The Eldest Daughter is Delicate and Pretty, How Can She Be a Malicious Supporting Character - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Secret Plan

However, the Heir of Prince An was not approachable, and even the female lead couldn’t get any benefits from him. To gain his favor, she would have to think carefully.
Xue Yiran rubbed her forehead.
Sigh, none of the high-ranking officials in the capital city were easy to deal with. Thinking about the men in the original novel who had entanglements with the female lead, none of them were someone she could woo with her current status.

*
Inside the painting workshop.

Pei Lingyi’s figure was slender, and she walked with elegance, surrounded by daughters of noble families. Many people greeted her, and she responded to each one with a gentle smile, making it impossible to find fault.
The maid had just reported that Mister Xu wanted to take her “Magnolia and Butterfly” painting back as a collection, and as a thank you, he would grant Pei Lingyi a condition.

The scene fell silent instantly, because Mister Xu was the most respected Chancellor of the National Academy and the unparalleled master of painting in the world.

Even he wanted to collect Pei Lingyi’s painting, which showed that the painting was extraordinary.
Those who came to the gathering today were all from noble families, and their fathers or brothers held official positions in the court. However, after a moment’s thought, everyone understood that Pei Lingyi’s future was limitless.

With Mister Xu’s appreciation, she would be the only one among the noble ladies in the future selection. In a short moment, the scene was filled with congratulatory words, some sincere and some hypocritical.

The top noble ladies in the capital city were only a few, and it was beneficial to befriend them. Pei Lingyi had gained Mister Xu’s favor today, but Li Miaozhu wouldn’t have an easy time.

“Bang!” A fine blue porcelain cup was thrown to the ground without mercy, shattering into pieces. The crisp sound of breaking scared the maid, who knelt down immediately.
The maid’s voice trembled, “Miss, please calm down.”

Li Miaozhu’s gentle eyes were now filled with anger due to her rage. Her eyebrows were raised, making her look fierce. She laughed maniacally, looking at the maid kneeling on the ground, her tone sharp, “Calm down? You ask me to calm down?”

“I’m a disciple of Mister Li Yan, and Mister Xu is still my great-master. What does it matter? I learned painting from a young age, and I thought it would be fine if we were on par. But who would have thought that Pei Lingyi would find the long-retired Miao Se and become her disciple?”

“An old woman who hasn’t been involved in the painting world for years, although she had some fame in the past. But it turns out she has a connection with Mister Xu. How can I swallow this?”

Li Miaozhu’s tone gradually became manic, and she questioned the maid, gripping her shoulders tightly. Her face was distorted, clearly infuriated by Pei Lingyi.
The maid was already scared out of her wits, crying and saying, “Wuuuh, this servant doesn’t know, please spare this servant, Miss.”

“Slap!” A crisp sound of a slap directly made the maid’s right cheek red and swollen, but Li Miaozhu didn’t seem to care, “Haha, spare you? But who can spare me? Pei Lingyi? No… She has stolen the show today, and someday, I’ll make her fall to dust, and let her taste… the same feeling I have today, haha…”

The maid covered her cheek and didn’t dare to look up at Li Miaozhu, who seemed to be in a state of frenzy.

Her eyes, which were cast downward, emitted a chilling hatred, but she didn’t dare to show any emotion, not even daring to sob out loud.
It wasn’t until the sound of footsteps came from outside the door that the kneeling maid was rescued.

Someone outside the door reported: “Miss, the eldest daughter of the Xue family, Miss Xue, has arrived.”
When Li Miaozhu heard that someone had come, she slowly regained her composure from her previous frenzied state, her voice slightly hoarse: “Let her in.”

When Xue Baohua entered the room, she saw the mess, Li Miaozhu sitting in a chair with her head slightly bowed, and various porcelain shards on the ground.
There was also a trembling maid kneeling not far away. It was easy to guess what had happened just now without needing to think about it.

Xue Baohua sighed and said, “You can go down now, and clean up these things later.”
The maid breathed a sigh of relief, covered her face, and hurriedly fled the inner room.

Xue Baohua saw that there was no place to step in the room without getting dirty, and a flash of disgust appeared in her eyes. Her embroidered shoes were made by the Jinxiu Hall for a month, and it would be a pity if they got dirty.

Seeing Li Miaozhu’s listless appearance, Xue Baohua said lazily, “What’s wrong? You shouldn’t have gotten so angry. That maid’s face is almost swollen like a pig’s head.”

Li Miaozhu looked up at her, her voice still slightly hoarse, “She knew I was angry, yet she still brought me scalding hot tea. Isn’t she asking for trouble? Just like Pei Lingyi, both of them are mean.”

Xue Baohua smiled slightly, pretending to be nonchalant, “Haha, I think you just vented your anger on her about Pei Lingyi… That fair complexion will probably take ten days or half a month to recover.”

“Are you here to make sarcastic remarks? Your good sister got an A grade just like me, and maybe your biased father will forget about you in the future.”

As expected, when Xue Yiran was mentioned, Xue Baohua couldn’t laugh anymore. She sat heavily in the chair and said impatiently, “Alright, alright, I know you’re in a bad mood today. Don’t take it out on me with that little bitch.”

“I came here specifically to see you today. Even if Pei Lingyi got an A+ grade, who knows, the higher she’s lifted up, the harder she’ll fall. Just wait and see, she’ll cry someday.”
Seeing Xue Baohua’s confident appearance, Li Miaozhu couldn’t help but feel curious, “What? Did you catch her handle?”

“Come closer, I’ll tell you in detail…”

The whispers in the Yan Zhuang Building were unknown to Pei Lingyi, who was busy preparing for her qin performance in the afternoon.
However, an uninvited guest appeared in the Huachun Hall.

“Greetings, Third Prince.” Pei Lingyi put down the guqin and bowed respectfully.
Xiao Huaiqing waved his hand, indicating that she didn’t need to be so formal. Seeing that she was about to play the guqin, he asked, “I came at a bad time, did I disturb Miss Pei?”

“Not at all, Third Prince’s visit to Huachun Hall is an honor for us. I’m not sure about your taste, but I brought some cloud and mist tea with me. It’s fragrant and overflowing. Would you like to try some?”

The white porcelain teacup was as white as snow, and the tea inside had a transparent and bright color, but neither of them could compare to the slender and delicate hands that held the cup.

Xiao Huaiqing took a sip, and the fragrance of the tea filled his mouth. It was indeed a rare good tea.
After he finished the tea, Pei Lingyi asked about his intention, “What brings Your Highness here today?”

The girl in front of him had eyebrows like a painting, and her face was as beautiful as a pear blossom in spring. He couldn’t help but think of the candidate his mother consort had chosen for him as his princess consort – the daughter of the Prime Minister’s mansion.

If the candidate was her, it wouldn’t be unacceptable.

“Actually, there’s no big deal. The news about the painting workshop has spread throughout the mansion, and I came to congratulate Miss Pei. However, the talent competition tomorrow is the most important.”
“I came to secretly remind Miss Pei that my imperial elder brother might attend the competition tomorrow to see the talents of everyone.”

Pei Lingyi was originally annoyed by him, but unexpectedly, he came to give her a message.

If the Crown Prince attended, it would be a great show to watch tomorrow.