Chapter 60: Truly a Win-Win in Both Fame and Fortune!

A twisted smile flickered across Liuli’s face, while Wen Xueling put on an even more pitiful act.

However, Gan Qiongying paid no attention to their performance and continued, “Princess Xue’e did indeed overturn her carriage and injured her leg, which is truly pitiable…”

Gan Qiongying sighed.

Princess Hui’an nearly failed to maintain her composure. If Duan Rong had just offered a word or two of defense, she could have smoothed things over immediately.

Princess Hui’an, at her age, hadn’t felt this tense in years. She was terrified that Duan Rong, in a moment of impulsiveness, would admit to it.

Of course, Gan Qiongying had no intention of admitting anything.

She glanced at the master and servant duo, who were thoroughly engrossed in their act, and decided to bring up Zhongli Zhengzhen’s “kind gesture of yielding the road.”

“I am truly wronged in this matter,” Gan Qiongying said. “At the time, the Third Prince of Jinchuan was also on that official road. Our three carriages were traveling one after another. If I had really ordered someone to scatter nails, there would be no reason to scatter only one nail, and for it to land so conveniently under Princess Xue’e’s horse’s hoof.”

Gan Qiongying’s tone carried a hint of mockery, dripping with sarcasm: “If I truly had the ability to precisely toss a single nail under a horse’s hoof, startle the horse, and then have it overturn into a ditch exactly as I intended—going through all that trouble to harm someone… why wouldn’t I just kill with a flying nail instead?”

Gan Qiongying left her words hanging.

She turned to Wen Xueling. “Princess Xue’e, when your carriage overturned that day, the place was remote, with no villages in sight. I kindly offered to bring you to the birthday banquet. How could you allow your wicked servant to slander me like this?”

Gan Qiongying’s tone was not aggressive, but her words were sharp and precise. Wen Xueling, who had been fully focused on playing the victim, even squeezing out tears, was left speechless by Gan Qiongying’s questioning.

“At the time, this wicked servant rushed out to slander me. As a Princess, how could I tolerate such malicious slander? Isn’t this an attempt to sow discord among the imperial relatives?”

Gan Qiongying said, “Such a wicked servant should naturally be executed immediately. But Princess Xue’e claimed that this servant grew up with her, as close as sisters, sharing the same heart and mind.”

Gan Qiongying emphasized the words “as close as sisters, sharing the same heart and mind,” determined to tie the two of them together as birds of a feather.

“It was you who tugged at my sleeve, pleading softly. Out of consideration for your distance from home and lack of care, I spared the wicked servant’s life, only having her slapped.”

Gan Qiongying continued, “I would very much like to ask Princess Xue’e, why would you believe a wicked servant’s instigation and assume that I intended to harm you?”

“Why would I harm you and no one else?”

“Why was the Third Prince of Jinchuan, who also traveled that road, completely unharmed?”

“The road was so wide. Why did your carriage have to follow directly behind mine?”

“Moreover, at the time, you collided with my carriage as well. Both my Consort and I suffered scrapes and bruises. Yet, instead of receiving an apology from you, I was met with your repeated tolerance of your servant’s slander.”

“Princess Xue’e, I would like to ask, what grudge do you hold against me?”

Wen Xueling was left speechless by the interrogation.

How could she say that Gan Qiongying, having failed to pursue Jinchuan Zhizi, was jealous because Jinchuan Zhizi favored her more? That Gan Qiongying was competing with her for affection?

Some things, even if obvious to all, simply could not be spoken aloud.

Gan Qiongying was certain Wen Xueling wouldn’t dare say anything, because in such a setting, if she dared mention even a word about personal feelings, she would only humiliate herself.

Zhongli Zhengzhen would also never admit in such a setting that he held Wen Xueling in special regard.

Gan Qiongying’s barrage of words left Wen Xueling speechless.

She then turned to Princess Hui’an and said, “After the carriage accident, Princess Xue’e’s leg was originally crippled. But as soon as the Third Prince of Jinchuan arrived, her leg miraculously healed, her pain vanished, and she was even able to jog over.”

“I told Princess Xue’e right then, with both of them unmarried and in broad daylight, it’s improper for a man and a woman to be too close… Wouldn’t it sound terrible if word got out?”

“It would have been more appropriate to ride in my carriage.”

“But Princess Xue’e insisted on riding in the Third Prince of Jinchuan’s carriage. To avoid suspicion, the Third Prince had no choice but to ride on horseback with his attendants.”

Gan Qiongying continued in a puzzled tone, “I was wondering, is the Third Prince of Jinchuan’s carriage really that special?”

Finally, she looked at Wen Xueling and delivered the killing blow: “Now it seems it truly is. Just riding in the Third Prince of Jinchuan’s carriage can revive the dead and heal the crippled—even a broken leg can sprint again. Look, she can even dance now.”

“Third Prince,” Gan Qiongying addressed Zhongli Zhengzhen directly, “after the birthday banquet ends, you must lend me your carriage.”

“Aunt can ride with me then. It’s sure to grant us a long life.”

Princess Hui’an could hardly suppress her laughter.

Some in the crowd couldn’t help but burst into laughter as well. This effectively placed Zhongli Zhengzhen and Wen Xueling in the hot seat.

Zhongli Zhengzhen had initially been sitting and drinking, treating the whole affair as entertainment. After all, no matter which of Nanzhao Kingdom’s royals or nobles fought among themselves, it wouldn’t harm him.

He hadn’t expected Gan Qiongying to drag him into the fray with just a few words. His hand, holding the wine cup, paused, and his face stiffened.

Moreover, Gan Qiongying’s insinuations throughout her speech pointed to an improper relationship between him and Princess Xue’e.

While it was typically considered gentlemanly and even praiseworthy to offer one’s carriage to a lady, Gan Qiongying’s mastery of five thousand years of passive-aggressive rhetoric made her words sound so suggestive that anyone listening would assume the two were definitely involved.

Wen Xueling was so furious she was on the verge of tears. She stood frozen, glaring at Gan Qiongying, nearly grinding her teeth to dust.

Her pleading gaze turned to Zhongli Zhengzhen, but she received no response.

“Your Highness, please see the truth!”

Seeing her mistress at a disadvantage, with her reputation now at stake, Liuli knelt and kowtowed repeatedly, her forehead thudding against the ground. When she looked up again, her face was smeared with mud, looking utterly wretched.

“The reason my mistress didn’t ride in Princess Duanrong’s carriage was because Princess Duanrong took advantage of the situation and demanded a full ten thousand taels as a carriage fee!”

“My mistress couldn’t produce such a large sum of silver, so she had no choice but to ride in the Third Prince of Jinchuan’s carriage. It wasn’t at all as Princess Duanrong described!”

As soon as Liuli finished speaking, another wave of laughter erupted in the banquet hall.

The earlier accusations had been so absurd, and with Gan Qiongying’s attitude and guidance, no one believed Liuli’s words anymore.

Only Lihua nervously clenched his sleeve again, because while he had been sitting inside the carriage, he had heard everything. The earlier claim about throwing nails was fabricated, but the extortion of ten thousand taels for the carriage ride was true.

Gan Qiongying joined in the laughter along with the other guests at the birthday banquet. Unlike Wen Xueling, whose face was flushed and neck taut with anger, her tone even carried a hint of mockery and a touch of innocence as she spoke, “I was only joking when I said I’d take you in the carriage if you paid me…”

“Everyone in Yindu knows,” Gan Qiongying said lightly, even with a hint of pride, “my Consort is the wealthiest man in the world, with merchant guilds spread throughout the Nanzhao Kingdom. He and I share a deep bond, and right now, the last thing I lack is silver. What would I possibly do with your ten thousand taels?”

Upon hearing this, the guests at the banquet chuckled again, but this time without any trace of mockery.

Sometimes, it’s like this: the more you avoid or conceal something, the more others will latch onto it. But once you openly acknowledge it, even in a self-deprecating manner, no one will laugh at you.

Thus, no one at the banquet sighed in pity as they usually would upon hearing Gan Qiongying mention that her Consort was a merchant. Because her tone genuinely sounded joyful.

When Lihua heard Gan Qiongying speak this way, his fingernails dug tightly into his palms inside his sleeves. Pain spread through his hands, but this time, what he tried to suppress was no longer the pain itself, but an overwhelming sense of joy.

Gan Qiongying had not only brought him to the birthday banquet but had also acknowledged him in front of so many people, speaking of him in such a tone.

No one knew what this kind of openness, this shared pride, meant to someone who had been abandoned since birth.

Seeing that Wen Xueling and her servant could no longer spew any more foul nonsense, Gan Qiongying slightly composed her expression, feigning a touch of offense, and said, “Princess Xue’e, it’s one thing for you to mistake my goodwill for ill intent, but to deliberately send a maid to slander me twice—that’s truly going too far, isn’t it?”

Gan Qiongying stood up and bowed respectfully to Princess Hui’an, her face filled with remorse. “Aunt, I am truly ashamed. Today is your birthday banquet, yet you had to witness such a farce.”

Upon hearing this, Princess Hui’an even began to feel sympathy for her, casting a much sharper glance at Princess Xue’e.

Gan Qiongying had overturned the chessboard—no one was going to come out of this unscathed.

The maid Kui, still kneeling on the ground, wanted to say more, but Wen Xueling, knowing the situation was beyond salvage and not entirely lacking in sense, sharply rebuked her, “Silence!”

“It was Xue’e’s momentary foolishness to have listened to this wicked servant’s instigation,” Wen Xueling said, bowing respectfully to Gan Qiongying. She glanced back, as if making a decision, and when she turned around again, all warmth had vanished from her eyes. “This wicked servant has repeatedly led me into disgrace. Please do not be angered, Princess. I will have her executed immediately to appease your grievance.”

Wen Xueling was cutting off her own limb to save herself.

When Kui heard her mistress declare her execution, her mouth opened and closed like a fish stranded on the shore.

Yet she was indeed a loyal servant. Even as tears streamed down her face and her nose ran, she did not utter a single word in her own defense, nor did she beg Wen Xueling to spare her.

She simply bowed her head respectfully to Wen Xueling, then was dragged away by Aunt Wumei’s orders.

Gan Qiongying did not press the matter further. Such an incident could not bring Wen Xueling to her knees. At most, it would cause her a minor setback, and prolonging the dispute would only put Princess Hui’an in an awkward position.

After all, Wen Xueling was the cherished daughter of Jingxi Wang, who had long dominated his territory as a local overlord. The nobles in the Imperial City, lacking both soldiers and wealth and merely propped up by an empty facade, truly could not afford to provoke him lightly.

Thus, Gan Qiongying wiped the smile clean off her face, adopting an expression of wicked arrogance as she said to Wen Xueling, “Do you think killing a mere servant will quell my anger?”

“I am, after all, a Princess. To be slandered twice for no reason—where is the dignity of the royal family?”

The banquet hall fell silent once more, everyone assuming Gan Qiongying was about to latch onto Wen Xueling and refuse to let go.

Yet, in a sudden shift of tone, Gan Qiongying said, “How about this: why doesn’t Princess Xue’e compensate me with ten thousand taels of silver, to be delivered to my residence after the banquet concludes?”

After a brief silence, laughter once again rippled through the banquet hall.

Gan Qiongying had skillfully circled back, not only rescuing the situation but also securing the ten thousand taels of silver she had been coveting all along.

Truly a victory in both reputation and gain!

Wen Xueling could only swallow her bitterness, nodding politely as she replied, “It should indeed be as the Princess says.”