Chapter 176 Heart of Wolf and Lungs of Dog (1/2)
Lin Mengya stubbornly pursed her lips, refusing to speak a word.
So enraged was Concubine De that she almost smashed the teacup in her hands if Princess Lingnan did not snatch the teacup from her in time.
“Please calm down, Your Highness. Princess Yu is after all still young. Just teach her a lesson if she’s made a mistake, lest your health is affected. It was just too bad Hui’er had to suffer.”
Princess Lingnan might sound as if she was trying to console Concubine De, but in fact, she was obviously trying to stir up Concubine De’s emotions.
True enough, Concubine De got angrier.
She pointed a trembling finger at Lin Mengya in turning rage.
“Get down on your knees!”
Concubine De bellowed with rage and the people around broke out in cold sweat in fear for Princess Yu.
Lin Mengya got down on her knees reluctantly but still refused to admit that it was her mistake.
“How did I use to teach you? How are you going to manage the entire Prince Yu’s Mansion if you are so narrow-minded?”
Concubine De seemed to be truly upset with Lin Mengya, so much so that she started rebuking and blaming Lin Mengya in plain sight.
Tears were welling up in Lin Mengya’s eyes.
However, she bit her lips in adamancy, refusing to open her mouth.
On the other hand, a completely drenched Shangguan Hui, whose lips had turned purple from the cold, was sobbing away.
“It’s all my fault, Miss Shangguan, for failing in our family discipline and causing such trouble. Rest assured that I will engage the best imperial physician to have a look at you.”
As Concubine De gave Shangguan Hui an apologetic look, a sudden sense of doubt arose in her heart.
Ya’er was never an impulsive person. Concubine De felt there was something strange going on between the two of them.
“Many thanks to Your Highness. Hui’er, Hui’er appreciated your kindness and love. Aunt, Aunt, let’s take our leave.”
Shangguan Hui had just been rescued out of the water and her once magnificent dress was now clinging to her body.
Her pinned-up hair was in a mess and there was a look of shock in her eyes. She was curled up into a ball, looking like a totally different person from when she first came.
“Look at what you’ve done! I’m too embarrassed to stay on. I’ll deal with you when we return to the mansion.”
Concubine De seemed to have reached the limit of her patience towards Lin Mengya.
At this moment, the eunuch in charge of ceremony coincidentally arrived with an imperial edict.
“The auspicious hour had arrived, will all the honorable guests be seated?”
The eunuch standing outside as well as those spectators left one by one.
Lin Mengya continued kneeling there stubbornly. She had been utterly shamed today.
As the onlookers left one by one, and Shangguan Hui left, being led by Princess Lingnan, Lin Mengya was the only left in the side palace hall.
“Master, please get up quickly, the floor is so cold.”
Baisu, who was hiding at one corner ran up to her master and helped her up.
She simultaneously stuffed a small piece of paper into Lin Mengya’s hand.
“Miss Wang’s maidservant secretly passed this note to me,” whispered Baisu into Lin Mengya’s ear.
That night, Lin Mengya brought Miss Wang to take a peek at her mother, who was in a dire state.
At the sight of her mother, the usually brazen and sassy Miss Wang had broken down in tears.
When the news of her mother’s demise was first disseminated, her father, Wang Hanlin immediately thought to marry her off.
If not for her insisting to observe the period of mourning for her mother, she would have fallen in the snare of her father.
Lin Mengya unfolded the piece of paper. As she read the neat handwriting on the note, a smile appeared on her face.
“So this was what happened. I thought the Crown Prince was capable of more profound schemes.”
She tossed the paper onto the candle flame and soon, it burnt into ashes.
Lin Mengya straightened her clothes and said, “Let’s go. It’s time for us to show ourselves.”
In the Chun’en Hall where the banquet was going on, there were many wealthy and noble guests. The Crown Prince and the Queen was naturally the focus of attention.
Lin Mengya had become a well-known character at the banquet, all thanks to Shangguan Hui’s incident.
Unfortunately, there was something else in the way the people there were looking at her.
“Please forgive me for arriving late, Your Highness the Crown Prince and the Queen.”
The dried-up tears on her face made Lin Mengya look even more pitiful.
Despite the Crown Prince hating Lin Mengya to the bone, a part of him wanted to have this beautiful woman all to himself.
A hesitant look flashed across the Crown Prince’s eyes and vice Princess Dugu happened to catch sight of that look.
How dare the Crown Prince was still having second thoughts about that woman. Lin Mengya was truly her arch enemy.
“It’s alright; it’s just a family banquet. Please take your seat.”
Although Lin Mengya kept going against the Queen, the look the Queen gave Lin Mengya was exactly the same as before.
To the Queen, Lin Mengya was merely a small fry.
The Crown Prince might have lost to Lin Mengya, but it was all because of a moment of negligence.
“Thank you, Your Highness, the Queen.”
Concubine De was apparently still very mad, and Lin Mengya was looking glum while she sat at her seat.
The surrounding people knew better than to probe further.
The atmosphere of the banquet was a little tense and awkward. After Lin Mengya downed two shots of wine, she used the tipsy feeling as an excuse to leave early, helped by some maids.
Lin Mengya and her maidservant kept a low profile as they left so that no one was alarmed.
The moment they stepped out of gates of Chun’en Hall, Lin Mengya snapped out of her pretense of being tidily.
The master and her maidservant headed towards the side chamber to the right of Chun’en Hall.
The side chamber was not especially spacious, but it had been kept clean.
Chairs were neatly arranged in a few rows and this was meant to be a temporary resting place for the guests.
“Master, what does Miss Wang want to meet you for?”