The Eldest Daughter is Delicate and Pretty, How Can She Be a Malicious Supporting Character - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Support

Looking at Pei Lingyi’s calm demeanor, Xue Baohua gritted her teeth and said, “You? Why should I believe you? If you’re trying to protect her and slander me instead, who can I turn to for justice?”
Xue Baohua was getting anxious. If Pei Lingyi really got involved in this matter, her tricks might be exposed. However, she had orchestrated this whole thing, and if she backed down now in front of everyone, it would make her look guilty.

She forced herself to remain calm and said, “Since County Lord Changle is here, why should you intervene? It’s up to the princess to investigate.”
Xue Baohua had calculated well. Everyone in the capital knew that County Lord Changle was simple-minded. If the investigation was left to her, this matter would likely never be solved.

Pei Lingyi smiled coldly to herself. She had been observing Xue Yiran from the shadows and knew that she hadn’t yet become the person who could decide the fate of the Xue family in her dreams.
After waking up from her dream, she had instructed Luoxu to keep an eye on the Xue family’s inner courtyard.
Concubine Dan, Xue Yiran’s mother, was a woman without much strategy, but she had a charming and seductive face that had won Minister Xue’s favor.
Therefore, it wasn’t difficult to plant someone in Concubine Dan’s courtyard.

In the past few days, the spies in the Xue family had reported that Xue Yiran had indeed become more subdued after her near-drowning incident. She knew that this person was not to be underestimated.
In her previous life, she had been so focused on the crown prince that she had inadvertently allowed Xue Yiran to grow in power and eventually become someone she couldn’t match.

This time around, even if she hated her to the core, she would have to suppress her emotions and plan everything carefully, making sure Xue Yiran fell into her trap step by step.
She wanted her to experience being abandoned and ridiculed by everyone, with no one standing behind her.
Only then could she satisfy her vengeance…

Pei Lingyi’s expression remained gentle, and even when Xue Baohua treated her like that, she didn’t show any displeasure. “Since Miss Xue doesn’t trust me, let’s leave it to the county lord then.”
Xue Baohua didn’t expect her to agree to her plan, which made her anger feel awkward and hard to express.
When she looked into the young lady’s deep eyes, she couldn’t help but feel jealous. Pei Lingyi was good at pretending, and Xue Baohua couldn’t believe she would be so kind as not to embarrass her.

As expected, after Pei Lingyi spoke, Pei Yangyang, who had been hiding behind her, immediately stood up. “The bracelet was a gift from the county lord to me. Now that it’s lost, and you two are accusing each other, why can’t my sister investigate this matter?”
Xue Baohua didn’t expect Pei Lingyi’s younger sister to speak up for her like that. She was indeed good at winning people over. Thinking about her own troublesome concubine-born siblings, Xue Baohua just snorted coldly.

By now, even Pei Yangyang, who wasn’t very smart, could tell that she was being used as a target. She hadn’t gone out much before, and when she did, she didn’t interact with these proud and haughty noble young ladies.
Moreover, she hadn’t heard about any feud between her sister and any young lady. Pei Lingyi had never mentioned it to her, which led to her being manipulated by Xue Baohua from the start.
Now that she thought about it, Xue Baohua must have planned this whole situation from the moment she approached her.

At this moment, County Lord Changle saw that the situation had reached a deadlock again and stepped in to mediate. “Cough, cough, the bracelet was indeed a gift from me to Pei Yangyang. Although Miss Xue wants me to give you a fair judgment, I’m afraid I’m not as meticulous as Miss Pei. It would be better to let her handle it.”

“I agree! County Lord Changle is right. Miss Pei is generous and kind, known for being a noble young lady. If she takes charge, she won’t favor either of you.”
The speaker was dressed in a light green robe, slender and elegant, with a gentle and refined temperament. It was none other than Zhang Zhishu, who had been in the Qingfeng Garden earlier.
Following Zhang Zhishu’s words, many young masters from the Qingfeng Garden came to watch the commotion.

The economy of Great Ye was prosperous, and the folk customs were open-minded. It wasn’t uncommon for young ladies and masters to go on outings together, but the fact that so many people had gathered before the banquet even started was quite exciting.

Many young ladies were secretly sizing up the young masters, as they knew that their families would need to arrange marriages in the future. If they could pick someone who caught their eye, it would be great.
However, the people in the midst of the storm were not paying attention to this.

After Zhang Zhishu finished speaking, he gazed at the young lady in front of him, his eyes filled with affection, almost overflowing.
It was really her…
Zhang Zhishu’s gaze was so intense that Pei Lingyi knew what he was thinking. However, in public, she couldn’t directly reprimand him, so she slightly turned her face away, her eyebrows furrowed in displeasure.

Even a beauty’s frown was beautiful, and Zhang Zhishu was not unaware of etiquette. However, he missed her so much, and he had been thinking about seeing her for so long.
“A fair maiden is a gentleman’s delight.”
Even if he had to tear himself away, he reluctantly shifted his gaze.

Everyone present knew about the second son of the Marquis of Zhongyong’s household, who was deeply in love with Miss Pei.
His poem, “The Beauty’s Ode,” had spread throughout the capital city, so his words didn’t carry much weight.

Xue Baohua knew this too, but to maintain her dignity, she couldn’t refute him directly.
Since County Lord Changle had spoken up, she would let Pei Lingyi have her moment.

Xue Yiran hadn’t spoken since Pei Lingyi and her group arrived. Even though she could clear her name and prove her innocence, she chose not to.
Given the current situation, even if she was innocent, her words wouldn’t be believed due to her low status. Besides, she was curious to see the intelligence and abilities of the novel’s female lead, Pei Lingyi.

The novel she had transmigrated into was called [Where Did the Prime Minister’s Daughter Go?]
The female lead was Pei Lingyi. When she first read the novel, she didn’t think much of it, wondering how beautiful a young girl under 16 could be. Now, seeing the real person, she realized that ancient people could indeed be stunningly beautiful at 15 or 16.
The female lead was even more beautiful than the stars on TV!
Looking at her own plain appearance, she couldn’t help but feel frustrated. Why didn’t she transmigrate into the female lead’s role?
Instead, she became the sister of a malicious female supporting character who died off in a few chapters.
What was the point of that?

Xue Yiran was keeping a low profile now. Since the female lead was standing up for her, her priority was to enjoy the drama. However, she couldn’t help but wonder if the female lead appeared in this scene in the original novel.
Xue Yiran couldn’t quite remember, but she decided it wasn’t a big deal anyway.
Now that so many people were speaking up for her, Pei Lingyi naturally took charge of investigating the matter.

After all, although she hadn’t shown her face in a while, her reputation in the capital city was well-known, and people were willing to trust her.
With everyone’s support, Pei Lingyi smoothly began to look into the ins and outs of the situation.