Liang Qiran's face turned cold, and he strode forward, taking a seat opposite the Grand Princess. He exuded the air of the Crown Prince, his voice heavy as he said:
"It has been a long time since I last saw my elder sister. I didn't expect that upon our reunion, you would make things difficult for my little cousin."
Upon hearing this, the Grand Princess's brows furrowed, her gaze chilling.
She had always disliked this half-brother of hers.
She avoided him from afar whenever she saw him in the palace, fearing she might not be able to control herself and lash out at him.
Yet, he insisted on making his presence known, frequently seeking to cause her trouble.
After her Crown Prince brother met with misfortune and their mother passed away, he, along with Consort Huang and her son, had never intended to let her off the hook for all these years.
Fortunately, their father, the Emperor, truly doted on her.
He had never harbored any resentment towards her because of her brother's situation.
This allowed her to weather those difficult times smoothly.
Incidents like today, where someone actively sought trouble, were not uncommon in the past.
The Grand Princess was somewhat accustomed to it.
With various reasons and excuses, any incident could potentially become a pretext for him to target the Grand Princess's estate.
While it couldn't cripple her, it was undeniably annoying.
It was like a dog fixated on a piece of meat, doing everything it could to sink its teeth into it.
It wasn't that she held a prejudice, but Liang Qiran's demeanor was such that he lacked the capacity to be the Crown Prince, let alone become an emperor in the future.
Even if he did ascend, he would undoubtedly be a foolish and tyrannical ruler.
Liang Qiran had intentionally come to pick a fight. Despite the Grand Princess's refusal to engage with him, he laid out his case.
In short, he was extremely displeased with the Grand Princess for protecting Su Xiaoqi, who had allegedly bullied Huang Yingying.
He presented her with two options: either she hand Su Xiaoqi over to him willingly, so he could take her back to apologize and appease his aunt and Huang Yingying, or he would have his guards forcibly snatch Su Xiaoqi away from her and compel an apology.
The Grand Princess was furious. Who did Liang Qiran think he was?
So what if he was the Crown Prince? Did he think he could control everything, even what happened by her side?
Without the slightest hesitation, she replied, "Your Highness speaks with such bias. You were not present at the time and did not witness the events firsthand. How can you so readily conclude that Xiaoqi was in the wrong?
Your Highness, surely you are aware of your cousin's character.
If this incident had occurred in full public view, there would have been many witnesses who saw it clearly.
Why doesn't Your Highness summon a few witnesses to clarify the situation, so you may understand it better?
It would be similar to that incident at the Zhenguo Duke's estate a year ago; Your Highness likely still remembers it.
This way, it won't become another 'knife in the hands of a woman'."
The Grand Princess resented Liang Qiran for hounding her for so many years and for never having a kind word to say when he came.
Therefore, her words were quite blunt; she intended to provoke Liang Qiran.
Liang Qiran's expression darkened, and he was clearly displeased.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaoqi, with her head bowed, appeared humble but was actually lost in thought.
In her previous life, she recalled that the book had mentioned something about watching dragon boat races during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Of course, because the original host was absent, the Crown Prince and the Grand Princess had not fallen out.
However, a major incident had occurred then.
As she thought of it now, Su Xiaoqi trembled all over, a cold sweat breaking out on her back.
It was solely her fault that she had been overwhelmed with various matters recently and had not thought of this, nor had she taken it to heart.
As a result, she hadn't recalled it for so long.
It wasn't until she saw Liang Qiran now that a spark of inspiration ignited in her mind, and she finally remembered.
After the dragon boat competition, the black boat that rowed the fastest had won first place and was permitted to come ashore to receive an award from His Highness the Crown Prince, Liang Qiran.
While the award was being presented, the rower suddenly attacked and severely wounded Liang Qiran.
The assassination attempt on the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace was a monumental event.
The entire dragon boat gathering instantly descended into chaos.
Later, the incident caused a series of repercussions in the imperial court, creating a widespread sense of unease for a long time.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this life would unfold just as it had in her previous one.
Someone would attempt to assassinate him.
In that moment, Su Xiaoqi's heart was filled with complex emotions.
She kept her head down, feigning an air of serene detachment, but in reality, she was stealthily observing the embroidered dragon-patterned python robe on Liang Qiran.
Should she tell him or not?
If she didn't, the situation would inevitably repeat itself, and perhaps they would all be implicated.
After all, they had just had a conflict.
What if the Crown Prince didn't die and decided to settle this score with them as well...
Su Xiaoqi found herself missing Shen Yun.
In the past, when faced with decisions she found difficult, she would invariably and subtly leak the information to Shen Yun.
He would then be able to make the best decision for her.
But he was currently in Jiangning Prefecture, and there was no way he could return at this point.
What should she do?
Su Xiaoqi couldn't help but sigh.
Distracted, she had already missed the heated exchange between the Grand Princess and Liang Qiran.
The two seemed to be escalating their argument.
However, the arrival of someone from outside quickly halted their bickering.
It was the former Crown Prince, now Prince Duan, Liang Qiye, the Grand Princess's full elder brother.
He had heard about the matter and had specifically come to mediate.
After exchanging greetings, he straightforwardly stated that they were all members of the royal family.
Moreover, they were currently outside the palace, and they should, to some extent, pay attention to their words and actions, so as not to shame their father, the Emperor, who was in the palace.
The Grand Princess always showed her brother respect.
Upon hearing his words, she ceased to retort to Liang Qiran and simply busied herself with drinking tea.
Liang Qiran, having lost his opponent, allowed his anger to simmer for a while. The Grand Princess, known for her impulsiveness, didn't even bother to acknowledge him.
He, however, appeared petty and narrow-minded, engaging in such a petty squabble.
The Grand Princess found it rather odd herself.
Although Liang Qiran's relationship with her had been poor in the past, and he often sought to trouble her, he rarely did so openly in front of others and seldom confronted her directly.
He usually instructed others, either overtly or covertly, to act against her.
He knew that with the Emperor's favor, he couldn't overthrow her; he merely aimed to annoy her.
What was going on today?
He had personally stepped into the fray, all for the sake of his insignificant little cousin.
This was highly unusual.
As the Grand Princess calmed down and her intellect returned, her brows knitted slightly.
She began to observe Liang Qiran carefully, attempting to discern his true intentions through his microexpressions.
At this moment, the booming of drums echoed across the river.
It signaled that the dragon boat races outside had concluded and a winner had been determined.
It was time for Liang Qiran to make his appearance.
He shot Su Xiaoqi a glare, clasped his hands in greeting to his elder brother, and turned to leave.
"What is wrong with him today? Did he take the wrong medicine?" the Grand Princess remarked about Liang Qiran without any reservation.
"Man'er, you mustn't speak so carelessly. He is, after all, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace and will inherit the throne in the future," Liang Qiye's voice carried a deep weariness.
"Hmph, he wishes! Brother, it was one thing for you to be framed back then, and I could endure the humiliation in the capital.
But now that your innocence has been cleared, he should return your rightful position to you."
The Grand Princess's face was etched with displeasure, and her words were almost spat out through gritted teeth.
"Man'er, speak with caution," Liang Qiye sternly admonished the Grand Princess, cautiously glancing around.
He noticed that besides her personal attendants and her two children, there were three unfamiliar faces present with the Grand Princess.
Judging by their attire, they didn't seem to be servants from the Grand Princess's estate, but rather looked like ladies from official households.
His eyes narrowed, a hint of danger flashing in his gaze.
"Brother, please don't mind. These two are young ladies from the Duke of Yu's estate, beloved granddaughters of the Old Madam, and close to me.
Besides, as you just heard, that scoundrel came to cause trouble for our Xiaoqi."
The Grand Princess knew that Su Xiaoqi was always intelligent and would not possibly side with that wretch Liang Qiran.
However, she couldn't properly introduce Shen Mingzhu, so she allowed Liang Qiye to mistakenly believe she was a servant.
After all, upon learning of Liang Qiye's identity, she had been so frightened that she hadn't dared to even lift her head, possessing virtually no presence.
Su Xiaoqi also sensed Liang Qiye's nervousness. After a moment's thought, she said, "This commoner is the wife of Shen Yun, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy."
"Shen Yun's wife?" Liang Qiye's gaze upon Su Xiaoqi was somewhat hesitant.
Soon, a person dressed as an imperial eunuch whispered something into his ear.
Only then did Liang Qiye nod in understanding and then ask, "I remember you. It was you who helped Changfeng find Chen'er for me, wasn't it?"