Chapter Thirty-Eight: Vicious Intent

As this news broke, many people flocked to the gates of the Grand Princess’s mansion to watch the spectacle. This was the most crucial part of Yang Suxin’s plan: to stir up a public outcry. By exposing Qin Hao’s identity, she aimed to make it known that he was the infamous, foolish fiancé whose reputation was in tatters after causing the Third Princess to disgracefully break off their engagement. Now that he had been taken into the Grand Princess’s mansion and was using her name to bully his own family, his reputation would be utterly ruined. In turn, the royal family, by harboring him, would inevitably suffer further humiliation. Naturally, Qin Hao, the culprit behind this damage to royal honor, would be doomed.

Thus, the core objective of Yang Suxin’s plan was never really about the fighting. Children brawling is a trivial matter, difficult to blow out of proportion. She merely used the fight as a catalyst to escalate the situation, pinning the charge of tarnishing royal honor squarely on Qin Hao. At that point, even if the royal family did not execute him, they could no longer afford to shelter him. It was a vicious, almost foolproof scheme.

At the Grand Princess’s mansion, the entrance was now crowded to the point of overflowing. Inside, after his tutor had left, Qin Hao had written two essays in the style required for the imperial examinations and was putting down his brush to rest. He thought he might as well use the remaining daylight to visit Xiaoyu. She had been unable to leave her bed for days, and while he was grateful that Old Brother Wu had arranged for someone to look after her, he wanted to find time to thank him properly. However, before he could reach her, he was urgently summoned by Wu Tong. On the way, he ran into Li Qingyao, who was moving with equal haste.

Qin Hao looked at her, puzzled. "What is going on?"

"Yang Suxin has brought her son here," Li Qingyao said. "She claims you assaulted someone maliciously and that I am shielding you... The matter has become a huge disturbance, and the impact is very negative. The royal reputation is about to be tarnished again." As she spoke, she relayed everything she had heard, including the insults calling him a pimp and a wretch.

Qin Hao digested the news for a brief moment, then his eyes brightened, and he laughed out loud. "A wonderful disturbance."

Li Qingyao glanced at him. "What do you mean? The royal reputation is being damaged, and you call it good?"

Qin Hao smiled, giving her a reassuring look. "Don't worry, leave it to me. I won't let the royal family lose face. You have helped me so much, even finding a tutor to teach me how to write essays. If I let you and the royal family lose face this time, it would be my own incompetence."

Li Qingyao stared at him for a moment and said coldly, "I'll leave it to you then. If you make the royal family lose face, I won't guarantee that I won't beat you myself." Qin Hao shrugged and walked toward the main gate.

At the entrance, Yang Suxin and Qin Kaizhi stood waiting. A crowd of scholars and literati had gathered outside, along with servants from various noble households, all eager to see what the wife of the new Minister of Revenue and daughter of Duke Yang intended to do. They were all aware of the rumors surrounding Qin Hao—the foolish eldest son of Count Kaiyang, the one who had brought shame upon the royal family. How he had inexplicably ended up living in the Grand Princess’s mansion was a mystery that promised to be scandalous.

As the gates opened, Qin Hao and the Grand Princess stepped out side by side. Seeing this, a flicker of dark intent flashed in Yang Suxin’s eyes. The fact that Qin Hao could walk abreast with the Princess showed how highly she valued him—a fact she could not fathom for such a piece of trash.

Seeing Yang Suxin and the curious crowd, Li Qingyao felt like a spectacle in a cage. Anger flared within her. "Countess," she asked coldly, "who gave you the audacity to surround my mansion with such a display?"

Yang Suxin bowed hurriedly. "Greetings, Your Highness." She then adopted a dejected expression and sighed, "Grand Princess, I have no choice but to act this way today. I beg you to see the truth and seek justice for my son. Last night at the Fengyue Pavilion, Qin Hao and two others nearly beat his younger brother to death. If not for the timely arrival of the guards, it would have been a tragedy. I heard that Qin Hao was taken in by you last night. Meanwhile, my son, who was the victim, spent the night in a jail cell. I only hope that you will not shield him and will grant my son fairness."

Following the script, Qin Kaizhi immediately chimed in, "I beg the Princess to grant me justice."

The crowd turned their eyes toward Yang Suxin, then to the bruised Qin Kaizhi, and finally to the young man beside Li Qingyao. They assumed this must be Qin Hao. He looked clean, with no visible injuries, which only seemed to confirm his status as the aggressor. Indeed, Qin Hao was quite skilled at fighting; he specialized in hitting faces while protecting his own. However, the injuries on Qin Kaizhi were mostly inflicted by Ma Yingze and Zhao Guangnian, not him.

Li Qingyao asked, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Facing Yang Suxin, Qin Hao flashed a grin, his white teeth bared. "Yang Suxin, you keep asking the Grand Princess for justice, but why don't you explicitly state what you are accusing me of? Otherwise, how am I to know what you’re planning? Surely, a mere fight is not enough to trouble the Grand Princess."

The crowd was shocked that he addressed the Countess by her given name. Regardless of their relationship, she was his stepmother; how could he be so disrespectful?

Yang Suxin, knowing he wouldn't be polite, spoke with a tone of tragic sorrow. "Hao’er, stop being so stubborn. Your mother’s death truly had nothing to do with me. Everyone knows she was caught in an affair with a servant and committed suicide out of shame. You’ve played the fool for years, and now that you’ve left the Qin family to seek the Grand Princess’s protection, that is one thing. But you cannot harm your brothers. Your third brother, Dewu, is still bedridden because of you, and now you have beaten your second brother, Kaizhi. Can’t you just accept my apology and stop hurting them?"

As she spoke, Yang Suxin shed tears. Her words were calculated: she labeled him a fraud who had faked madness to harm his own kin and insulted his mother, all to provoke him. She hoped he would lose his temper right there at the gate, which would confirm his vile nature.

It worked. The crowd began to murmur and point fingers. So, he was that despicable? He had faked idiocy to break off his engagement and shame the Third Princess? How hateful! How could he have the face to seek the Grand Princess’s protection? She must have been deceived by him. He looked fine on the outside, but his heart was black; he could even lay hands on his own brothers.

A cold glint flashed in Qin Hao’s eyes at the insult to his mother, but he did not lash out. He simply asked, "And then?"

Yang Suxin ignored him and bowed to the Grand Princess again. "I implore you, Your Highness, to take back the jade pendant you gave him. I know it is improper for me to say this as his stepmother, but he has repeatedly committed violence, emboldened by your protection. If this continues, I fear he will bring further disaster and shame upon the royal family."

Qin Hao sneered inwardly. There it was—the real goal. She wanted him to lose Li Qingyao’s protection so she could strike at him.

"Such a beast, he deserves to die!" someone in the crowd shouted.
"Exactly, Count Kaiyang is truly unlucky to have such a son!" others echoed.
"Grand Princess, you must not be deceived by him!"

The air was filled with accusations against Qin Hao. Li Qingyao glanced at him; if this weren't resolved, his reputation would be beyond repair. Even if he tried to defend himself, the fact of the fight made it difficult to clear his name. Yet, Qin Hao remained unhurried. Just as he was about to speak, a rapid sound of footsteps and shoving erupted in the crowd. A man pushed through to reach Yang Suxin and her son. It was none other than Count Kaiyang, who had heard the news and rushed over.

"What are you doing!" the Count bellowed at Yang Suxin. As the Minister of Revenue and a Count, he was humiliated to have his family squabble in such a public spectacle. He then turned to Li Qingyao: "Your Highness, I will take my wife home immediately."

Qin Hao whispered to Li Qingyao, "Keep them here."

Li Qingyao spoke up immediately. "Count Kaiyang, there is no rush. Your wife has been implying that Qin Hao is a wretch and that my sheltering him makes me blind. That is an insult to me and to the royal family. Furthermore, now that your wife has finished her piece, we must hear what your eldest son has to say. Otherwise, wouldn't I truly become the 'wicked Princess' who shields a villain as she claims? If the honor of my house and the royal family is damaged because of this, can you bear the responsibility?"