「The twentieth of October, the Royal Autumn Hunt.」
Princess Qingyang arrived at the Ye Mansion bright and early, intending to travel to the hunting grounds with Ye Chutang.
Finding Ye Chutang’s carriage too small for her taste, she insisted on pulling her into her own ultra-luxurious one.
"Yao Mountain is quite a long way from here. You might be able to handle it, but poor little Xiao Wu can’t endure such a hardship. Right, Xiao Wu?"
Princess Qingyang held Xiao Wu in her arms and couldn’t resist pinching her little cheek.
Xiao Wu looked up at her and beamed, breaking into a brilliant smile.
Princess Qingyang was even more delighted. She raised a brow at Ye Chutang smugly. "See? Even Xiao Wu is on my side!"
She conveniently failed to mention how she had just snatched up Xiao Wu and dashed to her own carriage, essentially using the girl as a "hostage."
Ye Chutang pressed a hand to her forehead in exasperation, but she laughed.
"It’s just a carriage; there’s no need for Your Highness to be so particular. Besides, it’s not like I was planning on turning you down."
Her own carriage was decent enough, but it was nothing compared to the one belonging to Princess Qingyang, who was showered with endless affection and favor.
It was a free upgrade, and she was happy to take it.
Princess Qingyang paid it no mind. After all, she came and went from the Ye Mansion as if it were her own home.
"When Ye Shixian framed you, you refused to let me intervene. Now that the whole affair is over, it would be outrageous if you didn’t at least let me help with something this small."
She grew angry just thinking about it.
She had long known Ye Shixian was no good, but she never imagined she’d be capable of something so utterly devoid of conscience.
"And you! If her maid hadn’t turned on her and secretly hidden away the evidence, who knows how long it would have taken for you to clear your name of those baseless accusations!"
Ye Chutang, however, didn’t seem to take the matter to heart. She just chuckled. "Since she did it, she was bound to leave a trail. The wheels of justice grind slowly, but they grind fine. The truth always comes out eventually."
"Easy for you to say," Princess Qingyang pouted. "I lost several nights of sleep over it!"
She had even rushed over to the Dingbei Marquis Mansion because of it. If she hadn’t seen that her brother was also perfectly calm and composed, she would have taken matters into her own hands.
"Oh, right. How is she now? I heard she went mad."
Ye Chutang thought for a moment. "It’s hard to say if she’s gone mad, but her health has definitely taken a turn for the worse."
It’s easy to get an infection in such a filthy environment. The government officials found a doctor to save her life, but that was the extent of it.
For Ye Shixian, living like that was likely a fate worse than death.
"The case has been tried, for the most part. A verdict should be delivered soon."
Princess Qingyang snorted. "She dug her own grave!"
The carriage swayed along, having apparently left the city and begun its journey toward the Royal Hunting Ground on Yao Mountain, in the suburb of the capital.
Princess Qingyang lifted the curtain halfway and gazed outside.
It was late October, and the leaves of the vast forests in the capital’s suburbs had all turned yellow. A bleak autumn wind swept by, sending leaves fluttering to the ground. The scene was tranquil, yet tinged with a hint of desolation.
Uncharacteristically, Princess Qingyang seemed lost in thought, gazing into the distance without a word for some time.
Ye Chutang suddenly asked, "Is there nothing else Your Highness wishes to ask?"
Startled from her reverie, Princess Qingyang turned back in surprise. "What?"
Ye Chutang chose her words carefully. "I heard... that Lord Murong has taken leave from today’s hunt."
If Murong Yang wasn’t coming, Murong Ye certainly wouldn’t be there either.
When it dawned on her, Princess Qingyang’s lips twitched.
"You don’t actually think I’m brooding over Murong Ye, do you?"
Ye Chutang held up her hands—it wasn’t her fault for assuming. Everyone in the Capital City knew Princess Qingyang had been infatuated with Murong Ye for years. Now that things had changed so drastically, it was only natural for her to feel sentimental.
Princess Qingyang tried to hold her tongue, but failed.
"I was just blind for a while! Am I supposed to be stuck with this stupid reputation for the rest of my life?"
She had long since realized Murong Ye wasn’t a good man. In fact, he wasn’t just a bad man—he was utter trash!
"Who hasn’t fallen for a few scumbags in their youth?"
A look of disdain crossed Princess Qingyang’s face.
"I may despise Ye Shixian, but Murong Ye taking advantage of her vulnerability doesn’t make him any better. The two of them colluding together—they’re just two peas in a pod! And don’t even get me started on how he showed zero responsibility after Ye Shixian’s miscarriage! I heard if you hadn’t stopped him that day, he would’ve just run off! Ptooey!"
Princess Qingyang felt it was bad luck just to say his name.
Seeing that her expression wasn’t faked, Ye Chutang grew curious. "Then why were you... just now..."
Princess Qingyang fell silent for a moment before admitting frankly, "I just remembered that the roasted rabbit on Yao Mountain is also delicious."
Ye Chutang: "..."
Xiao Wu: "..."
She silently tightened her grip on Princess Qingyang’s sleeve, raised her little face, and licked her lips.
’R-Really?’
’It’s been so long since I’ve had roasted rabbit!’
Xiao Wu thought back to the old days and couldn’t help but turn an expectant gaze on Ye Chutang.
’How pitiful! Ever since we returned to the Capital City, Big Sis has been so busy. She hasn’t personally roasted a rabbit for me even once!’
Ye Chutang asked, "What’s with that look?"
She listed off in a low voice, "The crystal pork knuckle, the roasted duck, the date-and-chestnut pastries, the longan and lotus seed congee... Did you eat all of that for nothing?"
Xiao Wu: "..."
She silently lowered her head, her face quietly turning red.
’I-I didn’t eat all of that at once! Those were on different days!’
Princess Qingyang: "..."
After a moment, Princess Qingyang heaved a long sigh. "Chutang, you’re unbelievably good to your Xiao Wu!"
She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming.
"Considering our deep friendship, you’ll be good to me too, right?"
A question mark slowly materialized over Ye Chutang’s head. ?
Princess Qingyang rubbed her hands together, a fawning, bootlicking grin spreading across her face.
"You promised me you’d ask my brother to win first place and give me a plate of the roasted venison. You haven’t forgotten, have you?"
Ye Chutang was speechless for a moment before replying, "I haven’t."
Princess Qingyang immediately pointed outside. "I just saw my brother’s carriage up ahead! When we catch up, you can go talk to him directly, okay?"
She sighed sorrowfully.
"Normally, I wouldn’t be worried, but he was injured not long ago, wasn’t he?"
Ye Chutang finally couldn’t take it anymore. "That was seven months ago."
’Even a half-dead man would have recovered by now, not to mention I was the one who treated him!’
"I know!" Princess Qingyang declared, full of confidence. "So you should go tell him not to spare himself and to go all out to win first place!"
The single question mark over Ye Chutang’s head multiplied into three. ???
She subtly edged away and said earnestly,
"Your Highness, your former flame may have been rotten to the core, but I still have younger siblings to raise."
’Honestly, she wasn’t quite ready to go looking for death just yet.’
Just then, the carriage came to a sudden halt.
Shen Yanchuan’s carriage had, at some point, fallen back and was now only a single carriage-length behind theirs.
The curtain was lifted, revealing an incomparably handsome and refined face.
"What are you two talking about? I could hear you all the way from up front."
Princess Qingyang was instantly guilt-ridden, but, thinking fast, she immediately said, "Ah... nothing! Just chatting about sweethearts!"
Ye Chutang: "..."