Chapter 049

Chapter 49: A Flurry of Wild Punches Beats the Old Master

Any ordinary back-courtyard woman would be terrified by an angry high noble and fall to her knees to beg. Yu Zhi Yi only tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled lightly as she said: “Naturally, it was you, Prince Xiao Yao, who allowed me to rise.”

“When did this prince allow you to stand?” Prince Xiao Yao snapped.

Yu Zhi Yi spoke in a clear voice and said: “There is a common saying in the city. People say Prince Xiao Yao is kind and treats the people like his own children. Whether scholar, merchant, or street peddler, you treat everyone the same. You never use a prince’s power to press others, and instead you use that power to speak up for the people. You have truly done many good things that the common folk praise.”

She followed the thought and said: “Since you treat everyone the same, that means in your eyes, your status and mine are equal.”

She looked him in the eye and said: “I know that in your heart I do not need to salute you at all.”

Then she added, still calm: “Of course, whether you think I should or not is your business. I should salute because it is proper and necessary.”

She finished with a small shrug and said: “A salute that is not needed is one I may end when I choose. So I stood up when I wished. Do you agree?”

This ball she kicked over was hard to handle, and picking it up made Prince Xiao Yao feel very uncomfortable. He knew his reputation among the people. As a prince, building a positive image was easy. If he publicly excused several kneeling people and smiled kindly, the simple folk would be grateful and praise him. Nobles could gain fame with a little show. He had not expected a back-courtyard woman to use that point against him. He could not say, I was only putting on a show. He could only swallow this small loss, and his chest felt tight. He had come to stand up for Yue’er. Failing to set the tone first felt like a slap in the face, like his princely dignity had been dented.

He narrowed his eyes and stared at Yu Zhi Yi. [Yue’er was right. This woman is deeply scheming. I hate people like this the most.] He was ready to press her again and see how far her tricks could go, and also to watch Du Zi Heng’s reaction. If Du Zi Heng tried to help this woman, he would take Yue’er away and never let them meet again. In the past he had stepped back only because Yue’er’s heart held Du Zi Heng and Du Zi Heng seemed reliable enough to give her happiness. If Du Zi Heng chose the other side now, then he was no longer reliable.

He had it planned, but before he could speak, Yu Zhi Yi spoke first and said: “Prince, were you trying to put me in my place just now?”

His hostility was so obvious that she could not miss it. [Good thing I made arrangements last night, or I might have suffered today.] The question sounded almost childishly straightforward. Everyone in Bright Radiance Courtyard froze. Du Zi Heng frowned and said: “Zhi Yi, do not speak nonsense. The prince is not that kind of person.” In truth, he could see the prince was venting for You Bing Yue, but seeing it was one thing, saying it aloud was another. With Prince Xiao Yao’s good name, he would never admit such a thing.

As expected, the prince said in a low voice: “Insolent.”

You Bing Yue stared coldly at Yu Zhi Yi and said: “Do not think everyone is as vicious as you.”

Yu Zhi Yi looked straight at Prince Xiao Yao and said: “If you were not deliberately targeting me, why did you ignore me when I greeted you out loud?”

“This prince did not hear,” Prince Xiao Yao said with a frown. This woman was being unreasonable. Most people would swallow such trouble in silence. Even if he admitted he was being difficult, what could she do? Yet because of his fine reputation, especially in front of You Bing Yue, he certainly would not admit it. Everyone knew very well he had been making things hard, but besides Yu Zhi Yi, no one would admit it aloud.

Yu Zhi Yi did not care whether he admitted it. She kept up her flurry of wild punches and said: “Why make things hard for me? This is our first meeting. We have no past grudges and no recent grudges. You also have a good name and are not the kind of rotten person who bullies strangers.”

She lifted a brow and said: “But the fact is, you made things hard for a stranger like me for no reason.”

She laid out her logic and said: “There must be a reason. If I remove other choices, then the least reasonable one is the correct answer. You did it for Miss You, right?”

Everyone stared, stunned by her chain of blows. Prince Xiao Yao looked like someone had poked his secret thought. He slapped the table and said: “Stop spouting nonsense!”

Yu Zhi Yi spread her hands and said: “If it is nonsense, give a reason.”

She stood there ready, [Three, two, one], and then a steady voice sounded: “Is what she said true?”

Everyone turned and saw an old man in a deep red robe with gold trim walking quickly toward them. He had white hair but a straight back and a powerful bearing, and his eyes shone like real light.

Prince Xiao Yao’s face changed as he said: “Maternal Grandfather?”

Du Zi Heng forced himself to rise and salute despite the pain. Yu Zhi Yi glanced at Marquis Wu’an beside Duke Ding Guo. He gave her a look that said to rest easy. She lowered her eyes and said: “Greetings to Duke Ding Guo.”

Duke Ding Guo looked at her and dipped his head slightly as he said: “Rise.”

Yu Zhi Yi stepped back to the side, ready to enjoy the show in peace.

Prince Xiao Yao was twenty-two, already of marriage age. The Imperial House had found him a proper bride: Duke Ding Guo’s younger granddaughter, who was also his cousin. The two should have married two years ago, but one month before the wedding, Prince Xiao Yao left the Capital City to suppress bandits and never returned, ruining the wedding. He only came back half a year ago when the Empress Dowager passed away to observe mourning. Everyone knew that during mourning, one could not marry. He should have mourned for one year, but because he did not want to marry his younger cousin, he announced at the funeral that he would mourn the Empress Dowager for three years. With that, the Emperor and Duke Ding Guo could not force him to marry, and he gained three years of freedom.

That freedom meant he chased after You Bing Yue. Though a prince, he valued honor and did not use his power to force her. When he learned she loved Du Zi Heng and dared to stand up to Chancellor Du and his wife for her beloved, he admired her courage. Later, once he knew his own heart, he still did not use force. Instead, he kept clearing obstacles from You Bing Yue’s path to love. Anyone who saw it would call him a grand romantic.

If he had not dragged You Bing Yue here to cause trouble for her, Yu Zhi Yi would have clapped for him. [But now…]