The Lone Star of Heaven’s Doom

At the end of March, peach blossoms were in full bloom. Under the peach blossom trees in the backyard of the Princess Royal Residence, young boys and girls were seated in separate groups. Xie Wan sat on the side, gently toying with the falling petals, while listening to a conversation among a few girls a few steps away.

"Is she the Lone Star of the Yongyu Marquis Residence?”

“Yes, the maid who brought her here introduced her as such.”

“Why did Princess Royal invite her? Even Prince Ning wouldn’t set his eyes on this Lone Star, right?”

“I heard that it was the Marquis’s mother who found out about the banquet and specifically requested an invitation, hoping that someone would take a liking to her and take her away from the Marquis Residence!”

“Who would dare to marry her? If she hadn’t caused the deaths of the Marquis and his wife, would the Yongyu Marquis Residence have fallen to such a miserable state? It’s a joke that a three-year-old baby became the Marquis. It’s laughable to even mention it!”

“But... she is beautiful!”

Upon hearing these words, the girls fell silent and discreetly glanced at Xie Wan.

Xie Wan smiled at them.

The group of girls: ...

“What’s the point of being beautiful? It’s merely a pretty face!”

“Exactly, not only did she cause the death of her parents, but she also has a malicious heart. On the first day she returned from the temple, she kicked out her two uncles from the Marquis Residence during the funeral. I heard that she’s taking advantage of her brother’s reliance on her and acting tyrannically in the Marquis Residence! Who would dare to marry someone like her?!”

Upon hearing this, Xie Wan stood up, brushed off the flower petals on her body, and calmly said, “I don’t know who would dare to marry me. But I do know that it wasn’t me who caused the death of my parents. It was my two good uncles who embezzled silver from the government treasury, resulting in the subpar quality of the horse feed and causing the horses to go mad at the cliff, leading to their deaths.”

She turned to the girls and said, “Also, thank you for acknowledging my beauty. I look in the mirror every day and indeed find myself more attractive than all of you.”

Upon hearing this, the girls’ faces turned pale.

One of the girls was about to retort, but Xie Wan gave her a light glance and gracefully walked away.

Watching her slender and graceful figure, the girl stomped her foot in anger, “She’s just a pretty face! Who doesn’t know that she’s a nemesis who caused the deaths of her parents? The entire Marquis Residence only has one three-year-old Marquis Yongyu left! Why does Xie Wan have the audacity to be so arrogant?!”

Another girl looked at Xie Wan’s enchanting figure and remained silent for a moment before saying, “Simply because of her face and figure, perhaps?”

Suddenly, everyone fell silent.

They could look down upon the Yongyu Marquis Residence, they could look down upon Xie Wan, but they couldn’t deny the fact that she was beautiful in good conscience.

Because they weren’t blind.

Xie Wan didn’t pay any attention to the gossip behind her.

After confronting someone, she would always leave. That was her usual tactic.

She wasn’t skilled at arguing; after a few exchanges, she would run out of words.

After confronting someone, she would leave, leaving them with a bellyful of words and nowhere to vent, only able to stare at her bewitching and exquisite figure, feeling silently aggrieved.

Around her, all the young boys seemed to be engaged in cheerful conversations, but their gazes occasionally landed on her. Xie Wan was accustomed to this and walked away without looking sideways.

Just as Xie Wan walked out of the Peach Blossom Forest, she coincidentally ran into the Old Madam of Marquis Residence, who was also her grandmother, Old Madam Zhang.

Old Madam Zhang glanced at her and frowned, whispering, “Come with me.”

Xie Wan didn’t say anything, but furrowed her brows and followed her.

Old Madam Zhang led her away from the crowd and arrived at a secluded courtyard before stopping and looking at her. She bluntly said, “Master Wang will be coming later. You better make an effort! He is the only one in the entire capital who doesn’t despise you and is willing to marry you!”

Wang You, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was thirty-two years old and held considerable power in recommending officials. Anything below the seventh rank could be easily settled with just a word from him. His wife had passed away last year, leaving behind a son two years younger than Xie Wan. He also had three concubines in his residence, not to mention the illegitimate children.

Xie Wan chuckled lightly and looked at Old Madam Zhang. “Grandmother, are you in such a hurry to drive me out of the Marquis Residence?”

Old Madam Zhang snorted, “So what? You have already controlled the Marquis Residence for over a year. Do you still want to continue to dominate it? Furthermore, when it comes to important matters like marriage, a woman should listen to her elders! I am doing this for your own good!”

Xie Wan sneered, “Is it really for my own good, grandmother? Or is it because Master Wang has promised you that if I marry him, he will find good positions for my two uncles?”

Her words exposed the truth, and Old Madam Zhang’s face instantly turned black.

Furious, she said, “And what if it is? Your uncles only embezzled a small amount of silver. But you, without any regard for the presence of His Majesty, drove them out! Is there anyone among the younger generation who acts as recklessly as you?!”

“Hah! They only embezzled a small amount of silver.”

Xie Wan sneered, “But they caused the death of my parents! Like parasites, they hollowed out the Marquis Residence while my mother was pregnant. And now, grandmother actually wants to sell me to this so-called Master Wang in exchange for their future. On what grounds does grandmother think I would listen to you?”

“On the grounds that I am your grandmother!”

Old Madam Zhang angrily declared, “Throughout history, important matters of marriage have been decided by parents and matchmakers. Since your parents are no longer here, you naturally have to listen to me! If I want you to marry someone, you have to marry them! Besides, your parents were not killed by your uncles. They died when they fell off a cliff while returning from the temple to the residence. It was you who caused their deaths!”

At this point, further argument seemed unnecessary.

Xie Wan sneered but remained silent.

Old Madam Zhang looked at her and coldly said, “You wait here for me. Master Wang will be here soon. If you don’t obey, I will report you to the palace, accusing you of being disloyal and unfilial, of usurping the Marquis Residence, and mistreating your grandmother. I want to see who will protect you!”

After saying this, she turned around and left.

Watching her departing figure, Xie Wan smirked. Instead of leaving, she turned directly and walked toward the courtyard.

It was more practical to dream of paving the way for her two uncles than to sell her to them.

With fire burning in her heart, Xie Wan walked quickly without paying much attention to her surroundings. Turning a corner, she collided with a solid chest with a loud thud.

A faint scent of the dragon’s saliva instantly filled her nostrils. Xie Wan rubbed her slightly sore nose and looked up, meeting the man’s gaze.

He had a pair of phoenix eyes, with black hair tied up and a coronet on his head. Just standing there exuded an air of nobility. His handsome face, coupled with his imposing aura and slightly chilly eyes, commanded respect without anger.

He held a string of jade beads in his hand, lightly flicking them while gazing down at Xie Wan, without speaking a word.

Prince Ning, Li Yu.

A pair standing very close, Xie Wan’s fingers subtly moved, and a warm and solid object silently slipped into her sleeve.

She took a step back, bowed slightly, and said, “Xie Wan, your humble servant, greets the prince.”