Chapter 4 "Was Miss Meng looking for me that day...?"
Before they knew it, it was the Princess's birthday banquet. Today, not only the women were attending, but also the unmarried young men from various households.
The women were in the backyard, while the young men were in the front, being received by the prince consort and Prince Rong.
Meng Yuanxiao had already planned it all out: at her birthday banquet, she and Mingyue would play a duet, with Mingyue playing the zither and her playing the flute.
Mingyue was well-versed in music, and with Mingyue's help, even if she played off-key, Mingyue could always bring her back on track and prevent her from making a fool of herself.
Thinking this, after the other noble ladies had successively displayed their talents at the banquet, Meng Yuanxiao seized an opportunity that wouldn't attract attention and pulled Mingyue to play a piece together.
When the song ended, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ran back to her mother's side, playfully sticking out her tongue at her mother.
She thought that was the end of it, and that she could just eat and play all she wanted, but unexpectedly the princess noticed her.
The young lady chosen by the princess indeed amazed everyone with her painting skills. Meng Yuanxiao excitedly went over to watch the spectacle, but the princess called out her name and asked, "Are you Lord Meng's eldest daughter?"
Meng Yuanxiao did not underestimate herself. She knew she was beautiful, but the noble ladies who came to the banquet today were all dressed up, so she did not attract much attention. Moreover, at last year's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, the Princess did not notice her either.
It couldn't be because she played the piece terribly, could it? She practiced for several days after all!
There is only one Meng family in the capital, so the princess was naturally referring to her. Meng Yuanxiao curtsied and said sweetly, "Your Highness, it is indeed I, your humble servant."
"Come here and let me see you."
Meng Yuanxiao stepped forward, and the princess, with a faint smile on her face, looked her up and down and nodded, saying, "Your appearance is indeed outstanding."
"Thank you for your praise, Princess."
"I remember you have two older brothers. I know your eldest brother, but I have never met your second brother. Where is your second brother now?"
The eldest princess was plump and well-maintained, looking no more than thirty years old.
Although she was smiling, her eyes were intensely captivating, making Meng Yuanxiao feel a little intimidated.
She looked obedient and replied truthfully, "Your Highness, my second brother is currently undergoing training in the Fengzhou military camp."
The eldest princess nodded and said with a smile, "Lord Meng is very fortunate. His two sons, one a scholar and the other a warrior, are both outstanding individuals."
Meng Yuanxiao quickly replied, "Your Highness is too kind."
She was beautiful, with a pretty face that was both obedient and charmingly naive, and her big, watery almond-shaped eyes that blinked easily, making it impossible to dislike her.
The princess did not make things difficult for her. She pointed to the painting that had won everyone's praise and said, "I have heard that you are good at painting. I do not know much about these things. Can you give me your critique?"
The whole thing was meant to let others shine, so how could Meng Yuanxiao dare to show off her limited skills? Fortunately, she was quick-witted and pointed to the most eye-catching and exquisite parts of the painting, praising them lavishly.
She wasn't afraid of the princess seeing through her little scheme, since that was exactly what the princess wanted.
Sure enough, after she finished praising her, the princess's smile deepened. Finally, she looked at her intently and asked, "I heard that you are getting engaged?"
Meng Yuanxiao was surprised.
Her marriage to Brother Tang has not yet been arranged. She hasn't even told Mingyue, and no outsiders know about it. How could the Princess know?
She didn't know why the princess suddenly asked this question, but she dared not lie to the princess. She blushed and said, "Marriage is a major event that is decided by parents and matchmakers. I will listen to my father and mother."
She thought she had answered without any mistakes, but to her surprise, the princess said meaningfully, "Marriage is a personal matter. How can it be entirely up to others to decide? It should be based on your own preference."
Meng Yuanxiao was taken aback, blinked, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Princess. I understand now."
"Hmm," the princess nodded slightly and instructed the nanny beside her, "I find Miss Meng quite charming, so I will take the finest jade ruyi from my storeroom and give it to Miss Meng as a congratulatory gift."
This surprised not only Meng Yuanxiao and the nanny, but also everyone at the table.
The nanny agreed, and the princess, having finished her questions, waved her hand and said, "Alright, go play."
After the banquet, the eldest princess said that the young ladies were free to stroll around the garden at the back.
Meng Yuanxiao was trembling with fear in front of the princess, but in the eyes of others, she was quite the star today.
Her girlfriends, who usually played together, were jealous. They would gather in twos and threes to chat and joke around, but they wouldn't include her.
Meng Yuanxiao turned to look for Zhang Mingyue, only to find that Mingyue was being pulled by Madam Zhang to socialize among a group of ladies, and was not given any attention.
After thinking for a moment, Meng Yuanxiao told her mother and went to the garden of the Princess's residence alone.
The garden of the Princess's residence was extremely large, with artificial hills and flowing water everywhere. Meng Yuanxiao almost got lost after wandering around for a while, but fortunately, she was followed by a maid from the Princess's residence, so she was not afraid.
Tired from walking, I played with the koi in the pavilion by the pond for a while, when I could faintly hear men's voices coming from ahead.
Meng Yuanxiao was about to avoid it when he saw Lu Erlang, dressed in a moon-white robe, emerge from behind the flowers and trees at the other end of the pavilion.
Two more people came out after them. They were Lu Erlang's classmates at the Imperial Academy, and Meng Yuanxiao had met them before.
Meng Yuanxiao's hand, which was holding the fish food, froze in mid-air. The three men, seeing her, also looked surprised, hurriedly said "We're sorry for being so abrupt," and then stopped and turned back.
Lu Erlang hesitated slightly, glanced at Meng Yuanxiao again, nodded to her, and then left.
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Meng Yuanxiao squatted down again and continued to tease the koi in the pond.
She felt a little down. After thinking for a moment, she turned to her maid and said, "I'm a little thirsty. Could you please brew me a pot of hot tea?"
The maidservant acknowledged, curtsied, and turned to leave.
Just as the maid's figure disappeared behind him, Lu Erlang emerged again from behind the clump of flowers and trees at the other end of the pavilion.
Meng Yuanxiao was somewhat surprised, dropped the fish food in his hand, and stood up.
This place is secluded, with flowers and trees at both ends providing cover. If someone comes, they can hear the footsteps first, so there's no fear of being seen.
Lu Erlang quickly walked over and stopped three steps away from her.
Meng Yuanxiao pursed her lips, her face showing wariness.
Lu Erlang smiled and said, "Miss Meng's flute playing is still the same... unique."
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
Did this person come here specifically to mock her?
She was a little annoyed, but then she wondered if the princess had only noticed her because the tune she played was so bad.
Her expression turned somewhat strange, and she said unhappily, "Among so many women, how do you know it was me playing the flute, and not someone else?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Erlang couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Miss Meng's flute playing is truly unforgettable. I recognized her as Miss Meng as soon as I heard the flute music earlier. However, the piece Miss Meng played today is an improvement over her previous ones."
Meng Yuanxiao blushed in annoyance.
She didn't want to talk to him anymore and was about to turn around when Lu Erlang suddenly asked, "Was Miss Meng also looking for me that day?"
It refers to the time she and Mingyue went to the Imperial College to ambush him.
Meng Yuanxiao said irritably, "No, I'm going to find Brother Tang."
Lu Erlang's beautiful eyes dimmed.
Mentioning this matter, Meng Yuanxiao was in no hurry to leave.
"What did you say to Mingyue that day?"
Lu Erlang paused for a moment, then said, "I have already made it clear to Miss Zhang that the Lu family and the Zhang family will not be related by marriage."
Meng Yuanxiao frowned deeply: "Since you have no feelings for Mingyue, why don't you explain it to Madam Lu instead of tarnishing Mingyue's reputation?"
Lu Erlang's tone was somewhat urgent: "At first I didn't know, but later..."
He paused abruptly at this point, seemingly finding it difficult to speak, his eyes looking at Meng Yuanxiao with a slightly complicated expression.
Meng Yuanxiao frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
Lu Erlang: "...Miss Meng, rest assured, I have already explained it to my mother, and she will not make decisions on her own in the future."
Meng Yuanxiao found him strange. "What do I have to worry about?"
After saying that, she refused to say anything more to him and turned to leave.
But as soon as she took a step, Lu Erlang caught up and grabbed her arm.
Meng Yuanxiao was startled and hurriedly tried to shake off his hand. "What are you doing?"
Lu Erlang had lost his composure in the heat of the moment, and upon hearing this, he quickly let go of her hand and said, "I'm sorry."
Fearing that Meng Yuanxiao would leave again, he quickly added, "The storybook you asked me to find, I actually got it."
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
"On the day I got my hands on the storybook, I went to see Lord Meng. I wanted to ask Lord Meng whether I should ask him to pass it on to you or whether I should give it to you myself."
"But I was unable to meet Lord Meng, as Lord Cui stopped me instead. After I finished speaking, Lord Cui said, 'Miss Meng, you have already obtained the storybook, so there's no need for that.'"
Meng Yuanxiao was stunned. She clearly hadn't gotten her hands on the storybook yet, so why did Brother Tang say that?
Lu Erlang looked at her, a hint of self-mockery on his face.
"Lord Cui and Lord Meng are on good terms, so Lord Cui's intentions must be the same as Lord Meng's."
"I happened to run into Miss Zhang that day, and she asked me if I could get her some storybooks. I thought that since she was on good terms with you, you could see them if I gave them to her, so I just gave them to her."
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
She opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.
After Lu Erlang finished speaking, he looked at her in silence.
He was handsome, somewhat resembling Cui Xintang, with a gentle and refined demeanor and clear features; otherwise, Meng Yuanxiao wouldn't have developed feelings for him.
Meng Yuanxiao felt inexplicably uncomfortable under his gaze.
She lowered her head and remained silent for a moment, then frowned. Unable to stay any longer, she turned and left without waiting for the maid.
She hurriedly walked out of the pavilion, only to find several cobblestone paths extending beyond the flowers and trees. She couldn't quite remember which path she had come from.
Just as he was getting a little anxious, he turned his head and saw Cui Xintang standing under the long corridor a little further away, talking to someone.
He didn't know how long he had been standing there, listening to people talking, but his gaze kept drifting towards her.
Their eyes met, and Cui Xintang glanced subtly into the pavilion behind Meng Yuanxiao.
Meng Yuanxiao swallowed hard, feeling a little guilty.
Cui Xintang only glanced at the pavilion before quickly looking away.
He glanced at her again, as if he knew she was lost, and pointed her in a direction.
Meng Yuanxiao breathed a sigh of relief, smiled at him from afar, and walked away with her head down.
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