Chapter 152: A Ruthless Individual

Not long ago, the Prince of Ning had been afflicted with the sesame gu poison. Having only just managed to fully recover, he was summoned to the palace today alongside the Prince of Jin by Emperor Zongkang, meaning he certainly wouldn't be returning anytime soon. To seize this exact window of opportunity to cause a disturbance—they certainly knew how to time it.

Tian Xiaoyuan had been visiting the Prince of Jin's estate as a guest when someone immediately came looking for trouble. It seemed that whoever was pulling the strings not only kept a close eye on every single move made by the Prince of Ning's estate, but also knew that Tian Xiaoyuan was currently at the Prince of Jin's residence. Otherwise, why would they come straight to the gates of the Prince of Jin to seek out the Princess of Ning? If one genuinely wished to plead for an audience, logic dictated kneeling before the gates of the Prince of Ning's residence instead. This clumsy act completely betrayed their hidden intentions, much like the thief who posts a sign declaring no stolen silver is buried here.

Kneeling before the entrance was a woman dressed in a water-pink dress with jasmine blossoms embroidered along the cuffs, paired with a milky-white satin skirt adorned with floral motifs. Her hair was styled into an elegant bun, secured obliquely by a hollowed-out golden hair-pin. Delicate and refined, she wore no face powder yet possessed a natural, graceful charm.

Beside her knelt an adorable little jade-faced child with his hair tied up in small tufts. Rosy-cheeked and plump, he looked just like a New Year blessing doll. The two of them knelt upon the vast street fronting the Prince of Jin's mansion. The austere, crimson-painted gates of the estate, juxtaposed against a frail woman and a small child, instantly evoked a profound sense of pity from onlookers.

The crowd that had gathered in anticipation of a good show initially assumed the woman had come seeking Audience with Prince Jun Buyuwen. However, as the murmurs and overlapping voices rippled through the gathering crowd, the truth emerged: this woman was actually looking for the Princess of Ning. Upon discovering that the Princess of Ning was visiting the Prince of Jin's estate, she had knelt before these very gates solely to beg for a meeting with her.

Xia Jiujiang and Tian Xiaoyuan stepped out of the mansion. Seeing them appear, the surrounding onlookers grew somewhat excited.

"They're coming, they're coming! Now we're going to see a real show."

"To hunt someone down all the way to the Prince of Jin's estate, and to think it's a child born of a concubine—tsk, tsk, tsk."

"After all, the Prince of Ning wasn't raised in the royal capital, so it's hardly surprising he'd do something like this."

"This is getting interesting. If I recall correctly, the Princess of Ning hasn't produced a son yet, but who would have thought the Prince of Ning already has a three-year-old seed out there."

Striking first, Xia Jiujiang asked in a cold voice, "Do you have any idea whose doorstep this is? How dare you come and cause a scene right outside the Prince of Jin's residence?"

The woman replied with a pitiful expression, "I beg the Princess of Jin for forgiveness. I merely wish to meet the Princess of Ning."

When Tian Xiaoyuan looked at the woman, there was not a trace of jealousy or anger in her eyes. It was as though a single glance was all it took for her to know that this creature was certainly not someone the Prince of Ning could ever possibly fancy.

Tian Xiaoyuan asked quite directly, "You wanted to see me, and now I am here. Speak—what is your relationship with Jun Mo?"

Xia Jiujiang and Tian Xiaoyuan stood side by side in front of the woman with supreme nonchalance, their demeanor so casual they practically looked ready to cross their legs, crack open some melon seeds, and watch what kind of wild story this woman was about to spin out of thin air.

Blushing with bashfulness, the woman began, "The Prince of Ning and I met by the moat in Hancheng. That dew-like romance was nothing more than a fleeting dream, but I truly love the Prince of Ning. I never expected that we would conceive a child. I originally intended to raise the child all by myself, but unfortunately, my family fortunes declined, and I refuse to let my child suffer because of me. That is why I was driven to this desperate measure."

Xia Jiujiang let out a cold laugh. "You claim with every breath that you adore the Prince of Ning, yet I see not a single trace of genuine affection in you. If your love were true, you would dread anyone finding out about this. Instead, you kneel before the Prince of Jin's mansion, intentionally blowing this matter out of proportion. If you truly loved the Prince of Ning, how could you possibly act in a manner designed to tarnish his reputation?"

Biting her lower lip, the woman feigned a wronged and difficult expression. "I... I do not wish to hurt the Prince of Ning either. But I have neither status nor title, and if my child is to ever enter the Prince of Ning's estate, I was left with no other choice."

Tian Xiaoyuan snorted coldly, "The Prince of Ning suffered severe injuries in the past that damaged his constitution, and he is still undergoing treatment to this day. Why don't you explain to this Princess how the Prince of Ning managed to get you pregnant when he is utterly impotent?"

Xia Jiujiang had intended to back up Tian Xiaoyuan, but she hadn't expected Tian Xiaoyuan to be such a ruthless player.

In order to prove her innocence and clear away any suspicion, she actually claimed that the Prince of Ning was impotent! She wondered if the Prince of Ning's face would turn black when he heard about this.

Tian Xiaoyuan whispered quietly into Xia Jiujiang's ear, "You have no idea—word of the Prince of Ning's impotence has spread all across Hancheng. Of course, he was the one who started that rumor himself back when he was trying to woo me, claiming that spreading such talk would keep all the buzzing bees and fluttering butterflies away. As it turns out, there weren't any bees or butterflies—not even a single moth dared to show up."

Xia Jiujiang was taken aback; she never imagined that Jun Mo had been the one pursuing Tian Xiaoyuan, and judging by Tian Xiaoyuan's attitude, she seemed to have been quite reluctant at the time.

Unaware of the whispered exchange between Tian Xiaoyuan and Xia Jiujiang, the woman maintained her solemn expression and retorted, "Even if the Princess of Ning wishes to bar me from the Prince of Ning's estate, she shouldn't resort to slandering the Prince like this! Since the Prince of Ning's residence houses no other concubines, how can the Princess be so certain the issue lies with the Prince? Otherwise, how did I come to share that fleeting romance with the Prince and conceive his child?"

Given that the Prince of Ning and the Princess of Ning had been married for many years without the Princess ever bearing children, the woman's words actually managed to convince several onlookers.

"If the Prince refuses to touch the Princess, there's nothing saying he wouldn't touch other women."

"What impotence? The Princess is probably just a barren hen incapable of laying eggs."

"I think this little boy is quite adorable. Bringing him back would at least ensure an heir to the lineage."

"There are no concubines in the Prince of Ning's estate—who would have thought the Princess of Ning was so fiercely jealous?"

With a pitiful air, the woman pleaded, "I know that as the Princess of Ning, you naturally wish to keep me out of the estate. But I ask for nothing else; I only pray that my son may acknowledge his father. My son is willing to call you mother and become your very own child."

Upon hearing this, the little boy frantically tugged at the woman's sleeve and cried out, "Mother, you are the only mother I want! I don't want anyone else to be my mother!"

As the little toddler wept and made a fuss, the woman held him in a helpless embrace to soothe him. "Naturally I am your mother, but mother cannot enter the Prince of Ning's estate. If you can return to the Prince of Ning's mansion to find your father, then mother's greatest wish will be fulfilled."

As the mother and child wept in each other's arms, the surrounding crowd began to point fingers with renewed fervor. Without Tian Xiaoyuan even saying a word, the woman had successfully saddled her with the crime of vicious jealousy while casting herself as a devoted mother entirely selfless for her child's sake. The onlookers began to chime in with blind agitation.

Tian Xiaoyuan sized the woman up and remarked, "You claim that you and the Prince of Ning shared a fleeting romance? Yet the Prince of Ning was raised entirely in Hancheng and has never once left the city. You, however, appear to be a native of the royal capital. Just how did you manage to share a fleeting romance with the Prince?"

Judging by the woman's appearance, she bore none of the exhaustion, weariness, windburn, or toil associated with a long and arduous journey. Yet, based solely on this observation, Xia Jiujiang wondered if Tian Xiaoyuan was letting preconceived notions cloud her judgment.

The woman replied, "No, I grew up in Hancheng since I was a child. I traveled all the way to the royal capital with my child simply so he could be acknowledged by the Prince. I knew the Princess of Ning would certainly resent me, but the child is innocent. I beg the Princess to bring the child into the Prince of Ning's estate."

With a sour expression, Tian Xiaoyuan retorted, "This child is not the Prince's flesh and blood. Why on earth should I raise someone else's child?"

Looking deeply aggrieved, the woman protested, "On what grounds do you claim this is not the Prince's child? I know the Princess is jealous that I bore the Prince's flesh and blood, but I ask for nothing more, and am even willing to place the child under your name—"

Tian Xiaoyuan sneered coldly, "You conceived another man's seed, gave birth to another man's child, and yet you expect the Prince of Ning to foot the bill? Exactly what do you take the Prince of Ning's estate for? Although the Prince lacks imperial favor, he is not some garbage bin that takes in anything and everything."

Enraged, the woman snapped, "You... you simply refuse to let my son enter the Prince of Ning's estate!"

Tian Xiaoyuan planted her hands firmly on her hips, her aura entirely undiminished as she declared, "That's right, I won't let him in—so what if I don't? Because you are nothing more than a fraud who came here to slander the Prince's good name. You're nothing but a liar!"