"You scion of the Xie family! Are you threatening this prince!"
"It is only proper for me to pay my respects to the Old Prince. How can that be considered a threat? I have no such intention, and I hope the Old Prince does not overinterpret my actions."
"All of you, retreat! Let that scion come over! In my presence, where is there room for a scion's insolence!"
"Old Prince, don't just howl. Look at the guards in your mansion; not a single one listens to you. Shall I teach them a lesson or two for you?"
As Xie Jiang spoke, she began to loosen her wrists and ankles, showing a readiness to fight again in the early morning.
"Presumptuous!" Prince Yong roared, his voice cracking.
"Since the Old Prince is unwilling, I shall not meddle further. However, Old Prince, are you sure you don't want to sit down and have a chat?"
"We certainly need to have a good talk. You few will accompany me to the palace now, and we shall discuss it slowly before His Majesty!"
"Whether it's before His Majesty or not, it's enough for the two of us to talk. At most, we can include that group of toads from last night. Xu Shuo and the others are not necessary; they were not involved."
"Who are you calling toads!"
"Whoever is a toad, that's who. I wasn't referring to you, Old Prince, so why the strong reaction?"
"You scoundrel, you say they weren't involved, and they weren't involved? So many eyes saw it last night! None of you five will escape!"
"Those toads from last night, who only knew how to drool over women, I alone am not enough to warm up my muscles. Do I need Xu Shuo and the others to step in? Old Prince, do you have a misunderstanding of those toads' capabilities?"
As if having seized upon a handle, Prince Yong asked excitedly, "You admit you were responsible for what happened last night! You admit you severely injured them!"
"What's so difficult to admit about something like this? It wasn't me who was beaten into a pulp."
The two exchanged words across the human wall.
Prince Yong's anger became increasingly difficult to suppress. After a few exchanges, his breathing grew heavy, clearly showing that Xie Jiang was pushing him to the brink.
Xie Jiang's words were laced with amusement. The more enraged Prince Yong became, the more sincere her attitude appeared.
And the more earnestly sincere Xie Jiang acted, the more Prince Yong felt she harbored malicious intentions.
It wasn't just Prince Yong who felt this way; Yue Lin and the others shared the same sentiment.
It was as if Xie Jiang's smile could snatch their lives and souls at any moment.
The dozens of guards in Prince Yong's mansion looked at Xie Jiang as if she were a demon crawling out of hell.
Lu Yuqing quietly said to Yue Lin, "The Old Prince is being a bit unreasonable. We didn't make a move at all."
Suddenly thinking of something, he added, "I accidentally kicked Prince Yong'an yesterday. He recognized me. Could it be that he's holding us accountable for just that one kick?"
Yue Lin replied, "Since we came together, it's not strange for them to count us all in."
Xu Hengyi whispered, "I finally understand why Xie Jiang suddenly changed her mind and isn't being volatile at all. Seeing Prince Yong and his entourage hopping with rage but unable to do anything to her is more satisfying than a violent outburst."
At first, when they saw Xie Jiang milling about outside the human wall, they were on tenterhooks, ready to pounce and cling to her leg at any moment.
Now, they were slowly beginning to understand.
Xie Jiang's earlier volatility, right after getting out of bed, had long passed. The thought of kicking Prince Yong to death had also vanished.
Xu Shuo shook his head and sighed, "Marquis of Nanhai's disposition is a bit too mischievous..."
Their current worry was whether Xie Jiang would anger the Old Prince to death.
"Old Prince, have you had breakfast yet? Shall we have breakfast together?"
"What trick are you trying to pull!"
"Since the Old Prince has excused me from paying my respects and is unwilling to sit down for a chat, I shall go have breakfast first. Old Prince, please wait for me for a moment. After I've eaten my fill, we can go to the palace together."
Feeling that she had sufficiently angered the Old Prince, Xie Jiang turned and headed in the direction of the pleasure house.
Prince Yong immediately shouted, "You want to escape! Seize her..."
Xie Jiang turned back impatiently, "Seize what? I already said I'll be back later. Can't a person eat breakfast?"
Her sharp gaze swept over Prince Yong's mansion guards. The guards, who had just begun to step forward, seemed to stick to the ground as if glued.
"Wait!"
Xie Jiang left them with a single word and swaggered away, as if Prince Yong and everyone else were simply subordinates who were naturally supposed to bow to her will.
Prince Yong was so enraged he couldn't speak for a long time.
The guards of Prince Yong's mansion did not pursue. The front and back gates of Chun Se Man Yuan were blocked by them, making it impossible for anyone surnamed Xie to escape even with wings.
Yue Lin and the other three silently followed behind Xie Jiang.
"This Old Prince is so cowardly, why is he still standing up for those toads?" Xie Jiang asked.
"Uh..."
"Hmm?"
Sensing there was more to it, Xie Jiang turned to look at the four.
Lu Yuqing cleared his throat twice, then moved half a step closer to Xie Jiang and whispered, "The Old Prince is a frequent visitor to Chun Se Man Yuan. He happened to be in the garden last night."
At this point, Lu Yuqing's expression became somewhat peculiar. "More importantly, like Prince Yong'an, the Old Prince has long admired the twin sisters, but he has always been kept outside."
"Oh—"
Xie Jiang's eyebrows immediately shot up, and she drew out her tone. She understood everything now. "At his age, he still covets pretty young girls. Isn't he afraid of not seeing the sun rise tomorrow morning?"
Regardless of whether the Old Prince would see the sun rise tomorrow morning, just the fact that Marquis Xie could spend the night in the sisters' courtyard at any time was enough to incite hatred!
~
After breakfast, the four followed Xie Jiang, along with Prince Yong, to Yuan You Palace.
The matter of beating people originally had nothing to do with them.
It was all Xie Jiang's doing.
However, Prince Yong and the imperial clan disciples who were beaten last night insisted on counting them as Xie Jiang's accomplices.
Xu Shuo and the other three were not the least bit intimidated.
Not everyone had seen what happened last night. Even if only heaven and earth knew, it wasn't as simple as them saying something and it being so.
Most importantly, they were all convinced that they would not get to see His Majesty today.
What happened last night was not a major incident, but they had been out all night and were being blocked by Prince Yong's mansion guards at Chun Se Man Yuan. Their respective families must have known.
However, even at this late hour, no one from their families had come forward, indicating that they didn't take it seriously.
Xie Jiang did not offer any polite words of apology for implicating them.
What kind of implication was this?
Did she have to consider her companions' feelings when she beat someone up?
Regardless of what they were about to face, Xu Shuo and the other four, even if they harbored resentment, should blame the other party for their unreasonable behavior.
Seven or eight severely beaten individuals were being carried by servants, waiting at the palace gate. Upon seeing Prince Yong and Xie Jiang's group approach, they all glared at Xie Jiang with furious eyes.
Xu Hengyi exclaimed, "Who are these people? Their faces are so colorful..."
The hostile gazes then shifted to Xu Hengyi. One of them angrily cursed at Xu Hengyi, but all his teeth had been ground off by Xie Jiang's soles, and no one could understand his garbled curses.
Lu Yuqing covered his mouth, fearing he would burst out laughing. He lowered his voice and said to Xie Jiang beside him, "Marquis of Nanhai beats people so openly, directly targeting their faces?"