Peony flowers adorned Dong Xuerou's hair, and Zhou Yanran sneered inwardly, thinking she was madly obsessed with becoming empress. Afraid to wear peonies, she could only wear the lesser blossoms. Even if they resembled peonies, they were not peonies!
Dong Xuerou disdainfully glanced at the canna lilies on Zhou Yanran's head, her contempt evident. She scoffed softly, "Truly vulgar and gaudy."
Although Zhou and Dong were mortal enemies, seeing Princess Xin Yao made them behave like mice encountering a cat, avoiding each other whenever possible.
The competition results were announced. Dong Manting, the eldest granddaughter of the Dong family, won first place. She was already stunningly beautiful, with red and white lotuses adorning her high chignon. The red was brilliantly striking, overshadowing all others, while the white was pure and ethereal, making the surrounding beauties pale in comparison.
Princess Xin Yao took second place.
She glanced disdainfully at Dong Manting, thinking that if her mother, the Empress, hadn't intended her as the Crown Prince Consort, this victory would never have fallen to Dong Manting.
Dong Xuerou looked at her sister with eyes full of jealousy, increasingly feeling that their parents were too biased, giving all the good things to her elder sister.
Even when they played house as children, she had always played the Empress. Their parents and sister knew this.
After the flower competition, there were some small games where everyone could participate freely.
To avoid Princess Xin Yao, Zhou Yanran sat at the very edge of the seating area.
Three elegantly dressed young ladies spotted her, exchanged glances, and then approached her.
A young lady in yellow exclaimed with feigned surprise, "Hey, have you heard? Red Powder Beauty has just launched a scar removal cream, and it's incredibly effective. My cousin's hand was burned, and the scar had been there for years. After using their scar removal cream, the scar has faded significantly."
Another woman in red clapped her hands excitedly and stamped her foot, "Really? Then I must go buy some! I've also used Red Powder Beauty's lip gloss, and it's genuinely excellent, with such beautiful colors. No rouge shop in the capital can compare to them! Apparently, all their products were developed by their female owner; it's truly remarkable."
The lady in yellow glanced at Zhou Yanran, exchanged a look with her companions, and then leaned in enthusiastically, "Miss Zhou, how is your face? Shall we go to Red Powder Beauty and buy you some scar removal cream?"
The lady in green, who had remained silent, immediately nodded, "Yes, we can buy it for you. After all, Miss Zhou has offended Red Powder Beauty. If you go to buy it yourself, they probably won't sell it to you."
Afterward, the other two women suppressed their laughter.
Zhou Yanran, relying on her closeness to the princess in the past, used to act imperiously towards these noble ladies, often giving them cold shoulders. Now, without the princess as her support and disfigured, what pride did she have left!
Zhou Yanran gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes at them, "I don't need it."
The woman in red then tugged at the sleeves of the woman in yellow and the woman in green, saying with a sarcastic tone, "Qianqian, Ayu, let's go. She doesn't need it. Anyway, it's not us who have become ugly."
The three women walked away, laughing openly with unhidden mockery.
Zhou Yanran watched their retreating backs, fuming. Suddenly, she felt water poured over her head, and her veil was ripped off.
Enraged, she immediately covered her face with her hands, about to curse, but saw Princess Xin Yao holding an empty porcelain cup, looking down at her with a provocative expression.
The surrounding people exclaimed upon seeing Zhou Yanran's face, and then laughter erupted.
Zhou Yanran, covering her face, burst into tears.
Upon seeing this, Zhou Qingyun took off his outer coat and covered Zhou Yanran's head.
He then turned to Xin Yao and said softly, "Yao'er, it's all in the past. Don't be angry with your sister anymore."
"Get lost! Who is your Yao'er?" Princess Xin Yao rebuked Zhou Qingyun coldly, "She is your sister, not this princess's sister! She ruined this princess's face, and it's just going to be brushed aside so casually?"
Zhou Qingyun looked embarrassed and speechless.
Madam Zhou arrived, wearing a fawning smile, and said to Princess Xin Yao, "Princess Xin Yao, it is true that my Yanran has made a mistake. We have already disciplined her. The Empress has also said to let her off this time. Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against her anymore. Besides, you are already engaged to my Qingyun, and we will be family from now on."
"Hmph, who is family with you? Your Zhou Qingyun has been saying outside that he wants to break off the engagement, that he doesn't want to marry an ugly monster like me," Princess Xin Yao retorted mockingly.
Zhou Qingyun's face turned ashen.
He had only complained a couple of times to his friends; how did Princess Xin Yao hear about it so quickly?
Lu Ye: You're welcome. This sect leader has already spread your complaints.
Madam Zhou glanced at Zhou Qingyun, her smile stiffening, "Princess Xin Yao, you misunderstand. My Qingyun is wholeheartedly devoted to marrying you and is sincere towards you. The rumors outside are not to be believed."
Zhou Qingyun immediately chimed in softly, "Xin Yao, no matter how you look, I will marry you. Please don't listen to people gossiping maliciously."
Princess Xin Yao said coldly, "Whether you marry me or not is irrelevant. This princess doesn't care."
With that, she threw the cup down and left in a huff.
The Grand Princess and the Empress were discussing matters under a canopy on the other side, unaware of what had happened here.
Xin Yao scanned the crowd for Dong Xuerou. When she saw Dong Xuerou chatting and laughing with a group of men and women, her hatred surged.
Dong Xuerou was wearing a strapless dress today, with the ties fastened at the back.
Xin Yao walked behind her and yanked open the knot of the dress.
The dress instantly slipped down, and Dong Xuerou's upper body, clad only in her bodice, was suddenly exposed to the public gaze.
Xin Yao was not satisfied and pulled again, tearing off her bodice.
Just like that, before Dong Xuerou could even react to what was happening, she was exposed naked to everyone's sight. She looked down at herself, cried out in shock, and fainted onto the grass.
At this moment, she had to faint. She couldn't bear this humiliation. From now on, her reputation would be ruined, and she would have no chance of becoming the Crown Prince Consort. The royal family would never accept a woman who had been publicly exposed as their Crown Prince Consort.
Xin Yao! Just you wait! This lady will never forgive you!
Xin Yao stepped forward, kicked her, and cursed viciously, "Bitch, haven't you always wanted to marry my brother and become the Crown Prince Consort? Let's see how you do it!"
Dong Manting, standing not far away, watched this scene coldly, a flicker of joy in her eyes. Only when Madam Dong, the Empress, and the Grand Princess rushed over did Dong Manting, her face losing its color, step forward to cover Dong Xuerou with her clothes.
Madam Dong gasped upon seeing this scene, asking, "What... what is going on?"
Everyone was stunned by Princess Xin Yao's actions, and no one dared to answer.