Chapter 499 - Notorious (2/2)
“In that case, your servant here had spoilt your plan. It’s all my fault, Your Highness. Please punish me accordingly.”
Hanging his head, Yu An spoke up, sounding a little frustrated.
However, Lin Mengya did not punish him. On the contrary, she smiled as she looked at him and said, “You are good in some ways. Although my reputation was affected, Zhu Jiajing is the one who had gotten into real trouble.”
Yu An looked up at the princess, perplexed.
Lin Mengya chuckled softly and explained to him, saying, “Zhu Jiajing is a young talent. The Zhus had intended to have him go into the Pavilion of Herbs, so he could take up some position of authority. However, if you think about what happened, the incident would not be so easily forgotten. Those people who meant harm would make mention of this incident every now and then. By then, do you suppose Zhu Jiajing would still stand a chance to enter the Pavilion of Herbs? Even if he managed to enter the Pavilion of Herbs, is it even possible for him to compete for the position of the Chief Elder?”
Yu An seemed to come to a sudden realization. The princess had willingly sacrificed her reputation so that she could destroy Zhu Jiajing completely.
That was right. Perhaps it might not appear to have any effect at the moment.
However, in the future, this incident would become a stain he regretted his whole life when he wanted to scale a greater height.
The princess’s tactic was like slicing meat with a blunt knife. It might be slow, but it caused great pain and agony.
“My dear cousin, are you not worried that your husband would run away from you given that you are so sinister and vicious?”
Zuo Qiuyu seemed unperturbed as he made a joke out of Lin Mengya.
“Would he dare to run away given that I’m so sinister and vicious?”
Lin Mengya said coldly, raising her eyebrows.
At that moment, the two men in the enclosed space felt a chill running up their spine.
It seemed that in the future, they should never offend this fiend!
On the square where the competition was held, there was a pair of eyes gazing hesitantly at the spectator stand.
Hou Lingyu was feeling somewhat uneasy. He rubbed his palms together and seemed to have lost his focus on the patient in front of him. His mind seemed to have drifted.
He had just made a trip to the washroom.
On the back, he had stumbled on what exactly happened between Zhu Jiajing and Princess Anle.
He was hiding at one corner more because he did not want any trouble than to be eavesdropping.
Now, however, he was shocked to learn that Zhu Jiajing was actually such a shameless villain.
How outrageous for a pure and noble lady like Princess Anle to suffer such wrong!
He, on the other hand, had let slip the chance to prove Princess Anle’s innocent just because of a moment of hesitation.
By now, he was filled with regret and self-blame.
Nevertheless, considering that this was the Hou Family’s last chance to back into the Pavilion of Herbs. This was the family’s last hope to wipe out their disgrace and clear their name.
He could still vaguely remember how his grandfather had died with a grievance.
For years, this hope had been laid upon his shoulder. He did not wish to let his family down. He must not dash their hope.
But…
When he was young, his grandfather had always instilled in him the concept that if he did not stop someone who was up to evil, it was as good as helping the evil person and that it was a great sin.
His straightforward and kind-hearted nature had resulted in a struggle within him.
For this reason, he had lagged behind in the competition.
However, he could not quieten himself to continue with the competition.
After pondering for a long time, Hou Lingyu finally let out a soft sigh.
A determined look appeared on his face once again.
Even he eventually got disqualified, he had to speak the truth.
Once he made up in his mind, he felt a burden fall off his shoulders. However, just as he was about to blurt out that he was forfeit his qualification, a small hand suddenly grabbed on to his arm.
“Big brother, would you please take a look at my illness?”
A little girl with sparkly black eyes gazed at him with doe eyes and a bitter feeling welled up from his heart.
He squatted down and fondled with the little girl’s head.
“I still have something to attend to right now. What about you ask another big brother to have a look at your illness?” Hou Lingyu said patiently.
The young lass, with two cute little buns on her head, began shaking her head vigorously. She then reached out to pull on Hou Lingyu’s ear and whispered into it.
“What? You!”
Hou Lingyu gave the little lass a stunned look as she returned his gaze with her adorable, wide-opened eyes.
Instinctively, he reached out to assess the little girl’s pulses.
A surprise look flashed across his eyes at that moment.
It was so unexpected to think that this little girl had contracted…
“Big brother, please do not drop out of the competition but continue in it without worrying about other things. I’m afraid you’re the only person here who can treat my illness.”
Despite having an innocent countenance, there was a sense of maturity that was rather unfamiliar and out of place in the lass.
Nevertheless, no one else apart from Hou Lingyu spotted the fleeting look on her face.
It seemed that Hou Lingyu was frightened out of his wits for a moment, however, he quickly recovered from his shock.
He looked towards the spectator stand with mixed feelings.
What had he done to deserve the good graces of these two people?
He immediately pulled himself together.
He must emerge as the champion in this competition!