That day, Xingxing, in high spirits, invited Chen Yueru to go to the temple fair together. There was a Hufa Temple in the suburbs, which was the most magnificent and famous temple in the capital. It was frequented by worshippers all year round, and most of those who could go to Hufa Temple were noble ladies and daughters from aristocratic families.
I heard that even emperors and empresses have visited Hufa Temple. The bodhisattvas there are very efficacious, and the fortune sticks there are also very accurate. Moreover, there is a large sea of flowers behind Hufa Temple. In warm weather, there are pear blossoms and peach blossoms, and in cold weather, there are winter plum blossoms. The scenery is absolutely stunning.
Zhu Lin was also dragged along by Xingxing. Several senior brothers and sisters also wanted to join in the fun, but they didn't go together. Xingxing went with Chen Yueru and Zhao Guihua, Zhou Laoda went with Fu Ge, and Zhu Lin naturally went wherever Xingxing was.
The Hufa Temple is located on a mountain. When the carriage reaches the foot of the mountain, people have to get off and walk up. Of course, there are also wider mountain roads where sedan chairs can be carried up. Those noble ladies who do not want to walk can ride in sedan chairs.
Looking at the rows of luxurious carriages parked at the foot of the mountain, Xingxing felt that she, as a princess, was too low-key, so low-key that she seemed a little shabby.
But this is for the best; keeping a low profile will prevent anyone from noticing her, otherwise she might attract a lot of trouble.
The carriage stopped at the foot of the mountain, and Xingxing and the others prepared to walk up. They were all used to walking mountain paths, and they didn't take the short distance to Hufa Temple seriously at all, treating it as just a stroll.
Some of the noble ladies also walked up, and they did so in groups, stopping and chatting and laughing as they went. When they saw beautiful scenery, they would even compose poems.
Xingxing, Chen Yueru, and Zhao Guihua were talking quietly when they passed a rocky mountainside. They heard a group of noble ladies chatting behind them. Xingxing hadn't paid any attention at first, but when she suddenly heard someone mention her, she subconsciously stopped.
A soft, melodious voice came from behind, “Have you seen Princess Linglong? She has been back in the capital for quite some time now, so why hasn’t she held a flower-viewing party or banquet to invite the noble ladies of various families to the palace to get to know each other?”
"I've heard that the eldest princess is very spoiled and rude. After all, she was raised in a farmer's house and has been away from the palace ever since, supposedly to provide disaster relief. But who knows if that's true or not? In any case, she definitely doesn't understand etiquette and rules, and in many ways, she might not even be as good as us," another noblewoman with a slightly higher-pitched voice replied.
Judging from the voices, there were five people. They discussed the eldest princess for a while, but none of them said anything nice. Their words were full of disdain and belittling.
Xingxing was puzzled. She had no grudges against these people, so why did these noble ladies dislike her so much and what benefit did they get from slandering her behind her back?
Zhao Guihua was furious and wanted to go out and argue with them, but Xingxing stopped her. She didn't take this slander to heart and it wouldn't affect her mood. However, she wasn't a pushover. She remembered how others spoke ill of her behind her back and would definitely teach them a lesson later.
"Who, who's there?" One of the noble ladies' maids, with sharp eyes and keen ears, actually spotted Xingxing and the others.
“We’re on our way to the temple fair in the mountains, we’re just passing through,” Chen Yueru replied in a clear voice.
The five noble ladies each brought two maids up the mountain, with guards from their respective families following not far away. The maids who spoke first, Guan Xingxing and Chen Yueru, were just two young girls, dressed simply, with a middle-aged woman with a slightly weathered face by their side.
He immediately concluded that the two young girls were from a poor family, and that they were accompanied by only one woman, making them look extremely shabby.
Then the maidservant arrogantly shouted, "How dare you! Knowing that you ladies are resting here, you should leave immediately. Who gave you permission to stop? Don't you know your place? Do you think you're worthy to rest with the ladies? Get out of here!"
"You're being unreasonable. This mountain path doesn't belong to your young lady, and this Dharma Protector Temple doesn't belong to those noble ladies. Why should only you be allowed to stop here? We're going to stay here, what can you do about it?" Xingxing retorted, chin raised, not tolerating these bullies who rely on their master's power.
The noble ladies thought the same thing. Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. The maid who spoke was the head maid of one of the noble ladies, representing that young lady's face. Wouldn't it be a loss of face for her to be rebuked by a little girl?
"You little slut, I told you to get out, but not only did you not leave, you even dared to talk back! I think you deserve to be taught a lesson." The maid said, stepping forward to slap someone.
The stars didn't twinkle. When the maid got close, she suddenly shouted and jumped up, kicking the maid directly. Since they were halfway up the mountain, the stars didn't hold back when kicking. The maid was kicked down the mountain and rolled a distance before being stopped by a bush.
"Hmph, you dare to be so arrogant without any skill, serves you right." Xingxing put her hands on her hips, looking quite fierce.
At this moment, a noblewoman dressed in a light blue ruqun walked over slowly. She first glanced at the maid who had rolled down the mountain, then her pretty face darkened and she said unhappily, "Do you know my identity, or the identities of the young ladies behind me? You ungrateful wretch, you dare to come out to the temple fair and even come to Hufa Temple. I think you're tired of living."
"Pah, aren't they just a bunch of so-called noble ladies from the capital who have nothing better to do than talk behind people's backs and think they're so respectable? The most shameless ones are noble ladies from humble families like you who dare to question others. Who do you think you are?"
Chen Yueru was no pushover either. She had seen it all. The Chen family used to be a wealthy family. Later, she fled outside and stayed in Yegou Village, the town, and the county. She had seen all kinds of people and heard plenty of arguments. Now, she was quite sharp when she started to argue.
"You, you ignorant peasant girl, how dare you speak to us like that? My father is Zhong Min, a fifth-rank official in the Court of State Affairs, and the daughters of Song Ping, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and Zheng Si, an official in the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, are the eldest daughters of us. How could you possibly offend them?"
At this point, the noblewoman looked at the two young maids and the woman's bewildered expressions and sneered, "It's a pity you wouldn't understand even if I told you, you bunch of ignorant fools."
"You're the stupid one. I don't know who those minor officials you just mentioned are, but that doesn't stop me from looking down on you. What's so great about you? Just fifth-rank officials." Xingxing put on an even more disdainful expression than the other person.
Worried that she might cause some serious trouble, Zhao Guihua quickly tugged at Xingxing's sleeve, trying to get her to say less, but Xingxing wouldn't listen to any advice at that moment.
She's a princess, her status is extremely noble, many times more so than these noble ladies, so she's not going to give way to them.
Chen Yueru, who was always eager to stir things up, wholeheartedly agreed with Xingxing's words, "That's right, just a fifth-rank official, yet he dares to show off in front of our Xingxing, he doesn't know his own limitations."
A group of noble ladies, along with a group of maids and two young girls, were arguing noisily. However, none of them could out-argue Xingxing and Chen Yueru. When Zhao Guihua saw so many people ganging up on Xingxing and Ruru, she got angry and, not caring who she might offend, put her hands on her hips and shouted back to help them.
"These ignorant and foolish women are not worth arguing with. Let the guards deal with them." The daughter of the Councilor of the Ministry of Justice was so angry that her face turned red.
Each family brought two guards, making ten in total from the five families. Even if the little girl had some martial arts skills, it wouldn't be enough; she was determined to beat all three of them until their faces were swollen and raw.
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