Chapter 17

While Emperor Chengkang and Ming Ting were discussing matters in the imperial study, the three young ladies of the Jing’an Marquisate also meticulously dressed up and set out.

Shen Hua, as always, was dressed in a graceful and elegant manner. Her light pink misty thousand-water skirt made her appear delicate and beautiful, perfectly blending in with the large group of noble ladies in the capital.

Ming Chu, on the other hand, wore a dashing red dress. At first glance, it was similar to what she wore on the day she returned to the manor, but upon closer inspection, one would find that her outfit today was much more exquisite. There were four or five layers in total, which cascaded gracefully as she walked, a bright and flamboyant red that was not too garish.

As for Ming Tan—

When they reached Chunzheng Street in front of the Pingguo Duke’s Mansion, the carriages could no longer move forward. It was unclear how many people this Miss Zhang San had invited to her poetry gathering, but carriages from various mansions filled the street. Even the servants leading horses to the stables were overwhelmed, and many passersby, seeing how lively the Pingguo Duke’s Mansion was today, craned their necks to look over.

Ming Chu, riding in the same carriage with Ming Tan and Shen Hua, was deeply annoyed. She scowled the whole way, unwilling to spend another moment with them.

Seeing the carriage stopped for a long time without moving, she couldn’t help but lift the curtain and impatiently asked, “Why aren’t we moving yet?”

“Third Miss, the front is blocked. We can’t move.”

Ming Chu: “Just tell them to move!”

Coachman: “…”

Ming Tan also lifted the curtain to look out, then dropped it, her delicate brows slightly raised: “Is Third Sister asking Princess Fengzhao to make way for you?”

Princess Fengzhao?

The Prince’s daughter?

Ming Chu fell silent.

Actually, Ming Tan quite disliked Princess Fengzhao. The year before last, at the Golden Chrysanthemum Banquet, she played a piece called “Autumn’s Delight” herself. Everyone praised its clear and beautiful sound, calling it celestial music, and there was no objection to her being crowned the Flower Queen.

Who would have thought that this princess, who had returned to the capital from Yuncheng, would suddenly come to join the fun? She said it was just for amusement and everyone should do as they pleased, but when a girl from a humble family didn’t choose her, she immediately showed her displeasure. Who else dared to offend her after that? When it came time to cast their chrysanthemums, everyone had to change their votes.

This princess, it must be said, was quite oblivious, believing that because she had been crowned Flower Queen, she was truly the most beautiful and talented of all. In the two years since her return to the capital, she had sought out every opportunity to make a splash, her presence often seen at flower viewing parties and banquets. Yet, whenever she appeared, the originally relaxed and pleasant atmosphere would invariably turn subtly awkward.

Perhaps because of the Flower Queen incident, Princess Fengzhao didn’t much care for Mingtan. Whenever they met, she would always try to cause trouble for her.

Fortunately, Mingtan was not one to suffer in silence. While she couldn’t openly offend royalty, she certainly could talk.

This Princess Fengzhao grew up in the southwestern frontier, so her manners were only slightly better than Mingchu’s. She wasn’t even as skilled in martial arts as Mingchu, who at least could resort to physical action if she couldn’t win an argument.

When the two of them met, Ming Tan would often talk at length about etiquette, citing ancient texts and modern examples, leaving her speechless. Moreover, Ming Tan had many noble ladies like her around, and when they chimed in, it was even more deadly.

This time, Princess Fengzhao was also present. Ming Tan mused that it would be best not to interact with her today, as she was here for the second young master Shu, and there was no need to leave an impression of being sharp-tongued.

However, Ming Tan did not know that when she lifted the curtain and looked out just now, her goal of encountering the second young master Shu had already been achieved ahead of time.

Zhang Huaiyu originally couldn’t stand his cousin pestering him, so he agreed to invite Shu Er to come and taste tea. But Zhang Huaiyu was not someone who could quietly enjoy tea. As soon as he mentioned it to Shu Er, Shu Er knew something was wrong and asked for the truth.

However, Zhang Huaiyu had already agreed to everything, and Shu Jingran, knowing the truth, had no choice but to help him save face in front of his cousin.

Shu Jingran had previously paraded through the streets on horseback, getting pelted with fruits and vegetables until his whole body ached. The trauma had not yet dissipated, and now he was to be gawked at by a group of young ladies. The thought alone made his scalp tingle and him feel utterly uncomfortable.

So he suggested to Zhang Huaiyu that they invite talented scholars from the capital to a tea and poetry gathering, held in a separate garden from his cousin’s poetry society. This way, it would be elegant and lively, and he wouldn’t have to suffer alone.

It was because of this suggestion that today, the entrance of Pingguo Duke’s Mansion presented such a spectacular scene of bustling carriages and horses.

“Are you really not going?” Shu Jingran stopped at the intersection of Chunzheng Street and asked.

Jiang Xu glanced indifferently at the bustling scene: “I have important business.”

Last night, they were discussing matters at the Right Prime Minister’s residence. A sudden heavy rain fell late at night, and he was asked to stay overnight. Today, Shu Jingran was going to the Pingguo Duke’s mansion to enjoy tea and discuss poetry, while he had to go to the Jingji Grand Camp to handle military affairs. Since their directions were the same, they left together.

After Jiang Xu finished speaking, he lifted his foot to leave. Shu Jingran looked into the distance and suddenly exclaimed, “Isn’t that the Marquis of Jing’an’s carriage?”

Jiang Xu glanced over in the direction of the voice.

His glance happened to catch sight of a carved carriage, bearing the Ming family’s insignia, stopped in the road. The curtain was gently parted by a pair of jade-like hands, slender as scallion roots. Inside sat a young woman with loosely tied dark hair and eyes as clear as water. She simply tilted her head slightly, looking out, like pear blossoms reflected in spring water—bright, captivating, and beyond compare.

Even Shu Jingran was momentarily stunned, then chuckled softly with his hands behind his back, “This Fourth Miss Ming is indeed a rare beauty.”

“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to marry her?” Jiang Xu suddenly asked.

“I am unwilling to marry, not because I am unwilling to marry this fourth Miss Ming, but because I am temporarily unwilling to take a wife,” Shu Jingran explained. “Furthermore, my unwillingness to marry does not conflict with my appreciation for beautiful women.”

Jiang Xu glanced at him, too lazy to bother further, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

The Pingguo Duke’s Mansion was enormous. Upon entering the mansion, fearing that the esteemed guests might be tired, soft palanquins were prepared to greet them. However, as the spring light was just right, the young ladies preferred to chat and laugh in groups of two or three, walking forward on their own.

Upon reaching the poetry gathering garden, artificial mountains and flowing water gurgled, peonies and芍药 bloomed, and camellias and azaleas vied for spring. Several long tables were neatly arranged by the flower beds, laden with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. In the pavilion resting area, fruits, pastries, and high-quality tea were prepared.

Bai Minmin didn’t eat when she went out. When Ming Tan and her group arrived, she was in the pavilion eating sugar-glazed green pears. The green pears were crisp and slightly tart, cut into neat small pieces and placed on an exquisite porcelain plate, then drizzled with cane syrup and cheese, and sprinkled with powdered sugar. They were sweet and sour, with a unique flavor.

Seeing that she was almost finished with a plate of green pears, Zhou Jingwan politely advised her to restrain herself a little.

Zhang Hanmiao had just brought a young lady over and, seeing Bai Minmin, didn’t forget to tease her, “If Sister Min likes this sugar-glazed green pear, I’ll have my chef go to the Changguo Duke’s Mansion tomorrow to make it. But it’s agreed, Sister Min still has to pay our chef according to the rules!”

Bai Minmin: “No need for that. I’m just going to stay at your Pingguo Duke’s Mansion and eat my fill before I leave!”

All the women around covered their mouths with handkerchiefs and chuckled.

Just then, the little maid led Ming Tan and the other two over.

Shen Hua was gentle and lovely.

Ming Chu’s red dress was vibrant.

Ming Tan wore a light green short jacket and a silver-embroidered pear blossom white long skirt. Her makeup was light, but it accentuated her picturesque features and delicate skin. She wore very few hair ornaments, only a single jade-carved pear blossom inlaid with silver, which swayed gently as she walked, showcasing the lightness of a maiden in spring.

Ming Tan had deliberated for two full days before settling on this outfit. After all, she had only recently broken off her engagement, and regardless of the reason, it was not appropriate to be ostentatious. But she still wanted to catch Shu Er’s eye. If she couldn’t be ostentatious, she had to be a little special. Don’t let her extremely light makeup fool you; it took a lot of effort to create.

Just by seeing the fleeting moment of admiration in everyone’s eyes, Ming Tan knew that her two days of painstaking effort were not in vain.

“What took you so long? A Tan, we’ve been waiting for you for a while.”

“After not seeing you for a few days, our Ming family’s young lady has become even more radiant!”

“Atan, would you like some tea? The fruit tea prepared by Hanmiao is exceptionally sweet and refreshing.”

…

Ming Tan was on good terms with many noble ladies, and as soon as she arrived, everyone greeted her. Shen Hua and Ming Tan often attended banquets at various mansions. Although it was difficult for her to fully integrate into this circle, she was thoughtful and somewhat talented, so everyone could at least maintain a semblance of decorum on the surface. Moreover, she was very popular among young ladies from commoner families, and as soon as she appeared, many people came forward to chat and laugh with her.

Ming Chuchu’s appearance went unnoticed until Ming Tan introduced her, “Oh, this is my third sister. She just returned to the capital from Yangxi Road.”

At that time, legitimate and illegitimate children of noble families received the same education; only in marriage would there be differences due to the mother’s family background. So, at least on the surface, there was no prejudice against illegitimate daughters.

As the hostess, Zhang Hanmiao quickly followed Ming Tan’s lead and praised sweetly, “One look and I can tell, Sister Chu must be a general’s daughter, full of heroic spirit!”

That’s natural.

Ming Chu humbly said, “You flatter me,” but with her chin slightly raised, she didn’t even look at Zhang Hanmiao directly, showing no sign of humility.

Zhang Hanmiao’s smile froze for a moment, then quickly covered it up, turning to other topics.

The other young ladies who had intended to offer a few compliments also fell silent upon seeing Ming Chu’s demeanor. They casually chatted about other things, but in their hearts, they all thought: “She’s someone we don’t know and don’t need to associate with. Does she even understand where she is and what kind of airs she’s putting on?”

Ming Chu, unaware of the reason, thought they were deliberately cold-shouldering her at Ming Tan’s instigation, and felt indignant for a moment.

Equally indignant was Princess Fengzhao, who arrived at the garden shortly after Mingtan and her group. They had entered the garden one after the other, yet because she hadn’t allowed her maid to speak up, no one had even noticed her!

After standing for a while, she shot a glance at her maid.

The maid quickly called out, “Princess Fengzhao has arrived!”

Only then did everyone turn their heads, bowing slightly in unison: “Greetings, Princess. May the Princess be well.”

“No need for formalities.”

Feng Zhao felt a knot in her stomach. As she walked forward, she cast a cold glance at Ming Tan. Upon reaching the pavilion, she scrutinized Ming Tan from head to toe, then suddenly chuckled, “Miss Ming’s fourth daughter is still as beautiful as ever. The annulment of the engagement doesn’t seem to have affected her at all.”

Everyone fell silent.

To pick a fight so directly, Princess Feng Zhao was truly one of a kind.

However, Ming Tan completely ignored the latter half of the sentence, smiling with a pair of shallow, sweet dimples: “Thank you for the compliment, Princess.”

“…” Princess Fengzhao continued, “Since Linghou Mansion is not in the capital, it will be difficult to see the young ladies from their household again in the future. By the way, the fifth young lady of Linghou Mansion borrowed a rare ancient book from me and hasn’t returned it yet. I wonder where it is now. Fourth Miss, you and Linghou Mansion also had a marriage engagement, and you should have correspondence with the fifth young lady—”

“Eh, A’Tan, what’s wrong?” Bai Minmin suddenly supported Ming Tan, asking worriedly.

Ming Tan: “It’s nothing, I might just be a little dizzy because I haven’t had breakfast.”

Everyone busied themselves with words of concern, and Princess Fengzhao’s conversation inexplicably cooled down.

In fact, if she wanted to reply, Mingtan had hundreds of sentences that could leave Fengzhao speechless, but today she didn’t want to get entangled with Fengzhao; she was still waiting for Young Master Shu.

After a round of greetings, the topic had already passed. Zhang Hanmiao was preparing to start the poetry gathering, but Mingchu saw that Princess Fengzhao and Mingtan were not getting along well, and suddenly interjected, “Fourth sister, could it be that you caught a cold from falling into the water earlier, and you still haven’t recovered?”

Falling into the water? What falling into the water?

Everyone was stunned and bewildered. Even Ming Tan hadn’t expected Ming Chu to bring up the incident of falling into the water during the Lantern Festival at such an occasion.

The pavilion fell silent for a moment, then Shen Hua suddenly said, “The lotus pond in the manor is still shallow, so Fourth Sister wouldn’t have gotten too cold. Third Sister doesn’t need to blame herself too much; just be more careful when practicing your whip from now on.”