Madam Wu Yao was speaking to a man in a wide-sleeved long robe when she saw Ning Xueyan arriving at the banquet. She quickly ended the conversation and walked toward Ning Xueyan.
It went without saying that Ning Xueyan had the high status out of everyone present. Even if Wu Yao belonged to the politically neutral faction, she must show an attitude befitting of a host.
"Is this the Crown Princess? Please, come this way." Wu Yao went up to Ning Xueyan with a bright smile.
Ning Xueyan glanced at Wu Yao with a smile, concealing the trace of coldness in her beautiful eyes.
Even though she had taken notice of Wu Yao in her present life, this was still her first time meeting her. It had been a few years but Wu Yao hadn't changed much. She was still the same kind and gentle motherly figure. Perhaps, in her mother's opinion, Wu Yao was her good-tempered but unfortunate close friend.
It was a pity that Wu Yao was so wicked.
<The banquet had started. Unlike regular banquets, the guests were served fresh fruits, light dishes, and sweet fruit wine. Everything was meant to be mild-tasting.A maid presented a small tube filled with many polished bamboo sticks. The sticks were beautiful because of their careful engravings of all sorts of flowers.It went without saying that the tube of bamboo sticks was taken to Ning Xueyan first. The maid knelt respectfully in front of her, held the tube high, and waited for her to pick a stick. This meant that whether or not she wanted to perform, whether or not she was ready to perform, she would have to show the guests something after drawing a lot.On the surface, this was a show of respect. In reality, they were forcing her to perform.Ning Xueyan knew that Wu Yao wouldn't give her a chance to reject performing. She could guess as much after experiencing their little scheme with the zither.Thus, she smile
Nearly everyone was looking at Ning Xueyan. Not even her status as the Crown Princess stopped them from giving her mocking looks. How could a person of her caliber become the Crown Princess and the future Empress, the Mother of the Nation? What a joke!"Your Highness, look..." Commandery Princess Muling turned around and looked at Ning Xueyan with a conflicted expression."Your Highness, should I go there and shut him up? How could he criticize the Crown Princess as he pleased?" Ya Moqin said angrily, looking indignant on Ning Xueyan's behalf.Emotion rippled in Ning Xueyan's eyes. She was quite speechless at their performance. "Eldest Young Lady Ya, let him criticize as he pleases. I don't know what does this has to do with me."In Commandery Princess Muling's opinion, if Ning Xueyan was clever, she would have said the maid took the wrong paper instead of refusing to admit that it was hers. Even though no one wrote their names dow
Ning Xueyan stood up slowly. She wasn't tall, shorter than Ya Moqin even. Yet, when her face darkened and her beautiful eyes turned fierce, Ya Moqin felt a stab of uncertainty. Even the famous scholars were looking around. They were beginning to question their criticism of the poem. If the Crown Princess had truly written the poem, was it right for them to criticize her like this?Their fear was largely derived from the Crown Prince's ruthless reputation. Even if they were determined to become righteous scholars, they had to worry for the lives of their families."Eldest Young Lady Ya, you're just a daughter of the Grand Tutor Ya's Manor. You have no right to discipline my maid." Ning Xueyan looked at Ya Moqin with a grim expression. "Since when do you have the right to discipline someone from the Crown Prince's Manor?"Ning Xueyan was so frank that she sounded like she was reprimanding Ya Moqin. However, no matter how one looked at it, Ya Moqi
"Lanning, help Eldest Young Lady Ya up." Ning Xueyan's eyes were unfathomable. A beautiful gleam was dancing in her pupils. Like the surface of a lake in autumn, those eyes were beautiful but cold.Lanning answered her master's command and helped Ya Moqin to her feet.It went without saying that Ya Moqin wouldn't struggle at this time. She covered her face with her handkerchief, putting on a show of remorse as if she was truly sorry for her slip of tongue earlier. She acted as if she had misspoken out of agitation.Behind her handkerchief, a resentful smile appeared on her face. Ning Xueyan had no choice but to let her off now, but she would never let Ning Xueyan off.However, what Ning Xueyan said next turned her legs soft. She nearly fell."Eldest Young Lady Ya, please leave and get some rest. I'll forgive your slip of the tongue. The imperial family requires their daughter-in-law to be magnanimous, dignified, and re
Ning Xueyan took the stage with two of her maids. It was her privilege as the Crown Princess. No one could criticize her even if she brought twenty maids, let alone two.Lanning took out the antique zither called Mark of the Moon and carefully put it down.Immediately, shocked whispers resounded. "Mark of the Moon?" someone said. "It's really the Mark of the Moon!" another said. Comments and laments abounded.The women's stunned whispers alarmed the men as well. When the famous scholars heard that it was the Mark of the Moon, a few couldn't help standing up and craning their necks for a better look.The Mark of the Moon was so famous that everyone couldn't help but focus on it."Is this really the Mark of the Moon?" a scholar asked the scholar beside him."It must be. The Crown Princess wouldn't use a fake." The other scholar nodded while staring at the zither on the stage. However, the stage was so far aw
These scholars might be famous and distinguished. They might look down on many rules and societal norms as men in the prime of their youth, but they were still ordinary people at the end of the day.When something threatened their lives, even the lives of their families, they would still panic and do something unexpected.The cowardly scholar was a good example.When he saw Wu Yao refusing to let them go, he panicked and cried, "Once the Crown Princess finishes her performance, we'll all die with her! We must leave now!"His voice was loud, and the men and women were only separated by a short distance. They used a path near the women's area on their way out, and the commotion they made had drawn the women's attention. Therefore, everyone at the banquet heard his words.When the women processed those words, they exchanged looks. They didn't know what the scholar meant. Could there be another meaning to Ning Xueyan's per
Ning Xueyan had committed the crime of trying to assassinate the Emperor. One careless mistake, and even Ao Chenyi might be implicated. Everyone knew that they must steer clear of her at this time.The situation was finally under control. No one dared to run after seeing the noble young lady lay dead on the floor without knowing why. They were afraid that the blood-thirsty troops from Prince Yi's Manor would kill them too. These people had killed the lady without asking questions. That was enough to prove how bold they were.Even though most people at the banquet were educated people, they knew they couldn't do anything about the armed guards in front of them.A more courageous scholar tidied his robe and stepped forward to talk to the first batch of guards. "Sir, the Crown Princess performed the Song of the Witch to curse the Emperor. We tried to run away because we didn't dare to stay behind. We wanted to report the matter."Afte
The only other uneasy person in the crowd was Commandery Princess Muling. She couldn't help glancing at Wu Yao before looking away again, no longer trying to get close to the latter. She had been carefully and discreetly making her way toward Wu Yao earlier, but that would be a bad idea now.Even though Wu Yao didn't seem directly involved in the incident, it wouldn't stop others from wondering if the woman who had always kept a low profile was truly innocent. One could tell that the scholars on the stage were suspecting something by how they didn't even look at Wu Yao.Wu Yao ordered her servants to rearrange the tables and chairs and invited everyone back to their seats.Ning Xueyan walked down the stage with Lanning and Qingyu and returned to her seat. The first batch of imperial guards exchanged looks when they realized that the commotion was over, ready to leave.However, the trouble was far from over. Something happened just