Imperial Consort Jia raised her right hand into the air. The long red nails on her pale fingers glittered like blood in the sunlight. Noble Consort Lu held Imperial Consort Jia's gaze defiantly, as if daring her to make a move. Imperial Consort Jia did. Her hand came whooshing down to slap Noble Consort Lu's cheek.
"Stop!" Someone bellowed. Imperial Consort Jia felt her wrist being clamped tightly and stopped in midair.
"Who—?!" She took a good look at the newcomer. "Aiyo, isn't this the Fifth Prince, whom His Majesty sent to the borders?"
The Fifth Prince didn't answer. Instead, he squeezed Imperial Consort Jia's wrist tighter. Imperial Consort Jia's wrist was way too delicate for even a simple squeeze, and she cried out in pain. "Ah!"
Author’s Notes:
1) In this chapter, Xiao is the pinyin spelling of the last name, 萧. You might recall that there was a Xuanyan pupil by the name of Xiao-Wu. In her case, the “Xiao” is the pinyin spelling of 小, which means “little”. This “xiao” is often added in colloquial instances and used by friends and acquaintances to address each other.
2) Since we now know Mo Xian’s real name, he will be referred to by his full name, Xiao Moxian, from now on.