Chapter 61 Insights

Princess Changyang curled her lips: "What if I say no?"

The atmosphere in the room became tense.

Just then, Huo Wenxuan walked in. She simply nodded to Princess Changyang and asked knowingly, "Why are you all so stiff?"

The noble ladies looked away, not daring to meet her gaze. Princess Changyang, who was sitting in the middle of the long table, put away her soft knife and said with a sweet smile, "Nothing, sister, you came really early. Please sit down."

Huo Wenxuan had accompanied Queen Shen in worshipping Buddha at Baohua Temple for three years and was highly valued by Queen Shen. Princess Changyang did not want to have any conflicts with her, so even if their relationship was average, she had to do her best to save her face.

Huo Wenxuan responded indifferently, and then took Lu Yu and Song Lingyi to the table, one on each side.

Everyone's expression changed slightly. They had finally gotten the chance to teach Song Lingyi a lesson, but how come Huo Wenxuan showed up at such a coincidence!

Princess Changyang drank a sip of hot tea, knowing that Huo Wenxuan was intent on supporting the two women, so she would just step back. They were both in Kyoto, and there would be plenty of opportunities in the future, so there was no need to rush.

The three women sat down and the maids brought them cheese snacks.

The atmosphere at the table returned to normal, with laughter and chatter. Just when Song Lingyi thought that today's social crisis had been resolved, something else happened that she had not expected.

At that moment, someone excitedly called out, "Miss Pei is here."

Song Lingyi turned her head and looked. The girl was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with an elegant temperament. She was wearing a sandalwood-colored spring shirt with a narrow sleeves and a moon-white skirt. There was a pearl flower in her hair. She walked into the Sifang Pavilion and sat down opposite Song Lingyi.

"Cousin, she is?"

Lu Yu swallowed the snack in her mouth and introduced, "Her name is Pei Ling, and she is Uncle Pei's only daughter."

No wonder.

Song Lingyi glanced at the noble ladies sitting around. No wonder these people were so "excited".

In her previous life, she was slow to develop. When she was in elementary school, every time the final exam report cards were handed out, the neighbor aunt would always stop her to ask about her grades. Seeing that she did poorly, she would smile and comfort her. It was not until she grew up that she realized that they were mocking her, comparing her, and secretly delighting in her not being as good as other children.

It is similar to the current scene.

Uncle Pei and Mother Song's perfect match did not come true. After they each got married, they both had daughters, so it was inevitable that they would be compared by people with ulterior motives.

The Song family has fallen on hard times, and she is an orphan. Judging from her family background, she is a complete failure.

"Why didn't she attend the Lu family's banquet?"

"Uncle Pei went to Lizhou some time ago, and Pei Ling went with him." Lu Yu answered in a low voice.

During the conversation, Pei Ling, who was sitting opposite her, held up her teacup and acted in a dignified manner. Song Lingyi saw this and secretly praised the upbringing of this sister Pei.

Princess Changyang, surrounded by beautiful women, picked up a piece of cake, took a sip, and said, "This Touhuaci has a soft and glutinous texture, a fragrant bean aroma, and is also beautifully crafted. Everyone, please try it."

After she finished speaking, a noblewoman beside her mentioned casually, "Speaking of which, Sister Song is from Huaizhou, which is remote and close to Danyang County, which has been plagued by war for years. Sister Song probably hasn't had the chance to taste such delicious snacks."

The noble ladies around were either covering their lips with their fans or whispering to each other, making sarcastic sounds from time to time.

“…”Song Lingyi.

Well, even a piece of dessert can be placed around her.

"The customs of the two places are different, what's there to compare?" Song Lingyi smiled slightly. "Everyone here is a noble lady from a wealthy family. Born at the feet of the emperor, raised in luxury, and acquainted with the nobles of Kyoto. You've seen the world."

Faint footsteps could be heard on the tree-lined path outside the Sifang Pavilion.

"But the world is so vast. Living in a small part of it, we only see one side of it. We need to know how high the sky is and how thick the earth is; we need to know how difficult life is and how to respect people and things; we need to know that all beings are different and that everything has both positive and negative sides. The world we see upward is the world, and the world we see downward is also the world."

Song Lingyi said, "Huaizhou is remote and cannot be compared with Kyoto, so my sister thinks I can't afford exquisite snacks and am not sophisticated enough."

The noble lady's face changed and she turned away when her little thoughts were exposed by the girl in public.

"But I don't think so."

"Born in Huaizhou, I know the cruelty of war. I've seen many men don armor and leave home, only to be left with nothing but a cenotaph. Your light-hearted phrase 'years of war' reflects the blood of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, the displacement of tens of thousands of civilians, and the three years of arduous fighting Your Highness the Crown Prince endured in Danyang County."

The whole room was silent.

In just a few words, he not only refuted the noble lady's insinuation that she was ignorant, but also nitpicked and brought the topic back to the prince. Now it was the noble lady's turn to panic.

"That's not what I meant. I... I just..." The noble lady's face turned pale and she spoke haltingly. She looked at Princess Changyang frequently, fearing that she would displease her.

Pei Ling, sitting across from her, looked up at Song Lingyi, her eyes slightly startled. This was the first time she had laid eyes on him since they'd been seated together.

Lu Yu opened her lips slightly and stared at her cousin for a long while before she said, "Cousin, what you said is so profound."

Song Lingyi tilted her head and raised her eyebrows at her.

"You just what?" Huo Wenxuan gave her a cold look. "You know you said the wrong thing, so why don't you just shut up?"

The noble lady lowered her head with a look of fear on her face.

Little did they know that what was said in the Sifang Pavilion had fallen into the ears of several young masters of noble families who passed by.

"Whose girl is this? She speaks so eloquently."

"She's from Huaizhou, so she should be the cousin of the Duke's Mansion."

"Oh~ Didn't Brother Jianzhi attend the banquet last time? Do you have any impression of this cousin?"

Several young masters from aristocratic families turned their gazes towards Pei Zhao.

The person involved seemed not to hear what they said at all, with his eyelids drooping, immersed in his own thoughts.

After a while, he said, "Don't listen to anything inappropriate. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should be here soon. Let's go."

Upon hearing this, the young masters from the aristocratic families stopped talking and walked around the Sifang Pavilion and continued forward.

…

The Pei family is a scholarly family. When the women have a feast, they don’t just enjoy cheese and cakes, they also have to recite poems and paint, competing in talent.

Officials in Kyoto would invite teachers to their homes to teach them, and these noble ladies would not miss any opportunity to display their talents.

The maids came in one after another carrying brushes, ink, paper and inkstone, and placed them in front of each noble lady. This time, the painting was about summer scenery.

Song Lingyi held the wolf hair brush and looked around. The noble ladies around her had already started to paint, especially Pei Ling opposite her. She had only finished half of the painting, but she was already getting praise from people on both sides.

Looking down at the blank paper in front of her, Song Lingyi felt guilty.

Pei Ling and Pei Zhao were siblings. The elder brother was renowned for his talent, and the younger sister was undoubtedly no less talented. As an engineering student, she knew nothing about poetry or painting. If she stayed any longer, she would become the object of everyone's ridicule.

"Ouch~" Song Lingyi suddenly covered her stomach and murmured softly.