Chapter Twenty-Eight: Mu Xinmi, I Will Corner You with My Words!

"Miss Li, please don’t say that. I truly—truly came here with sincerity to apologize to you. Originally—I wanted to bring Xinqi along, but she—ah, I worry about my sister quite a lot, and all I hope is that in the future she won’t speak so impulsively!" Mu Xinmi’s tears flowed ever more fiercely, unstoppable, as if she could not control them.

If you glanced from afar, it would seem that Feng Xiaoli was bullying Mu Xinmi.

"Mu Xinmi!" Feng Xiaoli spoke coldly, "Do you know that a woman’s tears are worthless when shed so freely? Your tears before me are useless. In fact, your sister’s words were quite clear. As her elder sister, why do you come here to undermine her? The truth is plain, so why must you twist it? Is it so difficult for you to simply admit, ‘Yes, the Prince Chun’s residence is so impoverished it couldn’t even offer a gift’?"

"It’s really—not true!"

Feng Xiaoli shook her head, "In some ways, you’re actually inferior to your sister. At least she doesn’t pretend to be pitiful or gentle in front of me. You, however—when I hit upon your real intentions, you want to refute me, but when you realize you can’t, you feign pity. You prepared a whole speech for your apology, but I’ve strangled your words in your throat. You long to spit them out, but once you see me, you forget everything—am I right?"

She spoke the truth: Feng Xiaoli voiced everything that Mu Xinmi had intended to say. She had prepared a lengthy speech, one that would work well on anyone, but Feng Xiaoli was the exception. Before Mu Xinmi could utter a word, Feng Xiaoli’s remarks left her speechless.

Now, she truly had nothing left to say.

"Mu Xinmi, I’ve said everything I wanted. Since you have nothing more to say, you might as well return to where you came from. Being with you makes me genuinely uncomfortable, and I believe you feel the same. But you were raised in the Duke Liao’s household, so you always appear poised and gracious, surely steeped in proper etiquette. Naturally, you wouldn’t voice such blunt words, but what you think in your heart, I cannot know—am I right?"

Feng Xiaoli feared no blunt words, only those who spoke in circles and hesitated before her. It wasn’t that she disliked spending time with noblewomen—at least with Yue Wanqing, she felt at ease, and with Mu Xinqi, she never doubted her sincerity. Her thoughts always showed on her face. But Mu Xinmi was different: shrewd and deep, the kind of person suited to maneuvering in the palace, truly fit to be a Crown Princess. As things stood, she did not believe Yuwen Hao would forsake his three thousand beauties for Mu Xinmi alone.

Why waste so much thought? After all, she would never marry that man; if Mu Xinmi wished to, let her.

Encountering someone like Feng Xiaoli for the first time, Mu Xinmi was utterly at a loss. But if she ignored Feng Xiaoli, would she not feel so mortified by those harsh words?

It wasn’t harshness—it was truth.

"Miss Li, I really did come with good intentions to plead for my sister. In the end, it was my sister’s unpleasant words that wounded you, which is why you’ve responded in kind. Truly—truly—" Mu Xinmi persisted stubbornly, tirelessly pressing on.

Feng Xiaoli was genuinely annoyed by her. Indeed, this sort of woman was the most bothersome. She snapped, "Miss Mu Xinmi, if you agree with your sister’s words, why not say so outright? Why dance around the issue? You keep begging for my forgiveness, yet you secretly admire your sister’s boldness. She said that Prince Chun’s residence is so shabby it can’t offer a proper gift, but the truth is you both lack the vision to recognize the priceless Warm Jade. Do you even know what Warm Jade is? I doubt that a sheltered noblewoman like you, who spends her days playing music, embroidering, singing, and dancing, would know anything beyond that. Oh, and reading those books like 'The Female Commandments' that ladies are fond of—what else do you know? Ah yes, composing poetry. Well, I won’t say more about Warm Jade; ask the Duke Liao at your residence and you’ll understand. You see the emperor praising me and rewarding me, and you’re jealous. Instead of working harder to win favor with the emperor and empress, you come begging for my forgiveness—as if I have nothing better to do! You compare me to Hua Pei, but I’m not angry in the least. Hua Pei lives openly and honestly—so much better than you all, laboring every day for her livelihood, a struggle none of you could imagine. How much do you know of her hardships and pain? You go to the Phoenix Pavilion, smiling as you watch her sing, dance, and play, then gossip behind her back, calling her a shameless wretch. Of course, I’m not saying you do, Miss Mu Xinmi—don’t take it personally or count yourself among those people!"

Feng Xiaoli unleashed a torrent of scorn, not a single vulgar word among them. Mu Xinmi was so stunned she forgot to cry, looking like a clown, her tears swirling in her eyes.

"Seeing you come alone without a maid, you must have thought I was soft-hearted. You’ve underestimated me. In truth, you came not to beg forgiveness, but to create a gap, so others would imagine I did something to you. You come alone and say nothing, while I am forced to explain, and the crowd’s imaginations run wild. When you finally speak, whatever you say, they’ll believe it. My reputation will suffer while yours improves—isn’t that so? You thought your scheme was perfect, but you didn’t expect my relentless words to leave you speechless. You’re right, I am kind-hearted, but now enough time has been wasted—go prepare your next move, and I’ll play along, but do not appear before me again. I truly cannot stand you!"

Mu Xinmi was thoroughly bewildered. How could someone speak so much without even pausing for breath? She felt faint, realizing that coming without a maid was a grave mistake.

At last, Feng Xiaoli made a gesture of dismissal. "So, please, return."

—Extra Note—

I’ve noticed the heroine’s personality really shines in later chapters. What do you think?