And those ladies-in-waiting looked at Long Yanrou with either contempt or schadenfreude.
Commandery Princess Yanrou prided herself on her noble status, exceptional beauty, and mastery of the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She had the reputation of being "the most beautiful and talented woman in the world." She never regarded other women highly, especially looking down on them with such disdain that she remained unwed even at eighteen.
Crown Prince Meng was so pure and ethereal, famed throughout the world (Meng Jingqi had never appeared in public in the four countries with his true face, but his renown was widespread). Which woman in the world wouldn’t want to marry him? Yet, none were as shameless as Commandery Princess Yanrou. Now there would be a good show to watch.
"Who do you think you are? How dare you harbor thoughts about my brother, it’s simply delusional!"
Before the Emperor could speak, Meng Jinghui was already furious, his handsome face containing a coldness and mockery; his words were venomous and ruthless.
Since she was a child, Long Yanrou had been overly pampered and adored by her family, getting whatever she wished for. Outsiders, too, always flattered and pleased her; she had never experienced such humiliation, let alone in front of so many people.
Long Yanrou’s face turned red with anger in an instant, but she knew this was not the time to rage, nor to confront Meng Jinghui head-on. So, she lowered her head slightly, and when she raised it again a moment later, the blush had faded from her face, replaced by a pale and panicky look of helplessness. Her watery eyes looked straight at Meng Jingqi, biting her lip gently, her long eyelashes holding back tears that were about to fall – the very picture of a pitiful and captivating beauty.
Watching Long Yanrou, Yang Mengchen was reminded of the famous ’face-changing’ act from Sichuan opera, thinking Long Yanrou’s acting skills could rival those of Oscar-winning actresses.
The men present, except for a few, didn’t understand Long Yanrou. Seeing her in this state, they inevitably blamed Meng Jinghui for being too harsh with his words.
The ladies, particularly the young maidens, were full of scorn and ridicule inside, even though they dared not show it on their faces.
Ignoring the tenderness and sorrow in Long Yanrou’s eyes, Meng Jingqi gazed at the Ceramic Glaze cup in his hand, filled with red wine, his demeanor gentle yet indifferent.
"Younger Brother, you must not be rude!" Meng Hanyue gently rebuked Meng Jinghui, her tone light without a trace of reproach, then turned to look at Long Yanrou, "Commandery Princess Yanrou, isn’t it? My younger brother is always straightforward and speaks his mind, even our father praises him for his genuine nature and showers him with affection. I hope Commandery Princess Yanrou won’t take his words to heart."
Yang Mengchen almost laughed aloud. Sister Hanyue’s words were subtly barbed and cut to the quick, sheer brilliance.
Firstly, Meng Jinghui naturally had an unrestrained personality, secondly, the Emperor of Qing’an Country adored him. If Long Yanrou took issue with him, not only would she seem petty, but she might also incur the wrath of the Emperor of Qing’an Country. The outcome was obvious.
Sister Hanyue, truly of royal blood, defeated her opponent with just a few words, leaving the adversary with no recourse. Mengchen found this deeply admirable.
Long Yanrou, thoroughly tutored by Prince Ke since childhood, had mastered his art of duplicity to perfection. Even though she wished she could kill Meng Hanyue and Meng Jinghui, her face showed nothing of the sort; instead, she appeared gracious and magnanimous: "Yanrou knows that Prince Wei meant no harm, and naturally, I shall hold no grudge against him."
Meng Jinghui, having seen plenty of shamelessness, had yet to encounter anyone as brazen as Long Yanrou. Just as he was about to speak, he caught his elder sister’s disapproving glance, and with a cold huff, he picked up his wine cup to drink, refusing to look at that shameless person any longer.
"Commandery Princess Yanrou is indeed virtuous. On behalf of my younger brother, I thank the Commandery Princess," Meng Hanyue said calmly, devoid of any emotion. "This must be the first time the Commandery Princess is meeting my elder brother, how come you have specifically named him as the one you wish to marry? I am curious, could the Commandery Princess enlighten me?"
Glancing at Meng Jingqi, who had not looked her way from beginning to end, Long Yanrou felt resentful inside but pretended to be demure on the surface. Her eyes brimming with allure, she fidgeted with the wide sleeves of her gown, her cherry-red lips barely parting, "Eldest Princess Zhaoyang, Yanrou is, after all, a maiden, how could I possibly reveal my heart in public..."
"I understand," nodded Meng Hanyue, looking enlightened. "Could the Commandery Princess answer a few questions for me?"
"Please ask, Eldest Princess Zhaoyang."
"Does Commandery Princess Yanrou know how our white rice is produced? Do you know what our clothes are made of? Do you know the market price per pound for fruits and vegetables? Do you know how to deal with floods and droughts to mitigate disasters and save the people?"
"This..."
"If Commandery Princess Yanrou doesn’t even know these basics, what qualifies you to marry my elder brother?"
As Long Yanrou was left speechless, Meng Hanyue raised her eyebrows with a smile that was not quite a smile: "In our Anqing Country, all women learn about the knowledge and skills concerning the livelihood of the people from a young age. They must contribute ideas and strategies for the welfare and sustenance of the citizens. We have many female officials and generals. Even I, a princess of the royal family, also serve as Minister of Revenue;
Those who pride themselves on their noble identity, relying on the shadow of their ancestors and brothers, who spend all day dressing up and stoop to any means for their own gain, even trampling on lives – such people in Anqing Country are universally despised."
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