Chapter 47: Looking for Trouble

"It was merely an accident," Yu Zhaoyang said, drawing strength from the reminder that she was now the Heir Consort. She straightened her back and retorted.

"Hmph, who would believe it was an accident? You're just good at bullying your own sister," Princess Nanhua sneered with utter disdain.

"Regardless, I am now the Heir Consort of Prince Rong's Estate. What right does Princess Nanhua have to interfere?" Yu Zhaoyang spoke with growing confidence, completely unaware that Yu Yuanzheng and the other two were standing right behind her.

"You obtained it through underhanded means, yet you have the nerve to boast. How can anyone be so brazen?" Princess Nanhua glanced at the young noblewomen gathered behind her.

"Exactly, shameless wretch," chimed in one of the young ladies.

"Your Ladyship, shall we teach her a lesson?" suggested another, demonstrating just how arrogant these sheltered maidens could be.

"Your Ladyship, challenge her to a game of darts. If she loses, she should step down of her own accord."

"Yes, challenge her! Your dart-throwing skills are the best among us, Your Ladyship. You're bound to win."

"She is entirely unworthy of being the Heir Consort of Prince Rong's Estate. How could the late Prince ever have bestowed such a match upon the former heir?"

"Indeed, Prince Rong's Estate is a First-Rank Princedom, yet a disgraced marquis's daughter has usurped the position so many noble ladies in the capital desired."

"She just stumbled into blind luck."

"Challenge her, Your Ladyship, and take her down a peg. Don't let her think that becoming the Heir Consort makes her nobility. She's just a common guttersnipe."

...

The young ladies behind Princess Nanhua egged her on in a flurry of voices.

Yu Yuanzheng watched the spectacle with keen amusement. She had no idea the position of Heir Consort to Prince Rong's Estate was coveted by so many maidens. It seemed Princess Nanhua was one of them. If Shangguan Zishu weren't the heir, she wondered if they would still fight tooth and nail to marry him.

"Yu Zhaoyang, do you dare accept the challenge?" Princess Nanhua stepped forward until she stood right in front of Yu Zhaoyang, looking down at her with unconcealed contempt.

Yu Zhaoyang involuntarily took a step back, her face flushing crimson with anger. Having never managed to break into the inner circle of royal and noble maidens all these years, she harbored an inherent dread of them and lacked the courage to accept the challenge.

Yu Yuanzheng took it all in, secretly finding it hilarious. Yu Zhaoyang was nothing more than a paper tiger who only dared to act tough at home. A single princess was enough to scare her into this state. Good grief, she was already the Heir Consort, yet she still possessed zero backbone—she truly had wasted her previous life.

However, since they belonged to the same household, their fortunes were intertwined—one prospered or suffered with the rest. Yu Zhaoyang losing face meant the entire estate lost face.

"Princess Nanhua, would a match against me suffice?" Yu Yuanzheng stepped forward with a gentle smile. Naturally more striking than Yu Zhaoyang, her smile alone seemed to dim the surrounding blossoms by two shades.

"And who might you be?" Seeing that Yu Yuanzheng's hair was swept up into a married woman's bun, Princess Nanhua dismissed her jealousy.

"If not for the marriage swap, I might very well have been the Heir Consort," Yu Yuanzheng replied, maintaining her smile.

"So you are the Eldest Young Madam of Prince Rong's Estate?" Princess Nanhua raised her chin, suddenly finding Yu Yuanzheng two degrees more interesting.

"Indeed."

"You useless thing, how on earth did you let her trick you?" Princess Nanhua suddenly raised her voice, on the verge of a tantrum.

"Your Ladyship, this is our family affair, so it hardly concerns you, does it?" Yu Yuanzheng found the outburst utterly baffling.

"Nanhua, why are you venting your anger on Yuanzheng? Marriages are decided by parents' commands. If you wanted to marry into Prince Rong's Estate, why didn't you have your parents propose sooner instead of throwing your weight around here?" Princess Lingxuan pulled Yu Yuanzheng behind her to shield her, confronting Princess Nanhua directly.

"What business is it of yours?" Princess Nanhua's eyes turned red, on the brink of tears. Yu Zhaoyang cowered to the side, not daring to make a peep. This entire storm had been brewed because Princess Nanhua's sweet dream had been shattered by the marriage swap.

Only now did Yu Yuanzheng realize that Princess Nanhua simply wanted to be the Heir Consort of Prince Rong's Estate, regardless of who the heir actually was. Was status really that important, completely independent of the man himself? Honestly, Shangguan Zishu couldn't even catch her eye. Aside from passable looks, he lacked all integrity as a man. For the sake of status, he had dared to steal his brother's betrothed. Most importantly, he already had two concubines in his quarters—he was tainted.

"It is none of my business, but don't go making a spectacle of yourself inside the imperial palace. If you want to pick a fight, do it elsewhere. Aren't you afraid His Imperial Uncle will punish you if he finds out? Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, and everyone is here to celebrate," Princess Lingxuan rebuked her with righteous indignation.

"You..." Princess Nanhua had no retort, especially since her status fell far short of a princess's. She didn't dare openly quarrel with a princess. Such was the suppression of social rank.

"Sister-in-law Yuanzheng, let's go." Princess Lingxuan pulled Yu Yuanzheng away to another spot to play.

Seeing this, Yu Zhaoyang hurried to follow right behind them, putting distance between herself and Princess Nanhua.

Yu Yuanzheng glanced back at her, but Yu Zhaoyang didn't dare meet her gaze. Inside, Yu Zhaoyang was consumed by jealousy. Why was it that Yu Yuanzheng could win the favor of Princess Lingxuan, while she was relegated to mingling with married women who merely toadied to her? Many of her former female companions weren't even qualified to enter the palace, and the unmarried maidens who could wouldn't give her the time of day. She desperately tried to comfort herself with the thought that she was the Heir Consort, and eventually, she would be the Princess of Rong.

"Come on, let's go watch the dragon boat racing," Princess Lingxuan suggested.

"There are dragon boat races in the palace?" Yu Yuanzheng asked in surprise.

"Of course. There's a small lake right in the middle of the Imperial Garden where they can race. It's nothing compared to the grand rivers outside the city, though; each boat can only seat up to six people," Princess Lingxuan explained.

When the group reached the lakeside, they indeed found a body of water roughly three to four mu in size. The banks were ringed with weeping willows, and the shallows near the shore were dense with lotus plants. At this time of year, lotus leaves stretched as far as the eye could see, meeting the horizon. Blossoms poked out from the gaps between the leaves like graceful young maidens standing in quiet poise. It was a breathtaking view.

The three young women strolled along the lakeside path toward the wooden pier.

"Let's see if there are any empty dragon boats left. We should join in and race," Princess Lingxuan said excitedly.

In her past life, Yu Yuanzheng had been consumed by work every day. Now that she finally had a moment of leisure, her playful spirit surged as well. "Wonderful! I've never been on a dragon boat before."

However, just as they approached the boat mooring, a piercing scream shattered the air.

"Oh no! The Seventh Imperial Prince and the Eighth Imperial Princess have fallen into the water!"

Hearing this, Princess Lingxuan gasped in horror and bolted forward, lifting the hem of her skirt. Yu Yuanzheng and Yue Yuying immediately followed suit.

When they reached the pier, they saw a dragon boat completely capsized on the water's surface. It was evident that everyone on board had tumbled into the lake. Several other boats were hastily paddling toward the overturned vessel.

The accident had occurred right at the center of the lake, where the water was deepest. While it might not have posed an insurmountable problem for adults, the depth was perilous for young children. Two boats had already arrived on the scene, and several half-grown boys immediately leaped into the water, yet after a frantic search, they still hadn't found anyone. The growing crowd of rescuers only added to the chaos, churning up the water so badly that visibility was reduced to zero.

Yu Yuanzheng wrung her hands in acute anxiety, but helpless to intervene, she could only wait.

"Quickly, summon the imperial physicians to stand by!" A male voice rang out from behind Yu Yuanzheng.

She turned to see a young man seated in a wheelchair. A companion, whose appearance instantly marked him as a eunuch, hurried off at his command.

Yu Yuanzheng did not recognize him. He possessed strikingly handsome features, and his brow revealed a calm and sagacious composure that belied his youth. However, a long scar stretching from his forehead to his temple marred his perfection with a touch of incompleteness. Despite the physical disability that confined him to a wheelchair, it did nothing to diminish his aura of noble dignity.

"Eldest Imperial Brother," Princess Lingxuan offered a hurried, casual greeting before fixing her gaze back on the lake.