Chapter Five: Interrogation

At this moment, an anxious voice drifted from within the carriage: "Sister, will His Highness be alright?"

"He will be fine." A gentle voice followed, one that others might find heavenly, but to Su Yunqing, it sounded utterly detestable.

"Sister, then what about me being Su..." Though the voice was hushed, it was perfectly audible to Su Yunqing, who had already reached the Qi Refining stage.

"We are almost at the academy; prepare yourself." The older sister cut her off, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation.

Su Yunqing, waiting outside the carriage, had no intention of inserting herself. It was best to remain as inconspicuous as possible until they were safely inside the academy. As for the marriage contract, she genuinely wanted to annul it, but given her current standing, the family head would likely refuse to see her. Thus, she had spent the last three days without attempting to bring up the matter.

Before she knew it, they arrived at Fengqi Academy. The clamor of the crowd outside pulled her from her thoughts, and she quickly stepped out of the carriage, walking straight ahead.

As Su Yunyue stepped out, she saw Su Yunqing’s retreating back and angrily shouted, "Sister Yunqing, I am injured! Why won't you help me?" She spoke loudly, feigning a pathetic and aggrieved expression, hoping to incite the crowd to condemn Su Yunqing.

She had expected Su Yunqing to lash out publicly, cementing her bad reputation. Instead, Su Yunqing turned back and rolled her eyes. "I am your cousin, not your servant!"

"If you don't want a servant to help you, look, your own sister is right behind you. By ignoring her and demanding help from a cousin, are you trying to make things difficult for me, or do you despise your own sister?" Su Yunqing’s voice was loud and unapologetic.

The bystanders, having overheard, were shocked. "Is that true? She ignores her own genius sister to cling to a good-for-nothing?"

"You're being too shallow. She’s intentionally treating Su Yunqing like a servant. Even if Su Yunqing is useless, she is still her cousin. Making a scene like this is just too..."

"It seems we don't know her well enough. We should try to steer clear of her in the future, lest she expects us to wait on her too. If she can treat her own sister like a servant, she certainly won't spare us passersby!"

Su Yunyue, hearing the murmurs of the crowd, felt her face darken. She had intended to humiliate Su Yunqing, ensuring she would be ostracized and mocked once they entered the academy, but the tables had turned on her. The wounds she had sustained days ago, especially on her face, still required her to wear a veil. Combined with this public shame, she was consumed by rage and moved to strike, only for Su Yunqi to grab her hand. "Xiaoyue, don't cause a scene; this is the academy."

Su Yunyue regained her composure; she couldn't afford a bad first impression at the academy. Suppressing her fury, she said, "Sister Yunqing, you misunderstood. I didn't treat you like a servant; I just thought it would be more convenient since you got off first. I didn't mean to offend you, and that is my fault."

Su Yunqing cast a look of disdain at her and walked away toward the registration line without a second glance. "Oh, if that’s how you want to frame it, then so be it."

"Hiss!" Su Yunyue drew in a sharp breath, struggling to suppress the urge to strike her.

Su Yunqing joined the end of the line. As the crowd grew, more people queued behind her. Since their records were already logged, they only needed to present their wooden tokens to enter. The line moved quickly, and soon she was admitted.

After collecting her assigned items, she headed to her four-person dormitory. Just as she finished making her bed, a young girl walked in. "Su Yunqing, the Third Prince is looking for you."

Suppressing her disgust, she realized she hadn't established herself enough to tell him to get lost, but she certainly didn't mind being a nuisance. With that thought, she stood up and walked out. As she passed the girl, the girl warned her, "Don't think that just because you are the Third Prince's fiancée, you can monopolize him. Dream on!"

Su Yunqing paused and glanced at her. "If you like him so much, then go ahead and fight for him. If you can force me out, I would truly be grateful to you!"

She meant it sincerely, as she desperately wanted to annul the contract. But could a decree from the Emperor be undone so easily? She needed a plan. If someone else could do the work for her, she would be overjoyed. However, the girl took it as a provocation and glared with hatred as Su Yunqing walked past.

Stepping out of the courtyard, she saw a young man in green silk robes leaning against a tree. With his handsome features and upright posture, he looked like a painting, drawing lingering, admiring gazes from passing girls.

Watching this, she felt not a ripple of affection, but only repulsion. She walked over and bowed. "Greetings, Your Highness. May I ask why you have summoned me?"

"Was it you who orchestrated what happened to Su Yunqing?" Xiao Jinghuai looked up, his eyes filled with disgust and anger.

"What incident?" she asked, playing dumb.

"You are still feigning ignorance at a time like this! Ha, Su Yunqing! How did I not see through you before? You are so cunning. Tell me, was it you who slandered me regarding the Yixin Lake incident?" He laughed in anger, his eyes sharp and menacing.

"Your Highness, I intended to go, but Zhu Shishi offered me so much that I thought, since you are my fiancé, you would surely be on my side. It was just an outing; I didn't think you would mind. Who could have known an assassination attempt would occur?"

"It is strange, though. Aside from you and me, only Zhu Shishi discovered us by chance. How could assassins have known? If she hadn't been there, would I have been the target? Your Highness, tell me, is it possible that Zhu Shishi slandered you because she wants to marry you, and in doing so, destroy our engagement? How despicable!" She spoke deliberately, watching as Xiao Jinghuai’s initial guilt shifted into contemplation.

She wanted to bind him and Zhu Shishi together, hoping it would lead to the dissolution of their engagement. If so, a brief period of pretense was a price she was willing to pay.

"If I had known, I wouldn't have accepted her spirit stones. After all, spirit stones can be earned, but a fiancé like you is one of a kind. If I am ever unable to cultivate, I will have to rely on you for my livelihood!" she said, intentionally provoking him. As expected, his expression darkened.

"Enough! I will get to the bottom of this. As for you, if I don't come to you, stay away from me!" He found the sight of this useless, ugly woman irritating. If not for the scandal causing such a stir, he would never have come to see her.

He swept away in a huff. Shortly after he left, just as she was about to return inside, another voice called out, "Su Yunqing, you stop right there!"