Yu Xiang was once again famous in the Capital due to the commotion in Zixiang House. Her impression among the various families' matriarchs and elderly women changed greatly as they said she is capable to uphold a family and that if she is a man, she will be another 'Yu Pin Yan'.
The noble ladies, on the other hand, are mostly afraid of her and have no desire to befriend her.
As someone who is unrestrained and does whatever she wants, Yu Xiang did not take the rumors seriously. Today she slowly turned her body and only woke up at the hour of sishi (9am-11am). After changing into a soft silvery light gauze with lily pattern, she made herself up in front of the newly bought mercury mirror.
No matter how smooth a bronze mirror was polished, the reflection was still a little distorted that the image seemed dyed with a layer of dull yellowish copper and even gave a sense of crampedness. Mercury mirror is however, very different. Not only does the image look real but it even reflects the original colors, making it appear bright and vivid.
While Yu Xiang patted the homemade loofah water on her face, she kept turning her face to look at herself carefully and hummed under her breath, "You are so beautiful, you are so charming, you are so beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, sister. You are the flower bud in the winter, you are the beauty who stirred the spring water, you are the angelic grace and my favored baby. The world's sadness is all destroyed by you. You are the thousand cups of good wine and how can I not be drunk ..."
Not only was the tune odd but the lyrics were tragically narcissistic too. Moreover, she would raise her eyebrows one moment, wrinkled her nose next then puffed up her cheeks and puckered her lips to do a kiss gesture that made her wacky appearance really amusing.
Liu Lu's face had already become miserably green. She has long been used to the occasional wackiness of her master but please do mind your behavior. Can't you see that tall and strong Marquis standing at the door? Sure enough, her master could only see herself whenever she looked in the mirror.
Leaning against the door frame, Yu Pin Yan looked at his quirky sister and smiled. You are the thousand cups of good wine and how can I not be drunk... he actually has long been intoxicated.
After applying the snow skin cream, Yu Xiang began to draw her eyebrows in front of the mirror when she caught a glimpse of the enviable cleavage reflected in the mirror that she actually reached out to pull the collar lower and admired herself.
Liu Lu could not hold back any longer and coughed violently causing the Marquis to glance at her coldly.
"Elder Brother, you are back from the royal court assembly? Come quickly to help me draw my brows." Only a little cleavage was exposed which indeed was nothing to Yu Xiang who had worn a bikini before. She naturally drew up her collar and waved at her elder brother with a bright smile.
Yu Pin Yan strolled over but did not take the black pigment pen from her instead he asked in a muted voice, "Where are you preparing to go today?"
How could Yu Xiang not understand what he meant. She hastily shook her head and said, "Jiao Jiao's mother is celebrating her birthday and invited me to the banquet. Don't worry Elder Brother, I will only stay in the inner courtyard and won't go anywhere so will not meet any unfamiliar man." As she was explaining, she covered her face lest her elder brother would remove the makeup she had just put on.
Only then did Yu Pin Yan take the pen and carefully rendered her delicate and shapely eyebrows then pinched her chin to size her up before leaning down to look in the mercury mirror with her.
The mirror reflected two faces that bear a resemblance of five-point, one who is incomparably gorgeous while the other peerlessly handsome. Yu Xiang was dumbfounded then propping her cheeks up, she sighed deeply, "Elder Brother, we look so much alike! Is this what they called the husband and wife look?"
Obviously pleased by her, Yu Pin Yan kissed her forehead with a soft chuckle that his mouth was filled with the fragrance of lotus. He then dabbed a little rouge and gently applied it on her cheeks.
His movement was skillful as he touched her up exquisitely which was clear it was not once nor twice that he had groomed his younger sister. After applying the blush, he picked a light pink lip rouge and slowly tint his younger sister's soft lips. Once completed, there was still a little left on his fingertips that he was about to wipe away with a handkerchief when Yu Xiang took it into her mouth first. Using her small tongue, she licked off the sweet lip rouge that was made from the peach blossom petals and beeswax with her feline-like eyes squinted as she savored the aftertaste.
A cluster of flames rushed along the fingertip towards his lower abdomen as wisps of intense glints burst out of Yu Pin Yan's pitch-dark eyes which disappeared rapidly while his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. Were it not for being unclarified yet, he would have swallowed the little girl whole.
Facepalmed, Liu Lu turned her head away as she could not bear to look anymore. Inwardly, she muttered that no wonder the Marquis' desire was aroused, merely because her master was too alluring!
Once Yu Xiang had finished eating the lip rouge, she opened the dressing box with a grin and voiced out mindlessly, "Elder Brother, help me pick a flower inlay."
Only after licking away the saliva left by his younger sister before Yu Pin Yan bent over to pick a head ornament.
Yu Xiang used as much as two hours to dress up and only found Lin Shi and Yu Miao Qi waiting in front of the carriage when she reached the door. Lin Shi originally planned to hold a grand banquet to introduce her daughter to the various family's matriarchs and noble ladies but was overruled by Old Madam. So, she had no choice but to brazenly clung on Yu Xiang in order to let her daughter gain a foothold in the Capital.
Without socializing, her daughter's way out would be hopeless hence she had no choice.
Yu Xiang did not say anything but merely refused to share the same carriage with Yu Miao Qi. Once they arrived at Fan mansion in two carriages, Lin Shi went to catch up with Madam Fan while Yu Miao Qi and Yu Xiang were led to the back garden by the servants to play with the noble ladies who attended the banquet.
Seeing Yu Xiang, the noble ladies parted an aisle like the tidal wave allowing her to go straight forward. There were emotions such as fear, scrupulousness and wariness on their faces. Fan Jiao Jiao was long annoyed with people who kept coming up to seek connections with her, so she eagerly rushed to greet once she saw her best friend.
"I heard you got smashed by a rotten egg?" This was also an outspoken one.
"Yeah, my head was full of egg yolk and egg white which was so disgusting." Yu Xiang stroked the hair on her temple.
"Zhou Shi is still imprisoned. The Emperor retracted the imperial decree and exiled all thirteen members of her family. They will leave the Capital soon. My elder brother's subordinates are in charge of this escort. Do you want me to help you take care of them?"
"Jiao Jiao really knows me best!" Yu Xiang wrapped her arms around her friend's sturdy waist and rocked her.
Fan Jiao Jiao's face was sinisterly red as she purposely laughed aloud with bravado. Few noble ladies dared to approach them due to their notorious reputation, so no one heard these words except Yu Miao Qi. It was already hard enough to have the whole family sent into exile and if the soldiers were to make things difficult on the way, not knowing if they would make it to the place of exile alive. With this in mind, Yu Miao Qi had a deeper understanding of Yu Xiang's viciousness. She had to admit that the more she got to know Yu Xiang, the more fear she felt.
She and Yu Xiang are, however, born arch-rivals. So, no matter how fearful she feels, she has to eliminate the other party and only when she (YX) dies can she live in peace.
In the middle of her thoughts, she looked around when her eyes shone slightly seeing Chang Ya Fu surrounded by several noble ladies.
Fan Jiao Jiao evidently also saw Chang Ya Fu and pointed out, "Look, Chang Ya Fu is here too. I heard you two had a fall out on the day the mourning period ended that she hung herself and almost died by your scolding, thus she took the initiative to withdraw from your elder brother's marriage. Xiang'er, you are really the Capital's invincible scolding expert!" She gave two thumbs up to show her admiration as she said that.
Hanging oneself after being scolded a few words might seem bizarre to others but no one would doubt it considering it was Yu Xiang. There were many noble ladies in the Capital who had been chastised to tears by her and there was no lesser who had been criticized to the point of not daring to face others while some who she simply didn't bother to open her mouth but raised her hand to whip.
She has only made two close friends since growing till the age of fourteen, Fan Jiao Jiao and the Ninth Princess, whose characters are also not to be offended. The noble ladies appeared to look down on Yu Xiang but which of them actually do not envy and hate her?
She has indeed broken her leg and crippled, but she lives more comfortably and more freely than anyone else. Old Madam Yu does not dare to bind her with the worldly etiquettes and ethical codes due to her physical disability. She can laugh heartily with two rows of white teeth showed when she is happy; cry loudly till her eyes red and swollen when she is sad; let loose torrents of abuses or raise her hands to strike when she is angry and no matter who she offended, she has a powerful and influential elder brother to help deal with the aftermath. What she obtains is the unprincipled pampering of the Yu family and even the fact she can't get married is irrelevant to her as she can just be a grand-aunt in the Yu family for the rest of her life.
Counting down the rules and grievances, how could those noble ladies who are bound by the worldly etiquettes and ethical codes not feel envious and resentful? As time passed, these people actually developed and shared a sense of enmity for a common enemy that whichever occasions Yu Xiang appeared, they were bound to join hands and isolate her.
As a result, Chang Ya Fu, who had suffered her affliction, is now very well received that many people bound to surround and come up with words of comfort for her wherever she went and cast a reproachful glance at Yu Xiang in what they thought was a subtle way.
Yu Miao Qi only hesitated for a moment before walking towards Chang Ya Fu, grabbing her ice-cold pale fingers and said softly, "Sister Fu'er, are you alright? What happened with Xiang'er ... I'm really sorry."
She wanted to say something but stopped, her embarrassed expression was full of compassion and sympathy which made the noble ladies even more convinced that Yu Xiang was bullying others.
Chang Ya Fu originally wanted to leave when she saw her coming over but immediately stopped once she heard this then shook her head with a bitter smile and shook her head again a moment later as if there were a myriad of grievances which she did not dare pour out.
Someone sneered, "Miao Qi, you are both born of the same mother. Why are you so sensible and amiably gentle while your younger sister is arrogant with perverse temperament. Old Madam Yu still said you lack teaching but the fact is she's dim-sighted from old age!"
Yu Miao Qi waved her hand repeatedly with a bitter expression which successively led the crowd to speculate how she was bullied and oppressed by Yu Xiang in the Yu manor that they could not help but sympathize with her as they hastily surrounded her with kind words of comfort.
As Fan Jiao Jiao was pushing Yu Xiang closer while they were talking, Chang Ya Fu's face turned pale and lifted her feet to leave but was held by the third young miss of Duke Zhenguo mansion, "Why are you leaving? You're not the one who is not fit to be seen. Some people will bully you more if you are afraid of her, so she's ought to be taught a lesson."
"Oh, then do tell how this person ought to be taught a lesson?" Yu Xiang brandished her horse whip and raised her eyebrows inquiringly.
There is no match to fight nor castigate while Yu Xiang is also not afraid of stirring up trouble. If she gets provoked, she can even ruin Madam Fan's birthday banquet and Yu Pin Yan can still look for her in Duke Zhenguo mansion to settle the score. The third young miss was immediately dumbfounded that her face turned red while she hummed and hawed.
Bowing humbly, Chang Ya Fu hurriedly stepped forward to apologize.
Several noble ladies really could not stand around watching and pulled her behind them as they braced themselves and reprimanded, "Yu Xiang, this is not Yu family, so don't make any trouble. Is it not enough for you to harm Fu'er, what more do you want? Heaven is watching what people are doing, so beware of retribution. You are not welcome here, move away quickly."
Yu Xiang raised her eyebrows which was a forewarning of her anger. Seeing that the situation was not good, Chang Ya Fu hastily pulled and urged the noble ladies to leave lest Yu Xiang's unscrupulous mouth might expose those things about her. If it wasn't for her mother's desire to look upon a family through this banquet, how would she dare to meet Yu Xiang. Nowadays, the only people who are willing to marry her are those crude military generals.