Wang Qinglin returned home, growing increasingly angry. She hadn't expected Wang Qingyao to treat her this way, even after Prince Jing had achieved the third rank in the imperial examination! Did she no longer intend to rely on the Wang family in the future?
She then recalled the poems Wang Qingyao had recited that day and found it increasingly strange.
She had started her studies at the age of three, and at five, Wang Da had hired a tutor to teach her privately at home. Although Wang Qingzhen and Wang Qingzhu would also learn alongside her, Wang Qingyao had never received such instruction. Let alone reciting poems, she barely knew a few characters.
Wang Qinglin couldn't figure it out, so she went to the main courtyard to find Madam Bai.
The Wang family was also hosting a celebratory banquet the next day, and Madam Bai was reviewing accounts under the lamplight. Seeing her arrive, she asked curiously, "You're not asleep yet? We have a lot to do tomorrow, so you should rest early."
Wang Qinglin sat beside Madam Bai and recounted the events of the flying flower competition that day.
Madam Bai's eyes turned cold. "I've long suspected she's been playing the fool all along, pretending to be weak and incompetent, knowing nothing. Now that she's about to become a princess, why would she still need to hide?"
"Who did she learn those things from?"
Madam Bai wasn't particularly concerned about such matters. While looking at the account book, she said, "Perhaps it was her former wet nurse. That old woman raised her like her own daughter."
Wang Qinglin had no recollection of Wang Qingyao's wet nurse. She frowned, thinking, "Could a wet nurse possess such talent?"
Meanwhile, Wang Qingyao returned to Cold Fragrance Courtyard, already yawning profusely. "Yinzhu, fetch me some bathwater!" she called out, stretching and kicking her legs as she entered the room. She then saw Prince Jing standing by her desk, head bowed, "admiring" her unfinished novel.
Yinzhu approached and whispered, "Miss, the eldest young master is here."
Wang Qingyao: "I see him."
"Elder Brother," she walked over, chuckling dryly, and tried to cover her novel manuscript with a large sheet of white paper, pretending to conceal it. "Is there something you need this late at night?"
"Your calligraphy is good," Prince Jing commented. "To achieve this in such a short time, second sister is very talented."
Wang Qingyao elegantly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You flatter me."
Prince Jing coughed lightly, a hint of awkwardness on his face. "That... the poems second sister recited today... are there not more by those reclusive scholars?"
"Yes, there are many more."
"Can second sister recite them all?"
"Most of them. What's wrong?"
Prince Jing was overjoyed. Rubbing his hands, he said sheepishly, "Could second sister recite them for me when you have time? I wish to record them for constant study. To be honest, I've never read such excellent poetry in my life; it's truly unprecedented..."
Prince Jing praised the poems, comparing them to those of the Sage of Poetry, the Immortal of Poetry, and the Ghost of Poetry, then looked at Wang Qingyao with anticipation.
Wang Qingyao remembered Xiao Yun mentioning making a collection of these poems to sell for money, and she hesitated. After much thought, she said, "I can, but I ask that elder brother not to share them with anyone else."
"Absolutely, absolutely," Prince Jing said with great delight.
After sending Prince Jing away, Wang Qingyao quickly washed up and went to bed.
The next day, she was indeed woken early. The guests had not yet arrived, but the music of flutes and strings had already begun. Even in the secluded Cold Fragrance Courtyard, the sounds could be heard, indicating how much importance the Wang family placed on this celebratory banquet.
It was said that they had specifically invited outside troupes to prepare the food, with ten taels of silver per table, featuring delicacies from the sky, the land, and the water.
Although it was a banquet, by one o'clock in the afternoon, guests who frequented the family had begun to arrive.
The Bai family, Madam Bai's maternal relatives, naturally arrived early. The ladies and grandmothers accompanied the Old Madam in her room, while the young ladies were entertained by Wang Qinglin.
Being on her home turf, Wang Qinglin was dressed more casually than yesterday, but she was still adorned with pearls and jade, exuding an air of nobility.
Wang Qingzhen and Wang Qingzhu followed behind her as usual. Despite her strained relationship with Wang Qingyao, on such an occasion, she could only feign sisterly affection and attend to the guests together.
The young ladies from the Bai family had all been met during the Qingming Festival outing. Due to an unpleasant incident, there was an unavoidable awkwardness when they met.
The young lady who had intended to scare them with a fake spider was also present. She appeared much thinner than before, her complexion sallow, her eyes dim, and her face etched with a look of utter despair.
Wang Qinglin, acting as if nothing had happened, asked with concern, "What's wrong with Cousin Chun? Did you not sleep well last night?"
Bai Junchun's half-sister, the third daughter of the Bai family, gloated, "Eldest sister is getting married. She's so happy she hasn't slept for several nights!"
Wang Qinglin was startled. "To whom? I haven't heard a word of it!"
"To the Cheng family, the Minister of Revenue."
Wang Qinglin's attitude immediately changed. Wang Da was the Vice Minister of Revenue, making the Minister of Revenue his direct superior. The Bai family was able to secure such a good marriage? She affectionately linked arms with Bai Junchun and teased, "Which young master of the Cheng family is she betrothed to?"
Bai Junchun's expression faltered.
The third daughter of the Bai family chuckled slyly, "Not a young master, but the master himself, Minister Cheng."
The young ladies of the Wang family were all astonished and looked at Bai Junchun with sympathy. Bai Junchun's face flushed and paled, wishing she could disappear into the ground.
The fourth daughter of the Bai family giggled, "Eldest sister truly has good fortune. Although she's marrying as a second wife, she'll be the Minister's wife from the moment she enters the household, a second-rank noble lady. Our family has never produced a noble lady before."
Bai Junchun remained silent, but a chilling glint flashed in her disheartened eyes.
Although Wang Qingyao disliked Bai Junchun, at this moment, she felt a profound sadness. This was the arranged marriage of ancient times, dictated by parents and matchmakers, where one had no say in the matter.
If her fate hadn't been deemed precious by the Imperial Preceptor Feng Fu, she too would have been a stepping stone for the Wang family to climb higher, married off to some unknown household, just like Bai Junchun.
She cast another sympathetic glance at Bai Junchun, who, with her head bowed, remained silent to her sisters' taunts.
"Poor thing," she thought.
The third daughter of the Bai family sidled up to Wang Qinglin, mischievously saying, "Cousin Lin, don't tell anyone, but Eldest sister is still in the negotiation stage, not yet engaged."
Wang Qinglin nodded. "Am I that kind of gossip?"
Bai San and Bai Si giggled, offering a few flattering words that made Wang Qinglin laugh charmingly.
The young ladies from the second branch of the Bai family, however, did not join in the mockery. Wang Qingyao remembered that Bai Junya seemed to be quite decent, and at this moment, her face showed genuine concern, not feigned.
Just then, Wang Da and Prince Jing were escorting a middle-aged man of forty or fifty through the garden. Wang Qinglin led the young ladies forward to greet them.
"Father, Elder Brother."
"Uncle, Elder Brother."
"Uncle-in-law, Cousin."
Wang Da was pleased with their etiquette and introduced the middle-aged man to them. "This is Minister Cheng of the Ministry of Revenue."
Everyone was startled.
Bai Junchun glanced quickly at Minister Cheng, her face pale, and lowered her head, joining everyone in a greeting.
The Bai twins exchanged glances, their eyes betraying unconcealed amusement.