Counterattack of the Concubine’s Invincible Daughter

15. Xuanyuan Sheng

Translator: Snowball

Next, Mei Qianqian described the process of their competition in detail to Xuanyuan Jin. She seemed genuinely apologetic for losing the game, but she reduced the rules of punishment to an understatement.

Xuanyuan Jin was smart enough to figure out Mei Qianqian’s intention, but he wouldn’t lay bare her trick. The Mei’s Mansion was not only the richest in the capital city but the emperor’s favored concubine, Princess Mei’s maiden home as well. As Princess Mei was childless, she had been doting Mei Qianqian from childhood. If Xuanyuan Jin wanted to get financial support from the Mei family, he couldn’t really punish Mei Qianqian.

“You’ve not only disgraced your family, but Princess Mei as well, so you deserve to be punished. Go back and copy all the poem lines which contain ‘flower’.”

Mei Qianqian was overjoyed when she heard that Xuanyuan Jin had allowed her to leave without digging further into the punishment rule. She then expressed her gratitude, rose to her feet and was about to go home to copy the poem lines while shooting Mu Yingxue a defiant glare. “Even though I lost, what can you do to me? Dare you go against the crown prince’s will?”

However, when the triumphant Mei Qianqian was going to to lift her foot, Mu Yingxue’s voice suddenly rang, which made her legs tremble at once.

“Prince Jin, I’m so disappointed that as the heir to the throne, you’re so unfair and even took such a mean person’s side!”

Though what Mu Yingxue had said did make sense, all the other noble childes and young ladies were taken aback, and Liu’er even covered her eyes with her hands out of fright.

Xuanyuan Jin didn’t expect that this girl was so bold that she dared even accuse him. The muscles in his face stiffened in an instant and he couldn’t help staring at Mu Yingxue angrily.

Seeing that his master was in a rage, Xuanyuan Jin’s guard, Zhuiyun, immediately strode to Mu Yingxue and reprimanded, “How dare you treat His Highness so disrespectfully? You are digging your own grave!”

“Ha! I’m just telling the truth! Do you mean she can get away with losing the game just because she’s an acquaintance of the crown prince?” Mu Yingxue didn’t even show the slightest hint of fear.

Zhuiyun was about to retort but was stopped by Xuanyuan Jin, who narrowed his eyes with obvious threat in them, looking extremely dangerous. If Mu Yingxue dared talk nonsense again, he wouldn’t spare her!

However, Xuanyuan Jin still underestimated Mu Yingxue. If it were other women, even though they had figured out that the crown prince was partial to Mei Qianqian, they would have to put up with it. Nobody would dare expose the crown prince’s trick in front of so many people, let alone criticize him like Mu Yingxue.

“As Miss Mei had powerful backing, she tried to take advantage of me in the game. According to the punishment rule she set, the one who lost the game would have to get down on her knees outside of the gate of the Moonlight Pavilion and let a hundred passers-by kick her ass. Now Miss Mei lost and wanted to go back on her word. As the crown prince, instead of redressing the scales, you’re trying to help her escape punishment! I seriously doubt that you have even the most basic ability to distinguish right from wrong!”

As the heir to the throne, Xuanyuan Jin was of noble birth and he had been at the top of the pecking order since he was a kid, so it was totally unacceptable for him to bear being criticized. Sensing the tension in the air, everyone present felt breathless as if they were under a huge, dark cloud.

After a good while, Xuanyuan Jin suddenly burst into laughter. “Are you aware that people who defy me will be beheaded?” he stared at Mu Yingxue with a ferocious look flashing in his eyes.

“I’m just an ordinary person, so it won’t make much difference if I die. But as the crown prince, if word gets out about your collusion with the Mei’s family and killing innocent people randomly, I’m afraid it will be a pretty big disadvantage to you.”

Needless to say, Mei Qianqian knew the stakes as well. She stared at Mu Yingxue and shouted angrily, “You unruly girl, stop talking nonsense! His Highness is both wise and righteous, how dare you sling mud at him!”

“Miss Mei, please enlighten me, which one of my words is not true or has insulted His Highness?

“You…”

A few times, Mei Qianqian was about to shoot back, but just had no idea what to say, so she could only stand there, blushing with anger.

Xuanyuan Jin gritted his teeth and could no longer hold his anger back. “You’re daring enough to threaten me! Do you know that no one in my life has ever dared talk to me this way?”

“So Prince Jin, you must have wasted over twenty years! What a pity that there’s not a single person around you who dares to tell the truth!”

Xuanyuan Jin’s handsome face darkened, veins bulging out on his forehead.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?”

“I don’t think you have the guts.”

Liu’er was so anxious that she started sweating. She tugged at Mu Yingxue’s clothes from behind, but the latter didn’t seem to have noticed it. “Miss, are you sure you’ve regained your intelligence? How come I feel you’re even sillier than before? He’s the crown prince, the second most powerful man in this country. How could he be afraid of anything?” Liu’er thought in despair.

“There’s nothing in the world that deserves my second thought. You’ll find out soon! Since you have a death wish, don’t blame me for being merciless!”

Xuanyuan Jin was so angry that he was out of his mind. He suddenly reached out his right hand, pulled out Zhuiyun’s sword shimmering with coldness, and thrust it towards Mu Yingxue’s neck.

Mu Yingxue had predicted that Xuanyuan Jin would initiate an attack, so she wasn’t surprised. However, before she could fight back, a jade pendant suddenly flew up from nowhere and struck the sword in Xuanyuan Jin’s hand to one side.

With a clang, the jade pendant fell to the ground and then rolled at Mu Yingxue’s long skirt.

“What? It’s not broken!?”

A man’s voice, which sounded kind of disappointed echoed upstairs. Everyone looked up and saw a young man, who had a delicate face and fair skin, leaning against the rail.

“Xuanyuan Sheng!” Xuanyuan Jin bellowed so loudly that the whole building almost shook.

He felt like his head was about to explode when he found out that it was Xuanyuan Sheng who had knocked his sword aside.

Ignoring his rage, Xuanyuan Sheng scratched his ear and said with disgust, “Pipe down! I’m not deaf!”

Xuanyuan Jin instantly flared up at his words and the veins on his forehead were about to burst.

All the noble childes and young ladies greeted him in haste with a bizarre look on their faces when they heard that this young man was Xuanyuan Sheng. “Your Highness!”

Everyone knew Xuanyuan Sheng was the seventh prince, the youngest son of the emperor, Xuanyuan Lie and the empress. Though he was only seventeen years old, as the dearly beloved son of the imperator, he dared not only beat the emperor’s favored concubines and the officials, but also go against the emperor himself as well as the crown prince. Everyone was afraid of him, as if he were a devil.

Turning a blind eye to those people, Xuanyuan Sheng leaped off the teahouse and landed in front of Mu Yingxue. He revealed a smile as brilliant as sunshine on his face, which looked a little bit of baby fat while thumbing up. “Except for me, you’re the second one to have driven my brother mad and made him want to kill!”

Mu Yingxue smiled after looking into Xuanyuan Sheng’s sparkling eyes for quite a while. “Do you know the consequences of offending the crown prince?”

Xuanyuan Sheng looked even more excited. “My brother has a quick temper. If he lost temper because of such a trifle, he has only himself to blame for the narrowness of his mind.”

Hearing their conversation, Xuanyuan Jin clenched his teeth. “Xuanyuan Sheng, it’s none of your business. Do yourself a favour and stay out of it!”

“What if I’d like to butt in?”

“Don’t you think that I dare not slap you just because our father dotes on you!”

Hearing that, Xuanyuan Sheng immediately puffed out his chest proudly. “Come on! Beat me!”

“Xuanyuan Sheng!”

“I know my name is awesome, but you don’t have to repeat it.”

“Don’t you think there’s nothing I can do with you!”

“Then let’s go to our father now. I’d like him to hear what you’ve done!”

“You!”

Xuanyuan Jin was so angry that he almost coughed up a mouthful of blood. He had a spur to strangle Xuanyuan Sheng, but under so many people’s gaze, he couldn’t and he dared not do so.

If they argued in front of their father for this, the news would reach Xuanyuan Rui’s ears soon. Then Xuanyuan Rui would definitely use it against him. This damn Xuanyuan Sheng! Xuanyuan Jin swore secretly that he would definitely skin Xuanyuan Sheng alive one day.