Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 484 The Royal Family's Attitude
The slap did land, but it didn't land on Lu Nanyue's face; instead, it landed on the maid's face.

Lin Zhiqing pulled Lu Nanyue close and shielded her behind him.

Princess Pingning stared wide-eyed at Lin Zhiqing, her eyes filled with disbelief:
"You, you actually dare!?"

As the saying goes, even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. Lin Zhiqing's outburst clearly shows that he doesn't respect her, the princess!

“Princess Pingning, we call you Princess because we know the rules and are polite, but if you want to bully others by taking advantage of your power, that won’t do!” Lin Zhiqing said.

Princess Pingning doesn't usually act like this. Her current recklessness must be because her marriage to Daliang is a done deal, so she has no more scruples.

Just as the two were locked in a fierce battle, footsteps sounded from outside.

The palace matron who teaches etiquette has arrived.

Seeing this, everyone took their seats and no further conflict arose.

But Princess Pingning was not content with her lot.

She harbored a deep resentment towards Lin Zhiqing for ruthlessly wiping out the entire Zhenyuan Marquis's family.

If the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion hadn't been involved in this incident, she would have already married Jiang Liuyun and wouldn't have had to go through with this marriage alliance.

Therefore, she repeatedly made things difficult for Lu Nanyue and Lin Zhiqing.

One moment he accidentally spilled ink on Lin Zhiqing, and the next he accidentally broke Lu Nanyue's tea set.

Lu Nanyue endured it all, but finally couldn't take it anymore. She stood up abruptly and looked at Princess Pingning:

"Princess, what exactly are you trying to do? You're always resorting to these low-class tricks. Do you deserve the title of princess?"

“Miss Lu, what you’re saying is strange. What have I done to you?” Princess Pingning deliberately referred to herself as a princess in order to remind the nanny of her identity.

The old woman remained unmoved, standing still without making any attempt to stop them.

Lin Zhiqing raised an eyebrow, sensing a hint of resignation on the old woman's face.

It was as if she... wished for everyone to make an even bigger scene?

Thinking of this, Lin Zhiqing grabbed Lu Nanyue: "Nanyue, we have no power or influence, we should not clash with the princess."

Lu Nanyue was confused: "But she really went too far!"

"It's nothing." Lin Zhiqing glanced at Princess Pingning, his eyes sweeping over her, before gently raising his hand to cover his nose.

She secretly gave Lu Nanyue a wink, and although Lu Nanyue didn't understand the situation, she followed Lin Zhiqing's example and covered her nose.

Just as she was wondering, she suddenly saw Princess Pingning take a few steps back, distancing herself from the others, her expression showing fear and apprehension.

The others were somewhat bewildered by this situation.

Princess Pingning, who had been so arrogant just moments before, was now terrified, as if she were extremely afraid of being touched by others.

"Lin, Lin Zhiqing, what, what do you smell?" she couldn't help but ask.

Lin Zhiqing raised an eyebrow: "What do you think?"

After saying that, her gaze wandered over Princess Pingning's upper body, constantly staring at her shoulders.

This kind of psychological suggestion and pressure can greatly stimulate a person.

Upon seeing this look, Princess Pingning could no longer suppress her anger. She rushed forward, ready to fight Lin Zhiqing.

Lu Nanyue tried to stop her, but Lin Zhiqing stopped her.

Lin Zhiqing frowned. Since she didn't want to be given face, then she shouldn't blame her!
Thinking this, she gave Princess Pingning a push.

Upon seeing this, Princess Pingning's maidservant quickly helped her up:
"Princess, please don't get agitated. You've forgotten, if you move too violently..."

"Get out of my way! Now even you're mocking me?" Princess Pingning's eyes were bloodshot, as if she had gone mad.

Even Lu Nanyue was startled: "What happened to her?"

"The psychological pressure is too much; you're just scaring yourself," Lin Zhiqing said softly.

As Princess Pingning moved with exaggerated gestures, a strange odor quietly spread throughout the inner music hall. Lin Zhiqing smelled it, but remained silent.

Lu Nanyue took a light sniff, then raised her hand to cover her nose, this time for real.

As a doctor, she certainly knew what that tasted like.

Soon, the scent became more and more pronounced, and the other noble ladies could smell it too.

Everyone covered their noses.

"It stinks! What is that smell?"

"There's a foul smell. Doesn't this inner brothel clean its latrines?"

"Perhaps the cats in the palace relieved themselves nearby; it smells terrible."

Each word seemed to explode in Princess Pingning's ears like thunder.

She sniffed, and when she smelled that familiar scent on her body, her face turned deathly pale, and she dared not move.

The old nanny smelled the scent, scanned the young ladies' faces, and immediately locked onto Princess Pingning.

He's an old hand in the palace; he's seen all sorts of people.

Princess Pingning felt that everyone's eyes were on her, and her chest rose and fell slightly.

Take a bath!

She wants to take a bath!

Thinking of this, she walked out without a care, not even having time to cause any more trouble for Lin Zhiqing and Lu Nanyue.

With such a mess, it's definitely impossible to continue today.

Seeing this, the nanny simply told the young ladies to return to the mansion as soon as possible, without saying anything more.

After leaving the palace, Lu Nanyue had a complicated expression: "So it turns out that Princess Pingning suffers from axillary tinea."

"She was acting like a madwoman just now, Zhiqing. You only said a few words and made a few expressions. How could she have lost her mind?"

Lin Zhiqing said calmly, "She cares too much about this, so every expression and action of ours will make her imagine things."

"When people feel guilty, they tend to project other people's behavior onto their own."

"Such a mental state is extremely easy to break down, just like having a secret that has been kept for a long time exposed by someone else."

"She was too excited, so she lost control of her emotions and became somewhat irrational, constantly moving around violently."

"She really deserves it." Lu Nanyue couldn't help but roll her eyes. "She's targeting us like a madwoman, is that even interesting?"

"Could this really change the situation regarding the marriage alliance?"

“Even without us, she would definitely have gone.”

"Change the matter of the marriage alliance?" A sudden voice entered Lin Zhiqing's ears.

The two of them turned around and saw Bai Ling.

"Do you have a way to change the marriage alliance?" Bai Ling asked eagerly.

Lu Nanyue shook her head: "I was just saying it casually, Bai Ling."

The light in Bai Ling's eyes dimmed. She looked at Lin Zhiqing, her right lip curving upwards:
"Don't worry, I won't take what Princess Pingning said to heart."

Lu Nanyue stepped forward and grasped Bai Ling's hand: "You've always been clear-headed. Xiao Qing'er is also a victim in this matter, so you can't blame her."

“That’s right, it’s not Zhiqing’s fault.” Bai Ling repeated the sentence, her head lowered.

She was clearly smiling, but the corners of her eyes drooped, and the muscles around her mouth were somewhat stiff.

Lin Zhiqing noticed this, narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.