Chapter 145 – Humiliation, Removed The Palace Flower In Public
“Fourth Elder Sister, does this really have nothing to do with you?” At this time, Wei Yuewu had calmed down and she smiled softly. She then looked at Wei Qiufu and said, “I remember that I was still lying in bed. How could I get in touch with Miss Zhao?”
“Miss Zhao… did you really lose your palace flower?” Wei Qiufu was at a loss.
Her implication was clear: if Zhao Ruo’e lost her palace flower and Wei Yuewu picked it up, it wouldn’t matter whether Wei Yuewu had any contact with Zhao Ruo’e or not. However, for Wei Yuewu, a young lady of an aristocratic family, doing such a thing was enough to make everyone despise her.
Moreover, the palace flowers were conferred by the Palace, so how could they be worn like a common headwear?
“I left it there and it just disappeared!” Zhao Ruo’e replied. She lowered her head slightly, and no one noticed the expression on her face.
“Sixth Younger Sister, did you… pick it up somewhere? Did you keep it because you didn’t have time to return it to Miss Zhao, or because you couldn’t find the owner?” Wei Qiufu sounded like she wanted to provide an explanation for Wei Yuewu. However, this explanation was so implausible to the ears of the other young ladies that their gaze towards Wei Yuewu also became more and more contemptuous.
They would like to see how this noble first daughter of Marquis Hua Yang justify herself!
Fourth Miss Wei defended her like this, yet she was still framing Fourth Miss Wei. She really had a low moral standing and was truly disgusting…
Wei Yuewu looked around Wei Qiufu’s face and smiled. “Fourth Elder Sister, didn’t you give me this palace flower? Did you forget it?”
“Sixth Younger Sister, you… why did you say those words?” Any person would become angry on such an occasion no matter how good-tempered they were. Wei Qiufu’s face was filled with anger.
“If I didn’t say those words, then what words could I say? Since the words of Fourth Elder Sister’s maid and my maid don’t count, let’s ask Miss Zhao’s maid, shall we?” Wei Yuewu pointed at the maid who had come to identify the palace flower, and the corners of her lips curled into a sneer.
In Zhao Ruo’e’s eyes, such a smile was a sign of confidence.
“Sixth Younger Sister, I originally wanted to save you some face, but since that’s the case, alright… let us ask Miss Zhao!” Wei Qiufu looked as if she was dispirited by Wei Yuewu’s ingratitude.
“Fourth Miss Zhao, what do you say? When and where did you lose your palace flower? Tell us and then I’ll tell you what I and my maids were doing when you lost it. I was injured in the past several days, and my maids each had their own things to do. In fact, it’s very easy to explain their whereabouts. They definitely wouldn’t wander around in places where they were not supposed to be.”
Wei Yuewu’s eyes were clear and cold.
Wei Qiufu was stunned and she suddenly had a bad feeling in her heart.
Zhao Ruo’e did not expect Wei Yuewu to ask such detailed questions. Her eyes sank deeper for a moment. If she made a slight mistake in her answer, she wouldn’t be able to convince others.
“Miss Zhao, tell us, where did you lose your palace flower? Sixth Miss Wei is really strange. Fourth Miss Wei is so protective towards her, yet she still wants to blame Fourth Miss Wei for it.” That Miss Qin suddenly spoke from the side and she defended Wei Qiufu indignantly.
Wei Yuewu, on the other hand, was not in a hurry. Her gaze landed on Zhao Ruo’e who was still hesitant. “Miss Zhao, don’t waste the time. Tell us where you lost it and see if our words match up.”
“Miss Zhao…” Wei Qiufu turned to Zhao Ruo’e. Her mouth moved as if she had something to say.
Wei Yuewu interrupted her this time. “Miss Zhao, just say it. There are so many noble people here. If I really took your palace flower, they would definitely claim justice for you, but if…”
Wei Yuewu didn’t finish her sentence. However, how could Zhao Ruo’e fail to understand the meaning behind her words? Although Zhao Ruo’e’s father was also a marquis, he couldn’t compare with Marquis Hua Yang at all. Judging from the name Marquis Huai Qin, it was evident he had inherited the title as a reward from the court, making him totally different from Marquis Hua Yang, who had made great military exploits and was in charge of the army.
Therefore, although Zhao Ruo’e was also the first daughter of a marquis, she could only get a rose red palace flower.
She had looked down upon Wei Yuewu from the beginning. She heard that the daughter of Marquis Hua Yang had neither talent nor good look. But even if she was talented and good-looking, what difference did that make? She had been raised in her maternal grandparents’ house for so many years, and people knew she was a timid person at a glance. In big aristocratic families, it was absolutely impossible for timid persons to make their mark.
But now, this Sixth Miss Wei was clearly not the type of person she had imagined, so how would she dare to speak without careful thinking?
Under the pressure of Wei Yuewu’s words, she turned around and looked at Wei Qiufu, who was now having a panicked expression on her face. She secretly gritted her teeth and abruptly raised her head. “Sixth Miss Wei, this palace flower was not lost, it was taken away by someone.”
Her words instantly triggered a huge disturbance…
“Miss Zhao, could it be that Sixth Miss Wei’s people took it away?” Miss Qin was stunned and she continued to speak, looking at Wei Yuewu with contempt.
Wei Yuewu looked at Wei Qiufu whose expression had changed. She sneered in her heart. Wei Qiufu knew that Zhao Ruo’e would stand by her side and echo her words. She knew that Zhao Ruo’e did not like Wei Yuewu. It seemed that there was really nothing this Fourth Miss Wei couldn’t do. She even knew that Wei Yuewu and Zhao Ruo’e took the same carriage to attend the banquet in the Palace and had a conflict.
“It wasn’t taken away by Sixth Miss Wei.” Zhao Ruo’e shook her head decisively.
“Who else could it be except Sixth Miss Wei?” Another young lady asked.
Zhao Ruo’e said, “I don’t know either. The day I received the palace flower from the Third Princess, I met Fourth Miss Wei on my way back, and we talked to each other for some time.”
“We… we just talked to each other!” Wei Qiufu’s expression had already turned very unsightly.
“I know. We just had a talk. But in the evening, my maid discovered that my palace flower had disappeared with the box. But I didn’t meet anyone except you. I didn’t go out and stayed in the house after that.” Zhao Ruo’e thought of how terrified she had been these past few days and she was even afraid of seeing the Third Princess. She was so angry that her eyes turned red.
“But… that doesn’t mean I took your palace flower.” Wei Qiufu said anxiously.
“Surely not. But didn’t Sixth Miss Wei say you gave the palace flower to her? If you didn’t take my palace flower, how could you give it to Sixth Miss Wei?” Zhao Ruo’e glanced at Wei Qiufu and sneered. She was now ready to risk anything. It was Wei Qiufu who had forcefully dragged her into today’s matter.
The reason why she was in such a dilemma was clear: Wei Qiufu had taken her palace flower and given it to Wei Yuewu. She could only choose to confront one of them. After careful consideration, she chose to confront Wei Qiufu.
“Miss Zhao, why did you say that to Fourth Miss Wei? Don’t you know what kind of person she is? How could she do such a thing?” Miss Qin couldn’t help but jump out and accuse Zhao Ruo’e.
“Miss Qin, you said that my Fourth Elder Sister isn’t that kind of person. Did you mean that I, the daughter of Marquis Hua Yang, is that kind of person?” Wei Yuewu glanced at Miss Qin indifferently. Then she continued coldly, “Well, that means my father really failed to educate his own daughter properly!”
This sentence left Miss Qin and the other ladies who wanted to speak for Wei Qiufu speechless for a moment.
It was fine if they criticized Wei Yuewu, but powerful officials like Marquis Hua Yang were absolutely not someone that young unmarried women could despise. All the young ladies at the banquet were from aristocratic families. Of course, they knew how to discipline their mouth. For a moment, the scene became strangely quiet.
The Fourth Princess and the Third Princess had stopped talking at some unknown time.
Hearing Wei Yuewu’s words, the Fourth Princess snorted coldly. She wanted to stand up and speak, but the Third Princess pulled her sleeve and cast a meaningful look at her. The Fourth Princess had no choice but to sit down reluctantly.
The Fourth Princess wanted to give Wei Qiufu a further blow. She had long since found Wei Qiufu unpleasing to her eyes.
“Fourth Miss Wei, Sixth Miss Wei, and Fourth Miss Zhao, come here.” The Third Princess frowned and looked at the heirs-apparent opposite her, who were also attracted by the escalating situation.
This matter happened at a banquet held by her and the Fourth Princess, and it would make people think that the two of them were incompetent!
What was more, it was such a critical moment!
Wei Qiufu, Wei Yuewu, and Fourth Miss Zhao walked over and bowed respectfully to the two princesses.
The Third Princess smiled and said, “Miss Zhao, actually your palace flower is still in my place. When you left that day, you didn’t take it with you. I had thought that some of you would come to me after failing to find their palace flower, but I didn’t expect that no one came to me after so many days.”
“As for the one in Sixth Miss Wei’s hand, it was conferred by me. I asked Fourth Miss Wei to take it away. However, I had wanted to give the bright red one to Sixth Miss Wei and the rose red one to Fourth Miss Wei. I didn’t know that Fourth Miss Wei misunderstood me and gave the rose red one to Sixth Miss Wei.”
The Fourth Princess interrupted from the side coldly.
Everyone’s face immediately had a strange expression when they heard this!
No matter how sophisticated Wei Qiufu was, her face was still alternating between green and red. She was extremely ashamed. She had just denied that she gave any palace flower to Wei Yuewu. But now, according to the Fourth Princess, she was instructed to take away two palace flowers, one bright red, the other rose red. However, she acted against the will of the Fourth Princess and gave Wei Yuewu the rose red one while keeping the bright red one for herself.
The meaning behind this was not only that she had lied, but also that she was now kicked out of the candidates for the Crown Princess. She immediately felt chillness in both her hands and feet.
“Fourth Miss Wei, I know what you’re thinking. However, your status isn’t comparable to that of Sixth Miss Wei. This has been the decision of Her Majesty.” The Third Princess comforted Wei Qiufu with a gentle smile.
“Your Highness, I…” Wei Qiufu’s hands and feet went cold. Her face was full of tears as she looked at Third Princess pleadingly. If this was truly the final decision, there wouldn’t be the slightest bit of hope for her to become the Crown Princess.
At this moment, Wei Yuewu’s face revealed a hint of mockery.
“Fourth Miss Wei, even if you were reluctant, you should not change the palace flower on your own. These palace flowers were conferred by Her Majesty when the Third Princess and I left the Palace. Therefore, each of the young ladies attending this banquet had a palace flower. Although Sixth Miss Wei wasn’t on the original list, Her Majesty also conferred a palace flower to her.”
The Fourth Princess said coldly. Then she urged, “Fourth Miss Wei, remove the palace flower from your head and return it to Sixth Miss Wei!”
“Your Highness, I…” Wei Qiufu looked both shameful and anxious. However, she had no choice but to stretch out her trembling hand to take the palace flower off her head. Her face was as red as blood. Removing the palace flower from her head in such a scene was truly an extremely humiliating thing to her.
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