Chapter 156: Qi Ruyuan’s Persona Crumbles

The moment Qi Ruyuan laid eyes on Xiang Xinyao, jealousy made her lose her mind.

Xiang Xinyao, without a trace of makeup, was more beautiful than she, who had carefully put on layers of makeup.

If Xiang Xinyao were to attend a palace banquet in the future, the Bianjing nobles would surely be mesmerized by her ethereal beauty, and Qi Ruyuan’s title of Bianjing’s First Beauty would be no more.

Qi Ruyuan was unwilling to accept this.

Moreover, she had liked Mo Jinnan for a long time.

Why was it that as soon as Xiang Xinyao returned, she could easily get close to Mo Jinnan?

Why did Mo Jinnan treat Xiang Xinyao differently?

Consumed by jealousy, Qi Ruyuan lost her rationality and, on impulse, stepped forward to block her path.

She had thought that Xiang Xinyao, having just returned from the countryside, would be weak and insecure.

But to her surprise, Xiang Xinyao was confident, lively, and outgoing, never letting herself be bullied.

Xiang Xinyu, who had always been gentle and kind, now showed a fierce side, scolding Qi Ruyuan mercilessly.

In truth, Qi Ruyuan wasn’t very intelligent.

If not for her father, the scheming Prime Minister, she probably wouldn’t have lasted as long as she had.

Qi Ruyuan’s face alternated between green and white with anger, pointing at Xiang Xinyu and shouting, “Xiang Xinyu, who do you think you are?”

“You’re just a dog raised by the Xiang family! What right do you have to yell at me in front of the young lady?”

“Now that the real eldest daughter of the Xiang family has returned, how dare you still stay in the Xiang family?”

“Do you think you’re still the eldest daughter of the Xiang family?”

Before Xiang Xinyu could reply, Xiang Xinyao stepped in to retort, “You’re the dog here! Your whole family is a pack of dogs!”

“A good dog wouldn’t block the way, but you, you’re just a mangy mutt with a thicker skin than a city wall corner!”

“My sister may not be the biological daughter of the Xiang family, so what? The Xiang family still chooses to raise her, and she’s still the eldest daughter!”

“So what? Are you jealous?”

“Whether my sister stays in the Xiang family or not, it has nothing to do with you!”

“Has she eaten your rice? You’re sticking your nose in everyone’s business—why don’t you just go to the heavens?

“Ugh! What a joke!”

Xiang Xinyu’s eyes sparkled with admiration—her sister was so powerful and domineering!

Qi Ruyuan, on the other hand, looked as if she had just eaten something foul.

Xiang Xinyao continued her tirade: “Also, why does it matter what I look like to you?”

“Even if I looked like a bean sprout, I still haven’t eaten a single grain of rice from your family!”

“If you like your ‘South Brother’ so much, why don’t you go pursue him? Do you think running your mouth here makes you impressive?”

“And telling me to go ask the emperor to break off my engagement? Who do you think you are, my nanny? Do I have to listen to you?”

“Ugh! You’re just a pest pretending to be something you’re not!”

Xiang Xinyu added, “Yeah, a pest, a mangy dog—really shameless.”

The crowd watching now fully understood the situation and began pointing and whispering at Qi Ruyuan.

“Wow! So this is the famous Bianjing First Beauty? She doesn’t look that great to me. She’s not even as pretty as the Xiang family girls.”

“Bianjing’s First Beauty has such bad manners? Who’s blind enough to call her that?”

“Seriously, asking the other girl to go ask the emperor to cancel her engagement, tsk tsk, I’ve never seen such a shameless woman.”

“I’m seeing this for the first time. The engagement was arranged by the late emperor, and she treats it like a joke.”

“Someone like her probably doesn’t even think highly of the emperor.”

“And she’s supposed to be Bianjing’s First Beauty? With that kind of upbringing? What a joke.”

The crowd’s gossip pierced through Qi Ruyuan’s heart like sharp knives.

Her reckless and foolish attempt to block the way caused her title of Bianjing’s First Beauty to become worthless in the eyes of the common people.

Furious and humiliated, Qi Ruyuan shouted, “You… you dare?! I am the daughter of the Qi family, how dare you gossip about me? Do you all have a death wish?”

“Hahahaha…”

Xiang Xinyao burst into laughter, tears streaming from her eyes.

“Oh my gosh, you’re the one making a scene in public, and now you want to stop others from commenting? What kind of nonsense is that?”

Qi Ruyuan’s eyes welled with tears, her face a pitiful picture of grievance.

If Prince Mo Haowen had seen her like this, he’d surely feel heartbroken.

But the onlookers weren’t love-struck like the prince; they couldn’t care less about her fake tears.

To them, her display of victimhood only seemed insincere and repulsive.

With a fierce glare, Qi Ruyuan snapped, “Xiang Xinyao, what are you so proud of?”

“You’re just a wild, uncultured village girl who just came from the countryside. Mo Jinnan would never marry someone as useless and crude as you.”

Xiang Xinyao raised an eyebrow, retorting, “If he doesn’t marry me, is he going to marry you, a thousand-year-old green tea princess? You say I’m useless and crude, but I don’t see you as being any more capable, kind, or gentle than me!”

Xiang Xinyu, purposefully teasing, added, “Sister, I heard the famous ‘Bianjing First Beauty’ is proficient in everything—zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and songs. She must be quite talented!”

At these words, Qi Ruyuan immediately puffed out her chest in pride, like a peacock.

Xiang Xinyao pretended to be shocked. “Oh? She’s proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and poetry? Oh my, I must be blind. Please forgive my ignorance.”

“Hmph!” Qi Ruyuan snorted arrogantly.

Xiang Xinyao’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Oh, I actually have a riddle for you, I wonder if the talented Qi Ruyuan can solve it?”

A flicker of doubt crossed Qi Ruyuan’s eyes, but she remained defiant. “What great riddle could you possibly have? Go on, let’s hear it.”

Xiang Xinyao’s lips curled into a smile as she recited: “The moon is full in the sky, half on earth; every month, the full moon meets the half moon.”

Qi Ruyuan: …

Xiang Xinyao grinned. “Well, Qi Ruyuan, please give us the matching line.”

Qi Ruyuan turned red, but couldn’t come up with a single word to complete it.

“Is it too hard for you? Don’t worry, I have plenty more. Listen closely, Qi Ruyuan, here’s another one: East pawnshop, west pawnshop, east-west pawnshop, pawn east, pawn west.”

Qi Ruyuan: …

Xiang Xinyao smirked, “Here’s another: ‘Yellow dusk, yellow dusk, in yellow dusk I cross the yellow dusk.’”

Qi Ruyuan: …

And another: “Buddha’s feet in clear spring, flowing and floating, flowing down two jade ribbons.”

Qi Ruyuan: …

The crowd, watching intently, couldn’t help but laugh.

“I-I-I…” Qi Ruyuan stammered, but couldn’t form a single reply.

The crowd erupted in laughter again.

“Tsk, she’s supposed to be proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, poetry, and songs, but she can’t even solve a single riddle. And she dares call herself a talented woman?”

“Ha! She’s so full of herself, claiming she’s skilled in everything, but she’s just fooling herself.”

“Honestly, I don’t understand how ‘Bianjing First Beauty’ and ‘talented woman’ came about. This reputation is clearly exaggerated.”

“She couldn’t even solve the riddles Xiang Xinyao gave her, yet she dares to criticize Xiang Xinyao for being useless and crude. Who’s really useless here?”

The crowd’s harsh words pierced Qi Ruyuan like daggers.

Her foolish attempt to display her supposed superiority only shattered the image her father had painstakingly built for her.

Her persona had crumbled—into pieces!