Chapter Eighty This Damned Jade Pendant

  Xu Mingxia's expression clearly showed her disbelief. Such a good jade pendant, she actually picked it up from the ground? As a young lady of a wealthy family, she was always surrounded by attendants when going out, let alone with a princess! And yet, in broad daylight, she picked up a jade pendant? Did she think people were fools?! Xu Mingxia sneered and said: "Since you picked it up, why not give it to me instead? I'll exchange something for it, how about that?"

  Xu Mingjin was surprised and said: "Big sister, why do you want this inconspicuous jade pendant?"

  Xu Mingxia smiled awkwardly, she could say that she seemed to have seen Xuan Yuan Xi wear a similar jade pendant before? No, so she just said lightly: "I just like this piece of jade pendant."

  Xu Mingjin listened and said with difficulty: "Originally, since big sister likes it, I should give in, but..." Xu Mingxia didn't let her finish speaking, and hastily said: "But what? I'm exchanging things with you, you won't be at a loss!" Her expression was actually a bit anxious, as if she was afraid that Xu Mingjin wouldn't exchange with her, and she tightly grasped the jade pendant in her hand.

  Xu Mingjin's face lit up with joy at the sight of her, but he hesitated and said: "Sister, it's not that I don't want to trade with you, it's just..."

  Xu Mingxia didn't wait for Xu Mingjin to finish speaking, and took out a silver note from her bosom, holding it in front of Xu Mingjin.

  Xu Mingjin's eyes widened, 5,000 taels? Geez, Xu Mingxia is really rich!

  Xu Mingjin's eyes were stuck on the silver ticket, unable to look away. Xu Mingxia saw this expression and felt a wave of disdain: after all, he was from the countryside, and 5,000 taels of silver couldn't even move his gaze. With such a Xu Mingjin, how could she compete with him? A sense of contempt rose in Xu Mingxia's heart.

  Xu Mingjin had long seen Xu Mingxia's contemptuous expression and couldn't help but feel amused in her heart. Now, without mentioning the monthly income of her uncle's embroidery shop, just talking about the 30% profit she got from Wang San Niang, it was already several tens of thousands. How could she put this paltry five thousand taels of silver on her mind? She was just pretending to show Xu Mingxia, if she didn't even blink when facing five thousand taels of silver, then Xu Mingxia would definitely be suspicious and think: "Is Xu Mingjin, a country girl, holding a large sum of money?" Otherwise, how could she not care about five thousand taels of silver? Her relationship with Wang San Niang and her uncle's relationship were all traceable. As long as someone was willing to investigate, it wouldn't be difficult to find out. At that time, her trump card would be exposed. Xu Mingjin would never do such a thing, so when Xu Mingxia handed the silver note to Xu Mingjin, her face lit up with joy and her eyes narrowed into a slit.

  Xu Mingxia saw it, not suspecting anything, she took advantage of Xu Mingjin's laughter at the silver ticket to secretly put the jade pendant into her sleeve and quietly withdrew.

  As soon as she left, Xu Mingjin regained his normal composure, put away the silver note and never looked at it again.

  Chun Xing saw Xu Mingjin's inconsistent expression and finally couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter. This caused Xu Mingjin to also burst out laughing.

  Xu Mingjin followed Mrs. Xu to attend a banquet that day.

  I don't know why, but recently Madam Xü has been frequently attending banquets, which is vastly different from her usual routine of only worshiping Buddha in the Chunhui courtyard. Every time she goes out, she must bring Xu Mingjin and Xu Mingxia with her. As for Xu Mingying and others, they originally wanted to go too, but were rebuffed by Madam Xü's cold remark: "I can take two legitimate granddaughters out, but taking several illegitimate granddaughters would be unseemly." Everyone lowered their heads, unable to speak, and could only cast envious and jealous glances at Xu Mingjin and Xu Mingxia.

  Xu Mingjin didn't actually want to go, but looking at Old Lady Xu's unyielding expression, the words he wanted to say got stuck in his throat and he could only follow behind Xu Mingxia with a gloomy face to attend the banquet. Fortunately, Xu Mingjin was well-known due to his good relationship with Xuan Yuan Jinglin. Many young ladies from wealthy families were friendly towards him because of Xuan Yuan Jinglin. On the other hand, Xu Mingxia's behavior at the Ping Xi Wang Fu had already spread throughout the entire city. The young ladies looked at Xu Mingxia with disdain and contempt, no longer showing their usual affection.

  Xu Mingxia was isolated by the thousands of golden girls, she stood alone in front of the flower cluster, her heart filled with sorrow and resentment. She couldn't help but think that on that day at the Pingxi Wangfu gate, the words that came out of her mouth to humiliate Xu Mingjin were originally meant to make Xu Mingjin lose face, so that he wouldn't be able to hold his head up in front of everyone, and be isolated by all the golden girls. But unexpectedly, this scheme ultimately helped the person she wanted to destroy the most, while she herself ended up in this miserable state...

  Xu Mingjin also saw Xu Mingxia with a hint of sadness in her eyes, thought for a moment, and walked over to pull Xu Mingxia into the circle of wealthy young ladies. He said to them, "My older sister is actually a very good person. What happened at Prince Ping Xi's estate that day was just a misunderstanding." As he spoke, he warmly took Xu Mingxia's arm. The wealthy young ladies looked on, half-believing and half-doubting him, but gradually they no longer rejected her as they had initially.

  For all that Xuming Jin had done, Xuming Xia was initially moved, but soon thought: Xuming Jin and she were sworn enemies, why should she help her? What kind of conspiracy was she playing? The cold treatment she received today, wasn't it thanks to Xuming Jin? Why was she still pretending to be a good person here? Thinking of this, Xuming Xia glared at Xuming Jin with hatred.

  Xu Mingjin received Xu Mingxia's gaze and was suddenly speechless, it seems that good intentions were indeed misunderstood.

  Those ladies around, which one isn't a sly fox? Xu Mingxia's glare at Xu Mingjin was caught by them, and instantly she became even more disdainful of Xu Mingxia in her heart. One of the ladies with an oval face reached out to pull Xu Mingjin over, saying: "Sister, come here, some people are just like that, you clearly helped her, but she still blames you for helping her, it's really 'a dog biting Lu Dongbin', not recognizing a good person's kindness!"

  The girls around her automatically kept a distance from Xu Mingxia, as if she was a plague, standing far away, pointing and discussing her there.

  Xu Mingxia did not expect that the situation would become like this, she stood there at a loss, those ladies' insults made her extremely embarrassed, but didn't know what to do.

  Xu Mingjin didn't bother to help her this time.

  Xu Mingxia saw it and said with hatred: "Xu Mingjin, so this is your purpose for coming here, you're so cruel!" But he didn't think that all of this was caused by herself, what does it have to do with Xu Mingjin?

  At this time, the crowd suddenly stirred, and someone said: "It turned out to be the wife of the newly married son of the Pingxi royal family accompanying Princess Pingxi!"

  Xu Mingjin heard this and thought about the absurd behavior of Xuan Yuan Qi before their wedding, feeling that it was better to keep a distance from Princess Pingxi. If she saw her again, she would think of the absurd things her son had done and as a mother, she would always think that her own son was good in every way. Any mistakes were someone else's fault. Even if Princess Pingxi knew clearly that it was her son who had been pestering Xu Mingjin all along, she would still blame everything on Xu Mingjin.

  As expected, Princess Pingxi's eyes scanned the crowd and soon spotted Xu Mingjin trying to blend in unobtrusively. She raised her voice and said, "Xu Liu Miss, why do you always try to hide whenever you see me?" Her eyes swept the crowd again and noticed that Xuan Yuan Jinglin, who was always inseparable from Xu Mingjin, was not present today. Suddenly, she felt this was a rare opportunity and thought to herself with great satisfaction: Today, let's see who comes to rescue you!

  Xu Mingjin couldn't help but smile wryly when she heard Pingxi Wangfei deliberately raise her voice. After all, she still had to face Pingxi Wangfei. It was a bad day to go out without checking the almanac, and now she was at the mercy of Pingxi Wangfei's whims. As the daughter of a lowly Shangshu official, Xu Mingjin was no match for the mighty Pingxi Wangfei, who could bully her with impunity.

  Xu Mingjin stepped forward a few steps, walking up to a place three steps away from Princess Pingxi. She bowed respectfully and said, "Your humble servant greets Your Highness, I apologize for arriving late, I hope that Your Highness will forgive me." Her posture and etiquette were impeccable, no one could find any fault with her, unless they were trying to nitpick.

  Princess Pingxi certainly didn't want people to say she was picking bones from an egg, so she smiled lightly and ordered Xu Mingjin to get up, not making things difficult for her.

  Xu Mingjin felt a slight relief in his heart. Princess Pingxi looked at Xu Mingjin's expression and sneered in her heart: Does she think it's over? You don't want to marry my son as a concubine no matter what, thinking you're something special! Pretending to be noble, today I'll let my son see what kind of depraved and shameless person the woman he thinks is so noble and untouchable really is!

  Everyone had already gotten up and was heading to the banquet location, but at this moment, that beautiful woman who was said to be the Princess Consort of Ping Xi suddenly stopped, pointed at the jade pendant on Xu Mingxia's waist used to hold down her skirt corner, and exclaimed to Princess Consort Ping Xi in surprise: "Mother Consort, take a look, isn't that half of the jade pendant that my husband often hangs from his belt? My husband said it was lost a few days ago, how did it end up on this young lady's body?"

  Her voice was melodious and pleasant to hear, like the song of a yellow oriole, making listeners involuntarily turn their heads to take a look at this Yang Ge's daughter, the princess consort of Ping Xi Wang Fu. Xu Ming Jin also couldn't help but turn her head to look, and indeed, the princess consort was a beauty beyond compare in this world, rarely seen. She simply stood there casually, yet made the heavens and earth lose their color. She couldn't help but feel happy for Xuan Yuan Qi Yu, with this stunningly beautiful wife by his side, he would soon forget about her. This way, Xu Ming Jin herself wouldn't have to worry about Xuan Yuan Qi Yu bothering her again in the future, great!

  Princess Pingxi heard this and hurriedly looked in the direction she was pointing, and indeed it was her son's lost jade pendant. She took another look, and the person who had tied the jade pendant to their skirt was actually Miss Xu of the Xu family! She couldn't help but angrily say: "Miss Xu, how did my son's jade pendant end up on your body?"

  Xu Mingxia was completely frightened at this time, standing there and didn't know how to react. The Crown Prince's wife stared at Xu Mingxia's face with a pair of clever eyes, her expression unreadable.

  Princess Pingxi was unhappy, and if it were usual, she would have slapped her with a loud slap. But at this moment, many noble women and young ladies were staring at this side, Princess Pingxi usually gave people the feeling of being gentle and elegant, virtuous and kind, how could she behave so crudely in public? Princess Pingxi endured the anger in her heart and thought to herself: How is it that the Xu family's daughters are all like this?

  Xu Mingjin looked up at Mrs. Xu, who was standing outside the crowd with a worried expression, but didn't know how to help Xu Mingxia. Xu Mingjin thought: Should I help Xu Mingxia? If she loses face, it's equivalent to the entire Shangshu Mansion losing face, so there's no glory for her either. However, thinking of Xu Mingxia's personality, where if you help her, she'll still resent you, made her really not want to do it. She thought to herself: I wonder if Xu Mingxia will stupidly reveal that the jade pendant was bought back from me for 5,000 taels?

  But Xu Mingxia said something unexpected, if Xu Mingjin had glasses now, they would definitely fall off. Xu Mingxia raised her small face and said with a puzzled expression: "Sorry, Mrs. Xu, I just heard that it was the prince's lost jade pendant, I'm really too surprised, please don't blame me, Princess Wang."

  Princess Pingxi let out a cold snort, and the Crown Prince's consort beside her flashed a glance with her beautiful eyes, but didn't say anything.

  Xu Mingjin was also curious about what Xu Mingxia would say.

  Xu Mingxia took out a small piece of paper from her purse, unfolded it and handed it to Princess Pingxi along with the jade pendant: "I found this half-piece of jade pendant in a pawnshop the other day. I liked it so much that I bought it back. The owner said it was a dead pledge. At that time, I didn't know it belonged to the young master. Even if I knew, even if you gave me a thousand courage, I wouldn't dare buy it back!"

  As soon as this was said, the whole room erupted in a commotion.

  Everyone originally thought that this jade pendant was evidence of the illicit relationship between Prince Pingxi's son and Miss Xu, but it turned out that Miss Xu's half of the jade pendant was bought from a pawnshop. Just now, the prince's consort also said that the lion-shaped jade pendant had been lost, which can also match up with this one.

  Princess Pingxi took the pawn ticket and jade pendant from Xu Mingxia's hand, first carefully examining the pawn ticket. As a result, she was disappointed to find that the pawn ticket was genuine. On it were stamped the seal of a certain pawnshop, the date, the buyer, and the amount of silver spent, all written clearly.

  Princess Pingxi was somewhat disappointed, originally she still wanted to grasp some mistakes of Xu Mingxia and deal with this Miss Xu together with Miss Liu, but unexpectedly, this jade pendant was not given by her son, but was bought from a pawnshop. Princess Pingxi was very unwilling, but she had no way at all.

  The princess beside her said in a delicate tone: "Mother, may I take a look at that ticket?"

  The Princess Consort of Pingxi probably liked this new daughter-in-law very much, and usually spoiled her a lot. As soon as she heard this, the Princess Consort of Pingxi hastily handed over the gift to the Crown Prince's consort and looked at her with doting eyes. The way she looked at her was so affectionate that it made everyone around feel warm inside. Many people in the surrounding area were amazed by this scene, not expecting the Princess Consort of Pingxi to be so fond of her daughter-in-law. Some low-ranking housekeepers who had brought their daughters along, hoping to catch the eye of the Princess Consort of Pingxi and marry them off as secondary consorts to the Crown Prince, were now filled with disappointment and secretly gave up on this idea. However, their daughters couldn't help but feel envious of the Crown Prince's consort, shooting her jealous glances.

  Xu Mingjin couldn't help but sigh inwardly at this scene, wondering how Xuan Yuan Xizhi could be so well-liked by these young ladies from wealthy families in the capital. However, Xu Mingjin's attention was now focused on the Crown Prince's consort, or more specifically, the IOU in her hand. She found it strange that Xu Mingxia, who was impulsive and acted without thinking things through, had actually arranged for the jade pendant to be taken care of ahead of time. But was this really something she had thought of herself? Why didn't she believe it?

  Xu Mingxia didn't know that Xu Mingjin had thrown her a 5,000 taels of silver note in the Emerald Garden and took back the half-piece jade pendant to play with every day. This scene was seen by Ye Niangniang who came to visit her daughter. She took the jade pendant and examined it for a moment, feeling that it was not an ordinary piece. So she asked Xu Mingxia about its origin. Xu Mingxia had always been open with her mother, so when her mother asked, she told her everything about how she spent 5,000 taels of silver to buy back the jade pendant from Xu Mingjin.

  Yeniang held the jade pendant in thought for a moment, she didn't believe that Xu Mingjin had picked up this half of the jade pendant at all. She thought for a while and suddenly had an idea, saying: "Many days ago, when Liu Yatou and the princess were still in the imperial villa, a strange little servant had entered the mansion to deliver a small brocade box to her, but the thing was directly sent to Feicui Garden, I don't know what it was. However, that little servant was investigated by me, and it turned out to be someone from Pingxi Wangfu who served as an attendant in front of the young master."

  Xu Mingjin jumped up as soon as he heard it and said hastily: "I didn't expect that the young master would get married, but still can't forget that cheap woman!"

  She nodded and said, "So to speak, this half-piece of jade pendant should be the young master's gift to Sixth Miss. She didn't want people to know, so she lied that she picked it up herself. She didn't want this half-piece of jade pendant at all, and was probably worried about how to get rid of it. Luckily, you foolishly came along and took a liking to this jade pendant, so she smoothly sold it to you. Not only did she get rid of the hot potato, but she also made a profit of 5,000 taels of silver. This deal was really a bargain for her!"

  Xu Mingxia felt cheated after hearing what Ye Yiniang said, and she asked angrily: "Mother, then what should we do?"

  Yeniang listened to Xu Mingxia and closed her eyes for a moment, saying: "Since this is a hot potato, it will be a hidden danger in the future. Why don't you go to Feicui Garden and return the half-piece jade pendant to her, and get back the five thousand taels of silver? Let's see how Xu Mingjin handles it!" Yeniang sneered: "We can also secretly reveal this news to the Crown Princess, so that Xu Mingjin, this cheap person, won't be able to swallow it! Haha!"

  Ye Yini laughed wildly for half a day, but didn't hear any reaction from her daughter. She stopped laughing and turned around to look, only to find that Xu Mingxia's expression had become dull at some point. She lowered her head, staring at the jade pendant in her hand, with an unwilling expression on her face.

  Ye Yiniang took one look at Xu Mingxia's expression and knew that she still couldn't forget Xuan Yuan Qi, even though he was already married and didn't even remember who Xu Mingxia was. He still had feelings for the despicable Xu Mingjin, but not a single gesture towards her. Despite this, Xu Mingxia couldn't help but like him, thinking of him in her heart. Ye Yiniang saw her daughter's expression and became furious, snatching the jade pendant from Xu Mingxia's hand and scolding: "Don't go liking the young master anymore! He's already married! Are you going to be a concubine? Do you want to lose all face for your father?"

  Xu Mingxia listened to her mother's scolding, still holding the jade pendant tightly. After a while, she bit her lower lip and said: "Even if I become a concubine, I...I am willing..."

  Yeniang's face turned red with rage, her liver in pain. She clutched at her heart and berated her daughter: "How could I have given birth to a daughter as shameless as you! Do you think being a concubine is so easy? I've spoiled you since childhood, how could you bear the humiliation of living in servitude, fawning and flattering others just to survive? Are you trying to drive me to my death?"

  No matter how much Ye Yiniang scolded her, Xu Mingxia had made up her mind and remained silent.

  The aunt cursed until she was tired, and then someone came to ask her to go and deal with the government affairs, so she had to leave. Before leaving, she looked at her daughter's lonely figure touching the jade pendant, and couldn't help but feel sad. She said: "Foolish child, you will know in the future that loving and marrying someone who doesn't love you is a very painful thing." Aunt Ye finally didn't want to watch her daughter jump into the fire pit, so she came back and said with a heavy heart: "Xia'er, since you insist on keeping that jade pendant, don't wear it on your body, especially outside. You have to find an origin for this jade pendant first, and never say it was given by Xu Mingjin. She will definitely deny it, and at that time, you will not be able to explain." After thinking for a moment, she said: "Mother will take care of this matter for you, and guarantee that no one will say anything."

  Xu Mingxia looked at Ye Niang with suspicion, hadn't she just been unwilling to keep this jade pendant for herself? Why was she now willing to help her? Ye Niang saw the look on her face and knew that she didn't believe her, so she said: "Have you ever thought that if one day, you wear this jade pendant of the young master and are seen by the young master's wife, she will know at a glance that it is her husband's, what would you do if she asks you about it?"

  "I said it was given by the young master, what can she do to me?"

  Yè Yí Niáng looked at Xú Míng Xiǎ's fearless and reckless appearance, feeling a pang of regret in her heart. Why hadn't she taught her these calculations between people when she was young, resulting in her growing up with such an ignorant and arrogant personality? However, it was too late for regrets now; all she could do was think more for Xú Míng Xiǎ.

  "She can't openly do anything to you, but secretly there are many ways to get rid of someone. As both the granddaughter of Yang Ge and the princess consort of Ping Xi Wang Fu, her power is considerable."

  Xu Mingxia's eyes widened as she listened to Ye Yiniang say this.

  "Women's jealousy is very strong, you wear her husband's jade pendant on your body, she will definitely think of you as a fox spirit who seduces her husband in her heart, and will surely put you to death! This is why that cheap Xu Mingjin wants to pass the pendant to you, she is bringing disaster upon herself!"

  Xu Mingxia was frightened as soon as she heard it, and a terrified expression appeared on her face. However, she still held the half-piece of jade pendant tightly in her hand.

  Yeniang looked at Xu Mingxia's expression and knew that she couldn't persuade her today no matter what. She still had many things to attend to, so it wasn't too late to advise her when she was free. Therefore, Yeniang sighed and said: "You give me this jade pendant, I'll pawn it in the shop, if the young master's wife asks about it that day, you just say you bought it from the pawnshop quickly. You mustn't say it was given by the young master, otherwise people will think you seduced him, and there is a private relationship between you two, this jade pendant is evidence. When the time comes, if the young master doesn't want to marry you, you'll be waiting for your father to sentence you to death!"

  Xu Mingxia's whole body shook.

  After a long while, she finally loosened her grip and slowly handed the jade pendant over to Aunt Ye.

  Ye Yiniang gave Xu Mingxia a somewhat resentful glance, then turned and left with the jade pendant.

  At this moment, Xu Mingxia stood there, feeling extremely grateful that she had listened to Ye Yiniang's words. She couldn't help but feel a deep sense of emotion, thinking that Ye Yiniang had also gone to great lengths for her sake.

  Xu Mingjin didn't know why Xu Mingxia had the foresight to produce this token, but seeing Ping Xi Wangfei's almost convinced expression, plus the fact that the gentle and soft-spoken Shizi Fei looked at the token without noticing anything, Xu Mingjin was already convinced in her heart that this must be Ye Jie Niang's doing. But since she knew that the jade pendant was something she had given to Xu Mingxia, with her temperament, why would she give up on this opportunity to deal with her own people? Xu Mingjin couldn't figure it out.

  At this time, the crown prince's wife stepped forward, with a hopeful face, and said to Xu Mingxia: "This half-piece of jade pendant is the husband's personal item. The crown prince's wife hopes that Miss Xu can spare it and return this jade pendant to her husband. Of course, the five thousand taels of silver that Miss Xu spent, I will give them back to you without missing a single cent." As she spoke, she took out a bill for five thousand taels of silver and held it in front of Xu Mingxia.

  Xu Mingjin looked at this scene, and compared it to the one in Feicui Garden, where Xu Mingxia held up the 5,000 wolf silver tickets with a proud expression on her face. The two scenes were so similar! But he didn't know if Xu Mingxia would make that money-loving expression again. Thinking of this, Xu Mingjin couldn't help but laugh.

  Xu Mingxia stood there, her expression unreadable, as everyone's attention was focused on her. Xu Mingjin had a look of watching a good show, while outside the crowd, Old Lady Xu was secretly anxious, having witnessed everything that was happening before her eyes. She knew all about Xu Mingxia's admiration for Xuan Yuan's promise, and since the jade pendant belonged to that young master, Xu Mingxia probably didn't want to return it to the young master's wife. Although she had doubts about the origins of the jade pendant, she knew it was not a gift from the young master to Xu Mingxia - he had never given her any gifts before. Thinking this, Old Lady Xu shifted her gaze towards Xu Mingjin standing in the crowd and saw that she indeed had a look of watching a good show on her face. Old Lady Xu's heart rose with resentment towards Xu Mingjin, and she couldn't help but think: Could it be that the jade pendant was given to Xia'er by this wicked girl Xu Mingjin? What a vicious thought!

  Xu Mingjin was watching Xu Mingxia to see if she would return the jade pendant to the Crown Princess when he suddenly felt a cold gaze coming from the side. He turned his head suspiciously, wanting to see who this person was who was full of hostility towards him, but unexpectedly saw that it was Old Lady Xu. At this moment, her eyes actually contained a fierce and murderous aura. Xu Mingjin was shocked.

  Xu Mingjin blinked her eyes again, confirming that she wasn't mistaken, and indeed, there was a murderous aura in Old Lady Xu's gaze. At this moment, Old Lady Xu saw Xu Mingjin turn around, and she let out a cold snort, withdrawing her gaze and turning away. Xu Mingjin couldn't help but think that the murderous aura from Old Lady Xu was too inexplicable - wasn't she her own granddaughter? Did she really want to kill her? Was it because she thought the scene before her eyes was something Xu Mingxia had planned? In her heart, Xu Mingjin cried out in injustice. Even if the jade pendant was indeed given by her to Xu Mingxia, but did she ask her to wear it so ostentatiously?! If Xu Mingxia wasn't so fond of showing off, would there be today's incident?!

  Xu Mingxia's heart was turbulent at this moment, she didn't want to return the jade pendant to the princess consort for a thousand reasons, ten thousand reasons. But if she didn't return it, she really couldn't find an excuse.

  The beautiful princess looked at Xu Mingxia for a long time without speaking, and a flash of murderous intent flickered in her beautiful eyes, disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

  Xu Mingxia lowered her head and didn't see it. But Xu Mingjin did, she was originally staring at the Crown Prince's consort.

  Xu Mingjin knew that this beautiful princess had already hated Xu Mingxia in her heart. She should be happy, but why did she feel uncomfortable? Xu Mingxia and Ye Niang were of the same kind, even if Madame Fan's death was unrelated to Xu Mingxia, but during these days in Beijing, Xu Mingxia didn't give her any less trouble, she had no reason to sympathize with her!

  Thinking of Madame Fan's miserable death, Xu Mingxuan's disfigured face, and the terrifying night she herself had experienced... Xu Mingjin's heart became harder than ever before, and she never looked at Xu Mingxia again.

  Xu Mingxia saw that everyone was whispering to each other, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down her forehead. She took off the jade pendant from her body and wanted to hand it over to the Crown Prince's wife, but suddenly, the jade pendant in her hand weighed more than a thousand catties, and she couldn't hand it over no matter what. The reluctance in her eyes was so obvious.

  At this time, not only the crown prince's consort but also the young ladies who were watching from the side all understood Xu Mingxia's intentions. Thinking that Miss Xu had in her possession the jade pendant of Prince Pingxi, whom they all admired, they felt uncomfortable and their gazes at Xu Mingxia changed from curiosity to anger. At this time, a bold and outgoing young lady stepped forward, walked up to Xu Mingxia, and snatched the half-piece of jade pendant out of her hand, saying disdainfully: "I think you have ulterior motives for this jade pendant! Hmph!" After finishing speaking, she respectfully handed the jade pendant to the crown prince's consort with both hands.

  The princess consort took the jade pendant, glanced at Xu Mingxia with disdain. Although it was only for a moment, she quickly recovered her smiling and affectionate appearance. But Xu Mingjin already knew that this princess consort was absolutely not a good person to get along with. She secretly congratulated herself on selling the jade pendant to Xu Mingxia, otherwise, the one who would be hated by the princess consort today would be herself.

  Princess Pingxi saw that the jade pendant had returned to her daughter-in-law's hands and didn't want to entangle herself in this matter any further. She coldly glanced at Xu Mingxia and Xu Mingjin, then led the crowd to walk slowly towards the banquet venue. Unlike the Crown Prince's consort, Princess Pingxi hated Xu Mingjin the most in her heart, with a slightly lighter hatred for Xu Mingxia. She would absolutely not let these two Xu sisters off! In her heart, she vowed that if she couldn't make Xu Mingjin and Xu Mingxia lose face and reputation in this capital city, she wouldn't rest until then!

  The crowd dispersed, and Xu Mingjin was surrounded by two unfamiliar young ladies as they walked out. Xu Mingxia stood alone, looking lost and disheartened. Old Lady Xu couldn't bear to watch and quickly reached out to pull Xu Mingxia over, following the crowd as they walked out. Old Lady Xu had intended to scold Xu Mingxia a few words, but since they were in someone else's home, she didn't dare do so. Instead, she glared at Xu Mingxia fiercely, thinking to herself that once they returned home, she would definitely give her a good scolding.

  Xu Mingjin knew that Princess Pingxi would definitely think of a way to deal with her, so she was extra careful.

  But unexpectedly, it still happened. When a small maid passed by Xu Mingjin's side, somehow, her foot slipped and she threw the entire teapot of tea on Xu Mingjin's body. Xu Mingjin was quick-witted and agile, dodging to the side in time, not even getting his clothes wet. The teapot flew over Xu Mingjin and crashed onto a young lady sitting next to him, hitting her right on the shoulder. The scalding hot water splashed out, soaking half of her sleeve, but that was secondary - the shattered remains of the teapot had cut her arm, and with the scorching water, she let out a blood-curdling scream.

  Xu Mingjin was able to dodge the flying teapot because she remembered the last time she was splashed with tea water by a little maid named Jiang in the Pingxi King's palace. She had gone to change her clothes and encountered Xuan Yuan Qi's matter, so she paid special attention to the maids and servants around her, afraid that they would spill tea on her again. Today, she made up her mind not to leave the banquet hall no matter what. Fortunately, she dodged it, but when the teapot flew towards the other miss, Xu Mingjin tried to pull her, but because of the distance, she couldn't reach the hem of her clothes. Unable to save the miss, Xu Mingjin felt a bit guilty. If she hadn't dodged, the miss wouldn't have gotten hurt, it could be said that the miss was her scapegoat.

  But Xu Mingjin couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart as she looked at the miss who was hit by the teapot, that miserable appearance, if it were to happen to herself...she didn't dare think about it anymore, the scene was too terrifying.

  Everyone at this time had already turned their heads to look over here, and upon seeing the scene, they couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. The host of the banquet, Madame An Guo, hastily came forward to investigate the situation. When she saw that the young lady's arm was scalded and scratched all over, she couldn't help but feel a shock in her heart. Upon taking another look, she realized that the pale-faced young lady who was screaming nonstop was actually the daughter of her own brother from her maiden family, who had come to attend her banquet today. Madame An Guo's face turned as black as coal, and she repeatedly called out: "Summon a doctor, quickly summon a doctor!" With one order from her, a maid immediately rushed out like an arrow shot from a bowstring.

  The lady of An Guo finally turned her gaze to the maid who knew she had made a big mistake and was already kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear. She looked at her deeply and said in a low voice: "Someone come! Take this unruly maid out and beat her to death!" The maid heard this and fainted. Immediately, two burly servants came in and dragged the unconscious maid out like a dead dog.

  Madam An's deep eyes turned to Xu Mingjin, and Xu Mingjin's heart skipped a beat. At this time, however, she heard Madam An's concerned words: "Miss Xu, is everything all right with you? Did that careless maid just now bump into you?"

  Xu Mingjin heard this and said with a face full of guilt: "I'm really sorry, when the maid's teapot was flying over, I had already seen it and dodged out of the way. However, I forgot to remind this young lady, which caused her to be hit by the teapot. It's all my fault."

  Mrs. An Guo heard this and smiled faintly, saying: "Miss Xu Liu is too modest, you were able to dodge quickly, which is already good enough, where did you have time to think about rescuing others? Moreover, I saw that at the time, you stretched out your hand to pull her back, but unfortunately didn't succeed. You had this intention, how could I blame you?"

  Xu Mingjin didn't expect Madame Anguo to say such a thing, and she was taken aback. However, seeing Madame Anguo's kind expression, which was completely different from her decisive and ruthless handling of the maid who had caused trouble earlier, Xu Mingjin knew that she wasn't blaming herself, and this made her feel even more uncomfortable in her heart. That young lady had suffered on her behalf after all.

  The Princess Pingxi looked at Xu Mingjin, who easily dodged the teapot, and couldn't help but feel annoyed. She whispered a few words to her maid, who quietly slipped out and returned after a while, whispering in the princess's ear: "It's true that he was beaten to death, and his body has been thrown out of the mansion." Only then did Princess Pingxi breathe a sigh of relief. It was good that he was killed; otherwise, if she had exposed him, wouldn't she have made an enemy of the Duke of Anguo?

  The crown princess sat beside her, looking at Princess Pinghee's actions with a puzzled expression. With her cleverness, she guessed that this must be arranged by her mother-in-law, and the purpose was to deal with Miss Xu Liu. However, she didn't understand what was hateful about Miss Xu Liu, shouldn't it be Miss Xu Da instead?

  "Of course, Princess Pingxi could guess what her daughter-in-law was thinking in her heart, and with her intelligence, she should have guessed that the person secretly dealing with Xu Mingjin was herself. She must not understand why she didn't deal with Xu Mingxia instead of Xu Mingjin. Princess Pingxi whispered to the Crown Prince's wife: "Those two sisters are of the same kind, they both have those improper thoughts in their hearts, you must keep a close eye on the Crown Prince! Don't let these fox-like women seduce him away!"

  The princess consort couldn't help but smile bitterly. How could she possibly keep the crown prince in check? Did she not know that his heart was never on her to begin with? On their wedding night, he had indifferently left her alone in their new chambers and disappeared without a trace. From then on, every time he saw her, it was with an icy demeanor. Pitifully, she remained a virgin till this day...

  She never thought that after her marriage, she would live a life similar to that of a widow. These hardships, how could she possibly mention them to others? She could only silently lament in her heart, expecting and hoping that one day, her husband would take a look at her...

  The doctor was soon invited over, and by this time the young lady who had been scalded had already been helped to a nearby courtyard. Madame An said: "The doctor has gone over, it's all right, everyone go on eating." As she spoke, she followed the doctor with her maid and hurriedly went over. After walking a few steps, Madame An stopped in suspicion and turned back to look, only to see that it was Miss Xu, the sixth daughter of Minister Xu.

  Madam An Guo said calmly: "Miss Xu Liu, please return to the banquet. No one is needed here to watch."

  Xu Mingjin pleaded: "Madam An Guo Hou, just let me go in and take a look! Otherwise, I will be unable to eat or sleep."

  Lady An Guo and Xu Mingjin spoke sincerely, thinking that Miss Xu Liu herself knew that her niece had suffered a great injustice at the hands of Xu Liu. Feeling guilty, she followed along. Lady An Guo's expression softened, and her tone was no longer as distant as before: "Since Miss Xu Liu wants to come, let's go together!"

  Xu Mingjin hastened his pace and followed closely behind Madame Anguo, heading towards the courtyard.

  As they entered the courtyard, they heard a series of mournful cries, and Xu Mingjin's heart began to ache. Madame An Guo turned her head and saw the look of distress on Xu Mingjin's face, thinking: This Miss Xu has a pretty good heart. Who would have thought that the cunning and ruthless Xu Shangshu could also raise such a kind-hearted daughter?

  Several people quickly entered the house. The doctor had received instructions from Madame Anguo, so he went in first. Xu Mingjin and Madame Anguo followed behind him and also walked in.

  Xu Mingjin didn't have the mood to look at the decoration of this room, and at this time, the young lady's voice came out even clearer. Suddenly, she angrily said: "Get out, I don't want you to see my wound!" Then the doctor helplessly walked out from behind the screen, shaking his head and saying: "Madam An Guo Hou, this young lady simply won't let me take a look at her injury..."

  Xu Mingjin understood as soon as he heard it. The young lady's injury was on her arm, how could a woman's skin be casually shown to a man? But if he didn't look, how would her injury heal?

  The lady of An Guo was also helpless, she comforted the doctor and then walked in front of the woman's bed behind the screen, softly explaining to her. However, the woman didn't listen at all, stubbornly saying: "Even if I die from pain, I won't let that male doctor take a look!" The lady of An Guo became anxious, saying: "Then what do you want?"

  The woman said: "I don't care, I just won't let him see!"

  "Qí ér, shì jí cóng quán." translates to "Chess, urgent matters require expedient measures."

  Xu Mingjin listened to the side, suddenly remembered that he had prepared some medicine on his body this time to prevent accidents, including burns, detoxification, and injuries, all of which were stored in Yuzhu's body.

  Xu Ming Jin loudly said: "An Guo Hou's wife, this maid of mine is well-versed in medicine. If you don't mind, may I have her take a look at the young lady?"

  Madam An Guo was overjoyed when she heard this, and repeatedly asked the young lady if it would be all right. The maid agreed to it, after all, a maid is also a woman, isn't she?

  Madam An Guo came out from inside, and this time her gaze at Xu Mingjin was filled with gratitude.

  Xu Mingjin pointed to the jade bamboo beside him and said, "My maid is quite knowledgeable about medicine." As he spoke, he gestured for Jade Bamboo to take out the medicines she was carrying on her body one by one. She explained to Madame Anguo, "This one treats external injuries, this one treats internal injuries..."

  The lady of An Guo looked at the large pile of jars and bottles, her mouth wide open in surprise.