Chapter 25: Careful Not to Bring Down Your Manor

"Since you were born of a human, and that maid was also born of a human, how has she offended you? By what right do you think you can act so recklessly just because you were lucky enough to be born a princess? By what right do you think you can order her death over a single sentence? Are you not afraid? Are you not afraid of nightmares? Are you not afraid that in the middle of the night, you will wake up in a cold sweat, fearing she will come for your life with a blood-stained maw? Are you not afraid that one day, retribution will find you?"

Yuan Qian'er was deeply repulsed by Bing Qingwan's behavior. In her eyes, all lives were equal; as long as others did not threaten your existence, you had no right to harm them. It was the simple principle of: do not offend unless you are offended.

Startled and frightened by these words, Bing Qingwan suddenly reached out to shove Yuan Qian'er. Caught off guard, Yuan Qian'er stumbled backward. *Oh no, this is bad,* she thought, *I can't stop my momentum—I’m about to fall flat on my back!* She braced herself, thinking, *It’s fine, if I fall, I’ll just hit the ground!*

Wait? She felt no pain. A hand had caught her by the waist. Turning around, she saw it was Mo Yiran. Once she had steadied herself, she said to him, "Oh, it's you. Thank you! It's a good thing you caught me, or I would have had a nasty fall."

"Well, if I hadn't come along, you would have made a crater in the garden floor," Mo Yiran teased, unable to resist the urge to banter with her; he found their verbal sparring quite delightful.

Was he calling her fat?

Yuan Qian'er slapped his hand away and retorted, "Mo Yiran, what on earth do you mean by that? Are you calling me fat? Even if I were fatter, I couldn't possibly smash a hole in your floor! Look here, the princess standing next to me is much heavier than I am; you should be more worried that one of her steps might collapse your entire manor!"

"Pfft!" The servants nearby couldn't help but laugh. *Miss Yuan, the Princess has 'baby fat,' and she's not nearly as exaggerated as you describe,* they thought. *If a single step could collapse the manor, just how enormous would that weight have to be?* Everyone couldn't help but imagine the scene of the princess being so heavy she crushed the residence. The mental image was too much to bear!

Bing Qingwan, who had been hit by a stray bullet, was humiliated to be mocked in front of so many people. Infuriated, she shrieked, "You dead woman, who are you calling fat? And all of you, shut your mouths! What are you laughing at? Do you have nothing better to do? Get out of here!"

The crowd scattered like birds and beasts, eager to get back to work and avoid being collateral damage. The lively garden was left with only Yuan Qian'er, Mo Yiran, and Bing Qingwan.

Seeing that everyone had left, Bing Qingwan said to Yuan Qian'er, "You dead woman, you’ve treated me this way today—I won't let you get away with it!"

"Please, Princess, you’re the one who is always bored and looking for trouble with me, aren't you? Must you slander people like this? If you could just behave normally, would I ever treat you this way?" Yuan Qian'er really disliked making enemies.

"As long as you leave Brother Yi's side, I won't bother you. Otherwise, you'll see what's coming to you!" Bing Qingwan began to plot how she would torment Yuan Qian'er until she was forced to retreat.

Hearing that Bing Qingwan still intended to harass Yuan Qian'er, Mo Yiran spoke up, "Qingwan, don't go too far. Everything has its limits. Otherwise, don't blame me for being unkind."

"Brother Yi, how can you be so clever in all things yet so foolish in this? What is so good about this woman that you keep protecting her? I don't care—once I drive away all the women around you, you will be mine!" Bing Qingwan was still, at heart, a child. Her thoughts were naive; in her eyes, everything and everyone she liked had to belong to her.

"Qingwan, one day you will understand how foolish your words today truly are."

"You are the fool! I am going to the palace right now to see my brother and have him issue an imperial decree for our marriage. Let's see how this woman tries to seduce you then!" With those words, Bing Qingwan left with her entourage, heading for the palace.