This—this was the true face of these noble clans.
Because they had once followed the founding emperor and helped him to power, they so easily gained the kind of wealth and authority ordinary people couldn’t attain in several lifetimes. And so, they no longer saw themselves as people.
They wanted to be gods.
To stand high above everyone else. To find every possible way to separate themselves from common folk.
In their every action, every posture, they had to display their nobility, their uniqueness, their sense of superiority.
They probably even wanted their household dogs to be a notch above common people’s.
Lacking any true kindness, all they could boast of was their “noble” bloodline and status.
But the strangest thing was—
They looked down on the commoners, yet demanded the commoners’ love and admiration.
The moment they fell from their pedestals, they suffered more than anyone.
And this—this was their fatal weakness, which Qi Yuan understood all too well. So she sneered.
Seeing that she could still laugh at a time like this, Madam Liu was overwhelmed with rage. She stormed forward and raised her hand furiously. “You wretched girl! How dare you laugh at someone else’s misfortune!”
She truly wanted to beat this girl to death!
Unfortunately, Qi Yuan wasn’t the kind of person who just bowed her head and took it, who would cry and say, “It wasn’t me, I didn’t do anything wrong.”
She raised her arm and blocked Madam Liu’s slap.
Even the second madam of the Qi family, who had stepped forward, froze in place, hesitating as she looked at Qi Yuan.
Heavens, was this really the same Qi Yuan who had just been sitting with her?
Back in the carriage, Qi Yuan had been all gentle and harmless, smiling with every word like a soft little kitten.
But now—now she was like a wildcat, claws bared.
Blocking Madam Liu’s slap, Qi Yuan let out a contemptuous snort and flung her hand away.
“You people are truly shameless!”
Shameless.
The word struck Madam Liu’s face like a heavy slap.
Worse, Qi Yuan said it clearly and forcefully, with such righteousness that her words landed with the force of thunder.
Madam Liu felt her throat tighten, her head spin.
Where on earth had this Qi Yuan come from?
She didn’t follow any rules in what she said or did. She had no sense of taboo, no concern for propriety.
She was a total anomaly!
Madam Liu pointed at Qi Yuan and shouted, “What did you just say?!”
Qi Yuan shook off her hand and coldly swept her gaze around.
Because Liu Mingzhu was injured, Zhou Wang and Zhou Wangfei had already stepped into the field, and Commandery Princesses Luochuan and Xianning had arrived one after another.
The noble girls gathered together, looking at Qi Yuan as though she were some bizarre creature.
Madam Lu, who had previously visited the Qi household, frowned deeply at Qi Yuan. Her gaze was full of disgust.
“Miss Qi! This is a competition, not some muddy countryside wrestling match! Has the Yongping Marquis Estate taught you no decorum?”
Madam Lu was extremely displeased.
She had disliked Qi Yuan from the very first moment she saw her.
Why? There was no real reason—only that Qi Yuan had received special treatment from the Eldest Princess.
And to think she, Madam Lu, was technically the Eldest Princess’s sister-in-law! She sent so many lavish gifts to Baiyun Mountain every year—yet the Eldest Princess never gave her a second glance, but doted on Qi Yuan instead?
Why her?!
Qi Yuan’s lips curled into a sneer. She turned to Madam Lu with a cold laugh. “What decorum? You mean the kind that worships the powerful and kisses up to the favored? If that’s the kind of decorum you mean, then yes, the marquisate never taught me that. Perhaps you, Madam Lu, could graciously stoop to teach me?”
…
Madam Lu was stunned with anger.
She had never encountered someone as blunt and direct as Qi Yuan.
At that moment, Qi Yuan flung off Madam Liu’s hand and turned her face to Zhou Wang.
“In any competition, there are winners and losers. If the point was only to flatter one person, then why invite anyone else to participate at all?”
Zhou Wangfei’s face darkened. “What are you implying?”
“I’m saying—since you all come from such noble backgrounds, why not have nobler hearts to match?” Qi Yuan suddenly raised her voice. “This competition was proposed by Liu Mingzhu herself. With everyone watching, I won fair and square, and aboveboard!”
All eyes turned to Qi Yuan.
Some couldn’t help but whisper, “Who is this girl? Her tongue is sharp as a blade!”
Before Madam Liu or Zhou Wangfei could respond, Qi Yuan coldly added, “If you can’t stand to lose, then don’t compete in the first place. After I won, she refused to accept defeat and took revenge, breaking my horse’s leg. Decorum? Upbringing? Those are questions I should be asking you, Madam Liu. Is this what the noble Duke Chu’s family teaches? That when you lose, you lash out like a sore loser?”
“You—!” Madam Liu’s whole body went numb. Her hands trembled with stiffness.
She snapped, “You’re still standing here unharmed. Who’s the real assailant here?!”
Qi Yuan didn’t flinch. “It was your daughter who attacked me first in front of everyone. If we’re talking about crimes, hers should be judged first. And if you’re dissatisfied—then by all means, let the Three Bureaus investigate. I’d love to know what crime I committed.”
The Three Bureaus?!
Madam Liu was so angry she laughed.
Did this wretched girl even know what the Three Bureaus were?
She’d actually suggest involving them in something like this?
“Fine! Fine! Fine!” she snapped. “Such a sharp-tongued young lady—I’ll pay your Qi family a personal visit and speak to your elders myself!”
Qi Yuan let out a cold laugh. “If Madam Liu wants to abandon all shame, what else is there to say?”
With her repeated cries of shameless, shameless, Madam Liu was practically driven to madness.
She was born into an elite noble family, and married into one as well. She had never been humiliated like this in public.
Only Zhou Wangfei hurriedly pulled her back and muttered under her breath, “Can’t you see? This girl plays by no rules. She doesn’t care about reputation or face, or anyone’s opinion. What’s the point of confronting her? You’re like a precious jade—if you clash with a broken tile, only you end up damaged!”
Babao and Liujin exchanged wide-eyed glances. In their minds, only one word echoed: Savage.
Miss Qi’s mouth? One against ten. Enough to argue someone to death!
In contrast, Xiao Yunting had become numb to it all.
He’d realized by now—no trouble was ever the real trouble.
Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, Qi Yuan would show up with a stick and open an even bigger hole.
And worst of all—she wasn’t just wild. She was terrifyingly smart.
Just like when she took revenge on Liu Mingzhu. She didn’t strike in secret or play the long game.
You want my life? Then I want yours.
You made me fall from my horse? Then I’ll do the same to you.
It looked reckless—but it was entirely within the rules.
Madam Lu’s face was a storm cloud. She truly couldn’t stand Qi Yuan, but also feared provoking her into saying something even worse.
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