With the sincere plea of the Prince of Yue, the persuasion of Consort Chen, and the instigation of the Crown Prince's faction, His Majesty finally agreed to let the Prince of Yue accompany Princess Mujin to Dongling Kingdom.
Before they departed, Wei Yu proposed another garden party, ostensibly to bid farewell to the Prince of Yue and Princess Mujin.
His Majesty found it to be an excellent idea.
This time, Wei Yu did not feign illness and took the initiative to offer to host the garden party for the Prince of Yue.
As the Crown Princess and the eldest sister-in-law, it was only fitting.
The previous garden party was also hosted by Wei Qing because she was "ill."
No one found it strange.
Wang Qingyao received the invitation and smiled faintly.
Wei Yu was truly sparing no effort to get rid of her.
To seize the opportunity, she was not even avoiding suspicion.
However, she must have already planned her escape route, so Wang Qingyao did not need to worry for her.
The attendees at this garden party were largely the same as the last.
Among the male guests, the second and third young masters of the Yun family were added.
For the female guests, under the guise of bidding farewell to Princess Mujin, Princess Mujin became the center of attention, constantly receiving compliments from all directions.
Princess Mujin appeared somewhat flustered.
These people, who usually paid her no mind, were now fawning over her because she was the daughter of Prince Xin of Dongling. She detested it, but out of good upbringing, she had to maintain a friendly demeanor.
She instinctively looked at Wang Qingyao, who was sitting leisurely to the side, occasionally sipping tea and eating pastries, completely unfazed by her blindness.
Princess Mujin moved closer to speak with her.
"Princess Ding'an, I am Mujin." She was afraid Wang Qingyao wouldn't recognize her.
Wang Qingyao chuckled, "I know. I just can't see, but I can sense everything else."
Princess Mujin smiled sheepishly.
Wei Yu's phoenix eyes flickered. Her face was wreathed in smiles, but the smile did not reach her eyes.
She interjected, "What are Princess Ding'an and Princess Mujin talking about that makes you so happy?"
Princess Mujin: "..."
Wang Qingyao said calmly, "Nothing."
"Why does Princess Ding'an look unhappy as soon as she sees me?" Wei Yu asked, then quickly exclaimed, "Ah, I'm sorry, Princess Ding'an, I forgot you can't see now."
She offered an apology, but her eyes sparkled with schadenfreude.
Wei Qing couldn't bear to watch and was powerless to intervene. Since she wasn't the host today, she found an excuse and left.
Wei Yu didn't seem to care.
A long time ago, Wei Qing had said that she wouldn't do anything for the Wei family, but as a daughter of the Wei family, she wouldn't do anything detrimental to them either.
Wang Qingyao looked at Wei Yu and said seriously, "I am indeed unhappy when I see the Crown Princess. My eyes were blinded in the Eastern Palace, after all. Isn't it normal for me to be unhappy?"
Wei Yu was taken aback. She truly hadn't expected Wang Qingyao to reply like this.
Wang Qingyao had always spoken this way, and although Wei Yu was accustomed to it, she was still surprised every time she heard it.
"I knew Princess Ding'an still resented me," Wei Yu said, dabbing at nonexistent tears with her handkerchief.
Wang Qingyao watched her performance with indifference.
Sensing the palpable tension between the two, the surrounding guests dared not interrupt.
"Yes," Wang Qingyao said calmly, "I do resent you. So, Crown Princess, don't bother me. You don't need to invite me to any banquets. After all, every time I see you, I'm reminded of how I lost my sight."
She deliberately emphasized the word "see," her resentment palpable.
The more resentful Wang Qingyao became, the happier Wei Yu felt.
Even though Wei Yu had a plan and knew Wang Qingyao was doomed today, she still relished rubbing salt into Wang Qingyao's wounds.
"Alas," Wei Yu sighed, "Princess Ding'an, don't be so resentful. No one wanted you to be blind! Besides, you won't be blind forever... I heard that Prince Ding'an is searching everywhere for renowned physicians for you. I'm sure with time, a miracle doctor will appear and cure your eyes."
"I appreciate the Crown Princess's kind words," Wang Qingyao replied coldly.
Wei Yu felt a pang of regret. Although Wang Qingyao was cold and resentful, she controlled her emotions well and wasn't provoked at all. What a pity.
She had wanted to have a good argument with Wang Qingyao before her death!
"Even if your eyes can't be cured, it doesn't matter," Wei Yu said with a smile. "After all, Princess Ding'an has people to attend to her. It's fine to be blind for the rest of your life. I just wonder how long Prince Ding'an's devotion will last. He might not mind you being blind for a while, but for a lifetime, tsk tsk, he is a prince after all..."
Every time she uttered the word "blind," the onlookers trembled, fearing that Princess Ding'an would lose her temper and slap Wei Yu.
Princess Mujin glanced at Wang Qingyao with concern and said softly, "Perhaps there are miracle doctors in Dongling. Xiao Qi and I will keep an eye out for you. Don't fall for the Crown Princess's trap."
Wang Qingyao gently patted her hand and looked up at Wei Yu, saying without mercy, "Crown Princess, instead of worrying about me, perhaps you should worry about yourself. After all, the Crown Prince has already taken concubines left and right, and you're not even blind yet."
Wei Yu's face changed drastically. She stared intently at Wang Qingyao.
Since Wang Qingyao "couldn't see," she nonchalantly ate a pastry after speaking.
She thought Wei Yu was quite foolish, attacking her with her own weaknesses repeatedly.
Did the Crown Princess not know the Crown Prince's character?
Why insist on talking about devotion and concubines, risking burning herself?
Wei Yu's expression only changed for a moment. After the events of the past few days, she had lost all hope in the Crown Prince. She no longer cared about love or affection.
Perhaps she had never cared about love.
It was about face, dignity, and status.
She quickly resumed her facade of a virtuous and magnanimous smile. "His Highness the Crown Prince is the heir to the throne, the future Son of Heaven. Having three wives and seven concubines, and a future harem, is all for the sake of continuing the lineage and consolidating the foundation of the nation. He is different from Prince Ding'an."
What a beautiful way to put it.
Wang Qingyao chuckled lightly, "As long as the Crown Princess believes her own words."
Tsk.
The crowd gasped. Princess Ding'an was truly a killer of hearts.
Even with all the mental preparation Wei Yu had done, her face still flushed with anger.
Before Wei Yu could speak, Wang Qingyao continued, "How is my cousin doing in the Eastern Palace? I heard His Highness the Crown Prince dotes on her, even allowing her to return home for three days after her wedding. That's an immense honor."
The Crown Prince's excessive affection for He Rufang, though Wei Yu harbored resentment, was not something she worried about. He Rufang had no power or influence, relying only on her beauty. Wei Yu didn't even consider her a threat.
Therefore, she merely said, "She's doing well. I'm quite fond of her. She's very good at serving people. I suppose Princess Ding'an has trained her well."
This statement was loaded with subtext, implying that Wang Qingyao had deliberately found a seductive woman to impersonate her cousin and climb the social ladder.
Wang Qingyao showed a look of surprise. "My cousin has always been proud and aloof. How is it that after only a short time in the Eastern Palace, her temper has changed so much that she even satisfies the Crown Princess as the principal wife? I suppose it's the Crown Princess, as the main wife, who is good at 'training' people."
Wang Qingyao's words also carried a hidden meaning.
The principal wife "training" a concubine?
Anyone could imagine how such "training" would be conducted.
It was a veiled insult, portraying Wei Yu as arrogant, domineering, jealous, and malicious.
The two exchanged barbs, neither willing to back down. The others listened with relish but also secretly broke out in a cold sweat.
They feared being caught in the crossfire.
Amidst this storm of words, a maidservant suddenly rushed in, her face filled with anxiety.
"Crown Princess, something terrible has happened! Duofu Xuan is on fire!"