Chapter 51: A Vulgar Country Girl Won’t Take the Blame

Chapter 51: A Vulgar Country Girl Won't Take the Blame

Zheng Jinyu's lips twitched as she asked weakly, "Prince Chen, may I ask who uttered such words?"

After all, only three people were present when she made that statement: Lady Zheng Jinxiu, herself, and Zheng Jinyu.

"It was Zheng Jinxiu who said it."

Zheng Jinyu: "..." She felt like cursing.

"Did you also advise her to drug me, cook the rice until it's well done, and force me into marrying her, Sir?"

"What?"

"That's not true at all. I'm a lady of high birth, how could I possibly engage in such despicable acts?"

"You're saying she's slandering you?"

"Yes, she is slandering me."

"Upon what grounds should I trust you?"

Zheng Jinyu was utterly speechless. She thought to herself that Zheng Jinxiu was incredibly disgusting, even mentioning something as despicable as drugging someone.

"It's true that I encouraged her not to give up, but I swear I never told her to drug you. That's an unjust accusation. As a proper young lady, I have aspirations of marrying into a good family; I would never engage in anything that could tarnish my reputation."

"But she is also a young lady from a respected family. If it wasn't your instruction, then she must be falsely accusing you. Who should I believe, then?"

"I..." Zheng Jinyu was at a loss for words. Damn Zheng Jinxiu, she probably revealed Zheng Jinyu's true thoughts and even claimed that Zheng Jinyu was behind it. It was incredibly infuriating.

"It's understandable for a rustic country girl like you to know some lowly tricks. She, on the other hand, has been nurtured to be a proper lady from a distinguished family since childhood."

Zheng Jinyu: "..."

If earlier she was angered by Zheng Jinxiu's underhanded maneuver, now she was disappointed by Xie Peiyu's words.

Originally, I assumed that Prince Chen, with his minor role and not being swayed by the favoritism towards the female lead, would approach matters from an impartial standpoint.

Little did he expect that with a single disdainful remark, branding her as a rustic country girl, he would condemn her fate.

Zheng Jinyu laughed bitterly, her eyes dimming as a chill crept into them.

"Yes, I am a vulgar country girl who would resort to any despicable means. So I advise Prince Chen that if you have no regard for Zheng Jinxiu, you should promptly persuade the Imperial Princess to call off the engagement with the Zheng family. If this drags on, both the false lady and the genuine, but crude, legitimate daughter might end up clinging to you."

So, in the original story, he had found neither of them suitable for this very reason.

He saw through Zheng Jinxiu's false noble status, while Zheng Jinyu, the true legitimate daughter, was nothing but a rustic and unrefined woman in his eyes, capable of using underhanded tactics.

Noticing the coldness in her expression, Xie Peiyu realized he might have said the wrong thing.

In truth, the part about drugging was fabricated by him. Zheng Jinxiu only mentioned her desire to force a situation where there's no turning back, not about drugging anyone.

He exaggerated the situation on purpose to intimidate her, hoping to deter her from continually suggesting ill-conceived plans to Zheng Jinxiu.

He also intended to warn her that if she were to give Zheng Jinxiu such advice, she could easily be betrayed in return.

"Fine, if you refuse to acknowledge it, then let's just pretend it never happened," Xie Peiyu said indifferently.

"How can we just let this slide?"

Zheng Jinyu was not willing to let this slide. She thought to herself, Well, it's true that this body of mine comes from the countryside. If they want to think of me as a rustic village girl, so be it. But she refused to accept the blame for employing despicable tactics.

Zheng Jinyu huffed and said coolly, "Prince Chen, do you dare to go to the Zheng residence with me right now and confront Zheng Jinxiu?"

Xie Peiyu: "..." Was she being serious?

"What?" Zheng Jinyu raised an eyebrow. "Prince Chen isn't going?"

"Cough, cough, this matter..."

"I must go," Zheng Jinyu declared earnestly. "It concerns my reputation, and it needs to be clarified in a confrontation between all parties."

Noticing the flicker in Prince Chen's eyes, Zheng Jinyu was even more convinced that this matter needed clarification.

Was it Zheng Jinxiu slandering her, or was it Xie Peiyu?

She wouldn't tolerate either of them sullying her name.

"Are you truly determined to go?"

"Certainly."

"You, a young lady, are discussing such matters?"

"Well, that's still better than being unjustly accused."

Xie Peiyu: "...."

"Didn't you claim to be a well-bred young lady? Your language is rather crude."

"Didn't you call me a vulgar country girl? Since you've already seen through me, why bother pretending?"

Xie Peiyu: "..." She was sharp-tongued indeed.

With those words, she shifted to a more comfortable position in her chair, adopting an attitude of giving up.

In her eyes, Xie Peiyu was just a minor, inconsequential character. Once they left, the story would progress without any further connection to them.

Since he had seen through her act, there was no point in exerting effort to maintain it.

Xie Peiyu, seeing that she was impervious to his words, could only say, "There's no need to visit the Zheng residence. Just summon Zheng Jinxiu."

Zheng Jinyu curved her lips into a smile. "Excellent."

It was indeed better to have the conversation outside, away from the many servants in the Zheng household. Should Lady Zheng decide to make an appearance, neither she nor Zheng Jinxiu would be able to act freely.

Xie Peiyu promptly instructed his subordinate to fetch Zheng Jinxiu from the Zheng residence.

Zheng Jinyu thought to herself, she had no qualms about the situation. The question was, would Zheng Jinxiu still put on her innocent and helpless act in front of Xie Peiyu?

The mere thought of it was exhilarating.

"Can we now discuss the matter about the kites?"

At the mention of 'kite', Zheng Jinyu's smile vanished in an instant.

As expected, there was no avoiding it.

"I wonder what Prince Chen has in mind?"

"Since you've seen me..." He paused, gazing at Zheng Jinyu with an enigmatic expression.

Zheng Jinyu was utterly speechless. Tired of his riddles, she bluntly said, "Initially, I didn't see you; it was your return that caught my attention. Even then, I had no idea the black-clad figure was you. But then you wrote that letter – anyone but a fool could have guessed it was from you. What's the point of revealing yourself to me?"

"Because you made a promise to me."

Zheng Jinyu asked, "What promise did I make to you?"

She watched him warily.

"I said there are only two kinds of people who can keep silent. The first kind, you haven't chosen."

The first kind refers to the deceased. Could I have chosen that? Dared I choose it?

"You've opted for the second kind."

"You didn't even tell me what the second kind was before you left."

Xie Peiyu fell silent for a moment before he replied, "I hadn't settled on it originally. Perhaps the second kind is also someone deceased."

Zheng Jinyu: "..." She instinctively shifted uneasily on her chair.

"Perhaps? Originally? Does that mean Prince Chen has changed his mind?"

Xie Peiyu replied coolly, "The second option could also be someone from within our own ranks."

"Could also?" The emphasis was on the word 'also'.

"Therefore, Miss Zheng needs to put on a good show. You have to convince this prince that you have worth."

Zheng Jinyu: "..." How did I end up on this uncharted path?

"Miss Zheng, do you wish to be on His Highness's side or become a dead person?"

Zheng Jinyu gazed steadily at him.

This was undoubtedly a veiled threat.

In order not to end up as a dead person, she tried her best to compose herself and maintain a calm tone.

"How can I become one of Prince Chen's own?"

"I didn't expect that."

Not expecting it again?

"You don't need to ask. When the time comes for your involvement, this prince will send for you."

Zheng Jinyu nodded silently.

Isn't this like walking on thin ice?

Zheng Jinyu asked, "The task you're asking me to do... there won't be any danger, right?"

"I can't guarantee that."

Zheng Jinyu: "......."

"Nothing that goes against morality or defies the natural order, right?"

"Not yet."

I...

Either she hadn't thought it through or she simply didn't wish to speak. Could he be asking her to commit murder?