Zhenzhu opened her mouth to say something in retaliation, but Zi-ning quickly put her arm on her friend's shoulder to stop her from doing so.
Taking Zi-ning's action as admittance to the remark, Sangya smirked. "Han Zi-ning, don't think that things have changed just because the crown prince spoke to you a few times. Men are just interested in things that are unusual, things they find fresh, but after a while they'll just get tired and move on to something new. Prince Ru-quan isn't going to pick you to be his consort just because you can play a tune on the zither. Anyone can do that."
"Is that so?" Zi-ning replied nonchalantly. "If that's the case then why are you so bothered?"
Sangya's lips hardened in a thin line as she glared at Zi-ning. Her cousin Liru patted her on the arm gently to calm her down. Stepping forward, the other girl said, "Miss Han, you are a guest in our home today so it would be inappropriate if my words were too harsh, but I just hope you understand that everyone has their rightful station in life and it would be best if you didn't hanker after something that doesn't belong to you."
While Zi-ning had not been well acquainted with Ouyang Sangya before, the same could not be said about Ouyang Liru, daughter to Minister Ouyang's younger brother. In her previous life, Liru had high hopes of becoming princess consort to the eighth prince, and was a shoo-in due to her close relations to the then-crown princess Sangya. However, the tables were turned when the eighth prince personally chose Zi-ning to be his bride instead.
Liru shared the same delicate, almond-shaped face as Sangya and had large eyes that always looked watery, like tears could come streaming down her pretty face any moment. But it was all a façade. Zi-ning knew what Ouyang Liru was capable of, and there was a snake hiding behind that innocent demeanour.
"What's going on here?" Meiyan's voice joined in and she came walking up from behind together with Minjing and a timid Meisi.
"Liru was just reminding your sister," Sangya shot Zi-ning another death glare, "about how people should know their place."
"Zi-ning may not be familiar with protocol because she's been away for such a long time," Meiyan said, smiling sweetly. Although she sounded like she was defending her sister, the reality was that she had indirectly admitted that Zi-ning's behaviour had been inappropriate.
Zi-ning didn't bother to say anything in her own defense. Instead, she stood there quietly listening to what they had to say, a bemused smile toying on her lips.
A scene similar to this had taken place at this exact same party before, except that back then it hadn't been triggered by the crown prince's presence. Prince Ru-quan hadn't attended the old madam's birthday celebration then, neither had the Shadow Lord. Instead, the girls had been mocking her for showing up in a bright red and orange dress and laughing at her for having tried to catch the eye of Huang Nansheng when he walked by. In her defense, she hadn't been trying to do that, but it was hard for people not to notice her when she was dressed like a walking lantern. In the midst of their taunts, someone had shoved her from behind and she had gone tumbling straight into the lake.
Meiyan had already sauntered up to her side, behaving just like the protective older sister she was supposed to be. "Can I ask everyone to go easy on Zi-ning, for my sake?" she said.
"Han Meiyan, what makes you think I would do anything for you?" Sangya scoffed. "Your sister isn't the only one who needs to learn her place. If you're the daughter of a concubine you shouldn't be parading around as if you're of true noble birth. If she isn't worthy of the crown prince, then all the more you won't be. Isn't that right, Liru?"
Zi-ning could see Meiyan's shoulders stiffen and she knew that Sangya had struck her right where it hurt most. Her mother's initial status as their father's concubine was something that Meiyan could never get rid of, even though Lady Min was now the minister's official wife. For Meiyan, it would always be a blemish that tainted her otherwise perfect image.
Han Meiyan, you must hate me right now, isn't that right? If it weren't for me, the other girls wouldn't be snubbing you to this extent, pouring salt on your wounds.
All of a sudden, Meisi cried out and tumbled to the side as if she was losing her balance. In that split second when everyone's attention was focused on Meisi, Zi-ning felt a hand come in contact with her back. She smiled, then she twisted her body ever so slightly.
There was a loud splash as someone fell straight into the water.
"Help! Help me!"
Meiyan was flailing her arms desperately, her head bobbing up and down as she tried to keep it above the water. Like most of the other young ladies present, Meiyan didn't know how to swim, which meant that falling into a lake could become a life-threatening situation if she wasn't rescued in time.
"Someone's fallen into the water! Help!" Minjing shouted, looking around for someone who would be able to help.
A man dressed in the grey uniform of the Ouyang family's personal attendants came rushing out from nowhere, immediately plunging into the lake. He quickly grabbed hold of the struggling Meiyan and pulled back towards land, lifting her out of the water with the help of some of the other servants.
Exactly the same as before, Zi-ning thought to herself as she watched the man clamber back onto the shore. It was exactly the same attendant that she remembered, the one who had fished her out back when she was the one who had fallen in. His face had been seared into her memory, from the slight crookedness in his nose bridge to the large mole above right eyebrow.
This was all staged, else the man would not have dashed out so quickly when Meiyan hit the water. Who was responsible for this set-up? Meiyan? Lady Min? Or perhaps even Meisi? Whoever it was, someone was due to be disappointed because the target of the set-up had been changed.
Zi-ning bent over, looking down at her unconscious sister with concern. "Meiyan, Meiyan are you alright?" she asked.
The loud cries of help from Minjing and the other girls had attracted the attention of everyone else in the gardens and the mistresses of the various households had all gathered around to investigate the commotion. Lady Min was walking over along with some of the other ladies, and the hint of glee in her eyes gave Zi-ning an inkling as to who the mastermind was.
"Your Highness!" the woman called out loudly when she realised that the crown prince, the Shadow Lord and Minister Ouyang were walking back towards the garden. The duo had been about to take their leave from the Ouyang manor, hence they had come by again to bid farewell to the old matriarch.
All at once, Zi-ning realised what this was all about. If she had been the one who had fallen into the water as planned, then the crown prince would not be interested in her again after seeing her in the arms of another man.
"What's going on here?" Minister Ouyang asked, his thick brows knitting together in a frown. For such a disturbance to take place while the crown prince was present was a disgrace to his name. He quickly pushed his way forward, trying to take a look at what had happened.
When the minister reached the edge of the lake with the crown prince and the Shadow Lord following behind him, what they saw left them speechless. Meiyan was lying in the arms of the attendant in a semi-conscious state, her pearl-coloured dress soaked through and sticking to her skin. Lady Min gasped and she froze in shock when she realised that it was her own daughter she was looking at and not Zi-ning.
"Meiyan!" she cried out, rushing forward. She pushed the man aside, hugging her daughter protectively in her arms instead, shielding her from the prying eyes of everyone else. "Meiyan, Meiyan what happened to you?"
Meiyan opened her eyes groggily, water spluttering out from her lips. She coughed, looking up at her mother. "What happened?" she murmured in a daze.
The servants had brought out a blanket, which Lady Min quickly used to cover her daughter's drenched body. She helped Meiyan up to her feet, swiftly leading her away from the lake and towards one of the inner quarters where she could be safely hidden from view.
Zi-ning scoffed.
When she had been the one in this situation, her dear "mother" Lady Min had merely wailed loudly by her side, pretending that she was devastated when in reality all she was doing was to draw more attention to the circumstance.
"Mother, do you need my help?" Zi-ning called out.
Lady Min spun her head around, only then realising that Zi-ning had been standing by the side looking perfectly fine.
"No, you can stay here," the lady replied curtly, a flash of hatred appearing in her eyes.
Once Meiyan had been taken away, the crowd began to disperse, the ladies all buzzing excitedly about the incident that had just taken place. A woman's chastity was of utmost importance when it came to marriage prospects and a woman who was tainted would find great difficulty marrying well, especially for noble families. Even though the attendant had merely rescued Meiyan from the water, he had come into intimate contact with her body and to everyone present, that would be a stain that Meiyan would find difficult to wash away.