Chapter 57: Chestnut Third Lady Suffers a Sharp Retort for Her Loose Tongue

"Sister Li, stop being angry. That eldest Miss Jiang merely relies on her pretty face and delicate appearance to catch the eye of young General Pei. Didn't you see the cold look on Madam Pei's face? I suppose she is dissatisfied with this match. Let's just sit back and wait for a good show! Who knows, she might drop dead before she even marries into the family. Didn't they say she has been frail since birth and constantly takes medicine?"

The noble young lady standing nearby spoke words meant to comfort Li Liuqing.

Seeing her look with disdain at Jiang Shiyuan in the distance, she reached out to adjust the begonia tassel hairpin on her temple. That was a personal bestowal from her aunt, Imperial Concubine Li, in the palace. Drawing a long breath of relief, she spoke in a cold tone.

"What you said is true. With such a sickly wretch, she will probably kick the bucket before she even gets to sit in the seat of the Pei family's eldest daughter-in-law. Why should I lower myself to get angry with such a person!"

The venom in her words made her otherwise pretty face appear somewhat distorted. Unbeknownst to her, these remarks had already reached the ears of the usually sharp-witted Pei Ziyao, who offered a mocking smile before asking Madam Xiang beside her.

"Does elder sister-in-law know which family the young lady in the cyan dress over there belongs to?"

Following her gaze, sister-in-law Madam Xiang looked over, and after a careful glance, she explained.

"That is the third young lady of the Li family, given the personal name Liuqing. Her father is the Junior Minister of the Court of the Imperial Stud, and her aunt, Imperial Concubine Li, has been in the palace for many years, giving birth to Princess Mingzhao and the Third Prince. She is currently the head of the Nine Concubines, and I hear she will be elevated to noble consort after the Mid-Autumn Festival. Since she has always been favored by Imperial Concubine Li, she is inevitably a bit full of herself."

"So she has a concubine aunt to rely on, no wonder her mouth is so foul!"

"What is the matter?"

Madam Xiang looked puzzled. They were standing a dozen paces away from that group, and apart from clearly seeing the others chatting and laughing, they could not hear a single word.

However, just because she could not hear did not mean Pei Ziyao could not. Thus, Pei Ziyao recounted to Madam Xiang what Li Liuqing had just said.

It would have been one thing not to know, but upon hearing such vicious curses wished upon her cousin Anian, Madam Xiang's face darkened considerably, and the look she directed toward the third Miss Li was no longer as calm as before.

"The audacity of this third Miss Li! Even my Marquis Wenyuan's Mansion wouldn't dare utter a harsh word to Anian, yet they allow themselves to gossip behind her back like this? Cousin Pei, do not worry, leave this to me to handle."

With that, she whispered a few instructions to her attending maid, Danxing, who hurriedly departed. After the maid left, Pei Ziyao leaned in closer and curiously asked.

"What is elder sister-in-law planning to do?"

"Cousin, just watch the show."

Seeing her so resolute, the lingering resentment in Pei Ziyao's heart dissipated significantly, replaced by curiosity. She also wanted to see how this sister-in-law of hers would handle the matter. Therefore, although she continued to stroll idly through the front hall, her gaze remained fixed on the other side.

Sure enough, not long after, after drinking some wine, the third Miss Li suddenly broke out in a rash all over her face, and even her breathing became somewhat rapid. The noble lady standing opposite her felt something was amiss and anxiously asked.

"Sister Li, what is wrong with you?"

As soon as the words fell, Li Liuqing felt an unbearable itch on her face. Her newly manicured red-lacquered nails seemed to have a mind of their own as they suddenly scratched her twice. Two bloody streaks instantly appeared on her well-cared-for cheeks, frightening the noble ladies standing nearby into immediate screams.

In an instant, she drew everyone's attention, including Pei Ziyi and Jiang Shiyuan, who were still talking under the veranda.

"What is going on?"

Confused and wanting to step forward to take a look, Jiang Shiyuan was pulled back by Pei Ziyi. He glanced at the people present, noticed the trace of a disdainful smile at the corner of his younger sister's mouth, and roughly figured out what was happening. He calmly replied,

"Let's watch and see first."

Jiang Shiyuan looked up at Pei Ziyi in puzzlement, feeling that something wasn't quite right. Yet he had been standing right here talking to her; surely he couldn't have split himself in two to deal with a noble young lady he had never met before?

Although deeply puzzled, she saw sister-in-law Madam Xiang immediately put on a flustered expression, and with the support of her maid Danxing, she stepped forward a few paces and asked with concern.

"What has happened? For no apparent reason, why is the third Miss Li scratching her own face?"

"We don't know either, Eldest Young Mistress. Sister Li was just chatting with us, and as she talked, her face suddenly turned red. Could there be something wrong with this wine?"

One of them stepped forward and asked bluntly.

Hearing this, Madam Xiang's face dropped, and she swept her gaze over them with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Miss Shi, mind your words. This wine was personally bestowed by His Majesty and was specially opened today to welcome our guests. Everyone has partaken of it. To claim now that there is something wrong with the wine—are you targeting my Marquis Wenyuan's Mansion, or are you targeting His Majesty?"

Her words instantly silenced the noble young lady, who repeatedly begged for forgiveness, saying,

"Blame it on my momentary anxiety and loose tongue. Please do not blame me, Eldest Young Mistress. There is definitely nothing wrong with the wine; I drank it just now as well."

"As long as there is no problem. Otherwise, hosting a banquet only to have incidents arise would be a failing on the part of Marquis Wenyuan's Mansion. Come, invite the estate physician to examine what is wrong with the third Miss Li."

"Yes, Young Mistress."

With Danxing's departure, Madam Xiang was left unattended. Pei Ziyao stepped forward and guarded her side, an action that gave Madam Xiang immense peace of mind. Even if the third Miss Li were to rush over at that moment, she was not afraid of coming to any harm.

The crowd stood at a safe distance, including the noble ladies who had just been acting like devoted sisters to Li Liuqing; all of them now wore expressions of sheer terror. Seeing this, Pei Ziyao let out a light snort, her eyes filled with disdain.

The members of the Li family attending today, besides this third Miss Li, included Madam Li and her son Li Liuyun.

They had been conversing pleasantly with other matrons when they suddenly heard the screams. Rushing over, they discovered to their horror that the person scratching her face and rolling on the ground was none other than their own daughter and sister. Panic-stricken, they lunged forward.

"Qing'er! Qing'er! I am your mother, what is wrong with you?"

"Mother, it hurts! It's so itchy!"

As she spoke, Li Liuqing clawed fiercely at herself once more, causing blood to stream down her cheek, a sight that made everyone present gasp in horror.

"What are you all staring at? Hurry up and call a physician!"

Li Liuyun suddenly roared in a fury. A woman's face was her most precious asset, especially since his sister was on the verge of marriage. If her face were truly clawed to ruin, it would spell massive trouble for the future. Enraged, he barked at the surrounding maids,

"Standing there like fools! Why aren't you going over to hold the third young lady's hands?"

"Yes, yes..."

The maids swarmed forward, but before they could grab Li Liuqing's hands, someone slipped on the floor and crashed into the group. The Li family masters and servants collapsed in a pile like tumbling dominoes, making a complete spectacle of themselves in the front hall of Marquis Wenyuan's Mansion.

Having witnessed his sister's covert stone-kicking maneuver, Pei Ziyi understood everything now. It seemed this third Miss Li must have offended her to warrant such treatment. A smile touched the corners of his lips as he lowered his voice to tell Jiang Shiyuan beside him,

"Anian, don't worry. It was Ziyao who did it."

Jiang Shiyuan wore a perplexed look. The Li family and the Pei family had always been on neutral terms; why would Pei Ziyao target the third Miss Li?