Chapter 37 Miss Lin.
A palace maid whispered to Yongkang, "Princess, Miss Lin will be here soon."
Yongkang quickly stood up and said with a smile, "I have to go greet Sister Lin!"
As the princess walked out of the palace, someone asked curiously, "Who is this Miss Lin from, that the princess values so highly?"
Someone nearby replied, "She is the Prince Duan's betrothed, and the princess's sister-in-law."
"I see..." A girl standing there lifted her foot upon hearing this. "Have any of you seen Miss Lin before?"
This arranged marriage has only been over for a short time, and everyone knows it was for good luck. Recently, it has been said that Prince Duan's health has improved and he seems quite interested in his future bride, which has aroused people's curiosity. Could it really be a match made in heaven?
Most people shook their heads, with only a few saying, "I saw her once, it was Miss Lin with her aunt... but I've forgotten where."
"Oh...is it that aunt who's trying to harm Miss Lin?" someone exclaimed softly.
"This person is truly vicious..."
The noble ladies whispered amongst themselves, while the princesses asked He Jia, "Haven't you met this Miss Lin? What do you think of her appearance and character?"
He Jia took a sip of tea and slowly smiled, "You'll see when you see them. None of the young ladies in this room... no, in the entire capital, can compare to our fifth sister-in-law."
Princess Huaining smiled and said, "Such a fine girl, we've never seen her before..."
Most of the princesses didn't believe it, thinking that Hejia was just trying to save face for his own brother, but they still couldn't help craning their necks to look outside the hall as they spoke.
I heard that the Empress Dowager also praised Miss Lin. He Jia and Yong Kang both seem to like her very much, and even the cold-hearted Fifth Prince is quite fond of her.
Who exactly is this Miss Lin?
A moment later, Yongkang entered with a young woman by his arm. Everyone looked at her, and the room fell silent for a moment until someone exclaimed in surprise, and everyone slowly came back to their senses.
His temperament was elegant and refined, and his beauty was unparalleled. Words could hardly describe him. Could there really be such a person in the world!
Huaining patted her chest and said to Hejia, "What you just said was completely wrong..."
He Jia frowned and looked at her.
Huaining continued, "She's not even as beautiful as all the young ladies in the capital, or all the girls in the world combined."
He Jia was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Oh dear, she's still a child. Sixth Sister, you're making her feel too bad."
As they were talking, Yongkang brought Daiyu over to greet the princesses. The princesses smiled gently and presented gifts, and some even invited Daiyu to visit them another day. After dealing with them, Yongkang introduced the noble ladies to Daiyu. Since they were all of the same age and generation, they greeted each other and then sat down to chat.
Yongkang pulled Daiyu and the other girl to sit side by side. Luhua served tea and snacks to her. Daiyu's expression remained unchanged, but she was constantly on edge.
"Sister Lin can't drink tea, Luhua, don't give the tea to Sister Lin by mistake." After Yongkang finished instructing her, he stuck out his tongue, took Daiyu's hand, and said, "Fifth Brother has told me hundreds of times, Sister Lin, you have to stand up for me!"
Daiyu thought for a moment and then smiled, "Hmm...why doesn't the princess also try to pull the prince's ear?"
Yongkang pouted: "I'm not as tall as him, I can't reach his ears."
Daiyu shrugged and said helplessly, "I'm short too, I'm afraid I can't help the princess."
Those who saw them chatting casually were surprised by their closeness and curious about the relationship between Prince Duan and his fiancée.
"So, Prince Duan is such a thoughtful person?" someone whispered to her girlfriends.
The young woman whispered, "Who knows how many times you've met Prince Duan?"
The first person thought for a moment and said, "Maybe twice, but the last time was three years ago..."
Few outsiders had ever seen Prince Duan, and given the difference between men and women, the noble ladies could no longer recall what Prince Duan looked like. So one of them whispered, "I wonder if Prince Duan's character and appearance are worthy of Miss Lin?"
Miss Lin is stunningly beautiful. Even though Prince Duan is of noble birth, it's still debatable whether he is a good match for her in terms of looks alone.
The person who heard her words quickly raised their hand and gently patted her arm. This is still in the palace! She really dares to say anything!
Yongkang spoke with Daiyu for a while, then turned to talk to the others, but he did not neglect Daiyu; instead, he brought her into the conversation.
Young ladies rarely go out, and they spend their days doing the same things. Everyone is pretty much the same, so they always have something to talk about.
Suddenly, a lady-in-waiting beside Yongkang quietly reminded her master that it was time to start the banquet. The group then moved to another hall where a stage had been set up. The lady-in-waiting brought over the playbill, and Yongkang asked the ladies to choose first.
The eldest sister, Shuhe, laughed and said, "There's no one else here today, so we sisters don't stand on ceremony. You young girls can just pick whatever you want to hear, and we'll stay young for a day too."
The princesses echoed her sentiments, and Yongkang offered to give way twice more before returning with the playbill. The noble ladies who were on good terms with her knew what kind of person she was. When she said that everyone should choose what they liked, they didn't stand on ceremony and passed the playbill around, discussing which play was the best.
Daiyu also requested a performance, and the opera singers on stage sang their praises from time to time, while the delicacies on the table remained largely untouched.
After the performance, they changed clothes and went back to have tea. The princesses left first. Yongkang ordered people to bring the prepared flowers and potted plants, giving two pots to each princess and handing them to their attendants. Afterwards, everyone escorted the princesses to the outside of the palace.
Back at the greenhouse, everyone chatted and admired the various flowers being grown. Someone suggested composing poems for fun, which was met with everyone's approval.
Yongkang glanced at Daiyu and, seeing that her expression and eyes remained unchanged, knew that this wouldn't be difficult for her, so she smiled and nodded, "Alright." Turning her head, she instructed a palace maid to fetch pen and ink, and then said, "But what should the topic be? You can't say it's for my birthday, that's so boring!"
The girl who suggested composing a poem was clearly prepared, and upon hearing this, she smiled and said, "The flowers here are in full bloom, so why not use that as the theme?"
Yongkang clapped his hands and laughed, "Alright, everyone write down which flower you've chosen. It doesn't matter if you choose the same one twice. We'll see whose poem is better, and that person gets to take the flower!"
"Two incense sticks for a limited time, the more you write, the more you get, how about it?" Yongkang circled around the crowd.
Everyone agreed, and the hall was bustling with activity for a while. After a while, the palace servants brought over the brushes and ink, and the hall gradually quieted down. The young ladies strolled among the flowers or pondered with their brushes in hand. The only sound in the hall was the sound of footsteps.
Daiyu possessed profound wisdom, but she had no intention of attracting attention. She first pondered for a moment in front of the flowers before going to her desk to pick up her brush and dip it in ink.
When the time for two incense sticks to burn was up, Daiyu carefully considered and wrote only two poems, estimating that they would rank in the middle or higher.
Daiyu was indeed competitive, but she also knew that it was not a good time to compete in such a situation. She had no intention of overshadowing everyone, and this position was the best for her.
However, the final result was far beyond her expectations. The girl who suggested writing poems picked up her pen and wrote three poems in one go. Each one was excellent and far superior to the others, but ultimately it was not as good as Daiyu's.
Others wrote two poems, some wrote one, and the fewest wrote three, but none did. However, none of them could surpass the girl who suggested writing the poem, and even less could they surpass Daiyu.
In the end, everyone decided that Daiyu was the best.
Daiyu: "..."
She underestimated herself and overestimated others.
The girl, who was second only to Daiyu, looked at Daiyu's poems and realized that she was not as good as Daiyu. She had nothing to be resentful about, but she had never lost before, so she felt a little sad.
Yongkang whispered to Daiyu, "Her surname is Fang, and she is my mother's grandniece. She is usually proud and arrogant, and now that she has lost to you, she is definitely thinking about how to win back next time!"
Many people were reading Daiyu's poems and praising them, while a few people gathered around Miss Fang, seemingly to comfort her.
Daiyu pursed her lips; it was actually a girl from the Fang family…
Yongkang continued, "Sister Lin, you are her cousin... I'll count the generations, aunt! Even if she holds a grudge against you, you don't need to be afraid. After all, she is a junior, and you won't suffer any losses."
Aunt... Daiyu's worries temporarily subsided, because this address made her suddenly feel more than ten years older.
After a while, everyone dispersed. The Empress Dowager specially sent someone to instruct them not to go over there. Except for Yongkang, Daiyu, and the two Fang family girls, everyone else took the flowers and left the palace to go home.
Miss Fang looked a little gloomy, so Yongkang said, "Lan'er, are you still thinking about the poem from earlier?"
Although Miss Fang was of a younger generation, she was the oldest of the three, even a year older than Daiyu. Upon hearing this, she felt a little embarrassed, glanced at Daiyu, and said, "Aunt, my knowledge is not as good as others, there's nothing to say about that, I'll just work harder in the future."
"Good boy, that's a good attitude. There's always someone better than you, and there's no end to learning. Go home and study hard!" Yongkang said, pretending to be mature.
Daiyu almost burst out laughing, but another girl named Fang, who was only ten years old, couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Aunt, you're younger than Fifth Sister, yet you call her a child."
Yongkang, chin in hand, said smugly, "Who told me to be of a higher generation!" She then affectionately took Daiyu's arm, adopting the air of an elder, "Sister Lin is also of a higher generation, so you must all respect Miss Lin, understand?"
Upon hearing this, Daiyu lowered her head and smiled.
Both Miss Fangs should be.
The older Miss Fang looked at Daiyu, wanting to say something. She tentatively opened her mouth several times, but she couldn't out-talk Yongkang, who kept talking. Even when they arrived at the warm pavilion of Renshou Palace, she couldn't say a single word to Daiyu.
In the warm pavilion, the Empress Dowager was playing chess with Chu Heng. Daiyu glanced at it and saw that the black and white chess pieces on the board were going back and forth, and the two sides were evenly matched.
Daiyu suddenly realized that Chu Heng's chess skills were personally taught by the Empress Dowager.
"Why is Lan'er unhappy?" The Empress Dowager asked casually as she helped Shuangyun to sit on the couch.
Fang Lanyi stood up and replied with a smile, "I'm not unhappy, it's just that it's too cold outside and my face is frozen."
The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Have a cup of hot tea to warm up. It's very cold today. You sisters don't need to go back. You sleep with Yongkang, and Fen'er will sleep with me."
The Fang sisters smiled and thanked the Empress Dowager: "Yes, thank you very much, Your Majesty."
After tidying up the chessboard, Chu Heng said, "Mother, Miss Lin and I will take our leave now."
The Empress Dowager said, "You may stay as well. There are still a couple of rooms available in the palace."
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