The coldness in his gaze made Huo Si shrink back, then he lowered his head, no longer daring to look at Zheng Caiying.
"Coward," Zheng Caiying thought to herself, but a smile already graced her face as she said to Yue Qingxin, "You haven't had a good life these past few years, have you? Have you given up on yourself just like that?"
Yue Qingxin did not reply, but raised her eyebrows and looked at Zheng Caiying, signaling her to continue.
"Look at your attire. If I covered your face, and you walked right in front of me, staring at me the whole time, I wouldn't recognize you."
As Zheng Caiying spoke, she couldn't help but laugh again.
Hearing this, Yue Qingxin wasn't angry at all. "I'm the complete opposite of you. Even if you covered your face, as long as I heard you speak, I'd know it was you. After all, besides you, no one else has left such a deep impression on me."
Zheng Caiying scoffed and did not continue the topic. Instead, she looked at Sima Han, "Sima Han, His Majesty has been looking for you for half a month. Don't you think about what kind of person you are to cause such a stir? Now that you've deigned to show your face, why don't you come with me to see His Majesty..."
"Slap."
Before Zheng Caiying could finish her sentence, her voice abruptly stopped.
This was not for any other reason than the fact that her face had just been forcefully slapped by Yue Qingxin.
"I've told you your mouth is too foul, why won't you change? If I hear you speak like that again, be careful, I'll pull out your tongue..."
Yue Qingxin gripped Zheng Caiying's jaw, forcing her to look at her, and spoke word by word.
Zheng Caiying was stunned by Yue Qingxin's sudden slap. When she heard Yue Qingxin's words, she slowly came back to her senses.
After regaining her senses, she realized that she was no longer on horseback.
But just a moment ago, she had clearly been on horseback.
Zheng Caiying thought back carefully and understood what had happened.
Just as she was speaking, she saw a yellow blur flash before her eyes, and then her face was brutally struck.
Not only that, but the force of the slap was so great that it directly knocked her off the horse.
Before she even landed, she saw the yellow blur flash again. By the time she fully reacted, her jaw was already in Yue Qingxin's grasp.
Having figured out the cause and effect, Zheng Caiying forcefully broke free from Yue Qingxin's hand and retreated rapidly.
"Ah!"
Whether it was due to her unstable state of mind or her excessive haste, Zheng Caiying failed to stand steady and fell straight backward.
There was no one behind her, so she landed directly on the ground.
Seeing this, Yue Qingxin covered her mouth and chuckled, "I'm truly sorry. You know, even though it's not the New Year, we're still of the same generation. You don't have to give me such a profound bow."
Before Zheng Caiying could even get up, she fell to the ground again with a thud.
Zheng Caiying mentally roared in her heart: What bow are you talking about?
"Caiying?"
At this moment, a tall, thin figure emerged from the crowd, looking at Zheng Caiying on the ground in disbelief.
"I say, Caiying, what act are you putting on? You always cared about your image before. Look at yourself now, what image do you have left?"
The man said, extending his hand to help Zheng Caiying up.
Zheng Caiying stood up, leaning on the man's hand, and patted him on the back with a clear and pleasant sound.
"If you dare to say that about me again, I'll go back and tell Mother. See how you dare to bully me then."
Seeing a man emerge, Shen Xiaoyan became even more bewildered. One hasn't even been dealt with, and another one shows up?
"This is her brother, Zheng Fan."
Zheng Wei appeared beside Shen Xiaoyan at some point and whispered in her ear.
Shen Xiaoyan nodded. From their conversation, it was not difficult to discern the man's identity.
What puzzled her was why Zheng Fan was also here.
"Caiying, why are you here? Who are you talking to?" Zheng Fan asked with a smile.
Hearing this, Zheng Caiying looked up and, with a wronged expression, pointed to her face, saying, "Look, look, my face is all swollen from being hit. If you had come any later, I would have been beaten to death."
Zheng Fan hadn't paid attention to Zheng Caiying's face earlier. Seeing it clearly now, he noticed the five distinct red finger marks. His face instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot.
"Who hit you?"
"Me."
Zheng Fan was surprised that the person who hit her admitted it so readily. When he turned around and saw who it was, he froze.
How could it be her?
This was the only thought in Zheng Fan's mind at that moment.
Seeing Zheng Fan's prolonged silence, Zheng Caiying asked curiously, "Brother?"
Awakened by Zheng Caiying's call, Zheng Fan was at a loss.
If it had been anyone else, no matter who she was, he would have immediately stepped forward to teach her a lesson and avenge his sister.
But now, the one who hit his sister was specifically her.
But why her?
"Brother, what are you thinking about?" Zheng Caiying urged impatiently.
Zheng Fan coughed awkwardly, withdrew his gaze from Yue Qingxin, and looked at Zheng Caiying, saying, "Why did the Fifth Prince's Consort hit you? Did you say something you shouldn't have again? How many times have I told you to think before you speak? When will you ever change your habit of speaking too frankly?."
As Zheng Fan spoke, he tapped Zheng Caiying's forehead with his index finger.
Zheng Caiying looked at Zheng Fan in disbelief. "Are you my real brother? Did someone impersonate you?"
Hearing this, Zheng Fan rolled his eyes at Zheng Caiying. "What nonsense are you talking about? Who would dare impersonate me?"
"Since you weren't impersonated, why are you helping someone else instead of me? You've condemned me from the start, on what grounds?"
As Zheng Caiying spoke, her eyes turned red with grievance.
Seeing her like this, Shen Xiaoyan really wanted to exclaim "Oscar-worthy performance."
If this were her previous life, any "Idol Drama Queen" or "Four Young Talents" would have to step aside. Chu Jingyun was truly the undisputed queen of the acting world.
Zheng Fan was also somewhat speechless by Zheng Caiying's question, but he maintained his stance and said, "It's precisely because you are my sister that I am saying this."
"You know your temper better than anyone. If you hadn't said something you shouldn't have, how could the Fifth Prince's Consort have hit you?"
Zheng Caiying was about to be infuriated by Zheng Fan. She had never seen such a brother.
Shen Xiaoyan silently gave Zheng Fan a thumbs-up: "Master of sibling sabotage."
If this award wasn't given to Zheng Fan, she wouldn't agree.
Yue Qingxin listened to the conversation between the siblings, completely bewildered.
What was going on?
She had expected that with a brother showing up, he would surely defend his sister and then come to fight her.
But now, why had it turned into Zheng Fan subtly defending her, while Zheng Caiying's eyes were practically trying to kill her?
Seeing Zheng Fan about to say something more, Yue Qingxin quickly interrupted.
If he continued speaking, Zheng Caiying would likely lose all restraint and choose to fight her to the death.
"Alright, although Zheng Caiying, your words were indeed very foul and infuriating, I've also taught you a small lesson. Now that your brother has also disciplined you, I won't dwell on it anymore."
As soon as Yue Qingxin finished speaking, she saw Zheng Caiying glaring at her fiercely.
But Yue Qingxin didn't care, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Next, let's talk about how we're going to settle the score for you destroying our carriage."
Hearing this, Zheng Caiying scoffed and said, "It was clearly your coachman who couldn't drive and startled my horse, so I taught him a lesson. Now you actually want me to compensate your carriage? You must be dreaming!"
"Besides, my horse is no ordinary horse. It was a gift from His Majesty to my Royal Grandfather, who then gave it to me. Even my brother doesn't have one. It's a Ferghana horse. Startling my horse? You all together couldn't afford to compensate for it, you bunch of paupers."
After speaking, Zheng Caiying looked at Sima Han again. "I say, Sima Han, oh no, Fifth Prince, if you had married me back then, you wouldn't have ended up in this state. It's a shame, but now even if you regret it, there's no opportunity."
Sima Han glanced at Zheng Caiying, stunned. "It is indeed a shame."
Hearing this, Zheng Caiying smiled and raised her chin arrogantly. "Now you know regret? It's too late."
Sima Han, however, said, "What I regret is why the Crown Princess of Yue didn't kill you back then."
Zheng Caiying's face instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot at Sima Han's words. The smile on her face froze, making her look both comical and terrifying.
Sima Han's words had successfully stirred up a memory she was most unwilling to recall.
Thus, she became hysterical.
"You shut up!"
"What right do you have to talk about me?"
"Do you think you're any better than me?"
"Didn't you also get banished from the capital? You became a commoner, a farmer. What right do you have to talk to me?"
Zheng Caiying's furious roars continued to echo, but Shen Xiaoyan's focus was not on this.
She subtly shifted her steps to Zheng Wei's side.
"Who was the Crown Princess of Yue that Sima Han just mentioned? Why haven't you ever mentioned her? And what's this about the Crown Princess of Yue almost killing Zheng Caiying?"
Hearing this, Zheng Wei shook his head helplessly. "I don't know who the Crown Princess of Yue is either."
Shen Xiaoyan: ...
Judging by Sima Han's words, the Crown Princess of Yue must be a formidable figure.