Chapter 650: If you have the skills, come steal i (1/2)
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Long Feiye didn’t like to waste words, much less time, with irrelevant people. Even if Duanmu Yao had considerable clout before the sword sect elder and Cang Qiuzi, he still disregarded her utterly. He didn’t need to gauge her opinion before involving himself in Celestial Mountain matters, nor did he require her assistance. Neither did he dread any attempts she’d try to stop him.
He was planning to order someone take the letter and drive them away, but fell silent when he saw Han Yunxi get off the carriage. Instead he stayed put to quietly drink his tea while opening up his Annals of the Seven Noble Families for further study. If Han Yunxi wanted to fool around, he’d let her do as she pleased. If she went overboard, he could help her clean up the mess afterwards.
Uncle Gao withdrew as soon as Han Yunxi got off the carriage. Duanmu Yao assumed that it was Long Feiye, but only felt disappointed when he never showed. She quickly wiped away the tears on her face to hide her pathetic expression from Han Yunxi’s eyes. Unfortunately, her pitiful state was much harder to hide than some simple tears. Han Yunxi had already jumped onto the ground, but now she leaned back to sit against the carriage, sitting astride its axels as she played with the whip for the horses.
Instead of staring at Duanmu Yao outright, she cast her a sideways glance. She looked towards her shoes first, then traced a path up to her face and back down to her feet. It was a perfect rendition of scorn and disdain that made Duanmu Yao bristle in response. She was already feeling timid, but now Han Yunxi had added humiliation to the mix. In fury, she cried, “Han Yunxi, what are you looking at?”
“I’m trying to see what a pestering annoyance looks like.” Han Yunxi examined her from head to toe again, then added, “I’ve got a clear picture now.”
“You!” Duanmu Yao almost rose to fight, but held herself back. If Han Yunxi had the guts to get off that carriage, then she’d make the woman regret for a lifetime! Although master was ignorant of the marriage agreement between Cang Qiuzi and the Tang Clan, he did know she was looking for senior brother to treat her wounds. No matter what, she couldn’t fight back or make any slip of the tongue that end up putting her at a disadvantage. She had to push Han Yunxi into the fault first so she could go back and tattle properly.
So what if the woman was senior brother’s official consort? Once she left a bad impression in master’s eyes, she’d be over! Master’s temper was the type to hate someone utterly once he formed a bad impression. It would be impossible to change his mind.
Duanmu Yao ignored Han Yunxi’s mockery and said loudly back, “Senior brother, are you planning to defy master’s orders? If you don’t want to see this letter, then I’ll just leave! I’ll bring it back to master as before.”
It was unclear whether Long Feiye had even heard her. Right now, he was absorbed in the contents of his book as he laid lazily on the couch. But Han Yunxi narrowed her eyes indignation. This woman was obviously threatening Long Feiye with the sword sect master!
“Who said that Long Feiye won’t read this letter? It’s obviously you who refuses to give it up! Miss Duanmu, aren’t you afraid of being struck by lighting for lying in broad daylight?” Han Yunxi asked coldly.
She’s cursing me again! Duanmu Yao’s rage simmered in her stomach as she yearned to swear right back, but for the sake of tattling later, she still held back. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Han Yunxi, you’re a woman, so can’t you speak properly? Do you have to curse others?”
Han Yunxi laughed and tilted her head towards the driver. “Has this wangfei cursed anyone?”
Uncle Gao shook his head, so Han Yunxi looked towards Mu Linger next. Before she even asked, the girl was already scurrying to her side with a retort. “Han Yunxi, are you even cursing someone who’s human in the first place?”
Very satisfied, Han Yunxi told Uncle Gao, “Hey, you should learn more from Miss Linger in the future.”
Meanwhile, Long Feiye’s lips curved up into a grin from within the carriage…in the end, he was still paying attention to every word said outside. Duanmu Yao almost burst into tears from frustration again. Finally she cursed, “Han Yunxi, you’re the one who’s inhuman! Don’t bully me too far! You have no right to involve yourself in matters between me and my senior brother. Scram for this princess this instant!”
This princess? Duanmu Yao’s tone of voice and haughty ways were nothing like the princess of any great nation. Instead, she was more like a spoiled royal of some small, nondescript country. But regardless of the case, she’d long lost her respected status and imperial title.
“If this wangfei remembers rightly, you’ve already been expelled from Western Zhou’s imperial clan for colluding with an enemy duke. You’ve committed the same as treason. Duanmu Yao, you don’t even have the basic precepts of a decent person on hand, much less than of a woman. Isn’t your face turning red from calling yourself a princess?” Han Yunxi rebuked her.
“A noble status is worthy of honor and glory, but it’s also a form of responsibility. You can’t just flaunt it like some sort of display, but protect it with all your might! Duanmu Yao, if you’re still human, then hurry up and bury your mother so she can rest in peace.”
She wasn’t just calling Duanmu Yao inhuman out of spite! Such dirty words weren’t meant to be used casually. Empress Xue had been kidnapped as a hostage and then died in the Chu Clan’s military barracks. Because Duanmu Yao refused to believe that she’d been assassinated, she’d called on Celestial Mountain’s forces to exert pressure on the Chu Clan and Ning Cheng. Insisting on an investigation, she’d let Empress Xue’s corpse lay in the barracks without a proper resting spot.
Long Feiye had been the culprit who ordered the assassination, which was nothing from his standpoint. Every successful power struggle under Heaven was paved with the corpses of tens of thousands of victims. There were no tactics or political machinations without its share of sacrifices and spilled blood.
But Duanmu Yao was Empress Xue’s biological daughter. From her position, the death of her mother should be a tragic event. She should be more anxious than anyone else to uncover the truth about the woman’s death so she could let her rest in peace sooner. Instead, she was idle enough to get involved in the disputes between Cang Qiuzi and the Tang Clan, then delay Long Feiye’s carriage just because she was a jealous rival in love! Han Yunxi’s curses weren’t unwarranted at all.