Chapter 57: I’m Long Tired of the Useless Persona

Spring Nanny stared in shock and bewilderment at the eunuchs who had fallen to the ground. Her eyes hadn’t even caught up with the events before she saw a whole group toppled, and Summer Jiujiang was still easily gripping her by the collar. Was this the so-called useless good-for-nothing of the Xia family?

She had planned to teach Summer Jiujiang a hard lesson, to let her know that after offending Princess Anya at the Grand Li Kingdom’s temple, she would have no place in the palace. For this, she had specially found some eunuchs with decent fighting skills to act as muscle. But to think the weak one wasn’t Summer Jiujiang at all.

Summer Jiujiang seized Spring Nanny’s collar and said, “You wanted someone to teach me a lesson?”

Spring Nanny glanced at the men groaning on the ground, none of whom seemed gravely injured by Summer Jiujiang’s blows. Why weren’t these fellows getting up to help? Of course, with Summer Jiujiang’s skills, they wouldn’t be able to get up anytime soon.

Stammering, Spring Nanny said, “Summer Jiujiang, what are you doing? I am Princess Anya’s personal nanny! If you dare hit me, all I have to do is shout. In the palace, harming a maid or eunuch is a grave offense—though you’re the Princess Consort of Jin, you may escape with your life, but punishment is unavoidable!”

She thought her words would at least make Summer Jiujiang hesitate, or restrain her arrogance.

Summer Jiujiang sneered, “Go on, shout. Since you all planned to deal with me, you deliberately chose a secluded spot and even made sure no one else was around. Now you want to shout and expose what you’ve done? Do you think I’m a fool?”

Spring Nanny was stunned by Summer Jiujiang’s true nature. “You… Aren’t you supposed to be a useless fool? How…”

How could she have the skills to take down the men Spring Nanny arranged, and even turn the tables with such sharp words?

Summer Jiujiang scoffed, “That persona of a fool—I’ve long since grown tired of it.”

Spring Nanny, summoning her courage from who knows where, retorted, “Even if I can’t call for help, you still wouldn’t dare hit me. I’m Princess Anya’s—”

Before she could finish, Summer Jiujiang slapped her sharply across the face. The crisp sound rang out, and Spring Nanny was stunned.

“You think I wouldn’t dare hit you? Perhaps even a dog is respected for its master, but I don’t even put your master in my eyes. What makes you think you matter to me?” Summer Jiujiang said coldly.

“You—” Spring Nanny’s mouth fell open in shock, never expecting Summer Jiujiang to actually strike her.

But before the word was fully out, Summer Jiujiang backhanded her with another slap.

Spring Nanny’s eyes widened, incredulous. “You dare—”

Another slap followed.

Still daring to protest, Spring Nanny shouted, “I am—”

Another slap. The sharp sounds echoed in the silence. Spring Nanny dared not utter another word; she realized that every time she tried to speak, another slap would follow.

The place was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, only the sound of slaps echoing in the air. Looking at Spring Nanny’s face, now swollen like a pig’s head, the eunuchs lying on the ground began to fear that Summer Jiujiang might come and give them the same treatment—so they simply played dead, mute as stones.

Summer Jiujiang tossed Spring Nanny to the ground, casually dusted off her hands, and said, “You all should rest here.” With that, she turned and left, her departing figure sharp and unyielding as a shadow.

Relying on her memory, she walked toward the Lotus Garden, the place where Spring Nanny had led her away, separating her from the young palace maid. But by the time she returned to the Lotus Garden, the maid was nowhere in sight. Instead, she ran into the last person she wanted to see: Princess Anya, leading a group of noblewomen.

Princess Anya’s face stiffened when she saw Summer Jiujiang. Not a scratch marred her, her appearance neat and beautiful. Anya frowned. What was Spring Nanny doing? Hadn’t she arranged for someone to teach Summer Jiujiang a lesson? Why was Summer Jiujiang standing before her unscathed?

With a deep frown, Princess Anya asked, “Princess Consort Jin, why are you alone in the Lotus Garden with no palace maids accompanying you?” Spring Nanny couldn’t even handle this trivial matter.

Summer Jiujiang replied, “Duke An assigned a young maid to escort me to the Jade Hibiscus Hall, but we were separated. Still, it’s a great honor to encounter you here, Princess Anya.”

Princess Anya glanced behind Summer Jiujiang a few times and asked, “Has Princess Consort Jin not seen my personal nanny?”

Shaking her head, Summer Jiujiang replied calmly, “I haven’t seen Spring Nanny. Why does Princess Anya ask me about her whereabouts?”

If you can’t keep track of your own people, why ask me? How transparent.

Princess Anya bit her lip and said, “Never mind if you haven’t seen her. Why waste words on trivialities?”

Summer Yue’er then said warmly to Summer Jiujiang, “Sister, why not join us? We’re also on our way to the Jade Hibiscus Hall. Since the banquet hasn’t started yet, we’re going to rest in the Lotus Pavilion for a while.”

Summer Jiujiang had been considering how to deal with Summer Yue’er, and here the girl delivered herself right into her hands—a stroke of luck.

“Very well,” Summer Jiujiang agreed.

She followed at the back of the group, content to play the role of a nobody as they made their way to the Jade Hibiscus Hall. Yet Summer Yue’er, spotting her, acted like a dear friend reunited after years apart, tears almost brimming in her eyes. She exclaimed excitedly, “Sister! Over here, sister!”

Summer Jiujiang rolled her eyes. Summer Yue’er’s act was overdone; their relationship was never so close.

As Summer Jiujiang tried to ignore her, Summer Yue’er took the initiative to cling to her, saying, “Seeing you here puts my mind at ease. Otherwise, I’d be so nervous, afraid I might say or do something wrong.”

Summer Jiujiang replied flatly, “Your mother is right beside you.” What’s there to fear? Besides, Summer Yue’er’s mother, Lin Baixue, was not just the Marquis of Guanyuan’s legitimate daughter, but also the favored Consort Yi in the palace. With so many people supporting Summer Yue’er, her feigned anxiety was truly nauseating.

Ahead of the Lotus Pavilion, there was a large pond, with a narrow walkway across it leading to the pavilion. One by one, the noblewomen crossed the path.

The presence of Summer Yue’er was already unpleasant enough, but then Summer Jiujiang saw Princess Anya standing at the entrance to the walkway, quietly waiting. It was the feeling of being caught between a wolf ahead and a tiger behind—one Summer Yue’er wasn’t enough, now there was Princess Anya as well.

Seeing Princess Anya, Summer Jiujiang laughed and said, “Is Your Highness waiting especially to walk with me, or are you concerned about not finding Spring Nanny?”

Princess Anya replied, “You overthink, Princess Consort. I merely dropped my sachet and was delayed.”

Summer Jiujiang glanced at the sachet in Princess Anya’s hand but said nothing, falling in behind Summer Yue’er as they walked toward the Lotus Pavilion.

Princess Anya followed behind, her gaze cold and fixed on Summer Jiujiang’s back. Since Spring Nanny had failed, she would handle things herself. Her eyes narrowed, and as they walked along the narrow path, she suddenly lunged at Summer Jiujiang, intending to push her into the water—making her a drowned rat, unfit to attend the banquet at Jade Hibiscus Hall.

Just as Princess Anya’s hand was about to touch Summer Jiujiang’s back, Summer Jiujiang, as if she had eyes in the back of her head, sidestepped deftly, letting Anya’s push land on Summer Yue’er instead. Furthermore, with a slight trip, both women tumbled over the low railing into the lake with a resounding splash.