Chapter 74: One by one, two people came to apologize for vying for favor.
The style of the banquet for teachers at the princess's residence was elegant. Several new dishes were placed on the pear wood table, including three fresh dishes from the lotus pond served on a lotus leaf plate, crystal pig's trotter jelly carved into the shape of a lotus flower, and snow buds and young bamboo shoots marinated in Huadiao wine.
The blue drapery fluttered in the wind, and through the clusters of flowers and the pleasant sound of stringed instruments, he could see Princess Chun'an sitting at the top of the table through the fireflies.
First, everyone stood up, bowed to the princess and congratulated her, listened to her instructions, then returned to their seats, raised their glasses, and started eating. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, they went to the princess one by one according to their seniority and age to pay their respects.
Cong Ying and Ah He knelt before the Duke, holding up a cup and congratulating him, "Your Highness, I respectfully wish you a flourishing student body, and that your teachers and students will flourish together in the pursuit of excellence."
Ah He kowtowed loudly and said, "May Your Highness the Princess be blessed with good health!"
Princess Chun'an drank the wine but did not signal the two of them to leave. Instead, she said to Ah He, "Jiang Conghe, come here."
Ah He obediently walked up to the princess and let her look him over. "I heard you're a good archer?"
Cong He nodded: "Princess, I know a little bit."
The princess ordered a bow and arrows to be brought. It was a magnificent bow inlaid with colorful agate. She also sent for Wei Yin'er and said to Ah He, "You two will compete in archery. I will give this bow to the winner, and the loser will receive twenty gold coins and leave the imperial court."
Ah He, who had always been simple-minded, said anxiously, "No, no!"
"How dare you disobey me?" The princess smiled at her. "It seems you don't really want to become a royal concubine. It's a shame your sister praised you so highly."
Ah He turned to look at Congying. Congying knew that the princess was asking about Ah He's character, so she just lowered her head and said nothing.
Without her sister's reminder, Ah He could only calmly say, "I don't want to compete with Yin'er for it. I admit defeat. Princess, please give her the bow. I only want twenty gold coins."
The princess raised her eyebrows: "How dare you ask me for money?"
Ah He's voice gradually lowered: "Sister said that even a princess must keep her word..."
The princess ordered the servant to weigh out twenty gold ingots for Ah He. Ah He took the gold ingot but did not keep it for himself. Instead, he held it before the princess and said sternly, "Your Highness, can I use this twenty gold as a tuition fee to study at the Imperial Court?"
The princess couldn't help laughing: "You, little lady, are more knowledgeable and interesting than your sister."
When Cong Ying was mentioned, he kowtowed and confessed his crime.
"Please leave and have tea with me after the banquet." Although these words were said to Ah He, they also restrained Cong Ying.
The banquet for the teachers was short. After toasts, there were three acts of singing and dancing. The eunuchs called out the names of the guests and distributed the rewards. Then Princess Chun'an stood up and left. Cong Ying and Ah He followed the princess through the ceremonial gate. When they saw her ascend the octagonal pavilion, they waited outside.
Princess Chun'an said, "Come here. There's no one else here. No need to pretend."
She stepped forward and bowed respectfully, "The etiquette between the ruler and his subjects is such that I dare not violate it lightly."
"Since you know that I am the monarch and you are the subject, do you know how to punish the crime of deceiving the monarch?"
Cong Ying thought she knew everything about the Luoxi Mountain people, and her heart hesitated for a moment. She looked up to observe her expression, but it didn't seem like it. Just as she was hesitating, she heard the princess say, "Just now at Xue Luwei's place, you knew I was behind the screen, right?"
Cong Ying lowered his eyes and admitted: "Yes."
"During the debate, you and I were separated by a fence, and today you and I are separated by a screen. Jiang Congying, do you hate me and refuse to talk to me properly?"
Cong Ying pleaded guilty: "I dare not. I am of low status and dare not offend you."
Princess Chun'an sneered softly, "Keeping a respectful distance is nothing but hypocrisy."
Cong Ying was speechless.
Princess Chun'an had never dealt with such a stubborn and taciturn person. She thought that her willingness to invite him and ask questions proactively was a sign of her affection for the wise. Could it be that she was required to apologize for past actions in front of a mere guilty minister?
Princess Chun'an frowned uncomfortably and said, "Although you are the granddaughter of Old Censor Jiang, your knowledge and insight far surpass his. I did cause trouble for the Jiang family in the past. If this affected you, I... I apologize to you now."
Cong Ying didn't expect that she would apologize for this. Her heart softened and she couldn't help but feel sincere emotions, which she couldn't help but express.
She said to Princess Chun'an, "Jiang is guilty of the princess, not the princess. I dare not bear any grudge against her for all the things that happened in the past. I am grateful for your appreciation, but I have already pledged my life to Xie. If I serve you as Xie's wife, and you and Xie have a quarrel in the future, I will find it difficult to fulfill my obligation. Moreover, given my status, I am afraid you will not trust me."
Princess Chun'an asked her, "Do you really have to marry Xie Xuanlan? I have hundreds of aides, many as handsome as Pan An and as talented as Song Yu. You can pick any of them you want."
Cong Ying said, "This subject is only grateful to the Third Young Master."
Princess Chun'an sighed softly, "What a pity."
Cong Ying thought the matter was over, but then she heard Princess Chun'an say, "What if I insist on taking you in as my own?"
Cong Ying was slightly stunned: "Why is this... There are many talented people in the world, why does the princess have to humble herself for a servant?"
Princess Chun'an said, "Yes, there are many talented people in the world, but I am particularly resentful towards you."
"If you really marry into the Xie family, not only will I not be able to trust you wholeheartedly, I'm afraid you won't be able to trust me either. After all, being a minister is not as stable as being a wife. This is where I'm inferior to Xie San. I'll find a way. Before I offer you an offer that's more tempting than Xie San's, don't rush to refuse, okay?"
This was a rare gentle tone from her. Zong Ying's heart was beating fast and she was almost at a loss. She felt a mixture of sadness and joy in her heart and couldn't explain the feeling.
After a while, she couldn't help but nodded softly: "Okay."
Although this was an unsolvable contradiction in Congying's heart, and she was unwilling to join the princess at the cost of hurting Xie Xuanlan, she was flattered to be favored so firmly and was reluctant to refuse.
Having agreed, in the secret corner of my heart, I was hoping for a miracle to resolve this dilemma.
The princess once again called Ah He forward, this time with a much more intimate tone: "You and your sister are both infatuated with each other, but you just haven't chosen me. I will accept your salary. From now on, you and Wei Yin'er will stay by my side. I will hire another master to teach you archery."
Ah He was so happy that he almost jumped up: "Thank you, Princess!"
Princess Chun'an smiled and said, "The flower ornament on your forehead is quite exquisite. Who painted it for you?"
Ah He replied: "It was painted by my sister."
Princess Chun'an glanced at Congying and said, "Since you've dipped it in gold powder, why don't you draw one for yourself?"
Cong Ying said, "Time is very tight, and I'm afraid I'll miss the banquet."
Princess Chun'an revealed her thoughts: "You don't want to stand out today, so you just want to ask for my grace to send Ah He to the Imperial Concubine and leave it at that."
Cong Ying pursed her lips silently, which meant that she agreed but was unwilling to admit it.
Princess Chun'an did not investigate further. She ordered someone to bring a paintbrush and gold powder, and asked Congying to sit in front of her.
She picked up a brush in her right hand and dipped it in gold powder. With her left hand, she supported Congying's chin. She also painted a cluster of phoenix-tail flowers between Congying's eyebrows, similar to the pattern on Ah He's forehead. She looked left and right, seeming quite satisfied, a faint smile flickering in her dignified and cold eyes.
"Although I don't have a younger sister, I can understand your sincere love for your younger sister."
She did not keep Cong Ying in the princess's mansion for long. After chatting with her for a cup of tea, she let her go.
On the way back home from Yingzi, she found a mirror to look at the phoenix-tail flower on her forehead. The gold powder reflected in the mirror, casting tiny streams of light. Princess Chun'an's words came to her ears one after another.
She hadn't expected that with Princess Chun'an's pride, she would still be willing to recruit her and make concessions for her even though she knew she was going to marry Xie Xuanlan. She felt a little bit unbelievable, and at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
"How should I tell Saburo about this? Will he be unhappy?" Cong Ying started to worry again.
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Xie Xuanlan chose a free time and went to Prince Jin's mansion in a dignified manner to ask Prince Jin to return the half bronze mirror given to him by Taoist Taixiao - he wanted not only his own half, but also the half that Prince Jin gave him.
King Jin was unwilling to pay attention to his unreasonable behavior, but questioned him why he let Congying work at Congshan Academy.
"Do you know that Congshan Academy is unworthy of her talent? Moreover, the hypocritical etiquette of the teachers there doesn't suit her temperament. You're harming her by doing this."
"If Ah Ying didn't want to, she would have told me. You have no relationship with her, so how can you say what she feels? Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Even if Congshan Academy is not worthy of her, it's better than serving a consumptive patient in the Prince of Jin's mansion."
The King of Jin was so provoked by him that he coughed violently: "You are angry with me... but you are gambling with Aying's future..."
Xie Xuanlan said, "This is what Ah Ying wants. If she wants to enter the government in the future, like my cousin-in-law, Minister Di, Xie can still support her."
"Support her?" Prince Jin recalled some things from his past life and said sarcastically, "I'm afraid we should imprison her and use her."
Xie Xuanlan remained indifferent: "I will take care of my wife myself, Your Highness, don't worry about it."
The King of Jin closed his eyes and sighed, "You are truly stubborn and hopeless."
Of course, he was unwilling to return the Mirror of the World to Xie Xuanlan, and Xie Xuanlan did not take his crazy words to heart. He just thought that he was looking for an opportunity to sow discord because he could not win her love.
The two of them exchanged harsh words and parted on bad terms.
Princess Xuande learned that Xie Xuanlan had come and asked Prince Jin what he had said.
The Prince of Jin played with the Half-Mirror, a wry smile of worry on his face, his eyes shrouded in the dim light, obscure and unclear. He said to Princess Xuande, "Xie Sangong has come here to humiliate me, saying that I'm an unlucky, consumptive person and unworthy of competing with him for his beloved... well, he's telling the truth; I'm not worthy anyway."
Princess Xuande was furious and said, "This is simply outrageous! You are a prince, how can you be so self-deprecating? Tomorrow I will personally visit this Lady Jiang. If she is interested in you, I will definitely pry her away."
Prince Jin appropriately reminded her, "Mother, please don't scare people."
Princess Xuande: "As a mother, I know my limits."
She found out Jiang Congying's current residence, and the next morning, without even sending an invitation, fearing that she would run away, she went straight to her house with a generous gift.
Cong Ying was teaching Zi Su how to play chess, and for a moment he thought he had misheard: "Princess Xuande is here?"
"It's me, aren't you welcome?"
The eldest princess heard the sound before she even arrived, and was surrounded by people, treating it as her own territory. After scanning the courtyard, her eyes fell on Cong Ying. Although she had a smile on her face, she could not hide the arrogance of having held a high position for a long time.
Cong Ying quickly stood up and saluted: "Your humble servant greets Her Royal Highness the Princess. I did not know you were coming, so I hope you will forgive me for not coming to greet you."
The eldest princess helped her up and said with a smile, "From now on, you don't have to be so polite to me. I will treat you as one of my own family."
From Ying: "..."
Which part of the song is this?
Seeing her doubt, vigilance and fear, the eldest princess explained, "Last time my son was seriously ill, you were fortunate to be by his side and saved his life. I am not an ungrateful person. The first thing I want to do today is to reward you with a generous gift. Come on—"
The eldest princess's attendants brought in two or three large wooden boxes, which were filled with rare jade, gold, silver and jadeite. The sight of them was enough to make one feel the grandeur.
Before Cong Ying could say anything to refuse, the princess continued, "There's another matter. I'm here to apologize to you... On the day of your grandfather's funeral, out of my deep love for him, I nearly whipped you. Didn't that scare you?"
Cong Ying was greatly surprised and horrified.
It is said that the women of the Xiao family are the most arrogant and cannot be messed with. What happened today? Why did they all come to her to apologize?
Cong Ying felt her feet were dizzy and she had to hold onto the railing to keep her balance.
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