Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 46: Scheming

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Scheming

Under the watchful eyes of all, everyone clearly saw Lin Yu Yan, consumed by wrath and shame, stabbing Fengyu with a knife. Zhang Jingmiao and Wu Changhuan, horrified by her deranged demeanor, hurriedly distanced themselves, retreating step by step.

"Ayu, Ayu..." Fang Lingjun’s eyes reddened with desperation, "Quick, call the Imperial Physician!"

Xie Xun and Lin Cheng had arrived on the scene at the earliest moment. No one expected Lin Yu Yan to dare commit murder in broad daylight. Fengyu clutched her abdomen, blood pouring relentlessly. Xie Xun’s face chilled as he lifted Fengyu in his arms and hurriedly sought the Imperial Physician in the garden. Fang Lingjun followed close behind, while Princess Xue Lan paused briefly before picking up the murder weapon and joining them.

Lin Yu Yan’s face turned pale as she weakly sought support from Lin Cheng, but he furiously slapped her across the face, "You fool! How could you dare such a thing?"

"Brother!" Lin Yu Yan was struck so hard that stars danced before her eyes. Tears cascaded down as she clutched her face. "Even you don’t believe me? That vile woman stabbed herself, it wasn’t me!"

Zhang Boxin, who had long been displeased with her behavior, sneered, "Lin Yu Yan, it was clearly you who, out of embarrassment and rage, stabbed Fengyu. We all saw it happen."

"What a venomous act, resorting to violence simply over losing a horseback archery match."

"I never imagined she could be such a heartless and ruthless person."

"Poor Fengyu, do you think she’ll survive?"

"She’s lost so much blood!"

Lin Yu Yan’s mind buzzed, her ears ringing as whispers and accusations filled the air around her. She had never faced such condemnation in all her life. Cracking under the pressure, she screamed, clutching her head in despair.

...

In the garden, Zhang Lingzheng was sorting medicinal herbs. It happened to be his assigned duty that day. He normally avoided such tasks whenever he could, fearing troublesome incidents cropping up—after all, the horseback archery banquet always brought some manner of calamity, though as long as it didn’t escalate, it was manageable.

His junior attendant cheerfully informed him that the banquet had ended. Zhang Lingzheng, still organizing herbs and preparing for his shift’s conclusion, suddenly saw Xie Xun rushing toward him with Fengyu in his arms. "Zhang Lingzheng, save her!"

Fengyu’s face was ashen, her consciousness already gone. Zhang Lingzheng grabbed his medical kit and followed inside. Xie Xun—the outsider male—was barred from staying in the inner chamber, but Fang Lingjun refused to leave, insisting on guarding Fengyu there.

Outside the chamber, Qiuxiang was already crying rivers of tears. Feng Wan and Feng Ling had arrived as well. Though the sisters often bickered and vied for superiority on normal days, in a moment of crisis, their concern for one another became evident. Feng Ling’s reddened eyes brimmed as she clung to Feng Wan and whispered, "Elder Sister, Third Sister won’t die, right? She’s lost so much blood!"

"Don’t be afraid, Ling’er. Yu’er is blessed and will surely pull through." Feng Wan, though visibly flustered, tried to steady her voice as she had already sent her maid back home to deliver news of the incident.

Xie Xun’s expression was icy and grim, and a chilling thought crossed his mind: If Fengyu were to die, would he die as well?

Princess Xue Lan wiped the blood off the dagger and passed it to Xie Xun, saying, "This dagger belongs to Lin Yu Yan—it fell at the archery field, and I picked it up."

Nuanyang received the dagger, offering thanks to Princess Xue Lan. With palms pressed together, the princess silently prayed for Fengyu’s safe recovery.

The murder during the horseback archery banquet—a noblewoman stabbed in public—spread like wildfire across the Capital City. Lin Yu Yan, cruel and ruthless, had been driven to commit this act out of jealousy and defeat. With witnesses and physical evidence ironclad, the case left no room for doubt.

Lin Cheng had Lin Yu Yan knocked unconscious and sent back to the mansion. He hoped Fengyu would recover; otherwise, Lin Yu Yan would be unable to escape justice. Truly, Fengyu deserved death—but not at Yu Yan’s hands, and certainly not with damning evidence implicating her.

King Qi was more troubled than anyone else—it was his banquet, after all, and he couldn’t shield himself from taking some of the blame. He silently cursed the Lin siblings, already planning to blacklist Lin Yu Yan from future horseback archery banquets. He prayed Feng Family’s Third Miss could survive—such a stunning beauty’s untimely demise would be tragic.

When Lin Cheng arrived, Zhang Lingzheng stepped out, his robe faintly stained with blood. Lin Cheng anxiously asked, "Doctor Zhang, how is Miss Feng San?"

"Third Miss’s bleeding has stopped, but she remains unconscious. Her frail constitution makes her survival uncertain; the coming days will be critical." Zhang Lingzheng’s face was dark.

Panicking, Lin Cheng offered, "The Lin Family has a thousand-year-old ginseng; I’ll have it sent to Feng Mansion immediately to preserve Miss Feng San’s life. It’s the least we can do to atone."

Feng Wan replied coldly, "That won’t be necessary. Our family also has thousand-year-old ginseng—it’s not for Mr. Lin to worry about."

Lin Cheng hurriedly apologized, saying, "Please accept the ginseng, Miss Feng—it is Lin Family’s way of expressing remorse. Yu Yan has caused great trouble, and I promise to discipline her thoroughly upon returning home. This is our sincerest gesture."

Fang Lingjun stormed out, her eyes swollen from tears, and snapped, "Who the hell wants your ’sincerity’! Get out—if anything happens to Ayu, I’ll tear Lin Yu Yan apart!"

Fengyu’s injuries were grave, and it was impossible for her to recover properly in the garden. Lady Feng, upon receiving the news, was nearly scared out of her wits and arranged for a large carriage to bring Fengyu home. Fang Lingjun insisted on accompanying the journey, specifically requesting Zhang Lingzheng to stay by Fengyu’s side as her physician. With no other option, Zhang Lingzheng reluctantly agreed and traveled to Feng Mansion.

While heading back to the Marquis Mansion, Nuanyang seemed hesitant to speak. Feiying kicked him lightly and said, "Stop stammering—if you’ve got something to say, spit it out!"

"Master, well... I’m not sure if it’s just me being paranoid." Nuanyang pulled out the murder weapon, "Something about the smell—it doesn’t seem like human blood to me."

Xie Xun halted his horse abruptly. "Give me the dagger!"

Nuanyang handed the dagger into his palm. Though Princess Xue Lan had rinsed it clean, faint traces of blood were still detectable. The dagger had been plunged into someone’s body, and the blood-stains on the handle remained damp. Xie Xun scraped off some dried blood and brought it to his nose. Having endured countless battlefields drenched in carnage—as a general, he was all too familiar with the scent of blood.

Xie Xun smirked. "This sly fox truly has a vicious heart."

He had felt unnerved earlier, worrying that if Fengyu died, he might share her fate. Holding her in his arms, he was convinced that her excessive blood loss from ruptured arteries would spell her doom. To his surprise, she survived. He thought her life was remarkably resilient—until now, realizing she had faked it all along. Lin Yu Yan had not lied.

Fengyu had stabbed herself and made sure everyone saw Lin Yu Yan as the perpetrator.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—she was out for Lin Yu Yan’s life!

"Clean the dagger properly, smear it with human blood, and make sure there are no loose ends."

"Uh..." Nuanyang was puzzled, but replied, "Got it!"

At Minister Lin’s Mansion, Lin Yu Yan was confined to the ancestral hall, her hair disheveled and unkempt. Her mind was haunted by vivid images of Fengyu’s laughter. Losing in horseback archery had embarrassed her, fueling her anger and driving her to confront Fengyu. She screamed insults: calling Fengyu shameless, accusing her of seducing Xie Xun, calling her a vixen who was delusional, unworthy of Xie Xun’s affection.

Fengyu had stepped closer, whispering with a smirk near her ear, "I’m the vixen—what does that make you? You’re nothing but a dog mimicking a fox. Xie Xun can’t even remember your name. Watch closely—soon enough, the young marquis will kneel before my charms."

Fengyu was smug and gloating, almost as if Xie Xun was already hers.

In a fit of rage, Lin Yu Yan grabbed the dagger and threatened her, "If you dare try to seduce Xie Xun, I’ll destroy your face!"