Chapter 79: When Did This Little Girl Grow a Brain in Secret?
Just as the two were about to slice each other’s major arteries as described in the plot, the situation was becoming uncontrollable.
Princess Hui’an was likely awake by now, and Gan Qiongying had also seen the steward of the estate rushing off to report the news.
Gan Qiongying was worried that if Princess Hui’an learned such a thing had happened during her birthday banquet, the shock might be too much for her.
What made matters worse was that Princess Hui’an’s two sons, who could have intervened, held official positions in the court. After celebrating their mother’s birthday the previous night, they had already returned to the Imperial City and were not staying for the hunting event.
Thus, within the entire Haoyue Mountain Estate, aside from Princess Hui’an herself, the most authoritative and influential figure whose words carried weight was the Regent himself.
But now, the Regent had gone mad.
The scene was utterly out of control.
The young nobles, clearly harboring long-standing grievances, were now settling old scores, brawling without a shred of dignity. The guards’ attempts to intervene only fueled the chaos, making the fight even fiercer.
Prince Kangguang, Gan Li, knew things couldn’t continue like this. Holding up a shield, he charged forward to break up the fight, but before he could even lay a hand on the Regent, he was flung aside by the Regent’s arm, tumbling on the ground like a little turtle.
Others who had intended to step in and mediate quickly halted at the sight.
Gan Qiongying was also terrified. Although she had read about this in the book, she never imagined the live scene would be so bloody!
If no one stopped them soon, a major disaster was inevitable. The book had described it in just a few lines as a petty squabble over jealousy that quickly died down.
But reality was far more absurd than the book’s depiction.
Gan Qiongying had already heard that Zhongli Zhengzhen had provoked the Regent first with his words and attitude. Somehow, he had learned about the relationship between the Regent and the Empress Dowager, comparing them to livestock and precisely striking the Regent’s sore spot.
In the plot, the Regent was the Empress Dowager’s illegitimate son, shielded by Kou Ning’an for so many years. With the entire Kòu Clan’s support, he had risen to power, and she even dreamed of placing him on the throne. Wasn’t this the Regent’s unspoken sore spot?
Under the guise of a spar, the Regent had intended to teach Zhongli Zhengzhen a lesson, but once the fight started, both lost control. Their adrenaline surged, and like they had taken some unstoppable stimulant, they couldn’t stop.
Of course, who beat whose head into a pulp had nothing to do with Gan Qiongying.
But she feared that if something truly disastrous happened, Princess Hui’an would be implicated. That mad dog Kou Ning’an, for the sake of her precious eldest son, would undoubtedly lash out indiscriminately. With dozens of people in Princess Hui’an’s household, there were bound to be oversights.
If Kou Ning’an latched onto one, the situation would become troublesome.
Just as Gan Qiongying was frowning in distress, she finally spotted Wen Xueling mixed in the crowd.
She looked anxious, her eyes fixed on Zhongli Zhengzhen, but she was actually holding herself back from intervening?
Logically, she should have stepped in by now!
Gan Qiongying quickly maneuvered around the crowd, pushing through layers of onlookers until she stood beside Wen Xueling. She wrapped an arm around Wen Xueling’s shoulders, leaning close to her ear and saying, “Your beloved is being beaten like this. They’ve both lost their minds. Why are you still just watching?”
Gan Qiongying continued, “Go on! You’re the only one who can stop this now. If you succeed, you’ll be the hero!”
Seeing Wen Xueling actually hesitating, Gan Qiongying added, “Don’t you like Zhongli Zhengzhen anymore? He’s clearly no match for the Regent. If you wait any longer, the Regent is going to slit his throat!”
Wen Xueling’s delicate face scrunched up in distress, genuinely considering stepping forward to mediate.
But soon, she withdrew the foot she had extended. She hadn’t tried to intervene earlier—when Zhongli Zhengzhen was kicked in the chest, she had already been the closest to him and attempted to dissuade him.
Zhongli Zhengzhen had glanced back at her then, not only ignoring her plea but also chilling her to the bone with that icy look, as if she had been plunged into a frozen abyss.
Moreover, Wen Xueling recalled how, during the birthday banquet, when Gan Qiongying had relentlessly pressured her, Zhongli Zhengzhen hadn’t uttered a single word in her defense.
So now, Wen Xueling stood there, biting her lips so hard they nearly bled, but she didn’t rush out to mediate as she had in the original plot.
Gan Qiongying continued urging Wen Xueling in various ways, only to be interrupted by Wen Xueling’s call of “Princess Duanrong.”
Wen Xiongying looked at Gan Qiongying with an all-knowing gaze, her expression seeming to say: If you want to go, go ahead. I’m not going.
“Princess Duanrong,” Wen Xueling said slowly, her eyes wide and innocent, “I’m still limping, remember? You’re the most suitable person to go and mediate.”
Gan Qiongying: “…”
When did this little girl grow a brain?
Gan Qiongying glared at her, wanting to say that it should have been her all along—in the plot, it was her. What are you hesitating for now, female lead!
However, Gan Qiongying hadn’t yet realized that it was precisely her previous actions that had prevented Wen Xueling from dancing at the birthday banquet, thus failing to captivate her admirers.
In the original plot, Wen Xueling dared to intervene at this moment because, after the banquet, the Regent had already extended an olive branch to her.
And Zhongli Zhengzhen had only confessed his feelings for Wen Xueling after the banquet as well.
So when the Regent and Zhongli Zhengzhen fought in the original plot, Wen Xueling had rushed out to mediate because she was dealing with two admirers.
But that entire plotline had been completely derailed by Gan Qiongying. How could Wen Xueling dare to intervene now?
Seeing Wen Xueling still unmoved, Gan Qiongying anxiously watched the two men fighting fiercely on the field. It was clear they wouldn’t stop until one of them was dead.
As the crowd erupted into another uproar, Zhongli Zhengzhen was stabbed in the leg by the Regent, while the Regent nearly had his kidney slashed by Zhongli Zhengzhen.
Gan Qiongying turned to look at Wen Xueling beside her once more.
“Why aren’t you going yet!”
If the Regent was injured, Kou Ning’an would surely go mad. What would happen to Princess Hui’an?
Gan Qiongying wanted Princess Hui’an’s help, but not by pitting her frail, elderly body against the Kòu Clan’s colossal ship capable of capsizing Nánzhào!
Wen Xueling also looked at Gan Qiongying, her spine chilling at the intensity in Gan Qiongying’s eyes.
Suddenly, Gan Qiongying patted her head, then grabbed the back of her neck like a puppy, pulling her forward. She pushed aside the arms of the guards maintaining order and, with a burst of strength, shoved Wen Xueling out into the open.
Go on, female lead!
You have to go, whether you want to or not!
The protagonist’s halo isn’t just for show—this situation truly needs her to break it.
Gan Qiongying pushed the person out and, taking advantage of the chaotic noise, shouted, “Go! Tell your two husbands to stop fighting!”
Wen Xueling let out a startled cry and stumbled into the middle of the scene, staggering a few steps before barely managing to steady herself.
The uproarious scene fell silent in an instant. Suddenly thrust into the fray, she froze in shock, turning her head to glare at Gan Qiongying in horror.
Gan Qiongying raised a hand to cover her face, peeking through the gaps between her fingers toward the center of the commotion.
Sure enough, Wen Xueling stood right in the middle, utterly at a loss. The two men, who had been fighting with bloodshot eyes, paused their movements and turned their gazes toward her in unison.