Chapter 86 The Bickering Duo

Chapter 86: Two Bickering Lovebirds

"The spring breeze brushes past her red veil and hair, embroidering a gift for her man..."

The light and cheerful melody flowed like a babbling brook, sweet and melodious.

Her singing swept everyone away, taking them from the bridge-side house to the scene of a maiden giving her beloved an embroidered gift.

A spring outing, with apricot blossoms covering the hair.

On the path, whose handsome young man is so charming?

This scene was so beautiful—who wouldn't be hooked?

Luo Qianxue was stunned. As she danced, she noticed almost everyone was watching Ji Yuntang, with no one paying attention to her.

Then, Ji Yuntang's tune suddenly sped up.

"...Thus fading the vicissitudes, still remembering your face..."

—Song excerpt from "Red Wish."

Ji Yuntang's voice was sweet and melodious, speeding up fast at the climax. Luo Qianxue tried to adjust her dance to the changing tempo.

At first, she felt the rhythm was in her control, but gradually, her movements couldn't keep up with Ji Yuntang's tune, and she got flustered.

Suddenly, Luo Qianxue tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground, her oil-paper umbrella flying out of her hand.

Ji Yuntang's song ended right then.

One lay awkwardly on the ground, the other stood gracefully—the contrast between them was stark.

It was obvious who won and who lost.

People snapped out of it, and praise for Ji Yuntang came in waves.

"Princess Ye's singing was amazing; I've never heard such a beautiful tune or lyrics."

"Yeah, it's so fresh and unique. If I get the chance, I want to learn it too. When my dad turns sixty, I'll sing it in front of everyone—it'll blow them away. I wonder if Princess Ye would teach me."

Luo Qingge lifted her chin, beaming with pride. "I told you my third sis-in-law was awesome, but you didn't believe it. Now you see what she's got, huh?"

"Someone looked down on my third sis-in-law, thinking she wasn't good enough to accompany her. I wonder if it's the fall that hurts more, or the embarrassment?"

Luo Qingge's voice was light but dripping with sarcasm. Seeing Luo Qianxue fall so badly, she felt like the little person in her head was laughing with hands on hips.

Luo Qingge felt she'd never been so satisfied, and she owed it all to Ji Yuntang.

Luo Qianxue had such a great sister-in-law but didn't appreciate her; instead, she went against Ji Yuntang at every turn. She wondered if her head was full of water.

Luo Qianxue, stung by Luo Qingge's sarcasm, was fuming. Lying on the ground, she didn't know where to look, the contemptuous stares sticking to her, making her want to crawl into a hole and hide.

Consort Li's eyes flashed coldly, but it was fleeting, before a worried look appeared on her beautiful face.

She stood up and signaled to her maid Jian Lan with a glance, and said worriedly, "Jian Lan, go help the Tenth Princess up and check if she's hurt."

Jian Lan obeyed and quickly helped Luo Qianxue up. As she passed Ji Yuntang, Luo Qianxue shot her a sharp glare and spat out a harsh threat.

"Ji Yuntang, you just wait, Princess! I'll make you pay double for today's humiliation!"

Ji Yuntang's mouth twitched. What did Luo Qianxue's fall have to do with her anyway? She hadn't touched her or pushed her.

If anything, she could only blame her own bad dancing—she couldn't keep up with a different song.

Ji Yuntang couldn't be bothered with Luo Qianxue. She turned, took Luo Qingge's hand, and headed back to her seat.

"Qingge, let's go."

Just then, Xie Liuzheng suddenly appeared, blocking their way.

He smiled lightly, looking at Ji Yuntang with interest, his tone casual yet respectful.

"Thank you, Princess Ye, for helping me, the Heir, out of a bind earlier. I'll remember this favor, and I'll repay it when I get the chance."

Before Ji Yuntang could respond, Luo Qingge tilted her chin up, looking at him with a proud, haughty expression.

"You're Heir Xie of the Duke Rong's Mansion, right? I've heard you're a good-for-nothing playboy, with no skills but to coast through life, and the Capital's Top Playboy."

"Don't flatter yourself. How could my third sister-in-law help someone like you? She was clearly helping me, the Princess, get even. You'd better stay away from my third sister-in-law, you street thug, and not corrupt such a wonderful sister-in-law of mine."

Ji Yuntang: "..."

Xie Liuzheng: "..."

He could tolerate being called a good-for-nothing playboy or the Capital's Top Playboy.

But Luo Qingge calling him a street thug—that was too much!

Xie Liuzheng narrowed his eyes with a scoff, his gaze lazily settling on her.

"Princess Jiu, have you ever seen a street thug with such handsome looks, a dashing smile, and elegant, noble bearing as mine?"

"If you have, I'll gladly become his servant. Can you find one for me to see?"

Luo Qingge rolled her eyes. "Find one yourself, Princess doesn't have the time to help you. With that time, I'd rather spend it with my dear third sister-in-law."

"A fly doesn't land on an unbroken egg. Since you attracted someone like Luo Qianxue, you can't be a good person yourself."

Xie Liuzheng: "???"

What kind of twisted logic was that?

Luo Qianxue liked him—what did that have to do with him? Hadn't he been avoiding her all along?

Xie Liuzheng gritted his teeth. For the first time, he felt the pain of being infuriated by a woman.

But she was clearly not one to reason with, and even if he tried to explain, it would only make things worse.

Just then, Ji Yuntang spoke, her voice gentle.

"Qingge, you can't judge people by appearances. I think Heir Xie is a good person. You shouldn't measure someone's worth by others' standards. You have to see with your own heart to know whether someone is good or bad."

Luo Qingge was surprised to hear Ji Yuntang defend Xie Liuzheng, and a hint of grievance crept into her heart.

"Third sister-in-law, he's so frivolous—how is he a good person?"

"Didn't you hear him say he hurt his arm climbing a tree to steal bird eggs? A grown man doing something so childish—Princess thinks he's immature, still acting like a kid!"

"If it weren't for the Duke Rong's Mansion backing him up, with this Heir Xie's track record of causing big trouble every ten days and small trouble every three, the mansion's century-old legacy would probably be squandered by him!"

Xie Liuzheng: "..."

Is he really that good at causing trouble?

How come he didn't even know that himself?

Besides, saying he fell and hurt his arm while climbing a tree to get bird eggs—that was just a story he made up to fool Luo Qianxue, right?

If he hadn't said that, would she have let Ji Yuntang take his place?

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