Chu Liuyue turned back and lazily raised her eyebrows. "Third Sister, I've just punished a person that committed insubordination. Why are you so angry? Could it be that in your eyes, your elder sister can't even be compared to a slave?"
You should have considered whose slave he was! Chu Xianmin was furious. If it weren't for the rather large group of people watching them, she would definitely not be able to contain her anger, and would directly go up and confront Chu Liuyue.
She took a deep breath and forced a smile.
"Sister, your status is definitely more precious than theirs, but as the saying goes, 'look at the owner before you hit the dog.' Sister, you clearly knew that Liansheng is my servant. Why must you treat him in this way? That one cut of yours directly destroyed his cultivating career."
It looked like she really wanted to stand up for her people.
The crowd could not help but compare both people in their hearts as they watched the commotion.
Chu Xianmin was extremely talented, but she did not put up an act and was gentle and mature. She was clearly angry and frustrated beyond words at this point. One could tell that she cared very much about her servants.
This point alone made people admire her.
On the other hand, Chu Liuyue was very arrogant as an invalid. She was just like a maniac!
Chu Liuyue suddenly realized something. "Oh… right. I actually forgot that he's your servant."
Chu Xianmin was furious to the point she almost spat out blood. Chu Liuyue was clearly acting in front of her. If she did not stand up for Chu Liansheng today, everyone would know that Chu Xianmin was trampled all over by an invalid when word got out.
What kind of reputation would she be left with?
"Since Sister remembered it, then no matter what, may I ask…"
Before Chu Xianmin could finish her sentence, Chu Liuyue interrupted her. "In other words, you were the one who asked him to come and wreak havoc at my place?"
Chu Xianmin was suddenly stumped.
"You commanded Chu Liansheng to bring people to capture me and snatch my herbs away, right?"
"W-why… would I…?" Chu Xianmin subconsciously denied it.
However, Chu Liuyue refused to believe her. "Without your instructions, why would Chu Liansheng dare to do that?"
Her one sentence made Chu Xianmin speechless.
The entire area fell into a deep silence as everyone watched the good show.
Chu Liansheng was very smart. He knew that if he let Chu Liuyue continue, it would not be good for them at all, so he hurriedly yelled, "Third Missy, it's all my fault! Big Missy is a distinguished person; I shouldn't have offended her. If Big Missy insists on telling Master or the Crown Prince, I'll bear all the consequences on my own."
Chu Xianmin's face contorted. Chu Liuyue was using her marriage agreement with the Crown Prince to pressure her.
What exactly happened? Chu Liuyue long knew that she wasn't good enough for the Crown Prince, so she was too ashamed to bring the marriage agreement up. Why would she…?
"What's all the commotion about?" An angry roar suddenly sounded.
Chu Xianmin was elated to hear this voice as she turned around to take a look.
"First Elder!" Chu Liuyue looked up and saw First Elder—Chu Xiao—walking towards them.
An unfamiliar man was following closely behind him.
"I told him to come. Why? Do you have an issue with it?" Chu Xiao stood in front of Chu Xianmin and knitted his brows toward Chu Liuyue. He did not even attempt to hide his hatred in his voice.
Chu Xianmin was calmed. Actually, First Elder did not know anything about this issue, but she was more than happy since he was willing to take her side.
Her heart was much more composed than before as she smiled and greeted the man behind the First Elder. "Vice-Captain Song, why are you here?"
The person was precisely the Crown Prince's personal bodyguard—Song Yuan.
Song Yuan hurriedly bowed and greeted smartly, "Third Missy, you're too kind. I came here to pass something to you."
One could just think a little to know that he was acting on the Crown Prince's orders to give something to Chu Xianmin.
The expressions on the crowds' faces changed.
They had long heard that the Crown Prince liked Chu Xianmin, and now it seemed like it was true.
Chu Xianmin was also very pleased; the numerous envious looks from the crowd comforted her heart more than ever. Her cheeks blushed as if she was shy. "If Brother Jin wanted to give me something, he could just send anyone over. He shouldn't have troubled Vice-Captain Song to deliver the item over personally."
Song Yuan took out a letter and passed it to her with both his hands. He said happily, "The Crown Prince's birthday party is coming soon. I came here specifically to pass you the invitation card. Of course, there are people who will deliver the cards for the others, but the Crown Prince had specially instructed me to pass you the card personally."
The crowd then realized that it was the Crown Prince's birthday party invitation. It was normal for the Crown Prince to invite guests to his party, but only a handful of people would receive the invitation from Song Yuan. This showed that he really treated Chu Xianmin differently.
"I see. Thank you, Vice-Captain Song." Chu Xianmin took the invitation card and was extremely pleased and elated in her heart. She knew that the Crown Prince liked her, but his previous attitude was always quite ambiguous. Now, he was finally willing to show it clearly.
Very soon, everyone in the Imperial City would know about this incident.
The Crown Prince had the intent to make her the Crown Princess.
She took the invitation card and purposely asked Chu Liuyue, "Sister, I heard that your engagement with Brother Jin is going to happen really soon. You must have received the invitation card much earlier, right?"
The crowd erupted into chuckles.
Invitation card?
The Crown Prince must probably have forgotten about her.
Chu Xianmin said very sincerely, "You've never gone to any of Brother Jin's birthday parties in the past few years. You are going this year, right?"
Chu Liuyue sneered.
In the past, Rong Jin did invite the original Chu Liuyue to attend his birthday party, and she did attend it with high expectations. However, she only received countless scoldings and mockery in return.
From then on, she refused to go, and Rong Jin naturally did not invite her anymore.
This time, there would definitely not be an invitation card for her as well.
Chu Xianmin covered her mouth in shock. "Ahh! Could it be that you don't have it? T-this…" She looked at the invitation card in her hands as if in a difficult position. "Sorry, Sister. I didn't know that you didn't have…"
First Elder stroked his beard in satisfaction. Chu Liuyue that invalid almost ruined the marriage alliance between the Chu family and the Crown Prince. Luckily the Crown Prince has set his eyes on Minmin. Thinking about this, he looked at Chu Liuyue with a cold face. "Why would an invalid like her go? To humiliate herself? Hurry up and kneel down!"
Chu Liuyue looked at him coldly. "First Elder, shouldn't you give me a reason for that?"
First Elder knitted his brows tightly as he pointed towards the herbs and his voice boomed. "You still have the guts to ask? Say it! Where did you get the money to buy all these items?"
Song Yuan looked at Chu Liuyue.
Was… this the rumored invalid of the Chu family—Chu Liuyue?
He had never taken any notice of her in the past, and the Crown Prince did not even know what she looked like. Unexpectedly, she started to become out of place at this juncture.
How ridiculous.
Chu Xianmin started to feel uneasy when she saw Song Yuan's gaze land on Chu Liuyue.
Song Lian was Song Yuan's cousin, and he had initially helped pave the way for her, which the Crown Prince might not even know about.
Even though he had never stated his stance, his attitude showed that he silently agreed with his actions. However, Song Yuan still did not know about Song Lian's precarious situation.
If he knew…
Chu Liuyue kept quiet for a while; when the crowd thought that she was about to admit her wrongs, she suddenly glanced at Song Yuan. Then, she spoke in a seemingly laughing manner, "First Elder, where do you think I got so much money from? There aren't many people who would do this in the entire Imperial City."
Just as the First Elder was about to continue scolding her, he was suddenly stunned.
Did Chu Liuyue mean that the Crown Prince gave her the money?
He looked at Song Yuan with uncertainty.
Song Yuan was also dazed.
Why would the Crown Prince ever give her money? However, there seemed to be no other explanation other than this.
"Third Sister, you don't have to feel guilty. I won't be going to the Crown Prince's birthday party this year."
The moment a tinge of happiness flashed across Chu Xianmin's eyes, she heard the next sentence that Chu Liuyue said.
"After all, the engagement is just around the corner, and I have lots to prepare. How can I be as free as you, right?"
"B*tch! What a b*tch!" Chu Xianmin stormed back into her room angrily, and her mind kept replaying the words that Chu Liuyue had said before, which made her grit her teeth in anger.
What engagement? She was clearly doing it on purpose! Chu Xianmin felt a fireball growing in her chest when she thought of Chu Liuyue's nonchalant expression.
Piak!
She slammed her door shut.
"What are you doing?" A woman's voice suddenly came from within the house. Chu Xianmin looked up and after seeing who the person was, and instantly ran over with grievances.
"Mother! You must stand up for me this time! Your daughter is being bullied so badly by that b*tch!"
This woman was Chu Xianmin's real mother—Lu Yao. Although she was well past her thirties, she had maintained her looks very well and still looked beautiful as ever; her every move was very coquettish.
Lu Yao normally doted on her only daughter very much, but this time, her face did not look like she cared about Chu Xianmin's cries at all. She even looked quite displeased.
"I've only not been home for a few days, and you've already caused so much trouble You really disappoint me. That Chu Liuyue is just a good-for-nothing that can't even present herself properly. What tricks can she have up her sleeves? How can you be played by her?"
Chu Xianmin rarely saw her mother's stern expression, and she could not help but stand straight. However, her heart felt even worse. "Mother, you have no idea. It's as if this Chu Liuyue has changed into someone completely different; her recent actions are extremely weird. It's not that I can't win against her, she's just too cunning!"
Once Chu Xianmin thought of her losses in front of Chu Liuyue these few days, she could not help but clench her teeth.
"Not talking about the 200,000 silver taels she took from me. Today, she even used her wedding agreement with the Crown Prince to pressure me."
Lu Yao knitted her brows and was quite unhappy. "Speaking of this, I didn't even have the chance to talk to you about it. What exactly happened to those 200,000 silver taels? Even though the Lu family has money, I'm no longer a part of them, let alone to ask for so much in one shot."
Chu Xianmin was pretty guilty, and she tried to explain the incident tactfully. Looking at Lu Yao's increasingly contorted expression, Chu Xianmin's eyes turned, and she hurriedly whined, "Mother, don't grandfather and the rest like me a lot? They will help me, right?"
"But this is still too much!" Lu Yao looked away; she was very frustrated. Even though she was part of the Lu family, she was a concubine's daughter and did not have a high status. The Chu family she married into was also becoming increasingly desolated.
All these years, the mother-daughter duo could only raise their heads in the Lu family because Chu Xianmin was outstanding enough. However, the Lu family would definitely treat her as a laughingstock if she asked for 200,000 silver taels in one go.
Lu Yao looked at her own daughter from the corner of her eye and saw that she was not looking too well either. She stretched out her hand and patted Chu Xianmin's head.
"You, sigh… You should think about why people like you! It's because you're very talented and you have the Crown Prince's favor. If not, who would care about you? Let me ask you, can you be at the top of your level at school in a month?"
Chu Xianmin said nonchalantly, "Of course!" Her talent was one of the best in the entire Country Yao Chen. "But, the problem now is the marriage agreement between the Crown Prince and that b*tch."
Lu Yao did not care much about that, and she smiled with deeper meaning. "Silly kid, what are you worried about? The one who doesn't want this marriage agreement to come true the most isn't you, but the Crown Prince! You can let her tease you these few days, but at that time, she'll have her own retribution."
…
Chu Liuyue talking about her marriage agreement with the Crown Prince had indeed shocked everyone and successfully stumped First Elder and the rest, causing those people who wanted to see her farce leave in anger.
When the yard was quiet once again, she finally brought all the herbs into the house and found a big black pot to start cooking.
If she had the ability, she would not have to spend so much effort. Instead, she could directly use her force to churn up a fireball to boil the herbs. It was a pity that her cultivation was limited, and she could only use the most traditional method.
Although this caused the herbs' effectiveness to be reduced, she had ordered ten sets of these herbs from Zhen Bao Pavilion, so it would probably be enough in the end.
She put the herbs in one by one when the water started to boil.
Very quickly, a fresh herbal smell started to permeate the air.
Since each herb had different natures, the boiling times required to refine them were also different.
She calculated the timing seriously; she carefully took out the herbs that had already been refined, and poured the remaining herbs in bit by bit.
The color of the soup kept changing thereafter. The smell of the herbs had also become stronger.
Chu Liuyue took a deep breath and instantly felt a warm air rushing throughout her body, making her much more relaxed than before.
"It doesn't look bad," she muttered to herself.
As the princess of the Tianling Dynasty and having the cultivation talent to become an imperial doctor, Chu Liuyue had read all the medical books she could get her hands on in her previous life.
As long as she had sufficient herbs, repairing her Yuan meridian posed no difficulty to her.
"Yue'er!" Chu Ning's nervous shout could be heard from the door.
Chu Liuyue walked over to open the door strangely and saw Chu Ning walking over at top speed.
As he was in a hurry, he did not even care about his injured leg as he wobbled over in a staggering manner.
"Father, why did you come back so early today?" Chu Liuyue asked curiously.
Ever since Chu Ning was injured, he was sent to one of the Chu family's stores to work; he usually would not return home until late at night.
"Yue'er! A-are you okay?"
Chu Liuyue suddenly realized what happened. It seemed like Chu Ning had found out about the incident earlier. If not, he would definitely not have such a reaction.
She smiled brightly. "Father, you're too worried about me. It's only been half a day. What could possibly happen? Quickly, come in and rest." As she spoke, she went over to hold him.
However, Chu Ning grabbed her hand and stared at her sternly as he hesitated to speak. He had heard that something happened to Yue'er earlier when he was working at the shop, so he hurriedly asked for leave and rushed back.
The moment he entered the yard, he saw the scary pool of blood on the ground.
Looking at his daughter's relaxed look, Chu Ning was even more solemn and subconsciously used even more strength to grip Chu Liuyue's wrist.
"Yue'er, d-did you really cut off Chu Liansheng's arm?"
Chu Liuyue calmly nodded her head without a change in expression. "Yes. He wanted to steal my things. I can't let anyone bully me. Cutting off his arm was just a warning to the rest."
Chu Ning took a really long time to open his mouth with much difficulty. "H-he's Chu Xianmin's servant… Your actions are clearly pitting yourself against her. She…" She is not someone that is easy to deal with!
Chu Liuyue's hand started to hurt from Chu Ning's grip, so she patted his arm and comforted him. "Father, what's the point of thinking so much? If I didn't do that, would she really treat me as her elder sister?"
Chu Ning was stumped. Yes, Chu Xianmin was the one who wanted to destroy Yue'er the most because of her marriage agreement with the Crown Prince.
"But…"
"There's no 'but.' Father, don't worry. I know what I'm doing," said Chu Liuyue as she lifted her chin towards the inside of the house and smiled. "Oh, yes. I've recently come across a folk prescription that is said to be good for body recovery. Do you want to try it?"
When she was boiling the herbs for herself, she did not forget about Chu Ning's injury. She had secretly taken his pulse before. If he was treated properly, he could recover completely in less than half a month.
While talking, she pulled Chu Ning into the house.
Chu Ning did not budge. He was very familiar with the face of the young girl in front of him, but why did he feel so unfamiliar with her at this very moment? The next moment, he finally asked with trembling lips, "You're not Yue'er, are you?"
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