Phoenix Rising

023

"Mother, what happened?" Meiyan cried, tears streaming down her face. She was sitting on the bed in one of the Ouyang's guest rooms, the realisation striking her like a bolt out of the blue. She had been by the lake with the other girls and she was just about to push Zi-ning into the water like they had planned when all of a sudden everything went topsy-turvy. After the fear subsided and she managed to open her eyes again, all she saw were dozens of pairs of eyes looking down at her, judging her.

Lady Min held her daughter in her arms, patting her back to soothe her distraught nerves. "It's okay, my dear. Things will be alright," she said.

"It was her." Meiyan grabbed her mother by the shoulders, her eyes widening. "Han Zi-ning. She was the one who pushed me in."

"Are you sure?"

"It had to be her! I tripped Meisi so that she would fall over, but just when I was about to push Zi-ning in she somehow managed to turn herself so that I ended up toppling into the water instead. She must have planned this right from the beginning. She wanted to see me fall in and embarrass myself in front of everyone else!"

Meiyan burst into sobs again, burying her face in her hands. This was not what was supposed to have happened. Zi-ning was supposed to have fallen into the water and then rescued by that attendant they had planted. With that happening in front of all the other ladies, Zi-ning's chastity would have been ruined and she would no longer pose a threat to Meiyan no matter what she did. Somehow everything had gone awry.

"She'll pay for this. I won't let her get away with it," Lady Min said, gritting her teeth.

Even if it had been a real accident, Meiyan would still have pinned it on Zi-ning's shoulders because if it hadn't been for that horrid girl, they wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble in the first place. It was Zi-ning's fault for trying to steal her limelight, for trying to steal everything that belonged to her, like how Yang Yihua had stolen everything that rightfully belonged to her mother.

"But Mother, what am I going to do? Everyone saw me in that state! And the crown prince, the crown prince—" Meiyan blubbered, wiping the tears from her face. When she had opened her eyes, she had clearly seen the crown prince standing there in the crowd. He had seen her in her disheveled state, lying in the arms of another man. What would he think of her now? Would he still consider her for the position of crown princess?

Lady Min pursed her lips together, her thin brows furrowed tightly.

"I think it would be best for you to lie low for a period of time until things die down and people forget what happened. Given your beauty and talents, you'll still be able to find a good match."

Seeing the look in her mother's eyes, Meiyan knew immediately that her chances of becoming the crown prince's consort were incredibly slim. She flew into a rage, picking up a teacup and throwing it angrily against the wall.

"Meiyan!" Lady Min called out, grabbing hold of her daughter's hand. They were still in the Ouyang manor and it wouldn't do for Meiyan to lose her temper now. "Don't worry, my dear, I promise you that I'll find a way for you to marry the man of your dreams, but the crown prince..." She stroked her daughter's cheek sadly. "The queen will never allow it, not with what's happened. Even if they accept you, you'll only be a concubine and not the princess consort. You cannot be anyone's concubine, Meiyan, not even to the crown prince. I've already experienced that shame once and I will not allow you to face the same treatment."

"If I can't be the crown princess then neither can she!" Meiyan cried out hatefully.

"She won't be. She'll never surpass you, Meiyan. I'll make sure of that."