When Murong Qiqi touched the "hatred" in Murong Xinlian's eyes, her heart moved, and she forced a blush on her face, appearing shy. "I dreamt of King Jing. In my dream, he took me on an outing—"
As soon as Murong Qiqi said this, Murong Xinlian's face immediately turned pale. She clenched her fists, and her teeth were tightly gritted. Right, how could she forget that this useless person was going to be Princess Jing in the future!
Her own secret crush would eventually marry this useless Murong Qiqi, making Murong Xinlian's heart full of resentment.
Although she was more beautiful and outstanding than Murong Qiqi, she was unfortunately born of a concubine. Even if she was the Prime Minister's daughter, a girl born out of wedlock could at most marry into someone else's family as a concubine.
When Murong Xinlian thought of the difference between her mother, Zheng Min, and Madame Li Qiushui, her heart felt like a raging storm.
One was a legitimate daughter from the distinguished Li family, and the other was just a girl from a merchant family. After marrying, there was a natural distinction between them. Not only was there a big gap between their status, but also between their children.
Why did Murong Xuelian deserve to enter the palace and become the Imperial Concubine favored by the Emperor? It was still because of her noble birth! She was just missing a mother from an aristocratic family. Why was fate so unfair?
When she thought of how such a useless person like Murong Qiqi happened to be the legitimate daughter of the Li family, even though she was incompetent and useless, she could still become Princess Jing, making Murong Xinlian feel as uncomfortable as if she had swallowed a fly.
There were only ten days between Murong Xinlian's and Murong Qiqi's births, but their fates were vastly different!
Murong Xinlian had more than once doubted that the nanny must have mixed up the children and that she should be Li Qiushui's daughter. But reality was reality, no matter how much she fantasized about it, she was still the daughter of her aunt, an illegitimate child.
"Second Sister, what's wrong?"
Seeing Murong Xinlian's changing expressions, Murong Qiqi pretended to be concerned and asked. In fact, Murong Qiqi was overjoyed in her heart!
Envy, jealousy, hate! Waiting for the seeds of greed to sprout and the flowers of desire to bloom, people would lose their reasoning. There was no opportunity for her to take revenge. She was just waiting for them to "cause trouble"!
"No, nothing." Murong Xinlian returned to her usual state in an instant.
Looking at the plain, unremarkable face in front of her, another wave of unwillingness filled Murong Xinlian's heart. She was superior to Murong Qiqi in every aspect, but her humble background was a thorn in her flesh, piercing her heart. The slightest movement would cause unbearable pain. It was a terrible feeling!
"Second Sister, aren't you jealous of Third Sister? I heard that you really admire King Jing!" Murong Qinglian, wearing an innocent face, said with a big smile.
"What a pity! King Jing has a marriage contract with Third Sister. This is probably what they call 'fool's luck'! Second Sister, you and I don't have that fortune. It's better to spend time improving our own fighting spirit so that we can stand out in the Four Nations Competition and perhaps meet our ideal husband!"
Murong Qinglian had an innocent and lovely face, but her words were full of hidden barbs. Her words seemed to console Murong Xinlian, but in fact, they were fueling her resentment. They were just one step away from pouring oil on the fire!
Indeed, none of the women in a large family were easy to deal with! Murong Qiqi continued to pretend to be innocent as if she didn't understand Murong Qinglian's words.
With Murong Qinglian's provocation, Murong Xinlian's discontent and resentment grew like a snowball—bigger and bigger. She knew very well that Murong Qinglian was laughing at her, but what she said was true. The future Princess Jing was standing right before her, and she couldn't ignore it.
Nevertheless, even if her heart was swollen with discomfort, she couldn't lose face to Murong Qinglian. "Fourth Younger Sister, you're really funny. King Jing is wise and brave, and my admiration for him is just like admiring a hero! It's also a blessing for Third Sister to have such a fortune, isn't it?"
"Hehe..." Murong Qinglian chuckled lightly.
"Second Sister, if you really like King Jing, why not ask Third Sister to put in a good word for you? Although a concubine is not as noble as a princess, it's better than being a concubine! Little sister is truly looking out for you!"
When bullying Murong Qiqi, these two sisters were united. However, in private, they were each hostile toward the other.
The reasons were simple: although Murong Tai had seven wives and concubines, his favorites were their mothers. Naturally, they didn't get along, and the rivalry their mothers had has spread to them.
Murong Xinlian's expression immediately fell after hearing Murong Qinglian's provocative words in front of Murong Qiqi. "Fourth Sister, what do you mean? Are you taunting me for being born out of wedlock? Don't forget, you are also born out of wedlock! You can only be a concubine when you get married!"
"That's not for you, Second Sister, to worry about!" Hearing Murong Xinlian's words, Murong Qinglian snorted. She had long been disgusted with Murong Xinlian's pretentiousness, and now that she insulted her face to face, Murong Qinglian would not stand for it.
"Father said that as long as I can win a place in the academy competition, he will definitely find a good husband for me. Second sister, you work so hard, but you're only at the third level. If I were you, I would be ashamed and hide my face in my sleeves, never showing it to anyone!"
"You!" Murong Xinlian knew that her martial talent was not as high as Murong Qinglian's, which was why Murong Tai favored Murong Qinglian during their infighting. To endure Murong Qinglian's blatant humiliation now was simply unacceptable.
Seeing Murong Xinlian's gnashing expression, Murong Qinglian couldn't be happier. She then covered her mouth and called out.
"Oh, I actually forgot. Second Sister is now the number one beauty in the Capital City. How can this face be hidden? It should be shown off more! Maybe someone might take a fancy to your beauty and take you into their room. This would save father the trouble!"
Murong Qinglian received Murong Tai's favor and was used to being wild and unrestrained. Her words spared no one. On the other hand, Murong Xinlian always tried to maintain her "gentlewoman" image, and she was no match for the sharp-tongued Murong Qinglian.
Awesome! Watching these two sisters fight each other was satisfying! Murong Qiqi was the happiest person at the scene. What was this called? Infighting! The more fierce their fight, the happier she was!