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The thought of marrying the Second Prince as a side consort ignited a fierce anger within Gu Yanran, burning like a raging fire in the clouds.
The Tenth Princess, being the most favored daughter of Emperor Jing, had the doting An Guifei as her mother. With the Empress neglecting the harem, power rested firmly in An Guifei's hands. Although the Tenth Princess was not the only princess, she had strong backing from both An Guifei and her elder brother, the Second Prince. Naturally, she was spoiled and willful, looking down on ordinary noblewomen. Even Gu Qingning, who hailed from the loyal and noble Hou family, was beneath her notice; let alone Gu Yanran, a mere daughter of a minister.
Many noblewomen in the capital were eager to marry into the royal family, but in the eyes of the Tenth Princess, the Gu sisters were never worthy of her brother. The idea of Gu Yanran marrying her own biological brother was utterly unacceptable to her.
Thus, for someone like Gu Qingning—despite her noble lineage—who had a merchant-born mother who passed away early and a blind younger sister, she was someone the Tenth Princess would never regard highly.
Yet this seemingly lowly girl whom she looked down upon had received an imperial marriage decree from Emperor Jing and was about to wed the Ninth Prince, Pei Zhiqing, becoming her sister-in-law. The Tenth Princess was displeased and unwilling to accept this.
On her way to attend Princess Pingning's birthday banquet, she happened to catch sight of Gu Qingning and seized the opportunity to embarrass her. However, things did not go as planned; instead, she ended up being mocked by Gu Qingning.
As the maids led the Tenth Princess forward, Gu Yanran followed closely behind. The Tenth Princess raised an eyebrow and suddenly stopped, turning to look at Gu Yanran with narrowed eyes. She arrogantly declared, "This princess is very dissatisfied with Gu Qingning becoming my sister-in-law. If you can help me vent my frustrations, perhaps I could speak favorably on your behalf to my brother and allow you to marry him."
Her words were filled with self-importance. Gu Yanran felt utterly exasperated by this princess who seemed oblivious to her own limitations. Yet, since she was Pei Zhirui's most beloved younger sister, Gu Yanran could not afford to offend her; otherwise, she might face dire consequences.
Gu Yanran could only smile politely and replied, "I am but a mere minister's daughter; I doubt I can help you vent any frustrations. But if I can be of service, I will certainly do my best."
Since there was no escaping this situation, it would be better to drag someone else down with her.
"Come here," commanded the Tenth Princess as she waved for Gu Yanran to step closer. Leaning in close to whisper a few words in her ear while smiling slyly at her.
After pondering for a moment, Gu Yanran bit her lip and nodded slightly in agreement.
She then followed closely behind the Tenth Princess as they made their way into Yuyuan Garden.
Gu Yanran discreetly surveyed her surroundings and spotted Gu Qingning standing on the opposite side of a pond with Zhang Yiwen, admiring various flowers while laughing together.
Turning back to the Tenth Princess, she nodded before they both walked over together.
"This princess thinks today's peonies are splendid!" exclaimed the Tenth Princess as she approached a particularly vibrant peony bush with a smile.
Pausing for effect, she added, "If we were to remove that bothersome azalea next to it, I believe it would look even more beautiful."
Gu Qingning frowned at this remark while Zhang Yiwen subtly tugged at her hand and suggested softly, "Qingning, why don’t we go look over there?"
Everyone knew that the Tenth Princess was spoiled and willful; it was best to avoid confrontation with her whenever possible.
With no desire to attract more attention and knowing that she wasn’t here for such drama today, Gu Qingning took Zhang Yiwen’s hand and attempted to move toward the other side of the pond.
The Tenth Princess watched them with a smile while Gu Yanran stood silently beside her.
Just then, a maid rushed towards them in a flurry and accidentally bumped into both Gu Qingning and Zhang Yiwen.
In a moment of urgency, Gu Qingning pulled Zhang Yiwen back from the edge of the pond, just as she was trying to regain her balance.
"Miss!"
Bai Zhi and Lu Yan collided with Gu Qingning, who was just about to steady herself.
Everyone only heard a splash as Gu Qingning accidentally fell into the water.
"Help!"
"Someone has fallen into the water!"
Immediately, chaos erupted in the garden.
Princess Pingning, who was on her way to the garden, heard various cries and quickly stopped a servant to inquire, only to learn that Gu Qingning had fallen in.
In an instant, her face turned pale, and she hurried to Gu Qingning's side.
"Quick! Someone take Miss Gu to change into dry clothes!"
Princess Pingning knew that Gu Qingning couldn't be out in this condition. Her cousin's words still echoed in her mind. She had not wanted to hold a birthday banquet today, but her mother insisted, urging her to ensure that Gu Qingning attended. She thought her mother favored her cousin and was merely curious about how the future imperial consort would look.
Little did she expect such an incident to occur today; as the host, she felt a sense of guilt for having a guest fall into the water.
In April, during the grand banquet, the weather was unpredictable and had yet to truly warm up.
In the empty garden, a cool breeze swept through as the drenched Gu Qingning rubbed her arms together for warmth. Zhang Yiwen noticed the chill emanating from Gu Qingning and quickly took off her cloak, draping it over her shoulders.
"Sister Qingning, are you still cold?"
Zhang Yiwen's eyes were filled with concern as she asked.
"Miss Gu, it is our fault at the Duke of Qi's residence for not attending properly; you should hurry and change into dry clothes to avoid catching a chill," Princess Pingning said sincerely with a frown.
Today was her birthday, and she never expected such a serious incident to occur just after stepping away for a moment.
"I apologize to Miss Gu."
The maid who had bumped into Gu Qingning lowered her head and timidly approached her, speaking in a trembling voice: "It was my fault just now; I shouldn't have been so reckless. Please forgive me, Miss Gu." Her tone was humble and sincere.
Gu Qingning glanced at her with deep-set eyes before looking up at Princess Pingning and saying, "Your Highness, I will go now."
Zhang Yiwen supported Gu Qingning as they walked forward without casting another glance at anyone else.
The Tenth Princess stood there, a smile curling at the corners of her mouth as she stifled a laugh, nearly doubling over with amusement.
All the ridicule that the Treasure Pavilion had endured today was finally returned to Gu Qingning. She hadn’t even made a move yet, and heaven seemed to be helping her settle the score.
Gu Yanran stood motionless beside the Tenth Princess, her eyes filled with delight.
Everyone's gaze once again turned to Gu Qingning, who had already walked far away, as whispers and murmurs filled the air.
Princess Pingning had come in a hurry and left just as quickly, leaving everyone else behind to watch in silence.
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