Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 37: Shooting the first bird

"Oh! Did you hear me clearly now? Get out of here now and don't dirty this yard." The woman with the almond-shaped eyes spoke even more unscrupulously when she saw Miss Hua denying it.

Miss Hua's face was also not good: "When did I invite Miss Lin?"

Lin Zhiqing was about to speak when Princess Pingning interrupted her with a warning, "Ms. Lin, Miss Hua is a kindhearted person. Why are you using her as a shield?"

"My princess, you are absolutely right. Please don't treat me like a fool." Miss Hua was upset because she didn't receive the call. She was almost rolling her eyes to the sky.
"Miss Lin, although I have never met you, I have heard a lot about you." She snorted coldly and walked forward.
"I'm not afraid to tell you straight. I wouldn't invite someone like you even if I jumped into this pond."

Since the girl from the host family had spoken like this, the others no longer had any reservations in their words.

"The Lin family is truly outrageous. They actually dared to let her out."

"We can't tell what kind of people these descendants of traitors are, yet they dare to approach us."

"How could such a person be engaged to Prince Jiang? Prince Jiang just wiped out a wave of bandits a few years ago, and he's about to move up again. How can the descendant of a traitor be worthy of him?"

These women always like to repeat these words over and over again. Miss Hua is very impatient. When she passes by Lin Zhiqing, she doesn't even glance at him:
"Do you want to leave on your own or do you want me to ask you out?"

"Miss Lin, please leave quickly." Princess Pingning frowned, her face full of embarrassment.

Lin Zhiqing didn't even look at her. He stared at Miss Hua's back and said, "Miss Hua, how is the puppet you sent last time?"

Miss Hua paused and didn't react for a moment.

But Princess Pingning and her companions only thought that Lin Zhiqing was trying to gain connections, and their words became even more unpleasant.

Especially the woman with almond-shaped eyes, who had a scornful smile on her lips: "It's useless for you to try to make connections with anyone today. You're not leaving, right? I'll see you off!"

As she spoke, she winked at the maid beside her. The two maids looked at each other, stretched out their hands and walked towards Lin Zhiqing.

Seeing this, Aunt Mu took a step forward and stood in front of Lin Zhiqing:
"My daughter is smart and kind. She came here only after receiving the invitation. You are blaming her without any basis. This is really too much!"

Lin Zhiqing pushed Aunt Mu's arm away and pulled her behind him: "Miss, are you questioning me?"

"This is the scholar's residence. You have no right to resort to violence. I don't know where you learned these rules."

Lin Zhiqing said it tactfully, but everyone could tell that he was scolding the woman with almond-shaped eyes for being unruly.

The woman with almond-shaped eyes trembled inwardly, realizing that she had indeed overstepped the bounds. However, when she looked up, she saw that Miss Hua was calm and composed, with no signs of abnormality. She instantly gained confidence.

"Lin Zhiqing, you dare to teach me the rules? Today I will show you what the real rules are!"

"Come here, drag her out and let the people outside see how shamelessly Miss Lin sneaked in to curry favor with the rich and powerful."

As soon as she finished speaking, the maid who had been hesitant just now became confident and approached Lin Zhiqing.

But Lin Zhiqing didn't move at all, his expression was calm, and it was obvious that he had a kind of character.

Just as the two maids were about to touch Lin Zhiqing's sleeves, Miss Hua moved her feet:
"stop!"

The woman with almond-shaped eyes froze in laughter, and then a flattering smile appeared on her face:

"Miss Hua, Lin Zhiqing is too arrogant. If you don't put a stop to her arrogance, she might dare to bully you someday."

Miss Hua leisurely appraised Lin Zhiqing. Princess Pingning sensed something was amiss and winked at the woman with the phoenix eyes. Unconvinced, she continued to fan the flames: "That bitch Lin Zhiqing shouldn't be here in the first place. Could it be that the Spring Banquet can't be held without her?"

"That's right." Miss Hua nodded, as if she felt that what she said made a lot of sense.

Seeing this, the woman with almond-shaped eyes breathed a sigh of relief and a smile returned to her face.

"It really doesn't matter if this Spring Banquet has one less person. Pass on my order and take her away!" Miss Hua changed the subject and looked at the woman with the almond-shaped eyes.

The smile on the face of the woman with almond-shaped eyes froze. Feeling that everyone's eyes were focused on her, she forced a smile:
"Miss Hua, you...you must have made a mistake. Lin Zhiqing..."

"Of course I'm not mistaken." Miss Hua walked towards Lin Zhiqing, nodded to her, and then squinted at the woman with almond-shaped eyes: "You are pointing fingers here, do you think there is no one in our scholar's mansion?"

"Lin Zhiqing is the guest I invited. Anyone who messes with her is messing with me." Miss Hua's voice was loud, and even the male guests in the pavilion on the opposite bank were looking over here.

"No... Impossible." The woman with almond-shaped eyes looked horrified. "Miss Hua, is there some misunderstanding here? Did Lin Zhiqing use some method to bewitch you?"

Lin Zhiqing frowned. "Miss Hua, aren't you clear enough? You've been trying to flatter me since I sat down. Do you have something against Miss Hua?"

"Of course she didn't mean that." Princess Pingning glanced at the woman with almond-shaped eyes, her smile not reaching her eyes.

When she met her gaze, the woman lowered her head and dared not speak anymore.

Princess Pingning then nodded slightly towards Lin Zhiqing. "I'm sorry, I misunderstood Miss Lin, but we didn't expect Miss Lin to have any connection with Miss Hua. You two both understand that concern can lead to confusion."

Her every word and action was polite and graceful.

But Lin Zhiqing could see the unwillingness in the corners of her mouth.

What are you unwilling to accept? Didn't you drive yourself away?

Lin Zhiqing frowned and did not speak to Princess Pingning.

This person holds a high position and is quite scheming, so he can detect far fewer micro-expressions than the average person.

Lin Zhiqing only had a small friendship with Miss Tonghua, and he was really isolated and helpless if something happened.

It is not wise to confront such a person.

Princess Pingning whispered a few words to Miss Hua, whose expression grew increasingly grim. "Princess, I'm sorry I can't obey your order. You're just too kind. You saw just now how arrogant she is."

"If I hadn't met Miss Lin beforehand, I would have been almost bewitched by their words."

As Miss Hua spoke, she glared fiercely at the woman with almond-shaped eyes.

The governor of Pingning opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't say anything.

"Miss Hua, if I am kicked out today, where will I put my face in Shengjing City?" The voice of the woman with almond-shaped eyes was sharp and trembling.

But Miss Hua had no expression on her face, and even Princess Pingning turned her head away silently.

As the cursing drifted farther and farther away, the pavilion suddenly became quiet again, even a little dull.

(End of this chapter)