Phoenix Cries Return to Court

Avoided by Lin Xi in public, Tao Qingqing's hand froze in mid-air, her smile faded, her eyes welled up with tears, and she choked out a sob.

She stepped forward and took Lin Xihe's arm, leading her straight to the center of the courtyard.

He had already planned it out in his mind. The crowd was gathered here, and there were low tables and benches placed close together. He only needed to tip over and he would surely crash into them hard.

Then, taking advantage of the chaos, they could drag a few officials' wives and noble ladies down with them, and then claim that Lin Xihe committed the crime in public.

"Sister, I know that what happened at the wedding banquet has left you with some resentment, and it has also caused a lot of criticism of our Minister's Mansion. Even the head of the household was impeached by several censors in court, who said that he was incompetent in managing the household and that it had affected the reputation of the Minister's Mansion." As she spoke, she gripped Lin Xihe's sleeve tightly and moved her feet.

Lin Xihe saw through it at a glance, but did not refuse, letting her tug at her sleeve, and the two finally stood in the most conspicuous place in the courtyard.

Her gaze swept over the gradually gathering officials' wives and noble ladies, a hint of smugness flashing in her eyes. Her voice suddenly rose, "Sister was unwell before and bedridden. How could I not be worried sick, sending people to visit her every day and going to the temple to pray for her?"

"But who would have thought that on the day of the wedding banquet, some ignorant old woman, who had long held a grudge against my sister, would change her into a plain-colored funeral dress while she was recovering from a serious illness. My sister had just woken up and was still somewhat delirious. Perhaps she was having some kind of hysteria. When she saw the dress, she lost her composure and came to the wedding banquet to confront her in a fit of rage."

At this point, she paused deliberately, pressed her hand to her chest, and raised her voice a few decibels, "It was just a misunderstanding, but unexpectedly, rumors spread, saying that my sister and I are irreconcilable enemies, and some even implied that my sister is jealous and disrespectful to the royal family. Hearing these things, I'm afraid that my sister will be troubled by rumors, and I really can't bear it."

Seeing the whispers among the crowd, Tao Qingqing thought she had gained the upper hand and was secretly pleased. However, she looked even more pitiful and choked out, "Sister, I know you feel wronged because Zheng Lang has always favored me. But we are both Zheng Lang's wives, and we are family."

"On this occasion of the Flower Festival, Qingqing only wishes to resolve the past grievances with her sister in front of all the noble ladies and wives of officials."

Her words were earnest, her eyes slightly red, and she appeared genuinely sincere.

If it were an ordinary woman, she might have already been moved, or nodded out of politeness.

But who is Lin Xihe? When it comes to playing along, Tao Qingqing is just showing off her limited skills.

Lin Xihe smiled slightly and spoke leisurely, "Sister, your words are indeed eloquent and dignified, every word seemingly concerned for the Minister's Mansion. However, I seem to have forgotten that although I was bedridden before the wedding banquet, my mind was perfectly clear. I am the principal wife of the Minister's Mansion. Without someone's authorization, how could a mere old woman dare to change my clothes without my permission? Especially not the funeral clothes used for a funeral!"

Having said that, she slowly swept her gaze across the crowd and said seriously, "Sister, you start by talking about my husband's future and the family's reputation, trying to use these things to bind me. If I argue, I will be disregarding my husband and the family's honor; if I remain silent, I will confirm all the slanders you have placed on me. Sister, your plan is quite ingenious."

Tao Qingqing's face turned deathly pale instantly, and she sobbed in a trembling voice, "Sister! Why must you be so aggressive! You clearly resent the Lord's favoritism towards me, so you deliberately stirred up trouble to ruin my reputation and tarnish the name of the Minister's mansion, right?"

"My sister wants to use the wedding banquet to subtly ruin my reputation and clear her own name. If that fails, she'll drag He Guangzheng down with her, making everyone think he's biased and I'm jealous, while you're the only innocent and virtuous victim, aren't you?"

Lin Xihe suddenly exuded an aura of power and coldly looked at the person in front of her. Tao Qingqing met her gaze and couldn't help but panic, becoming speechless for a moment.

"My sister just said that the rumors circulating outside are false. Why don't you tell me what just happened? I'll send someone to fetch the banquet dress that my sister carefully prepared for me, so that everyone can see it, shall we?"

Upon hearing this, Tao Qingqing blushed deeply, feeling both ashamed and angry.

She glanced at the growing crowd of onlookers, knowing that if she lost today, there would be no chance of a comeback. Only by winning back in public could she preserve her reputation.

So he made up his mind and had no more scruples. He immediately took half a step closer to Lin Xihe, pretended that his legs had gone weak and he had slipped, and fell towards Lin Xihe, pretending to be pushed down suddenly, just waiting to frame her.

But Lin Xihe had already seen through her scheme, and just as she lunged forward, she subtly dodged to the side.

Tao Qingqing was only bluffing. When she suddenly lost her balance, her center of gravity shifted completely, and she fell straight towards a low table full of tea and snacks.

With a muffled thud, she crashed solidly into the edge of the table. In a panic, Tao Qingqing instinctively reached out to grab the edge to steady herself, but she used too much force and actually overturned the entire low table.

The first low table overturned and crashed into the neighboring table, which was already next to the bench. The impact caused the table to tilt and fall directly onto the two noble ladies sitting on the bench.

Porcelain cups shattered, pastries rolled over, and the table was a complete mess, spilling everything on the floor. The overturned table then crashed into another low table next to it, hitting two noble ladies sitting in chairs.

Caught off guard, the two screamed and fell off the bench, grabbing the sleeves of the three noble ladies beside them in their panic.

The people around panicked and tried to dodge, but the situation was already out of control. One person grabbed another, and they fell to the ground one after another. In no time, chaos ensued.

Looking at Tao Qingqing again, she was now in a sorry state. Her hair was disheveled and loose, her black hair clung messily to her neck, her carefully applied makeup was smudged by tea and sweat, and her brocade dress was torn in several places, stained with tea and crumbs of pastries. Not a trace of her former gentle and delicate demeanor remained.

She struggled to her feet, pointed at Lin Xihe, and screamed, "It was you! You pushed me on purpose! You made everyone fall!"

"Sister, why do you relentlessly pursue me, so cruelly committing murder in public, deliberately creating trouble to embarrass everyone, all to cover up your crimes!"

Looking at the chaotic scene before her, Lin Xihe raised her voice and said, "Sister, your words are utterly ridiculous. You were the one who lunged at me, trying to frame me. I merely stepped aside; I didn't lay a finger on you. As for the ladies and young misses being implicated, that's entirely your fault. If you hadn't had ill intentions, how could you have caused them all to be frightened?"

Upon hearing this, the noble ladies and wives of officials who had not been affected and had witnessed the entire process immediately nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with disdain as they looked at Tao Qingqing.

The ladies who had just fallen to the ground came to their senses and, without bothering to tidy their appearance, began to complain.

Amidst the accusations, Tao Qingqing trembled with anger, her face turning pale and then red. She wanted to retort, but the crowd's voices silenced her, leaving her frozen in place, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

Amidst the chaos and noise, a sharp announcement came from outside the gate of Nuanfang Courtyard.

"Princess Ruian has arrived!"