Ruan Anruo caught the flash of embarrassment on Tang Zhuyun's face and lifted her chin. "My cousin has already passed the palace examination and become a third-class jinshi. My parents have already agreed to our marriage. What happened today was really you deliberately framing me! You stole my things and then turned around and accused me! But everyone knows what kind of person you are. The innocent need no defense!"
"A third-class jinshi?"
It wasn't that Tang Zhuyun doubted her, but Ruan Anruo's cousin had spent years trying to pass the xiucai exam, and she hadn't even heard that he'd become a juren. Now he was a third-class jinshi?
But since Ruan Anruo dared bring it up in front of everyone, it had to be true.
Tang Zhuyun sneered. "A third-class jinshi? Is that so impressive? Then my father and my elder brother each casually took first place in the palace examination. Shouldn't I be walking sideways?"
Some lousy third-class jinshi, not even a proper second-class one. What's there to be so smug about?
Ruan Anruo: "..."
She seemed to have made a mistake. Bringing up the imperial examinations in front of the Tang family was like showing off her ax skills at Lu Ban's door.
"It's nothing serious. Everyone, disperse. Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. Now that things have come to this, neither you two nor the people watching the spectacle will gain anything from it."
The speaker was Meng Yulan.
Tang Zhuyun didn't know when she had come over.
The moment Song Jingyang saw her, he turned into a bootlicker. He stepped forward and greeted her. "Miss Meng, you came today too. I, I'm bringing these pastries to Miss Yanran, not anyone else."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
What if I want to curse? This damned bootlicker.
Still, she had a vague sense that the marriage between the Prince of Jin and Meng Yulan was what everyone wanted.
Meng Yulan's attitude was cold. She didn't even nod.
Rebuffed, Song Jingyang looked sheepish.
When the others saw that she had arrived, none of them dared say any more.
Consort De was fond of Meng Yulan, and Consort De had served the Empress Dowager for years and was deeply favored by her. If they offended Meng Yulan and she whispered poison into the Empress Dowager's ear, who would come to a good end?
Ruan Anruo slunk away with the maid Tang Zhuyun had beaten into a pig's head.
Tang Zhuyun had won a resounding victory.
To her surprise, Meng Yulan actually sat down beside her.
Tang Zhuyun said, "Well, um, I really, really hate the Prince of Jin..."
I really, absolutely have no designs on the Prince of Jin.
First of all, the Prince of Jin was detestable. Second, she wouldn't be stupid enough to fight a paragon of virtue over a man, would she? Wouldn't that make her a target for everyone's arrows?
Yanran grew anxious when she heard this, but Linlin wouldn't let her speak.
Yanran gave Linlin a miserable look. He picked out a pastry for her, then touched her hand and said softly, "Whatever you want to say, we can talk when we get back to our own home."
Yanran was healed by the words "our own home" and happily began eating the pastry.
Meng Yulan didn't respond to Tang Zhuyun's words. Instead, she said, "You spoke very disparagingly of third-class jinshi just now. Do you know how many people here have had third-class jinshi in their families and take pride in them?"
Third-class jinshi were at the bottom of the third rank, but for powerful and wealthy families, having someone become a third-class jinshi was already impressive. It brought glory to the family name.
Tang Zhuyun thought, I really didn't expect to offend people without even realizing it.
If Meng Yulan hadn't pointed it out, she truly wouldn't have thought of it. It seemed she still had far too much to work on.
She hurriedly said, "I was rash. Thank you for pointing it out, Miss Meng."
She acknowledged the favor.
Meng Yulan added, "I hate the Prince of Jin too."
Huh?
It took Tang Zhuyun a moment to understand. "Ah-then you really have excellent taste too, Miss Meng! It's fine, don't worry. This stays between the two of us. I won't tell anyone else."
A hint of disappointment and self-mockery appeared in Meng Yulan's eyes, but it vanished in an instant, so quickly that Tang Zhuyun thought her eyes had deceived her.
Meng Yulan sat there for a while. Tang Zhuyun didn't know what to say to her, so she could only pretend to tend to the children from time to time and say things like, "The weather is nice today."
She couldn't help muttering to herself, What did the "paragon" come over here for?
She didn't know Meng Yulan well and didn't dare believe her words so easily, especially when she said she "hated the Prince of Jin." If Tang Zhuyun took that seriously, she would be a complete fool.
It wasn't that Meng Yulan was necessarily lying, but Tang Zhuyun couldn't fathom her motives, so she had to put a few more question marks over her words.
A little later, a palace maid came over with a tray and smilingly invited everyone to place their bets.
"What teams are there?" Tang Zhuyun didn't know, so she asked.
The palace maid smiled. "The current wagers are on the dragon boat teams of the various princes."
"Oh, then one tael of silver on the Prince of Jin to lose," Tang Zhuyun said.
The palace maid said awkwardly, "Miss Tang, we only take bets on the winner."
Besides, one tael of silver... that wager really wasn't fit to be put on the table.
"So that's how it works! Then never mind, I won't bet."
She had already been reluctant to part with one tael just to wish the Prince of Jin bad luck. If she had to make a random guess with a one-in-six chance of winning, wouldn't she be skipping her silver across the water?
If she wasn't fated to win, she wouldn't dream of winning.
The palace maid's smile grew even more awkward.
Meng Yulan said, "I won't bet either. I can't see how it will go."
The palace maid curtsied and withdrew.
Tang Zhuyun had a vague feeling that Meng Yulan was helping her save face.
In any case, although she couldn't see through Meng Yulan, so far she hadn't felt any dislike for her.
"You're very good," Meng Yulan said suddenly.
Tang Zhuyun was utterly baffled by the remark.
Although she did think rather well of herself, how had Meng Yulan reached that conclusion?
Was it just because she hadn't placed a bet? That was because she was poor!
If she had a fortune, she wouldn't think twice about skipping silver across the water.
Yanran looked at Meng Yulan with some wariness. Anyone who might become her stepmother was an enemy, except for Tang Zhuyun.
Children didn't know how to hide their feelings, and even Tang Zhuyun felt a little embarrassed. She explained, "She's shy. Please don't take offense."
She understood Yanran's hostility toward the idea of having a stepmother, but Yanran's attitude carried no weight at all in this matter.
As things stood, Meng Yulan would most likely become the Princess of Jin, so it would be better for Yanran if they remained on good terms with her.
Meng Yulan's manner was indifferent. She showed no sign of anger, but no extra affection either.
She sat right there, clearly very close, yet she felt far away.
This was probably the difference between an immortal banished to the mortal world and an ordinary person...
Just then, another palace maid came over and curtsied to Meng Yulan. "So this is where you are, Miss Meng. I've had such a hard time finding you. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager summons you. Her Majesty the Empress, Consort De, Consort Qi... they're all there."
Only then did Meng Yulan rise. She said to Tang Zhuyun, who had breathed a sigh of relief, "I'll come find you for another chat later."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
There's no need, really no need. Admiring your grace from afar is enough for me, elder sister. We sat facing each other with nothing to say, nearly bringing a thousand streams of tears to my eyes. Wasn't that awkward?
With tears brimming in her eyes, she watched Meng Yulan walk away.
"Elder sister," Yanran said in a muffled voice, "I don't want her to be my mother consort."
What could Tang Zhuyun say?
She said, "It's all right. If you're unhappy living at the prince's residence in the future, come find me, all right?"
"Why can't you marry my father?" Yanran tilted her head up to look at her, her eyes already full of tears.
Tang Zhuyun was so startled that she nearly fell off her chair.