Sitting in the carriage, Lang Xuan was somewhat reserved. She tentatively asked Linlin, "Does Your Highness think I am dressed appropriately today?"
"Appropriate," Linlin said with a smile. "It would be even better if you could relax a bit."
She is the yardstick by which one measures what is appropriate and what is not.
What constitutes proper conduct, and to what extent? Let's see if anyone dares to object.
Lang Xuan smiled shyly, "I'll try my best."
"Don't be nervous, I'll come find you in a bit."
Linlin guessed that Lang Xuan would definitely not be used to it, so she wanted to pick her up as soon as possible, basically just showing her face would be enough.
"Please don't come!" Lang Xuan hurriedly said.
"What's wrong?"
"The backyard is full of women. If you come, won't others see you?"
She refused.
Linlin chuckled, amused by her. "You little jealous pot."
"Actually, no..." Lang Xuan said softly, looking down.
"What's that?" Linlin reached out to adjust her hairpin. "You're allowed to be jealous, openly and honestly."
"I feel that I have to grow up eventually," Lang Xuan said. "Sooner or later I'll have to handle these kinds of situations independently, and I can't put all the pressure on you. I'm still young, so even if I do something inappropriate, others will understand..."
It's not right for her to embarrass herself after being the Crown Princess for so many years, after Yuwen Duo is gone, and then people will laugh at her for not being good enough for him!
She doesn't want to.
She must start working hard from now on to be a qualified Crown Princess.
"Well—" Linlin chuckled, "I won't go over there yet. If anything happens, have Yanran come out and tell me. No, never mind, you might not be able to find her anyway. I'll send someone to stay with you..."
"No need, not anyone," Lang Xuan said. "You have to trust me, I can handle it."
She looked at Linlin with a Linlin expression, as if to say, "Watch me, I can definitely do it!"
What else could Linlin say?
Of course, I'd say yes to his Lovely wife.
How can there be such an adorable little darling?
For him, Lang Xuan was willing to do everything that was "right," and the standard for "right" was doing what was best for herself.
What merit or ability does he possess to occupy another person's entire being?
"Would you like a piece of candy?" Seeing her tense expression, Linlin felt sorry for her and took out a piece of candy from her purse.
Why do you carry candy with you all the time?
"This is for you," Linlin said with a smile. "I bet you haven't eaten anything."
As he spoke, he brought the candy to her lips.
Lang Xuan bit into the candy, feeling as if her lips had touched his fingertips, and her face turned red, even her small earlobes turned pink.
Sugar is so sweet!
The entire carriage seemed to be filled with pink bubbles.
Unfortunately, the road was still a bit short, and they soon arrived at the Prince of Liaodong's Residence.
Linlin instructed Yanran, "Take good care of your sister-in-law; she's easily embarrassed."
"Don't worry, don't worry, I'm thick-skinned, I'll take good care of you." Yanran said while humming.
Even if the older brother could favor his sister-in-law a little, there's no need to be this biased!
Hmph, luckily she has Cui Xiaoqiu.
She secretly glanced at Cui Xiaoqiu, who was talking to someone not far away.
Strangely enough, even though Cui Xiaoqiu seemed to be listening very attentively, she still immediately responded with her eyes.
Yanran smiled.
Hehe, who cares about an older brother?
She has Cui Xiaoqiu!
Soon, the two women, aunt and sister-in-law, went inside.
The Prince of Liaodong, accompanied by her female relatives, came out to greet them.
Since Qu Hua hadn't entered yet, the women were still exchanging pleasantries with each other.
Of course, it's also a time for comparison.
Lang Xuan is meticulous and leaves no room for error.
Yanran, standing beside her, watched her handle the situation and was quite impressed.
If it were just ordinary, half-hearted small talk, that would be one thing. The problem is that Lang Xuan knows a lot of people, can call out many names, and even knows how many sons and daughters they have and how old they are.
Those who have entered university boast about their academic achievements; those who are engaged boast about their marriage plans...
That's incredible!
When exactly did my sister-in-law secretly start doing her homework?
Yanran felt like she had been completely outmatched.
Thankfully, she could still comfort herself.
From now on, I'll have to rely on my sister-in-law!
However, Yanran felt exhausted by these insincere pleasantries; she felt tired for her sister-in-law!
Qu Hua, oh Qu Hua, you've really fallen into a huge debt of gratitude!
"Sister-in-law, let's go for a walk."
"Okay." Lang Xuan smiled, stood up, nodded to everyone, and then went out with Yanran.
A maid from the Prince's mansion followed, Yanran chased her away.
She led Lang Xuan to a secluded spot, sat down, and fanned herself with a handkerchief, saying, "Sister-in-law, you must be exhausted."
"Not bad." Lang Xuan adjusted the golden hairpin in her hair—she was always worried it would fall off—"I think I did alright today, didn't I? I didn't embarrass myself, did I?"
"No, no, I'm fine! If you embarrass me, what would I become?" Yanran said self-deprecatingly, "Losing my head?"
Lang Xuan was also amused by her.
They sat behind the bamboo grove, and through the bamboo, one could hear the girls laughing and talking.
Just now, they were sitting in the room, accompanied by the wives of high-ranking officials.
The young women brought by each family gathered in the courtyard to "friendly exchange" skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, each showcasing their talents.
It's nothing, Lang Xuan has seen a lot in both her past and present lives.
It's not about outshining anyone, but rather about letting others know their strengths so they can go home and tell their elders how a girl from a certain family is truly excellent in a certain way, which is beneficial for their marriage prospects.
Everyone shared the same goal, tacitly agreeing to compete and vie for attention.
The two sisters-in-law did not disturb them.
Zhi Yanran whispered, "Wouldn't it amaze everyone if we let Little Tangyuan lift the cauldron right now?"
Lang Xuan couldn't help but laugh.
Just then, a woman from behind the bamboo grove said, "What's the point of comparing like this? A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent! Isn't the Crown Princess the daughter of an exiled military household? I've never heard of her being skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, yet she still married His Highness the Crown Prince."
Acid!
It's too sour!
Yanran, with her fiery temper, immediately sneered and said, "Come, let me see who is so illiterate yet so highly respected!"
As she spoke, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Lang Xuan.
She felt she had used those two idioms brilliantly!
That was absolutely an exceptional performance.
Lang Xuan smiled and made a stopping gesture, saying, "Let me do it."
The two women, an aunt and a sister-in-law, emerged from behind the bamboo grove.
The women all bowed in greeting.
The woman who had just spoken was now kneeling on the ground, trembling.
Many people looked at her, so Lang Xuan immediately knew who was speaking.
She slowly stepped forward and stopped in front of the woman.
The woman kowtowed, her voice trembling, "Your Highness, spare my life! Your Highness, spare my life!"
"You haven't done anything wrong, why should I spare your life?" Lang Xuan reached out and helped her up, her face still Yingying with smiles. "Get up."
Everyone stared at her blankly, their minds racing.
--You've been spoken ill of, yet you're still so agreeable?
Is the Crown Princess truly kind-hearted and easily bullied, or is she holding back a powerful move?
The crowd didn't know much about this Crown Princess, so they all looked at Lang Xuan expectantly, waiting for what she would say next.