To everyone's astonishment, Chang Lili showed no shame whatsoever. Standing on the other side of the bow with her arms crossed, she said frankly, "Of course I haven't read it."
A girl who was sipping her drink almost spat it out.
Seeing her indifferent expression, Xiao Shu'er was furious, but someone spoke up for her: "If you haven't read poetry, you should at least have read the 'Precepts for Women'?"
“Of course I haven’t read it.” Chang Lili not only didn’t feel ashamed, but instead looked at Xiao Shuer and the others with an expression that said, “Why should I have read it?”
The girls sighed in dismay, their gazes towards Chang Lili filled with disdain and contempt.
Xiao Shu'er sneered, her eyes full of disdain: "Don't tell me you can't even do needlework."
Being surrounded and ridiculed by so many people, Chang Lili wasn't completely unaffected. She was a girl about the same age as them, and she couldn't help but yearn for their lives.
But she lived a simple life and was more grateful and content than these girls who had never experienced hardship.
She answered honestly, somewhat dejectedly but without a hint of shame, "I just don't know how."
Xiao Shuer and the group of young ladies burst into laughter. One of the girls who was composing the couplets couldn't help but ask with a laugh, "Are you even a girl? A girl doesn't know any of the things a girl should know. Even if your family is poor, you can still afford needle and thread, right? Compared to you, our princess is simply a goddess descended from the heavens. The princess knows everything. She is top-notch in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, and dancing. Compared to her, we are all just ordinary girls."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Xiao Shu'er said reproachfully, but she couldn't hide her smile, indicating that she was quite pleased with what she said.
Chang Lili didn't take it to heart. She thought to herself that if she had been born into an imperial family, she wouldn't be any worse than Xiao Shuer.
She revealed an exaggerated expression: "The Princess is so amazing. I was really blind. I thought the Princess was just a pretty face." Just as Xiao Shu'er's expression changed suddenly, she said leisurely, "Since the Princess is so amazing, I have a question I would like to ask the Princess."
Everyone else didn't take it seriously, but Chang Lili knew Xiao Shuer's thoughts very well. Seeing that Xiao Shuer didn't seem to care, she played her trump card: "General Meng deals with soldiers and weapons the most, and bows and arrows are the most commonly used weapons. I want to ask the princess, what parts are bows and arrows made of?"
Upon hearing her mention Meng Yuxiu, Xiao Shuer naturally took her words seriously, and she dared not ignore the other young ladies either. However, Xiao Shuer could not answer Chang Lili's question.
Chang Lili wasn't afraid of getting into trouble. She stood there, looking smug, as if to say, "You may not know, but I do."
Everyone knows that Chang Lili became a thorn in Xiao Shu'er's side because of Meng Yuxiu. At this moment, Chang Lili openly provoked by mentioning Meng Yuxiu was like pulling the tiger's hair out of a tiger's head.
Xiao Shu'er's eyes widened in anger, and her breathing became increasingly heavy, clearly indicating that she was extremely angry and could explode at any moment.
The girl beside her flinched and quickly tried to smooth things over: "Miss Chang, what you're saying is ridiculous. Since you know that it's something General Meng sees every day, why are you asking the Princess about it? That's something a general leading troops into battle should know, not something the Princess should know."
Immediately, someone chimed in: "That's right. Does General Meng expect to marry a wife after spending his time with those cold, impersonal things on the battlefield? A general's wife should naturally be a good wife and mother; that's what a woman should do."
The two of them spoke in unison, making Xiao Shu'er very happy, and her anger from before dissipated by more than half.
Xiao Shu'er blushed, but her mind was bold. She felt that only she was worthy of Meng Yuxiu and qualified to be his wife and mother.
Chang Lili looked at them coldly, inwardly cursing them for being shameless.
Xiao Shu'er's anger completely dissipated. Now she truly considered herself the future general's wife, and said with a smile, "Please stop talking. It's all my fault. I knew that Miss Chang's background was different from ours, so naturally she was different from us, but I still insisted on being aggressive, putting her in a difficult position."
Chang Lili's expression cracked slightly, but she remained relatively calm, secretly cursing Xiao Shuer for being hypocritical and wondering what she was up to.
As she spoke, Xiao Shu'er brought over a cup of tea, and surprisingly, she condescended to hand the teacup to Chang Lili, saying apologetically, "Miss Chang, I apologize to you. Please forgive my rudeness..."
As Chang Lili reluctantly reached out to take the teacup, she couldn't help but feel nauseous. Xiao Shuer's appearance was truly disgusting.
To her surprise, Xiao Shu'er caused trouble at this moment. The teacup, which she had been holding steadily in her hand, tilted and fell before it could be handed to her, spilling tea all over Chang Lili.
The scalding hot tea spilled onto Chang Lili's body, causing her to gasp in shock and wince in pain.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss Chang, I'm truly sorry," Xiao Shu'er said insincerely.
Looking at Chang Lili's disheveled appearance, she felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
She was certain that no matter how arrogant and domineering Chang Lili was, she wouldn't publicly lose her temper and break off relations, as that wouldn't do her any good.
"Quickly, someone prepare a clean set of clothes for Miss Chang and take her downstairs to change," Xiao Shu'er said, then added as if to make amends, "Miss Chang, don't worry, the clothes I prepare for you will be a hundred times better than what you're wearing now."
It's impossible not to be angry; Chang Lili was so angry she was about to go crazy.
Instead of getting angry, she laughed and even showed a look of fear, saying timidly, "Princess, what are you saying? How could I possibly blame you? You are pampered and spoiled, so it's normal for you to make such a small mistake."
She seemed harmless, but every word she spoke was barbed and merciless, making those rich young ladies think she really didn't want to live anymore.
But what happened next was even worse. Chang Lili quickly grabbed a glass of wine and splashed it on Xiao Shuer's face without hesitation.
Xiao Shu'er was stunned and looked at her blankly.
"Princess, you spilled tea. You must think that because you're a princess, you can do whatever you want. Others may not dare to speak the truth, but I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of the Emperor and Empress Dowager, and show you what reciprocity is all about," Chang Lili said with an air of superiority.
Xiao Shu'er reached out and wiped the wine off her face. Looking at her clothes, which were soaked with wine, she felt a surge of anger.
Before she could react, Chang Lili laughed shamelessly, seemingly oblivious to the stench emanating from Xiao Shuer. She intimately took Xiao Shuer's arm and said, "Your Highness's clothes are wet too, let's go change together."
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