After her mind was read, the spoiled brat became the darling of the whole group.

Xie Xing opened his mouth slightly, forming an "o" shape.

She glanced at Xie Jiaojiao, then at Luo Cheng'an who happened to be blocking Xie Jiaojiao's way, and then looked up at the spot where Luo Cheng'an had jumped down.

Opposite Yunyan Pavilion was a teahouse. The prince jumped out from the window of a second-floor side room. At that time, the window was still open, and a man with a handsome and devilish face, dressed in a light blue brocade robe, was standing at the window.

Xie Xing's pupils widened slightly, and they happened to meet Jun Lanjin's smiling peach blossom eyes.

She was momentarily stunned by the handsome man on the second floor. Coming to her senses, she whispered to the system: "Really? What a coincidence! Could it be that Xie Jiaojiao fell in love with Luo Cheng'an today?"

The system also realized: "This tactic is too cliché."

【conventional.】

Xie Xing: [Could this have been intentional? What a coincidence.]

He internally complained for a long time about how one person could unify the country.

Even if Luo Cheng'an didn't jump out now, Xie Xing could still escape this whip with Xie Jiaojiao.

Xie Jiaojiao, who almost fell for him: "..."

"Miss, are you alright?" Luo Cheng'an reprimanded Princess De'an, then turned to Xie Jiaojiao, who was being protected behind him, and asked gently.

When Xie Jiaojiao saw his gentle and handsome face, her heart skipped a beat.

She lowered her head, a blush rising on her fair face, and whispered, "Thank you for saving me. I... I'm alright."

Luo Cheng'an's gaze lingered on Xie Jiaojiao's delicate and pretty face for a moment, then he looked at Xie Xing standing behind Xie Jiaojiao and immediately changed his expression.

His gentle, handsome face turned cold, and his voice was filled with disgust: "Xie Xing, why are you everywhere?"

Xie Xing looked completely innocent: "Heaven and earth bear witness, Your Highness, it was the Princess who deliberately made things difficult for me!"

"Crown Prince!" Princess De'an walked over angrily, pointing at Xie Xing and began to complain, "That little slut Xie Xing bullied me!"

Xie Xing immediately exclaimed, "Your Highness speaks so harshly! You're so young, yet you talk like my aunt who used to live at the village entrance!"

Princess De'an exploded, screaming, "Who are you calling mean-spirited? Who are you calling like Auntie?!"

Xie Xing continued his attack: "Princess, you have no manners at all, screaming in public."

system:【……】

Xie Jiaojiao: "..."

Caught between the two, Luo Cheng'an was subjected to a deafening barrage of provocations from the left and right. His eardrums were practically pierced by the woman's shrill voice. He shuddered, glanced at Princess De'an who was on the verge of madness, and decisively stood up for her.

"Xie Xing, shut up. Don't argue like a shrew from the streets."

Xie Xing covered her mouth with one hand and said aggrievedly, "I didn't do anything. I behaved properly and didn't do anything."

More and more onlookers gathered around. Compared to Xie Xing, it was clearly Princess De'an who had suddenly whipped people, who went too far. Yet the Crown Prince took the lead in defending Princess De'an, which was utterly unreasonable.

Princess De'an was delighted.

She stood behind Luo Cheng'an, giving Xie Xing a smug and provocative look.

Upon seeing this, the noble ladies behind her immediately spoke up for Princess De'an.

“Your Highness, it is clear that Miss Xie did not pay her respects to the Princess, showing no respect for her, and her words were provocative, saying that the Princess liked her. That is why the Princess was so angry that she lost her temper.”

"Yes, it's all Miss Xie's fault, no matter what."

"We all saw it; how could we possibly wrong Miss Xie?"

"After all, Miss Xie hasn't been back from the countryside for very long, so it's normal that she hasn't learned the rules and etiquette well yet."

Criticism and ridicule were incessant.

The Crown Prince looked at Xie Xing coldly: "Xie Xing, do you have anything else to say?"

Xie Jiaojiao's beautiful eyes trembled slightly, and the excitement that had just been stirred by Luo Cheng'an's miraculous rescue gradually subsided.

She lowered her head, bowed respectfully to Luo Cheng'an, and said softly, "My sister and I are very grateful to His Highness the Crown Prince for saving us. Otherwise, if the Princess had lashed us with that whip, my sister and I would have been too ashamed to face anyone for the rest of our lives."

"Who are you?" Luo Cheng'an didn't know when the Xie family had such a person.

"I am Xie Jiaojiao, the daughter of the magistrate of Jiangzhou County. General Xie is my second uncle." Xie Jiaojiao's voice was calm and composed.

"Today, Jiaojiao and Fifth Sister came to Yunyan Pavilion to look at the account books on the orders of Grandmother. When they left, they did not notice that the Princess had lost her manners. It was our fault."

"But the princess's whip was aimed at our faces. So, princess, did you intend to disfigure us just because we didn't see you?"

When Xie Jiaojiao spoke, she raised her head slightly, her gentle, watery eyes looking at Princess De'an. Her tone was as if she were only asking a question, without any hint of accusation.

But when she spoke, she used three sentences to convey a great deal of meaning, without mentioning at all the part about Xie Xing arguing with Princess De'an, which was not important to begin with. Instead, she focused on the fact that Princess De'an used a long whip to beat them.

No matter how you respond, it's not a good answer; it's just that Princess De'an is being spoiled and unreasonable.

Princess De'an gave the two Xie sisters a cold look.

Originally, she only disliked Xie Xing, but now she felt that the woman in front of her was a thousand times more hateful than Xie Xing.

Princess De'an raised her chin: "So what? This princess just wants to teach a country bumpkin a lesson."

She always acknowledged that Xie Xing was the young lady from the General's Mansion.

"Please, Your Highness, grant us this favor." Xie Jiaojiao ignored her and instead curtsied to Luo Cheng'an.

Her posture shifted slightly; her already slender figure and composed demeanor contrasted sharply with the arrogance of Princess De'an.

At this point, the onlookers slowly began to speak.

"This Princess De'an's world is too unreasonable. Putting aside the fact that she is a young lady of the Xie family, even if she has no status at all, does that mean she deserves to be bullied by the princess?"

"If even daughters of noble families are treated like this, then what about us ordinary people? Aren't we just left to be slaughtered?"

"Vicious woman!"

The voices of discontent among the crowd grew louder.

The system watched in amazement: "Look at him, he turned the tide with just a few words."

Xie Xing said, "Reasoning with him is useless. He's already helping Princess De'an; how can he punish her?"

Under pressure from the crowd, Luo Cheng'an had no choice but to look at Princess De'an with reproach: "De'an, you must not be so unreasonable."

It was just a rebuke, nothing more.

Xie Jiaojiao frowned slightly.

Before she could say anything more, Xie Xing had already taken Xie Jiaojiao's hand and helped her up. Then she smiled sweetly at Luo Cheng'an and said, "Cousin, we should thank His Highness the Crown Prince."

"His Highness the Crown Prince is too gentle."

“When the princess was being so unreasonable before, Prince Jin was ruthless and locked her up in the Cautious Punishment Department to reflect on her actions. His Highness the Crown Prince only scolded her a few times and made the princess so obedient. He truly deserves to be called the soft-hearted and kind-hearted Crown Prince.”

Princess De'an was no fool; how could she not understand Xie Xing's underlying meaning? Her eyes were practically spitting fire: "Xie Xing, how dare you speak of me in such an unreasonable way? How can your heart be so black?"

"If it weren't for you, you shameless woman, who, despite having a marriage contract bestowed by the Emperor, still tried to seduce my brother Jin, would I, this princess, be targeting you?"

"Why is it that I, this princess, target you instead of everyone else?"

Xie Xing pulled Xie Jiaojiao back a considerable distance.

She looked up at the second floor and said, "Prince Jin is on the second floor of the teahouse. Princess, don't talk nonsense. Prince Jin and I are completely innocent."

Princess De'an was startled and followed Xie Xing's gaze to the second floor.