Chapter 209: Defending the Weak

Meng Qinghe, angry to the point of trembling all over, could not argue a single word.

Now that there is eyewitness testimony, even the officials cannot easily draw a conclusion.

After all, on one side is the noble Miss of the Minister's Residence, and on the other side, though of unknown status, possesses extremely high martial skill; even if they are paired, they may not be comparable to anyone else's opponents.

The official thought for a moment, then whispered, "Since both sides have faults, perhaps we should let this matter drop; it would look bad if it reaches the authorities."

Meng Qinghe naturally also did not want to go to the authorities; if her father learned of today's incident, who knows how he would punish her.

Before she could speak, the person opposite sneered, "Publicly harassing a respectable lady on the street, failing to frame her, then trying to use power to press people, and after not achieving the goal, thinking of sweeping the matter under the rug—what a beautiful delusion."

The official, upon hearing that, was about to frown, but feeling the cold, sharp gazes projected onto them, they couldn't help swallowing.

"Then… what do you propose?"

"Apology."

"Apology?" Meng Qinghe shouted angrily, "You hit me and still want me to apologize?"

"Not apologizing is fine too," Chi Nan Yi said with a faint smile at the corner of her eye, stepped forward slowly, then suddenly raised her hand and delivered a heavy slap across the other side of her face.

"It has to be balanced," Chi Nan Yi said, looking at her increasingly symmetrical face, nodding earnestly, "Now it looks much better."

Meng Qinghe, struck by Chi Nan Yi's two slaps, saw stars and nearly fainted.

The onlookers, seeing this, lowered their heads and murmured; their gazes at Chi Nan Yi were full of admiration, for they had never seen anyone beat a noble in the street in all their lives. The looks cast at Meng Qinghe were nothing but contempt and schadenfreude.

"Well struck, truly satisfying! Those two crisp slaps—I want to applaud her."

"Not bad, not bad, and when Young Master Meng just rolled down from the upper floor, it was hilarious."

"Serves her right, what does the Minister's Residence miss? Framing and slandering is not a good thing."

"Such bullies who abuse power deserve a good lesson; it's truly satisfying."

……

"Miss Meng, can you apologize now?" Chi Nan Yi flicked her wrist, "You just said five things to me, I only gave you two slaps, there are three more…"

"More slaps?"

Meng Qinghe's body trembled, she stepped back, and instinctively pushed Jiang Wan Yue, who was standing beside her, outward.

Jiang Wan Yue's complexion changed, "You… what do you mean?"

"I…" Meng Qinghe's eyes flashed, she shouted, "It's you! It's all your fault; if you hadn't so firmly told me that she pushed my brother just now, how could I have blamed her?"

"Me?" Jiang Wan Yue's face darkened instantly; she understood that Meng Qinghe was shifting the blame onto her for self‑preservation.

Jiang Wan Yue's status was indeed lower than Meng Qinghe's, but she had been pampered since childhood and could not tolerate a tarnished reputation; so she laid out Meng Qinghe's scheme plainly.

"Meng Qinghe, I clearly tried to stop Young Master Meng just now; you were jealous of this girl's looks and wanted your brother to ruin her reputation. Who could have guessed he was incompetent, lost his footing and fell? When that plan failed, you thought of framing her, and now you want me to bear the insults for you. Meng Qinghe, you really are good at scheming!"

Jiang Wan Yue released her grip, standing far away, "I thought you were a Miss of the Minister's Residence, also my aunt's daughter; even if you were taken from the countryside, your nature should be pure. Who could have imagined you to be such a despicable, shameless person? In that case, we need not be acquaintances any longer."

With each sentence Jiang Wan Yue spoke, Meng Qinghe's complexion grew worse.

By the end, her face shifted between green and white, a muddled hue hard to discern.

Chi Nan Yi stood aside, calmly watching their dog‑fight; after Jiang Wan Yue finished speaking, what else remained unclear about the matter?

The crowd finally understood that it was merely because the girl was beautiful that she suffered this calamity.

"People of high rank and power really do think they can cover the sky with one hand in Jingcheng!" Chi Nan Yi said softly, "I once thought the Left Minister was the most kind, but today I see I overestimated him. As the saying goes, 'A dragon begets a dragon, a phoenix begets a phoenix; a mouse's offspring will burrow, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be skewed.'"

Listening to her, Meng Qinghe's steps wavered, her body staggered a few times, her eyes rolled, and she fell straight backward, landing precisely on Cai Pin.

She was so infuriated that she fainted.

"Useless, she fainted like that?" Chi Nan Yi turned to the official, "Sir, I suppose today's matter already has a conclusion, doesn't it?"

"Yes, yes, yes, there is a conclusion. The whole chain of events will be recorded in the register, faithfully."

"Then thank you, sir."

Although Jiang Wan Yue quarreled with Meng Qinghe, she could not watch the siblings left hanging in the shop; after ordering the servants to send them back to the Left Minister's Residence, she left the medicinal shop at the fastest pace.

After Chi Nan Yi boarded the carriage and left, in a refined room on the third floor, a man dressed in a gray brocade robe stared intently at the departing carriage, a smile curling his lips: "Interesting, truly interesting."

"Crown Prince," Yu Zhou whispered, "That carriage looks like it's from the Chi Family."

"Chi Family? The Chi Family that just returned to Jingcheng?"

"Yes, I heard the Chi Family brought back a young lady this time; I suppose it's her."

Mo Rui Shan nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly, "No wonder they show no fear before the Left Minister's Residence; not only the Meng Family's children, even Meng Hui himself, when facing the Chi Family, must show some respect. This direct line of the Meng Family is truly foolish to the core."

"Crown Prince, someone from Prince Li's residence has come to urge."

Mo Rui Shan rose slowly, and as he passed by Yu Zhou, he whispered, "Investigate this young lady."

"Understood."

Yu Zhou slightly raised an eyebrow.

"Investigate this girl? That can't be… does the Crown Prince have his eye on her?"

It's no wonder Yu Zhou overthought; having been by Mo Rui Shan's side for years, the Crown Prince had never been so interested in any girl, let alone have himself order an investigation.

Chi Nan Yi did not return to the shop, but went straight to the Chi Family.

She slapped Meng Qinghe twice in the street today; will the Meng Family simply let it go?

It won't be long before she discovers her own connection to the Chi Family.

She had thought her maternal grandfather and uncle would be angry about the trouble she caused, but before she could explain the whole story, Chi Xingzhi and Chi Shao yuan forcibly interrupted.

"What are you saying?"

The two of them sprang up, shouting, "That scoundrel Meng Jue actually had ill intentions toward you?"

Chi Nan Yi nodded, "Indeed."

Receiving her affirmation, Chi Shao yuan thumped the table heavily, causing the teacups to tremble, "That scoundrel Meng Jue! He even dares to lay a hand on a member of the Chi Family! He's truly rotten to the core."

"No…" Chi Nan Yi began to recount how she intended to roll Meng Jue down the stairs, but the Chi brothers gave her no chance to speak; with a swing of their arms, they were about to storm the door to argue.

Chi Nan Yi, quick of eye and hand, hurriedly blocked the two of them.

"I haven't finished yet; what's the hurry?"

"How could you not be in a hurry? You get bullied out there because you're too soft. Yi'er, you are no longer without support; you have the Chi Family, and you have us. Relying on the Chi Family's current standing, I'm not saying you can run rampant in Jingcheng unchecked, but you also needn't cower and be bullied."