homesick
That evening, accompanied by Huang Ying, Jiang Yan went to the back garden to attend a tea party.
In order to avoid arousing jealousy and blame from Shangguan Zeyu's other women, she deliberately had Huang Ying dress her up in a very rustic way.
Even so, she was still mocked and ridiculed by them in turn.
The first person to mock her was not Xiao Yiqing, nor Wang Qianqian, but Wu Lanyu.
As soon as Wu Lanyu saw her appear, she rolled her eyes contemptuously and said sarcastically.
"You dress like someone owes you something, who are you trying to impress? The prince isn't here! No matter how much you wag your tail, it only makes you look ridiculous and laughable!!" She covered her mouth and laughed as she looked at Wang Qianqian.
Contrary to her usual behavior, Wang Qianqian did not mock her maliciously, but instead sneered.
"It's her freedom to wear whatever she likes." She shifted her gaze and began toying with the delicate floral teacup in her hand.
Jiang Yan looked at Xiao Yiqing, who sat there like a Buddha statue, noble and elegant, looking down on everything, neither happy nor angry.
"This younger sister greets Your Highness, the Princess." She bowed to Xiao Yiqing.
Wu Lanyu sneered, "What, does the concubine not see her younger sister?"
Jiang Yan looked at her expressionlessly.
"Why are you looking at your sister like that? She didn't say anything wrong!" She looked innocently at Xiao Yiqing.
Jiang Yan: "Sister Wu, Sister Wang, you've arrived so early!!!" Then she sat down in her seat.
But as soon as her bottom touched the chair, Xiao Yiqing's cold voice spoke.
"Did I grant you permission to sit?"
Jiang Yan's bottom froze, unsure whether to sit down or move up.
Wu Lanyu, with her nostrils flared, said disdainfully.
"Sister Concubine, the Princess is speaking to you! Didn't you hear me? Or are you deliberately taking advantage of the Prince's favor towards you and ignoring the Princess?" She looked at Xiao Yiqing.
Xiao Yiqing's face instantly turned even blacker than the bottom of a pot.
Jiang Yan realized something was wrong, so he quickly stood up, walked to her side, and humbly bowed.
"Please forgive me, Your Highness. I did not mean to be rude. I hope you will not hold it against me."
Xiao Yiqing stared at her coldly, without saying a word.
Wu Lanyu continued, "Sister Concubine, if I slapped you and then apologized, would you say it's alright?"
Jiang Yan knew this was a trap, and she had prepared herself for being targeted and for fighting back.
"This is a matter between me, the concubine, and the princess. What do you, a mere concubine, mean by this? Do you think I, the concubine, dare not slap you?"
"You!! Don't take advantage of the prince's favor to act arrogantly here!!" Wu Lanyu then looked at Xiao Yiqing.
She was saying this to Xiao Yiqing, deliberately provoking him so she could use him to deal with her!
“Your Highness, you are naturally magnanimous and have a broad perspective. Of course, the Prince loves you the most. You are the Princess, the mistress of the Prince’s mansion, and the Prince’s wife.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yiqing's expression indeed softened somewhat.
"Sit down. I, the princess, will not humiliate anyone without reason!"
"Thank you, Princess Consort." Jiang Yan walked back, sat down, and looked defiantly at Wu Lanyu, who had miscalculated.
Wang Qianqian, who had been observing the situation quietly, suddenly said, "Look at this night view, isn't it beautiful!"
Jiang Yan smiled smugly, glared at Wu Lanyu, and followed Wang Qianqian's gaze. What she saw was truly astonishing!
The lake water shimmered with golden light, as if the stars in the sky had fallen into it. And the moon, almost full in the sky, emitted a soft, luminous glow, as if draping everything in the world in a thin veil—it was so beautiful.
There were also the sounds of crickets, grasshoppers, and frogs all around.
Jiang Yanqing couldn't help but recall the scenes of her childhood life in the countryside.
Back then, at night, a group of friends would always run together under the moon. The moon was so big and round, it seemed that if it fell to the ground, it could cover everything on earth.
Back then, I always felt like the moon followed me. I was always arguing with my friends about whose moon it was.
Back then, there were also fireflies, flying around in the low sky, twinkling like stars fallen to earth.
Back then, the night wind rustled through the wheat fields. She and her friends would often roll around in the wheat, damaging the grain and getting chased and spanked by their families.
Is she still alive now, or is she already dead?
Having inexplicably arrived in this Zhou Kingdom, I felt as if my head was constantly in my grasp, trembling with fear, and unsure of my way home.
"Sigh!" Jiang Yan was lost in thought and unconsciously sighed again.
Wang Qianqian: "Why does Concubine Sister keep sighing?"
Jiang Yan didn't think about where she was now, and just said based on her feelings, "I miss home! I miss my mother, I miss my father, I miss everything about home."
Wang Qianqian couldn't help but sigh, and looked up at the moon, which hung even higher now.
She must have been homesick, otherwise the loneliness on her face would have been so touching.
But Wu Lanyu continued to mock them.
"It's not like I'm tens of thousands of miles away from home. Who am I trying to impress with my melancholy? Humph!"
Jiang Yan couldn't help but glare at her again.
But she was very smug, acting like, "Come on, come on, I'm not afraid of you!"
Jiang Yan was so angry that her teeth itched, but seeing her ignorant and arrogant appearance, she thought that she would probably bring trouble upon herself soon, so she didn't bother with her anymore and looked at the moon again.
The sky is now filled with bright, twinkling stars, a stark contrast to the dark, oppressive skies of modern society, which are always dark no matter the time of day.
It was called a tea party, and it truly was. Aside from the initial unpleasantness, for the next half hour, no one said anything to spoil the mood. Everyone ate fruit, drank tea, and leisurely enjoyed the night view.
On the way back, Jiang Yan couldn't contain her curiosity and asked.
"Huang Ying, don't you think Wang Qianqian has changed?"
“I haven’t noticed that, but I feel that Madam Wu has changed.”
"What's the explanation?" Without stopping, they continued walking.
“Master, Madam Wu is not usually ignorant and always listens to Madam Wang, but today, I saw that she was very arrogant and her stance was not quite the same as Madam Wang’s.”
"I noticed that too. Did they have a fight?"
Huang Ying was silent for a while, then said, "This servant will inquire about it tomorrow. However, even if there is a conflict, it is because of the prince's matter. They are definitely still on the same side and don't like you, Master."
Jiang Yan smiled and said, "You're right. No matter how much they disagree with each other, they won't side with me."
The night was relatively peaceful and passed quickly.
The next day, before Jiang Yan even got out of bed, Huang Ying had already found out what she was curious about and hurriedly came to report to her.
"Master, Master, please wake up, please wake up."
Jiang Yan hated it when others disturbed her while she was sleeping, but when she heard it was Huang Ying, she had no choice but to swallow her resentment.
"What's wrong?" he asked reluctantly.
"My lord, I have found out."
"What did you find out?" Jiang Yan's eyes were still closed, and he was just standing there with his head down in a "big" position.
"Master, Madam Wang and Madam Wu are really having a falling out!"
"Oh, why?" Jiang Yan asked perfunctorily.
But Huang Ying replied to her very seriously: "I heard from a maid in Haitang Garden that Madam Wang and Madam Wu are vying for favor by relying on their own abilities, and the servants of the two households have fallen out and stopped talking to each other."
Jiang Yan slowly opened his eyes: "I noticed they usually keep in touch?"
“With Madam Wang and Madam Wu following the Princess, they certainly have to maintain appearances,” Huang Ying said, carefully helping Jiang Yan, who was trying to sit up, to her feet.
"Competing for favor? Wasn't it said that Shangguan Zeyu doted on them all? Weren't they inseparable before? And now they've turned against each other over a man? That's a bit much, isn't it?"
"My lady, I'm going to repeat myself again. The women in the Prince's mansion all depend on the Prince. Without his favor, they can't survive. The servants are actually very opportunistic. The one who is favored gets better food and daily necessities. The one who is not favored gets their daily necessities cut off, and they eat leftovers. Just like what happened to our Pear Blossom Residence before."
“Your Majesty has your own plans, and I will no longer bother you to compete for favor.”
Jiang Yan leaned against the bed, pondered for a moment, and then said.
“Huang Ying, you’re right, and I’m right too, but I’m too unrealistic. I always thought that even in a feudal country like this, I could still be as independent and self-reliant as I am in modern society. But I didn’t expect that the resources of this country are all in the hands of men. Without their permission, no matter how hard I try, I will find it very difficult to move forward.”
"But in any case, whether it's flattery or pandering, the ultimate goal is the same: for ourselves."
She didn't believe that a man's love could conquer all!
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