.

Ignoring the two kneeling figures, with no intention of boarding the carriage, Qing Wu deliberately tormented Qin Susu, forcing her to remain kneeling.

Without needing Cheng Shu or the others to speak, she already knew this person must have been abusing her power in front of the carriage during Qing Wu’s absence.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Qing Wu asked.

Zhi Xue thought the princess was inquiring about Master Pei, silently slipping the button into her sleeve pocket. When she realized everyone was staring at her, she shyly explained, “Your servant merely stumbled; it’s nothing serious. But Cheng Shu was almost slapped by the old nanny. Thankfully, Master Pei stepped out and diverted Miss Qin’s attention, and only then did the old nanny stop.”

“Master Pei stepped out and diverted her attention?” Qing Wu’s voice was cool and flat as she repeated Zhi Xue’s words without any fluctuation.

Her eyes flickered subtly as she glanced at Pei Muci.

“Miss Qin even said some offensive things to Master Pei. Listening to it made this old servant’s blood boil, but fortunately, Master Pei was magnanimous enough to overlook it.”

The three maids stood silently together, watching their princess’s face darken progressively.

Unaware, Cheng Shu kept rambling on, afraid to leave out any detail. When the full story was roughly told, he tried to pry off the hand that kept interrupting him.

“Ning Chun, why are you pulling me…” Cheng Shu began.

Ning Chun, usually calm and patient, now wore a grim expression, helplessly lifting her chin and pointing at the princess.

Qing Wu’s complexion turned pale and ashen, her face as cold as iron. Without waiting for Cheng Shu’s reaction, she grabbed Pei Muci’s hand and strode forward.

Pei Muci’s steps were naturally long; even as Qing Wu hurried, he leisurely followed behind.

“Look up.” Qing Wu commanded sharply.

Qin Susu, dizzy and weary from kneeling so long, dared not raise her eyes at first. The cracks in the bricks seemed to twist and bend. Obediently, she lifted her head, her gaze inadvertently meeting Pei Muci’s direction.

“Smack!”

Qin Susu was struck sideways, her jaw nearly stiffened, unable to close properly.

“How dare you covet someone like me? You truly have boldness,” Qing Wu said coldly, her delicate face tinged with anger.

The old nanny, teeth chattering nervously, seemed emboldened by her mistress’s humiliation. She straightened her back and dared to meet Qing Wu’s eyes.

“If Her Highness the Princess lashes out at her own cousin so recklessly, I wonder if Her Majesty the Empress would blame the princess for harming her own kin.”

“Who is my cousin?” Qing Wu’s eyes narrowed, her gaze turning icy.

Ning Chun and Zhi Xue immediately flanked Qing Wu, tending to her mood.

For so many years, no one dared to mention the Empress’s family in front of the princess. No matter how great the General’s achievements, they wouldn’t dare set foot in the princess’s residence.

Why?

Because they all felt guilty toward the princess.

Yet this insolent old nanny spoke such words aloud.

Qing Wu’s lips curled in a faint, ambiguous smile. Suddenly, something light touched her head.

Pei Muci gracefully plucked a dangling hair ornament from her hair, playing with it in his hand, his thumb rubbing the hollow part of the ornament.

Qing Wu glanced at him but said nothing.

The old nanny, brimming with righteous indignation, looked like a sharp-tongued hag bargaining at the alley’s corner, her voice dripping with spite.

“The princess’s status is high, and naturally the General’s Mansion cannot compare. But you only dare to bully my lady because the General is not home.”

At the palace gate, amidst the bustling crowd, a few officials from the previous dynasty were disembarking.

Princess Rongzhao had a county lady kneeling in such a noisy, public place, and even struck her without reason. Was she not afraid of tarnishing her reputation?

“This is all considered from the princess’s perspective, for her own good. Please don’t find your servant too troublesome—” The old nanny’s words suddenly choked off, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

Pei Muci didn’t even blink; with precision, he steadily thrust the sharp end of the hair ornament into the nanny’s neck.

Her unfinished words were swallowed back into her throat. She seemed to want to raise a hand to touch the excruciating wound but barely struggled before her arm dropped lifelessly—there was no escape.

She stared toward Qin Susu, her vitality slowly fading.

Thick, dark red blood began to seep from the wound. Pei Muci promptly loosened his grip, disgustedly turning his gaze away to tuck a few loose strands of Qing Wu’s hair behind her ear.

“Don’t listen to these people’s nonsense.”

Qing Wu had not expected Pei Muci to act so decisively and instinctively glanced at the fallen old nanny.

Half the golden hairpin was buried in her skin, blood tracing down the smooth shaft, dripping one drop after another onto the tassel of the dangling ornament.

Everyone was momentarily stunned. Qin Susu collapsed heavily to the ground, too frightened to utter another word, her eyes filled with terror as she looked at Pei Muci.

Hanyue crouched down, pressing the old nanny’s carotid artery, inspecting the wound closely with some surprise.

Master Pei seemed to have done this many times before—his strike was sharp and ruthless, piercing the vital artery, rendering the old woman powerless to resist. Yet he controlled the force perfectly, avoiding a gruesome mess by not penetrating through the neck entirely.

Though she knew the princess wouldn’t be fazed by such a minor injury.

Qing Wu simply took Pei Muci’s hand, checking if he had any stains on him.

Her lips curled into a nonchalant smile, her enchanting eyes flickering with charm.

“For wasting one of my finest hair ornaments on someone like this, what do you think should be done?”

“I’ll compensate Your Highness.” Pei Muci casually hooked his finger and took the silk handkerchief hanging from Qing Wu’s belt, slowly wiping his fingertips.

Caught off guard by his touch, Qing Wu shivered at her waist but, unwilling to be outdone, reached out to pinch Pei Muci’s side.

He subtly dodged sideways.

Qing Wu no longer cared about the playful pinch; her eyes roamed over his upright figure, excitement unmistakable in her voice, her tone rising at the end.

“How will you compensate me?”