Chapter 279 – Incite Disharmony (1)
Under the clear blue sky spread a carpet of exquisite white, a delicate fragrance seeped through the air adding to the mystifying allure of the lush Meihua* Forest. The only path inbound was paved by the plum blossoms, beckoning all with open arms to bask in its splendour. So peaceful, so enchanting … One would want to drown in this ethereal setting.
[Meihua: Plum Blossom]
And the bevy of beauties standing right at the mouth of the forest made for a beautiful painting. Any onlooker wouldn’t help but gasp at such a picturesque sight. Beauty and beauty as far as the eye can see … However, things were not as they seemed with this group but only they would know.
Right now, the aforementioned was at a peculiar deadlock. Liu Hua and her entourage looked like they were conversing with Ye Zhen and her friends, but in reality, they were blocking the only road into the forest. That said, the former was in no mood to back off either. As such they had entered into a staring contest, attracting many a gaze. Even so, neither party was bothered about the inconvenience they were currently causing.
“Princess, whether you will go into the Meihua Forest or not, let us pass. If you so desperately want to be a concubine in the palace, what’s the use of finding fault with Yaoyao? You should seek the emperor himself!” Sun Wen said crossly.
As they stood blocking the entry, the girls were slowly turning into the centre of attention. And now, as Sun Wen’s unconstrained voice resounded this empty place, many gazes openly sought Liu Hua.
Liu Hua glared at Sun Wen with rage and embarrassment. She hadn’t expected her opponent to be unrestrained. Oh, but she was in no mood to retreat. She clenched her teeth and spat out: “Wretches, what are you talking about?!”
“Princess, although my father’s official position is not high, he is a garrison at least. I’ve never heard that a guard’s daughter can be called an wretch. No wonder she can’t get into the palace. Which lady in the palace is like this—” Sun Wen didn’t finish her words, simply looked at Liu Hua with disdain and turned her head coldly.
Flushed with anger, Liu Hua huffed and even stuttered as she retaliated. “Yo-you … what’s your name? Someone come, slap her mouth for this princess!”
Ye Zhen stopped her with a smile. “Princess, after all, we are in the Baihua Gardens. If you embarrass others here, what does that make you? Just let this pass.”
“Spare the likes of you!” Liu Hua pushed Ye Zhen hard. “This princess will teach you a lesson today!”
Ye Zhen staggered back a couple of steps. She frowned, looked at Liu Hua, and said in a cold voice, “Princess Liu Hua, how do you want to teach us?”
This entire time, Gao Xueping hadn’t uttered a word, quietly standing at the side, eyes fixed on Ye Zhen. She had long been stoking the fire of retribution, waiting for an opportunity to crush this girl before her. It had taken her a lot of effort to rein in her patience, to resist the impulse of acting brashly. She was aware that Ye Zhen would be participating in the exam after spring. But, only one of them could become an imperial physician. She had long heard of Imperial Physician Qi Jin attaching great importance to her if the former chose to be biased, she was afraid she would lose the opportunity to become an imperial physician for good.
Thus, she concluded, the only way to avert this was by thwarting Ye Zhen’s chance of participating in the examination itself. If she didn’t attend, there would be nothing even the emperor could do, let alone Qi Jin.
In truth, Liu Hua had no intention of making trouble for Ye Zhen. She simply wanted to vent her anger. The emperor still held the Lu Family in esteem while her family wasn’t having it any easy. Her father had been repeatedly criticized this entire month, making his cold indifference towards her family jarringly clear.
“Slap her!” Liu Hua commanded the servant maid behind her. Only
Ye Zhen took two steps forward. “Then you should try to hit me, Liu Hua. Do you really think you can hit anyone you want?”
Although the Lu Family was not really an aristocratic family but had rendered meritorious service to the reigning sovereign. Besides, Lu Wushuang’s confinement had now been lifted. What’s more, Lu Yaoyao was the daughter of an official, even if Liu Hua was a princess, one could not just hit someone as one pleased.
As the tension in the air mounted, Liu Hua rage towered to an unknown zenith, the sly Gao Xueping smoothly backed out. She looked at Ye Zhen and said faintly, “Lu Yaoyao, I heard that you are going to take the medical examination. It seems that you are really keen on going to the palace.”
Liu Hua’s eyes revealed sarcasm. “Why, do you want to go to the palace and pretend to be a good sister to the wang fei?”
Ye Zhen looked at Gao Xueping with a smile yet not a smile. “Then, what is that girl, Gao Xueping, going into the palace for?”