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"Heh! Did you hear that clearly now? Get lost, don't dirty this courtyard." The phoenix-eyed woman, seeing Miss Hua's denial, spoke even more brazenly.
Miss Hua's face was also very grim: "When did I ever invite Miss Lin?"
Lin Zhiqing was about to speak, but Princess Pingning adopted an admonishing posture and cut her off: "Miss Lin, Miss Hua is pure and kind. Why would you use her as a shield?"
"The Princess is absolutely right. Don't take me for a fool." Miss Hua hadn't managed to find her guest, and she was in a bad mood, rolling her eyes almost to the sky:
"Miss Lin, although I've never met you, I've heard many of your deeds." She snorted and walked forward:
"I'm not afraid to tell you directly, even if I jumped into this pond, I wouldn't invite someone like you."
Since the host's daughter was speaking like this, the others no longer had any qualms in their words.
"The Lin family is truly disgraceful. How dare they let her out."
"Who knows what kind of person a traitor's descendant is. How dare she even approach us."
"How can such a person be engaged to Young Master Jiang? Young Master Jiang just wiped out a group of mountain bandits before the New Year and is clearly on the rise. How can a traitor's descendant be worthy of him?"
These women always loved to repeat these words. Miss Hua was extremely impatient. She walked past Lin Zhiqing without even glancing at her:
"Are you leaving on your own, or shall I escort you out?"
"Miss Lin, please leave quickly." Princess Pingning frowned, her face filled with difficulty.
Lin Zhiqing didn't even look at her, staring at Miss Hua's retreating back. "Miss Hua, how was the effectiveness of the doll sent last time?"
Miss Hua paused, not reacting for a moment.
But Princess Pingning and the others only thought Lin Zhiqing was trying to curry favor, and their words grew even nastier.
Especially the phoenix-eyed woman, a scornful smile on her lips: "It's useless for you to try to curry favor with anyone today. You won't leave, will you? I'll escort you out!"
Saying this, she gave a look to her maids. The two maids exchanged glances and reached out towards Lin Zhiqing.
Aunt Mu, seeing this, stepped forward to block Lin Zhiqing:
"My young lady is intelligent and kind. She only came because she received an invitation. For you to accuse her indiscriminately is simply too bullying!"
Lin Zhiqing pushed aside Aunt Mu's arm and pulled her behind her. "This young lady, are you questioning me?"
"This is the Imperial Academy's residence. You have no right to lay hands on anyone here. I wonder where you learned such manners."
Lin Zhiqing spoke subtly, but everyone could hear that she was scolding the phoenix-eyed woman for being ill-mannered.
The phoenix-eyed woman's heart trembled. She knew she had indeed overstepped, but she looked up and saw Miss Hua's composed expression, showing no abnormality. Instantly, her confidence returned:
"Lin Zhiqing, how dare you teach me manners? Today, I'll show you what true manners are!"
"Guards, drag her out! Let the people outside see clearly how shamelessly Miss Lin snuck in to fawn over the influential."
As soon as she finished speaking, the maids, who had been somewhat hesitant, now felt confident and approached Lin Zhiqing.
But Lin Zhiqing didn't move a single step, her expression calm, showing a natural dignity.
Just as the two maids were about to touch Lin Zhiqing's sleeve, Miss Hua's feet moved slightly:
"Stop!"
The phoenix-eyed woman's smile froze, and then a fawning smile appeared on her face:
"Miss Hua, Lin Zhiqing is truly arrogant. If we don't curb her arrogance, she might even try to ride over your head one day."
Miss Hua leisurely observed Lin Zhiqing. Princess Pingning noticed something was wrong and gave the phoenix-eyed woman a look.
The phoenix-eyed woman didn't understand her meaning and continued to stir up trouble: "This b*tch Lin Zhiqing shouldn't even be here. Is this Spring Banquet impossible without her?"
"Exactly." Miss Hua nodded, seeming to find her words very reasonable.
The phoenix-eyed woman, seeing this, subtly relaxed. A smile returned to her face.
"This Spring Banquet will indeed be fine with one less person. Give my order: take her down!" Miss Hua's tone suddenly shifted, and she looked at the phoenix-eyed woman.
The smile on the phoenix-eyed woman's face froze. Feeling everyone's gaze concentrated on her, she forced a smile:
"Miss Hua, are you... are you mistaken? Lin Zhiqing, she..."
"Of course I'm not mistaken." Miss Hua walked towards Lin Zhiqing, nodded to her, then squinted at the phoenix-eyed woman: "You, pointing fingers here, are you saying my Imperial Academy has no one left?"
"Lin Zhiqing is a guest I invited. Anyone who offends her offends me." Miss Hua's voice was not low, and even the male guests in the pavilion across the lake were looking over.
"No... impossible." The phoenix-eyed woman's face was filled with terror. "Miss Hua, is there some misunderstanding? Did Lin Zhiqing use some trick to bewitch you?"
Lin Zhiqing frowned tightly: "Are Miss Hua's words not clear enough? You've been slandering me since I took my seat. Are you perhaps dissatisfied with Miss Hua?"
"She certainly doesn't mean that." Princess Pingning glanced at the phoenix-eyed woman, her smile not reaching her eyes.
Meeting her gaze, the woman lowered her head, not daring to speak further.
Princess Pingning then nodded slightly towards Lin Zhiqing. "My apologies, Miss Lin, we misunderstood you. But we also didn't expect Miss Lin to have any connection with Miss Hua. You both understand the principle that 'concern leads to confusion,' don't you?"
Her every word and action was dignified and polite, exceptionally serene.
But Lin Zhiqing saw the unwillingness in her downturned lips.
Unwilling about what? Not having driven her away?
Lin Zhiqing lowered her eyebrows and did not speak to Princess Pingning.
This person held a high position and was quite cunning. Her micro-expressions were much fewer than those of ordinary people.
And Lin Zhiqing only had a meager friendship with Miss Hua. If anything truly happened, she would be utterly isolated and helpless.
Confronting such a person was not a wise move.
Princess Pingning whispered a few words to Miss Hua. Miss Hua's face grew increasingly grim. "Princess, forgive me, I cannot obey. You are too kind. Just now, you saw how arrogant she was."
"Even I, if I hadn't known Miss Lin beforehand, would have almost been swayed by their words."
As Miss Hua spoke, she glared fiercely at the phoenix-eyed woman.
Princess Pingning opened her mouth, but in the end, she couldn't say anything.
"Miss Hua, if I'm driven out today, where will I put my face in Shengjing?" The phoenix-eyed woman's voice was sharp and trembling.
But Miss Hua remained expressionless, and even Princess Pingning silently turned her head away.
As the curses drifted further and further away, in an instant, the waterside pavilion became quiet again, even a little stifling.
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