Yun Shimo had to suppress a laugh. It was difficult to believe this was the same woman who had threatened to destroy the Long Red stalks. And neither of those matched the woman he'd seen in the tournament mere hours ago.
Which one was the real Hua Qiyue? Or were they all masks?
"I rarely find myself in the capital, so now that I have the opportunity to walk about, I asked Qiyue to show me around."
Hua Qiyue was surprised by his familiarity, but didn't let it show on her face.
Constantly putting on an act for everyone around her was exhausting. Yes, she was clever and, some would say, beautiful, but putting on the front of the dim-witted old Hua Qiyue was taking a toll on her.
Sometimes, she just had to let the cleverness show.
"Tsk, I didn't expect Miss Hua to have such good fortune to not only win against Miss Ouyang but also find herself in the company of the Medicine Saint himself. She must be truly lucky!"
A scornful laugh rang out. Hua Qiyue turned to see the beautiful face of Princess Huiling, sister of Princess Huizhen, and daughter of the Empress.
The Empress' doted on her daughters, sheltering them from the outside world and giving them a life of luxury. It was, therefore, not unexpected that both princesses turned out to be rude brats, unaccustomed to taking the feelings of others into account.
Princess Huiya, luckily, was raised by her mother, Consort Mei, and didn't suffer from the same flaws. Hua Qiyue found herself liking her.
Princess Huiling, on the other hand…
"I guess I am lucky, but… I thought it was all because of Master Xuanji!" Hua Qiyue said, smiling brightly.
Ji Jing tried her best to rein in her laughter, but her stomach convulsed so much it hurt.
Princess Huiling scoffed derisively. She wouldn't stand idly by while this idiotic woman who used in fortune tellers to guide her actions spent time alone with the man she'd decided would be her husband.
Princess Huiling stared coldly at Hua Qiyue. "It is expected that members of the public bow in greeting when meeting members of the imperial family. Did the Hua family not teach you any manners?"
Princess Huiya tugged at Princess Huiling's sleeve. "Sister, I think we can forgive Hua Qiyue after Brother Huangfu greeted her in such a rude manner, don't you?"
"That's right, there's no need to bother yourself with such a woman," Princess Mingzhu interjected.
Princess Mingzhu had a gentle and warm appearance, but Hua Qiyue knew an insult when she heard one.
Princess Huiya on the other hand, seemed to be genuinely concerned for her. It was said that Consort Mei's children were all easily approachable and this seemed to prove the rumors true.
Hua Qiyue blinked and said, "Oh, that's right. I must have forgotten. But, Your Highness, shouldn't you kneel in front of the statue of the wishing lady? I remember my wet nurse telling me that even the Emperor would kneel whenever he came."
Princess Huiling turned pale. "I'm not making a wish, so why should I kneel?"
Hua Qiyue smiled brightly and bobbed a curtsey at her, "Uh... what is your name, again? I can't seem to recall. Ah, my silly brain..."
Princess Huiling's face flushed with rage. "Well, I've recalled that you are that dull-witted woman everyone talks about. Weak, lecherous, and lacking in intelligence. Why don't you leave and stop spoiling my mood?"
Yun Shimo and the others in her group frowned. Such behavior was not befitting a member of the imperial family.
Hua Qiyue smiled, took Ji Jing's hand, and ran away, laughing.
Huangfu Xuan stared angrily at her departing figure. For some reason, he felt very uncomfortable at her being around Ji Feng.
At Hua Qiyue's departure, Ji Feng shared a glance with Yun Shimo, and the two walked toa nearby pavilion to talk.
The area was nearly deserted, since everyone was watching the tournament. Ji Jing and Ji Feng's absence wouldn't make a difference since this was only the first round.
Hua Qiyue and Ji Jing plucked wildflowers growing in patches by the side of the road. Hua Qiyue had never enjoyed herself so much before.
Before getting married in her past life, between learning how to run a business from her father and embroidery and other things from her mother, she hardly left home. After she got married, she was so busy with the family business and her child that she rarely had any time to herself.
She felt a pang in her heart at the thought of her parents. Since she was reborn, she hadn't been back to her hometown or paid her respects to her parents.
Revenge came first.
She felt as though she was only worthy of returning home and paying her respects to her parents after Zhou Zhicheng and Princess Huizhen had paid for their crimes.
"Qiyue? Qiyue! You're bleeding!"
Ji Jing exclaimed loudly, pulling Hua Qiyue out of her reverie, and she realized that a nettle had pricked her palm, causing blood to drip freely from her hand.
Ji Feng rushed over when he heard his sister shouting, as did Yun Shimo and the others. Ji Feng's face darkened when he saw the blood on her hand and quickly took out a bottle of medicine from his sleeve pocket.
Ji Feng did not care about the stares from the others. He took her hand and poured out some of the medicine from the bottle and gently rubbed it on her wound.
Everyone's eyes went wide as they watched Ji Feng tend to Hua Qiyue's wound. Even a single bottle of medicine from the Medicine Saint was priceless, but he hadn't even hesitated to use it.
Huangfu Xuan loudly exclaimed, "Brother Ji, it takes at least a year to cultivate your medicine! It's really not worth your while to just give it to that crazy woman."
Ji Feng didn't turn around, but said, "I should be the one to decide whether she is worth it or not."
Everyone glanced at Hua Qiyue, unable to understand what Ji Feng saw in this dull-witted woman for him to treat her so generously.
Princess Huiling smiled and said in an odd voice, "Brother Ji, Hua Qiyue has adopted a son at the prime of her youth when she isn't even married. A woman who causes such scandal isn't worthy of your medicine!"
Lvxin clenched her fists, but Hua Qiyue gently held her back and motioned for her to remain quiet.
Ji Jing pushed passed them and said angrily, "Princess Huiling, you have gone too far! Why can't an unmarried young lady adopt a child? Doing good deeds means accumulating good karma and fortune! Furthermore, have you witnessed Hua Qiyue behaving improperly?"
Princess Huiling's entire face turned red.
"Ask anyone in the capital, and they'd be able to tell you how scandalous she is! She's even been labeled a scarlet woman! Have you not heard about the rumors?"
Ji Feng appeared not to hear her as he continued to tend to Hua Qiyue's wound.
Hua Qiyue now understood why everyone spoke so highly of Ji Feng's medicine. Once he applied it to her wound, the bleeding stopped immediately, and there was no pain. She didn't feel any discomfort at all, not even the itching sensation she got from other medications. There was just a cooling sensation on her palm which was extremely soothing.
Hua Qiyue hadn't been this close to a man since her rebirth, and she couldn't stop a blush from spreading across her cheeks. The sun had started to set and the sunset colors spread across the skies. The sunset glow enhanced the blush and tinted her smooth skin with a faint orange-red glow.
Yun Shimo couldn't help but frown. Watching the two of them had suddenly made him uncomfortable.
"Miss Ji, don't be tricked by her dull-witted antics! She has long been infamous around these parts!" Princess Huiling shouted.
"I would have thought your highness clever enough to know that rumors are often untrue," Ji Jing retorted sharply. "They spread from one to ten people, then from ten to a hundred people, becoming more distorted the more times they are told! If these were facts, you wouldn't have presented them as rumors, would you?"
Princess Huiling was angry to the point of speechlessness.
Ji Feng put the medicine bottle away and asked Hua Qiyue gently, "Qiyue, do you feel better?"
Hua Qiyue gave him a giddy smile. "Yes... it doesn't hurt anymore. Thank you, Ji Feng. Your medicine is really effective!"
"Princess Huiling, Jing'er is right," Ji Feng said evenly. "There usually isn't much truth to rumors, as they can spread without any basis or evidence. Why should we judge one another based on rumors or hearsay?"
Princess Mingzhu smiled. "Yes, Your Highness. Let's not speak any more of this matter. It is already turning dark and if we don't return to the palace soon, we'll be scolded by the Empress. Shall we make our way back?"
Princess Huiya nodded, "That's true. Let's go!"
Aggrieved, Princess Huiling glared at Hua Qiyue's back as the other woman walked ahead of her. She strode up beside Hua Qiyue, forcing Lvxin aside.
Yun Shimo and Ji Feng exchanged an inscrutable glance.
"Hua Qiyue, stop thinking that you are so fortunate. You won't be so lucky after you progress to the next round!" Princess Huiling said, her words hanging in the air like frost.
Huangfu Xuan, walking behind them, Hua Qiyue quickly concurred, "Yes, it would be impossible for someone to maintain a lucky streak forever."
Princess Huiling looked at around at the flora that reached up to her knees and a sly glint flashed in her eyes. She stuck out her leg, causing Hua Qiyue to trip and scream as she fell toward a patch of nettles.
Hua Qiyue reached out and grabbed Princess Huiling's sash. Caught off-guard, the princess shrieked as Hua Qiyue twisted mid-fall and landed on top of her.